Phoenix Flight [Lite LitRPG - Dungeon Diving - FFM Romance]

The following chapter is so non-canon it hurts. I just wrote it because Writathon dropped, and also it's Halloween, so I thought it would be kind of rad to do something for it. Don't really think too hard on the plot of this or consider what is happening; this is just a goofy little story.

Enjoy it anyway! Maybe I'll do more of these holiday specials if people enjoy this one? Who knows?

***

"Is that seriously your costume?" Davi asked. He raised an eyebrow as he studied Olivia from head to toe.

"What's wrong with how I'm dressed?" Olivia pouted slightly and flipped her hair. "Doesn't this outfit look good on me?" She was dressed in her usual witch outfit, though this time it was pure white instead of the typical black and purple. It looked a lot closer to Evelyn's as well, and she even held the same crystal staff that Evelyn was always walking around with. "I dressed up as my favorite Arcane Knight!" Then she gave a soft frown. "Actually, Davi, what the hell are you wearing?"

"What?" This time, it was Davi's turn to sound a little defensive. "You told me to wear something cool."

She had expected Davi to show up in his black armor or even wearing an outfit based off one of the Arcane Knights he might have looked up to. Of course, in typical Davi fashion, guessing what he was thinking was absolutely impossible, and he showed up wearing what could only be described as a shark suit.

It was blue and white and covered him from head to toe. It was a cartoonish shark, and the mouth was open, allowing Davi's head to be seen. He waved his flipper arms. "Rawr. I'm a shark."

Olivia giggled as she watched his arms flap up and down. "Oh, Haru, that is cute." She pulled her phone out and snapped several pictures of him since he was helpless and unable to defend himself.

Sharvi, Shark Davi, of course, frowned as she snapped photos of him. "So what was the point of us getting dressed like this?"

"It's spooky day!" Olivia declared. "Today is the anniversary that Haru sealed the five Devils away, freeing the world from their darkness."

"And people dress up in costumes and collect candy because?"

"I dunno, man, just enjoy the day…"

"Fair enough. So, what do we do?" Davi questioned.

Olivia walked past him and grabbed one of his fin arms. "We're going to walk around the city and knock on the door and ask for so much candy our bellies explode!"

"That doesn't sound healthy…"

"Now you're getting it!"

The two of them left the nondescript building they were in and stepped out into the equally nondescript city that likely didn't really exist, since none of this was canon. The first house they visited was a simple, red-brick one at the start of the street. Olivia walked up to it, and she banged on the front of it, giving it a sharp knock.

"Trick or treat!" Both she and Davi held their bags out in front of them as the door swung open.

"Oh! What a cute costume!" Pock stood on the other side of the door, and he was also dressed up for the holiday, looking like a priest. His eyes shone as he studied them. "I love the shark suit!"

"Thank you." Davi gave a shark salute. "I beat up a mascot for this suit."

"Didn't need to know that!" Pock smiled and pulled out a bowl of candy from one of his many zippers, and he grabbed a handful of candy. They mainly were suckers and other ones. "Enjoy!" He gave both of them a large helping of it and nodded. "I hope you two have a good day! Oh, and don't forget to return before curfew. You know what they say about tonight! Those who stay out late will have their heads removed by the pale man!"

Davi blinked and did a double-take. "Wait, what? I never heard about—" Pock slammed the door shut. Davi shot a look at Olivia. "What did he mean by 'pale man?"

"I dunno, I'm sure it's nothing." Olivia unwrapped one of the suckers and popped it into her mouth. "Come on, let's go to the next house!"

"Okay…"

The next house wasn't very far from Pock's. It was a little further down the street and was also made of various red bricks. Loud music was blaring out as they walked up to it, and this time, Davi was the one to knock, his fins making it a little awkward to do so.

"Trick or treat!"

The music cut out, and the door swung open, and Gray stood on the other side. He was dressed in a skin-tight blue costume that had white underwear on the front and a long white cape. He was a superhero.

"The amazing Gray-Man is here!" Gray declared, and he put his hands on his hips, doing a pose. "Ah, what's this, a shark and a witch traveling together? Quite the combo!"

"Cut the crap, give us our candy," Davi responded in a flat tone, which made Gray break character for a moment before the Knight managed to put his smile back on.

"Alright!" Gray let out a laugh, and he reached behind his cape. When his hands emerged, he was holding two king-sized chocolate bars. "I hope you enjoy!" He dropped them into both their bags and gave a thumbs-up. "And remember! Don't stay out too late unless you want your head to be removed!"

