Supernatural: Chronicles of the Order 8

Chapter 42: 'Zat You, Lady Reiko?

(DISCLAIMER: No, I don't own Supernatural because it belongs to Eric Kripke and Warner Bros. So, enjoy the show! Rated M for graphic violence, adult content, and adult language)

It's… another special presentation!

It was a calm evening as the fresh snow was still falling all over the place in Skald Island. With everyone in bed for the night, there was one district on Skald Island that always remained open and that was the Tsubaki District in which it housed mainly brothels and nightclubs. Within that district was the inn where Dulcetta worked at. Right next door was the Poppyseed Club as the owner of it was running home to decorate his house with a few bells and whistles. What he didn't notice was that something was stalking him as he froze steadily in his tracks. When he turned around, he saw someone coming towards him as he let out a scream that scared some of the patrons in the Tsubaki District. Even Dulcetta noticed as she ran out of her inn to find out what was going on. To her shock, she found the owner of the Poppyseed Club dead as he was found with most of his innards ripped out of him to the point of being eaten, for this was something beyond the pale indeed.

"Damn it," she said as she saw the townsfolk coming to collect the body. "And it was about to be a festive holiday… Ho-ho-no!"

Dulcetta saw something on the snowy ground as she picked it up. She never saw anything like it before as it was none other than a flower that looked similar to athelas or simblemyne, but different. What she didn't expect was that the creature who killed the victim was still at large as it was getting ready for its next meal, for Christmas was not going too well here on Skald Island on the sly…

The next morning, I was up and alert as I was on the beach with the other children in which they were having fun with the excess snow that was there. The sight of snowballs being crafted and thrown by the other children was a fun sight as I noticed Aora and Ghimru digging into the sand instead of having fun in which they even dug up some unopened mollusks and sand dollars. When Reiko came along with the younger children all dressed in warm clothing, she spotted our oldest set with the booty as they were wanting to have seafood chowder for lunch, but she didn't want them to eat it due to the fact that the older the mollusk gets, the more inedible it becomes.

"Mommy, that's for dinner!" yelled Ghimru as he saw Reiko getting out her angel blade to open up one of the giant mollusks. "I wanted that for seafood chowder!"

"Sorry, little one, but you can't eat it," she said as she opened up the mollusk. "And it seems that you found something in your treasure." Reiko cuts open the mollusk and its inner workings as it revealed a cluster of pearls and gemstones. "You have a pirate's booty in the form of an oyster that lost its way near the beach."

"They're so pretty," said Aora. "We should make a Christmas present for you, Mommy."

"We'll see about that one." Reiko opens up the rest of the booty as she cut open the inner workings of the rest. "I've never seen so many pearls and gemstones before until now. They're so beautiful…"

"Our little boys became treasure hunters before Christmas," I said. "They've inherited my curiosity after all."

It wasn't long until I heard footsteps approaching in which I spotted Nibori coming with a newspaper in her hands. Still, I wanted to know what was going on as I was also in a quandary due to the fact that I was swamped by the endless fun with the children, for this was something out of the ordinary indeed.

"Take a look at the front page," said Nibori as she showed me the newspaper. "'Local nightclub owner, Vinny Vitello, found dead with his innards ripped away from him. Police baffled.'"

"It's in the Tsubaki District," I said as I saw the picture of the grisly detail of blood on the snowy ground. "Looks like the drowners aren't the only problems around the Skalvarg Archipelago."

"What's in the Tsubaki District?" asked Aora out of curiosity.

"It's a place that's tailor-made for grown-ups and not suitable for kids," said Nibori. "It's mainly a carnival for those who go and do adult things in which most of the kiddies have gone to bed in the evenings."

"Do the grown-ups play snowball games?"

"You shouldn't hear too much mature noise, young man," said Reiko as she was wanting Aora to go back into the castle. "Besides, it's almost time for lunch."

It wasn't long until all of the children left the beach as they were going inside to get warm. All that was left were the three of us as I would soon go on a mission against my convalescence. Still, it was just another monster problem as I also had no other choice but to deal with it soon enough.

