Writing Challenge: Saving Christmas

quote Versen

A Very Blitzy Christmas

The holidays were here again,
Santa was coming from around the bend.
Until a portal consumed the saint,
And evil magic caused the hero to faint.

***

Aphosis stood triumphantly over the father of Christmas. A small imp soon hobbled to his dark master’s side with a large bucket in hand. The large demon began to giggle as he drenched the shackled toy maker with cold milk. No sooner had the elf awakened; Aphosis began shoving his merry old throat with cookies.

“Who’s on the naughty list now, Santa Fraud? Have another cookie why don’t you? You overly anticipated, Jelly-bellied bastard!” The dark lord was soon out of cookies and began pacing in front of his hostage. After completing a total of three rotations for dramatic effect, he stopped.

“Three thousand years ago, I predicted the creation of a truly marvelous and powerful children’s toy. A toy that could conquer the masses with its strange powers over the hearts of men. It’s the only thing I have ever wished for and yet you still deny me!” With this declaration, the psycho Santa stalker went into a kicking frenzy, right into the older gentleman’s chestnuts.

The beating continued until Aphosis took a moment to rest his hands and feet. The wise man in the red suit took this time to yell for help. He was met only with the echoes of his own cries.

Aphosis soon became serious. He produced one of his scythes from a dark portal and held the cold metal to the old man’s face. It did not cut him, but the contact slowly drained the toy maker’s life. “I have only one last thing to ask you, Nicholas. Where. Is. My. Fluttershy doll!?” Each word was met with a horrible slice into the old man’s neck.

***

That incident occurred one year ago. That was the year when Christmas died. The Gate Keepers were determined not to let that happen ever again.

“I know the kids love Santa but do I really have to dress like him? We don’t even have reindeer for Kris Kringle’s sake!” muttered the immortal.

The small amount of Gate Keepers who they had collected since that time were off celebrating with their friends and families. Even one certain fire wielder managed to find an excuse to play hooky. But of course, as leader of the ancient order, Blitzkrieg was forced to pick up the slack. And it wasn’t just the other ‘Keeper’s slack either.

Santa Claus lacked the portal technology to travel to all of the Dimensions. Since the reinstitution of the Gate Keeper’s, Earth’s legends had been passed around. None seemed more popular than Santa Claus’. Tonight would be the first multi-universal Christmas run.

However, they had to take steps to ensure their cargo’s safety. Instead of a sleigh and reindeer, they had an aircraft resembling a World War II bomber and an escort of several dragon scouts, none of which carried a heartfelt back story on what it was like to be born different.

Blitzkrieg managed to get a costume made by the previously mentioned fire-user, and he had been complaining ever since. However, Symphony had a certain quality to her that made it impossible to bear her crying. Even when you knew it was just an act. Still, where the toys came from was a mystery that she refused to answer.

After buckling in to the cockpit and checking that the toys were loaded, Blitzklaus fired her up. The plane went soaring down the hall and into the dark vacuum. Corny Christmas began to play against his will soon after.

***

Christmas was in danger,
Santa got messed up.
So Blitzklaus is, coming out,
And he doesn’t give a ….shoe…

A roll of ‘wrap for Basis,
A brand new sword for Clief.
Amadeth get’s nothing,
Because she voids the world of life!

Silence gets a new book,
Audio gets a sax,
Ezra wins a mecha,
Whose power is at max!

Johno gets a mistletoe
To share with one fine lady.
Selig gets, a bottle of scotch,
And an express trip to Haiti!

Crysis gets a jetpack,
Zone gets a neat gun.
Watch out boys, Kaufman’s around,
Now go out and have some fun!

So many gifts were given,
I hope joy comes to you.
It probably won’t happen next year,
Or the one after too.

***

And so Blitzklaus finished his rounds, barley managing to avoid the wrath of those on his naughty list. Or rather, his hit list. Blitz had taken the time to deliver a very special present to all the devilish little villains this year. A present in the form of classic powder bombs, lit of course. Except for Amadeth, that thing’s too crazy to mess with.