"Serious," Davi began. "What does that mean—" Gray slammed the door shut. "Why is no one answering my question!"

"They're just trying to scare us." Olivia rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about what they're saying. None of them are even that clever. At least come up with a good and threatening one or something." She chuckled.

Davi rubbed his neck with his fish arm. "I don't know, getting decapitated seems kind of scary to me."

"You're a shark; I don't even think they have heads, so you'll be fine!"

"I think sharks have heads…" Davi hummed. He'd need to research this later.

"Next house!" By this point, the moon was starting to get high in the sky, but Olivia ignored it as she dragged Davi to the building next to Gray's. "Trick or treat!" She knocked on the door with the crystal staff she had.

The door opened, and both Davi and Olivia did a double take. Tori Helios, the Lance of Victory, stood on the other side. She wore loose red robes, and one hand held a glass of wine. A rosy tint was already on her cheeks. This city had already defied logic by having both Gray and Pock within it, but somehow seeing Tori, of all people, seemed a little too unbelievable.

The woman's eyes scanned over Olivia before her gaze went to Davi, and he suddenly shuddered when he saw a look in her eyes. "I choose trick," Tori stated.

"What—" Davi felt her fingers dig into his shark suit, and he was dragged into the house, the door slamming shut behind him.

Olivia's eyes were wide, and she remained outside watching as the entire house shook and cartoonish hearts seemed to float out of the top of it. When the door did finally open again, Davi stepped out, his costume slightly torn and his hair messy.

"This is definitely a scary holiday." Davi sighed and tried to adjust his suit to the best of his ability.

"W-What happened?" Olivia asked, feeling only slightly bummed she hadn't been able to join in.

"Horrifying things." Davi wiped the sweat from his face. "Let's go to the next house before her stamina returns."

Olivia stood there processing what had just happened before eventually shaking her head. "Right. Let's move on and pretend this never happened."

"Thank you."

They made their way over to the next house, leaving the nightmare behind. This home was significantly smaller than the others and was painted a completely white color. It had a white fence around it and a large garden that was neatly tended. The windows were completely clean, and the grass was finely cut, and soft jazz music played, coming out from behind the door. Olivia hesitated for a moment, wondering who on earth could live in such a fancy place as this, but eventually she softly knocked.

This time, Ragna opened the door, much to her and Davi's shock. He was dressed like a gym coach, complete with the short-shorts and tight shirt. Shockingly, he had more clothes on than he usually did. He flexed, showing off his large muscles, and let out a loud booming laugh. "Hahaha! Nice costumes!"

"Thanks!" Olivia smiled. "We came for candy!"

"Actually," Davi spoke up. "Ragna, what's with this story people keep saying? About staying out after curfew?"

Ragna let out a hum and folded his arms. "Oh, you mean the pale man?"

"Yeah. The last three houses mentioned him but didn't tell us." Davi nodded.

"Even Tori mentioned it?" Olivia questioned.

"She wouldn't shut up about it." Davi shuddered.

Ragna tilted his head and looked up to the sky. The moon was getting higher. Soon, curfew would arrive. "The pale man is a story as old as the elves. He was a human who lived during the time that humanity was slaves of the elves. They say he sparked a rebellion—a war. One before even Haru herself came to this world. Of course, without the lady of light, he failed, and he died. They say his head was removed the moment the moon reached its highest point. Now every year, on this day, when the moon is at its peak, the pale man is said to arrive for those who bear the blood of non-humans within their veins, and he does to them what was done to him." Ragna ran his finger across his neck. Then he gave a big, beaming smile. "Of course, it's just a story! He likely doesn't even exist!"

Davi frowned. "That story is spooky."

"Don't think about it too hard." Ragna laughed. "Now, how about I give you two your treats?"

"Yes, please!" Olivia beamed and opened her bag.

Ragna reached behind him and pulled out a large bag. He opened it and revealed two apples! Olivia's face instantly twisted with horror. He was one of those people who refused to give candy! "Here you go!" Ragna dropped one into each of their bags before they could close them.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"No candy?" Davi asked.

"Apples are healthier for you." Ragna clicked his tongue and smiled, showing off perfect teeth. "Candy will rot your mouth, but an apple will help you to grow big and strong like me!" He flexed again, and his shirt ripped as his muscles came spilling out. "You want to get powerful like Ragna, right?"

