"Code black huh." Frost repeated the warning with a heavy frown before finding a safe place to teleport back to the private space.
Code black was one of the warning codes he established to quickly identify the type of problem the dungeon was facing. Code black was fairly high on the list of importance and quite frankly both a situation Frost both despised and loved at the same time.
Code black referred to acts of evil against or within the dungeon i.e. torturing his monsters for fun, abusing their superior power to slaughter far weaker enemies, bandit behaviours such as attacking and killing fellow adventurers in order to steal their quarry and or just for the sheer thrills.
He condoned the occasional bullying (lack of killing) but groups that entered the dungeon for the sole purpose of hunting his other customers was a no go in his books and needed to dealt with to the extreme i.e. all offenders being transferred to the dungeon's prison.
Frost teleported into the private space to gain a more detailed report. Luckily the kids were in the middle of training and Daki was currently working her ass off in her personal forge meaning he could display his evil side openly.
"Khuno give the details."
"Yes milord." Khuno thus proceeded to enlighten Frost about the situation.
"Bandits masquerading as adventurers...seems the prison is going to gain more occupants." The dungeon's prison was a cold dark place with very poor facilities that restrained and imprisoned anyone Frost deemed a criminal. The offenders would be whisked away by his monsters never to see the light of day again.
They would spend the rest of their pitiful lives behind bars, locked in cages to serve as bountiful nourishment for the dungeon. Lesser offenders would simply starve to death in a couple of weeks, left alone without any from of contact whereas those who really pushed Frost's buttons would see themselves tortured as he kept them alive with meals and the occasional healing.
So far only Barren from the Sanguine snakes received such advanced treatment, but a few came close.
The current group were of E-rank strength and composed of three full adventuring parties i.e. 18 people. The three parties entered the dungeon independently masquerading as regular adventurers with nothing to do with one another but once they entered the second floor they'd mysteriously link up and start their true plans.
Word had already spread about how bountiful the Dungeon of Niflheim was thus attracting waves and waves of adventurers and merchants alike. It was to be expected that less savoury characters would also like a slice of the juicy pie.
These three teams were proficient in banditry, hunting down people rather than monsters for their hard earned spoils. Working within a monster lair or in this case a dungeon helped to hide their tracks, as the dead were quickly devoured, and their deaths usually attributed to the monster lair rather than foul play.
Of course people weren't stupid, if such attacks happened too often they'd quickly wise up. Therefore bandits had a limited window, their targets had to be financially worth the risk.
Finally after two long days of preparation the large group finally laid eyes upon their targets. A mighty upper D-rank party that successfully made it to the fabled floor of peace was ascending the floors to sell their rich bounty. They were the bandits high value target and were completely in the dark about the ambush awaiting them.
Not only were they outnumbered 3 to 1 the adventurers were sure to be in less than pristine condition and weighed down but their own loot.
The bandit boss was fiery looking woman with long curly hair and a stature that would put most men to shame. She was currently supervising the pilfering, making sure none of her subordinates dared to cheat her but she couldn't ignore the words of her scouts as doing so was a sure way to lose their heads.
"Abule take Jackson and check the perimeter, everyone else speed up the pilfering. I want us filled to the brim with loot and out of here within the next 5 minutes."
"Got it boss."
"Damn I wanted to take it easy after fighting."
"Shush do you want the boss to tan your hide."
"Maybe I do." A female bandit licked her lips in response as she glanced at her boss with lust. The boss was sure to hold a grand celebration once they escaped the dungeon, she could make her move then and there. She was always frisky after fruitful jobs after all.
Abule and Jackson quickly followed their boss's command and inspected the extended perimeter, being very cautious in their actions unfortunately no matter how careful they were they were only E-rank.
Schwing!
Before Jackson even knew what hit him a razor sharp glaive severed his head from his body, decapitating him in an instant. Blood gushed from the open neck like a burst dam. His body then crashed against the ground alerting Abule who was looking in another direction.
"ENEMY!!!" Abule managed to roar out a warning to his comrades before a large bolt of ice flew through the air and pierced through his chest like he was made of butter. Two bandits down, eleven to go.
Abule's loud warning alerting the remaining bandits who wasted no time at all getting into formation. Unlike their quarry they knew how to react to unexpected situations.
"Huddle up, vanguard at the front, rearguards in the centre!" The bandit boss skilfully commanded her teams like an experienced military commander, perhaps previously she was a soldier but that was then, and this was now.
The group heard the sounds of steps calmly coming towards them, lightly crushing the snow underneath. It seemed to be a single set but instead of being relieved the bandit boss only felt more danger the closer they got.
Eventually a handsome young man revealed himself, an elf adorned in white and blue robes and wielding a beautiful glaive covered in ruby red blood.
"Well, well bandits in my territory. I hope you're prepared for what's about to happen because I really despise people who hunt my valuable customers." Frost said with an evil looking smirk that sent chills down the bandit boss's spine. Her muscular arms formed goosebumps and her heart froze in fear, her mind screaming danger at the sight of the young elf.
"....Fuck!"