Hi everyone, thanks again for waiting. As I said in a previous chapter, we've got a Christmas-themed chapter here, despite the fact that it's currently September (LOL). But this chapter is something I've been wanting to write for a while. It is loosely based off the canon JCA episode, but with some major differences to make it stand out. I think you'll all be pleasantly surprised by what I have in store. With all that being said, let's get started.
A Jolly J-WITCH Xmas
It was Christmas Eve in the North Pole, a place of magic and wonder where little elves would make all the presents for all the little boys and girls of the holidays, for the big and jolly Santa Clause to magically deliver in one night. At least that's what commercialism has been selling for a long time.
In actuality, the only building that appeared to be visible in the icy tundra of the Arctic was a large temple that seemed to resemble something of a church that mixed Greek, Russian, and even German architecture. Within the confines of the church were many green robed individuals, their faces covered by their hoods as they went about their normal business like any other day, holiday or not.
However, the peaceful tranquility was interrupted by a sudden column of dark blue smoke that emerged from outside the temple, which cleared to reveal the appearance of Daolon Wong and Cedric in his massive serpent-like form.
"This had better be worth it, wizard!" Cedric hissed.
"Saint Nicholas' power is unlike any other wizard in this world. How do you think he's managed to survive so long?" Wong told him. "But even his power is trivial, to our true objective."
Before they could proceed however, their way was blocked by a bright flash of light and all the green robed individuals from inside had stood in front of them.
"You are trespassing." The leader of the group spoke. "Leave now."
Cedric grinned as he moved closer toward the leader. "Oh, I don't believe you know to whom you are speaking, do you? Allow me to show you!" He raised one fist, only for the hooded figure to wave his hand and erect a white-energy barrier and block Cedric's attack before flashing his other hand to blast Cedric back with a blast of similar energy.
"Elf magic." Wong's eyes narrowed at the enemy, who removed their hoods to reveal their pointy-ears and the fact they were indeed elves. The leader, was also an elf, had long auburn hair and sideburns with blue eyes. The elves proceed to blast beams of their magic toward Wong and Cedric; the later braced himself with his arms and tanked the blasts, though he was knocked back by the force while Wong shieled himself with his dark magic before returning fire with blasts of his own power.
The elves scattered around the area as they tried to circle the evil duo and fired several blasts of their magic at once; but Wong casted an even larger barrier around himself and Cedric before beams of dark magic shot up from the top of his barrier and showered around the elves. Several were knocked down, but the leader was able to dodge most of it with graceful agility. Suddenly, the snowy ground exploded from under him as Cedric, who had used Wong's cover to tunnel underneath the snow, shot up from the snow with a punch to knock the leader into the air and send him crashing to the ground.
"What is going on out here?!"
A booming voice cut through the battle as all eyes set upon the entrance of the temple as someone else stepped outside. He was a large man, wearing a long thick red coat over his body with white fur trim. He had long white hair and a beard with blue eyes as he shot a glare toward the two intruders.
"You two. I recognize the evil intent in your eyes." The man said in a Russian accent. "You have harmed my friends, invaded my home, I suggest you leave before I teach you some discipline."
"Ah, Saint Nicholas." Wong said with a sneer. "I'm afraid that we must decline your offer. You have something my friend and I need, and we will not be leaving till we have it."
"Discipline it is, then." Saint Nicholas' fists began to glow with the same white energy as his elf companions before bringing them together to blast at Wong, who attempted to shield himself yet again, but Nicholas' magic proved too much as his shield was shattered and it sent Wong skidding across the snowy ground.
Cedric was next as he roared while charging at Nicholas to deliver a punch, but Nicholas backflipped to avoid the fist before ducking under Cedric's tail-swipe, he then quickly closed the distance and delivered a brutal hook to Cedric's face, his fists still coated in white magic, with that single punch enough to knock Cedric down. However, the snow underneath Saint Nicholas suddenly turned black, due to Wong's magic, as a series of elongated hands made from black snow shot toward Nicholas, which he attempted to fend off by bringing his magic-coated fists together for a shockwave of said magic to blow them away. However, this also left him open for Cedric to come at him from behind and grab him by his head before throwing him back into his temple.
The massive shapeshifter soon shot into the temple after Nicholas with Wong not far behind. However, Daolon Wong stopped to see the elves, having recovered, attempting to run in after them.
"Sorry, but this is a private party." Wong sneered before casting a powerful dark spell that encompassed the whole temple in a dome of dark magic. "And to all a good night." He laughed before entering the confines of his sealed temple.
Immediately, the elves tried to blast their way through the dome with their magic, only for it to bounce off like water on stone.
"We cannot get through!" One of the elves exclaimed before turning to his leader. "Elvin, if Nicholas is defeated… then the demon…"
"It will not happen!" The leader of the elves, known as Elvin, stated. "If we cannot get through this barrier… then it is time to get in touch with some old friends."
Heatherfield
It was the holiday spirit as the city of Heatherfield was decorated with colorful lights and reefs, parks were lined with Christmas-trees as they, and even all the natural ones were decorated with lights and ornaments. The people in the city seemed just as festive as one would expect on Christmas Eve. Even Uncle's Rare Finds was highly decorated as the elderly store owner bid farewell to the last of his customers.
"Thank you! Merry Christmas! Bye-Bye!" Uncle waved, a Santa hat on his head, as he closed the door.
Inside, not only was the Chan Clan helping to decorate and set up for an upcoming party, all the girls, as well as Yan Lin and even Caleb were helping to set up. Already the Christmas tree was set up and decorated for the most part, with the tables being arranged with food and drinks being prepared in the back.
"Is Uncle alright? He… seems… friendly." Cornelia commented. "I feel like I've stepped into an alternate universe or something."
"He's probably just running a fever." Jade said.
"Girls, Uncle loves Christmas." Jackie told them. "It is when sales are best." He said to them in a not-so-subtle whisper, only to receive a dope-slap on the forehead from his uncle. "Ow!"
"Commercialism not important! Christmas spirit, is." Uncle said before placing his hat on his nephew's head.
"So… this Christmas." Caleb tried to get an understanding of it. "It's where you all trade presents with each other?"
"Well the holiday itself has a lot of different meanings to it, sometimes even religious." Taranee tried to explain. "But for the most part, it's a time when families and friends come together. And yeah, they do exchange gifts, but I think everyone just having a good time is what's most important."
"You don't have anything like Christmas in Meridian, Caleb?" Alchemy asked.
"We have times when our friends and family gather together." Caleb replied. "But no holidays or anything dedicated to it; especially not since Phobos came to power."
"Well, when we take down that Grinch-in-training and all his pals, we'll be sure to introduce this holiday to your world." Irma said as she put an arm around him in a friendly fashion.
"Hey, yeah! With all the gloom and doom they've had to deal with, bringing Christmas to Meridian sounds like a great idea!" Hay Lin beamed. "We might even do the same thing with all the Rebels in Section 13!"
"Captain Black is already hosting a party for them now." Jackie said, walking over. "After everything they've endured, they could use some levity."
Caleb smiled. "I'm sure they'll appreciate that."
