Chapter 3

Gift Town

It was the Angel Market on steroids. At the foot of the towering Christmas tree lay a sprawling, colorful town full of falling snow and bustling customers. Choirs were singing around what felt like every corner. People were buying gifts, giving gifts, and then rewrapping those same presents to sell or to pass along to someone else. Dark World monsters like toys marched around greeting everyone within sight.

"Merry Christmas!"

"Feliz Navidad!"

"Frohe Weihnachten!"

"Joyeux noël!"

"Hauskaa joulua!"

"Meri Kurisumasu!"

"Hey Kris, that sounded like that porcelain gal was talking to you," Susie snickered.

Kris waved hi to the egg puzzle monster that popped open to have the smallest guy on the inside shout out, "S ROZHDESTVOM!"

This was certainly a peculiar turn. Kris' family had never assembled toys and trinkets from all over the world before. The Dark World reflected the area where a Fountain was opened, just like how the last time this had happened the Dark World had incorporated the kitchen and the television set. Kris looked around, trying to find the Dark Fountain, but there wasn't any.

They tried to point this out to Susie, but she was already sprinting ahead to a stall. There were all kinds of scarves on display. There were the classic Henry Porter scarves, embroidered with the coat of arms for each house in the Pigzits Magical Academy. Asriel always loved that series, but Kris had found it overhyped and derivative. But Susie wasn't looking at those scarves, but at a woolly purple length of cloth.

"Hey, Kris! Do we have any Dark Dollars? It'd be nice to have some warming accessories while we're here. If Ralsei doesn't show up, I won't be able to share his scarf."

"Swipe it is more like it," Kris chuckled, checking their inventory. They asked for the prices on the scarves. 25 Dark Dollars per scarf.

That was cheap enough. They were low on Dark Dollars without any new adventures across the different Dark Worlds. And they had emptied the bank to load up on supplies to survive the final battles during the Fall. So, Kris had just enough to purchase a scarf. Susie grinned and held up two.

"Merry Christmas, Kris!"

Soon, a purple and a blue scarf were wrapped around their necks, and they were wandering around the town. Hand-in-hand, they explored, trying to find out what was going on. They quickly learned the name of the site: Gift Town. The many jolly citizens were happy to report that they had always been around.

"The Christmas spirit lasts all year 'round!" a festive doll said happily. "Even if you can't see us doesn't mean we aren't always there!"

"That's way too cheesy for me," Susie muttered.

"Giving is sharing, sharing is caring, and caring never goes away," a snowman trapped inside a snow globe explained happily. "Now, can you please let me out? It's freezing in here!"

"You'll freeze if we let you out," Susie pointed out.

"Then why do people live in igloos?"

"Um, that's a good point… Perhaps Noelle would know," Susie said under her breath.

Another monster, a cheery Teddy bear, toasted them with eggnog and said, "Christmas is in our hearts! Therefore, it is always with us, just like this town is always with you!" He pointed at Kris' chest.

Memories of being controlled against their will flashed across Kris' mind. They decided not to respond to the Teddy Bear and moved on.

"Well, it's clear that this place is acting like one of your mother's Mall Card movies," Susie said. "Do you think we should start checking which of the hobos here is really Santa?"

"There's too many Santas," Kris said, watching a parade of Santas march by, playing Silver Bells.

"Perhaps we should climb the tree and see where the Dark Fountain is," Susie suggested. "We can then head out on a new adventure!" The way she grinned so widely, so excitedly made Kris smile in response. It was great seeing her already falling back into hero mode. "But first! Let's get something to eat! I'm starving and this place smells waaaaay too good!"

It didn't help that they were passing by a gingerbread house. The gingerbread folk caught a glimpse of the ravenous gleam in her yellow eyes and scurried back inside. Not that it would help them much in the case of Susie attack. Kris recalled clearly how she had torn up the countryside when they first got to the Dark World together and had slaughtered many delicate pastries.

Kris pointed out that they needed to first make some more money. The two teens began asking around if there was anyone who needed some hero work done. For a premium price! Instead, they kept getting offered scented candled and eggnog. Wherever the proffered goodies were free, Susie would immediately cram her mouth. This led to them getting kicked out of a couple of shops.

They finally found someone who was willing to pay to have help wrangling their nativity critters running loose.

"Dibs on tackling the elephant and camels!" Susie shouted, chasing after the creatures with her axe.

Kris found fence segments and placed them out to form a path for the sheep. They then chased after the bleating animals and directed the small stampede back into the corral. But those same sheep rushed the enclosure to leap the paddock fence. Yelping, Kris gave chase.

