Robyn POV
Pumpkin Eve, this world's equivalent to Halloween and a special event in the game that's not supposed to happen until the third year. But since this is real life it happens annually.
And this is the first year I'm actually celebrating it.
With the knocking on the door calling my name, I check the mirror to make sure my costume is good. This Pumpkin Moon, I'm going as Robin, which is to say my old self who died six months ago.
Robin Cross, the student that was remembered as a hero who saved dozens of others and sacrificed his own life to close off the portals and slay a demon. The story is greatly overexaggerated, as was my death, but I seemed to have made more of an impact on the student body than I had expected and as such they inflated the story more than just a little bit.
With the named four, the villainess, her sister, Leticia's fan club, and even Robert all backing up this story, everyone believed it and I accidentally became a legend.
I would have stopped them from doing such a thing, but when you're quite literally dead and six feet under you can't do much. So now I'm stuck having to hear my name be called fondly by random students and pass by the statue of me in the courtyard that was erected so that students wouldn't forget the horrible day.
???: "Hey Robyn! You in there?!" I hear a voice call out to me.
Snapping out of my remembrance I quickly touch up my bright red dyed hair, fix up my tie and straighten out my vest, fling Scarfy around my neck, make sure my glass eye is in place, use Scarfy to grab a serving tray then exit my bathroom.
I make it to my front door and reveal who the first visitor shall be.
Robin: "Lucas? Is that you?" I ask the frilly dressed gal before me.
Lucas: "That's 'princess' Luca to you." He says sternly, then bursts out laughing after staring at me for a few moments. "Gah ha ha ha! The look on your face!" He exclaims.
I rub my cheeks with one hand and poke at my face, nope, facial nerves are still dead.
Seeing my confusion Luca explains himself.
Luca: "You don't need to make an expression for me to know you were stunned, had you surprised right?" He grins, then leans in conspiratorially. "Best part about this outfit, is nobody recognizes me. I mean, who would expect the second prince to dress as a second princess!" He exclaims giddily.
Robin: "Smart." I nod. "And you really seemed to have gone all out with the makeup and everything." I observe his jewel encrusted dress and tiara.
Luca: "Thanks, Grace helped me with it. Your outfit is pretty smart too, normally going as yourself isn't creative but you seem to be an exception." He continues to grin as he looks my butler outfit up and down.
Robin: "Funnily enough, I never got to use this outfit while I was working for Grace. Candy?" I offer using Scarfy to open my tray and reveal a bowl full of candy.
Luca: "Oh sweet, sure." He smiles, taking candy from Scarfy and giving her a curtsey. "You plan on giving everyone in the school some candy?" He arches a brow as he enjoys his treat.
My brows furrow.
Robin: "Aren't I supposed to?"
Luca: "Uh, no? Who gives out candy on Pumpkin Eve?" He chuckles.
Robin: "Oh, I thought that...well, I guess I do now." I shrug.
Luca: "The others will appreciate it, let's go find them." He gestures for me to follow.
I give him a nod and lock my door behind me, setting off the spookily decorated hallways filled with other students in a variety of outfits. The ones Luca and I pass by don't seem to notice us, or at least who we really are.
We get a few compliments here and there, especially me who people look at with a slightly sad but appreciative smile. Pumpkin Eve is also a holiday to pay respect to the dead and remember them with accurate costumes.
According to Luca it's disrespectful to go as someone and not look and act like them to a T, luckily I know how to play Robin quite well. With a now permanent blank face and butler outfit, I'm the perfect embodiment of the Cold Servant.
Oh, and I give out candy to those who stop and chat with us for a moment.
There's a lot of festive cheer going around, much like the winter holidays. But this time I don't think any death defying adventures are going to happen, I'll even make sure of it.
Robin: "By the way, who are we searching for first?" I ask after a decent amount of time spent walking.
Luca shrugs.
Luca: "I thought we'd run into someone by now."
Almost as if he spoke it into existence, a familiar pair of mounds press against my back.
???: "Guess who?" She asks cheerfully.
Robin: "Clare." I answer.
Clarissa: "What? How'd you know?" She whines as she walks around to face me with a pout.
While I could tell the truth, I feel as though it would be rude to answer with it.