"It seems that my convalescence has been interrupted in the Christmas recess," I said.

"Oh, no you don't, Sammy," said Reiko as she was not letting me go on a monster hunt. "I'll find out what's been plaguing the Tsubaki District."

"Dulcetta lives there in which she owns an inn."

"She was also the one who bought you those vulgar leg lamps in the sitting room. If she needs help, I'll go and hunt the monster before it harms any more people."

"If that happens, please be careful…"

"She is," said Nibori. "Besides, Reiko can hold her own when it comes to dealing with the big bads."

I was happy and concerned about Reiko as I was also worrying about what was going on in the Tsubaki District. Even though Christmas was coming, there was always a monster to go up against in which it was something that couldn't be ignored, for it had to be found and stopped before it was too late…

Later on in the afternoon, Reiko was walking into the Tsubaki District with Nibori following her in which it was not for the weak-minded when it came to the influx of courtesans and rent boys working all over the brothels. The display of nightclubs that catered to everything from soaplands to sexy pole dancing was too much as both Reiko and Nibori went towards the Poppyseed Club in which there was a funerary shrine of the victim who died last night. Going inside, they never expected to see so many men and women in scantily-clad outfits until they spotted Dulcetta wearing a bikini top and boyshorts with leather chaps while serving drinks to customers. It was an embarrassing moment as this was an awkward situation that Reiko and Nibori got themselves into, for they also had to know about how the victim ended up dead in the first place.

"Dude! What the hell?!" cried Dulcetta as she put away her serving tray.

"We're sorry for your neighbor," said Reiko.

"Yeah…" Dulcetta blushes out of embarrassment as she looks at the clock inching to twelve in the afternoon. "The lounge room is free so I can show you what I found."

"If it's about your neighbor getting killed, then it can't be ignored," said Nibori.

And so, Reiko and Nibori followed Dulcetta into the lounge as they saw her go behind the changing stall and put on some decent clothes. When she walked out of the stall, she fished out the flower that she found as it was encased in plastic in which it was an omen in itself. Reiko remembered something like that as she was no stranger to hearing about what nearly happened to me and Shigeru five years prior. Nibori noticed it directly as it was a clue of what went on in the time of the Elder Days, for it was a plant that caused more trouble than bring more luck.

"We got a problem," she said as she took the flower out of Dulcetta's hand. "This may look like athelas or simblemyne, but this came directly from Earth and it's also known as meadowsweet."

"Meadowsweet?" she said. "Is that what attracted Vinny to the scumbag that had him for dinner?"

"Meadowsweet's a very potent plant that the Pagan gods and worshipers used in their sacrifices and rituals, but it's been thought to be extinct for centuries until it made a comeback when a couple of monsters went on a feeding frenzy in Kanto Village on Alecrast."

"Wait; Sammy and Shigeru went up against them in which they ended the threat," said Reiko. "They also said that the monsters dressed up in strange sweaters and living in a house with Christmas decorations all over it."

"That's a dead ringer to what happened in A Very Supernatural Christmas in which the Winchesters of Old were trapped by two homemakers who lived in a house with Christmas decorations while feasting on unsuspecting victims just to appease their god who happens to be taking victims by going in and out of the chimney."

"If there's a house with suspicious décor all over it, then I'll go in and avenge Vinny's death," said Dulcetta. "The guy was a sleazeball, but he didn't deserve to be eaten in broad daylight."

It wasn't long until Reiko spotted a wreath that was put above the couch in the lounge as she grabbed it off of the wall. The smell of meadowsweet was all over it as Nibori and Dulcetta had a gut feeling that the wreath itself was a bait for the monster to target and eat during the winter months. What she also didn't expect was that there was a receipt on the table as Reiko picked it up the moment she found it to be one of the houses in the Inland District where some of the smaller businesses thrived.

"'Alderson Holiday Décor?'" she said as she saw the name on the receipt.

"That was where Vinny went before he died," said Dulcetta. "He said that he wanted to spruce up the Poppyseed Club just in time for the holidays and everyone loves the taste of spiked eggnog just in time for happy hour."

