The 10 days of Christmas

[kari0003]

Kari0003 : The ten days of christmas

10 days to Christmas

"We have big issues, and Christmas is nearing with every minute!" Santa called all the elves to the Council hall. Little, peaky hats everywhere, they are all listening to the beardy man in the middle.
The presents are ready, and the list is full now, but tonight all of the reindeer disappeared.
"This is serious, if we cant find them in time, Christmas will be ruined." said Santa. Worried whispers all around the room. This is what they worked for all year? It cant be. Most of the elves finished their yearly work, and they were eager to see the happy children getting their presents. There is no better reward on the world than the happy faces of the children.
A short man with black beard and mustache stepped on the pulpit. "We even have worse problems. The Sentinels said that the Mad King's forces are moving against us. Now that the reindeers are gone, we are not fully safe. We have to fortify the workshop, and organize defense."
He shared the details, and the elves started their tasks.
After the meeting was over Kari - head of security - met his friend Am'ar in his suite. It was uncommon to see an orc in Santas Workshop, but Am'ar liked it here, he helped a lot with tasks what the little elves cant do.
"I got an important task for you" said Kari. "The reindeer are missing. We have to figure out where are they, and who stole them. Its possible that we have a spy." The elves would never betray Santa, so the spy must be one of the guests.
In the evening, Kari went around the workshop to check how the work is done. The elves really made a great job, they fortified the gates and windows with stones and magic seals. They moved the magic crystal beamers from the factory to the Workshop's top floor. With the beams pointing out, one elves' magic power will shoot ten times stronger to the rushing demons. Lot of the elves were practising with arcane forged sabers, and knives. The others reopened the emergency tunnel, and prepared the carts to move.
Everything is going great, only the deers are missing.


9 days to Christmas

"While Am'ar is searching for the reindeers, we cant be sure that he can return them in time, we need a B plan" said Kari to the few people around the table.
"Why dont we build an engine for the Sleigh that would replace the reindeers." Suggested DeadlyStroke, who was an energy entity. He helped to prepare the virtual presents, and he was also helping in security.
"Im afraid, that wouldnt be enough, the deers are enchanted with magic 101 times. Its almost impossible to build an engine stronger than them."
"I got an idea" stepped up Bisnar " We should use portals to every house. If we combine the crystal beamers, we can open portals frequently enough, to deliver the presents" That was a really good idea instead, but opening the portals would still need huge energy. Lot of elves would injure during the activation.
"Allright, sounds promising, but we need to find the best combination of the beamers to avoid total exhaustion." said Kari, while he was calculating numbers on his tablet.
For the rest of the day, they made calculations, and ideas about how could they deliver the presents.
Concerning notifications appeared, some of the scouts lost in the woods, others told about a Half Demon aproachig the mountain. However by the evening, most the fortifications were ready.


8 days to Christmas

The northern wind made this morning really cold, the elves had to close the tunnel's entrance to keep the snowstorm out. A new guest arrived, he seems a normal human, and he is nice.
The Sentinels' report arrived. The wind was whizzing trough the roof as Kari read the letter.
"Evil energies concentrating in various points in the mountains. This is the kind of matter used to build portals. There are six portals appearing at the moment, our arcane magic cannot be used to close those portals, because they are from nether dimensions. The nearest portal is only 10 miles away from the workshop, and we could feel an incredibly big portal opening in the valley.
No news about the reindeer, they did not left the area. If we are dealing with a thief, he is still there.
Until further notice, we are staying hidden and continue reporting daily.
The Sentinels"
Kari wrinkled his brows. "This can be bad. If the portals opening, the demon forces will invade the workshop within an hour. I must finish the assignments of the elven squads in case of a fast attack."
Meanwhile, Santa was trying to strengthen the arcane magic. He also searches a way to make a reindeer capable of transporting within a week. This is harder than it seems.