Meanwhile, Will was on the phone with a certain someone. "You sure you can't come? Everyone's inviting their families, you could to." She heard a response. "Okay, it's cool. I get it. Well, you and your family have fun. Merry Christmas, Matt." She hung up.
"Someone's bright and happy today." Jade remarked with a friendly smirk. "And I don't think it's all because of the Christmas spirit."
"Of course, you'd know about that." Will smirked back knowingly.
"I got no idea what you're talking about." Jade sang as she tried to put on an innocent façade with puppy-dog eyes.
"Sure, you don't." Will playfully pushed her best friend in the side, earning a chuckle from Jade.
Tohru and Yan Lin soon walked out from the back room with all sorts of food and sweets in their hands, Tohru carrying the most as they set them down on the table.
"And dinner is just about ready." Yan Lin said as she placed a large turkey down.
"We even have Mother's recipe." Tohru added as he put down a plate of cookies.
Uncle winced but tried to put on a smile for his apprentice's sake. "Y-Yes! And… we will be… so happy… to see her for the holidays… Tohru!"
"You can totally tell that smile is fake." Cornelia whispered.
"I'm actually looking forward to seeing her." Taranee said. "I kinda like Mrs. Tohru."
"Yeah, because she's a total badass." Irma added.
"Don't forget, all our families are coming here. It's gonna be a lot of fun to have everyone together!" Hay Lin beamed excitedly.
"Even my parents are coming to join us." Jade also added. "Can't wait to introduce them to all of you!" She said to her friends.
Jackie smiled toward his niece, happy at how excited she was to introduce the rest of her family to her parents. "I'm sure they'll be happy to meet your friends as well, Jade."
"That all smells delicious." Caleb commented, looking toward the spread of food. "I'm surprised a certain Passling hasn't eaten everything already."
"Blunk's actually staying at Section 13 for the holidays." Will said. "Seeing how all our parents are coming, and they got no idea about all this magic-stuff we've been up to, pretty sure they'd be a little freaked at seeing a living garbage disposal like Blunk."
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea." Alchemy agreed.
"But don't forget, not all the sweets can be eaten." Tohru said. "We have to leave some out for you-know-who."
"Who?" Jackie asked, causing Tohru to wince as he glanced towards the girls, causing Jackie to gasp slightly, catching Tohru's hint. "Oh! I mean… um… I'm sure Santa will be very hungry tonight."
"Who is Santa?" Caleb asked.
"Eh, just some make-believe guy kids think of during the holiday." Cornelia shrugged.
"Make-believe?!" Hay Lin exclaimed in shock, with Jackie and Tohru also looking in surprise.
"Cornelia? You do not believe in Santa Claus?" Tohru questioned.
"Who does anymore?" Jade added, indicating she didn't believe either. "I kinda figured that out after the whole 'Tooth Fairy' incident, Jackie." She looked toward her uncle with a smirk.
"I… I told you the Tooth Fairy was sick… and I was filling in!" Jackie said.
"Come on, we're old enough to know." Will said. "My mom gave me the 'Santa's not real' talk when I was eleven."
"I got that talk when I was eight." Irma added.
"I kinda figured it out on my own." Taranee also said.
"Wait… wait… none of you believe in Santa?!" Hay Lin exclaimed, looking at her friends as if they had just suddenly turned into cows.
"Hay Lin, come on. A big guy who uses flying reindeer to pull a magic sleigh all over the world and deliver presents to every single boy and girl in the world in less than twenty-four hours?" Taranee asked rhetorically.
"That does sound kinda hard to believe." Caleb had to admit.
"Not to mention he's been doing this for hundreds of years." Alchemy added. "Sorry Hay Lin but… I think you're out-numbered here."
"Oh, so you guys are willing to believe in whole other worlds, wizards, and even demons; yet you don't believe in Santa?!" Hay Lin questioned. "Come on, we all know magic is real! We've all got magic powers for Pete sake!"
"Yeah well, unless someone with actual magic expertise tells me otherwise, I still don't believe." Cornelia commented.
"I'm afraid they are correct, Hay Lin." Yan Lin spoke to her granddaughter, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Santa Claus is just a story made up by commercialism." Hay Lin looked down dejectedly, causing Jackie and Tohru to look at her with pity. "However, Saint Nicholas is very real."
"And who is this Saint Nicholas?" Caleb asked.
"He's the person Santa was based off." Will said. "He lived a long time ago."
"Still lives, actually." Uncle said. "We have met Nicholas. Good man."
"Hold on a second, you guys think Santa is real?" Irma questioned, only for Uncle to deliver a dope-slap to her forehead. "Ow!"
"Not Santa Clause! Saint Nicholas!" Uncle chastised. "Clean wax out of ears!"
"But Uncle, Saint Nicholas was born in the third century during the time of the Roman Empire." Jackie told him. "Even if he did exist, how could he have lived for so long."
"Magic can do many things, Jackie." Yan Lin told him. "Especially the kind of magic he was taught to use."
Before the conversation could continue, there was a doorbell ring that came from the front door. "It's a little early for everyone to be showing up." Taranee said as Tohru was the first to answer the door, thinking it was his mother.
"Mommy!" He grasped the individual in the form of a hug and kissed them repeatedly on the forehead until he realized that it was not his mother, but a certain robed elf that he did not recognize.
"I'm… afraid not." The elf said as Tohru set him down. "I apologize for the intrusion." He spoke to the surprised group of people.
"Um… can we help you, sir?" Jackie asked.
"Elvin! It is good to see you!" Uncle said as he and Yan Lin approached the elf with friendly smiles as they shook hands with him.
"Jin, Yan Lin, I am glad to see you two as well." Elvin shook their hands with a smile as well.
"Ah, all these years and you have not aged a day." Yan Lin smiled while patting his cheeks. "I sure could use some of the immortality that you elves are so known for."
"Elves?!" Nearly everyone exclaimed in shock.
Elvin smirked towards the former Guardian. "I still see the same spirited young woman from all those years ago. And I believe you will outlive us all, you are far too stubborn to die."
"Oh, you flatter me." Yan Lin chuckled while patting him on the back.
"Uh, excuse us! But who the heck is this guy?!" Jade questioned.
"Is… Is this guy really an elf?!" Will questioned.
"He's got the pointy ears and the fancy robes and long hair… either he's cosplaying as Elrond, or he's the real deal." Irma commented.
"Hello young Guardians, as well as Jackie Chan, Tohru, and friends." Elvin said with a formal bow. "Yes, I am indeed an elf. My name is Elvin."
"Hello…" Jackie waved in surprise. "Wait… you know who we are?"
"How do you know they're Guardians!?" Caleb questioned suspiciously, taking a combat stance. "Did Phobos send you?! Ow!" He felt his forehead where Uncle slapped him.
"Elves are not native to Meridian! He cannot serve Phobos!" Uncle chastised.
"You don't have to worry, I promise." Yan Lin said. "Elvin is an old friend of ours. He and Saint Nicholas helped out my old team of Guardians when I wasn't that much older than all of you."
"Hold on a second!" Cornelia exclaimed. "You're telling me… that Santa Claus is real?!"
