Disclaimer: I do not own Riviera characters or the Yggdra Union characters which most of them are dressed up as.
WARNING: Even though this story does not explicitly say a major spoiler in the game, Yggdra Union, it hints at it and is rather obvious to the reader. Read at your own risk.
Author's Notes: This was the story I submitted for the LCN Holiday Contest. It didn't win, but I had great joy in writing it. Congratulations to Rune Ocarina who did win though.
"Damnit! They're late!"
A dark, shadowy figure was standing in a forest clearing under the night sky, which was partly covered by dark, grey clouds. Out of frustration and anger, the figure kicked a loose rock and it rattled along the stone pavement before coming to a halt; the sound echoing into the trees. A slight breeze whispered through the air and rustled the leaves of the trees as faint footsteps were heard, coming closer and closer. A menacing grin revealed itself on its face as they covered their head with the hood piece, concealing their identity in the darkness. Wielding a large scythe with one hand, it turned around and spotted a small sprite with orange hair was running towards the forest clearing, arms spread wide with a large smile. She wore a a thin black head band with pink fur lining both sides of the band. She was also wearing black shoulders pieces with pink fur poking out from the bottom.
"Hi Serene!" Lina called out to the silhouette that was in her sight, but they didn't respond and just stood there, as if she had not existed. As she got closer Lina tilted her head with a confused expression and stared at the mysterious person in front of her, the tattered ends flowing with the eerie breeze.
Suddenly, the cloaked figure lifted itself off of the ground which took Lina by surprise as she fell backwards, frozen with fear. The mysterious being loomed over Lina and extended out its arm, made entirely of bone. The sounds of old bones cracked as it curled its menacing, long fingers and Lina could only stare in horror.
"Your time has come..." The robed figure said in a cold, low voice, beckoning Lina to come with its bony index finger.
"Waaah! Someone help!" Lina finally managed to cry out.
Three figures appeared from the clearing of the forest. Leading the trio was a male with light blue clothing and also donned a robe in the same colour. The ends of the robe were tattered and mangled and along the edges of the robe it was lined with fur. Around his neck was string attaching to the robe where three bronze wolf teeth were threaded through and dangled just above his chest. His hair was a silver-white and seemed untamed and wild, like a wolf. Three blue streaks lined his face below the eyes; two on the left and one on the right. Finally, grasping in both his hands was a large and strange weapon. The blade was wide and curved, almost in a semi-circle. A wooden handle attached to the blade which followed the same shape allowing him to hold it without harming himself. Large chain links were present at each end of the weapon.
To his right was a woman clad in armour. It was a dark, blood red and beautiful gold patterns decorated the edges of the metal. She was also wearing a helmet which only covered the front half of her head, with the face mask lifted up. The helmet's colour matched the armour and on it, it was decorated with black blotches in the shape of flames. On the helmet where it covered her ears, two white feathers on each side were pointed back behind her head. Her hair however, was long and green and a braid of hair was draped over her left shoulder. In her right hand was a rapier, its blade long and slender as the moonlight reflected off of it.
Next to her was another woman who wore a tall, pointy hat and wore a red dress with matching gloves and boots. In her hand was a large broom with a wooden handle which seemed to be new.
"What the! It's the Accursed!" The male exclaimed.
"Take the front line, Ein! I'll cast a fire spell!" The woman with the pointy hat shouted as she concentrated her magical power to form a fireball.
"Charge!" The green haired warrior cried out, lunging at the cloaked figure with her rapier at her side.
The male dashed at the Accursed and initiated the first attack, brandishing his weapon in a full swinging arc. The robed being quickly ducked and rolled forward, barely escaping the blow. The rapier wielder followed, lunging at the grounded enemy.
"W-Wait! It's me, Serene!" The cloaked figure yelled as it removed its hood, revealing the unforgettable black headpiece sitting on top of short, blue hair. The armour clad woman stopped in her tracks, staring in disbelief. Suddenly, a ball of fire rushed past her and headed straight towards Serene.
The Arc quickly dove toward the left to avoid the oncoming projectile and at the same time, exposing a new target. The fiery sphere speared towards the male who quickly turned around, swinging his large weapon. The impact of the blow nullified the magic attack and the fire spell dissipated.
"What the hell Cierra! Why did you fire that thing off after I said it was me?" Serene yelled as she got to her feet.
