SILVERYMOON
Chapter 5
Kate couldn't use the whip, and neither could anyone else. So, it was sold for 6,000 gold pieces. Alexis kept the Robes of Arcane Might, as well as the Circlet of Rapid Casting since she was studying to be a Sorceress. Rick kept the Ring of Animal Friendship.
However... "You use that on Patches, and you're in big trouble, Dad." Alexis watched him raise his hand. That was supposed to mean he would never dream of such a thing. Besides, he thought Patches liked him.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
It had been three weeks, and things were mostly back to normal. Kate knew Castle was gone to the market to look for some fresh produce. She kind of missed eating food but not all that much. Though, Kate did miss having Chinese takeout occasionally. She loved treating herself to Happy Family, Crab Rangoon, and Steamed Dumplings.
Going downstairs, she found Alexis and Mops sewing. "Mops, how are you?" Kate ran a hand over her shoulder, trying not to disrupt her sewing. She had a needle in her hand.
"I'm good, Miss Kate. Daddy is busy again." She even had a new doll with which to play.
"Sewing on eyes, I see." Kate leaned down to look at what she was doing. "How is she doing, Alexis?" Kate knew Mops was just eight years old, so hopefully, Alexis gave her the easy stuff. Kate also knew that Alexis was paying her one copper piece every time she came over to help her. Now one copper piece might not sound like much, but you need to remember that she is all of eight years old, so one copper piece for a few short hours was actually a lot.
"Here." Alexis handed Kate one that Mops had finished so she could see for herself. Alexis was very pleased with Mops' work. Even being as young as Mops was, her stitches were small and even.
But Kate only had a moment to look when suddenly Patches took off up the stairs.
"We have company, Kate." Alexis knew just what Patches had figured out.
"Now what?" Kate put the Santa doll down, went back upstairs, and saw Patches sitting at the door watching it. Kate hadn't heard anything but she opened the door anyway. For all she knew, it was Castle with his hands full and couldn't open the door.
"Mitalar, this is a surprise." He had a teenage boy with him. "Come in." Kate stood aside and let them both enter. "Patches won't hurt you," she told them since Patches was giving the kid the once over.
"Is everyone here?" Mitalar inquired.
"Castle is shopping in the Market, and Alexis is downstairs sewing with Mops."
Mitalar had another offer for them. "We can either wait or come back."
"You're welcome to wait. May I get you some water?" Kate offered. "It's fresh from the well, and it's cool."
"We accept your kindness," Mitalar responded. "My manners, this is Andre. He is an acolyte of Pelor."
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Alexis had escorted Mops home so that she didn't get into trouble. After all, she was only eight years old.
"This concerns the Lady's College. Last night, two students who had been kissing in the Common Room were startled by a kind of apparition coming through the chamber. They fled and fetched their Housemistress, Yluandriel, who summoned Dima, a Cleric of Pelor. Dima identified the creature as a minor evil spirit. There was only one, and Dima was able to destroy it, but the College is worried that there may be more.
"Dima and Yluandriel ask if you are willing to go on a scouting mission deep into the catacombs to find the source of the undead. They want it kept quiet since if word got out that the Lady's College had undead coming through the floors, parents would take their students out, and the College could shut down – and possibly the entire University. The hope here is that a few outsiders who are unafraid of the catacombs might be able to get in, find the source of the undead, and stop it.
"Andre here has agreed to accompany you. Since he is a Cleric in training, he might be useful. The College is willing to offer you 6,000 gold or a magical item worth an equal amount in payment," Mitalar informed them.
Alexis was definitely concerned. "I'm training to be a Sorceress there. If it closed, that would be bad."
"I can ask them if they are willing to pay you for one year in exchange for your help," Mitalar offered.
"So, by catacombs, do you mean a labyrinth?" Rick asked.
"You could think of it that way. We have only mapped some of the catacombs, and they are vast, so this may take some time," Mitalar cautioned and added, "Also, if you agree, you may want to take your weapons to a Wizard and have Ghost Touch added to them. Spirits don't usually have solid bodies, so Ghost Touch is the only way to combat them physically."
Andre spoke up then. "Depending on the power of the spirit, I may be able to cause it to pause in its attack." He wasn't powerful enough to destroy it as Dima had done. He likely couldn't even make it run away, just cause it to pause for a moment.