Olivia looked bummed as she stared down at the apple. "Thank you, Ragna." She forced herself to say the words and gave a nod of her head.

"You're welcome!" Ragna gave a thumbs up and then slammed the door.

Olivia let out a sigh and shook her head. "Come on, let's go to the next house."

"Should we?" Davi sounded a little unsure.

"What do you mean?" Olivia gave her friend an odd look, and he pointed up toward the sky.

"The moon is high up. Won't it reach the peak soon?"

"Davi, you don't actually believe in the pale man, do you?" Olivia rolled her eyes.

"We live in a world with magic and otherworldly monsters. Why is believing in a legend like this so weird?" Davi shrugged.

"He isn't real." Olivia snorted and began to walk down the path once more. "Don't be such a baby."

"I think I am behaving like a rational adult."

Olivia shrugged and made her way over to the fourth house. She knocked on the door with her staff and prayed this wouldn't be another apple house. "Trick or treat!"

"Nya!" The door opened to another shocking sight. "Welcome back, Master—" Ken Yuan stopped dead in her tracks in the doorway. "..."

"..."

"..."

Ken Yuan wore a black pair of cat ears, and a cat tail dangled down behind her. She was wearing a slightly skimpy-looking black outfit, which was extremely skin-tight. An awkward silence filled the air as Davi and Olivia tried to make sense of what they were looking at.

"You saw nothing." Ken slammed the door shut on them.

"What just happened?" Davi asked.

"We saw nothing." Olivia shook her head and grabbed Davi, dragging him away from the house. That was super weird, but she wasn't going to question it. "This house had better give something good!" When they reached the fifth house, it was similar to the third. A large brick mansion. "Trick or treat!" Olivia eagerly knocked on the door.

When the door opened, Davi let out a sigh. "Not again."

Evelyn stood in the doorway dressed in loose robes. "Trick." The woman said, and she casually reached out, grabbed the front of Davi's shark outfit, and dragged him into the house, the door slamming shut.

"No!" Olivia banged on the door. "It should have been me, not him!"

The house shook, and various hearts fluttered into the air. When it was finally done, Davi stepped out, his costume even more torn up. "Horrifying."

"Think if we stay, I can have a turn—"

"Let's go." He grabbed her by the back of her dress and dragged her away.

"No!"

"Yes." Davi glanced to the sky, and he frowned. "The moon is all the way at the peak now."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine, since you're so freaked out, let's just do one more house and then call it there."

Davi glanced around, slightly nervous. "Do we have to do one more house?"

"Yes! I am not ending this night after getting an apple! That cannot be the last thing I got!" Olivia marched forward, and he followed after her. "Oh! This house looks good!"

"...You cannot be serious."

The house up ahead was separated from the rest of the city. A long dirt path trailed out, with dead grass on either side. It was a large wooden mansion that awaited them at the end, made with rotting wood that had mold climbing across it. Ravens and crows were at the top of it, and the moon cast it down in a dark silver light that made it look ominous and forbidding. The entire place looked as if it belonged in a horror movie. There was even ominous music that filled the air.

"These houses always give the best stickers." Olivia grinned, and she walked up the hill. The birds screeched at her the closer she got, and Davi sighed and followed. "Trick or treat!" She announced as she reached it and went to knock on the door. As her knuckles tapped against it, the door opened slowly on its own.

"Nope." Davi shook his head. "Let's go. I'm not entering—" A loud scream for help blasted out of the door. Davi felt his urge to help someone rise, and his eye twitched. "Damn it." He stomped his way into the house. "You'd better be dying!"

Olivia's eyes went wide, and she also entered the house feeling a wave of panic. Someone was in trouble.

Of course, the power to the house was out, and everything was left in total darkness. Enclosed hallways awaited them, and the entire place seemed claustrophobic and enclosed. Davi hurried forward, looking around and ignoring the smell of wet and rotting wood. The screaming grew louder, and he turned a corner, arriving in a large dining room. He came to a halt when he saw what awaited him.

Blood soaked the ground, forming a large puddle. In the center of the room was a body, whose head had been cut clean off. A figure stood over them. They were dressed in a long black cloak, and pale white bones were visible through the tears in the cloth. The figure held a long and twisted scythe, which was still stained red, and most shockingly of all was the fact that they lacked a head.

Davi took a step back as the figure began to turn to him, and despite the fact that it lacked a head, Davi could feel a glare on him. "Oh, come on, I just fought Bloom. Why is it headless shit again?!"

