A Twisted Christmas

Chapter Eight

By the time the bell rang to signal that his day was over, Krampus was exhausted. Sweat beads were rolling down his face and fur from the unnaturally high temperature that made him long to return to bleak cold of the South Pole. Is this some type of torture? The Prince wiped his forehead, grateful that he could finally leave the place.

The Prince had finally completed his duties, yet his chest tightened at the suffering that the elves must've felt in the everlasting heat. Living in the North Pole made them very durable to the icy winds, so being exposed to heat was agonizing since they had never saw the sun before like Krampus and the King did. The only things that the Prince could offer them were ice cream and a cold cup of water from the lobby as he checked each floor.

Krampus mastered agility and endurance from traveling the world to punish naughty children who tried to escape his clutches once a year so it was nothing to run up and down the steps. Even so, his energy weakened with so little sins to devour. Before, he could've lifted the building if he wanted to, yet now he was weakened to the level of a giant. Ugh, he sighed, I need to get out of here. He paced to the elevator and quickly hit the 'up' button to escape the boiling cauldron of a building with his tail dragging behind him before he could consider doing something he would later regret.

When his bare back rested against the cool marble wall of the lift, he breathed out a ragged sigh before letting an eruption of frustration out and slamming the wall with his fist as hard as he could. "That lying bastard!" He shouted, as if his voice could tear through the skies, "You lied! You said that you would... you would protect the town while I was gone! You promised and yet..." The goat demon sucked in a quick breath and gritted his teeth harshly as he slid downwards. "They've gone through so much!"

I'm so infuriated! That lying cavity-infected licorice-brained imbecile took advantage of the trust everyone, including mine, had towards him and ripped it apart!

Although he didn't notice, the more angry Krampus became, the more monstrous he appeared. His coal-like eyes were suddenly dyed a glowing red, mirroring the sunset that was engraved into his memories after a century of exile. His light tuff of fur that covered his chest was creeping down his back and up his neck, wrapping him in an overwhelmingly large coat of auburn.

He suddenly froze, remembering the look of utter fear that possessed his dear friend's face when he walked in. What did they do to make her so terrified? A plethora of grotesque ideas came to his mind, angering him even more. If any harm came to her, well, even he was afraid of what he might do. He refused to break down in front of her, as she had enough to burdens to shoulder already. He didn't need her comfort, he needed justice.

A chuckle then seeped out of his mouth that was caged by his rapidly growing canines as he was reminded of his incompetence once more. The only reason why he knew what happened in Toy Town during his absence was because the King allowed him to know. He was toying with him and The Prince would've otherwise been blinded by ignorance as he froze for an eternity on the other end of the Earth.

A trickle of blood flowed down his lip, making him touch it instinctively. In doing so, Krampus cut his finger with his teeth. He let out a silent curse before watching his finger as the wound healed moments after. My teeth, he noted as the elevator neared the lobby, they grew again. I need to calm down. With deep breaths he rested against the wall once more. His fur eventually retracted back into his skin with haste as his teeth sunk to their regular state.

Krampus turned around to check his reflection in the wall, sighing in relief when he looked just as usual. Given, he hadn't properly seen himself in a century so he was surprised to learn that he really hadn't changed since before his judgement. He was still the finest goat demon that was blessed with his father's looks and mother's... phenotypes.