CHAPTER FOURTEEN: Krampus

  ⋆⁺₊❅. ͓̽M͓͓̽̽i͓͓̽̽s͓͓̽̽t͓͓̽̽l͓͓̽̽e͓͓̽̽t͓͓̽̽o͓͓̽̽e͓̽ ⋆⁺₊❅.

THEY WALKED DOWN THE DARK HALL, THE walls were stone. Along it, were torched to light the path. Max moved closer to Jack, ready to pull him away an any given moment. Not, that he would be able to do so here, but, he had bene so used to that.  There was a bell ringing.

"The third touch!" A voice announced.

The cyclops had lead them to where they heard the yelling. A room, filled with multiple creatures. There we barely any room left to fit anyone else from the amount of creatures inside the room. In the middle, was a tall creature, horns on his head.

"Is that him?" Jack asked Callum.

Callum nods in confirmation.  When a creature walks up to Krampus, bowing momentarily. The cheering pauses.  As the creature reached a hand up, placing his hand onto Krampus's cheek. Then pulled it back, lining it up again, but not touching his cheek.

"What are they doing?" Jack asked.

The creature grunted and it pulled its hand back and came back down to Krampus's face, slapping him. But the taller one didn't even flinch.  Everyone else laughed.

"They're playing Krampusslap," Callum answered.

"Krampusslap?" Jack asked.

"It's the offensive game of Krampusnacht."

"Why does it feel like he's just adding his name in front of anything he can?" Max lowly questioned.

Callum elbowed him. "Don't mock him. Everyone here is-"

"His followers?"

Krampus has lifted up his hand, brining it over the the creature, and practically engulfing the entirety of his face, making the opponent whimper. Then, Krampus pulled his hand back, slapping the farther and making it fly across the room, and hit the opposing wall.

Max pulled Jack towards himself,  who intertwined his fingers into Max's.

Once again, the creatures laughed. "Ever undefeated, Dread Lord Krampus!"

The cheering sounds agin, when they all stop as following their Lord's gaze.  "Callum Drift."

"Lord Krampus," Callum says.

"The festivities are just beginning, but I don't remember inviting you." He curled his fingertips, gesturing for him to come closer.

The cyclops pulled Callum by his arm, leading him down the steps. Jack and Max followed in suit.

"You shouldn't be here," Krampus says. "You know you should've be here, and yet here you are.  And with mortals."

"Uh, I'm Jack O'Malley," Jack speaks up, hesitate. "I didn't...I'm not. We didn't even... I mean obviously we.."

"I'm Max Kenner,"  Max says next cutting off Jack from admitting anything.

"We just met him today," Jack says.

"The big one was harmed with this," the cyclops held out Callum's weapon that typically was on his wrist.

"A Northern Vambrace," Krampus holds the, now tiny looking weapon. "Thank you. Just what I wished for Christmas." He tossed it back to a creature who had horns in the side of his cheeks.

"Krampus, I can explain-" Callum begins, but was cut off by a shove.

"You're trying to find him, and you thought he would be here." The tall beast walks closed to Callum.  "Well, guess what, Northerner. He's not here." Krampus laughs, causing others to laugh.

"Last night, he was taken from the compound by the Witch. And I know that she was here not long ago."

"Are you accusing me of something, Drift?"

Jack and Max looked around, trying to think of a plan.

"You and she were partners once," Callum speaks again. "Roaming the countryside, the villages. Punishing people."

"Yes. But, back then she was glorious. An ogre eighteen feet high. The skin of an elephant. Giant pair of tails. And yes, punishing as the cruelest winter.  We had some wonderful times together." He wrapped an arm around the hearted creature, who only came up to his rib cage.  "But, I gave up that work, remember? I spent seven hundred yeahs menacing the naughty, trying to scare them into decency. I did my part!"

And as he got closer, Max pulled Jack behind him. Not that he would be able to fight off the creature.

"The only punishing I do now...is for fun," he laughed as did his followers. "Like my good friend over here," he gestured to the one he had slapped across the room. Who groaned as he straightened up. "enjoying his headache on Krampusnacht."

"But, today is it Krampusnacht," Callum tells him.

"In this house, Northerner, it is always Krampusnacht!"

The crater began to chant, hitting their staffs on the ground.  As they cheered, and Krampus danced.

"Krampus!" Callum called out. And the changing stopped. "Why was she here?"

Krampus threw the bottle onto the fire, it momentarily igniting brighter. "Many years ago, she gave me a gift. She came because she wanted it back."

"A gift? What gift?"

"The Glaskafig. On its face, a simple glass snow globe,  but its true purpose is nefarious. Tremendously punishing."

"She wants to punish them all."

"The Glaskafig is solitude. A prison for but one."

"Krampus, I need to find him."

Krampus walked closer to Callum, now standing directly in front of him.

"Let me go."

"And why would I do that?"

Callum glanced at the room. "Because we need him. Now more than ever, we need him. And you know that. Let me go."

Krampus was silent, then walking around as if in thought.  Then he turned back. "Northerner. You are not going anywhere." Then he turned to Jack and Max. "You, get out. And deprive this message to that MORA scum. There is a price for this intrusion. Now and forever. Drift belongs to me."

The others in the room laughed, Max and Jack didn't.

"So, we can-" Jack made a gesture to the stairs. "Just walk out of here?"

Callum looked to Jack and Max, looking betrayed.

"I suggest you run."  He turned to Callum. "You'll learn to love it here." The walked away. "Take him away.

"I mean, yeah, it makes sense why you want to keep Drift," Max says before he can think better, as two creatures grabbed Callum, and one grabbed him, and one took Jack.

"Yeah! Uh, Mr. Lord Krampus," Jack says. "You and I aren't so different."

The other wiped his mouth with his tail.

"We're pretty different, but I think we have some things on common." Jack continued.

"Do you, now?"

"Yeah, like, hating him," Max gestured to Callum.

"And you strike me as a guy who likes to have a good time," Jack gave a pointed look around. "Bit of a gambler? Well, so am I. Now, when we came in here, my man told me that he thought he could beat you at your game, uh-"

"Krampusslap," Max supplied. "To which, we thought he was insane."

"What?" Callum asked.

And the other creatures laughed.

"Yes! Exactly, we said 'no way'. But, the more I see him getting riled up, I'm starting to like my odds," Jack says. "so, just hear me out. If you win, Cal and I, go to your dungeon forever. Max, he Shane even wanted to come here, I dragged him here's so-"

"What the hell? I'm not leaving you here, Jack."

"And if he wins, we walk," Jack continues. "Unless you don't want to for some reason. I mean, I get that. He's a big guy.  No shame. Lot of people watching."

It was silent.

"Imbeciles. I love it!"
  ⋆⁺₊❅. ͓̽M͓͓̽̽i͓͓̽̽s͓͓̽̽t͓͓̽̽l͓͓̽̽e͓͓̽̽t͓͓̽̽o͓͓̽̽e͓̽ ⋆⁺₊❅.

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