"Were there any other people here in the Tsubaki District or anyone else living on this island that purchased wreaths from the Alderson Holiday Decor?" asked Nibori.

"That reminds me…"

Dulcetta rushed out of the Poppyseed Club as she went to the inn where she worked. What she found was that there was a wreath of meadowsweet on the front door as she took it off in which whoever bought it was attracting unwanted attention from the monster who killed the owner of the Poppyseed Club. When she tossed out the wreath in the trash, she heard the sound of an adult film playing in which she noticed it playing in the back office in which she spotted a Quenya Elf staring at the television screen seeing scantily-clad women dressed in holiday décor pleasuring a man in a Santa outfit. When she turned off the television, the Quenya Elf was busted as he was at her mercy the moment he was on the verge of getting a reprimand instead of being fired, for he couldn't escape her yet.

"Joder! You caught me, Dulcie!" cried the Quenya Elf as he was blushing out of embarrassment.

"You're lucky that I didn't fire you… yet, but I didn't just catch you in the act watching holiday porn," said Dulcetta. "You also bought that wreath for our inn, didn't you?"

"You didn't throw out the wreath, did you?"

"The wreath was dangerous in which the flowers attract monsters," said Reiko as she entered into the inn. "I'm sorry that Dulcetta threw it out, but she knows now of the flowers that adorn it."

The Quenya Elf spotted Reiko directly as he bowed in her presence. He knew of her before as he was happy that she was there to drive out what was going on in the Tsubaki District. Even though Reiko didn't have much experience as a hunter, but she was doing the dirty work in my stead as there was a monster in plain sight while crawling all over the place during Christmas time.

"Hola, senora," he said as he got up. "It seems that your husband let you out for some fresh air."

"My husband is still recovering from destroying Project Amaterasu two years ago," said Reiko.

"As I recall, the owner of this inn does odd jobs, but she never expected Senor Vitello to up and get eaten by a monster."

"Reiko, meet the man that is foisted to be my future husband, Juan Pablo Trujillo, or you can call him J.P. for short," said Dulcetta. "As for the wreath with meadowsweet, there's no telling who else up and bought those things just to put on their doors during the holiday season. If we don't find out where the Alderson house is in the Inland District, there could be more victims dead because of what happened to Vinny last night."

It wasn't long until Reiko spotted a shadowy figure lurking near the inn as she rushed outside to find out what was there. What she didn't expect was that the meadowsweet wreath that was in the trash was gone as she spotted some candy that was on the ground. Picking it up, she noticed it to be some small peppermints wrapped in plastic as the monster was distraught for not getting its meal earlier, for this wasn't over yet…

I was busy in the kitchen as I was making the desserts that would be great for tomorrow's Christmas dinner. The smell of pumpkin pies baking in the oven were a feast for the eyes as I was also sitting in my wheelchair in which I didn't mind it, for I was getting the desserts done first before the rest of the big dance. By the time that the pumpkin pies got finished, I took them out as I placed them onto the counter to cool. With another set of pies being set up and put into the oven, I set the timer on them as I was more than blessed to make them for Christmas dinner. Still, I was worrying about Reiko as I also didn't want her to be in further danger, but she was starting to be more braver after her tussle with Father Warren on Baratheon.

"Be careful, my darling," I said to myself as I was hoping that Reiko was safe on this monster hunt.

It wasn't long until I heard footsteps entering into the kitchen as I noticed Merrick coming here in which he spotted the pumpkin pies that were on the counter. When he spotted the two other pies, which were pecan, baking in the oven, he was more than likely to be here with his crew on Christmas as he spotted them becoming a much grander mixture than what he experienced in the past with them due to how soupy they were. The smell of the pecan pies were out of this world as they weren't too soupy or too thick in which they were made with the right consistency, for they would soon be out of the oven when the timer was up.

"You really know how to cook when it comes to pies," said Merrick.

"I learned how to cook during my years of living at the fort on Gehenna," I said.

"Your brother's past self had a ravenous appetite for pie back in the Elder Days. He even complained that he had to eat 'rabbit food' while going toe-to-toe with Dick Roman back in the day."