Robin: "Your cheerful voice is easily recognizable and only you would do something as childish as that." I reply.
Clarissa: "Aww, stahp it...wait, that last one is an insult!" She exclaims, puffing her cheeks up cutely.
Luca laughs in my stead as Clarissa and I scan each other's outfits. Wearing a white top and a skirt paired along with a set of dove white wings and a halo Clarissa appears to be dressed as an angel.
Robin: "Your outfit is really fitting." I nod approvingly to make up for lack of enthusiasm in my voice.
Clarissa: "More than you will ever know." She mumbles.
Robin: "Wha-"
Clarissa: "I love your outfit too! It's also very fitting, Robin." She smiles cheekily and brighter than the halo above her head. "What's in the tray?" She asks curiously.
After blinking a few times I use Scarfy to open it and let her offer Clarissa candy.
Robin: "You can have one if you'd like."
Clarissa: "Ooh, thanks!" She cheers, giving a grateful nod to Scarfy as she munches on her treat. "By the way, who's this?" She points at Luca.
Luca: "Take a guess." He speaks in a purposeful deep voice, surprising Clarissa.
Clarissa: "Oh, my, gosh! You look so pretty!" She squeals, walking around Luca to examine his dress.
Robin: "Where are the others?"
Clarissa's eyes widen in excitement as she quickly finishes up her treat.
Clarissa: "They're waiting for us, just follow me, hurry!" She exclaims giddily.
I give Luca a questioning glance.
Luca: "I don't know, but I'm excited to find out." He smiles, starting to jog to catch up with Clarissa.
I follow suit, not before handing out a few more bits of candy to random students.
As I run through the decorated halls with Luca and Clarissa I start to remember our first day at the academy. It was the three of us who all arrived together in that carriage, and now it's the three of us running underneath the orange moon.
Had Markus not revived me, I wouldn't be able to experience this very moment with them.
Clarissa: "You got that look on your face again." She remarks with a soft smile.
How are they able to understand the looks on my expressionless face?
Robin: "Sorry, I just think about it often..." I trail off.
I feel a playful shove against my shoulder and turn to Luca.
Luca: "Hey, I wish he were here too, but for now we've just got to enjoy the moment for him." He smiles.
Robin: "Yeah, you're right." I nod back as we arrive at a large menacing gate in front of a graveyard that I don't think was here before.
Clarissa: "C'mon, we're almost there." She hops in place energetically.
Luca: "Well this will be interesting." He mumbles with a smile.
Clarissa leads us through the spooky gate and into a maze like cemetery. Lanterns light up the paths and cut outs of monsters lurk in the shadows, a subtle rustling always ringing out just a few meters away from us. After a bunch of seemingly random lefts and rights we end up in a large open area.
Robin: "Where are the others?" I ask as I step into the field and look around.
Suddenly the lanterns go out and I'm thrown into pitch black darkness. But not for long though, as a spotlight suddenly lands on me.
It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust and atop one of the taller gravestones with a large cross protruding from it is a dark figure.
???: "Welcome, foolish wanderer." The person greets me in a low, menacing tone.
Robin: "Wait, is tha-?"
???: "Silence mortal! Or else your princess shall be executed as punishment for entering this sacred land."
Another spotlight comes into play, this time revealing Luca tied up by an excessive amount of rope atop another grave.
Luca: "Whoa hey! What are you doing?! How did I get here?!" He shouts in genuine panic, struggling to no avail in his bindings.
My brows furrow as I try to make heads or tails of the situation.
???: "If you wish to save your princess here you must find and traverse my crypt, searching with all your might." The figure gestures to a large mausoleum whose door slowly opens up, a flurry of bats squeaking as they escape the building. "Be warned wanderer, my most loyal minions guard these lands, be sure to not let this become your tomb." They warn with a menacing laugh as Luca is carried away and the figure just disappears.
Luca: "Gaaaaaaah! Robin, help me! Ahhhhhhhhhhh!" He lets out a girlish scream that pieces the sky.
I bet Markus would have loved to see that.
I turn to the stone building and calmly walk toward it, Luca will be fine, probably. I make it to the entrance and peer down the stairway that waits for me right in the center.
