The travel to Krampus's lair was not what anyone quite expected. The workshop looked like a black version of santa's workshop, made of metal twisted roots that seemed to come from the pits of hell, and it was located in a scortching desert. The sleeve less shirt Jack wore made the sun burn directly onto his icy flesh which sizzled at the contrast of weather. Pitch noticed how much pain the guardian was expiriencing, so he formed a black umbrella that floated over the melting boy, identical to his own.
Tooth, Sandy, and Rabbit weren't used to the blistering heat either, but they didn't complain because the one who was obviously suffering the most was Frost, his pale skin was sunburnt badly and he felt like crap now that he was completely out of his element.
Once they got to the twisted gates, they creaked open invitingly on their own. "So he knows we're here?" Rabbit asked wiping his sweaty brow
"Oh, he knows.. Have you ever heard of the song the mortals sing about Santa? The one that goes, You better not cry, you better not pout, I'm telling you why Santa Claus is coming to town, he sees you when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, he knows if you've been bad or good.. So be good for goodness sakes?"
They had all forgotten that Krampus was an copy of Santa. This meant Krampus had seen everything... Their training, Pitch's betrayal, and he knew each of the guardians..
"WHAT WAS THE POINT OF TRAINING THEN IF HE KNOWS ALL OUR MOVES?! AND WHY WOULD YOU BETRAY HIM KNOWING HE'D BE WATCHING?" Bunny spat full of anger and obvious accusation.
They all turned to Pitch, who's expression remained blank. "Pitch?" Jack asked hoarsely, with a bit of pain in his voice.
Pitch peered down at them with a little smirk. "Honestly, you all are so pathetic, trusting your enemies.."
Bunny swung at the traitor, only to punch through a shadow and miss. Jack's eyes filled with tears, as his face turned into a hateful glare at Pitch, who reappeared within the castle with a sneer. "Come now, don't keep Krampus waiting.."
They had no choice but to walk into the trap that Pitch and Krampus obviously created. Why didn't they for see the possibility of something like this happening?
The Gate slammed shut behind them, as did the Giant doors. Suddenly a putrid stench filled the coppery air, as a grey skinned, with a matted dirty beard version of santa walked in, with a pleased grin that looked nothing like the monster they had trained against.
At least ONE thing Pitch said was true, DAMN DID HE STIIINK. Bunny's sensitive nose burned badly with the horrid thick odor that was practically visible, he wanted to grab the scarf so badly, but refused to use something that traitor had given them, everyone was battling the urge to cover their noses with it.
The stench had even begun to burn their lungs by now. The first to give in was Tooth, she wrapped the cloth around her mouth and nose, everyone else followed her in unison unable to stand it anymore. Surprisingly, the scarf did seem to help, quite alot actually.
Krampus held up a board that had a picture of the forged moon with his left hand, and yanked the chain in his right pulling the real Santa into the room, both his wrists were cuffed, and he was blindfolded.
"SANTA!" Jack and Tooth both called out happily, glad to see that the big man was alive and healthy, minus a bit of weight loss of course.
Santa gasped with a smile after hearing his friend's voices. "My friends!" He happily called back in the direction of their voices, but then stumbled forward a bit when the chains were yanked again to shut him up.
Sandy summoned his golden whips which flickered dully and glitched in his hands. Bunny pulled out a few of his egg bombs, holding them in between his furry fingers. Tooth got out her golden toothpicking instrument, and Jack pointed the bright blue glowing staff at Krampus's head.
"I am in a good mood.. Sssoo I will give you all a choice.. All of you can put one drop of blood onto this board and once I take over thisss pathetic world, you can all become my ssslavesss, or we could fight, though I know all of your movess and I know I can easily wipe you all out and take your blood by force.. What would you preffer?"
They didn't even bother to waste their breath on the disgusting abomination that stood before them, instead they got into a fighting stance. "Very well." The creature purred as he dropped the board, once it made contact with the floor it seemed to melt into it. The floor rippled three times as it merged with the strange board.
"First, Ssssanta's blood shall have the honor of beginning the ritual" The imposter announced happily, slicing open his creator's left hand with his claw.
After recoiling a bit due to the sudden gash, Santa closed his hand trying his best not to let the warm blood that spread over his palm drip, in vain.
A few drops of blood trickled down onto the floor that absorbed it like a sponge.
After the old man had become useless to him, Krampus slammed his head into the wall, making him loose conciousness though he was still breathing.
Bunny threw his boomerang at Krampus's head and sandy tried to tie his ankles with his whips, though both attempts failed miserably and wound up with the two males being knocked into the wall with enough force to create craters.
Jack shot icicles at his knees but also ended up missing the quick-moving limbs. Krampus's speed was absolutely unreal. The colorful fairy tried to get in Krampus's blind spot, forgetting that Krampus had watched them train and knew they'd use that move eventually. A horrifying scream filled the room as the fairy's beautiful wings were ripped brutally out of her back, her blood soaked into the floor as she slid across the rough floor, scraping up her face in the process. "TOOTH!" Jack cried with tears in his eyes and a shaky voice.