WHAM!

Susie appeared, carrying a camel over her shoulders. Spinning around, she clobbered the sheep back into the corral.

"Nice job with those fences, Kris! Let's grab those and pile them high to prevent these little guys from getting out again." She was leading the elephant by it trunk. Two more camels were still on the run.

Tearing up the picturesque fencing that bordered the street, the two teens fortified the corral and made sure the caught critters couldn't escape a second time. They then chased down the camels. Susie threw Kris like a javelin to latch onto their reins and pull them up. She then bellyflopped both of them for good measure.

However, riding them back home was not the wisest idea. The camels' gait was like rocking on a boat in a storm. And Susie had too much free eggnog and snacks in her. She was green and ready to puke by the time they got the last runaway camels locked up in the corral.

Kris proudly held up 300 Dark Dollars. Susie looked away.

"Don't even mention food right now if you want to keep your head, Kris…"

They rested and let Susie rein in her own runaway stomach.

The snow continued to fall, but Kris noticed that no matter how much the clouds released the roads never got clogged. There wasn't even any slush from all the people running about doing their shopping and caroling. Truly, this was a different kind of winter wonderland, locked in one beautiful, frantic moment.

Susie finally got her head out from between her knees and gasped, "Alright! Doing better! Ready to attack some gingerbread houses?"

Kris grinned mischievously. They were always ready.

They got themselves some minty hot chocolate and candy canes to stir their cups. Susie said that Kris couldn't complain about getting so much of the delicious mud considering how much tea they made her and Ralsei try out in the Cyber World. Kris was going to point out that it wasn't them that had determined that, but let it slide for now.

The next-door shop had a brilliant display of more snow globes. It was run by the same snowman who had begged them to free him.

"Hey, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em! And sell 'em!" he said in a happily resigned tone. "Go ahead and check out my wares! You'll be surprised what you can all do with the right kind of snow globe!"

Kris and Susie exchanged a look before stepping in. They found other smaller snowmen trapped in their own perpetual storms. There were Hawaiian humans and monsters in bikinis laying out on the beach and waving in the snow. Susie thought to herself that she would be dead before getting caught in a bikini. There were Christmas trees, Santas, the Angel, carolers, and plenty of other characters all trapped inside their own glass globes.

"They all look nice, but do we really need one?" Susie asked.

Krish shrugged. They were pricey. One snow globe would cost them 200 Dark Dollars. They had already coughed up 20 Dark Dollars for the cocoa and candy canes. They wouldn't have a lot to deal with snacks afterwards. However, Kris did feel bad for not letting the shopkeeper out of his globe earlier.

They bought a small snow globe with a Santa snowman wearing a bikini.

"Thanks for supporting me in my new dream to be an imprisoned storekeep!" the snowman said, accepting their money.

"Maybe the sooner we climb the tree and find the Dark Fountain, the better," Susie said. Her stomach grumbled and she said, "Once we've had a little more food."

In the center of Gift Town was a large, open market. Here people were selling Christmas costumes, smoking statues, elaborate castles with fans that would spin when lit candles were inserted inside, wreaths, chocolate calendars, and even more gifts. It reminded the teens of the same setup they had back home. They almost found themselves looking around for Noelle. It was then that Susie excitedly found a new store to try out.

"How do you pronounce this word?" Susie asked the gruff forest gnome manning the stall.

"Lebkuchen!"

"Bless you," Susie replied.

"Well, are you going to buy anything?"

Kris wasn't so sure about the odd-looking cookies. However, Susie's eyes were wider than a playful kitten's gazing up at the chocolate-coated hearts and wreaths. Kris paid up another 70 Dark Dollars to purchase them each a Lebkuchen.

Just one bite and the teens were in a heaven they had never dreamed of before. The crumb was chewy and had some nuts. The whole cookie was spiced, a combination of sharp and smooth. The chocolate made it all go down easy.

"We gotta get the recipe so your mom makes some of these," Susie gushed. "They're delicious!"

"Not handing it over!" the gnome harrumphed.

Susie pulled Kris in and whispered, "Then it's time to get back to stealing. What do you say? Still got the balls on you, Kris?"

Susie still thought they had stolen the gift that they had given to her back in Cyber World. They never bothered correcting her, since it made them look more badass in her eyes than Kris felt half the time. Kris made some motions for how they were going to distract the gnome and then dive into the stall and swipe the recipe.

But before they could put the plan into motion a chorus of screams cut off the incessant Christmas caroling.

"KRANKPUS!"

