"Onward Basil! We need to hurry! I don't mean to nag, but if you can–please run faster!" It had all happened so quickly. Days ago she and Professor Ryou had been enjoying the festivities among one of the greatest architectural wonders of the world, and the next moment she found herself in a race against time. It had started back in the Celestial Hall where she had been searching for the elusive little arcanist. She had made a terrible mistake in leaving the woman unattended by the buffet tables and soon was entangled in an undoubtedly one-sided game of hide-and-seek. Just as Liselotte thought she had narrowed down her former professor's hiding place, the stench of smoke and mad cackling pierced the air. That sound was unmistakable: the cruel and twisted laughter of krampus and their fiendish flying dogs.

To her horror and dismay, she caught sight of that sinister sleigh flying high into the sky; trails of black smog hanging in the air in their wake. And hanging from the back was a small red-garbed figure leaving a trail of her own in goldfish mints. She wasn't sure why the krampus had kidnapped her teacher. It was true that she looked and acted like a child, but the alchemist thought the horned fiends would have noticed the difference. Although she was no expert in the world's fauna, she had seen an excerpt in a collection of encyclopedias describing the krampus and a few of its characteristics. They were rarely if ever seen, dwelling deep below the earth in places dark and unholy as themselves. Thus most of what people knew of them were from the rare occasion in which they did come to the surface–namely the great kidnappings that took place in remote villages and hamlets when Glaciem was drawing to a close.

With no time to waste, Liselotte had taken the first airship out of Zets'ki in the direction in which she had seen the cloven-foot child-eaters head off. Unfortunately the odds were not stacked in her favor, as it was nigh impossible to track a flying sleigh through the Baltil Mountains, even with its cacophony of screeching laughter. The only leads she had to go on were reports of child abductions and krampus sightings, and soon she was running all over Parvpora to cross the ocean in hopes of catching them before it was too late. In her travelling, she noticed a pattern in the reports of kidnappings. It would seem that the krampus were specifically targeting places with a high concentration in population rather than snagging a few wayward children here and there. That meant if she could manage to predict where their next attack would be, she might be able to intercept them. With only hope and a prayer, that was what she did. 

With the Harena Desert slowly becoming more habitable, moving across the once barren wasteland of sand dunes was now easier. There were plenty of small towns to stay the night, though she never tarried more than a few hours in each one she visited. With her trusty mount Basilius and her pet wyvern, she was blazing a path straight to the next largest settlement: Eyota Etu. Following the string of abductions from Mamlak to Mo'mey, it was her best guess that the great canyon was where the krampus would soon strike.

It wasn't often when he'd get letters from home, with his pa still hot under the collar about him going his own way and all. But when he got a letter from a courier who said it was urgent, Delanac knew something wasn't proper. It was the worst of news–his cousins out in Mo'mey and several other orc families out there were attacked without warning and the littlies were snatched up by krampus! Here he'd thought they were just some bugbear his mum made up just to keep him and his siblings in line. Frowning deeply as the letter's folded parchment crinkled in his hand, he shook his head. "They got Gwennie! The manking rotters–oh they've done it now." Gwennyth was the little girl to one of his first cousins whose family ran a lapidary out in the steppes. A fine little bunting she was, and proper bright too. She was a wee little thing with less than three years under her belt and she'd already taken a shine to the family business. That said, they soon found that she'd take a shine to anything that sparkled, whether it was a string of glass beads or a colored piece of candy. 

As soon as he got the letter he went straight to see his cousins, and they told him how it happened. By some foul devilry, they came in howling and cackling like witches on broomsticks spreading smoke and coal dust everywhere. They kicked open the windows and yanked the doors, and stuffed any younglings they could find into their sooty bags. Their dogs made a ruckus and were running pell-mell, and just as quickly they had come–they left, leaving crying parents and the wailing of littlies off in the distance. The kidnappers weren't far off when he caught wind of them heading towards the desert. Luckily they left behind plenty of things for Bran to sniff, and with their scent on his nose the jackal led Delanac to wherever the krampus would target next.

In less than a fortnight they made it to Eyota Etu, the nearest settlement bigger than a handful houses. The canyon cliffs were bare and dry, a lot like how he was feeling about now. His stomach was sick with worry to where he'd even lost most of his appetite. The sooner he got Gwennyth back from their clutches the better chance he'd be able to bring her back home to her mum and pa. Delanac remembered enough from those stories the adults told after dark to know that krampus were infamous for not just kidnapping, but for eating the children they abducted. Every time he thought of little Gwennie's shining eyes and her big smile with teeth missing, a shiver went down his spine. 