And so the hero of holidays parked the bomber and sent it into the pocket dimension they used for storage. Stripping of the sweaty red jumper, he made his way towards the banquet hall in his light leather armor.

Normally in the story, the hero finds a party awaiting him. This isn’t one of those stories. Into the banquet hall, and down into the cellar, Blitzkrieg found his stash.

Secretly, he had gathered toys and goodies for the other keepers. But after this night's work, he changed the plan. He took four presents, one being a large RC Car, and crept back up to the Dimension of Doorways.

Signing his card and super charging the car, he sent it down the hall with a salute. He took a moment to watch the car zoom down the open space with its cargo in tow. The old man reported to his bed soon after.

***

Later that evening, while patrolling the grounds, a hobgoblin discovered a strange artifact. He reported to the Triumvirate immediately.

“Dark Lord, I swear I don’t know how such a thin got this close to our perimeter without being discovered.” said the hobgoblin nervously. With hope in his eyes, he declared, “Look, there is a note on the vehicle.

Grimacing at the picture of a baby polar bear crushing a penguin with its hug, the demon lord tossed it aside to access the other three packages.

Marked: "For A.D.A.M.", was a box containing a mammoth bone and three pieces of chocolate. Needless to say, the abomination took to these gifts with gluttonous delight. He then retreated to the dimension of diamond, where he would bury his precious treasure.

Marked: "For Holias" was a box containing scarlet silk dresses, matching undergarments; two fur coats, a rose, and a spring of mistletoe. In reply to these lavished gifts, the siren merely winked and explained, “The quickest way to a woman’s heart is through a man’s bank account.” She then sauntered off to her quarters.

Aphosis gazed at his present with excitement, but also apprehension. Before he opened the large package, the dark lord inspected the card.

It simply said, “Merry Christmas, to those who I can bearly stand.” Looking at the front again, the ancient evil felt annoyed by the visual pun.

He tore open his present to find...exactly what he wanted. “Now to burn it.”, sighed the demon.

***

That is the tale of the first dimensional Christmas. Good night.

quote Tiger of Wu

Santa's Little Nightelf




'twas the night before the night before Christmas, and all through Duelist-land,
Not a creature was stirring, not even Camo-Man,
The fighting had stopped, the swords had been sheathed,
And we begin on the morning, of Christmas' eve,

It began with a question born of wonder and surprise,
That even Malali's sharp mind couldn't surmise,
As she walked out of Emote's bedroom to see,
Maitrey and Danog decorating with glee,
"What's going on?" she asked with a frown,
Whilst looking from the palace and seeing the town,
"Has Joy decorated?" she asked as she saw,
Smiling fat men and animals and bright lights and more,
"What is it you mean?" she asked the young couple,
As they explained what they were doing with some minor trouble,
"And what is this Christmas?" she asked yet again,
And from their bedroom came Emote, happy to explain.

"Christmas is a time of loathing and fake-ness.",
Said with a sigh came the words from Hatred,
"It's a time to gather and argue and fight.",
Shouted Anger so loud that she gave others a fright,
"Love always said it was presents and toys.",
Expectedly chimed the merry voice of Joy,
"Some call it religious, some say it's for vacation,
"Some call it commercial and for others it depends,
"Some say it's about hope and TV shows in clay-mation,
"But most agree it's for time with family and friends."
Stated Love, then Emote gave only silence and a tear,
Before walking away via Sorrow and Fear.

