DAD!?
Warning: This story has a minor amount of sex but is full of violence. Reader discretion is advised.
I repeat:Reader Discretion Is Advised.
This story starts out as an almost official Caskett story. It almost ends as one as well. (Kate is being stubborn)
Remember this story contains violent acts and there will be death. However no Major or minor character death from the series takes place.
You need to read Mirror, Mirror and Love You? first to understand the story arc. A 4th story and final story is anticipated at this time.
One Chapter Only
"Where are we going?" Kate was dressed and ready for anything.
"Waterdeep, so this is only a buying trip. The Adventure starts tomorrow," Rick told her. And after coming home he was thinking another date. If Kate was ready to go on dates, he was going to take her out on dates. Woo her the best he could. Because Kate Beckett wasn't Meredith or Gina. She was clearly different.
» – Ж – «
Artificer's Monocle. Kate had listened to what it could do. Basically, it was wear this little Monocle, study an object for a minute, and it would show you all that item could do. From +1 this, to +4 that, and anything else it was capable of. It meant no more coming back and paying one hundred gold pieces to a Wizard to find out what it was. And it only cost one thousand six hundred gold pieces. It was definitely a bargain.
Now the other Monocle was different. This was Monocle of Clarity. It did three things by sliding a different glass into place.
Filter of Comprehend Languages. When you peer through this filter, you can read and comprehend any written language as per the written language portion of the comprehend languages spell.
Filter of Darkvision. While looking through this filter, you have Darkvision out to a range of 60 feet.
Filter of See Invisibility. When gazing through this filter, you see invisible creatures and objects as if they were visible.
It was a little more costly at six thousand five hundred gold pieces. Now she was beginning to wonder just how much gold Rick and Alexis actually had. She had over seventy thousand but wasn't sure just what to get.
However, something caught her eye. It was just this little piece of black cloth. Portable Hole. Six feet round and ten deep. It acted like a huge version of her Bag of Holding or Backpack. It simply folded up into this little piece of black cloth. But, it came with a warning. If a Bag of Holding or anything like it went inside, it would destroy both items and everything in both, as well as everything within ten feet would be cast into a void and forever lost.
At just fourteen thousand gold pieces she could easily afford it, so she bought it. Now she had just barely over sixty thousand gold pieces to spend later.
» – Ж – «
"So that was it?" Kate asked as she stripped down in Castle's bedroom to put on her more normal clothes. She was even getting really comfortable with having Castle see her naked. Kate knew she was a bit of an exhibitionist and wasn't ashamed of her body. And ever since she became a Succubus her skin, much like Castle's, was flawless. Baby smooth.
Kate had just picked up her bra to put on when she became aware that his arms wrapping around her from behind. Granted, they had always made love as Succubus and Incubus, but she was more than willing to try it as human and human.
"You have something in mind?" Kate queried. She was allowed to spin to face him, put her arms around his neck and let her bra dangle down his back for now.
"I want to take you out on a date." Rick was thinking date first, sex afterwards.
"A date." Kate smiled wide. She really did want to date him. She could feel her wounded heart reaching out to his. "What did you have in mind?"
He tilted his head slightly. "I was thinking maybe dancing."
"Dancing? Mister-two-left-feet wants to take me dancing?" Kate liked the idea so long as she got to keep her toes.
"I resent that remark. I may be a klutz on occasion, but I'll have you know that I know how to dance," Rick countered.
Kate raised an eyebrow. "Do I get to keep my toes?" His answer to that question was to kiss her, so she kissed him back.
» – Ж – «
Black Flamingo
It turned out to be in Brooklyn. It had a bar and kitchen upstairs and a dance space in the basement. Tunes bumped by seminal spinners Justin Strauss and Justin Miller (DFA Records) gave house neophytes and old-timers alike equal footing to drink up and get down.
» – Ж – «
It had been perfect. It wasn't a college crowd that only wanted to get drunk, and it wasn't full of old people that just wanted to shuffle their feet. Kate got to swing her hips and tease Castle on the dance floor. She even got to keep her toes. And she also got to be held close and savor the feeling of being in his arms.
It was because of that date that she could really feel her heart reaching out and wishing he could put it back together. She was still reluctant to just give in, but she was getting there.
Then later that night after spending some time with Alexis for a change since Castle had gone out shopping, they had made love to each other as humans for a change. She found out he was just as good in bed as a human as he was an Incubus. Though she did miss his massive magnificent Cock he had as an Incubus.