Robin: "Well, you were right Luca, this does seem interesting." I murmur to myself as lanterns begin lighting my way down.
I slip soundly into my role as the wanderer and curiously walk down the steps and enter a narrow stone corridor. With me, Scarfy, and a tray holding a bowl of candy we soon enter a dark forest?
I look around curiously as I find myself in what seems to be a bonafide forest covered in tiny blue orbs that act as my only source of light. Curious, I walk up to a tree and touch it, feeling its rough bark confirming its real.
Robin: "How did you pull this off?" I murmur curiously to myself.
Suddenly, a ghostly voice echoes out.
???: "oooooo~ Uhm, spooky noises~" I hear a distant voice.
I look around as they continue to make awkward spooky noises that somehow comes from every which way. Unsure of what to do, I continue to walk through the forest, catching glimpses of a little girl stalking me in the trees.
???: "oooooooo~ turn back~ curses and stuff~"
This ghost must be new to the job or something.
Eventually, I come across a clearing with a stone well in the center. The wind picks up and the branches around me begin to shake as the spooky noises increase in volume.
I slowly approach the scary well when a hand suddenly appears on the edge, then another, then the top of a head pokes through the well, and that's all the progress they make. I hear her make noises of exertion as she tries to pull herself out of the well, not having the upper body strength it seems.
???: "*hrmf* ooooo~ I'm going to *umph* curse you when I get out~ oooo- h-hwah?!" The ghost yelps when I help her out of the well.
Lifting her by the pits, I hold the ghost in the air to examine her. She's got long black and white hair blocking her face and falling all the way to her knees and a dirty white dress that looks like it fell in a well.
Once the little ghost recovers from her initial shock, she begins to panic
???: "Y-You're not allowed to touch ghosts!" She flails her arms and legs in my grasp.
Robin: "Hello Melissa." I greet her how I usually do as I keep her in the air.
Melissa: "I-I'm not Melissa, I'm a spooky ghost who will curse you if you don't let go." She growls and holds her hands out like claws trying to seem intimidating, failing adorably.
Robin: "Okay not Melissa, how about I fix your hair first." I decide, using Scarfy to push away some of her hair from her face.
Pouting with slightly red cheeks, she stops struggling and turns away from me.
Not Melissa: "You're supposed to be scared." She crosses her arms as I take a seat on the edge of the well and place her on my lap.
Robin: "Sorry sorry, we can try again if you want." I offer flatly.
Not Melissa: "It's too late now." She stubbornly pouts.
With a sigh, I finish fixing her hair into the usual pigtails and use Scarfy to search for her favourite treat.
Robin: "Here, don't be mad please?" I ask as I offer her a honey candy.
Her face lightens up for a moment, but she quickly keeps her expression in check and continues pouting.
Not Melissa: "Fine, but only because it's you." She concedes as she takes the candy and pops it in her mouth. "Thank you Scarfy."
I put the little ghost on the ground as I stand back up.
Robin: "I've got to continue my quest, so I'll see you later. And don't go back into the well alright?" I add just in case.
Not Melissa: "Okay." She nods. "Oh right! I'm supposed to tell you to go to the village to find out where the evil person hid the princess." She says quickly.
Robin: "Thank you Melissa." I crouch down and pat her head.
Not Melissa: "I told you already, I'm not Melissa!" She throws her hands in the air in protest. "And you're welcome." She continues to frown but she seems happier than before.
I linger for a little while longer before going back into the forest in search of the village. After walking deep into the forest I realize that I probably should have asked for directions before I left.
Maybe that person riding a horse in the distance can give me directions. In the distance I spot the rider who wears dark armour and a pumpkin on her head riding towards me with his sword drawn.
???: "Mrmmph mrm murmph!" I hear their muffled shout as they grow closer.
Robin: "What was that?!" I call out.
They make more, indecipherable noises that are muffled because of her helmet. So I wait in place for them to get closer so I can hear what she's saying.
???: "Hrmm mrph nmph." She mumbles through her pumpkin with her sword pointed at my neck.
Robin: "Sorry, but I really can't understand what you're saying." I say apologetically.
The rider lowers her sword and slumps her shoulders as though she's sighing. She removes the pumpkin, after a bit of effort then shakes her head to let her long, flowing golden hair fall.