7 days to Christmas

Only the flames of the torch lighted the room. The three shades in work clothes were standing around a blackened crystal.
"This is the third since the morning. We cant afford the power loss, the portals are getting to the final stage." Kari was under the beamer screwing off the cover while he was talking to the armoured elf. "You need to double the guards at the remaining crystals, Proxy"
"Immediately, noone will go in without our permission." Nodded the elf. He was wearing a peaky helmet, and there was a golden badge on it. He was the commander of the elven divisions, after some training he turned out to be a great warrior and leader.
Proxy left, and Kari turned to Bisnar who was holding the torch. "Please call DeadlyStroke, he need to reroute some circuits" The first two broken beamers went bad irreversibly, because they started to reheat them immediately.
DeadlyStroke appeared from an outlet. Within ten minutes he did his job, and the crystal was ready to the reheat. The glow first appeared inside the crystal, then filled the whole room. They connected it the main current and everything was back to normal. Except this time more elves stood in front of the door.
"Another broke down!" gasped the elf in the door, as Kari was preparing his dinner. "We couldn't see anything, the door was closed while it happened." It was already dark outside, and this was the fifth crystal going wrong this day.
"We found this in a corner after searching the room" the runner showed some yellow dust in a bag. Kari took it, and smelled it. His face became white.
"It cant be! We have a demon in the workshop!"


6 days to Christmas

The deadly continum drops waved out of the portal, and melted the snow around it. The portal opened. The energy of bloodlust spreaded in the air, and colored the skies red. Thirty seconds later, the whole area was burning in lava.
The first demon to come trough the portal was their leader. A great blazing infernal. Thousands of demons swarmed out as he raised his hammer. Some of them flew, others trampled the ground with their bloody scythes in their hands.
It was afternoon, when The Sentinels sent an instant message to Santa's Workshop, the biggest portal opened first. All the elves knew their job, they lined up behind the magic crystals, and they fortified the locked gates.
The demon army gathered in a high hilltop near the workshop. There were thousands of satyrs, doomguards, giant infernals, and there was a dragon. Their commander stood in the middle, he released the Mad King's demonic power, and let it spread around the army, giving each demon a little. The demon eyes started glowing in the dark.
The sign of the attack was the moon's first ray behind the hills. It was colored bloodred by the demonic energy in the air. The whole army attacked at once. The ground was shaking. They didn't have banners, or flags, they only held their weapons to spill some elf blood.
The elves were waiting for the attack, and the crystal beamers was prepared to attack the first waves. The elves concentrated their power into the beamer, and it shoot to the army of demons. The lightbeams went trough their demonic armor, and burned them from inside out. After the first wave, there were hundreds of dead demon shadows on the ground.
But it was not quite over.


5 days to Christmas

The siege went on the whole night. The demons have tried to break the arcane seals with chaos commits and cursed steal, but the magic wouldn't break. The elves were tired of the magic concentration, some of them blacked out. Others went down by a poison gas, which was released by the evil tauren commander, Gen Bloodhorn. Lot of demons went down, but it cant be compared to to their whole army. Countless demon came thorough the portal by dawn. Maestros, an elf commander tried to break out with a small group, and close the portals, but they didn't even get to the portals. The whole workshop was surrounded, there seemed to be no chance for the elves.
Legion King was the first to break a seal, with his destructive hammer. He smashed the door with hundred hits. After a seal broke, it was easy for the demons to break down all the other ones.
The elves were waiting behind the doors with arcane forged shields. The shields defended the line more or less, but the incredible force of the demons pushed the elves behind.
"Faallback!" shouted Proxy "We cant defend the halls! Let them come into the tunnels!"
Demons have filled the whole main hall, they were corrupting the walls, and they broke up to destroy the crystal beamers.
Bisnar, the crystal engineer was in charge of the beamer squad "We cant stand our position. Demons will be here in seconds!" The wall collapsed in front of them, and demons filled the room in seconds. "I have a world for this!" shouted Bisnar he raised his saber, and cried "For Santa!" He stick his dagger into the hot crystal. It broke, and exploded by the incredible heat it held inside. All the demons purged in the room. Bisnar, and his elves didn't survive either.
Santa's elves retreated to the tunnels, the beamers were occupied by demons. There was no hope left for them.