"This still make no sense," Malali whispered to herself,
Looking at a statue of deformed dwarf-elf,
"I'll have to go deeper." And thus she began,
Another journey through the deep Duelist-land,
She started through the closet to try to find traces,
Of clues for her search when she bumped into Basis,
"Challenge is back?" he screamed with a grin,
"Bad idea," Mal' said, "He's still a bit dim.",
"What did you say?" Basis shouted in song,
But there was no reply as Malali was gone,
And no matter whom was asked she still had no clue,
From Crysis and Zone, Ion, Leo, Kovu,
To The Writer and Ged and even Blitzkrieg,
And from Mortis she still gained no solid lead,
So she moved through the lands of Benny and Steven,
Though still she found nothing amongst the believing,
To Alexis and Clief and Lia and Johno,
And Zerith and Koil, and she still did not know.

"So what was the point? I've busted my (metaphoric) balls,
"Yet I'm still in the dark as I was before."
And then with a start she noticed on the floor,
A DVD on which were the words The Santa Claus,
"What's this? What's this?" she asked with a start,
Before realizing, here, it was what passed for art,
Emote had showed her how the small discs were watched,
And since Malali's self-set task had been botched,
She snapped "To hell with this perplexing day."
So she went to her hideout and, expectedly, hid away,
And from the side watched Credence and Tetrath who,
Had enabled the warrior to travel the 'verse,
The former smiled as he had tricked his brother to,
Do a good deed, whilst the latter just cursed.

The computer set up by Arimus played,
The DVD which Mal had planned to watch all day,
It was considerably shorter than what she was used to from Lar,
But even still it left something in her heart,
The metaphors weren't subtle but had their affect,
And Malali emerged as one would expect,
And despite their location she walked through the night snow,
Through the city gates and towards Emote.

And now it was the following night and the day had been good,
And they laughed and they cried and Malali understood,
And atop her pet Rukh the Nightelf took flight,
"Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good fight!"

quote Fire_Phoenix

How The Krugg Stole Christmas


All the duelists in town,
They loved Christmas a lot.
But the Krugg down in his cave,
Most certainly did not.

He didn't like giving,
Trees, or fruity mince pies.
He didn't like sharing,
Nobody knew why.

Was it the duelists?
Had they treated him wrong?
Were his parents too violent?
Was he alone for too long?

In any case,
As he watched them all sing,
And dance and give gifts,
Such ridiculous things.

Whatever small conscience he had,
It was rotting.
So he dragged up his chair,
And then started plotting.

He'd put on his clothes,
And a huge hessian sack,
And he'd steal all the presents,
And not give them back.

He'd turn off the music,
And he'd tear down the lights.
He'd burn down their trees,
With a wicked delight.

So he set himself out,
And emerged from his dwelling,
And set off for his plan,
That he found so compelling.

But one little thought,
Had not occurred in his head:
Some people were restless,
and weren't in their bed.

He was bent under tree,
Working fast as he could,
When a long metal pole,
Smacked on the hardwood.

He snapped suddenly back,
His first thought: "escape!"
As Lia bore down upon him,
And he stared back agape.

"I have no wish to harm you,
But I question you here:
Why would you try make
Christmas disappear?"

"It's the joy! It's the music!
It's the laughs! It's the cheer!
I'm sick of it all!"
He said with a sneer.

Her face took a turn,
To a solemn degree.
"Then you can't keep this up.
You're going through me."

He rose to his feet,
And stood seven foot tall.
If she seeked a conflict
He'd give her his all.

All out of nowhere
He drew a blade, inches plenty
It looked about nineteen
Although may have been twenty.

They rushed into battle,
With a calamitous crash.
They clashed and took blows,
They thundered, they smashed.

Lia rushed for the door,
As they harshly conflicted.
The house was painfully small,
She felt really restricted.

She stepped 'round a corner,
She ducked, and then hid
Around an elevated platform
And slowly, she slid

Up the platform. She went,
and perched 'pon the eaves,
And watched as the old Trugg
Searched through some leaves.

She couldn't be seen,
Her movements were careful.
She had a plan,
Quite cleverly dareful.

She drew from a chimney
The heat from a fire
Reluctant she was,
But the circumstance dire

She thought of the cold.
The owners would chill.
But she had to do something,
The old Trugg was ill.