"Well, yes and no." Elvin explained. "The character named Santa Claus is indeed fictional; as is his feats and abilities, such as delivering presents to children on Christmas Eve. However, Saint Nicholas is a real individual. He was born in Greece in the year 270 AD during the time of the Roman Empire, but after his meeting with my kind, he has gained the ability to use our magic as well as our immortality by extension."
"Ha! I told you guys he was real!" Hay Lin said to all her friends.
"Well… we were still right about the Santa who delivers presents not being real." Taranee put in.
"And you're his elves?!" Jade questioned, taking another good look at the tall elf that stood before her. "I thought you guys were supposed to be like those cute little elves that make toys, not the Lord of the Rings type."
"Again, that is all based off commercialism like the concept of Santa." Elvin added.
"Okay… we've all dealt with some pretty crazy things up to this point, yet this somehow still surprises us." Alchemy commented.
"So… what can we do you for… Mr. Elvin?" Jackie asked, still not quite sure of what to make of all this.
"Why do I have a sneaking suspicion you are not here to celebrate the holidays with us?" Yan Lin asked as well.
Elvin's look became deathly serious. "I am afraid that Nicholas is in great danger." That got everyone's attention. "I believe that you are familiar with these two individuals." He twirled his hands to generate a magical illusion of a certain dark wizard and shapeshifter.
Uncle gasped. "Daolon Wong!"
"Cedric!" Caleb's eyes narrowed as well.
"Indeed." Elvin confirmed. "They attacked our monastery in the Artic…"
"So, you guys do live in the North Pole!" Hay Lin pointed out.
"Yes, we do, but that is not important now." Elvin confirmed. "Daolon Wong and Cedric have sealed off the monastery with dark magic that my elven brethren and I cannot penetrate. Nicholas is holding them back as we speak but… I fear he may not succeed. This Daolon Wong especially is a tricky one, the dark magic he meddles with is not to be trifled with."
"Yeah, trust us, we're familiar enough with what he can do." Will said.
"Why would Phobos send Daolon Wong and Cedric to attack Saint Nicholas?" Jackie wondered.
"I don't think they're trying to get revenge for years of coal in their stockings." Jade said, trying to put some humor into the story.
"They are most likely seeking the extraordinary power of Nicholas' magic." Yan Lin assumed before her eyes widened in terror. "But… if that magic is taken…"
"Aiya…" Uncle had come to the same conclusion.
"Yes, the extra power from Nicholas is most likely a side benefit." Elvin said. "The true intent of those two vile ones… may be to free Krampus."
While Uncle and Yan Lin exchanged looks of horror, nearly everyone, particularly the girls and Caleb, looked confused.
"Uh… who?" Cornelia asked.
"What's a Krampus?" Caleb also asked.
"Isn't he supposed to be some make-believe Christmas demon? Like a holiday boogeyman?" Tohru asked.
"There's a demon for Christmas?" Alchemy questioned.
"Eh, when Christmas was first thought of; the original story were that there were two individuals that come at night on Christmas Eve." Jackie explained. "One was Santa Claus, who would deliver presents to all the good children; while those who were naughty were visited by Krampus, who would take the children away."
"I've heard about that too." Taranee nodded. "I don't think anybody knows where the myth of Krampus even came from."
"So, wait… if you were good you, get presents; but if you were bad, a demon kidnaps you?!" Irma exclaimed.
"Yeah, give me a lump of coal over that any day." Cornelia added.
"I'm afraid it's quite worse than that." Elvin began to tell the story. "Long ago, in the ancient world, before Christmas was even conceived; Krampus roamed the world for only one night; the night of the twenty-fourth day of December, when Winter was at its coldest. The demon would comb the world, looking for the souls of children. As most of you know, the soul of a child is pure upon birth. However, the environment the child grows up in, can also corrupt that soul, and they would develop feelings of anger, greed, fear, and other such forms of negativity. Now, every human can experience some form of negativity throughout their lives, but sometimes, a child can be consumed by those feelings, and they can corrupt the child's soul. This draws Krampus to them when he roams the Earth for that one night. He steals the corrupted souls of those children to feed his power, while also consuming their flesh for sustenance."
That caused everyone to look in shock and horror.
"He actually eats kids?!" Will practically screamed.
"Yes." Elvin nodded gravely. "And has done so for thousands of years. However, in his youth, Saint Nicholas learned of this and vowed to stop Krampus, believing that even the corrupted souls of children can still be saved. But no mortal man could stop such a monster. So, he came to us, and we trained him in the ways of our magic. Once he had what he needed, my clan and I joined Nicholas and ventured into the Arctic, the home of Krampus, and sealed him in his own tomb."
"Krampus lives in the North Pole too?" Hay Lin questioned.
"It was his domain at first." Elvin continued to explain. "Krampus thrives in the cold, hence why he roams the world in the coldest night of Winter. Throughout the rest of the year, he slumbers in a tomb of cold and darkness deep within the Arctic."
"Can't imagine global warming's going to help with that." Alchemy said with a gulp.
"The magic Nicolas and my brethren used to seal him away keeps him in a frozen state of suspended animation." Elvin assured. "So even if global warming melts away the Arctic completely in the worst-case scenario, Krampus will remain sealed. Magic must undo magic, after all."
"See?" Uncle said with a grin, causing everyone to roll their eyes.
"Once Krampus was sealed away, we built a monastery over his tomb." Elvin concluded his story. "While we can go out into the world throughout most of the year, we must return to the monastery on Christmas eve, just to be certain that Krampus can never return."
"But… why would Daolon Wong and Cedric want to free Krampus?" Taranee asked.
"Seeing how you have a history with those two, I can only imagine they would free the demon to devour you." Elvin pointed to the six Guardians specifically, much to everyone's horror.
"They wants Krampus to eat us?!" Hay Lin screamed.
"Uh… I've had demons try to eat me before, not a big fan." Jade put in.
Jackie's fists clenched with anger. The thought of their enemies purposely freeing a monster to eat his niece, as well as these girls, alive was enough to make his blood boil. "We cannot let that happen! Elvin, I insist you take us to the Arctic immediately!"
"I agree. Nicholas may not last very long." Elvin nodded.
"Wait, but what about the party?" Will asked. "Won't all our parents wonder where we are?"
"You leave them to me." Yan Lin assured. "We got some time before they arrive. And I can just tell them that you went out to have a snowball fight."
"Thanks Grandma." Hay Lin smiled.
"Alright, now let's go save Christmas!" Alchemy pumped her fist.
"This Krampus guy might have eaten kids before, but let's see him choak on some Guardian power!" Irma smirked.
"And we've got a little experience fighting demons too." Taranee added with her own confident smile.
"Don't worry Elvin." Will told him. "We've taken on these two before, we can do it again."
"I'm coming too!" Caleb stepped up. "No way I'll let Cedric or Wong get away with this!"
"I will come as well." Tohru also stepped forward. "I will not allow these girls to face such a monster alone."
"Magic shall defeat magic." Uncle volunteered to.
"Hold on a second." Jade spoke up. "If Krampus is really as hyped-up as you say, J-WITCH might need some extra muscle."
Cornelia smirked as he had a good idea where she was going with this. "Looks like we're getting the whole gang in on this."
"We need… the J-Team!" Jade stated.