He had plenty of food in his pack, but he could hardly eat at all. The most he was able to force down was a dry roll with some hard cheese and onion, followed by several mouthfuls of water boiled from his kettle. Sitting around waiting wasn't something he couldn't do, but with the lives of several little ones on the line it was natural to have the jitters. The jackal was lying down on its belly, watching the time pass beside him. He had fed Bran and given the dog water first thing when they stopped to stay awhile, so it was quiet. Nervousness and worry made minutes feel like hours, and hours feel like days. "You think they'll show up 'round here, boy?" The orc asked the dog. Bran's ears flicked as he turned his head to look in his owner's direction and he let out a whimper.

"…You're not wrong, boy. No use worryin' 'bout what we don't know yet. You've been working hard followin' your nose out there. Been days and we've seen neither hide nor hair of the ugly mugs. If Gwennie were nearby, you'd be barking your yapper off." He sighed, and folded his hands together as the smile he tried to keep on his face gave out. He really didn't want to think of it, but even if the krampus sleigh came by here would he find Gwennie? If they'd been roaming around the continents snatching up girls and boys as he heard, then there could be hundreds of sleighs just like that one, all with little ones from every hill and dale between Adeluna to Arri. Seeing the orc was feeling down, Bran sat up and poked his muzzle into his owner's hand and began licking it. Delanac looked at his dog and gave a small smile, then scratched the jackal behind the ear. "I'm alright, boy. Just feeling a little down. I'm sure we'll find Gwennyth–and all the other littlies. Then we'll bring 'em back to their mums and pas, and it'll all be past us like last week's breakfast."

They finally arrived at the dry canyon, and all was quiet for the time being. After letting Basil get some sun and water, she familiarized herself with the locals. From what Liselotte gathered, nothing had happened recently. As much as she wanted to move things along, she didn't have the means to speed up her search. In such a desolate place such as this, she began to doubt if her hypothesis would work at all. She had no knowledge of just how exactly the krampus kidnapped children, let alone the breadth of their reach from the underground. This was her first time in Eyota Etu, so this would slow her search down a bit. The alchemist needed to know the lay of the land, and the structure of the canyon before she could start making any reasonable guesses.

Now all she could do was wait. Taking out a rumpled red velvet hat trimmed with now dirtied white fur, she turned it inside-out. Inside in less than stellar handwriting were the initials 'M.R.' on the fabric. She had picked it up shortly after catching a glimpse of her teacher being carted off into the air, and had kept it in hopes that Marcasite could pick up a matching scent the next time they crossed paths with a krampus sleigh. "You always were quite the trailblazer, professor. But sometimes I wish your knack for finding the fantastical could be a bit less inclined to throw your life into danger at the drop of a hat."

Hours passed, and the wait was dreadful. Soon it was late in the afternoon and the sun was slowly descending just below the top of the canyon ravine. The Eyotians were returning to their abodes to prepare for the evening, and the day had been completely uneventful. Her spirits sunk as no signs of the horned child-abductors had turned up. What if the krampus didn't appear? Naturally all hypotheses had the chance to be proven wrong, and putting her hopes in something bound by chance was asking for disappointment. But what else could she do? Here she was beginning to regret not placing some sort of tracking rune on her professor's clothing. Even if she didn't get kidnapped, it would've helped Liselotte find her in the crowds–and might have possibly prevented this from occurring in the first place. It was too late to go over 'what ifs' and 'should haves'. The past couldn't be changed, as painful as that truth was.

As the sky's light dimmed, she put her face into her hands and sat with her back against the canyon wall. She was tired from constantly being on the road, from running around asking if they'd seen a trail of smoke from a flying sleigh, from worrying if she'd find her teacher, and from having her hopes dashed after finding she arrived a moment too late to confirm the victims of yet another abduction. If only she could get a hold of something that would lead her to the krampus' lair directly, then she could finally stop guessing and make real headway into getting the little arcanist back. 

"Stop! Let her go!" The cry of a woman broke the tranquil silence, and soon many more followed. Looking up, the half-elf didn't have time to second-guess as the tell-tale cackle of krampus corgis dispelled any doubts she might have had. They were here! The olive green wyvern was up and alert, and she immediately commanded it to fly towards the commotion. Jumping to her feet to break into a sprint, the smell of coal dust and smoke greeted her as she was closing in. It was a terrible sight–horrible, ugly, hairy horned creatures with cloven feet were dragging children out of their homes, away from their parents. Spells were flying everywhere, and though the Eyotians were putting up a valiant effort, the krampus were too cunning. They stuffed the screaming girls and boys into their red sacks, and threw them into the back of their sleighs.