"Dean and his past self know how to go for pie, but he's far away with his unit on Shiganshina. For the record, I didn't have much of a childhood after I left Alecrast and went towards Gehenna where I lived to the point of adulthood."

"I remember when I grew up on Alecrast with my parents and twin brother until we ended up on the streets. Mom up and died from illness while Dad drowned his sorrows in bars. When we made it to the Kingdom by the River, Garland and I were barely getting by until we noticed an influx of Jefferson Starships coming to feed on the townsfolk. One day, we came home to our shanty shack to see our dad, but it wasn't him when we found his corpse on the ground. Garland and I thought it was the end for our lives until we were saved by Seto. I never expected her to go and impale some of those Jefferson Starships that were terrorizing the Kingdom by the River in which she also gave us a chance to thrive after living off the streets. My brother and I had a home in the Order of Letters and we were grateful that we were alive."

"You had it rough, but for me, I was put through the ringer on a daily basis in which I not only tolerated the cruelty, but to remain resilient to the point of me putting others first before me."

It wasn't long until I was checking up on the pies as they didn't have much time left. With the timer having only twenty minutes left, I waited patiently as the pecan pies were baking nicely without any problems. After a long wait, I heard the timer ping as I opened up the oven and got them out one after another in which they were placed on the counter with the other ones. Still, I had so much to do as I slowly got up from my wheelchair and opened up the cupboard to find that there wasn't enough flour or sugar to make other things with. I had to do something as I was more than likely to be going into town for what I needed over there. With the pies covered, I left the kitchen as I had Merrick following me in which he didn't want me to go without protection. With my coat and boots put on, I grabbed my cane as I was going out the door, for I had to get what I needed before the stores closed early.

"You don't have to come with me if you don't want to," I said as I saw Merrick following me.

"Just because you're safe on this island doesn't mean that no one is out to get you here," he said.

"I know that feeling, but I know my way through town here."

"Not all of it, Sam. There's the Inland District with some of the small businesses that build things from furniture to crafting tools. The Tsubaki District is a place where all the whorehouses and strip joints are at in which everyone across the galaxy go here to 'have a good time' with any courtesan or rent boy of their choosing."

"And it's mainly for the adults. As for our trip to the market, I need the usual stuff before it closes early due to the fact that today is Christmas Eve."

It wasn't long until we left the castle as we were on our way to town. With the clock striking towards two, I had little time to get there as the stores closed at four instead of six, for I had to get there before it was too late…

Reiko continued her search for the monster that was causing havoc in town as she had Nibori and Dulcetta in tow. Even though there was no luck yet, they had to find where Alderson Holiday Décor was located at as they spotted several customers standing in line to get some last-ditch efforts for Christmas. When they went to where the shop was found, they rushed inside as they saw so many things meant for traditional holidays from all over the year. It was a madhouse inside as everyone in line were waiting to pay for their stuff and get home just in time for the holiday celebration. When Reiko spotted the meadowsweet wreaths, she feared the worst as she noticed several customers coming to buy them as they swept the shelves in one fell swoop. She even noticed the owner of the shop sitting on the bench as she was sipping a hot cup of coffee in which she was nearly exhausted from having too many orders at once, for Christmas Eve was always hectic every year.

"Oh, it's a madhouse in here," she said as she sipped her coffee.

"You must be good at making those wreaths," said Reiko.

"I only distribute them. Those wreaths were crafted here on Valinor, but the plants that adorn them originally came from Alecrast. They've been going away like hot cakes, but the distributors live near some of the slug roe homes near the Chieftain's castle. Three days ago, Mr. Vitello bought a wreath to decorate one of the V.I.P. lounges in his club, but last night, he ended up dead with his innards chomped out of him as if it was something out of a horror movie."

"Funny, I just tossed out the wreath that was on my door to my place," said Dulcetta.

"The distributors of the wreaths live in a slug roe home, but it's adorned with a butt-load of Christmas decorations that would make the Grinch shit gold bars just to steal it out from under it."

"This isn't the first time or the last when you see a very convincing holiday house," said Nibori as she dug out her talisman from her hip holster. "And to top it off, the house is completely covered with Christmas lights that would even put Clark Griswold to shame."