"Give us a moment alone, please." And with that, Kate stood up and took the other two upstairs while Patches stayed and watched the boy. He was new, so Patches was being careful.
Kate asked both Alexis and Rick, "Do we know what Ghost Touch costs per weapon?"
"I'm not entirely sure," Alexis replied, "but probably 2,000 gold pieces per weapon."
"Great, there goes the 6,000 gold pieces we got for that whip." Kate closed her eyes and moaned; she had plans for that money.
"But we're being offered 6,000 gold pieces, Kate, so we break even. We do live here now, and we want them to like us, hopefully even trust us," Rick reminded her.
"Actually, one year of training is over 6,000 gold pieces and might be more useful," Alexis said. Kate was penny-pinching, so anything over 6,000 might interest her.
"Then are we doing this?" Kate asked them since she didn't see a choice. She wanted to be in their good graces, and if they told them no, that would definitely be bad.
"One year of training for either of us, and I'm taking Patches with me." Alexis wasn't leaving him behind this time. Talking him into staying to guard the house for a few hours was one thing. They might be gone for far longer, especially if they got lost.
Kate thought for a moment and then asked her, "Are you going to invite your boyfriend to come with us?"
"BOYFRIEND!?"That was the first Rick heard of it.
Alexis did her best to calm her dad. "His name is Corimin. He's an Aasimar. And he's not my boyfriend. All I did was talk to him. He hasn't even asked me out on a date yet."
"YET!?" Rick was still stuck on her having a boyfriend.
"The answer is no. Do we want Corimin to see us? See what Kate can do? Even if they are ghosts, and Andre can't come either. He sees and blabs, and we'll be on the run. We don't even know where to go! I like it here. It's pretty, the air is fresh, and there isn't trash everywhere." Alexis didn't miss that part of New York City.
"So, we get our weapons modified, Andre doesn't come, and your boyfriend doesn't come either. And we ask for one year's training in payment." Kate was willing. She liked it here too. She was finally feeling herself falling in love with Castle. And the incredible sex didn't hurt any.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
"We have agreed; we'll do it," Kate told Mitalar. "However, we don't believe we need Andre's help. No offense, Andre. It's just we understand each other very well. We ask for one year's training in payment."
"Excellent! I have brought the map of what we know with me." He took it out of his satchel, and he handed the scroll toward Kate, only to have Rick intercept and take it instead.
"If you are certain you don't have need of a Cleric?" Mitalar thought sure he might be of use.
"We're sure," Kate answered firmly. "We need time to have this Ghost Touch added to our daggers before we can start."
Mitalar understood. "I will inform Yluandriel of your acceptance and the pay you require. I don't think this will be a problem. You have two days to start. We don't want another Spirit spooking the students or their parents."
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Alexis had been right. It cost them 2,000 gold pieces per weapon to have Ghost Touch added to their daggers. One was still Cold Iron. One was Silver and one Adamantine.
"This really is a labyrinth." Rick was looking over the map one more time since he was trying to memorize it. "We're going to want that backpack with us that's magically bigger on the inside. Fill it with food, water, and maybe sleeping bags. And find some chalk so we can mark how to get back out. Especially after we get off this map."
"I'll get the food. Kate can get the sleeping bags. Magical bags would be so nice." Alexis gave her her best Pretty Please look and left, missing seeing Kate rolling her eyes.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Prestigious Bedroll
Unfolded, the Prestigious Bedroll is exquisitely trimmed, made out of the most luxurious fabrics, and ostentatiously appointed with a thick sleeping cushion. The Prestigious Bedroll has these curious magical properties:
While folded, the bedroll appears to be nothing more than an ornate silken handkerchief. Upon command, the handkerchief unfolds and continues to magically unfold and expand until it is the perfect size and shape for your comfort. At your command the bedroll refolds into the handkerchief. Any objects in the bedroll appear outside the handkerchief as it folds.
Surrounding the unfolded bedroll is an invisible atmosphere that keeps a 1 foot buffer comfortable and dry, regardless of the weather outside. Inside the bedroll the conditions are as cool or cozy as you desire. Combined, these conditions allow you to comfortably sleep in temperatures as low as -100, or as high as 150, degrees Fahrenheit without any additional protection.
