Dungeon of Niflheim

They could either camp out when it got dark and eat the lovely bentos prepared by Kathy before resting for the night. Part of the supplies contained within Frost’s backpacks was camping gear, fire kindling, tents, water canteens etc... he was inclined to try out these new items that he purchased for such a situation, but something was eating away at him in regards to the Dungeon.

The other option and the one Frost was more inclined to go with was for he and Maya to carry one of the kids each once night fell and power through, reaching the Dungeon that much quicker. It wasn’t the most ideal situation but certainly the fastest and given his current feelings it was becoming more and more imperative that they reach the Dungeon quickly.

Once the group entered the forest and were truly alone, Frost stopped in place, he turned around to face Nanna and Loki. He’d ask for their input as they’d know their own bodies best.

“Nanna, Loki it’ll take us some time to reach our destination if we don’t walk throughout the night. I’ve prepared camping gear so we can sleep in the forest once night falls and continue tomorrow or Maya and I can carry you once your reach your limits. It won’t be that comfy and you’ll likely struggle to sleep but we’ll be home sooner, and I promise a very nice bed will be waiting. What do the two of you wish to do?” Frost asked gently, not encouraging either option. He wanted to reach the Dungeon quicker but not at the expense of Nanna and Loki’s wellbeing, they were still recovering after all. Besides although he had a gnawing feeling about the Dungeon there was still the barrier placed by his father, the worst couldn’t happen.

Nanna and Loki looked up at Frost, their hearts feeling warm, no one had ever asked for their opinion, just giving orders. It was nice. The two siblings then looked at one another and nodded, somehow speaking telepathically, agreeing on their response. The two of them were very observant, a skill they needed to develop in order to survive the world they were tossed into. Although Frost never stated his preferred option, they could notice the tell-tale signs, he was in a hurry therefore the fastest option would be best. Besides travelling all day and night wasn’t too much of an ask given their history.

“The fastest one.” They both answered at the same time, determination in their eyes. They were very keen to see their new home and the promised comfy beds.

Maya smiled gently at the side, absorbing the waves of cuteness that the two emitted, curbing her motherly instincts.

Frost smiled as well, happy with their choice.

.....

“Good, then let’s move out, there’s lots I need to tell you about your new home as well as about me.” Frost turned around and once again led his group deeper into the forest.

They travelled for many hours, until the sun set in the sky. The forest was incredibly dark, the tall canopy of the trees blocked most of the moon and starlight making finding your way very difficult. However, for Frost and Maya this wasn’t a big task, they could see relatively well plus the Dungeon was pretty much a straight shot north from Furano. Nanna and Loki however were tired and struggled to see in front of them, frequently bashing into branches or getting caught on vines stretching the forest floor. They didn’t talk much throughout the journey, just a few encouraging phrases here and there but they were deep enough into the forest, and it was late enough that hardly anyone would be travelling around. Frost could now reveal some of his secrets without worry.

During the day they did come across a few monsters that found Nanna and Loki to be quite appetising, launching themselves in hunger, unaware of the strength of their protectors. Frost made short work of them, gaining a healthy dose of DP whenever they foolishly attacked. At one point even a frost wolf made a move, thinking that it was well hidden, it pounced from behind a tree. Its jaws open and its claws ready to swipe down upon Loki’s back. The young boy froze in fear the moment he heard the howl, he tried to run to his sister but didn’t have time. The moment however when the wolf was about to meet its target, a beautiful red and blue glaive appeared, spearing the beast’s head to a nearby tree, instantly killing it.

“Haaaaaaa foolish beast,” Frost sighed, this frost wolf was a hell of a lot dumber than his prized monsters, it didn’t even account for the strength of its opponents, lunging in without any forethought. Like it was possible for any creature to get within a hundred metres without Frost or Maya noticing it. Frost made short work of the beast, setting the corpse alight with ignition while Maya comforted Loki, reassuring him that with them there, there was nothing to worry about. All together during the day Frost managed to accumulate an additional 800DP. It was rather strange considering on the way to Furano not a single monster barred their path.

When Loki finally tripped on some vines, crashing against the forest floor, Frost called it. It was time for him and Maya to carry them the rest of the journey, he’d also tell them about his origins and plans for the two of them.

Maya moved first to assist Loki, picking him up and dusting off his clothes. She also rubbed some of the muck that dotted his face thanks to his fall, appearing very much like a concerned young mother.

Nanna actually looked at her brother with a slight jealously but quickly struggled to even keep her eyes open. The two of them were exhausted, non-stop walking throughout tough terrain and fairly cold weather, much worse now considering the sun was long down.

The only break they had was a quick snack from the bentos, but even then, it was at most ten minutes. When she started to slump down Frost appeared and supported her back. He gave Maya a look which she nodded back in reply.

The two then placed the kids on their backs, Frost carrying Nanna and Maya carrying Loki. They’d make the rest of the journey like this.

It wasn’t the most comfortable of positions, but it beat walking. Nanna and Loki quickly made themselves comfy, nestling against Frost and Maya’s backs while yawning. Once they were settled, Frost and Maya continued on ahead with rapid pace, aiming to reach the Dungeon even quicker, hopefully they’ll be there by dawn or so. As they travelled, Frost’s nervous feeling only grew, something was happening at the Dungeon, but he couldn’t tell what.

With the kids on their backs Frost started to speak.

“Nanna, Loki it’s about time I tell you where we’re going and who I am.” He spoke smoothly enough for the two of them to hear clearly even while he moved through the forest. Nanna and Loki were very tired and on the verge of falling asleep but upon hearing Frost’s voice they forced themselves to stay awake. They were nervous but also excited, eager to hear.

“We’re heading to a new monster lair that appeared at the entrance to the Glacial mountains.” Mentioning the word monster lair sent a shiver throughout Nanna and Loki’s bodies. They knew what monster lairs were and it filled them with fear. Why are we going to a monster lair? They asked themselves as horrible images filled their minds. Luckily before their imagination could run to wild Frost continued speaking.

“That monster lair is a little different....it’s actually something called a Dungeon, a monster lair with sentience, a living and growing entity.” Frost took a deep breath before continuing.

“I’m that entity, the personification of a monster lair, or Dungeon, something called a Dungeon core.” He went all out and gave it to them straight and to be honest it filled him with panic.

‘How will they react; will they fear me?’ He felt Nanna on his back, clench her tiny fists and shiver.

“My father is the Dark God, and Maya here is my guardian, someone assigned to help acclimate me to the world of Nova.” Frost subconsciously slowed down his pace as did Maya. Nanna and Loki were truly disturbed by this revelation, Nanna most of all. She was a bit more knowledgeable than her brother, so she was quite shocked.

Frost was something that she had never heard of, Dungeons, the son of the Dark God, it was all quite a lot to take in. Her first instinct was fear, monsters were seen as enemies of the sentient races, and Frost just said that he’s a living breathing monster lair, something that gives birth to monsters. Her tired mind tried to process all this information, her face showed confusion, pain, distress and worry but behind that there was also warmth. Regardless of the stigmatisms around monsters Frost was still the one that saved them, cared for them, fed them and now he was revealing his true self. She couldn’t help but feel honoured.