Reiko saw the image on Nibori's talisman as it was a strange place that lingered in plain sight, but something sinister was lurking beneath the exterior of Christmas lights and other holiday décor adorning the slug roe home. Still, she had a job to do as she knew where the wreaths were coming from, for she had to shut it down before more people end up dead. When she left the shop with Nibori and Dulcetta following, they were aware of what was going on as they also had a gut feeling that the occupants were not as they seem, for this was a grim matter that needed to be put to bed soon enough.

"I know what we're dealing with," she said.

"What are you talking about?" asked Dulcetta.

"Are you talking about Holdnackar?" asked Nibori. "This isn't the first time that the Pagan god of winter up and started feasting on unsuspecting people and not the last. I've read A Very Supernatural Christmas in which the Winchesters of Old found something similar to what's here in which the two occupants that lived in their holiday house tried to kill them, only to end up being staked with evergreen."

Without warning, Reiko noticed an image on Nibori's talisman as she spotted further danger in which she noticed two shady figures returning home with suspicious bags in their hands. What she didn't expect was that a few silver hairs were sticking out of one of them as she sensed that something was very wrong indeed.

"Sammy…" she said as she was worried about my safety.

I made it to the market as I was busy buying some necessary items to have around the house. With some flour, sugar, and other spices, I was paying for my stuff as I had Merrick with me at my disposal. By the time we left, we went towards Kwangya in Motion as we smelled the scent of Korean cooking in the air in the form of jokbal and dakgangjeong being cooked just in time for the lunch and dinner rushes. When we went towards the restaurant, we spotted a meadowsweet wreath on the lamppost as I took it off and examined it. Even Merrick knew what it was as he read about in the Order's archives, for the wreath with it was a red flag all in itself.

"Looks like Alma didn't expect this to be put near her restaurant," he said.

"I've seen this before," I said.

"And it's meadowsweet due to the flower that's often mistaken for athelas and simblemyne. Even though it was on the verge of extinction on Earth, it ended up thriving due to the efforts of plant preservation by the Draaza and they know how to preserve things."

It wasn't long until we saw two people dressed up in ugly sweaters coming towards us as they had bags in their hands. The man and woman were persistent as they followed us away from Kwangya in Motion with the wreath in my hand. Still, we had to get home until we felt dizzy from smelling the wreath in which we fell onto the ground. Merrick was out like a light as I fell second while I dropped my bag of groceries onto the sidewalk. It wasn't long until the man and woman walked towards us as they were ready to bag us for some odd reason, for it was no good at all.

"We made bank, Beatrice," said the man as he put Merrick into his bag. "After we gullibly used our expertise to allow the townsfolk to buy our wreaths and not place them in other places, we made bank for tonight's feast."

"Hold on there, Bernie," she said as she bagged me up in her bag. "That sleazeball who owned the Poppyseed Club had the gall to put his wreath in the V.I.P. lounge and look what happens. Our patron saint of Pagans have up and pigged out before the holiday festivities for the Winter Solstice starts up."

"We bagged a pair of nincompoops and it's time that we have our own feast, fruitcake and all."

"That's a swell idea."

The man and woman, known as Bernie and Beatrice, were not the average monsters in sheep's clothing in which they were even dressed to the nines with their ugly sweaters and stocking caps to match. Still, they had a huge feast to make as tomorrow was Christmas Day, but their finds would be their undoing on the sly, for the time for doing it would be their downfall…

Reiko and her group returned to the inn as they were in a clearing that housed a cluster of pine trees that were very peculiar. Nibori recognized them to be evergreens as they were a potent weapon against the Pagan monsters who were selling the meadowsweet wreaths in the first place. Even Dulcetta was more than likely to be forging some stakes from the evergreens that were growing in a row near her inn as she also didn't want anyone else to end up dead before Christmas, for it was a godsend to send those trees her way.

"I know that those things are an invasive species in the Skalvarg Archipelago, but I'm not gonna let Evil Santa unleash his monster to eat everyone here on Skald Island," she said as she crafted some stakes. "There's a Christmas house to crash and we're the party crashers."