Rachel: "I said that I am here to take your head." She threatens me with a sword at my neck.
I stare at her for a couple of seconds.
Robin: "Nice costume, your helmet could use some work though." I comment.
Rachel: "Thanks, and yeah I probably should have carved out a mouth or something."
Robin: "Wait, how were you able to ride with that pumpkin on your head?" I ask slightly tilting my head.
A proud smile spreads across her face as she prepares to explain.
Rachel: "You see, I used my sen- no wait, this isn't how it's supposed to go." She cuts herself off, then points her sword at me again and clears her throat. "Lost wanderer, why doth thou trample on thy sacred grounds?" She asks in an accent.
Robin: "Well, a little ghost told me to find the village so I can find a hint as to where the princess is being held. And I was wondering if you could give me a ride."
Rachel: "What?"
Robin: "I was wondering if you could give me a ride." I repeat flatly. "I'll give you a candy if you take me." Scarfy offers her the tray.
Rachel stares at me dumbfounded then bursts out laughing, a shine in her eyes as she looks at me fondly.
Rachel: "I expected nothing less from you Robyn." She smiles. "I accept your payment, hop on." She offers me her hand.
I take and jump on behind her as Scarfy puts a candy in her hand.
Rachel: "Thank you Scarfy." She glances back at me. "Hold on to me Robyn." She adds before taking off.
Doing as the not so headless horsewoman says, I wrap my arms around her waist as her horse takes us through the forest.
Robin: "Do you have any hints for me?" I ask, causing her ear to twitch.
Rachel: "N-None I'm afraid." She says with a shiver. "C-Could you not blow into my ear?" She asks.
Robin: "Oh, sorry." I lean back a bit and loosen my grip around her waist.
Suddenly I feel her metal gauntlet grab my hands.
Rachel: "I-I didn't say to move away." She says quickly without looking back at me, her ears turning a shade redder.
Because of my months of experience as a boyfriend, I am now able to read these sorts of situations properly. As such, I tighten my hold around her waist and rest my chin on her shoulder.
Robin: "Better?" I ask, now able to see her surprised and flustered face.
Once she composes herself, she begins to smile.
Rachel: "Yes, much better." She says softly.
The ride through the haunted forest quickly becomes a lot less scary, not that it was really scary to me in the first place, but the gloomy atmosphere now has a shade of light pink to it. The two of us ride through the woods in amiable silence, simply enjoying each other's presence.
We eventually reach a gated village and Rachel reluctantly lets go of my hand.
Rachel: "Well, good luck with your quest Robyn." She continues to smile as I disembark her horse.
Robin: "Thanks, I'll see you later."
Rachel: "Don't take too long now." She giggles before spinning her horse around. "Hyah!" She shouts, dashing back into the forest.
I continue to watch her ride away until she's completely out of sight, then I push open the gate and enter the village.
Much like the forest, I'm very confused about how this place is even here and find that it's completely empty.
Robin: "If I were clue now where would I be." I mumble to myself.
Finding another monster that happens to be one of my girlfriends would also be very helpful.
As I explore the empty village, I come across a strange circle painted in red in the middle of an open area. Assuming I'll find someone there, I walk over to the circle and crouch down to examine it.
Robin: "Yep, I have no idea what this is." I confirm to myself as I get back up.
As I do so something warm lands on my shoulder. I grab the object and find that it's an orange feather made of flames. It extinguishes itself after a few more seconds and I hear a shrill cackling from up above.
My eyes follow the noise and find what seems to be a fairy riding a witch's broom. Her firey orange wings continue to shed feathers all the way until she lands before me, kicking up her broom and holding it like a staff.
Lisa: "So? Any questions?" She cocks a hip.
Robin: "Are you a fairy or witch?" I ask immediately.
She looks at her wings, then to the black horns on her head.
Lisa: "Both?" She shrugs not seeming to care very much. "So I'm supposed to trick you into biting this apple or pricking your finger on that spindle over there." She points with crossed arms dispassionately.
I wait for her to continue, but she remains silent, checking her nails.
Robin: "Are you alright Lisa?" I have to ask.
She sighs.