"Ah! Sorry. I lost my concentration when you suddenly revealed yourself. It got me off guard it seems." Cierra replied with a foolish grin. "Although, I did expect not expect Ein to counter the spell though."
"Now that you mention it, I expected him to get hit by that as well. What gives, Ein?" Serene asked.
"I don't know...it's like my body subconsciously reacted after being blasted by Cierra so many times..."
"You don't say..." Serene said, looking at Ein in disbelief.
"Hey! We're going to be late for the Halloween party! Let's get moving!" Lina burst out as she finally stood up.
"And who's fault was that?" Serene sneered.
"It was partly my fault." Ein answered. "I was trying to get Ledah to come with us, but as usual, he wants to be left alone."
Above Elendia, the sounds of festivities filled the air as the dark clouds gave way to the crescent moon above. The trees surrounding the area were lush green, even under the night sky as the sprites of the village enjoyed the festivities. Tall wooden posts were erected and beautiful lights were strung between the posts. Several carved pumpkins were placed on a small table which were to be judged for a contest later in the night. In the middle of the area, stood a giant, long table and on it, a great banquet of food was presented. A few minutes passed before everyone was finally seated and quietened down. An old man riding a horse slowly trotted in. The man had a long, white beard and he wore a large red helmet with large bull-like horns protruding from the sides. Everyone stared at the old man in disbelief and amazement.
"Is that the elder?" Serene whispered to Fia
"Yes it is, but he looks more...like a warrior." Fia replied.
"I'll say. Give him a spear and he'd look like a real knight!" Serene said laughing to herself at the image placed in her head.
"My dear friends of Elendia, we are gathered here today for relaxing festivities and entertainment. Let the Elendian Halloween party, begin!" Graham announced.
The Elendians began eating the succulent feast that sat before them. Fresh salads, meat cooked so tender that it was literally falling off of the bone, and even exotic fruit which caught Lina's eyes. Seated around the table were familiar faces; Gill was dressed up as Ein, complete with a cardboard model of his diviner, Einherjar. Next to him was Molan, who was dressed as an undine. She had large orange gills on each side of her head and under the chair she was sitting on was a model of a trident, also made out of cardboard. On the far side of the table, Claude had combed his hair down and was wearing a beret and robe coloured a jet black. On his chest was a picture of a blood red rose and a leather purse was placed next to him, containing his books. Soala was sitting next to Claude and she had a white broad hat instead of her usual pointy black hat. The hat was decorated with pink frilly laces and wore an elegant looking white dress. A pink material was draped around her shoulders and on the front, a symbol of a white rose was displayed on it. As Serene was biting into a sirloin, she couldn't help but notice Cierra sitting next to her.
"Cierra, why are you dressed as a witch?" She asked.
"Hmm? Oh, because I like dressing up as a witch." Cierra replied.
"But aren't you a witch to begin with?"
"Of course I am."
Serene paused for a moment, glaring at Cierra. "...You don't get where I'm going with this, do you?"
"Nope, not at all." Cierra replied. Serene sighed to herself as she continued eating.
Suddenly the clouds in the sky turned black and a roar erupted. Bolts of thunder struck the ground around the Elendians. Fear and confusion struck as they took cover under the table, waiting out the storm, except for Graham. He was still on his horse, bravely standing his ground. A woman with long flowing blond hair appeared, wielding a rapier. She was wearing armour identical to Fia's except that the colours were inverted and a braid of hair was draped over each shoulder.
"Hmph! You're having a party without me? How rude." The woman spoke.
"Malice? What the hell is your problem!?" The Arc yelled out. "You just waltz in here causing a thunderstorm like you own the place!"
"Someone as great as I am needs to have a dramatic entrance." Malice said. "It's electric, wouldn't you say?"
"That is definitely the worst pun I've heard." Cierra said.
Ignoring the comment from the witch, the Grim Angel and the Arc stared each other down before everyone else started to move out from under the table. This immediately caught Malice's attention.
"You over there!" Malice exclaimed, pointing at Fia. "What do you think you're doing dressing up to look like me?"
"What are you talking about? We're totally different." Fia replied.
"I guess that's true considering you have green hair." Malice pointed out.
"...Draw your sword." Fia said seemingly calm.
"Whoa! Hold on Fia, you don't need to do this!" Ein said as he approached her.
"No, she has ruined the evening and insulted my green hair. She must pay!" Fia said angrily.