"You disapprove of the evergreens, don't you?" said Reiko as she used her angel blade to make more stakes. "They look pretty, but it's a shame that we have to cut a few branches off of them."

"Evergreens have been an invasive species of plant on Valinor in which they mainly grow on Germanicus," said Nibori as she crafted some stakes. "As soon as we storm Evil Mr. and Mrs. Claus, the better we put the monster threat to bed."

"I never expected such a tree to be invasive, but we'll be honored to make what we get out of them."

"And we'll avenge our nightclub owner, but this isn't Holdnackar's only kill. In the past few years, his handlers were responsible for selling meadowsweet wreaths in the Shigan town of Helatrion two years ago and again a year later in the Lannisterian city of Kivrhee, which is right next door to the Sprawl. This time, our Pagan worshipers have made their way to Skald Island for the bulk of sacrifices all in the form of a little wreath."

And so, everyone in Reiko's group gathered up the evergreen stakes as they were ready to infiltrate the house where the meadowsweet wreaths were made. They had a job to do as they also had to go up against the monsters who kept Holdnackar with them for a while, for they had to use a few evergreen branches to their weapons at their disposal.

"Oh, joder! What did you do to the trees?!" cried J.P. as he came out of the inn and saw the mess of them with missing branches. "My papi planted those trees…"

"You can plant more, jackass!" yelled Dulcetta. "First, we're taking down the 'warm and fuzzy' Pagans in sheep's clothing before it's too late!"

And so, Reiko and her group were ready to go towards the house where the meadowsweet wreaths were made as there wasn't any time to lose. Still, dealing with the likes of Holdnackar and his minions was very new to Reiko as she had to do her best to stop it, for the monsters won't stop until they leave with full bellies in mind…

I woke up as I found myself tied up in a chair in which Merrick was done the same way. We noticed our surroundings very clearly as we were trapped in a dining room complete with Christmas décor and dinner fixings. There was also the sound of Christmas music blaring as we heard "Deck the Halls" playing full blast before it switched over to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" afterwards. Our overall surroundings consisted of less holiday cheer and more torture dungeon as we saw a pewter bowl with a set of ritual knives and two small wreaths of meadowsweet on a table next to a stack of fruitcakes. What we also didn't expect was that we were dressed in ugly sweaters as we even had red and green stocking caps on our heads. We never expected to be kidnapped in broad daylight as we had to get out of here before we ended up on the menu or the guests of honor in comparison.

"This is beyond the pale," I said as I was struggling to break free.

"And that's a reason why I don't attend Christmas parties anymore," said Merrick as he was staring at the ugly sweater that he had on. "All the décor we got on makes us look like something out of one of those ancient Christmas movies."

"You never liked ugly sweaters, do you?"

"Agni wanted me to dress up in one in which it had Buddy the Elf on the front with his wide mouth yelling, 'Santa!' with a green background. That thing was atrocious in which I ended up getting the full brunt of humiliation on my part."

"Well, at least we're not wearing any pink Easter Bunny outfits for Christmas…"

We heard the sound of footsteps approaching as we saw Bernie and Beatrice coming as they were mainly "dressed to the nines" in their ugly sweaters and other decorative décor. From a standpoint, the two monsters in ugly sweaters were ready to prepare a feast and a ritual sacrifice as they were ready to make their move, for they wanted this Winter Solstice to be perfect before it was over.

"Well, now; our two 'guests' have woken up," said Beatrice. "It took you long enough to see the meadowsweet wreath complete with a sleeping powder just to knock out a horse with."

"Your wreath operation will not go to plan, I assure you," I said.

"Oh, we never forgot about how our brethren ended up dead in Kanto Village on Alecrast five years ago. Tonight, we're gonna feed you to our god, Holdnackar."

"So, you trapped Sam all because he iced your previous operation," said Merrick as he was struggling to get free. "Sorry to cut it short, but your 'god' had way too many drive-thru runs just because he has a bad case of the munchies."

