'Valend' Frost repeated the frost giant's name internally as a wild smile grew on his lips.
"Hehehehe interesting." He chuckled and stared at his trembling hands, feeling both fear and excitement. It'd been a while since he was so directly threatened, an act that he found rather enticing.
Findlay and Khuno who were still wary of Valend looked at their lord with confusion, taken aback by his sudden laughter.
Frost clenched his fists and revealed a steely gaze before speaking out in a determined tone.
"I guess we'll see who triumphs in the end little frost giant." His smile now stretched from ear to ear and a strange madness could be seen in his eyes as he looked beyond the broken archway.
"Haaaaaaa he's got his battle junkie expression on." Maya suddenly teleported to the dungeon's entrance. She sighed the moment she saw Frost's expression and shook her head before gently smiling.
She was worried about his state after being faced with something beyond his capabilities and being so aggressively threatened but it seems she was worried for nothing.
Frost though clearly able to sense the danger and the fear in his body saw Valend and his threats as nothing more than a challenge. And challenges were things Frost greatly enjoyed.
Though she'd likely never admit it -given that she never her saw herself as a battle junkie- Maya and Frost were very alike in their personalities.
Findlay and Khuno looked towards Maya as she spoke before returning their gazes to their master and his wild expression.
Crack! Crack!
The ice troll lord and the ronso captain clenched their fists hard as they too started to view Valend as their next challenge.
Clap!
"Alright that's enough of the aggressive stares, the frost giant's already vamoosed, time to get back to work." Maya loudly clapped her hands together drawing Frost and his generals away from their thoughts.
Frost turned to face his guardian. His eyes weren't filled with his usual affection or blatant lust but instead he viewed her as his teacher, his combat trainer.
"Training." He spoke a single word that was both a statement and an order.
"Haaaaaa." Maya sighed again and shook her head before walking towards Frost.
"Not even a please?" She coyly asked but was met with a cold gaze that caused her spine to shiver.
Frost's lips twitched and a shiver ran down his spine as a primal fear far stronger than what Valend made him feel sparked in his heart. Training was the only time wherein Maya reaffirmed her dominance.
Without a single moment to prepare himself Maya appeared below him, her hammers already in the upswing.
Bang!
Frost was sent careening into the air, the violent impact knocking the wind out of his lungs and shaking his bones.
Maya the demoness drill instructor then suddenly appeared above him with a sadistic expression many times greater than what he could accomplish before smacking her hammers upon his shoulders instantly reversing his momentum and firing him back down to the hard floor.
Boooooooommmm!
Frost body smashed into the floor and a painful groan escaped his lips before he was once again sent flying by Maya's hammers. He wanted no holds barred intensity then he was going to get it and then some.
This brutal training continued for 12 hours.
For 12 hours Maya destroyed every inch of his body, breaking his bones, tenderising his organs, muscles and spilling so much of his blood that it could have filled a swimming pool, all with a damn smile on her face. Truly a demoness who got off on causing him physical pain.
However despite the nightmarish methods the results were fruitful. Maya attacked with such speed and intensity that even a frost giant like Valend would struggle to keep up thus Frost was now prepared to at least defend and track the movements of those several levels beyond himself. Winning was still out of the question but at least he'd be able to survive long enough to receive aid from allies.
Maya casted a high level healing spell swiftly bringing Frost back to life for the umpteenth time. The sadistic smile however was now gone from her face, replaced with worry and anxiety.
The training was over which meant Frost was set to leave soon. To a battlefield containing enemies and allies stronger than himself all without her by his side. As his guardian but more importantly now as his girlfriend she couldn't help but feel worried about his safety.
She bit her lower lip and clenched her fists as she tenderly watched as Frost rose from the floor, his many wounds (that she caused) quickly healing, returning him to his impressive handsome self.
"I should have gone even harder or refused to cast healing magic." She muttered under her breath, but Frost was still able to catch it.
He sighed and rose to his feet even quicker before walking towards Maya and wrapping her up in an all consuming hug.
"I'll be fine I promise." He pulled her head into his chest and rubbed the back of her hair in a soothing manner.
"I've still got the teleportation talisman that father rewarded me so you can teleport to my side at a moment's notice whenever my life is in serious danger." Frost summoned the talisman from the dungeon vault with a flick of his hand.
He still needed the opportunity to infuse his mana into it and then rip it apart before Maya could teleport to his side but thanks to her dire training he was confident that he could use it even when faced against an A-rank opponent wherein a single second could mean the difference between life and death.
Maya felt a little better after hearing Frost's words, but her arms remained firmly locked around his back not wanting to let him go.