"So be it, you shall be defeated in front of all your friends." Malice said, drawing her rapier.
"I shall end this with one blow." Fia thought as she raised her weapon.
"I won't underestimate her this time, I'll use my strongest attack." Malice thought as she also raised her weapon.
"O valkyrie of the doomed rebellion...In the depths of despair, sing us to victory." Fia and Malice both chanted. "Revolution!"
Their rapiers glowed a deep red as they leaped into the air at each other. Everyone awaited the blow that would end the battle. Who would prevail? The suspense suddenly killed when both Fia and Malice collided head on, knocking each other out.
"That's what happens when you try to solve problems with symmetrical violence." Cierra as she procured an elixir. She passed a bottle to Ein, "Give that one to Malice, would you?"
"Uh...sure." Ein said as he went over to Malice.
Cierra poured the concoction down Fia's throat and Ein followed suit shoving the contents down Malice's throat. Fia suddenly sprung up, coughing.
"Ack! The t-taste, i-it's horrible!" Fia barely managed to get out before coughing again.
"Aah! What in God's name is this?! This is something a woman of my caliber should not be drinking!" Malice shouted in pain. "How dare you put this filthy junk into my system!"
Malice suddenly sprung up and snatched a bottle from Cierra. "Let's see how you like it!" She forced Ein's mouth open and the oozing liquid entered his system.
"Mmm...this tastes pretty good." Ein replied. "Hey Cierra, what's in this?"
"Oh, lots of things. It includes a mixture of herbs and beetles."
"...Beetles?! BLAAH!" Malice exclaimed as she vomited onto the ground.
"Your body subconsciously reacting to counteract Cierra again?" Serene asked.
"Probably." Ein replied.
"So, shall we get started with some activities?" Graham asked everyone.
"Not without me."
Everyone turned around to see a beautiful woman with long blond hair. She was wearing an elegant one-piece gown with broad shoulder pads. The decorations on the dress were exquisite and wore a beautiful tiara. In her hands she wielded a gigantic sword, just as large as herself. Everyone stared in amazement at how easily she carried such a weapon.
"No. Way." Ein spoke up in disbelief. "Ledah?"
"What?!" Everyone exclaimed, except for Malice, who was laughing at him.
"I thought you said you weren't coming." Ein said.
"I said that so I wouldn't be disturbed. It takes a very long time to get my hair to look like this." Ledah replied.
"...Are those...real?" Serene stared at Ledah's chest.
"Serene! That's not exactly a question I would ask!" Fia exclaimed.
"I dunno, I'm sure everyone is thinking the same thing." Cierra said.
"Yeah! Lina wants to know to!" Lina jumped towards Ledah and grabbed his breast with her hand. "Oh wow! These are real!"
"Lina!" Fia shouted, and paused for a brief moment. "...Stop hogging, let everyone else touch."
Everyone crowded around Ledah to touch his breast, except for Molan and Gill. Graham made sure they didn't whilst everyone fondled Ledah. Malice couldn't help but roll on the floor with laughter.
"These aren't actually real..." Ledah said as he reached into his dress and pulled out a silicon breast. "Chappi specially made this for me."
"How'd he make it feel so...life like?" Serene asked.
"Oh, I got Ein to help on that." Ledah replied.
Everyone turned their head around in unison and glared at Ein. Their cold stares pierced him like a shower of arrows. The wingless angel knew what was coming next and immediately ran for his life.
"You pervert! I knew it!" Serene exclaimed.
"You've crossed the last line, Ein. Now you must pay for your sins!" Fia shouted.
"Ein's a pervert! Ein's a pervert!" Lina chimed in.
"And to think I let you feel mine when you said it was an experiment!" Cierra yelled.
"Wait, what?!" Everyone else stammered.
"Oops, uh...Let's get him!" Cierra quickly corrected herself. "Charge!"
And so, Ein was chased across the village by an angry mob of Elendians. As he ran past the Crystal Caverns, he spotted his familiar sleeping on a large smooth rock.
"Rose! Help me out here!" Ein yelled as he ran past, quickly followed by the mob. The cat-like creature yawned as opened her eyes. She glimpsed at the scene and blinked once.
"I told him this would happen, but would he listen? Obviously not." Rose thought to herself as she went back to sleep.
End Notes: Now that I look at it, I suspect that maybe I went too far with Ledah dressing up as Yggdra.