"Then there is no time to waste." Jackie said. "Elvin, can you take us to where we need to go?"
"Tell me where, and I will have us there as soon as possible." Elvin nodded before reading his magic. His hands glowed white as a magical snow-like whirlwind blew around himself, which expanded to encompass Jackie, Will, Jade, Uncle, Hay Lin, Cornelia, Irma, Taranee, Caleb, Alchemy, and Tohru before they all vanished completely; leaving Yan Lin alone in the shop, where all she could do was hope for the best.
The Arctic – Saint Nicholas' Monastery
White magic collided with dark magic as Saint Nicholas brought his fists together to create a blast of his own magic, which collided with Wong's dark powers that emanated from his scepter. However, the raw power of Nicholas' magic was too much for Daolon Wong to handle as it overcame his dark magic and sent him flying to a nearby wall. Cedric attempted to come in from behind, raising his massive fists with a roar, but just as he brought them down, Nicholas had leapt into the air above Cedric and delivered an axe-kick to Cedric's face, disorienting him. Nicholas landed and immediately went on the attack, his fists coated in his white magic as he punched Cedric across the face, in his gut, and gave him an uppercut to knock him back.
Even as Cedric and Wong recovered, Nicholas stood in-between them, unwilling to back down as he glared at both his foes.
"I admit, he is a strong one" Cedric hissed.
"Your physical prowess, combined with your mastery of elf-magic has indeed made you a formidable opponent, Saint Nicholas." Wong told him. "But we will take your power, and with it, free the beast that lays beneath."
"If you believe you can control Krampus, you are a fool!" Nicholas chastised. "He is monster who lives only to feed, nothing more!"
"If we cannot control him, then we need simply aim at a certain group of young individuals and let him do the work." Wong sneered.
"The current Guardians of the Veil have been thorns in our side for too long!" Cedric stated. "It is time we remove them from our side permanently!"
Nicholas glared as he tightened his fists. "You would purposely set Krampus loose to devour those innocent girls!? I will not allow that!" He went on the attack again, but Wong was prepared this time.
"Zen!" With a wave of his scepter, Daolon Wong had summoned the Dark Chi Warrior Hak Foo in front of him, who was able to catch Nicholas' fist before knocking him back with a kick.
"Powerful you may be, Saint. But you are still a man, and my greatest warrior has strength beyond any other warrior." Wong praised Hak Foo, who only chuckled evilly as he approached the recovering Nicholas.
"Maybe you can provide me a challenge, old man." Hak Foo said before rushing Nicholas. "Freight Train Derails Reindeer!" With body coating in dark blue energy and moving like a meteor, Saint Nicholas tried to raise a barrier of his white magic to protect himself, but Hak Foo's raw strength and power was enough to shatter it and send him flying through a pillar before rolling across the ground, though he was quick to get on his feet and blast Hak Foo with his magic.
"Demon Plows Snow!" Hak Foo punched the blasts of magic away before moving in closer toward Nicholas, who did his best to avoid the devastating punches that obliterated all the pillars Nicholas had to find cover and shake his unnaturally strong adversary. As he did, however, Daolon Wong walked toward the pile of broken stone and snickered evilly as he began to cast a spell over it.
Nicholas found himself backed against a wall as Hak Foo attempted to deliver a fatal punch. "Grinch Steals Christmas!" Nicholas veered out of the way just in time as Hak Foo's fist impacted the wall. Suddenly appearing behind him, Nicholas blasted his magic at Hak Foo's back and send him into the wall, causing it to crumble over him.
He didn't have much time to celebrate however as a series of demonic serpents shot from all around him, having been conjured up from the rubble of the pillars thanks to Daolon Wong's magic. Nicholas tried to shake them off, but Cedric had used this opportunity to grab Nicholas by his arms and hoist him up just as Hak Foo recovered before the strongest Dark Chi warrior attacked again.
"Demon Causes Indigestion!" He delivered a punch to Nicholas' gut, causing him to gasp as he felt the wind knocked out of him. It wasn't enough to kill him, but enough to take the fight out of him as Cedric dropped him before the same serpents Wong had conjured coiled around him and tied him to a still-intact pillar.
"Well done, warrior." Cedric smirked towards Hak Foo. "Now we finally have what we need."
"Time to awaken the beast." Daolon Wong approached Nicholas, who tried to muster up a glare before Wong began to recite a dark chant, lifting his hands to reveal open mouths with serrated teeth in his palms. As he chanted, streams of white magic began to leave Nicholas' body and enter Wong's through his mouth-palms.
As the process continued, deep below the monastery, within the darkest pit in the Artic, something began to stir. A sensation began to stir something from its long and enforced slumber as the sensation of hunger slowly but surely began to fill its body. Suddenly, a pair of glowing red eyes began to open.
Meanwhile, outside the Monastery, the elves tried with all their might to break through Daolon Wong's dark magic barrier. They could already feel it. They could feel Nicholas' power draining, and once it was gone, nothing could stop the awakening of the monster they all feared. Their attempts were halted by a sudden gust of wind-like magic as Elvin returned with reinforcements consisting of Jackie, Will, Jade, Irma, Hay Lin, Cornelia, Taranee, Tohru, Uncle, El Toro Fuerte, Viper, Caleb, Alchemy, and Paco.
"Whoa, you weren't kidding." Viper commented upon the group seeing the temple before them. "Not so much a workshop but more like a church."
"Elvin!" One of the elves approached him. "You've brought aid!"
"What is the situation?" Elvin asked.
"Terrible, I am afraid." The elf reported. "We cannot penetrate the barrier, and we feel Nicholas' power draining by the second. Once his power his stolen completely…"
"Krampus will awaken." Elvin finished with a grave expression.
"Do not worry, we are here to help." Jackie assured. "We will stop Daolon Wong and Cedric, as well as save Saint Nicholas."
"And even if the Christmas-boogeyman wakes up, we'll put him right back to sleep; courtesy of J-WITCH…" Jade began with a smirk.
"And the J-Team!" Paco finished as they exchanged a high five.
"Do not just stand there! Get cracking!" Uncle yelled.
Will immediately brandished the Heart of Kandrakar and said the magic words. "Guardians Unite!" In yet another flashy transformation, the six girls had transformed into their respective Guardian forms and were already ready for battle.
Elvin couldn't help himself but smiling reminiscently, remembering working alongside Yan Lin's team of Guardians a long time ago. It was heartwarming to see this new generation take the mantle. But he quickly got back to the crisis at hand.
"Quickly, if you can open the barrier! Do it now!" He stated.
"On it." Will brandished the Heart of Kandrakar and channeled the power of the Seal of Phobos within to begin dissolving the dark magic barrier around the Monastery.
Meanwhile, inside the temple, the process of extracting Nicholas' magic appeared to be finished as the final trails of white magic entered Wong's mouth-palms. "Yes…!" Wong sneered. "I can feel his power flowing through me!" His eyes widened slightly. "The barrier has fallen."
"Which means the Guardians and Chan are here. Right on time." Cedric hissed with an evil grin.
"Then it is time to finally crush their skulls beneath my feet!" Hak Foo stated.
"You may claim those of Chan and whatever adult allies he has with him." Wong told his warrior. "As for the children… I'm afraid their fate is all but sealed now."