4 days to Christmas

Kari entered the library. "I only have to save the most important things" he mumbled. He took a book from here and there, and finally he lifted the 'Origin, and cultus of Christmas' from the shelf. He was about to leave, when he noticed a little book with black cover leaned to the wall. He took it out fast, and blew the dust. The cover said 'The Master of Santa'. "This could be useful" he took the book, and ran out.
The battle was on in the tunnels, but the demons couldn't use their commits and corrupting power here, because it was underground, columns were made from mithril. The elves defended bravely, they finally could make a stand after giving up some areas.
After Kari could get some air from giving orders, he sat down in a corner, and opened the book. It was saying, that Santa was taught by Saint Nicholas. He helped the young Claus to build a magical sleigh, and a workshop in the North Pole. "Even if we outlive the siege, the reindeer are dead, we already took too much damage. Without a new help, we cant have a Merry Christmas" Kari made up his mind, he was going to summon St. Nicholas's spirit.
In the afternoon he summoned Nicholas with the crystal globe. "Sorry to bother you, but we are in big trouble, bishop" took a bow Kari, after the ambiguous image appeared. "I need to know where did you get the power to build the sleigh, and the workshop."
"It was not me" answered Nicholas with a smile "It was the angels!"
He told Kari, that he got a mission from Jesus himself, to create the organization of love giving. The angles helped them to build the workshop, and blessed the area, so no evil should have noticed the place in the mountains. After the big work, the angels left because Claus invited the elves.
"Is there a way to call them back?" asked Kari.
The old man was thinking a bit. "There is a way, You must find the rood crystal in the base of the workshop. You can call the angles back with that!"
"Thank you" blended Kari, and unsummoned the Saint.


3 days to Christmas

This morning the Mad King's army brought felhounds to finally break the elven shields. The hounds broke trough quite fast, and the elves had to fall back to the deepest areas.
"This is the last chance" said Kari to Santa. All of the survivors were there, the demons lost trace in the tunnels, but the chances that they will be found are growing with every second. "This is the deepest wareroom, where we stored the presents. We can stay here to defend it with our last breath, or we can escape trough the secret tunnel, and start over next year." The tunnel split into two ways in front of them.
"We cant give up the Christmas. Even if our chances are really small" said Santa. "We will defend the presents! But i got a plan" he said. "Kari, i need you to create holograms of us. . ."
The next minute the demons turned in at the end of the tunnel, and rushed at the survivors. "RUN! everybody RUN!" shouted Santa, and all of them started to run trough the secret tunnel to the outside. The demons Started to chase them.
Santa checked the Presence sphere. "Its stable. We cannot be noticed" He said, and smiled at the elves. Even in these dark times he was able to smile. They watched the felhounds chasing the hologram Santa outside, and when the place got quiet, they went to the wareroom.
Delroin, the iron golem waited for them in the hall. "I prepared the arcane seals, as you asked" reported Delroin to Santa. "They will last at least one day."
"That's enough for us" said Santa. The elves were really tired, they took a little pause, and then started digging in the back of the chamber. "We need to find that crystal rood."
The demons slaughtered the holograms outside in the woods with the lead of the great demon skull, David. They thought they are winning. The Mad King and his generals decided to move inside the workshop for a few days, while the raid lasts. Its a long process to search trough the tunnels.


2 days to Christmas

DeadlyStroke returned from scouting. "The generals moved into the workshop, they think they are confident that they won already. I couldn't find any survivors yet." He was the only one who could move in the building without noticing, in the circuits.
Santa, and the elves was digging the tunnel all day. Santa made some calculations about the rood's position, and in the afternoon they would get to it.
Kari was again, thinking about new angles. If we manage to beat the demon army, how can we still deliver the presents? He got an idea about using felhounds instead of reindeers. "Felhounds with the Mad King's power are already as strong as the blessed reindeers, if somehow we could get them to obey, we could save Christmas."
Delroin was certain, that they only need some mind modifying, and they will be friendly as dogs. That was not a bad idea after all, Kari was experiencing with minds earlier, in fact he found a radio frequency that could block bad toughts. They only needed to create a transmitter. They unwrapped a few presents, to get material for their work. DeadlyStroke, and Delroin was wery helpful, they could create three transmitters by the evening.
The elves finally reached the basement stone, and Santa opened the little box on its top. There was nothing in there! Someone took the rood before they could get there! "It cant be" said the elves "Christmas will be ruined even after this?" Santa just stood there silent, he didn't answer.
"I need five of you for a very dangeorus mission" said Kari to the gathered survivors. "We either accomplish this, or die." Delroin, Proxy, DeadlyStroke and another elf voulenteered immediately. It was about midnight, when they left the Last chamber, and sneaked out to the tunnels.