Upon lying prone in the bedroll's buffer, you and any clothing or objects you are wearing are immediately cleaned of dirt and grime, and minor rips and tears of your clothing are mended.
You wake especially well rested. Finishing a Long Rest inside the bedroll reduces a creature's exhaustion level by 2, instead of 1, provided that the creature has also ingested some food and drink.
They cost Kate 500 gold pieces each, but she did want to be restful down there in the dark. That also meant they needed to take one or more of their Continual Light torches with them, even if they could see in the dark.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Alexis was smiling a little. Kate had bought them magical sleeping bags, and they sounded so wonderful. They packed them, checked everything, and went to the College. They listened to what Yluandriel had to say. Then she showed them the entrance to the catacombs beneath the College and wished them luck.
It was indeed dark down here, and at least at first, they used their Continual Light torches. But, soon, they put the torches away and relied on their own ability to see in the dark out to 60 feet.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Martha was beyond worried now. Her son and granddaughter had been missing for months. She was living on a credit card she had found in Richard's Study that belonged to him. She knew that eventually, the bill would come due. And try as she might, she couldn't land a good, strong part in a play. So far, they all paid peanuts, but at least she was active.
The door buzzer said she had company, and she prayed it was who she hoped it was.
"Jim!" It was just who she needed now.
"Hi, Martha. Ready to go? I have a taxi double-parked downstairs."
"Just need my purse." Martha retreated to the dining room table where she had dropped it earlier. Then she joined Jim and locked the door behind her. "You really think this will work?"
Jim did his best to calm her. "I don't see why it shouldn't. They want Richard back just as badly, and I called in a favor. Mayor Weldon is going to meet us there. If Black Pawn won't listen to us, then maybe they'll listen to him."
"Bless you, Jim. I know this can't be easy for you either." Richard, Alexis, and Kate were all missing.
"I learned my lesson last time. I keep telling myself that Katie's on some undercover operation and can't contact me." Jim shrugged, "Who knows, I might even be right."
"Except Captain Montgomery knows nothing. He said he found her car, and CSU took it apart down to the frame and found nothing. Though they did find Richard and Katherine's phones," Martha argued since an undercover operation didn't sound right because Alexis was also missing.
"I know, but phones would give them away. Even if Roy knew, he wouldn't tell us and blow their cover. I don't know how Alexis fits in all this. Wrong place, wrong time, perhaps?" It was all Jim had.
"This needs to work, Jim. Bills are coming due, and I'm doing my best." Martha was careful not to spend money she didn't have to.
"That's why I called Mayor Weldon," Jim said again.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
"Ladies first." Rick motioned for Alexis to go past him. She grinned at him, turned Ethereal, and walked down the passage. They had reached the end of their map with very little trouble. They had seen a pair of Spirits, but neither even tried to attack them, and they hadn't chased after them. They were here to find out why, not kill everything they found.
"You know what this reminds me of?" Kate asked Castle.
"The Underdark? A place none of us really wants to re-enter ever again. How does anyone live down here?" There was no sunlight. How did one grow anything to eat here? How was there even enough air to breathe down here?
"That's the place. We run across any Drow, and we're being paid far too little," Kate told him as they watched Alexis come back.
"I've got a large room with nine wooden coffins," Alexis said. "All closed, and there's a passage on the far side."
Rick's eyes twinkled as he teased Kate. "Friends of yours?"
Kate glared at him for that comment. "I don't sleep in a coffin, Castle, and save for the person that converted me, I've never seen another Vampire in my life."
"They do in the movies," Rick argued.
"Castle… focus, please." He knew garlic didn't mean anything to her. She could be out in the sunlight. A wooden stake to her heart might kill her but not because it was wood. A cross didn't mean anything either. All those movies got it all wrong. Save for Kate did need blood. Thankfully, she had Castle that she could bite if they stayed down here too long.
"Can we go now before you two start a fight?" Alexis questioned them both. "I'm not giving Dad another blowjob, so we're not staying down here that long." That was absolutely out.
"Lead on, Alexis." Rick was done teasing Kate and followed her, followed by Kate, who watched their backs.