Lisa: "Yeah, I just don't really get the point of doing this, it's dumb." She huffs and kicks the ground.
It doesn't take me long to figure out why she's not so enthusiastic about this, but I want her to enjoy this special day.
Robin: "How about we ignore the apple and spindle and make something ourselves." I suggest as I approach the fairy/witch.
Lisa: "Wh-What do you mean by that Robin?" She takes a step back with a big blush, and red face means happy to some degree.
Robin: "You're a witch, so let's make a potion." I place a hand on her shoulder and look her in her stunned eyes.
Lisa: "O-Oh t-that's what you...er, y-yeah! Sure, let's do that, I think I have a book for that somewhere around here." She frees herself from my hands. "Follow me." She speaks quickly, leaving behind the bowl of fruit and spindle.
The two of us enter one of the houses and find a cauldron surrounded by several shelves full of strange ingredients. Lisa, seeming to have already familiarized herself with this stuff, goes right up to a shelf to pluck a book and immediately flips to a page.
Lisa: "Alright, listen up Robyn, grab a bottle of sap spigot, a weirdshroom, and a bunch of water blooms. I'm gonna prepare the base, chop chop!" She orders, a little more energy in her words now.
Not having a clue as to what any of the stuff she mentioned is, I set off and begin my search, putting the main quest on hold.
Lisa: "Alright, so now you need to crush up the weirdshroom to get its extract then you're gonna mix it with the sap spigot. After that throw the mixture into the pot." She continues to order me around.
I'm really not sure as to what potion we're making, but seeing Lisa so passionate about this is all that matters. She's much more lively now, so whatever this potion is will have been worth the trouble.
With Scarfy still balancing the tray holding the bowl of candy I manage to complete every step that Lisa orders me to do, and by the end of it the cauldron now holds a bubbling pink liquid.
Robin: "Is it poisonous?" I ask as I stare at the concoction.
Lisa: "I don't think so, I doubt she'd- hey what are you doing?!"
I continue to look at her book from earlier and search for certain keywords.
Robin: "I want to see what the potion we made does. The ingredients were spigot sap, weirdshroom-" The book in my hand burns to ashes. "What was that for?" I ask an embarrassed Lisa flatly.
Lisa: "I-It's supposed to be a surprise, now drink it so I can finish this foolish game." She holds out a vial with the pink liquid.
I take it and give it a sniff.
Robin: "Smells like bubblegum, speaking of which, candy?" Scarfy opens the tray and offers Lisa a candy.
Lisa: "Sure, thanks." She says to me and gives Scarfy a smile.
I look back at the vial in hand and wonder if I should really be drinking...whatever this is. But seeing Lisa's expectant, waiting look pushes me to make the decision.
Robin: "After this, you have to tell me how to get to the princess alright?"
Lisa: "Sure sure, now drink it already." She taps her foot impatiently as she chews on her candy with slightly flushed cheeks.
Welp, down the hatch. I down the vial's contents into my mouth and swallow immediately, a sweet taste lingering in my math.
Lisa: "So? Do you feel any different?" She asks all fidgety.
Robin: "Yeah, I do." I nod.
Lisa: "R-Really?" Her face brightens up.
Robin: "I feel dizzy." I continue.
Lisa: "Eh?"
And that's the last thing I'm able to hear clearly.
Lisa: "Wait this isn't a love potion, it's a sleep potion! She tricked me!"
I'm unable to hear her muffled voice as my eyes begin to close.
Time skip brought to you by chibi Robyn looking at a statue of Robin feeling uncomfortable
???: "Get a picture of this."
???: "Haven't I already taken enough photos of him and you?"
???: "I'm a model, I live for the camera lenses."
My eyes slowly flutter open and I see a very light shade of green hair in the corner of my eye.
???: "Oh! He's awake." The person happily exclaims.
???: "Give him some room Liz, let him get up." Another voice says calmly.
As my eyes fully open I see the two demons before me both wearing some rather risque clothing that is quite similar to each other. Elizabeth, the more daring of the two wears a black bra that reveals most of her cleavage and a heart shaped hole at her navel, purple tights, and bat like wings close to her hips.
And Leticia wears something similar, except her outfit covers more of her body than Elizabeth but not by much and is red. Her wings are also attached to the back of her hips and are red and her tights are light blue. Finally, her hair has become a light pink.
