Conquering His Cold Heart

Knock, Knock

Kamey knocked on the door to the guild master's office.

"What is it?" Thrall hollered with an impatient tone. His face was buried in paper work that scaled even higher than Leo's. The adventurers guild was plagued with work and not enough hands to deal with it.

Kamey didn't flinch at Thrall's irritated tone she as was already used to such responses.

"Vice guild master Sir Frost is here and needs to speak with you about a certain proposal." She replied through the door calmly and clearly.

"Sir Frost? A Proposal?" Thrall looked up from his desk and glanced at the closed door, confusion clear in his eyes. Eventually however he shook his head and replied to Kamey in a far less annoyed tone.

"Please show him in then." Frost was of high importance to the guild considering his B-rank strength and his actions during the monster stampede. Thrall had to treat him with a great deal of respect.

Kamey smiled behind the door before heading back down the stairs. Thrall meanwhile quickly moved to tidy the place up a little.

"Vice guild master." Frost showed a friendly smile and nodded towards Thrall once Kamey ushered him in.

"Sir Frost, please take a seat. How can I be of service?" Thrall had managed to clear the guest sofas as well as most of the coffee table thus allowing them to both engage in discussion.

Frost accepted Thrall's offer and sat on the sofa in a comfortable manner. Thrall then gave Kamey a glance before sitting opposite him and in response Kamey politely left to get refreshments.

"I'm here vice guild master to deliver a proposal to the adventurer's guild, something that requires the sign off of those in upper management." Frost leaned forward and spoke with a formal tone like he had with Leo. Thrall's disposition changed the moment Frost spoke in a formal tone, he donned the title of vice guild master immediately.

"Very well please explain your proposal in detail so I can give you an informed response."

"Thank you, vice guild master. First off I've already discussed the proposal with young lord and he was quite agreeable to it.

He pointed me in the direction of the guilds to seek more tangible aid." Frost then explained to Thrall about his territory, the current state, military force, future plans etc… before moving onto what help the adventurer guild could provide as well as the benefits of providing such aid.

By the end of Frost's explanation Thrall was leaning back on the sofa with his arms crossed, a heavy frown on his face as he thought deeply. Kamey had returned and was standing behind him with a look of amazement.

Thrall was silent for a few minutes before letting out a deep sigh.

"Sir Frost this proposal of yours is certainly impressive and very likely to benefit our guild as well as the territory of Furano however unfortunately I can't make the final decision in regards to this matter.

I can certainly help promote your new territory and even send a request to the capital about endorsing the legitimacy of your ownership but in the end the decision will be above my pay grade.

Even Bastion would have to receive their approval if we wanted to engage in more substantial exchanges." Thrall gave his answer after thinking long and hard, unfortunately unlike the local lord's family who had free reign to interact with pretty much anyone who wasn't considered an enemy or rival entity to the empire they were part of a large organisation that had to be prudent in their actions.

Thrall could obviously see the benefits of such a territory that would likely be restrained to the boundary of the new dungeon and was quite certain that those in the capital would as well however it was likely that they wouldn't establish a meaningful relationship until the territory was firmly built and securely defended.

Entering into a pact with Frost would be meaningless if another country or the order of the ice shield or even another private group swooped in and took control.

Frost revealed a disappointed look but didn't blame Thrall, he didn't exactly have much collateral after all, his reputation only existed in Furano not the throughout the empire.

"Thank you for your candour vice guild master. Let's start out small then, if you could promote my territory and send word to the guild's headquarters about my intention I'd be most grateful." Frost smiled gently and stretched out his hand. Thrall smiled back as he grasped Frost's hand and shook on their deal.

Kamey let out a small cheer once they reached an agreement, she even suggested opening up one of Bastion prized liquors in celebration which of course Frost was open to but Thrall harshly reprimanded her, loudly asking if she wanted him and her to have their legs shattered the moment Bastion returned to the office.

Frost left the adventurer's guild ten minutes later, though he didn't get everything he wanted his visit wasn't fruitless.

"Guess I'll head to the merchant's guild next." With a confident smile Frost headed to the merchant's guild to have a similar discussion with Sebastian and Calder.

Over a period of many hours Frost visited, the adventurer's guild, the merchant's guild, the tradesman guild, the main bank of the territory as well as a few inns, restaurants and shops. Most were quite intrigued by his proposal with quite a few merchants interested in investing once the territory reached a certain level of attraction, same with the inns and restaurants.