While they all could see in the dark out to a range of 60 feet, it was just that seeing in the darkness might not be what you think. What they all saw was a variation of shades of gray. And they could guess colors based on the color of the gray. So for partly that reason, Alexis and Kate were carrying one of their two Continual Light torches. Bright light for 60 feet, and a dimmer and dimmer light for another 60 feet.
"Those are coffins," Rick commented as Alexis stopped at the threshold into the room. These were simple wooden boxes. Like right out of a Western movie. Plain wood coffins.
Rick stepped around Alexis and entered the room, and then he approached the first coffin to see if he could see a name. They had spotted open burial spaces all the way to this point. Every single one was filled with bones, though a few had deteriorating bones given how long they had been down here.
But what he didn't expect was to have the top start to open the moment he got close enough. "THE VAMPIRE IS AWAKE!" Rick literally squealed like a little girl. He backed up to join Alexis, and they pulled out their daggers.
However, what sat up didn't look like a Vampire. "It's a ZOMBIE!" Rick thought it was so cool.
"COOL, DAD!? It wants to eat our brains!" Alexis told him through gritted teeth. Rick had to grant her that. But it was a ZOMBIE. He could tell it was a Zombie given that what flesh it still had looked putrid and gross. Yet it was moving.
"So attack it before it gets out!" Kate told those two but chose not to wait for them. She shifted into her twenty or so bats, flew past them, and began her attack. It actually did sit there for a moment and tried to hit back. But as Kate attacked, it got out of its coffin and walked toward Alexis and Rick. It moved very, very slowly since it was a Zombie.
Kate backed off, and Alexis and Rick took sides, attacking using their daggers. Kate had weakened it, so it didn't last long.
"That better be the only one, Castle. There are nine coffins." Kate was back to being human and was in detective mode. "So what got it to come out now. Why now?"
"What do Zombies eat? They eat brains. It's us," Rick insisted.
"How about if I go Ethereal, go across, and see what happens?" Alexis didn't wait for them to agree. She did exactly that, and nothing happened. She reached the far end with no trouble. "Be right back." Alexis kept going.
"Then how do we get across and not wake up the other eight?" Kate wondered.
"There's not enough space for me to fly, so I get to run. You can go across as bats. Maybe they won't follow if we get far enough away," Rick said hopefully.
"So we wait for Alexis. It might be a dead-end," Kate offered, which left them waiting.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Alexis was back at the threshold of the far side. "I've got two dead ends and one that looks like it's the right way."
"Race you." Kate grinned at him as she changed into a swarm of bats and raced across the room. She was standing behind Alexis, waiting for Castle to join them.
"That is so cheating," Rick complained, but at least she hadn't bet him. So Rick jogged in place a bit to warm up, and then he ran as fast as he could across to the far side. He ended up going past both of them before he stopped. Now he was looking back.
Sadly, the two in the middle began opening up, and so did the three on the other side of where Rick had run. "OH CRAP!" Rick just knew this was going to happen.
"Run Alexis, lead the way," Kate urged her. However, at each fork in the road, Rick stopped them and made a mark high on the wall so they could find their way back out. He had been doing that the entire way since where they were wasn't on the map.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
"Uh-Oh!" Alexis found a problem spot and went back to Kate and her dad. "I've got a wall-to-wall pool of water ahead that's about 25 to 30 feet across. The water's jet black; I couldn't see the bottom. There's a tunnel on the far side, so it's not a dead end."
"Ceiling height?" Rick asked her since he was thinking of flying it. He knew Alexis and Kate could do it easily. Him? Not so much. But Alexis shook her head. "Show us, and maybe we can think of something."
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Sure enough, it was about 50 feet wide and 25 feet across. And the ceiling wasn't all that high. The water was indeed jet black, but there was something else about that pool of water.
"What is that smell?" Alexis was holding her nose closed because of it. She had been Ethereal and so hadn't smelled the stench.
But Kate knew that smell very well. "It's Death."
"Something or several somethings have died in this pool. So what's at the bottom?" Rick peered over the side and tried to look down.
"Who cares? You. Are. Not. Swimming. That. Period. Even if this is as far as you go, Castle." Kate knew she was falling in love with him and couldn't lose him. Being trapped in this realm all alone was not an option for her.
