It was a day full of emotions and many ups and downs, but they had to continue their journey to defeat Andrew Hanbridge and for that they would go to the dungeon of the temple of Luna Nova, the day after the arrival of all seeing each other, which was entitled to many celebrations, until the arrival of the next morning, when they woke up the girls were leaving Atsuko's tree house and also other houses that had been restored for the girls to spend that night in comfort, in addition to the elder leader's own house where Annabel and Sifla used to stay.
Gathered in the middle of the ruined village, they started talking to each other about the journey to the dungeon and then walked towards the place where it is located, which after so many years Akko was finally going to do again.
With the master sword in hand and all the things she had captured in the dungeon, the moment they had been waiting for arrived, but soon everything was interrupted by an eventuality: as soon as they all tried to enter, the passage was blocked, in a very strange way, none of the girls could pass, only Kagari and two others, who soon returned to the outside.
"What do you mean? You're also chosen heroines, that doesn't make sense" said the confused girl with the crimson eyes.
""It seems that we princesses have also gained access by going with you, Akko" said Diana.
"I've already been to a dungeon with Lotte and Sucy, come with me just so I can try something out" said the brownish girl and the two girls immediately went with her.
As they passed the entrance to the dungeon, they were able to enter with enormous tranquillity from the inside, and with that they noticed something peculiar about these dungeons that they had never noticed before because they hadn't entered in a different way than usual.
"Only a maximum of three of us can enter, including myself, now I understand, I remember that in the Arcturus dungeon I went with Lotte and Sucy and in the others I went with Diana alone and with Hellene alone, that's why I never noticed that there was something else, well anyway we need to think of a way to go into this dungeon in an intelligent way" said the warrior of Luna Nova.
"Let's think here about who could manage better in this kind of environment, it's a dungeon with a forest atmosphere, which may require a little experience in a place like this, let's think carefully with our heads, if all dungeons are like this we always have to think about the question of going smart" Cavendish said.
"I'd go into all the dungeons because you can't get in without me, anyway I'm already chosen for that" Akko shrugged.
"I'm good at short-range strikes with my punches, and I can use a very useful magic rope to climb high places or tie up creatures" said Hellene.
"I'm agile, light and deadly with my rapier, I'm also excellent at using healing spells" said the blue-eyed one.
"I'm agile, stealthy and a complete shapeshifter, I can go unnoticed if there are any monsters, my shapeshifting abilities extend to animals and creatures, I just can't use their abilities, but I can fool them, I'm also a bit of a ninja, my Katana cuts through anything and I can even run around the walls a bit" Marianne said.
"My skill is in potions, I can make potions in all sorts of ways for both attack and defence, and I've trained for years as an excellent archer" said Sucy.
"I'm good at summoning spirits, the kind that can help you on the road ahead, like opening doors, hitting creatures you can't touch and the like, I have a bit of a long reach thanks to my spear" said Lotte.
"I'm even better than Marianne at being a creature shapeshifter, I can also take on the abilities that these monsters have, such as throwing stones like an Oktorok, having the strong arm of a bear and the like, I can partially change, which helps to clear the way, as well as using a hammer as a weapon, while Constanze is the genius of technology, she doesn't speak, but she has the best equipment to clear the way in the dungeon, she knows how to make some very good trinkets that can serve us very well" Jasminka said.
"And me... Well, I'm strong, really strong, as well as agile, it may not seem like it, but I'm physically strong and agile for my size, which can be useful to you if there are some very heavy stones and also some difficult obstacles to pass, not to mention that I'm the tallest of all of you, which can help you reach places that are
very difficult to reach, well I also have a weapon since I was trained, my faithful labrys that serves to cut some monsters in half so we just have to think about what would be best for this dungeon" Amanda said.
With everyone presenting their skills to each other, there was already a discussion about which trio could be the most efficient for a dungeon that involves entering a forest, which was well thought out so that they wouldn't have such a hard time when they went there.
The conversation went on for a long time, but soon the best pair to go with Akko was decided, and they walked towards the inside of the dungeon, Jasminka and Marianne being the chosen ones, since there is a perfect combination of strength and also agility and stealth, as well as Lerclerc and Antonenko's own metamorphosis matching the forest environment very well.
"Now just get inside..." Atsuko said, taking a deep breath.
"Go on, good luck in there, we'll be waiting here for you" said Diana, who even gave Akko a kiss on the lips.
"Don't die, I know you can do it" said O'Neill.