A loud and broken voice filled the air. "The blood of mixed races?" The scythe began to scratch against the floor. "You are a traitor to mankind!"

"I take it you're the pale man—" Davi turned just in time as the scythe sliced at him. It cut into his costume but missed his flesh.

"Davi!" Olivia turned the corner, seeing the hooded figure swing its weapon at her friend.

The pale man noticed her and also roared, sensing the blood of another race within her veins. It lunged forward with its scythe and swung down at her, but Davi jumped in the way. "Row Shadow Armor!" The shadows surged up, and suddenly, he was decked out in shadowy shark armor! The scythe bounced off his snout, and he rammed his fin into the skeleton's stomach, hitting it so hard it blasted through the mansion, shattering all the walls. It landed in a heap outside. "Yeah. That's right. I'm a shadow shark."

"Did you seriously modify your spell so that it would go over your shark suit?" Olivia asked flatly.

"Rawr, I'm a shark." The armor was black and looked more like scales, coating his costume up and down. "Alright, this guy doesn't seem like that big of a deal. Let's fuck him up."

The two of them made their way through the wreckage of the destroyed house and stepped outside into a garden that was long dead. The strange skeleton monster was nowhere to be seen. Olivia glanced around, frowning softly.

She wondered what exactly was going on. Was this really a spirit of some guy that died, or was it a monster that thought it was him for some reason? There didn't seem to be any dungeon in the area. Also, now that she thought about it a little more, why was everything kind of weird? Some stuff didn't seem to make sense.

Like Tori was here, and Evelyn also, which didn't make a lot of sense—

Her thoughts came to a sudden stop as a scythe jutted out of the ground. It didn't come out the same way as Davi's weapons would. This one was actually underground, and it stabbed upwards, nearly slicing her foot off, but she managed to jump back just in time.

The ground twitched and lifted up as the monster came tearing his way out of it and roared. Fiery energy gushed out of the spot on his neck where his head should have been, and it seemed to almost twist into a bright ball of light that nearly looked like a head.

"Those with the blood of the other kins shall know the ruin I was dealt!" The voice came out loud and booming, and more ghostly energy swirled around the scythe, which it sliced out toward Davi.

"Row Shadow Vault." A claymore blasted out, but because of his awkward fin hands, she couldn't properly grip it and dropped his sword. "Uh oh—" The scythe rammed past him and his armor, the blade digging into his shark suit as he was impaled. Davi grunted as the blade came out of his back, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. He was lifted off the ground, and the spirit tried to grab at his face, but the shark's mouth clamped shut, keeping him safe. "This is the worst pain—"

The skeleton twisted its body and thrust its weapon forward, sending Davi flying off of the blade. He spun through the air and slammed back-first into a tree, falling to the ground and resting in a pool of his own blood.

"Davi! Row Blood Scythe!" Olivia created her own weapon and swung her scythe out, but the skeleton used his to escape her, jamming it into the ground and vaulting over her. She kept slicing down with her weapon and used it as a claw to hook it beneath the sword Davi had dropped. She twisted her arms and turned her body and flung the sword up at the skeleton as hard as she could.

The blade flew forward, but the skeleton deflected it with his weapon. When he landed, he easily blocked another strike from her and then vanished in a flash using a form of mana step to get behind her. He was the better fighter when it came to a scythe. A fact Olivia was forced to admit when she felt his blade cleave into her back.

She clenched her teeth, refusing to scream. Her healing factor would repair any damage, but it didn't help with her wounded pride.

She felt her hat fall off as the skeleton's fingers dug into her hair and yanked her back. She swung around like a flail, and then he let go, sending her flying just like he had done to Davi. She crashed into the ground, feeling several of her bones snap and break, and she rolled across it, falling into a bloody heap next to Davi.

She gasped, feeling her broken body. It would take her a bit to recover, and even if she did fully heal, she doubted she'd be able to fight this guy. He was tough.

She knew someone tougher, though.

The pale man lifted his scythe up, and his booming voice filled the air. "Sin runs deep into the flesh of you both. You will suffer for your crimes. This world shall not accept your existence." He launched forward, ready to cleave both Davi and Olivia in two, but Olivia managed to reach out and place her hand on Davi's foot.

There was a flash of gold, and right as the scythe came down, it was blocked by a sword. Through the power of Polymorph, Davi was remade. The skeleton froze, and the light that formed the large eye widened when it saw a pair of bright purple eyes looking back at him.

