Welcome to Miror

Archimbaud the Krampus

Nonbinary Reader x Male Monster

Your father is not perfect, no matter how the world sees him. Yes, he is the Santa, and there are countless legends about him. His work every year is sung about, and everywhere he is the beloved favorite of children. To you, though, he is simply your father - the workaholic, the secret Casanova, the sugar addict, and quite simply a man.

You take on more responsibility in his workshop, managing production as well as negotiating with the reindeer every year. It's hard work, and while the reward of making endless children happy is great, sometimes it feels like it is not enough to get through the days. From Halloween until New Year's Day, you don't really have a life. Life is just toys, bargaining, dealing with workplace accidents, arguing with reindeer over cost per mile, and weather updates.

Your father, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have any trouble finding time to relax. Along with an addiction to work and sugar cookies, he has an addiction to women. While people claim that Santa was a jovial and robust type, it's really just his oversized suit. In reality, all the hard work your father does makes him strong and fit. Your mother said he was quite hard to turn down.

Aside from your father filling a little black book to rival anyone's, you've been trying to find your own ways to cope with the holidays. Recently the answer has just been walking. You tromp from one end of the workshop grounds to the other, past the candy shops, down to the liquor store, and beyond to where the forest begins and wild animals bar your way.

Breathing a white cloud of steam from your lips, you gaze over the cliff that hangs over the endless waters. You watch the colors shift on the horizon, bleeding and flowing to create a watercolor painting.

You decide to turn back and go home, but as you start to stand up, you push against a large stone. It starts to sink into the ground, then suddenly splits open with a grinding noise, and parts until you see a staircase leading down.

For a moment, you consider going down it. At the same time, you realize you're smarter than to go down magically-appearing stairs.

"No way, too creepy," you grumble to yourself, and start to walk away.

"Too chicken to come say hello, Nick?" a voice warbles from the darkness of the stairs. Stopping and turning, you look back towards the wide entrance.

"I can still smell you up there," the voice cackles. "Oh, come on. All these years and you're not even going to acknowledge your old friend."

"Old friend?" you murmur.

"Seriously. Shit or get off the pot, old man." The voice is irritated. "It's fucking cold, and that breeze you're letting in is no fun, no matter how fucking hairy I am."

You step closer to the entrance. "Hello?"

The voice goes silent.

"Is someone down there?" You take your first step down. A warm breeze rises from below as you descend the stairs. They lead to a hallway that curves suddenly. As you round the bend, you stand before a wall of bars. There's a fireplace inside, and it looks like someone has been tending to it.

You hear a laugh in the shadows and nearly jump from your skin. "My, my, a visitor. I must be so lucky."

You step back towards the corner as a shadowy figure approaches the bars. It's massive, with horns rising tall from its head. Long, dark fingers coil around the bars as the figure comes closer.

"Who's there?" you ask, trying to remain firm even as your voice cracks.

Whoever is in the cell chuckles. Candles flicker on, and you see a massive beast standing there. He's tall and powerful, covered in dark fur that falls in long locks around the sides of his face. His legs are bent backwards and end in goat-like hooves. Behind him is a long, thin tail that swishes back and forth like a devious cat's. He's wearing a long, tattered coat that might have once been a dark red. A long, green tongue flicks out of his muzzled face as you look at him, and sharp fangs protrude from his lower jaw. His eyes are a gruesome blood-red. Goat ears flop down in front of his long, curved horns.