Dungeon of Niflheim-Chapter 907: Not death but salvation (2)

"Shalla, Yana calm yourselves it is not death that has come for us but salvation." The young woman smiling with joy for the first time in months was Neve the young leader of the Lunar maidens or rather what little remained of their lineage.

While everyone else viewed her actions as an omen of their coming death she knew better, what was drawing close was not the brute who looked at her and every one of her sisters with abject lust and hunger but their salvation the one who they had been waiting for all this time.

"Salvation?" One of the children a girl probably not even ten years old asked painfully failing to understand.

"Yes young one, our fate has changed the Primordial Ice King has sent us a saviour." Neve turned around, showing her juniors the hope that returned to her eyes and the smile that was partially hidden by a sheet of thin muslin. Just this expression alone seemed to light up the darkness that enveloped the hearts of the lunar maidens.

"Salvation."

"His majesty." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

"Saviour." The lunar maidens repeated Neve’s words, some semblance of hope returning to their eyes as they gazed at the entrance to their temporary dwelling.

Not even sixty seconds later their eyes were graced with the figure of Frost and Kiba, their apparent saviours.

"Eh?" Feeling nothing but worship towards Shivali the great Primordial Ice King Neve ordered every one of her retinue to kneel and bow in greeting making for quite the display.

"I Neve, Matriarch of the Lunar maidens greet you honoured saviour." Only Neve raised her head to greet him, the rest of the 20 or so Lunar maidens remained in a bowing state, daring not to insult an envoy of the Gods.

"....Alright first off none of that bowing stuff or treating me like some kind of inviolable royal, that doesn’t sit well with my style." Frost felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end when he was greeted in such a manner. Being called a Prince was awkward enough.

"Saviour?"

"That too, I’m not some holy saviour here to rescue you out of the goodness of my heart. My uncle asked me to do him a favour and I agreed...for a price." Frost wanted to eliminate any misunderstandings from the get-go, lying and false pretences were too much of a bother in his view, best to be upfront and honest.

Neve and her Lunar maidens weren’t going to some kind of sanctuary that would provide for their every need no questions asked no they would have to work for their livelihood just like every other monster under his command.

"...Oh...that’s actually a relief; a clear transaction is much better than pitying grace." Neve was at first flabbergasted by Frost’s words but quickly caught on to his intentions and strangely an unseen weight was lifted from her shoulders. She and her race were innately proud, they abhorred the idea of being pitied. By agreeing to an exchange there would be no hidden pressure to pay back any grace, everything would be clear cut and simple.

Under her urging the lunar maidens rose from their bowing state and actively stared and analysed their supposed saviour and Frost in turn did the same.

Every one of the lunar maidens were adorned in silk like robes that covered every inch of their skin, only their eyes and the bridge of their noses were on display even their hands were hidden behind a pair of gloves. For a race that was not so dissimilar to succubae it was rather strange to see them so thoroughly obscured.

’Perhaps it has to do with their detrimental traditions’ Frost didn’t know much about his new citizens bar what Shivali told him. And according to him because of their innate pride and arrogance they looked down on pretty much every other race, adamantly refusing to copulate with those that they deemed lesser than themselves thus leading to their current weakened state. Instead of taking advantage of their sexual nature they instead renounced it, repressing their urges to the point that they acted diametrically opposed to races with the same kind of origin.

"Unfortunately there’s not enough time for a proper meet and greet, once you understand the terms of my aid and agree to them we’ll need to get out of here quickly." The time that the frost giant stated he’d return was drawing near.

"Understood....." Neve offered no retort, seamlessly following Frost’s will without resistance only stumbling her words when she realised she didn’t know what to call him.

"You can call me Frost, Lord or Master whichever you prefer....you’re a lot easier to deal with than I expected." From what Shivali had told him about the Lunar maidens he half expected to endure a certain level of pushback and stubbornness, yet this young Neve was quick on the uptake and rather understanding of his intentions.