"Oh, our wayward moose has been on Holdnackar's poop list ever since he and that Elf put a damper on the operation in Kanto Village," said Bernie. "Time really does fly when you have fun…"

"Now then…," said Beatrice as she placed the meadowsweet wreaths on us. "It's time to throw a real holiday party."

It wasn't long until we saw the two monsters get out the pewter bowl as they had their knives in their hands. With our sleeves rolled up, we were about to experience a little bloodletting in which I saw Bernie cut at my arm in which I noticed the blood pour into the pewter bowl. Merrick, on the other hand, ended up getting his arm cut by Beatrice the moment he saw the blood being put into the pewter bowl in which he didn't want to be in this mess to begin with.

"This really hurts like a bitch!" he yelled as he winced in pain.

"Language!" yelled Beatrice as she pointed her knife at him. "Do you know what happens if you use foul language? You either get a paddling, a nickel in the swear jar, or… having your throat cut after we procure the fingernail and tooth."

"Oh, I'm gonna do more than just put a nickel in the swear jar 'cause I'm gonna put your sorry asses in your place, especially if you're wearing those shitty ugly sweaters."

"Oh, we have a feisty one on our hands," said Bernie. "For the record…," He grabs a pair of pliars as he rips a fingernail from Merrick's hand the moment he let out a scream that drowned out the Christmas music playing in the background. "Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick! We got a winner!"

"Don't forget the tooth," said Beatrice as she took the pliars as she was ready to pull out one of my teeth. "Who's up for a little dental work on Christmas Eve?"

DING-DONG!

I was about to lose a tooth as I heard the doorbell ringing. Both Bernie and Beatrice stopped what they were doing as they rushed towards the door. When they opened it up, there was no one there in which their ritual was interrupted due to a prank. Looking outside, they saw a hex bag on the ground as it blew up into evergreen sawdust that caused them to choke in which they couldn't take what was there. What they didn't expect was that Reiko came in through the back door with her group in tow as they untied us before the Pagan ritual would be complete.

"How did you find us?" I asked.

"We better get going before Evil Santa and Mrs. Claus get back in here," said Nibori.

"Take Sammy and Merrick out of here," said Reiko.

"I've got this," said Dulcetta as she led us out the back door.

"They're coming back inside!"

"And they're back for seconds," said Nibori as she was armed with the evergreen stakes and hex bags filled with sawdust. "Sorry, but the ugly sweater party's been cancelled!"

It wasn't long until Reiko and Nibori saw the two monsters as they were coming towards them. With their stakes in their hands, they were ready to fight until they saw Bernie and Beatrice coming towards them. When Nibori threw another hex bag at them, they were stunned in their tracks as they were breathing in the evergreen sawdust that was in it. Without hesitation, Reiko used her angelic power to stun the two monsters in ugly sweaters as she saw Nibori being encased in crystal while she held the evergreen stake in her hand.

"Surprise, Mamacita!" she yelled as she used the evergreen stake that was enhanced with the imprint of raw power on her back. "You just made Santa's naughty list just now!"

Nibori stabbed Beatrice with the evergreen stake that was infused with raw power as she saw the monster dead on the floor. When Bernie saw this, he became enraged as he was ready to attack until Reiko stabbed him with the stake in her hand. She never expected to kill a Pagan before as she later noticed Holdnackar emerging from the basement the moment he saw his worshipers dead. She was up to full power with her angelic abilities as she stared the god of the Winter Solstice down the moment she saw his eyes melting before he disappeared once again, for she wasn't tolerating it, especially when it was Christmas Eve.

"You may be gone, but you will not hurt anyone else again," she said as she returned to normal.

"That's one Christmas party that's not on anyone's bucket list," said Nibori as she returned to her normal form. "It's ironic that the Pagans from the Elder Days still worship Holdnackar after all those centuries, but you ended up blinding him."

"He was on the naughty list anyway." Reiko hears a loud whistle blowing as she had to leave with Nibori in tow. "Oh, dear… We need to leave."

And so, Reiko and Nibori left the house as they later noticed Dulcetta gathering up the rest of the meadowsweet wreaths in which she placed them into a bonfire the moment she poured lighter fluid all over them. With a lighter in her hand, she set the wreaths on fire as they burned brightly in which the monster threat was averted, for everyone on Skald Island was saved for now.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," she said as she saw the bonfire burning.