The trio pass through the entrance to the dungeon and walk normally, until then there was nothing but vast vegetation with a green colour covering the place, it was a very full green by the surroundings, they walk together until they reach a door, where there is precisely an entrance for a sword, Kagari soon sticks in this entrance and correctly goes to the size of the blade of the master sword, in this she takes it out and feels a tremor that is followed by the opening of the door, with torches lighting up by themselves on a staircase that leads down.
"Looks like we made it in, time for the first dungeon, let's go!" Said the crimson-eyed girl, pointing her sword upwards.
Walking together, they went down the stairs following the only path where they came across a landscape that was surprisingly beautiful. Although the outside looked abandoned, the inside was a sight to behold, with water structures that looked like waterfalls passing along the sides and going into a small canal, while in the middle there was a corridor with a marble floor with some red designs exalting the beauty and plants as well.
"Wow, you can't imagine that this is a dungeon full of monsters, even the environment here seems beautiful and untouched" said the impressed brownish hair woman.
"It's always good to be on the lookout for dangers, Akko" said the brown-eyed woman.
There was nothing in that corridor until then, but as they passed through what looked like an entrance they came across the first monsters, some Snap Dragons walking from one side to the other and also flying Zirro that threw explosives close to the trio chasing them.
They soon faced each other and began to work out how to attack each other, Jasminka transforming into Snap Dragons, walking from one side to the other in disguise, getting close enough to attack, while Marianne showed her training in practice, as did Akko, who was already launching projected slashes from the master sword, catching some Zirro who were receiving the impact.
"Do you really think I'd come so unprepared? You may be many, but we have the power of teamwork," said Atsuko.
Some of the Zirro were getting close to Kagari, who might even have been taken by surprise if it hadn't been for Leclerc running up the walls and jumping in leaps that caught the creatures and so they were hit by slashes from the Katanas, in that room they were being very clever with the snap dragons that were there soon being defeated with the help of Antonenko showing her animal strength in conjunction with her strength.
The only thing missing was one last Zirro that could have got behind the warrior from Luna Nova if it hadn't been for a kunai thrown by the ninja from Wedinburgh who soon appeared, knocking the monster down and opening the way to the first room of the dungeon
"Now, that was almost Akko" said the dark-haired girl with a red lock of hair.
"Thanks Mari, you really don't look like that playful girl from before, the years in Edo have really moulded you" said the brownish girl.
"When we get back from Triskellion Island we'll go to the dungeon there and you'll get to know the place you came from, there they talk about the legend of a girl who came from those lands to bring liberation to Hyrule,
even there they know about you, I have no doubt you'll be worshipped as a great warrior" said the brown-eyed girl.
After this conversation, they walk through the dungeon and come across two entrances, one to the left and the other to the right. The trio become pensive and soon Antonenko decides to take the left-hand path, transforming into a Snap Dragon to get a better look at the other side, while the girls take the right-hand path, so they already have an idea of what to explore in the dungeon.
On the right-hand side, they notice that there's a narrow corridor and that the floor is in the middle of a canal, soaking the feet of the pair, who walk around looking carefully as there's a huge Octobaloon that's full and Marianne signals that she's going to go ahead, she runs off walking along the wall and soon the monster bursts open, which Akko protects herself against with her shield, while Leclerc causes the explosion of the various monsters that make smaller monsters fall around and these can be hurt when they fall from the explosion due to the impact.
"I remember these things exploding, Mrs Cavendish taught me a lot about them" said Atsuko.
"It was exactly from her that I learnt, let's go, the way has been cleared" said Marianne.
Together they went to a part further on, where there was a section of water with a chest on the other side and some dragons coming out of the water to shoot fireballs, which they saw a little frustrated, but Leclerc didn't think her friend would be able to get through to the other side.
"Worse, if you had a hook it would be perfect..." She doesn't realise it, but her friend used Claiomh Solais' second word, which turned her feet into flippers.
"That was never an obstacle, I didn't want to get wet, well at least this thing makes me waterproof, I'd forgotten, I can be immune to the fire of these little dragons, they're a trifle compared to what I can do" said the crimson-eyed girl jumping into the water.
With that, the brown-eyed girl ran along the walls to get to the other side. Down in the water, the brown-eyed girl soon realised that there was a bit of a path to the other side, which showed another passage in the dungeon, which she swam back to the surface after defeating some of the small dragons that were just trying to throw fireballs at the pair.
