Eventually after a strenuous hour of forced discussion Frost managed to get Neve to the point where she was calm enough to think logically about his proposition.

"The brothel is something for the future, a necessary step to advance the development of your strength. At your core you and your kin are basically succubae, denying this fact is paramount to crippling your potential. I’m not asking you to dive into the deep end without first getting your feet wet, but I am expecting you to get there eventually and when you do I’ll ensure there’ll be caveats and protections in place. The frequency of your services as well as the acceptance or denial of certain clientele will be at your full discretion."

"You won’t force us to perform?" Neve was most fearful about this point as if that was the case how would Frost be any different from Valend.

"No, by that point you should be more than willing to engage in such things yourselves, but I understand that women of your beauty would also have certain standards." Regardless of how much wealth one had at their disposal he had no intentions of forcing these women to serve fat, ugly slobs or evil men. They could go to another brothel for that.

"..." Frost’s words were convincing and thought provoking, but the rejection instilled within her traditions was more than a match, giving her great pause.

"Let’s just table the brothel plans for now, we can return to such discussions further down the line when you’ve had more time to, process the ramifications. Instead let’s discuss what I can offer you in return for capitulation over rejection." Harping on about something that wouldn’t happen for at least several weeks would get them nowhere, better to focus on the present.

She noticeably perked up when she heard his suggestion, more than eager to shelf the topic.

"By subjecting yourself to the Dungeon’s influence you’ll never feel hunger nor will you have a need for sleep as the life energy coursing through the core will sustain you and strengthen you. You will have my complete protection from external forces, and I will give my all to ensure the prosperity of your race and its growth." Frost spoke like a natural king, his words charismatic and trusting.

"If you wish to expand your knowledge, learn new skills, trades or even delve into a hobby I will fully endorse you. Through the exchange of life energy or Dungeon Points I can purchase almost anything so as long as you perform well in your assigned duties I will reward your efforts." For his bestial monsters he often purchased them food whereas for his dwarves it was alcohol and for those at the officer level it was equipment or skill books. Frost was never one to shy away from rewarding his subordinates to the point that Maya often criticised him saying that he was spoiling them and wasting much of the very DP he worked so hard to earn, but a bottle of wine or whiskey usually shut her up. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"And our assigned duties will be....?"

"Sexual in nature yes for the most part but if a few of you want to engage in battle or set your sights on another craft then I’m happy to oblige." While their innate nature revolved around this devouring and cultivating of sexual energy he wasn’t foolish enough to overlook their other talents. A perfect example of this would be his trolls going down the path of witchdoctors, their combat ability was still there but they now also had the ability to heal their colleagues. Perhaps someone amongst the Lunar maidens had a passion or talent for smithing, giving Daki the chance to take on a proper apprentice or maybe like Nanna they held an interest in cooking. As long as it benefited him and the Dungeon at large he had no problem rewarding them for such efforts.

"Anything else?" Their basic needs as well as their development needs would be taken care of but the cost of that would be their capitulation....Neve felt there had to be more to sweeten the deal, to give her reason to sign away the lives of her people. She refused to be swayed by his fanciful words, his demeanour and charming voice when it involved the fate of her race.

"Ambitious hmm I like it, a good attitude considering." Frost’s lips formed a smile, his eyes radiating interest and respect. "Alright along with safety, sustenance and development for you and all your kin, only those who have reached adulthood will have to work, children and youths will be granted free access to our schools with no limit on their classes. I’ll also help you reach out to other Lunar Maidens, those who have left the main lineage if you’d like." The former was something he felt very strongly about due to Nanna and Loki while the latter was an effort on his part to congregate the rest of the Lunar Maidens beneath his rule, offering sanctuary to all who shared the same ancestry.

"You’d offer sanctuary to all of us?" This wasn’t something Neve had remotely considered as those not of the main lineage were shunned pretty aggressively before the fall but after thinking on it a desire to see all her people reunited under the same banner started to fester within the depths of her heart.

"Why not, I have the means as well as a good justification. The Primordial Ice King endorses my endeavours so why should I limit my attention to just the few of you." The more Lunar Maidens he had under his command then the larger the brothel or brothels could be and when they finally started devouring sexual energy in mass he’d have a direct pipeline to a powerful race without nary a limit, tyrants that use to reside within the depths of the Glacial Mountain’s core regions.

Neve didn’t see this decision of his as something born from greed but rather magnanimity. "..." She ruminated deeply, already leaning heavily towards capitulation but she still needed to hear the second option.

"I understand your intentions Master, your heartfelt determination to provide for us, to protect us and see us grow under your wing but what if that’s not what we want? What if despite the bounty that you offer we refuse to be beholden to your will? To instead remain free regardless of the pain and suffering that would entail." Freedom was an important thing to all those with sentience, even if the choice resulted in their destruction sometimes the very fact that it would be their choice made it all worthwhile.

"I would strongly advise against making such a choice but I’m a man of my word so I’ll entertain it." The sheer fact that she asked irked him, making Frost feel as though his efforts over the past couple hours were pointless. Was his offer really not enticing enough?

"I will arrange temporary accommodation, shelter, food and drink for about a month after that I will allow you to reside within either the Dungeon or the city, but you’ll have to pay for everything just like everyone else who resides on my land. You’ll have protection from external influences, but it will be limited and when your cash runs out you will need to find work to support yourselves." Their treatment would be no different from the civilians currently residing within the city.

"...That really is quite the contrast." Polar opposite would be an apt description.

"Bare minimum as I said." Although the treatment couldn’t be compared to what they’d receive if they fully submitted it was still an offer full of hope and grace for war refugees like themselves. Most would run them out of their lands or forcibly enslave them, seeing them as easy targets to take advantage of but Frost was willing to treat them just like he would anyone else who was looking to reside within his city, they were even allowed skip the tedious applications for residency.

"Hmm a month of support then equal treatment to those currently residing within the city or capitulation, forced to aggressively deny our traditions and even engage in the most prohibited of acts all in the name of the development of our race.....hmmmmm." Neve seemed to weigh both options with her hands, her left being submission while her right represented freedom. Her brow was furrowed and her entire expression was tensed as though she was truly struggling to make the decision, a behaviour that had Frost’s upper lip twitching. He couldn’t believe she was actually struggling with this; the choice was obvious....wasn’t it?

She took so long that he started to feel nervous, butterflies forming in his stomach, were his plans and the future he had envisioned all going to come crashing down before they even had a chance to start. He sat on tenterhooks as his frustration continued to build, the urge to give them a voice escalating to the point that his expression started to falter. Thankfully however before the volcano was set to erupt Neve concluded her internal debate.

She looked directly into Frost’s eyes with unwavering determination she had made her decision, a decision that would forever change the fate of the Lunar Maiden race.