The|MULTIVERSE

Stuffer, Tinsel, Snickerdoodle, Carol, and Santa's legendary reindeer looked between the proud Santa and a baffled Ricven. Ricven was told the strangest thing. That it would be him to deliver presents across dimensions. Giving gifts was Santa's job. Just how could one like Ricven do the one job Santa was best suited for?

"Pass," said Ricven.

Santa kept smiling. He knew Ricven would say that. "You have what it takes. You're an explorer of realms, delivering hope to all those in need. Why not deliver gifts for those deserving, too?"

Ricven tried to come up with an excuse. It was challenging to do. He scratched the back of his redhead of twisted locks. He concluded that there just might be no escape from Santa's humble request. "Shit. Okay. You got me."

Santa bellowed his hardiest chuckle. "Then it's settled."

"Are you certain, hun?" Carol had to make sure. One look at Santa, and she suddenly saw the reason behind his eyes as she reached a hand to his cheek as soon as she got ahold of him. "Oh, dear."

The elves realized the issue as well. Santa was weak.

Ricven studied the two, confused. "What? What I miss?"

"During my time with Krampus, I realized that he was right. Granted, I disagreed with his sentiments, and while his harsh methods could have threatened the balance, I could not hold long in the denial of his words. Children need guidance. They must know right from wrong. The naughty and the nice are the same, but not without discipline."

Ricven pocketed his hands. Santa made sense. Ricven understood the need to spoil a child even when they were naughty. He also knew that, without guidance, children would only repeat the sins of their predecessors in due time.

"Yeah," Ricven complied. "I admit, I was cutting up too in my day." He started to reminisce. "Gave my mother a thick strip of white in her hair from almost drowning in a pool. I couldn't swim, but I wanted to impress a girl. She was Alkebu-lan, hailing from my native land. Mother freaked when she saw me go under, but the girl pulled me out before she could get me. The girl was a mami-wata, a child of the sea. Water-bended me right out of that thing. Talk about an embarrassment."

"And were you disciplined?" Santa asked.

"Mother was on my ass back home so hard that I didn't even want to look at another waterhole for a long, long time."

Santa chuckled. "All the more reason for you to deliver Christmas, for you know how it is to be a child, and your childhood is strong within you. My fight with Krampus has made me weak. This is why I extend my sleigh and my reindeer to you for this one time."

"And what if Krampus decides to swallow babies?" That sounded all kinds of wrong.

"Then we know exactly who to call," Carol hinted.

Ricven gave her a big smirk.

"What will it be, Ricven Tavius McQueen, Son of Ricven, Child of Myra—will you be the hero the worlds beyond know you to be and save Christmas?"

Ricven took a long hard breath. "Bet. I'll do it. But under one condition."

"Accepted," Santa wasted no time replying.

Even as Ricven gave them a smooth and mischievous grin, the song "Walking in the Snow" by Run The Jewels perfectly faded into the moment. "I deliver Christmas my way."

"Granted!" said Santa.

Stuffer liked the sound of that. "Oh gingersnaps, I'm going to enjoy this!"

~*~

On cue with the music, Ricven, dressed in Santa-themed swag and with a big sack over his shoulder, walked like a G through the snowy fields a few miles out from the landing strip. Santa's sleigh, piloted by Stuffer, Tinsel, and Snickerdoodle, took off soon enough. And so did Ricven. He dashed through one of his portals, crossing into the multiverse, and thrust himself like a jet through multiversal space, surfing on his crystal sword like a pro. The elves sleigh-riding along with him.

They crossed into many realms and delivered many presents. As each gift found its designated homes, more presents filled the sacks. Talk about a bag of endless holding manufactured by Santa Tech. Stuffer and the elves delivered gifts, too. A team effort that was so quick that none caught them slipping.

Except for one house, where Ricven unloaded several presents until caught by a shapely woman in a bathrobe. Ricven paused as if spotted but hoped the woman with the bedroom eyes of a T-rex and therefore lost sight of him the moment he froze.

It failed.

She twirled her thick black hair and leaned against the wall. Her bathrobe opened up. Just a bit. Enough to show a bit of titty, triggering Ricven to instantly say "Fuck it" and give her the quickie business. It was the season of giving after all.

He even checked his magi-tech watch while giving the lucky lady the speed pumps.

After getting his 'Cookies & Milk,' Ricven was back to delivering gifts throughout the realms. "Walking in the Snow" continued to play. Ricven hoped he could finish deliveries before the song ended, as intended.

Until the music faded to a stop at one particular house.

You see, what happened was, Ricven slipped out of a portal and began dumping presents real quick in pretty stacks around a Christmas tree inside another house. As he stacked the last present, he noticed a small figure peeking from upstairs.

Ricven stood up with a calm though tickled look on his face. "Okay. Come on down. You're busted, kid."

The kid came quietly downstairs, looking confused as he realized that there was no fat man in red dumping gifts, but a caramel-colored freckled man with red hair and glowing eyes that looked like the universe trapped inside. "Wait a minute. You're not Santa."

Ricven couldn't deny it. "Nope. But I am one of his helpers. Santa got into a bit of a jam so he hit me up to swing through and handle his light work for him."

Charming the kid instead, Ricven knelt before him and snapped his fingers. From the palm of Ricven's hand, a strange little object that looked like a puzzle toy popped into existence.

"Wow!" the kid silently gasped in awe.

Ricven let the kid have it. "Merry Christmas."

It worked for a second, for the kid had pressing matters to discuss. "But what about the Playstation 5?" the kid asked.

Ricven blinked, figuring out something to say. "Oh! Ah, man. Sorry, kid. Fresh out of Fives. To be honest, not a single Playstation console hit my sack. Tech shortage. Gotta wait a while."

The kid became sad, holding the toy as if defeated. Ricven patted his shoulder. "Tell you what. Give me about two seconds."

Ricven hurried into a portal. The kid waited two seconds. Ricven returned in one. He knelt before the kid again and surprised him, you guessed it, a Playstation 5.

The kid's face lit up like a high volt Christmas tree. "Amazing! How did you—?"

"Some questions are best left unanswered, little champ." Ricven winked.

The kid frowned a little. "You stole it, didn't you?"

Now, how in the. Ricven's face told on himself. His thoughts betrayed him. "Okay, little man. I stole it. But it was the good kind of stealing. Like Robin Hood. You know who that is, right?"

The kid nodded.

"Splendid." Ricven grinned victoriously. "Let this be a lesson: people who scalp are the scum of the earth, and deserved to get hit for everything they got."

Leaving the kid to sit there like he just won a golden ticket to a chocolate factory, Ricven was off. Soon enough, the theme song of the moment faded back into full effect, and Ricven and the elves completed their greatest task before the suns of Christmas broke the realms' horizons.

Returning through another portal into the multiverse, Ricven slung his sack onto the sleigh as he surfed alongside it. "Question," he asked the happy elves. "I noticed Santa is light-skinned. What gives?"

"He's the next Santa in a long line before him to take the mantle," Tinsel happily explained. "A descendant of the first Great Kris Kringle."

"Oh," Ricven realized. "Generation shift. Makes sense." He grinned as he looked at you. "People change. So do legends."

[READ ON!]