"I found a key, it might be useful for us" said the Wedinburgh ninja.
"I found a way to the other side, hey Mari can you swim?" asks the warrior from Luna Nova.
"Worse, I don't know, I'll wait for you here, you can go without me, I know you can manage" said Marianne, who nodded to her friend, who went underwater to check out the surroundings.
Akko begins to swim through the passage she found and is followed by the dragons, who can't spit fireballs into the water, so they try to bite Atsuko, who doesn't swim as fast as they do, which doesn't work very well as the armed girl simply cuts them down with her sword in that corridor, where she soon manages to swim a long way until she reaches a place with more vegetation, a green covering the entire interior, and in front of this green there was already a double door that opens with the girl's passage.
"What a strange place, I think Mari could even get here, but let's see what it's all about" said Kagari.
As she entered the door, she was faced with an open area, the ground covered in grass and branches, and she soon saw a peculiar tree in the middle of it. As she walked and took steps forwards, she was surprised by the plant simply taking on a more humanoid form and its roots becoming something like legs, as well as arms, which was already attacking Hyllian de Luna nova.
"Oh, what do you know, a tree monster coming at me, that's when having that huge Labrys of Amanda's would work" said the crimson-eyed one.
The warrior walks around, first studying the blows that the peculiar tree makes and then thinking a lot before the attacks, noticing that the cuts she made with the master sword that were projected simply served no purpose other than to raise leaves, these leaves that were simply then spinning in the air towards the girl who soon lost the ability to use projected cuts because she was injured by cuts from those small leaves.
"Damn, those little things hurt a lot, I'd better not attack like that, it looks like you can't prune a tree at close quarters, I'll have to use the sword another way" said the brownish bruise.
She soon spotted some stones and remembering that she was wearing power gloves, she ran over to one of them and threw it in the monster's direction, but it was no use either, and she began to think more and more, when she remembered the lamp she was holding and also her staff. Thinking big, the girl focussed on dodging the monster's long- and short-range attacks.
(Let's see if such a tree can stand up to me with a fire arrow, it may be a fucking monstrous tree, but I know that nature is weak against this element)
She immediately tried to find a safer place by activating the first word with her staff. She then took out a lamp from her bag, which allowed her to set an arrow on fire, then launch an arrow that went straight through all the branches, but burnt leaves and many parts of the top of the tree, which she then tried to hit with one of the roots, a blow that the girl was able to dodge and could already see the fire consuming the top of the tree itself.
"Now we just have to set fire to this forest" said Akko as the tree realised the fire and tried to stop it.
This proved to be a perfect moment of distraction, as she kept wiggling all over to try and somehow get the leaves that were on fire out of the way. Soon Atsuko was readying another arrow, this time for the monster's trunk, which ended up on fire, and with that the creature went rolling to the ground, and then the new Luna warrior tried something peculiar.
(Can the master sword become such a fiery sword? I can even use my magic to create a little flame, but I don't know if it will become a fire sword that efficiently).
She immediately used a flame on the master sword and it really worked, it became a sword of fire and that way she didn't even need the lamp, the tree monster even managed to put out much of the fire on its body and on the leaves, launching several of the leaves at once in a desperate attack towards the crimson-eyed one.
But it didn't even come close to her, who was able to simply create a shield of fire around her by spinning her sword so that she wouldn't be hit in the most vulnerable parts of her body, at least. Arriving almost together in the middle of the path, Kagari was practically breaking the branches in half with her sword of fire and dismantling more and more of that huge tree creature, which soon disappeared, signalling that it had been defeated, leaving a few bleeding wounds on some parts of the girl's body.
(The tunic even protects my chest and arms, but my legs are at their worst, even my trousers are ripped, it hurts here, at least I didn't get one on my head or neck, there were cuts on my legs, my boots didn't feel anything either, now I wonder what's going to appear for me, is it going to be a trunk, that was hard work).
The master sword soon stopped burning, with the monster turning to dust in defeat, but the rest of the illuminated flames that were rising gathered into something forming a stone in the middle, with something written on it, a sign that Akko had managed to fulfil another important part of the mission, with the Claiomh Solais glowing.
"Don't compare yourself to others, just do what you can do... Arae Aryrha" When Atsuko says the word, the sceptre changes shape and simply becomes a hook, which she has already tested by clinging to the ceiling and seeing that it serves both to lift her up and to cushion her falls.