As it's not normal to hate,
The small pleasures we share.
She wanted to show him,
Why it's important to care.

She pulled the warmth through her,
And stashed her staff quick.
Then slid down the chimney,
Just like St Nick!

She hit the ground with a thud,
And woke a little girl, Sadie.
"Is that you Santa?
But wait, you're a... lady?"

She chuckled a little,
And flashed a sugary smile,
"Go back to sleep sweetie,
it's not day for a while."

She creaked through the building
(The floor noisily flexed),
And back to the Trugg,
Who was still quite perplexed.

"Now where did she go?
This is ever so queer."
She whistled behind him,
"Hey! I'm over here!"

She shot out the fire,
With an explosion so loud,
It woke most the neighbours
And drew quite a crowd.

It left a small crater,
The Krugg tumbling down after.
But no, he was fine,
In fact, there was... laughter?

The whole town as his witness,
He had a peculiar change.
That he wasn't so grumpy,
The townsfolk found strange.

The reason for why
he laughed so hard he cried,
Is that the honest truth was,
He had never tried.

He stood up in pain,
Yet satisfied at the run.
"Well, gee that was different.
Never had so much fun."

He had never chortled, and
He never had friends.
He wanted to make them
accept his amends.

He replaced all the decor,
He brought them back food,
And they all shared a feast,
And his life was now good.

quote Hmszelda

Kat the hypno-eyed Neko
Had very bright eyes
And if you ever saw them
You would even say they glow

All of the other Dualist
Used to "lol" and call her names
They never let poor Kat
Play in any NDL games

Then one cold Christmas Eve
Santa came a sneezing'
"ahhh... Kat with... ahhh... your eyes so bright... ahhhhh...
won't you guide.... ahhhCHU! my sleigh tonight?"

Then all of the Dualist loved her
As they shouted out with glee
"Kat the hypno-eyed Neko,
You'll go down in the GD!"

quote Fyrestorm

Raphius

By Any Other Name

Snow trimmed the edges of the world like the foamy crest of a wave, highlighting branches and rocks and the contours of grass with thin, feathery strokes. It was cold, but not wickedly so, only chill enough that each breath was crisp and exposed skin tingled faintly. Raphius could not find any alternatives to the conclusion that he liked it.

The swordsman was also enjoying the privilege of not journeying by his own strides. His wanderings were a personal aimlessness, and he rarely shared company in his travels. He turned to the man who had not only offered him companionship, but passage on the horse-pulled train of wagons he marshalled through these foothills. Raphius had not wanted to intrude, but the driver seemed as amiable to the idea of company as he, and welcomed him aboard without levy. "The world seems burdenless, like this, doesn't it?" Raphius wondered in quiet stillness, watching the white-dusted universe passing sedately by.

The driver grinned, raising one hand from the thick reins he grasped to adjust the squat cap warming his head. "That it does, right now" his voice was gruff, but friendly. "O' course, the beasts be getting a day's hard work, and I doubt we would look 'pon the scenery quite so fondly if we 'ad to forge it by our own strength, and the weather is being merciful and she may change with scarce warning. But for a precious short time, aye... Life can be fair and well" he concurred.

Raphius agreed, only finding his gratitude reinforced. "You have much of my thanks for sharing your horses' bearing" he said appreciatively.

"Tis no concern. Your burden is unfelt on top o' the wagons and their load" the man assured, guiding the animals past a jutting fallen tree with practiced ease. Raphius looked back along the train, each of the squat carts' cavities bulging with cargo secured under thick blankets.

"Yet all of this is for others, as well, as you tell me" he commented.

The driver nodded. "A village lost some o' their winter stores in an accident. Not a lot, but t'ain't the time ah year to be getting by on half-meals, so we need to hurry to 'em soon as possible" he responded.