Robin: "Uhm, where am I?" I ask the two.
Leticia: "Welcome to our mistress's castle." She bows in her wheelchair.
Elizabeth: "We do hope you enjoy your stay." She adds right after, bowing as well.
Lightning flashes outside a nearby window and a thunderous roar follows soon after. I wonder if that was also part of their choreography.
When I try to get up, I find that I've been tied to the bed I'm on. My situation appears to have gotten worse.
Robin: "Would you care to tell me what the two of you are dressed up as?" I ask despite the answer being quite clear, and revealing.
Elizabeth begins to smirk as she crawls back onto the bed and lays beside me, caressing my chest with her hand.
Elizabeth: "We're Succubi, does that scare you by any chance?" She asks in a velvet voice.
Leticia, stuck in her wheelchair looks at Elizabeth in disapproval. With a flick of her hand the succubus beside me is pulled off and placed back at her side.
Leticia: "Don't be rude to our guest Liz." She chastises her.
Elizabeth: "Oh come now Leti, surely this one deserves some special treatment no?" She looks at me with a dangerous glint in her eye.
One that I've long since gotten used to.
Leticia gives an exasperated sigh.
Leticia: "Forgive her, Robyn, she's been waiting for this moment for quite a while now." She says with an apologetic tone.
Elizabeth: "Oh don't act like you weren't the same, I saw you constantly checking your tra-"
Robin: "Excuse me, but maybe I can offer you two a treat in exchange for my freedom?" I ask before they start going back and forth on each other.
My question seems to make both of their ears perk.
Elizabeth: "What did you have in mind?" She asks with a thrilled expression, Leticia seeming to listen in intently.
Using Scarfy I open the tray I somehow still have and reveal to them the bowl of candy.
Elizabeth: "Oh, you meant that literally." She says sounding slightly disappointed. "Thanks Scarfy, but I'd much prefer a different treat."
Leticia: "How about this Robyn, allow us to share the bed with you for a few minutes and we will let you be on your way. I promise the two of us will do nothing but cuddle with you." She offers.
I feel a little bit of heat crawl to my cheeks, Leticia has been getting bolder as our resetted relationship grows, not that that has made me any less happy about how things are between us now.
Robin: "Sure, as long as it's just cuddling." I finally agree.
Elizabeth: "Hooray!" She exclaims, diving into the bed beside me.
Before I can ask about Leticia, she already uses wind magic to levitate herself into the bed on my other side.
Leticia: "Allow me to make you more comfortable." She speaks politely, flicking her wrist and summoning a blade of wind to cut off the rope that binds me.
It's a swift motion, and slightly scary considering how tight the rope was wrapped around me. But the spine chilling moment quickly passes as I'm warmed by the two bodies pressed against me.
Elizabeth: "I know you said we'd do nothing but cuddle with you, but we have no control over what Robyn does now right?" She asks Leticia as she snuggles closer to me under the sheets.
Leticia: "I suppose whatever Robyn does now is up to him, but I'm content with this...for now."
I know what they're suggesting, and so I give them what they want.
The two of them let out a pleasant yelp of surprise as I hug the two them closer to me as I stare directly at the ceiling. Ever since my revival my feelings towards the girls slightly changed, which is to say I do slightly have to fight against my tiny desires for intimacy from time to time.
I'm not ready to move forward yet because I'm afraid I'll mess it up, so a hug and a cuddle every now and then are all I can do as of now.
And the two girls beside me seem to be alright with that.
The two of them place one hand on my chest and do with my hand as they wish. Elizabeth rubs her cheek against the back of my left hand and Leticia interlocks her fingers with mine as she rests our hand in the space between our hands.
It's a silent few minutes, but that silence is broken when Leticia shifts her body to rest her cheek against my chest to look at me.
Leticia: "Our few minutes are up, you are free to leave wanderer." She murmurs softly as if trying to convince me to stay.
Elizabeth: "Aww, just one more minute?" She begs with puppy dog eyes.
I gently free myself from their honeyed words before I truly get stuck with them.
Robin: "That minute will into more if I stay, my self control isn't that strong." I admit still feeling a little warmth in my cheeks.