"Thank you Lord Frost but I’m unworthy of such a compliment I’m merely painfully aware of the direness of my race’s plight." Before the fall of her race although she could be considered part of the proactive faction she still honoured their traditions and upheld much of her race’s stereotypical mannerisms but seeing so many of her sisters, elders and even juniors miserably dying before her eyes she understood the weight that rested on her shoulders as Matriarch. They were at the complete mercy of the one who offered their hand, to struggle and pushback against such aid was illogical. If she and her sisters were to survive they needed to cling to Frost’s leg and appease him as much as possible. She was even prepared to offer her body as a means to develop a minimal degree of trust between them. Regardless of her saviour’s appearance she was willingly to do almost anything to ensure the survival of her people.

As if to reveal such intentions she started to loosen her robes, showing small amounts of skin that was as white as snow while also releasing pheromones unique to the lunar maidens, pheromones that were sure to arouse the man standing across from her.

As the carnal scent assailed his nostrils and his eyes were drawn to Neve’s alluring movements Frost visibly frowned, the strength that he’d kept in check as he travelled through the mountain range suddenly erupting. His aura instantly pressuring the nearby Lunar maidens (bar the children), forcing them to their knees.

"I suggest you stop those kind of actions Neve lest you wish for me to kill you." He didn’t take kindly to Neve’s attempts at seduction, she certainly seemed to possess great beauty and a rather bountiful figure that couldn’t be fully hidden by her robes but that was nowhere near enough to attract Frost especially after he just cemented his relationship with Khione. In fact her actions even aroused his killing intent.

"A..A...Apologies Lord Frost I didn’t mean to offend you." Neve was terrified, her every nerve becoming taught as death whispered in her ear and took firm grasp around her heart, Frost wasn’t making an empty threat. Viciously warned she stopped trying to appeal to him as a woman, she reeled back her pheromones and covered up the small portion of smooth white skin that she had revealed. The first time she ever tried to appeal sexually to someone she was utterly rejected, to say it didn’t hurt would be a lie, but she didn’t let it show in her expression, appearing apologetic and remorseful, genuinely sorry for her actions.

Seeing that she understood Frost pulled back his aura and bloodlust, letting the Lunar maidens breathe comfortably once again. "I can understand the logic behind your reasoning Neve, but you should really understand your own worth before making such plays." He mocked Neve clearly demarking a difference in status between the two of them.

"Urgh....as you say Lord Frost it was a foolish notion, please forgive my impertinence." Another painful blow to her heart made worse by the fact that his words though biting were 100% true. Frost was to be the saviour of her race, someone with at least B-rank strength and with connections to the Primordial Ice King while she was the leader of a motley crew of remnant lunar maidens, calling them a prince and a pauper would be far too kind.

"You’re forgiven so let’s move on, my terms for aid are simple. You and your companions will serve in my territory either by lending your strength as soldiers in my army or by using the innate gifts of your race to quench the carnal appetites of those that reside there. By doing this I will ensure your safety and the prosperity of your race."

As Frost gave his terms the looks of the lunar maidens in the cave became downcast, they had heard similar terms before....from the mouth of the brutish frost giant.

Even Neve couldn’t help but wince her eyes finding such terms difficult to accept without further investigation. "....Can you please elaborate Lord Frost." Though she was less conservative than most lunar maidens the idea of offering their bodies to the residents of Frost’s territory and not him himself had her stomach twisting in knots. Military service didn’t sound much better given their aggregate strength, the possibility of them being used as meat shields seemed highly likely according to her personal calculations.

"Very well, if you choose military service you will receive the bare minimum of my aid, your lives will be completely bound to mine, and my orders will be absolute....you won’t need to worry about food, drink or shelter but the likelihood of a resurgence in your race will be practically non-existent." It was clear that Frost wasn’t too keen on the military option. Adding a few C-rank monsters would improve the Dungeon’s overall military strength yes but it wouldn’t be a major improvement. The Lunar maidens’ strength would be better served elsewhere.