In the midst of the chaos, an idea came to her. She had no way of knowing if Professor Ryou was in the sleigh or not, but what if she followed them? Or better yet… Having informed her pet wyvern beforehand, the little draconid was now harassing one of the krampus by flying about its head and biting at its ears. The others were too busy snatching infants, leaving it by itself. Without a word, she set an enchanted cage down and pulled out her rose whip. She only had one shot, and there was no room for error.

With the flick of her wrist, a thorny vine snapped forward and latched itself around both of the horned fiend's legs. Quickly she snapped her fingers and more rapidly burst from the earth–entangling the krampus before it could even move a muscle. As it began to scream for help, the vines coiled over its mouth as they dragged their snared prey over to the waiting alchemist, who proceeded to bind it with spider-silk rope before throwing it into the enchanted cage beside her. Kneeling down to look at her catch, she smiled as she tapped her fingernails against the cage's metal. "Not exactly what I was hoping for…but I have no complaints. Yes, this will do just fine."

The peace and quiet didn't last long, and sure as the seasons the no-good rotters were back to continue their kidnapping. Bran was off to search for Gwennie's scent while Delanac was helping the locals fend off the krampus from taking more of their little ones. In the midst of the pandemonium, he noticed a woman who didn't look like she was from the area. She was holding her own against the horned monsters, and he couldn't help but notice her snag one by the ankles to drag it off out of sight. The krampus were sly as they were mean, and they had magic to boot. It was tough, and he'd dodged a lot of things flying at him with a good shield and spear to take the hits. His jackal meanwhile was faced with a fight of his own as he ran into the krampus corgis. The poor dog was sent yipping as it was being chased by the ugly, larger canines and his efforts helped trip up a few of corgis' owners.

The raid didn't last long, and soon the krampus and their cackling curs were off into the sky leaving them in smoke. When it was safe again, the jackal came out of hiding and returned to the orc with its tail between its legs. "What's the matter, Bran?" Delanac asked, petting the downcast dog. Bran whimpered, and the orc figured that meant his searching came up empty too. "Don't feel bad, boy. You did your best." The defense against the attack was a failure. There were grieving families everywhere, and for every child they managed to save at least two were snatched. It was then he remembered the unusual sight he'd seen back there. Come to think of it, what happened to that krampus?

"Let me out of here you nasty witch!" A high-pitched, yet screechy voice growled. "I prefer the term 'alchemist', but that doesn't matter now does it? Well how does it feel getting a taste of your own medicine? I'll be more than happy to start testing the effects of belladonna and blister beetles for my next academic research paper." A woman's voice crooned. The awful shrieking of whatever that thing was pierced the air as you could imagine what the woman was doing to make it talk. "GYAAAHHHH!!!" There was a humming as the woman mused aloud. "Well what do you know, it seems salt and lemon don't agree with open wounds even on a krampus. Oh quit your bawling, if you're already screaming this much then you'll never make it past a dose of aqua regia." 

Nervously Delanac set Bran down and motioned for him to stay quiet as he went over to see what was going on. He didn't like the sound of what he was hearing, and wasn't sure if what he'd see would make his stomach turn. Around the bend was the woman he had seen haul off a krampus earlier, and it was inside a cage. But somehow it seemed…smaller? It was tied up with some sort of  rope and the woman in question was cutting a lemon on a wooden plank resting on a rock. "Is that…no it couldn't be." After seeing what a krampus could do, the fact it was caged up just was too incredible for him. The woman turned and saw him, and gave him a genial smile. "Yes, it's a krampus. Apparently something happens once it's set into captivity that causes its power and size to diminish instantly."

"You don't say…" The orc grimaced. Sure he didn't like the krampus, but torturing one was a bit too far for him. "So what're you planning to do with the little rotter? Don't you think torturing it's a bit much?" The woman held up a small glass bottle full of powder as she answered him. "Perhaps, but I doubt he'd be willing to talk otherwise. Now, how about you tell me where your little troupe lives before I try sampling a few vials of astringents on those cuts?" The shrunken krampus hissed, "I'll never tell, you plant-witch!" "Well that's a shame. I suppose it's time for the basilisk venom." The alchemist said apologetically as she heated up a pair of metal tongs over a flame. At that, the ugly little imp began struggling and kicking about. "ALRIGHT ALRIGHT I'LL TALK!! Not the tongs…not the tongs!"

With much coercion, the lady managed to wring as much information as possible without downright killing the bugger. He spilled the location of his hideout, and the closest tunnel to the krampus underground. Keeping him inside the cage, the alchemist suggested Delanac hold it while it gave them directions. She didn't entirely trust that it would cooperate, so she had a few needles ready to ensure it did. With Bran having his nose to the ground, they ventured deep below the surface to the krampus' lair. Hopefully he wasn't too late to save his cousin's little girl and the others.