Kagari began to experiment with the hook, seeing that it clung well to any surface, being able to climb high up, even use it for momentum, it was perfect for her to get from one side to the other, even more than the ropes Hellene used to use, which she was already jumping for joy at something she had achieved, going so far as to discover another of the seven words.
With that in hand she went back to where Marianne was and she was sitting on the floor next to the chest she had opened with the key, soon relieved at the same time worried looking at the few cuts the crimson-eyed girl had.
"Akko! You're back! What are those cuts? Were there terrible monsters on the other side? Did you find anything?" Said the curious Leclerc.
"Switch on" said the brownish woman, activating the third word and reaching the other end with the hook.
"What? I've been wanting a Hookshot for ages, it would be perfect to use as a ninja and you've got one, that's perfect Akko, you can go far into the dungeons like this, you don't even need Hellene's ropes anymore" Said the surprised dark-haired girl who reaches the other side running through the walls.
"Well let's not belittle Hellene's ropes, she can still use them to bind and together with the hook we can simply use a perfect weapon to immobilise any monster, now come on, now that I have three of the seven words in hand we can complete the staff so we still have the rest of the dungeon to explore" said the warrior from Luna nova.
The two nod and head towards the fork, where they see Jasminka sitting on the ground, eating some cereal. She soon realises that the girls have returned and stands up again.
"There are only a few little monsters ahead, I disguised myself as them and drew this here for you, it took you a while, was there anything on the other side?" Antonenko said.
"I've got a hook now and there was a giant tree monster, well anyway let's defeat these monsters at once" said the motivated Akko.
The three nod their heads and head for the path on the left, where they see that the map shows a whole path with another fork ahead with a room that apparently leads nowhere, but that's because the pink-haired one entered as a monster and that doesn't affect her, she just went from one side to the other, like any creature, apart from the door locked with a key.
As soon as they arrive, they see that the path is lined with smaller versions of the tree that Hyllian from Luna Nova had faced, so Marianne goes in with her Katana to cut them down, but soon notices that when they are cut in half, they regenerate quickly because everything around them is made of vegetation, which creates more of them.
"These things appear more like them, how are we going to make our way with them walking from one side to the other, even more so with these leaves that make cuts?" Said the confused Leclerc.
"I faced their mum, I think they're in pure hatred, but I know the weak point, fire, use fire and you'll be able to open the way" said Atsuko.
Jasminka transforms herself into a fire-breathing dragon and there's simply no room left for the other two to use anything, the flames were so strong that the path was opened up down the corridor to the point where it didn't affect anything, which was already a great help, but at the same time a bit exaggerated on Antonenko's part.
"Wow Jasminka, you didn't need so much, you practically managed to clear the way for us to pass through smoothly, you didn't even need all that, you know" said the crimson-eyed girl, laughing.
"Ah that's good Jas, she's like that, she can turn into huge creatures" said the brown-eyed one.
"Well, we don't need to spend too much magic, we even have pots full of potions, but it's good not to spend it all, we'll run out of magic by the time we get to the boss monster in the dungeon, I always try not to spend too much, because the situation always gets worse" said the brownish girl.
And soon they were on their way to the next corridor, where they came across water running down the sides and some Snap Dragons, creatures that practically don't do anything unless you get close to them, and this was something that the dark-haired one with the red locks simply took advantage of to attack, running up the walls and slashing at the monsters to open the way.
Since the monsters were precisely blocking the way to the first fork, it was the one that the map pointed to as being an empty room, but this was soon proved to be false, since when they entered it they were already in a place full of water soaking their feet and the doors were lowered
"It's a trap" said the Wedinburgh ninja.
"That's normal, there are always rooms like this in this kind of dungeon, and I'm already familiar with this kind of danger" said the clever warrior from Luna Nova.
But the danger is different and she soon realises that the ceiling is moving downwards, the impact would be so strong that it would crush them, but Akko soon realises something when she sees a passage up there that she tells the girls to go there, with the hook Atsuko goes up, which Marianne does by running up the walls and jumping between them and Jasminka does by turning herself into a bird and managing to fly up there.
It was a rather cramped place, but soon the whole ceiling came down and fell like a stone, which then revealed a part of the floor that dropped several Rupees to the ground.
"Hmmmmm it was a trap, I think it's going to be difficult to get all those Rupees" said Leclerc.
"And why take it too? It's not like we're in a position to use it" said Kagari.
"Well, they can be used on the way, I'll pick them up for you" said Antonenko.