"So, what's on the far side?" Rick queried since if this wasn't the right way, he didn't need to figure out how to cross it.
"My turn." Kate shifted into a swarm of bats, flew across quickly, and nothing happened.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
"Where is she?" Rick was getting worried. It felt like she had been gone too long.
"I can go look for her," Alexis offered. "I'll just go Ethereal, go across, and look."
But before she could, Kate showed up. "Thank God!" Kate spotted the water and them. "I got lost." She didn't have a stick of chalk to find her way back. "It's a mess over here, but I think we have somewhere to go. So how do you get across, Castle?"
"We have a thought about that, so hope that it works," Alexis told her. She went Ethereal and traveled literally around the pool in the rock until she reached Kate.
Kate and Alexis watched as Rick backed up till they couldn't see him. Kate looked at Alexis. "What's he doing?"
"He shifts, and since our shirts have slits for our wings and another for our tail, he doesn't have to strip first. Then he runs as fast as possible, and he glides across," Alexis explained. "It's only 25 feet. Just get ready to catch him."
"OH SHIT!" Kate kept looking, and sure enough, here came Castle looking like an Incubus. He jumped and glided with maybe a touch of flapping his wings. One of his wings brushed the water, but he made it.
"I made it!" Rick was standing there looking at them.
"RUN!"Alexis yelled at him because something was coming up out of the water.
However, instead of running, Rick turned to look. He saw it, squealed like a little girl yet again, and ran for it.
Thankfully it sank back down into the water. "What the hell was that? It was huge!" They had turned a corner, and Rick was poking his head around it to see if it was following them.
"It was a skeleton." Alexis knew that much. They had seen enough of them by now.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Like always, Rick kept leaving marks high on the wall so they could find their way out. Though they now knew the obstacles they had to cross to get back.
It wasn't long before they came up against a pair of large, stone, double doors that were clearly closed. Over the doors were marks chiseled into place.
"Oops." Rick didn't even see a door handle he could use to open them.
"Look them over, I'll be right back." Alexis went Ethereal yet again and moved right through the doors like they didn't exist because to her, they didn't.
"Do we push?" Kate asked him.
"So, why the markings?" Rick returned.
"They don't look like anything I've seen before." Kate joined him, given that she was in no hurry to open the doors. Let Alexis do her job.
"Six, seven, three." Rick counted the number of lines across the top. "One, four, nine in the middle. Eight, two, and five in the lower row. So, what makes that so special?" Rick kept looking and was still looking when Alexis came back.
"Just beyond this door is a chamber with a single coffin in the center. It's already open, and there are three more just like it. Each room connects to another. At the far end, there's another door just like this one. It has the same markings on it.
"And in each room, there's a walking skeleton armed with a bow and quiver of arrows," Alexis warned them.
"So when we get this door open, we'll get shot. Lovely." Kate didn't need to hear that.
"Anything, Dad?" They needed to get the doors open first.
"Well one, four, and nine are all prime numbers. Maybe it's a lock." It was all Rick had.
"I'll be on the far side to attack a skeleton after you enter." Alexis decided one less skeleton able to fire arrows was a good thing, and she left them.
Rick looked at Kate who made sure her dagger was at the ready, and she nodded. So Rick pressed the panel with just the one mark. The only thing that happened was that the door started to hum ominously. Rick jerked his hand away and looked the door over again.
He reached out to test how far apart each mark was. He couldn't only touch two at the same time. Rick glanced at Kate. "All three at the same time, maybe?"
"I'll take number nine." Kate reached out to touch it. "On three?"
"Wait! Do you mean one, two, three, touch or touch on three?" Rick asked.
Kate rolled her eyes. Leave it to Rick to make it difficult. "Three, then touch."
"One, two, three." Rick pressed his two, and Kate pressed hers, and the doors actually cracked open just a touch, but they didn't open.
"I push, and you rush in and attack the skeleton," Rick said. He loved the idea of a walking skeleton but not having to fight them. So far, there was an occasional hint of a spirit flying around but not attacking them, then Zombies, and now Skeletons were almost a dream come true. Except all of them wanted them dead.