The day before Christmas

The small group sneaked beside walls, they were moving without a noise. When a demon came at their way, DeadlyShock paralyzed it before it could give any sound. At a tunnel entrance they met a felhound. The monster was sleeping, the spikes on it's huge back were aiming at every direction. Deolrin held him down with his iron fists, while Kari and Proxy quickly attached one of the collar transmitters on it's neck. The hound woke up, and started grumbling. Kari turned on the remote control, and strenghted the signal. The hound slowed down, but still wanted to attack. DeadlyStroke had to shock it before other demons noticing it. "Looks like it isn't working." said the lightning elemental. Kari was stubborn.
"We have to keep on going. This is our last chance." he whispered. "We can bring down the Mad King if we act fast!"
At the main hall, where the Mad King created his throne, there was a lot of guards. The king was sleeping, and lot of the demons let their guard down because they were sure that they won!
Proxy and the other elf sneaked in to make some noise. The demons woke up, and started chasing them. They run after the elves until they got in an iron hall. Proxy and the elf left in the other entrance, Deolrin stayed inside. The demons charged at the black iron golem in the dark. All of the sudden, the golem started glowing, Deolrin's skin was throwing lightnings all over the room. DeadlyStroke overcharged himself, at the golem's back, so every hit of Delroin ended another demon.
After the guards were down, Kari sneaked into the throne hall, and attached all three necklaces to the Mad King. He turned the signal power to maximum. The king was asleep, he only woke up when Legion King, the general entered the hall. He was reporting the damages.
The Mad King only replied him this: "Its over, my dear friend, I now see the true meaning of Christmas. We shall help the elves and have a Merry Christmas." he smiled friendly. The infernal General was shocked. "It cant be your command! They did something with your mind!" he started blazing stronger "I will find and kill whoever did this!" He ran out the room.
Deolrin and DeadlyStroke was still in destroyer form when Legion King met them. The two golems clashed. The epic battle lasted three hours, and Legion King was exhausted when he finally could bring down the iron golem. Deolrin was lying on the ground with dented body.
The demons saw that the Mad King is harmless, and they were terrified, because Legion King was almost beaten. They decided to retreat, and regroup their powers. Legion King ordered all the armies to fall back to the portals. They left at dust, and they leaved the smoking ruins of the Workshop with the bodies of the dead elves.


Christmas day

Santa stood in front of the ruined workshop. They survived, but for what price? The reindeer are gone, the rood is missing, and lot of elves died. What did they fight for?
The desperate elves was searching between the rubble for their friends. Kari was staring in to nothing on his knees. "We failed". Every demon left expect the chained Mad King. Only a miracle can help now.
Bisnar's soul was sitting on a felhound corpse. He couldn't see the living ones, but suddenly he saw a black shade with huge wings. It was Pallian, the demon of destruction. He came to the wastelands to get energy. Bisnar hid behind the felhound. The demon walked thorough in front of him. There was a rood on his belt. It was shining with magic. Bisnar jumped out, and grabbed the rood. In that moment, his soul started to pour into the nearest corpse, the felhound skeleton. He revived!
Proxy was the first to notice the moving felhound skeleton, with a rood in its hand. "There is the rood" he shouted.
The others gathered around the skeleton. "Its me, Bisnar" he said. "I was revived by this rood."
"That's the one!" said Santa. He recognised the object he hid with Saint Nicholas, when they was building the workshop. "We can summon the angles now, Christmas can be saved!"
The elves put all the presents into the pack of Santa, and put it inside the sleigh. Santa prayed for the angles. With the firs star, the sky opened, and twelve angles arrived thorough the beautiful havenlight. They flew over the ground, and restored the damage where they went. The pines were green again, the blood turned into water. The dead elves revived from the ground.
When the angles pitched down in front of them, each of them was carrying a reindeer. The dead reindeer returned with full strenght, they were ready to deliver the presents.
Santa blewd in front of the angles, and respectfully boarded his sleigh. "Merry Christmas!" he said, and pulled the reins. The elves could hear a happy "Ho ho ho" as he flew away.