The three of them go down the path and go to the other side, while Antonenko also manages to get there by turning into a giant and carrying as many Rupees as she can to the other side until she arrives and is almost locked in and crushed by the stone again.
A total of 79 Rupees could be collected, so they get up and follow the path, as further on there's another fork, this time to the right, and in it there's another room. When they pass it, there's no monster, just an empty room, so they look up, already smart, and when they get close to the chest, they're in for a surprise: the chest has the master key, but there are also several monster trees falling from the ceiling.
"Do that Jas" said the one with the crimson eyes.
The pink-haired one turned into a dragon and was spitting fire before most of the trees had reached the ground. The few that remained met up with the brown-haired one, who used her ability to slash with her master sword to set them on fire, and in this way she managed to deal with the remaining monsters.
Until the door opened again and they were ready for another part of the adventure, with two keys in hand, one of which was the master key that could lead to the dungeon's treasure and also to the room where the boss monster was.
"That's really hot, Jasminka is always exaggerating, she could even barbecue us, but we're doing well, is there much left of the Akko dungeon? You who have experience" said Marianne.
"There's a bit to go, but it's a sign that we're almost to the boss here, we haven't found the treasure in the dungeon, there will probably still be parts that we'll have to manage with the hook and also with the item we get here, anyway I'm already excited, let's hope that the boss here we manage not to suffer to defeat - said the excited Akko.
Meanwhile, outside the dungeon, things were still going on, with the girls chatting amongst themselves, but then the beep on Diana's wrist went off and she received a message from Croix about how they were doing at the moment.
"How are you girls? Strange that you're not inside the dungeon, where is Akko?Are you all right?" Meridies said.
"Oh Croix, we found out that there are only three of us allowed in the dungeon, including Akko, so she went in with Marianne and Jasminka, by now they must have got quite far, unfortunately we can't know much about it as we're waiting out here, but let's hope for the best" said Cavendish.
"Marianne? The same Marianne who sneaks into places? She's too thin and weak for a dungeon, she's not even trained, and neither is Jasminka. I remember taking her and Constanze on a mission to Edo to find out Atsuko's origins, but when the war broke out they couldn't go back, unless they've been training hard for the last six years, which makes sense" said the lilac-haired girl.
"That's right, Croix, she's the same Marianne who rescued Akko from Appleton's hands, they got there before me, Amanda and Hellene, I guarantee they'll be fine, just remember that in the legends Link always used to go alone, with three it will be more peaceful and safe, you can be sure, so how are things there, have the ships stopped passing?" Said the blue-eyed one.
"Yes, it seems that Lord Hanbridge has stopped sending his marine troops to search, in fact they still find it peculiar that some shipwrecks happen here on the island of Triskellion, it also seems that the sky has blinked now, it's Akko finding another word isn't it?". Tonight we're going to check out the constellation of Claiomh Solais, I wish you good luck" said Croix, ending the conversation.
"Bye-bye Croix, thanks for everything, really" said the eldest princess.
"Woah that's a good sign, we'll be able to travel to Triskellion Island then?" Lotte asks.
"Yes, we'll go to the second dungeon, then we'll think about discovering the rest of the dungeons that remain and we'll have a clear path, we can continue the path to the next dungeon and we can go to the island of Edo, maybe that will help Akko discover more about her origins" said Diana.
"I can't wait to get back home, Diana, I didn't even talk to you about it yesterday, but Mari and I are thinking of having a little wedding party between us, then we'll figuratively get married there and after we conquer Hyrule back we'll officially get married" said Hellene.
"A wedding in Triskellion? It's a good idea, I'd love a wedding party like that, even if it's not official, just being close to the people I love so much will be worth it, not to mention that Akko and I are already close" said Cavendish.
"So close that they've already consummated the marriage" said Sucy, laughing.
"Sucy!" They all blushed as she laughed.
They continued chatting amongst themselves, just thinking about what lay ahead on their journey through the dungeon of Luna Nova, worrying a lot about their friends, but in the meantime they were enjoying a light-hearted chat, especially as McLaren kept talking to her sister about the idea of having a wedding with a lively party.
The first dungeon of the nine witches begins, Akko, Jasminka and Marianne are showing off their skills and discovering new things about the peculiarities of dungeons, which is going to be very intense ahead, as it won't be easy at all to deal with increasingly strong and increasingly lethal monsters, as well as the traps present, all on the way to liberating Hyrule from the tyranny of Andrew Hanbridge.
See you, forest witches...