Rick pushed while Kate shifted into a swarm of bats and rushed through the opening before Castle had the doors open enough for him to enter. She attacked the skeleton she found. That was Alexis's clue to attack hers.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
After being shot with an arrow, Rick had what remained of it in his arm. Kate was trying carefully to remove the arrowhead using her dagger. In the meantime, Alexis searched each of the four coffins to see if they were hiding something.
"OW!"Rick yelped.
"Sorry, but I need you to hold still. I've almost got it." Kate finally got the arrowhead out and looked it over. It looked like any other arrowhead to her, so she dropped it. Kate reached into the backpack that had been on her back. She needed to find a clean, spare shirt. One came to hand, so she ripped it into strips to wrap Rick's wound using it.
"I've got a key, but there's no lock." Alexis held it up to show it to them.
Rick took it and looked it over. "It's kind of small. But it's not a door lock. It's for something else. Can you look around?" Rick asked and watched her leave. Rick went back to watching Kate work on his wounded arm.
Kate tied his bandage off. "There, I think you'll live. We can find a Cleric when we get home." Kate was thinking spell or maybe a potion. They had learned a lot so far living here.
Alexis was back and held out her hand. "Key, please. I found a chest in a small room in the very center. There are four narrow passages, and all of them end in doors on this side. But I can't see the doors, so I'm guessing they exist." Alexis waited for the key and was gone again.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Alexis was back. "All that was inside the chest was this little piece of black cloth." She handed it to her dad.
"Interesting." It looked all folded up to him.
"We can figure out what it is later, Castle. Please, just put it in your pocket for now," Kate asked him. "We need to solve this and get out. I hate it down here."
"There better not be Drow down here." Alexis didn't need to see another one of those for as long as she lived.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Opening the next door was now very simple for Rick and Kate. Just press the symbols and push. However, Alexis had gone ahead to look.
Rick and Kate were walking down a worked tunnel when Alexis showed up. "It ends in a large hexagonal room. There are four columns in the middle, and in the very center is a large stone coffin. On three walls are these doorways. That's the best I can describe them. One of them is open.
"There are eight of those spirits we've seen that are in the room. But, there's also what I'm going to call a ghost that's standing in front of one of the doors. He appears to be chanting. I didn't become solid, but the place reeks of Evil."
"Nine against three." Kate didn't like the odds.
Alexis raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we should have brought that kid." At least that would make it nine against four.
Kate shook her head. "With two Demons and one Vampire? He would rat us out in a heartbeat. I happen to like where we live. I've never seen a city like it. We just have to plan this right."
"It sounds like having our Ghost Touch is a good idea," Rick said.
"I'll take the ghost," Alexis offered. "Maybe I can stop him from doing whatever he's doing. You two can handle the other eight. Only don't take too long since I don't plan to die down here. I'm training to be a Sorceress, not a fighter."
It was all they had, so they went with it. Alexis left them, and she would attack the second she knew they had opened the door.
This time the doors had no markings, none, nor was it locked or could be locked since it didn't have a lock. So Rick pushed, and with Kate as a swarm of bats, she flew in. It might be the plan to let Alexis attack this ghost alone, but Kate hated that idea. So, she rushed at him, changed back to solid, and attacked him right after Alexis did. Their Ghost Touch daggers did indeed allow them to hit him and do damage.
Except her idea left Rick alone with eight on one. Thankfully for him, these things weren't all that dangerous. He had killed one easily and was working on the second.
Kate was proving right as, without a doubt, this ghost was a real pain. Pain as in somehow they both saw and felt this wave emanate from him. And as it washed over both of them, they could feel it, and yes, it hurt and hurt a lot. It felt like EVIL had a physical form, and it hurt. Both also felt like they were being pushed away from him, but neither was.
In her schooling, Kate learned that she should try and attack someone from behind. It would give her a better chance of hitting her target and doing more damage, so while Alexis kept him busy, she moved to his back and put all she could into her next strike.
Rick was getting hit, but these guys were easy to deal with. Just one strike and poof, they vanished. He had killed three when he finally realized that Kate wasn't helping him like they had planned.