An savage, almost inhuman scream thundered out of the sunburnt boy, he had never felt so much rage and pure hatred for anything in his entire life. Rushing at the monster that was busy gobbling her wings, he made the end of the staff sharp qith ice so he could impale the creature in the heart. Krampus snorted at the futile attempt the already worn out boy was making to kill him.
A hard backlash hit Jack, making him slam hard into the ground and temporarly loose conciousness.
Bunny limped holding onto the wall, and threw his bombs at the beast that began to reveal his true form. The enormus mutant dusted off the bombs like they were flies, then he picked the rabbit up by the ears, sadistically enjoying his desperate squirming. "I have alwaysss wondered.. Are rabbitt footsss really luckyy?"
A sickening crunch accompanied by a blood-curtling wail now filled the spacious room. Sandy whipped the glutton's back with all his might, causing the brute to drop Bunny's trembling body. What was once his right foot was now an amputated stump that bled heavily onto the bloodthirsty floor that greedily absorbed every drop.
Sinking down to an arctic, endless, black abyss, the only light was that of the moon that shone down on him. It was peaceful, yet so lonesome.. No sound, no worries, only eternal slumber beckoned the fading life that was lost not long after as his breath escaped his lips and floated upwards in the spherical shapes. Who was he? Why was he given this cold lonesome fate? All his questions remained unanswered but one. "You are.. Jack Frost.." A deep voice whispered as the once brown strands of hair turned a pale silver.
Jolting upwards, the first thing he saw was Santa attempting to strangle the disgusting abomination with the chains connected to his cuffs.
With the sudden movement, a note slipped out of his pocket. Quickly glancing at it, he realized it was something Pitch had secretly put in his pocket when he wasn't paying attention.
It read 'I am going to find his heart, just keep him distracted until I return.'
His heart? So.. Pitch hadn't really betrayed them? Feeling a little relief, he turned his attention back to the beast who had knocked Santa off and was preparing to impale him with his horns.
"HEY UGLY!" Jack taunted to get his attention off his friends.
Krampus snapped his head to the one who dared to insult him with his trademark cheshire razor-sharp smirk he had seen many times battling his shadow version.
Pitch suddenly materialized to find Krampus charging at Jack like a bull.
"KRAMPUS." The ebony haired male called holding up a big black book, which stopped the beast in its tracks, inches away from Jack's face.
Jack took the small life-saving distraction as an oppertunity to pull out his ice dagger and rip through a tendon in his arm.
Krampus hissed at the cheap shot, knocking Jack down, then gripped his fresh wound.
"How did you find that?"
"You forget I am the king of hiding, Krampus."
"You can try to destroy that book all you want~ You know it needs a sacrifice to kill me you fffffooooool" Krampus ridiculed confidently
"Oh, I know.."
Krampus's grey skin went pale as Pitch bit his thumb and opened the book, pressing his bloody thumb on the page.
Jack's eyes widened with horror as he realized what Pitch was doing. He had planned to sacrifice himself.. But why would the cowardly Pitch who always hid in the shadows and always believed in self-preservation more than anything, sacrifice himself like this?
"Pitch! Don't!"
"It's too late" Santa breathlessly choked out, trying to sit upwards against the black wall.
Black closed the book then reappeared behind Krampus, sandwiching the book in between his chest and the other's back, as he headlocked the monster.
"Jack stab through us all the way with your staff." The boogeyman demanded, trying to keep Krampus's wildly thrashing body still.
The boy's legs remained paralyzed as he shakily lifted his cane. His eyes looked around the room, his beaten friends laid clutching their wounds, with missing limbs, in pain, unconscious.. There was no choice, Krampus had to die.. But Pitch...
"DO IT!" Pitch impatiently commanded, having trouble keeping the other still.
Tears filled his eyes as his legs obeyed the command though, it just wasn't right in his heart.
The sharp frozen staff ripped through all three like butter and with that, the vined iron came to life and uncurled, burying itself beneath the sand and the board reappeared for a moment before turning to ash and blowing away with the wind. The fake moon in the sky burned, and the real one shone brightly in its rightful place.
Krampus screeched as the book, along with his own flesh turned into black ash just like the board, which left Pitch alone with the bloody staff through his heart.
Jack's body trembled with pain as he saw the man he'd just begun to actually like, began to loose the light of life from his eyes after pulling the staff out of himself. Giving Jack one last bloody smile he let out a few final words. "Don't think I'll stay in the darkness... Forever.."
Falling back first into the sand, his wound turned the sand a deep ruby red...
(A.N. I AM SORRY I HAVEN'T UPLOADED ANYTHING IN A WHILE. I've had a writers block ;v;'''' Ahem... TY FOR THE COMMENTSSSSSSSSSSS. *SOBS AND CRAWLS INTO A DEEP HOLE TO DROWN SELF IN TEARS*)