The dark magic dome had just been dropped completely; with J-WITCH, the J-Team, and their many allies about to charge right in.
"Alright everyone, be ready for…" Jackie was interrupted however as Daolon Wong, Cedric, and Hak Foo left the monastery to face them.
"Greetings, old friends." Cedric hissed. "We are so glad you could join us, for your final night."
"What have you Grinches done with the big red guy?!" Hay Lin demanded.
"Saint Nicholas lives, for now." Daolon Wong nodded before he hovered in the air, a powerful aura that mixed dark and white magics began to encircle him. "His magic however…"
"He has Nicholas' magic!" Elvin exclaimed.
"Aiya…! That means…!" Uncle's eyes widened in shock.
"Awaken! Krampus!" Wong shouted as he casted a large surge of dark magic on the snowy ground that separated him and his allies from the heroes. Less than a second with the spell being cast, the ground began to shake, almost as if a small earthquake had hit the area.
"Something is coming." El Toro said with a serious expression. "Something big."
The shaking stopped just as a massive, clawed hand shot up from the ice and snow, grabbing onto the ground just as a second claw emerged and began to pull the body of a large figure upwards and out of the ice and snow. The figure that stood before the shocked and surprised heroes was at least fifteen feet tall. It was covered in black fur with large goat-like hooves for feet, clawed hands with a muscular frame. Chains wrapped around its arms and body, while draping off his back like a cape of sorts. Long curved ram-like horns came from its head as the demonic monster set its red and soulless eyes on the heroes before emitting an ear-splitting roar, forcing everyone to cover their ears.
"So… I'm guessing that's Krampus!" Cornelia stated over the roar just as it stopped.
"He's a whole lot bigger than I thought he'd be." Alchemy gulped.
Krampus sniffed the air as he set his eyes on not only the six Guardians that hovered in front of him, but even Paco and Alchemy. His tongue licked his fanged face as a wicked smile formed.
"Children…" It hissed before rushing at the group in a surprise bout of speed, forcing everyone to separate and avoid getting snatched by the demon's massive claws. Krampus set its eyes upon Will before he sent his chains her way, almost telekinetically. She was unable to avoid them as the chains ensnared her and pulled her close toward him, grabbing her with his massive hands once she was close enough. Before he could chow down however…
"Hey!" Jade suddenly flew in, a shadow-katana in hand as she sliced at Krampus' arms, forcing him to release Will and turn his attention toward her. "My BFF Is off limits!" She showered him with streams of shadow-fire to knock him back, before he was later pelted from behind by fireballs from Taranee.
"Big demon-boy hungry for something? Well, eat this!" Irma exclaimed as she added to Taranee's bombardment with a stream of water, and Hay Lin added to that with a cyclone of wind. With all four attacks keeping Krampus pinned, Cornelia added the final touch with a large boulder she pulled from the ground before throwing it at Krampus to send him skidding across the ground.
"Oh, and we're not children, pal." Cornelia told him with a smirk. "We're teenagers. So, I think we might spoil your appetite."
Krampus quickly recovered and flashed the six girls a glare before rushing at them again, forcing them to scatter and fly around him, pelting him with whatever elemental attack they had at their disposal.
"Girls!" Jackie was about to run to their aid, only for Cedric to block his path and bring his left fist toward him, forcing Jackie to leap back and avoid it.
"Jackie, it's okay!" Will called to him as she avoided Krampus' chains before flying down to kick him in the face. "We got this! We're Guardians, remember?!"
"Yeah, let us handle tall dark and ugly!" Jade added as she sliced at him with her shadow-katana.
Before Jackie could offer a response, Cedric tried to take advantage of his momentary distraction, only for the large snake man to be knocked back as El Toro Fuerte had ran to ram his elbow into his side.
"Jackie, my friend, they are correct." El Toro told him. "You know these girls can handle themselves, even against a child-devouring demon. Let them deal with it, while we deal with the monster who set it free."
"And we got experience fighting monsters too, remember handsome?" Viper asked as she ran to Jackie's side, with Caleb joining them as he drew his katana.
"The girls can handle Krampus, we got Cedric." The young rebel leader added.
Deep down, Jackie knew they were right. He'd seen how much these girls had grown in their short time as Guardians, especially Jade. They had each other's backs and were a real team. They could indeed handle Krampus.
"Very well." Jackie said with a nod as the four of them faced the recovering Cedric. "Then let us end this. We have a holiday to celebrate." With that declaration, Cedric gave a roar as he rushed the four heroes again, who charged back with yells of their own.
Meanwhile; Uncle drew his blowfish and fired a blast of chi-magic towards the hovering Daolon Wong, but he merely erected a barrier of white magic to easily protect himself.
"Foolish novice, the elf-magic is far beyond your simple parlor tricks." Wong gloated. "Now I have twice the power I normally wield! You cannot…" He was suddenly pulled to the ground by Paco, who had leapt to grab him before leaping higher to wrap his arms around the back of Wong's neck before pulling back to flip him over and send him tumbling through the snow.
"Normally, an honorable luchador would never assault an old man." Paco smirked as he put on his luchador's mask. "But I think I can make an exception with this one."
Daolon Wong snarled as he recovered, only to be caught in the middle of a ring of the elves led by Elvin, who all shot blasts of their magic at him. Wong however erected a large magic barrier around himself in defense, one strong enough to hold off the bombardment.
"Sensei, how can we stop this?" Tohru asked as he and Alchemy regrouped alongside him and Paco. "Wong was already a threat before, but with twice the magic…"
"Daolon Wong has stolen the magic of Saint Nicholas." Uncle explained. "If we are to defeat not only him, but also Krampus, Nicholas' magic must be returned."
"You think maybe you got a fancy Chi-spell that can do that?" Alchemy asked.
"I know of such a spell, but I must require hair from both Daolon Wong and Saint Nicholas." Uncle replied.
"Alright." Tohru nodded in understanding, formulating a plan. "Alchemy, Paco, you two go inside the monastery and find Saint Nicholas. Tell him what has happened and get a piece of his hair. The rest of us will keep Wong busy and try to take some of his."
"You can count on El Paco Fuerte and his protégé!" Paco declared.
"Protégé?! You mean like a sidekick?!" Alchemy questioned in irritation.
Suddenly, Elvin and his brethren were blasted back by a powerful shockwave that was revealed from a sudden landing from the Dark Chi Warrior form of Hak Foo, who stood alongside his hovering master.
"No time to argue! Go now!" Uncle told the two kids, who nodded eagerly as they rushed into the monastery, leaving Uncle and Tohru to face their enemies.
Meanwhile, Taranee flew straight into Krampus face to blast him with a stream of fire, knocking him back while Will flew in from behind to grab the chains that draped off Krampus' back before flying around to wrap them around his arms and body, causing the demon to snarl. With him immobilized, Cornelia threw a series of seeds toward the ground before channeling her own earth-powers to rapidly grow the seeds into a series of plant-tendrils and vines that ensnared Krampus' legs, forcing him to trip and crash onto the ground.
"You packed seeds with you?" Jade asked as she flew toward Cornelia.
"Well, duh. Plants don't grow in the Arctic." The blonde pointed out. "Kinda like to come to a fight prepared."