The ghost turned to face Kate. He hit her, and just like that wave, his touch felt like pure EVIL was touching her, and yes, it hurt. It hurt bad. However, turning his back on Alexis gave her a free shot. She might not have Kate's strength or her skill, but she was able to hit him in the back.
That got him turning to face her, and he swung. Like what happened to Kate, his touch felt like pure, absolute EVIL touching her, and it hurt. But turning his back on Kate allowed her to hit him in the back again.
He faced her once more though he never turned back to Alexis again. Kate was proving to be more of a threat to him, so he concentrated on her.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Rick had killed his last one and went looking for Kate and Alexis. What he found scared him badly. Alexis was all alone and fighting what looked like a ghost to him. Kate was on the floor. So he charged over, took his first swing at him, and put all of his Incubus strength into it.
Rick got his first feel of the ghost's touch, and like the others, it felt like pure EVIL was touching him.
Finally, the ghost was gone. Kate was still lying on the floor, and Alexis felt like utter shit. Seemingly every part of her hurt. No real blood was flowing, but all the same, it hurt.
Rick was on his knees, desperately checking for a pulse. While supposedly Kate as a Vampire was an undead, he already knew from making love to her that she had a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief when he found one.
Rick left Kate for now and checked out Alexis. "Are you all right?"
"I feel like crap, Dad. What the hell was that thing?" She never wanted to do that again.
"A ghost?" It was all Rick had.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Kate was breathing. Alexis was tired and hurting. So Rick opened the stone coffin and saw a body inside it. He just wasn't sure what to do with it, but he had a thought. And without consulting Alexis and certainly not Kate, since she was unconscious, he took out the body and threw it through the open doorway Alexis had talked about.
He was somewhat stunned when no sooner than the body had gone through, the opening closed on it. However, satisfied with the result, he returned to Kate and saw she was still out cold.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
Kate slowly became aware of her surroundings and realized she was in one of those sleeping bags. She felt like shit. And when she opened her eyes, she saw Rick right there, watching her. "Hi." She was so happy to see him.
"Don't scare me like that again, Kate. I thought I'd lost you." Rick bent down and kissed her and felt her return his kiss. "Do you need to bite me?" He thought she might.
"Probably." She had never felt this wretched before. It was like everything hurt. "Where's Alexis?" If something happened to her, she might die.
"Sleeping in her bag. She'll live. You need help getting up?" Rick was more than willing to help and held out his hand.
"No." Kate didn't need to be treated like a baby. She could manage by herself. But moving nearly anything was proving to be a challenge. "Yes." Kate broke down and let him help her, even hold her while she bit his shoulder and drank from him from the front this time.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
They ended up being down here for two whole days. Kate had bitten Rick twice, and Alexis was finally bored enough to want out of here.
"Just one thing, Dad. No more ghosts, please?" One had been more than enough.
"Yeah, he wasn't fun." Believing in ghosts had been one thing. Fighting against one had almost cost him the two women he loved most in this world or any other.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
They followed their way out and avoided all the obstacles just like last time. Eventually, they ended up in a room with Yluandriel. She thanked them for their hard work, and closing those portals, and saving her College.
She agreed to their deal. Alexis was given one year of training for free. She even threw in a free analysis of the tiny black piece of folded cloth they had found. It turned out to be a Portable Hole. It was a 6-foot diameter hole that was 10 feet deep and capable of holding almost anything. Then it would fold back up into a small, folded patch of cloth.
She warned them never to put another dimensional article inside it, such as their backpack. If they did, it would rip both articles to pieces. They would lose the portable hole, their backpack, whatever was inside of both articles and perhaps even drag one of them with it. They would be gone forever.
The Portable Hole was worth 14,000 gold pieces if they ever chose to sell it.
Yluandriel also suggested they see a Cleric and see if he or she could help them with the terrible feeling they were experiencing. Of course, casting a spell to help them cost them gold, but they did feel a lot better after that one spell.
ϵө϶Ѫϵө϶
"Patches!" Alexis was never so happy to see anyone. She had let Kate and her dad talk her into leaving him behind. She was never going to do that again.
"MEOW!"
"I love you too." Alexis hugged and kissed him. Her heart was all wrapped up in her little fiery friend. She vowed to herself that she was never doing that again. Where she went, Patches went with her.
EVERYWHERE!