The shark costume was gone. Now Davi wore a pair of long black robes, and his sword had pulled itself back into his hands. He lifted his arms and deflected the scythe of the monster up, then, almost lazily, he stabbed out with his sword. The pale man blocked the attack, but the force of it twisted in the air and launched him back several meters. He landed on the balls of his feet and let out a loud roar of rage.

"What the hell are you!" The pale man screeched. "Those eyes are the same as—"

Davi vanished only to reappear in front of the skeleton faster than it could keep up with. He swung his sword again, hitting it so hard the monster's bones rattled and its arms shook as it barely managed to block the strike again. Once more, it was pushed back, but this time Davi's mana surged. Inky and black, various strings of mana filled the air, all flowing out of his blade, and they wrapped around the weapon that the monster was holding.

"Sorry," Davi said in his usual calm tone. "I lied earlier. I said I was a shark, but that's not true." He pulled back with his sword, and the threading snapped to attention, ripping the scythe in two as it did so. It kept flowing and wrapped around the pale man's arms and legs, binding them in place, and then reeled toward Davi, dragging the monster toward him. "I'm not a fish. I'm something that hunts them."

The pale man grunted as he was dragged across the ground at a high speed. The string that flowed out of Davi's blade grew even thicker, and it began to weave and form into a shape all on its own. Soon enough, the glowing outline of a massive bird appeared in the air, forged out of pure mana lines, and it roared out and fired forward right as the pale man was dragged in front of it.

The bird ripped through the monster, cleaving it in two in a single motion.

The threading finally came undone, and the skeletal body crumbled and turned to dust, shattering. However, the large, ghostly fire that formed the eye lifted into the air, abandoning its body. It began to fly into the sky, getting away from Davi.

"Don't think that this is over!" It declared. "I will return! Mark my words! Next year I'll be—"

Suddenly, something rammed through the back of the eye, shattering it into hundreds of pieces. It rammed into the ground next to Davi, and he glanced at it, finding a spear poking up.

Miles away, a man with blonde hair stood on a building, holding a bow made of lightning. "Where would you be without me, Davi?" Sieg sighed.

"Huh." Davi hummed and watched as a bit of lightning zapped across the metal spear. "When did Sieg get here?" Davi shook his head and suddenly felt a wave of pain hit him as his robes faded and his shark suit reappeared. "Right. Hole in my stomach." He collapsed to the ground and let out a sigh. "Damn, this sucks."

"Y-You okay, Davi?" Olivia asked weakly.

"I'll manage." Davi sighed.

"That's good, because I think it'll take me a bit to heal you."

"Olivia."

"Yeah?"

"Is any of this even real?"

"No." Olivia let out a sigh. "What's going on, Maya?"

Everything seemed to fade away. All the pain she felt, the world she was in, and even Davi. Olivia felt herself floating in an ocean of red, and all that remained was her and a blue box.

':0 La-gasp, we were in the World of Paths the entire time? Maya did not see that coming!'

"That wasn't funny, Maya!" Olivia shook her head and rubbed the center of her forehead. "I didn't even know I entered this place."

'You started dreaming, and Maya simply took those dreams and built upon them!'

Maya had been concerning her more and more lately… "I see. Well, knock it off." Olivia sighed. Suddenly, the world began to fade away for a second time, and she felt herself starting to wake up.

"Olivia?"

Olivia's eyes opened slowly, and she found herself looking up at Davi. He stood over her. "Davi?"

"You okay? You blacked out while training with Ragna." Davi held a hand out and helped her up.

Olivia took it and let out a soft sigh. "Yeah… I'm fine." She blinked away the sleep and looked around. She was back on the beach, back at Phoenix Flight. She glanced at Davi. "Hey?"

"Yeah?" Davi turned to look at her, raising an eyebrow.

"Let's go do something tonight."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Olivia smiled. "But I'd like to get some candy."

***

Yeah, I kind of rushed to make something for Halloween. I was honestly on the fence on if I was going to make anything for a special or not, but I had some fun with it, even if it isn't everything I'd want to do. I think if I ever do these again, I'll make them longer chapters and write them before the holiday and release them on it. Maybe have it be a full-blown story or something? Who knows?

Anyway, this is still non-canon, so when Olivia never comments about Maya doing this to her, that's why. Think of this more as a what-if. Like Maya could have done it.

I might do more of these later, as I did have fun.

Anyway, thanks for reading!