"With the monsters gone, what will happen with the evergreen stakes?" asked Reiko.

"I'll use them for firewood, perhaps… Or perhaps J.P. will use them to make wooden toys just to be good luck charms."

It wasn't long until Merrick and I walked towards the fire as we were warming ourselves with it. After all that has happened, I was glad that it was all over in which I noticed J.P. running towards us the moment he was happy that the monsters were gone, for this was one Christmas that was in the record books…

"Sammy, wake up!"

I was in my bed as I noticed Reiko coming into the room with a concerned look on her face. Even though it was Christmas morning, the worst was over as I wanted to sleep in a little longer even after I had my arm bandaged up from last night. What I didn't expect was that I would be in for a big surprise the moment I got up and left the room with Reiko in tow. When we went downstairs, we smelled the turkey cooking as we went towards the kitchen in which we spotted Merrick with a bandage on his finger. What I also didn't expect was that he was wearing a different ugly sweater as it had Buddy the Elf with his mouth open while yelling, "Santa!" on the front of it. I never expected him to wear it, but it was better than wearing pink Easter Bunny suits on Christmas Day. Just as Reiko was about to take out the turkey, we noticed Dirk and Gyatso rush into the kitchen as they put on their oven mitts and took it out of the oven in which they uncovered another dirty joke just in time for Christmas dinner, for there was no end to the adult humor that came out of nowhere.

"And there you have it," said Dirk as he showed off the turkey with another that was broken down, tied in twine, and shoved into the cavity between its legs. "We would've put the other one in the oven, but Drusus got the other roaster just to make some beef brisket."

"You did it again," I said as I saw the embarrassing that was cooked to perfection on the counter.

"But we didn't have a choice, Sam," said Gyatso. "We got two turkeys in which we had to break one of them down just to fit."

"And once again, you boys just had to craft another turkey dildo."

"There would've been some stuffing, but Kanna put it all in the turducken that was roasting outside," said Dirk. "Christmas is hectic, but we gotta do our best to pull our weight."

"That's so true," said Gyatso. "I also brought in your groceries after you left them."

"Next time, let me cook the turkey," said Reiko. "Besides, there could only be one with all the stuffing we can have."

"For now, there's the turkey dildo," said Merrick. "After last night's debacle with the Christmas party from hell, we just had to get back home before anything else happened on the sly."

"Careful with the adult language, Captain." Reiko looks at Dirk and Gyatso briefly as they were not about to get out of their situation yet. "As for you two, you need to go and wash up so you can get your dinner."

"We will," they both said as they left the kitchen.

I was left with Reiko and Merrick in the kitchen as they were staring at the turkey in which the infamous "turkey dildo" stuck out, but not without being tasted first. When I took a piece of it, I enjoyed it as it was tender like the last one. Still, after last night's debacle, everyone was at home without the presence of meadowsweet wreaths causing trouble. With Dulcetta back in the Tsubaki District at her inn and Nibori reporting what occurred last night, the worst was behind us as we also had to be careful when going to future Christmas parties. Still, I was with the saving grace in her elegant dress with her silver hair put up while she was right by my side, for she was a guardian angel in her own right.

"You saved us last night," I said.

"Nibori and Dulcetta helped, too, Sammy," said Reiko.

"You stopped two Pagans from conducting their ritual at the behest of Holdnackar. You've done your fair share of saving people and hunting things so far."

"I know, but the people in ugly sweaters tried to kill you and the captain last night."

"Out of all the Christmas presents that you got, Sam, the best one that you have is standing by your side," said Merrick as he was pointing at Reiko. "She's more than just a loving wife and mother, but she's a godsend that saved our asses from certain death."

"I know…," I said as I stared at Reiko with a hint of warmth. "Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

I hugged Reiko warmly as I was glad to have her with me in my darkest hour. Even though everyone was celebrating Christmas, it was a holiday for the better as we all had families to be with just in time to share the joy that we all have, for this was a much greater time to love everyone around us with what we have now…

To be continued...