As Frost and Daki made their way towards the dungeon, the camp's construction continued unabated.
Findlay and Khuno pressed their subordinates hard in Frost's absence, sincerely wishing to surprise their master upon his return, a sentiment that was widely shared by the manual labourers.
The walls surrounding the camp steadily grew in height practically every hour while more and more buildings had their foundations put in place. The camp would be more than ready for the arrival of their first 'customers' in the coming weeks.
While the monsters of the dungeon worked hard to meet Frost's deadlines, Nanna and Loki were tasked with furthering their own education and personal training, slowly but surely becoming more well-rounded in their development. However whenever they were granted some free time the duo could be found in the camp, aiding Findlay and Khuno in their endeavours.
They wished to do their part just like everyone else.
The strange one was the lady of the dungeon, Maya. Since the moment Frost left to retrieve Daki she'd been rather out of sorts. Her mind drifting during lessons, pacing back and forth in the living room, muttering under her breath and rapid changes in emotions. Though she had accepted the addition of Daki in her mind her heart was another story.
She wasn't used to sharing and struggled to come to terms with the situation.
She'd gone over and over the pros and cons of the situation as well as how she'd first greet this supposed rival/sister. First impressions were very important for all manner of reasons, the first encounter could very well determine their standings in the relationship hierarchy. Her lack of experience in such situations caused her to toss and turn in her bed at night....she lacked confidence.
"What if she's prettier than me? Sexier than me? What if Frost's more attracted to her? What if she's a better cook? Or is more liked by the kids?" She repeatedly asked these kinds of questions without any response.
When Frost and Daki finally arrived at the outskirts of the dungeon's purview she leaped from her bed like a cat getting her tail stepped on, she wasn't ready.
Quickly she dashed to her closet and grabbed one of her nicer dresses, before sprucing herself up for this grand battle. She couldn't show any signs of weakness especially when she had the home field advantage.
"So this is your territory or rather the camp you're developing." Daki said as she took in the still under construction walls that barred their path. "It's... quite basic." That was the best she could say without being too offensive, she was never one for beating around the bush.
"Haaaaaa, true it is rather....basic but we're not finished yet. Construction only started a few weeks ago so expecting it to be at the same level of an established town or enclave such as Kranor is rather unfair.
However, I believe that given enough time the camp that you see before you will stretch far beyond its current confines and become a true hub of civilisation." Frost genuinely believed what he said. As long as the dungeon remained, the camp would see dramatic growth over the years and expand to the point that even Furano would fall short of its development.
"Besides the true masterpiece lies within the mountain not out with." This was another point. The camp's only duty was to facilitate customers and passive income, the real magic would take place within the dungeon, setting the territory apart from other nations.
Despite the two of them being friendly and cordial with one another his instincts would always be slightly on edge while in her presence.
Khuno and several ronso officers arrived a few moments later all keen to greet Frost and his new girlfriend. They wanted to take stock of their new mistress and get on her good side early.
Daki was a little overwhelmed by the onslaught of enthusiastic monster officers, but with Frost by her side she managed to endure the pressure and return their greetings with a bright smile on her face. She had underestimated the power under Frost's command, with so many monsters he could give Kranor's military a run for their money.
""Master!"" Following the swarm of high ranking monsters were Nanna and Loki. The moment they noticed his arrival the two kids instantly dropped what they were doing and dashed over.
"Nanna, Loki" Frost leaped from Kiba's back and pulled the two of them into a hug causing them to giggle.
"I've got someone to introduce to the two of you." Keen to show off his new girlfriend to his family he picked the two of them up in his arms and carried them to Daki who had started fidgeting on Kiba's back. Frost technically had kids, so it was very important for her to make a good impression on them if this relationship was to work out long term.
"This is Daki, the lady I was telling you about. She's going to be joining our family." He spoke in warm and gentle manner as the kids watched Daki in her furry apparel descend from Kiba's back.
"The person who made our armour?" Loki asked innocently.
"Yes."
"Wow." He exclaimed with glee before scampering down Frost's arm to stand before Daki.
"My name's Loki, it's nice to meet you miss Daki. I really like the armour you made for me and my sister." Loki introduced himself in a very adorable voice that almost made the orc succubus swoon.
"Oh you're just so cute." She immediately leaned in and wrapped the young phoenix kin in a hug, rubbing her cheek against his. "I'm happy you enjoyed my work, I'll do my best to forge you a complete set, would you like that?"
"Un un" Loki nodded his head while in her embrace, already fond of his new family member. His sister however wasn't as enthused. She was old enough to know a little about the complications of relationships. She'd seen how Maya was acting recently and found it rather hard to be so open to Daki's arrival.
Daki picked up on this as did Frost but neither of them forced anything. She greeted Nanna in a friendly manner but didn't hug her like Loki, which she respected.
"I'm Nanna, Loki's big sister. It's nice to meet you miss Daki." Nanna performed a slight curtsey before moving to stand behind Frost as if she was shy.
Daki actually took her more meek response as a good sign. The fact that the young girl even said hello in a polite manner was a win in her book. Eventually however, the real challenge arrived.