"Huh, way to use your head for once." Jade snarked slightly elbowing her, causing Cornelia to glare slightly before Jade channeled her own magic and encase the bound Krampus in a blanket of shadow magic from head-to-toe. Irma then flew in to completely soak it in water before Hay Lin unleashed a cold gust of wind from her mouth, blowing all over it to freeze the water solid, trapping Krampus under three layers of immobilization.
"Okay, so chains over shadow magic, and the whole thing is frozen over. That should hold him, right?" Will asked as the Guardians regrouped.
"Don't really know if freezing shadows weakens or strengthens it, but yeah that could probably do it." Taranee replied. Only for the ice to begin cracking before it exploded, the force causing all six Guardians to fly back before straightening themselves out. They soon looked in shock to see Krampus glaring at them and barring his teeth.
"Uh… I think we only made him mad." Hay Lin winced.
"Yeah, when have things ever been easy for us?" Irma questioned rhetorically; her own eyelids lowered.
Krampus roared again as he telekinetically shot a multitude of his chains towards the girls, forcing them to fly away and avoid getting ensnared as Krampus charged.
Meanwhile, inside the monastery, Alchemy and Paco appeared to find who they were looking for, still appearing unconscious and weakened, and bound by the demonic serpents.
"Is this Saint Nicholas?" Paco asked.
"Well… red coat… long white beard… yep, I'd say that's our guy." Alchemy said. The serpents hissed at the two as Alchemy brandished a dried lizard. "Hiss yourselves!" She told them before firing a blast of chi-magic to destroy them, causing Nicholas to drop on the floor.
"Since when can you do that?" Paco questioned.
"Tohru taught me a basic stun spell." Alchemy replied. "I mean, I'm no wizard or even an apprentice yet, but it's something." They quickly went and helped Saint Nicholas up as he began to groan, a sign of awakening.
His eyes slowly opened as he noticed the two children around him. "Where… where did you come from?"
"Uh… Hi Mr. Clause… Oh, sorry I mean Saint Nick." Alchemy waved in an excited-yet-nervous tone. "Man I can't believe it… Santa Clause… he's real… and he's right in front of me." She almost squealed in excitement before shaking her head to get serious. "My name is Alchemy, Elvin brought me and my friends here to help you."
Saint Nicholas' eyes widened as he quickly pulled himself up. "Krampus!"
"He's awake." Paco told him. "Our friends are holding him back. They're the Guardians, I'm sure you've heard of them, and they've got the J-Team to back them up but…"
"Guardians or no, they don't have the means to seal Krampus." Saint Nicholas shook his head gravely.
"But we've got a couple chi-wizards here too. Jin Chan? Sound familiar?" Alchemy reminded. "He's got a spell to give you your magic back, but we're going to need some of your hair."
Saint Nicholas smiled slightly. "Ah, so young Jin has become a full-fledged Chi-Wizard. Good for him." His eyes flickered a bit upon hearing Alchemy's request. "I see, I know the spell he refers too. Here." He plucked a strand of his beard off and gave it to Alchemy. "Give that to Jin, I will help in facing Krampus."
"But weren't your powers stolen?" Paco asked.
Nicholas gave the boy an assuring and confident grin. "Magic or no, I can still fight."
Back outside, Tohru and Uncle, each wielding a blowfish, shot beams of their chi-magic toward Daolon Wong, who simply waved his wand to send a wave of powerful dark magic to overpower their own stun-spells and send them crashing back across the icy ground. While at the same time, Elvin and his brethren shot blasts of their own white magic toward the charging Hak Foo, but he simply punched the ground to send up chunks of ice as a make-shift shield, while the impact itself knocked the elves down onto the ground, leaving them open for Hak Foo to leap into the air come soaring back down with his foot extended, forcing them to roll or dodge out of the way and avoid the devastating impact.
At the same time, Jackie and his group threw everything they had at Cedric, with Jackie leaping back to avoid the tail-swipe from the massive shapeshifter. As he tried to pull back his tail however, Caleb came in and sliced at Cedric's side with his katana, causing Cedric to roar in pain before he threw a punch towards Caleb, which El Toro intercepted by coming in to grab Cedric's large hand by his wrist, using the monster's own momentum against him to flip Cedric over his person. As Cedric attempted to recover, Viper flipped over from behind and fell toward the back of his head, both of her feet shot down to kick his face deeper into the snow. The four of them regrouped once more as Cedric pulled himself up with a glare before charging at them again.
Krampus gave a roar as he shot out dozens of chains in multiple directions, forcing the six Guardians to fly away and defend themselves with whatever means they had. Jade used a dual pair of shadow-katanas to slice and parry the chains that came close to her, while Taranee and Will coming together as the former created a sphere of fire to protect both of them. Hay Lin had done something similar, generating an air-sphere around her and spinning the winds inside with such speed and power that any chains that tried to pierce through ended up getting sliced and shredded. Irma and Cornelia however appeared to have the most trouble as the former tried to direct a series of water-whips to block the chains, while Cornelia's vines and seeds were easily torn through before the chains struck her, knocking her toward the ground where she was quickly ensnared by them.
"Cornelia!" Taranee exclaimed as the other five Guardians tried to fly in and help her, only for several dozen more chains to shoot out toward them keeping them away while Krampus pulled the bound Cornelia close toward him and into his grasp.
"Children…" Krampus sneered as drool fell from his fangs, Cornelia trying to force herself away.
"Hey! You ever head of breath mints?!" She told the demon, trying to muster up some courage despite being terrified of the thought of being eaten alive.
"Krampus!" The booming voice echoed through the air before something struck the demon in the chest with enough force that it dropped the bound Cornelia before the same physical force broke the chains that had ensnared her as she fell back in surprise, looking at the figure that stood protectively in front of her.
Even the other Guardians looked in utter shock at the appearance of this man while Krampus snarled before the man rushed Krampus again to deliver a punch to his right knee, forcing it down before he grabbed Krampus by his horns and pulled his face into a knee of his own to knock him back onto the ground.
"Are you alright, young lady?" Saint Nicholas turned toward the still-shocked Cornelia with a concerned expression, while the blonde was rendered speechless but gave a simple nod in response.
"Is that…?" Irma stuttered.
"Oh… my….!" Taranee also stuttered.
"It's really him!" Hay Lin practically squealed in excitement.
"Santa Clause! Like, the Santa Clause!" Will exclaimed.
"He is real…!" Even Jade was more than a little shocked.
Nicholas chuckled. "Santa Clause is a name made up by commercialism. I am Saint Nicholas, but you can just call me Nicholas if you want." He offered Cornelia a hand, which she took as he helped her stand to her feet while the other Guardians came in and looked in mixtures of excitement and surprise.
"I knew it! I knew you were real!" Hay Lin exclaimed like a giddy little child and almost squeeled as Nicholas patted her head before he did the same to each of the girls one-by-one from Will to Jade, Irma, Cornelia, and Taranee.
"You girls have all done well." Nicholas told them as they saw Krampus recovering, with the Guardians ready for a fight, but Nicholas stepped forward first. "But this is my fight, I'll handle it."
"But… but wasn't your magic stolen?" Will questioned.