A collective gasp and shudder ran through the open market. Kris could feel it rippling well beyond and into the rest of Gift Town.

"No further purchases! We're closed!" the gnome barked before diving out of sight.

All the other citizens were following suit. The stall runners and shopkeepers all ducked out of sight or slammed their doors shut and locked them. Corner Santas leaped into trashcans. Parents stuffed their kids into strollers and bags before sprinting away. Others threw themselves under nearby trees and pretended to be presents.

Kris began chortling but stopped when they saw Susie's reaction. Her scales were turning pale, and her hands shook. They gently took her hand, asking, "Susie? What's the matter?"

"Uh… I, uh… I'm just remembering," she said, licking her lips nervously.

Everyone was going silent around them. Soon, only the sounds of the winds, the snow, and the scraping of distant claws could be heard. This was followed by a low rumble, as if someone was singing a tune very, very off key. Susie was still frozen in place. Kris spotted a high bank of snow and shoved their girlfriend towards it.

With a push and a jump, they crashed into the snow. Kris did a quick job to disguise them both as lumpy snowmen. And just in time, too. A shadowy creature slunk into the town square. Despite stooping and showing off a prominent hump, the beast towered over everyone else Kris had seen so far. It was a bearded dragon, with an impressive crown of curly horns that stuck through the hood thrown over its ancient head. It was angular and sharp, but the scaly skin off the Krankpus' bones. Long, unclean claws dragged along the road, cutting gouges through the snow and pavement.

A sack was thrown over the Krankpus' shoulder. More spines and horns burst from its back. Chains and nets were used as a network of belts to keep its tattered coats and robes around it. White, gleaming eyes roved, searching for new victims. It took a few sharp breaths before moving along. It waved some of its fingers as it passed, slashing the nearest stalls into pieces.

Krankpus cackled unpleasantly as it walked away and vanished deeper into the town.

Kris remained in the snow, unsure of what to do. It had been impossible to get a good read on the Krankpus and assess how to best beat it. Worst, Susie was still incapacitated with fright. They needed to help her out before they figured out how to best deal with the Christmas horror.

"Hi there, Kris! Susie! Let's get you two warmed up!"

Ralsei's voice was still ringing in their ears when his magic washed over them. The snow flew off the frozen teens as the healing took effect. Their nerves regained the ability to feel anything but burning pain and their body temperatures returned to somewhat normal. Susie was still shivering though, and Kris hurriedly led her over to where a few stalls were steaming with unattended pots of hot chocolate, hot cider, and something that smelled very alcoholic.

Susie warmed her hands while Kris rubbed her back and sides. She was incredibly embarrassed, which made her feel even warmer than before. The medicine was working.

"If we weren't dating, I would twist off your head for this," she growled to Kris as their hands got a little too close to her chest. But she relaxed and said, "Thank you, Kris… Thank you, Ralsei. Your uncanny knack of appearing right where we need you when we need comes in clutch again."

"I sensed you entering the Dark World and a new Dark Fountain is raging. I just… Haven't seen it yet," he added, disappointed.

Kris indicated that they hadn't seen anything either.

"I caught a glimpse of that big guy who was going through here. He caused a real mess, didn't he?' Ralsei commented. "I know you probably don't want to hear this, Susie, but I think you did the right thing to hide rather than fight. That guy struck me as the kind of person we can't just talk with."

"He's Krankpus," a holiday elf said, suddenly appearing behind the group. "He keeps coming down from the Angel's Tree and terrorizes Gift Town! He hates all things Christmas and does his best to terrorize us and prevent anyone from celebrating with seasonal cheer."

Susie grunted. "Yeah, that sounds like him. My dad and his family used Krankpus as an excuse to not give me presents during most Christmases, saying that because I had been a 'bad girl'," she said, making quotes in the air. "That my presents were taken and eaten by him as punishment. And… Sorry for locking up back there, Kris. It was just an unpleasant reminder of times I want to put past me."

Kris massaged her shoulders comfortingly, promising that they would work through it together.

"Working through it won't do anything," the Lebkuchen gnome snapped, joining the elf. More and more Gift Town citizens were joining the group to check on the damage and complain. "That monster will never stop so long as he breathes! He despises all things Christmas! He won't stop until Gift Town is wiped off the map!"

"But Gift Town has nowhere else to go! We're here so long as there is Christmas!"

"We're the embodiment of the Christmas spirit!"

"Who will craft toys for the Santas to help place around the world?"

"We're the reason Ol' Saint Nick can cover as much of the world as he does," a puppet monster told Kris proudly.

