Danmachi: My Adventure With a High Fairy Queen, Vol. 1

The Wives of Bell Cranel

The Wives of Bell Cranel - the largely female party led by Loki Familia's Nine Hell Riveria Ljos Alf, the Evergreen Mother, braved the Dungeon for the first time since it came under Medusa's dark influence. It wasn't the dungeon they knew, it was unrecognizable, a totally different and twisted world. The once vibrant and chaotic Dungeon was now a wasteland of desolation and despair. The walls that once pulsed with life now stood lifeless, their glow extinguished. The air was stale and heavy with an unnatural silence that weighed heavily on their hearts.

"This...this isn't right," murmured Liliruca Arde, her petite frame shuddering slightly. "What the hell is going on here?"

"Who knows," muttered Haruhime, a fox-eared, beautiful girl with a gentle face, long blonde hair, and large green eyes. "Ever since we left the safety of Babel, it has been like this."

"This is terrible," Yamato Mikoto said, her voice solemn. "It's like the Dungeon itself is being drained of life."

"The Dungeon has been transformed into Medusa's stone fortress," Riveria said. "Everything in this place is now her vassal. Whatever Medusa wishes, it shall become so. Destroying Medusa is the only way to put a stop to all this."

"But nobody has found the entrance to her lair," Lilly pointed out. "No one knows where she could be hiding."

"We do have one lead," Riveria said. "We must search for the Eye."

"The Eye?" Welf asked.

Riveria nodded. "Yes, the Eye of the Gorgon, an all seeing eye shared by Medusa's minions. It is said to be the key to finding Medusa's lair. We must search for it within the depths of this corrupted Dungeon."

"Then let's get going already," Aisha said, walking forward. "The longer we sit around here jawing about it, the longer that bitch can keep on turning the Dungeon into her own private nightmare."

"But we have to be careful," Riveria warned, stepping up beside Aisha. "There's no telling what we may encounter on this hunt. There may even be monsters we've never seen before lurking within the darkness. Stay close together and stay alert. Any questions?"

No one spoke a word.

"Good," Riveria nodded. "Let's go."

With the Evergreen Mother leading them, the Wives of Bell Cranel stepped forward into the desolation of Medusa's domain.

The monsters that roamed the corridors were no longer the mindless beasts they were accustomed to battling. They had joined the ranks of Medusa's hordes.

Aiz Wallenstein, her golden eyes hard and unyielding, drew Desperate, its blade gleaming in the dim light. "Fight," she said, her voice as cold as ice. "We have to fight."

Aiz was a woman of few words, but nobody in the party disagreed with her. Fighting was their way of life, especially during these dark times. They had to survive, no matter the cost.

They cut a bloody path through the monsters, their blades and magic flashing in the gloom. But even as they fought, the oppressive silence of the Dungeon seemed to bear down on them.

Riveria, the leader of the expedition, led the way.

As they delved deeper into the Dungeon, each step seemed to echo ominously in the deathly silence. The oppressive atmosphere was almost tangible, bearing down on them like a physical weight.

"How many levels have we descended, Riveria-sama?" Ryuu asked Riveria, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Eleven," the High Elf responded.