"Magic isn't my only strength." Saint Nicholas assured as he discarded his coat, as well as his shirt to reveal his bare upper body, which was covered in thick and well-developed muscles, from the arms to the biceps, even a six-pack on his abs, much to the Guardians' shock.
"Dude… Santa's jacked!" Irma exclaimed.
"Not at all the pudgy jolly guy we've seen in the movies…" Jade muttered.
Nicholas glared directly toward the snarling Krampus. "Hope you enjoyed your brief respite of freedom, creature. Because I am sending you back to the pit where you belong!"
Krampus gave a hateful roar in response while Nicholas gave a yell of his own before rushing Krampus, who sent all his chains in his direction, but Nicholas proved quick and nimble enough to avoid them before getting close enough to leap up and deliver a hook to Krampus' jaw, and while airborne, gave a roundhouse kick to Krampus' face and knock him down with Nicholas landing behind. The second Krampus attempted to recover; Nicholas rushed him with a yell as he punched Krampus in the face repeatedly before grabbing him by the back of his head to deliver two knees to his face again. He then grabbed Krampus by his horns and spun around to pull the demon's massive body before letting him go to send him tumbling through the snow. Krampus, however, quickly recovered with a roar before going on the attack again.
Nearly all the other battles came to a halt as they saw Saint Nicholas continue to engage Krampus with nothing more than physical force.
"Whoa… Santa's got game." Viper commented before she and the rest of the J-Team used Cedric's distraction as an opening to push further. She was the first to attack by being tossed into the air by El Toro, delivering a flying kick to Cedric's face and knock him down, with Jackie meeting his head as he came down with a hand-stand and a double-kick. Caleb ran up his chest to slice at Cedric all over with his katana, causing him to roar in pain while El Toro gave his signature Luchador yell as he rushed to deliver a powerful headbutt into Cedric's gut, knocking the wind out of him and sending him crashing into the icy ground.
"Nicholas is free?!" Daolon Wong questioned. "That cannot…AAH!" He gave a suddenly cry as Paco had appeared behind him to yank off a chunk of his hair.
"You should really watch your back." Paco told him with a smirk, while Alchemy used this momentary distraction to deliver a stun-spell to Wong and knock him back before they ran toward Uncle and Tohru.
"We got the hair from both of them!" Alchemy said as she presented a stand of Saint Nicholas' beard with Paco presenting his recently acquired chunk of Wong's hair.
"Good, watch Uncle's back while he prepares reversal spell." He sat down with both stands of hair in his hands and began to recite a chant. "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao."
Back with the elves, Elvin and his brethren did their best to keep Hak Foo at bay, but he seemed to be far too strong for them as he had beaten most of them down and yanked Elvin up by his robe.
"I wonder what one would call an elf who loses his ears." Hak Foo sneered, but before he could do anything, he was suddenly blasted back by a fireball from Taranee, freeing Elvin.
"Thank you." Elvin turned with a smile toward Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin who just arrived to provide help. "He is far too strong for us."
"Don't worry, we've handled this guy before." Hay Lin assured.
"We got an idea; can you blast him into the air and keep him there?" Taranee asked the elf.
"For a short time, yes." Elvin nodded.
"Then get it done." Irma told him. "Let's do this."
Elvin and several of his fellow elves gathered around the recovering Hak Foo as they shot their magic into the ground below him, before it exploded and sent him flying straight up.
Using what little time they had, Taranee created a ring of fire around a large patch of the ice below Hak Foo, causing it to quickly melt into water, which Irma took control over and shot several points directly upward. Taranee ceased the fire while Hay Lin blew a cold gust of wind to quickly cool the water, freezing it once again in the form of several razor-sharp ice-spikes just as Hak Foo began to fall and hit the spikes, causing him to poof away.
"Fire up the grill, because we just made a Hak-Foo-Kabab!" Irma joked as she exchanged a three-way high-five with Taranee and Hay Lin.
Daolon Wong had managed to recover however and growled in anger. "This night is not over yet…" Suddenly a white aura formed around him as he felt himself losing control of Saint Nicholas' magic. He then turned toward the source, which was Uncle, who continued to sit and perform his spell as a green Chi-magic aura surged around him.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao."
"A reversal spell!" Wong's eyes widened in shock, but it was too late for him to do anything. "NO!" Suddenly, all the magic he stole from Saint Nicholas left his body, in the form of a stream of white magic and returned to the body of its original bearer. This left him open for Tohru to run up and deliver an uppercut to send him hurtling backwards.
After punching Krampus again, Nicholas felt his magic returned as his whole body surged with white energy. He then looked toward Krampus, who snarled at him before Nicholas blasted a powerful wave of white magic to knock the demon back.
"Everyone! Gather to me!" Saint Nicholas called to all his allies as the Guardians, J-Team, and elves all gathered around him. "We are going to seal Krampus back where he belongs, but I need all of your assistance! Elves and wizards, with me! We are preparing the spell. Guardians, you and your friends will keep Krampus at bay. But you…" He placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "The Heart of Kandrakar has the ability to close portals in the Veil, as I'm sure you already know. Once the spell is ready, you will use the Heart to seal Krampus away."
"You got it." Will nodded.
They all heard a familiar roar as Krampus recovered and glared at each and every one of them.
"Go! Now!" Saint Nicholas ordered; prompting Jackie, Jade, Cornelia, Viper, Hay Lin, El Toro, Taranee, Caleb, even Paco to rush Krampus and engage him in battle. "Form a circle around Krampus…" He instructed the elves and Chi-wizards. "…Take the Heart and fly over the circle!" He told to Will specifically.
With that, all the elves, along with Uncle, and Tohru began to form a large circle around Krampus while the Guardians and J-Team kept him busy. Saint Nicholas stood on one end of the circle, with Uncle across from him, while Elvin stood across from Tohru with Alchemy standing by his side as Tohru gave Alchemy a tiny squid tentacle.
"Chant in rhythm with us, and you'll be fine." Tohru told Alchemy, who nodded in understanding.
As Will flew high into the air above the circle, making sure she was directly above Krampus, she saw all her friends holding the demon back. Jade and Caleb hacked at him with their respective katanas while Taranee, Irma, and Hay Lin pelted him with their respective elements as Cornelia grew more plant tendrils from her seeds and used them to bind Krampus' ankles. At the same time, Jackie and Viper had leapt to Krampus back to pull down on his chains where El Toro and Paco meet them and all four began to pull back on the chains to keep him from moving around.
"Do it!" Nicholas exclaimed as he shot his hands forward along with Elvin and the other elves, each of them glowing with bright white aura as their magic shined. At the same time, Uncle, Tohru, and even Alchemy held out a blow fish, dried lizard, and squid tentacle respectively as they cited the chant.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao." All three of their bodies began to glow with a bright green aura from Chi-magic, which then began to mix with the white aura from Nicholas and the elves, creating a ring of magic that surged all around Krampus. Seeing what was happening, the J-Team and Guardians moved far away as the spell began. As the ring continued to glow, Krampus growled in fear, knowing what they were trying to do as he attempted to leave the circle, only to get ensnared by a surge of white and green magic, which seemed to emanate from Will who held the Heart of Kandrakar over the demon, the crystal glowing with a mixture of the white and green energy as she too chanted alongside them.
"Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao. Fa La La La, La La La La!"
With that, Krampus was engulfed in a bright light that caused his whole body to turn intangible, almost like a ghost, before he was sucked deep beneath the ice, giving one final cry of despair before he was sealed away completely. The light vanished and the demon was nowhere to be seen.
"It is done." Nicholas nodded, resulting in everybody cheering in victory, exchanging hugs and high-fives among one another.
As they celebrated, the beaten Daolon Wong and Cedric regrouped as they glared at the heroes from a distance. "Bah humbug." Wong snarled before waving his scepter, creating a cloud of dark smoke that caused both of them to vanish.
With the celebrations over, the six Guardians, having turned back to normal, along with Alchemy, gathered around Saint Nicholas as they looked to him in utter amazement.
"I can't believe it… you're actually real!" Taranee exclaimed with a wide smile.
"And a total badass!" Irma stated.
"Heck yeah! You decked a demon with your bare fists!" Jade added.
"You're so amazing!" Hay Lin squealed. "I always knew Santa Clause was someone special but you… Special doesn't even begin to cover the real thing!"
"I guess I should keep my parents from giving my little sister the whole 'Santa's not real' talk." Cornelia commented. "Cause he is real and an epic super hero!"
"You are totally my holiday hero!" Alchemy added.
"Wow… I am just… wow. I… I don't even have the words…" Will said with an excited smile.
"Thank you, thank you." Nicholas said as he gave each of them head-pats, earning squeals of delight from Hay Lin and Alchemy specifically. "You are courageous and strong girls, and I just know you will grow into even stronger women. Thank you for your help tonight, all of you." He looked toward Jackie, Viper, El Toro, Paco, Tohru, Uncle and Caleb as well. "If it weren't for you, so many children would have been taken from their families."
"We are happy to help." Jackie assured.
"Yes, trust us, we have plenty of experience with this sort of thing." Tohru added.
"Now, I believe it is time for you to go." Saint Nicholas told them. "It's Christmas after all. Who better to spend it with than your families?" As he and the elves prepared to use their magic to send them back, he paid a glance to Uncle. "You have grown strong, Jin! Please give Yan Lin my regards!"
"I will!" Uncle waved back as he and the rest of the J-Team and Guardians were surrounded by a whirlwind of the elves' magic before vanishing from the Arctic.
Heatherfield – Uncle's Rare Finds
Turns out, the heroes had arrived just before all their guests could arrive, so there was no need to give any last-minute explanations. Viper, El Toro, and Paco even choose to stay and celebrate with them, even though Viper was Jewish and normally celebrates Hanukkah, she said she didn't need a reason not to celebrate with her friends. The girls' parents, as well as Irma and Cornelia's younger siblings, and Tohru's mother, had soon arrived, even Jade's parents made it as promised and the party seemed to be in full swing as everyone helped themselves to food and drinks and mingled with each other.
"You are a real luchador?" Mr. Lair asked as he and his wife talked with El Toro.
"I am indeed." He confirmed.
"Oooh! I wanna be a luchador when I grow up!" Chris said with excitement.
"It is a lot of work, not just anybody can do it." Paco replied with something of a confident tone of voice.
Caleb helped himself to a plate of food as he felt his pant leg being tugged and looked down to see it was Lilian.
"Is your name Caleb?" The young girl asked.
"Yeah, that's me." He confirmed.
"I hear Cornelia talking about you a lot. Are you her boyfriend?" Lilian asked, causing Caleb to blush as he tried to come up with response.
"Please, help yourselves. There's plenty for everyone." Yan Lin told everyone as Jade's parents, Alchemy's parents, and the Hales and Cooks helped themselves to the food being served buffet style.
"You do your mother proud Tohru." Mrs. Tohru said to her son as she ate some of the food that he had prepared. "You would make excellent cook if you choose not to fight Forces of Darkness."
"I don't see a reason I can't do both, mother." Tohru said with a smile.
"Tohru makes fine apprentice." Uncle added.
"I know. I am so proud of him." She smiled toward her son once again.
"One more thing." Uncle got Mrs. Tohru's attention again as he presented a wrapped present for her.
She was more than a little surprised by the gesture, but it was a welcomed one. "Ah, billy goat." She took the present with a smile.
Meanwhile, as Jackie and Viper talked, the were soon approached by Will's mother. "Excuse me, Mr. Chan?"
"Oh please, call me Jackie."
"Jackie, I'm Susan Vandoom. Will's mother." She offered her hand to shake, which he accepted.
"A pleasure to meet you." Jackie greeted. "You've raised an incredible daughter, and she has been such a great friend to my niece."
That earned a smile from Susan. "I've also wanted to thank you. Will talks about you quite a bit, you've left a strong impression on her and it's really helped her to grow. She also talks a lot about Jade and the other girls, and I'm really happy that she's made many great friends. You've been a good inspiration for my daughter, so let me thank you."
"You are welcome." Jackie nodded.
As the adults continued talk with one another; the girls of J-WITCH, and even Alchemy stood off to the side with plates of food in their hands while observing all the interactions.
"Nice to see everyone getting along with each other." Taranee observed.
"Even Uncle and Tohru's mom aren't at each other's throats for once." Irma added.
"Well, it's Christmas. What do you expect?" Hay Lin replied.
Cornelia had a sad smile on her face however. "I just wish that Elyon was here. It's… it's our first Christmas without her."
Alchemy placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You know we're gonna get her back, and if anyone tries to stop us, we'll beat em up." This earned a chuckle and thankful smile from Cornelia.
"One Oni mask left." Will said. "And then we can take down Tarakudo and Phobos, and kiss the whole adventure goodbye."
Jade gave a scoff with a smirk. "Yeah, till the next big bad arrives." This earned a laugh from everyone. "But seriously, fighting monsters and stuff is fun and all but… stuff like this right here…" She gestured to all their families and friends getting along and having fun with one another. "… It really makes all the hard stuff we go through worth it."
"Oh yeah." Irma agreed.
"Absolutely." Taranee also agreed.
"Totally." Hay Lin added.
"One hundred percent." Cornelia nodded with Alchemy.
Will and Jade exchanged smiles with each other as the former looked toward the shining star at the top of the Christmas tree, as well as the Heart of Kandrakar around her neck. "Merry Christmas, guys."
"Merry Christmas!" The other girls replied as they shared a large group hug with each other.
Done.
I'm sure this chapter isn't quite what you expected, isn't it? I decided to change up Santa Claus and his elves from the canon JCA episode and make them into something more heroic and badass, I drew inspiration from the character North from "Rise of the Guardians", and I even threw in Krampus to mix things up a bit. Like I said before, I know we're not even at Halloween yet, let alone Christmas, but I enjoyed writing this chapter quite a bit. It was a nice reprieve from the main plot for the heroes.
But now, with the Holidays coming to a close for them, it's back to the mission. There is only one Oni Mask left, and three chapters remaining for this story. It'll serve as something close to a three-part finale and I am super excited to write it. I have plenty of surprises in store for all of you as the epic final battle draws near.
Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. I love you guys.