"Looks like we've got to go up the tree," Susie commented. "We should have done that first, eh Kris?"

Kris assured her that it had been fine to first check out the sights in town and grab a bite to eat. It was just depressing that this was the unpleasant turn their adventure was now taking. But before they left to stop Krankpus, they should probably help everyone rebuild.

"That's a brilliant idea!" one Darkner who seemed to be made of living tree lights cheered. "It will really brighten things up around here if we can fix up the damage done. Let's search and bring the vandalism to light!"

"Uh huh, we get it," Susie said pointedly.

The three heroes quickly got to work gathering all of the damaged wood and rescuing the ruined goods. With only a few workable planks of woods and material, they decided to merge the stalls into one open table and window for people to visit.

"The holidays really do bring people together," the crowd sighed.

"We can maximize profits by working together!"

"Traditions are meant to be shared and blended!"

"Every cloud has a silver lining after all!"

"And this place is maybe just a little too cheery," Susie complained.

"Well, we can illuminate you as to the reas-,"

"One more light pun of double meaning out of you, and I am going to burst your bulbs!" Susie threatened. "Come on, Kris. Let's see if there's anything else we need to fix up."

The Krankpus had acted more like a disrespectful cat than anything else. Walls and doors were scratched up, but otherwise there was very little vandalism or damage. But it only carved into certain homes. Ralsei asked the citizens if they knew anything about the marks, if they had discovered any pattern. The people of Gift Town reported that they didn't have a clue. As far as they knew, Krankpus never attacked the same home twice and he had never broken into any of them.

However, Kris did spot one house like a disheveled present with doll house haphazardly sticking out the brown, ugly wrappings. This one appeared to have been slashed up repeatedly. The people of Gift Town who followed them around only shook their heads when Kris questioned what was up with that home when all the others were supposedly only struck once.

"Every town has its own humbug."

"We do our best to avoid that place."

"The guy inside hasn't produced anything to brighten up Christmas in years!"

"Alright, that does it!" Susie roared, grabbing the light strand citizen and drop-kicked over a nearby house.

"Is the dragon girl also a humbug?"

"No," Kris said emphatically. They worried how this sudden turn was going to affect Susie and her enjoyment of the holiday. They had been so happy to share Christmas with her, but Krankpus and these Mall Card characters were quickly ruining that for her.

"Well, you can all do a good Christmas service and give that poor guy in there a nice song, some free goodies, and perhaps fix up his house," Ralsei offered. "It would be very Christmassy of you, after all."

"The goat boy has a point. Let's do it!" the townsfolk cheered and rushed towards the house.

Ralsei pulled his friends away and whispered, "Right now might a good time to leave. I like this place and all, but I get the feeling that the atmosphere is growing kind of… Cold. Sorry for the pun, Susie!"

"Whatever, you're right," she said.

The three friends slunk away and walked towards the Angel's Tree. It puzzled Kris that the people here kept referring to Christmas but did not describe the impossibly large pine tree as a Christmas tree. Looking up towards the distant, unseen top, there was a glorious beacon sending out unceasing beams of light. The Angel on top had to be responsible for that. But where was the Fountain?

"Hey Susie, are you okay?" Ralsei asked as they left town.

"Nah, I'm just thinking about a lot of things. I hate feeling weak back there and freezing. I should have helped out the people and slugged that Krankpus right in the snout! I could have shouted, 'Take that, dad!' while pummeling him into the snow! And if he tried fighting back, I'd have given his nails a trip with my axe!"

Kris smiled. "That's the spirit, Susie. Just because you got to you earlier doesn't mean that you will lose to him again. And if this guy represents bad memories, there's no better way to put him and them behind than by kicking his butt."

"But punting his ass over the tree and to kingdom come," Susie said, regaining her characteristic vicious grin and the dangerous gleam in her eye.

"And of course, we'll help loads of people by doing this, which always feels better than revenge," Ralsei pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah, we'll be perfect saints," Susie scoffed. She paused, though, and looked at her friends. Kris and Ralsei were still here for her. No matter what happened, she could always count on them. She raised her axe in challenge to the Angel's Tree and shouted, "Alright, nerds! Let's make this a Christmas to remember! If Krankpus wants a haunting, I've got three ghosts for him right here: The Ghost of Christmas Fluff Past, the Ghost of Krismas Presents Their Sword in Your Gut, and most frightening, the Ghost of My Axe in Your Future Face!"

Kris laughed along with her, while Ralsei once again looked like he questioned the people he hung out with.