Dungeon of Niflheim

Frost could feel a slight chill on his left side, given off by his irritated girlfriend who was still looking out the window and pouting, doing her best to ignore him when he sat beside her. Frost smiled mischievously finding his girlfriend so adorable. He no longer saw her as a mighty S-rank fenrir, a monster at the very peak of power in Nova but simply as Maya, the woman he deeply cared for, his girlfriend.

He leaned over and lightly blew in her ear causing her to twitch before turning around to glare at him. Her ears were very sensitive.

However the moment she turned around Frost planting a kiss on her lips. She froze in shock before turning crimson, her eyes quickly catching sight of Cassandra showing praising smile and then Frost’s gentle and caring expression.

“Idiot hmph!” She quietly muttered under breath before once again staring out the window, refusing to look in Frost’s direction. Now however a smile adorned her lips, and her mood was far better. She even grabbed hold of Frost’s hand, the most she could bring herself to do while in Cassandra’s presence. Frost had successfully defused her irritation with master like skill, a natural Casanova.

By the time they made it back to the manor it was late afternoon, almost time for dinner. The servants were still hard at work dashing to and fro, but the main and secondary offices were empty. Douglas had sent them all back home, granting them and him some much needed rest. The red alert had been enacted meaning the next phase of preparation would begin, best to start with a fresh mind.

“I’ve had the servants prepare the suite for your stay tonight.” Douglas spoke looking far more refreshed than earlier. A good relaxing bath and change of clothes did the man wonders, the same went for Ryuu. They were currently in the main dining room awaiting everyone’s arrival as well as the feast that was promised.

Currently in attendance was Douglas, Cassandra, Ryuu, Bastion, and Frost’s group, only Leo and Luna were still absent, much too Douglas’s irritation and Cassandra’s worry. Cassandra had already told her husband that Luna was going bring Leo along for dinner. The Viscount was very much looking forward to seeing his son again, although his outward appearance may suggest otherwise or that it was purely to argue with him. Like his wife he too missed having his son and daughter in law in such close proximity, it made the manor feel more alive especially when there was a lot of work to be done.

Frost had mentioned to Douglas in private about his visit to Kranor and explained how Chia and Yarrow dealt with the repercussions of an active love life. Douglas was blown away, not just by the idea of soundproofing the rooms but more that a couple even older than him and his wife were still so active. He had the sudden urge to call Yarrow teacher and learn from the man. He took Frost’s advice to heart, taking a mental note. Once the stampede was over and the territory was once again swimming in coin they could afford some major renovations for the manor.

.....

Cassandra blushed slightly when Douglas told her but was very much all for it. There was no way she was going to stop making up for lost time with her husband nor was she going to give up having another child therefore soundproofing was the perfect solution to lessen the impact upon the servants and guests. Leo and Luna may even decide to move back in if that’s the case.

Ryuu and Bastion however saw the lovey dovey atmosphere between Douglas and Cassandra as well as budding relationship between Frost and Maya, they couldn’t help but let out a depressed sigh. Ryuu had been single for a fairly long time, never wishing to replace his dead wife, focusing all his love upon his daughter but she was nearly an adult, a grown up with her own life to live. She needed her father less and less lately; he felt the solitude when she left with Leo even more than Douglas and Cassandra and the for the first time in a long while he entertained the idea of finding someone to fill the void.

Bastion however was more than eager to find someone to spend his time with, his relationship with his daughter had returned to normal and he was incredibly jealous of Douglas. Finding someone however at his age was quite difficult, his eyes however were frequently drawn to his new young, cute secretary Kamey.

“Thanks,” Frost raised his glass of wine to Douglas in thanks.

“By the way while we wait for Leo and Luna to arrive do you mind telling me more the upcoming monster stampede and your red alert system?” Frost was quite keen to learn more about the situation that he’d clearly have to deal with.

Everyone in the room looked at one another before Ryuu, Bastion and Douglas let out a sigh. It wasn’t exactly dinner time talk but since Frost asked they would enlighten him.

“As you already know the monster stampede happens every few years and is divided into three main stages, early, mid, and late. The early stages consists of weaker monsters, primarily below D-rank, all of which are in a state of frenzy, unable to think logically. We don’t the exact reason why, but they are attracted to areas with people the bastion towns especially even to the extent of completely ignoring the unguarded path between the towns.” Douglas began to explain the process in more detail, filling Frost in on the particulars and what their research had uncovered.

Frost found the fact that the monster willingly ignored the easy path to the southlands and fully focus on the bastion towns despite being in a state of frenzy very peculiar.

‘That almost sounds like they’re being controlled or manipulated.’

“This allows us to focus all our manpower within the three bastion towns of Adima, Tunir and of course Furano. Over 95% of the horde will be drawn to the towns, the other 5% can easily be dealt with by the regular guards further south. When the stampede begins the earth will shake and ambient mana levels in the area will spike. The first wave will then arrive within 48 hours, though sporadic attacks will happen before then that’s why we enact the red alert ideally a week before it begins. Once the earth shakes and mana levels spike the Northrend forest will no longer be safe, refugees would be attacked by the local fauna before they can make it to Furano or one of the other towns.” The Furano family as well as the frost wolf battalion had done avid research in regards to ensuring the safety of their citizens as well as best budgeting the amount of food and water to be prepared for the stampedes. The refugees don’t want to be sequestered within Furano any longer than they have to, finding the right balance is key.

“After the first wave of monsters arrives we will be attacked several times in a 24 hour period, with very little breaks thus strict shifts need to be enacted. Just because its night time doesn’t mean the monsters will stop in fact usually they become even more aggressive at night.”

“The monsters contained in the waves will gradually grow more powerful as the days pass until it enters the mid stages, wherein the monsters present won’t simply be taken care of by arrows or our ballista, they’ll make it to the northern wall repeatedly. The soldiers and adventurers will have to take part in close combat during this stage, leading to a fair amount of injuries and possibly deaths. It’s a very gruesome and physically exhausting stage but also the one that yields most profit. D-rank monsters attacking in large numbers provides a great amount of materials and they are at the level where adventurers can successfully take them down thus earning rewards.” Douglas took a breath, and his demeanour became more serious before he continued.

“Finally we have the late or end stages of the monster stampede, the most dangerous and risky stage.” Frowns adorned the faces of Ryuu and Bastion. “By now the soldiers and adventurers are quite exhausted despite the strict shift schedule and hearty meals provided, people can only endure intense physical exertion for so long before even a will of iron can’t make them move. The majority if not all of our ammunition has also been used at this point making for a strictly close combat situation. The late stage is very different from the first two, the monsters aren’t anywhere near as numerous nor are they in such a mad frenzy. Their movements and attack patterns become much harder to deal with let alone the presence of the high ranking monsters.”

“B ranks will enter the battlefield.”