True to those words, the carts proceeded stoically along the sloping road as it skirted a hill and delved into the woods draped across one face of it. Their calm progress was stalled abruptly by the presence of not one, but two fallen trees, neatly bisecting the road. That was suspicious itself, and the swordsman further noticed barely any snow adorned the logs. Indeed, as the driver reined them in, Raphius spied movement among the trees. "Do bandits roam this wood?" he whispered.

The driver worked his jaw, looking around. "Rarely, and not at this time o' year" he said. In defiance of this, figures were starting to separate from the forestry and make their presence and numbers known.

Raphius slipped slowly down from his seat, and walked calmly past the line of horses as their ambushers condensed. He felt eyes on him, but no blade or arrow sprung across his path as he moved. An assembly was waiting for him before their barricade. "Afternoon" he hailed simply, stopping a dozen paces from them, hands tucked into opposing sleeves.

"We knows what bloody time it is. What do you want?" one at the front of the gaggle spat back sourly, fidgeting with a nicked sword he held.

"We wish to pass, to bring food to a struggling village" Raphius said plainly. The driver had remained, making no move provocative or other.

"Yeah, well wish upon a star pal" the same one responded, clinging to a position of leadership with visible ferocity as he hefted his blade.

Raphius dropped his arms to his sides. Maybe it was the rare hours of serene rumination that preceded this moment, but all seemed so lucid and clear to him. The swordsman looked past the intimidating numbers, and saw the lank outline of poorly-fed bodies, the tattered state of thin frayed clothes, the kinked posture of limbs sore from shivering.

"I would rather propose a simple deal. We fight, you and I, the prize being these horses, carts and goods" Raphius offered. It felt unreal, how visibly he was able to see the cogs turn inside the lead bandit's head. What scarce luxury there was in the group he claimed the lion's share of, a position both jealously sought and guarded. Refusing this would upset him from their pecking order, a decline enforced by every man around him. If he accepted, he only had the one man to deal with.

"Sounds bloody fine!" the thief snarled, and charged forward swinging.

No sword fight was ever a peaceful matter. Yet Raphius felt strangely composed as they traded blows. Against them all he would have fallen, but man-to-man he was more rested, warmer, better-fed, better-trained and more experienced. It was a matter of mere minutes before he dealt a neat, yet disabling cut across the shoulder of his foe's sword-arm.

"Bastard!" the bandit cursed and dropped his weapon, clutching at the bleeding slash as he fell to his knees. The watchers shifted uneasily.

"What are ya gonna do now?" Raphius turned to see the driver had come forwards to stand beside his steeds, watching the altercation unfold.

The swordsman paused. "Leave half the carts here, move the trees and carry on" he replied after a while. He saw the driver's questioning look, and gave a shrug. "This food is meant for hungry people. These people look hungry to me" he offered, gesturing to their ambushers.

There was a stifled curse from behind him. "Are you seriously going to do that? Why would you?" the defeated bandit asked in disbelief.

Raphius sheathed his sword, and then spread his hands. "I think it will help" he replied simply. He looked at the trees blocking their path. "I do not know how I might move these aside, though" he added.

The wounded leader got to his feet. He picked up his sword with his good arm and eyed Raphius. A long silence followed. "Maybe... We can help" the thief eventually said, holstering the weapon on his belt...

As sunset neared, the convoy of needed foodstuff reached the village, accompanied by an unexpected armed escort of passengers. The horde of once-bandits helped unload the provisions, and buoyed upon the spirit of relief on all fronts, it turned out there were enough duties to do around the village for a bunch of hands-on men and women to integrate and contribute while earning their own keep. Arrangements were set in motion, and a feast was declared in dual celebration. Raphius, to his faint embarrassment, found himself being somewhat eulogised among all this, thanked by men women and children repeatedly while he sat in at the meal. The snow closed in for a couple of days, leaving him unable to depart, but he found he didn't mind, and none went hungry with the replenished stocks. For a precious short time, life was fair and well.

Edit: Jun 06, 12 12:05pm