Elizabeth shifts closer to Leticia as if to make up for the disappearance of my warmth beside her and the two of them smile at me.
Leticia: "Good luck on your adventure."
Elizabeth: "Come back to us whenever you feel like it, we'll always have a special service ready for you." She giggles sweetly.
With a small blush, I leave behind two surprisingly wholesome and satisfied succubi on the bed.
I make my way into the sinister hallways of this dark castle as I slowly regain feeling in my arms and the uncomfortable static fades away.
Despite walking in a random direction in a building that is undoubtedly gigantic, I quickly find a large set of double doors that can only mean the boss room. But before I can approach the doors, a masked lumbering figure appears from behind a pillar.
Wearing a Hannya mask, a yukata that slips off her shoulder on one side to reveal the bindings around her chest, and wielding a large kanabo, a female oni blocks my path.
???: "Sorry, but I'm afraid this is as far as you will go." She says in a way that sounds like she's grinning.
Robin: "Hello Ms.Oni, could I offer you a bribe to get through?" Scarfy brings my tray with candy to her.
Oni: "Sorry, but no thanks Scarfy." She pushes the tray away. "You may have gotten past the others wanderer, but you're not getting through me!" She shouts, suddenly dashing forward with her kanabo raised.
I quickly sidestep around her as the bat breaks the ground I was just standing on.
Robin: "Hey, this isn't fair, you know I can't hurt you." I say flatly with a blank look of disapproval.
Oni: "I missed the part where that's my problem!" She shouts again, dashing forward with her kanabo again.
The Oni continues to smash the area around with her large bat as I duck, weave, and dodge each of her swings while I try to figure out a way to subdue her. It also doesn't help that I have to focus on keeping my tray of candy balanced.
Oh, I got it.
Oni: "Hey! Pay atten- woah!" She yelps as I catch her hand and arm to flip her over my shoulder.
She hits the ground with a loud thud and her mask flies off to reveal a grinning Yukio. I quickly follow up and plant my knee on her chest to keep her pinned.
Yukio: "W-What are you going to do to me now?" She asks in a slightly trembly voice with a strange smile she can't seem to control.
I grab her yukata to yank her closer to my face without uttering a word.
Yukio: "U-Uhm-mph?!" Her eyes widen when I shove a piece of candy in her mouth.
With the palm of my hand pressing against her lips I lean a bit closer to her face.
Robin: "You took my bribe, so I'll be going past you now if you don't mind." I say a little coldly with narrowed eyes.
A trick I learned that for whatever reason makes Yukio's face glow with happiness every time.
Yukio: "Y-Yep, go right on ahead." She says with an uncontrollable smile.
Robin: "Thanks." I nod and get up, leaving Yukio lying flat on the ground.
I take one last look back as I reach the menacing double doors and find that she remains in the position I left her, holding onto her face with both hands giggling.
Yukio is a strange one indeed.
Knowing I've probably reached the final room, I take a deep breath before slowly pushing open the doors to reveal a very large bedroom.
In the center is a king sized bed with purple curtains that block me from seeing who the figure behind them is.
???: "Wanderer, you've finally made it." The silhouette on the bed says with a sultry voice.
Robin: "That I have, and I'm here to save the princess." I declare flatly, committing to my role.
???: "Oh don't be in such a rush dear. Come, join me." She giggles, her silhouette beckoning for me to come forth.
Unsure of what else to do, I listen to her magnetic voice and take tentative steps as I approach the bed. The woman crawls to the edge of the bed, making sure to show off her alluring figure from behind the curtain.
Robin: "Uhm, what are we gonna do on the be-"
My eyes widen in surprise as I'm suddenly pulled onto the bed, making the curtains flutter and blind me for a moment. When my eyes open again, I find Grace in a dark nightgown pinned beneath me with a pleased smile.
Grace: "It is of no surprise to me that you've managed to defeat each and every one of my minions, or should I say seduce them." She caresses my cheek with the back of her especially pale hand.
Robin: "I wouldn't say I seduced them, I merely offered them a treat." I correct her, remaining still and letting Scarfy put the tray down on the nightstand next to the bed.