No one was going to dive in at the start which Frost completely understood, it just meant that he'd have to rely on his ronsos more in the interim. Frost thus gained a great deal of information as well as goals for his territory.

Sebastian and Calder however were two of the more daring people he talked with, the two of them immediately offering their insights as well as possible collaboration once the stampede was completely handled. Something that filled Frost with confidence.

Pretty much all of the shops he visited however weren't interested in the slightest. Most of them were single stores and they had no interest in relocating their shops or in opening up a franchise but that was to be expected. The trade guild promised to put his requests up on their bulletin board thus allowing their members to apply individually if they so wished.

There was always young people looking to set up their own shops and take some risks, perhaps Frost would get lucky.

He returned to the Lord's manner once the sun was setting. The guards at the gate saluted him with sparkling eyes as they asked about his day and informed him that Kiba had missed him while he was gone. Hearing that Frost turned away from the manor's door and headed to the stables where Kiba was kept.

The young tiger jumped up the moment he sensed Frost and dashed into his arms, nearly knocking him to the floor. Frost endured the charge and petted Kiba's fluffy head affectionately.

"There's going to be a celebratory party tomorrow night that'll have all manner of tasty foods, you and I will both get to attend it as guests of honour." As Frost described the party to the young cub his mouth began to salivate, clearly looking forward to such an event.

"The next morning however we'll head back home." A moment later his joy was replaced with a sense of loneliness. The images of the two young phoenix kin, the mighty fenrir and all other monsters he'd become friends with flashed through his eyes.

"Aroow" He let out a quiet whimper, he missed his new home. Frost also thought of home at that moment, the kids, his monsters and probably most of all, Maya.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder apparently. He hardly had any time to think about anything else but fighting over the past few days. So after finally getting a chance to remember her face he was lost in a trance and wide natural smile grew on his lips. He missed her.

The two, dungeon core and young tiger remained entwined as they both thought of home.

Eventually however they came back to reality, Frost had Kiba return to the monster stables while he entered the manor. Another discussion was sure to take place at dinner.

A servant led Frost to the dining room wherein many people were waiting. Leo, Cassandra, Douglas, Bastion, Jaina, Ryuu and Luna were all present at the grand table. The three men didn't look their best but they were no longer covered in blood and incapable of movement. A group of medical practitioners were present next the servants, keeping an eye on the high value patients.

"Frost" Douglas noticed Frost enter first and spoke his name with a gentle smile. His voice was no longer strained but he still looked rather white in the face and Frost could sense that he was still quite feeble.

"Good to see that you're all back in one piece…well mostly…sorry Bastion." Frost replied with a well meaning statement but quickly felt guilty as he remembered Bastion.

The old dwarf was sitting next to his daughter with a pair of crutches resting by his chair. His left leg was gone. The damage was beyond repair for Joseph and Gilianna's skills, so it needed to be amputated to prevent further corrosion of the body and a case of permanent pain. His arms were also badly damaged preventing him from ever wielding his axe again.

Frost saw that his arms were trembling with every movement, perhaps even using cutlery would prove to be an ordeal in the beginning. Bastion had a long road ahead of him.

"Baaaahhhhh no need for apologies, Jaina was always saying I needed to lose some weight hahahahahahahaha." Bastion replied joyfully and laughed without restraint but it was clear that he was masking his pain with humour. Ryuu, Douglas and the rest showed complicated expressions while Jaina started crying.

A sombre atmosphere filled the room before Cassandra tapped her glass with a fork, drawing everyone's attention.

"No tears tonight, this is a celebration of victory, only positive feelings should be shared." Cassandra looked at the crying Jaina with a gentle, motherly expression. The young dwarf struggled but eventually pulled herself together and presented a rather awkward smile.

"Frost please sit so we can begin." She turned that same gaze to Frost who instantly felt a warmth in his heart. He sat down at his chair which was next to Leo.

"Tonight we'll feast on delicacies and be thankful that our family and friends are still with us after all we've been through. Yes, we're hurt but we're alive and that's what matters in the end." Cassandra's voice spread through the room like an oriole, bringing joy to all those who heard it.

Douglas, Ryuu, Bastion and Frost nodded in agreement before the servants started piling in to announce grand menu.