Grace: "Still, you've done well to make it this far wanderer, but you've made one fatal mistake." She begins to smirk, throwing her arms around my neck.
Robin: "And what would that be?" I ask in a low voice, keeping my eyes on her crimson irises the whole time.
Grace: "You should never accept an invitation from a vampire." She giggles, flashing me her fangs. "Now, become mine in eternal servitude and embrace me with all your love."
Robin: "You don't need to sink your fangs for me to do something like that." I murmur affectionately, slowly closing in on her.
Grace: "Then mayhaps a kiss shall be enough." She smiles softly, awaiting for my kiss with endearing eyes.
???: "STOOOOOOP!" A voice suddenly interrupts us, pulling open the curtains and catching the two of us red handed.
Grace: "Kyah, we've been caught." She says more amused than frightened, still holding me in place.
???: "This wasn't part of the script!" The angel before me fumes.
Grace: "I merely did a little bit of improvising, no need to get so angry Clare." She waves her hand casually.
Clarissa: "But you were supposed to be all evil then let me save him as his guardian angel! I've been waiting all night for this." She stamps her foot.
Grace: "Well if you had waited a little longer you would have had your chance, but now you've ruined the immersion." She says matter of factly.
Clarissa: "If I waited for any longer you would have done...this and that to Robyn." She blushes.
Oh my, she's been watching the whole time?
Robin: "You can still try to save me if you wish." I inform her, reminding the two that I'm still here.
Clare shoots a look at Grace who merely smiles back at her. She looks to be about to jump on top of the bed when the door to the bedroom suddenly bursts open.
Grace: "A coup d'etat? Servant, protect me!" She pulls me closer with a widening smirk.
Lisa: "Hey! Why are the two of you allowed to break from your roles?" She asks crossing her arms unhappily.
Rachel: "I wouldn't say this is very fair." She says disapprovingly.
Elizabeth: "Yeah! Leti and I only got to cuddle with him and you sis were trying to sneak a kiss in? Not on my watch."
Robin: "Wait, were all of you watching?" I ask the horde of monsters at the door, still on top of Grace.
None of them respond, but the blushes on their cheeks tell me everything I need to know. Suddenly, one of them breaks from the pack and runs toward the bed, leaping forward and knocking me off Grace and landing beside her.
Melissa: "I want to hug Robin too!" She exclaims, clinging tightly to my chest.
Then, all hell breaks loose as I'm swarmed by the monsters whom I love very much.
Time skip brought to you by chibi Scarfy offering everyone a candy to calm them down
After a little bit of time, and a lot of cuddling, everyone is now chatting happily with one another at the party that was set up beforehand. Unsurprisingly Grace was the one who set all of this up, the spatial dimension that took me through the various locations, everyone's roles and costumes, and finally the party in that open area from the very beginning.
She did say she was great at planning things before, I'm just glad there weren't any life threatening scenarios this time around, except the latest event where they almost smothered me.
As I stand near a table and just look over everyone, someone slinks up beside me.
Grace: "I don't think anyone's mentioned this to you yet, but all of us find your costume to be quite nostalgic." She smiles beside me.
Robin: "Thank you, it really shows how far we've come right? How much we've changed?"
She shifts a little closer until our arms touch.
Grace: "Yes, it does, because now I'm able to do things like this with you, and everyone else." She looks at the others with a fond smile.
I follow where she gazes and try to smile, I fail but I'm sure everyone knows how happy I am to be with them all.
Robin: "Hey, are we missing someone?" I ask in sudden realization.
Grace turns to me with widened eyes.
Grace: "Luca!" She exclaims, catching everyone else's attention.
Everyone swiftly kicks into action, laughing merrily as we work together to save the princess.
Elsewhere
Hung up like a pinata in a dark room is the forgotten prince/princess
Luca: "Guys? Is anyone still there?"
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Sorry if there are a lot of typos, but this chapter was rushed. I had this great idea for a special Halloween chapter at five AM the night before Halloween so I had to speed run this in order to post it on time. There are a lot of little easter eggs and references scattered about in the chapter, some much more obscure than others, and I hope the chapter as a whole brought a smile to your face. I really hope you enjoyed revisiting my story if you've already read it all the way through, and happy Halloween!
Word count: 6903