» – Ж – «
Kate had everything in place and was reaching out to hold Castle's hand while Alexis took her other hand and watched him press symbols on the mirror and say a language she still didn't understand. Instantly they were somewhere else.
"DAD!?"Alexis grumbled under her breath since what she wanted to do was yell at him. "This is not a desert." He had screwed up AGAIN!
"I don't understand. I pressed… water." Rick hung his head. He had screwed up. "We can go back and try again."
"And lose another day? Kate only has just so much time off work, and each trip to Waterdeep uses up one entire day. Let's just find out where you've brought us this time." Alexis would simply take it out of his hide later if this didn't work out.
"At least we have Goggles of Water Breathing," Kate said since it was looking like they might be needing them.
"What is that smell!?" Alexis held her nose closed for a moment before switching to breathing through her mouth.
It was pitch black outside even though the sun was out when they had left home. They were standing on sharp Black Coral. However, there was just enough light to spot things.
"Dead body!" Rick pointed at it.
"More like dead bodies plural," Kate countered as she saw dead bodies of sharks, fish, humans, and maybe other things. "Lots of old blood as well."
"I'm not swimming in that," Alexis declared. "Is that a ship?" Alexis thought she spotted one, but it looked damaged.
"That is a ship. I think I see a broken mast and missing boards all over," Rick added. "Looks like we fly. Fly to the ship, perhaps?" Rick was willing to go to there. "Anyone see anyone?"
"No, but I have a question. How did that ship get in there if this is the opening?" Alexis pointed out a problem. "We're standing on all this coral."
"Might be why it's broken," Kate suggested. "Ship, it is." Kate shifted into her Succubus form, jumped, and beat her wings to reach the ship. Rick and Alexis did the same and landed on the ship.
A woman stood on the deck. Glittering gold chains circled her neck and a thin silver tiara tilted unevenly on her forehead. Her arms and torso were covered in black chitin. Dangling from her belt was a large, curved horn comprised of three interlocking pieces.
A skeleton was partially entombed in the pillar of Black Coral growth at the mast.
However, as soon as those three landed she charged them with her rapier ready. That had Rick drawing his weapon as did Alexis. Kate pulled her AR-15 off her shoulder, drew the slide back, and took off the safety.
Since Rick was closest she attempted to strike him. But thanks to his Cloak of Displacement she had a 60% chance of missing him and she did.
That gave Rick a chance to take his swing. He hit her and did damage. Since Alexis had her wings out she used them to increase her speed across the deck to take her swing as she went past and hit her.
Kate was waiting for an opening to use her AR-15 when movement caught her eye and she turned to face it. It was the skeleton encased in Black Coral at the main mast, so she used a finger to flip to full auto and proceeded to empty a clip into it.
Kate was better with her Glock, but she was trained on an AR-15, and after a full clip she had severed its spinal column, causing it to fall into two pieces.
The woman Rick was battling instantly fell to the ship's deck. "What the hell?" Rick used his sword to test if she was faking it.
Alexis was standing there looking between Kate, her broken skeleton, and the lady that just fell to the floor. Now she spun to see if there was anyone behind her.
Meanwhile, Rick bent down to the woman and checked for a pulse. "She's alive!" That was a shock. That had Alexis turning to face him since she saw no one else.
"Mind Control? We know it's possible in this realm," Alexis mentioned.
Her name was Captain Varossa Lanteri, and she found herself under Mind Control by Captain Jemma Redclaw. "I was too weak and too stupid and greedy. I just want to go home. You can have everything including the ship."
They learned the ship was called Fearsome Tide. Beyond this ship she didn't know much of anything else. The treasure was in the hold.
"Watch her." Rick pointed at Kate who was busy switching out her empty clip for a full one.
Down in the hold Alexis used her new item and found a few magical items.
Boots of Striding and Springing (two thousand gold pieces), a Monk's Belt (two thousand gold pieces) a staff of Woodlands – twenty-one charges (forty-five thousand gold pieces). In addition they found six thousand gold pieces, three masterwork Chelish paintings (worth four hundred fifty gold pieces each), a well-constructed mahogany humidor containing twenty exquisite cigars of varying flavors (worth five hundred fifty gold pieces in total), fifteen bottles of fine spiced rum (worth three hundred gold pieces in total), three crates of old Mwangi tribal masks in excellent condition (worth nine hundred gold pieces in total), and uncut gems (worth one thousand gold pieces in total).
The ship without any repairs brings nine thousand gold pieces.
"She's not lying." Alexis and Rick were back on deck. "How is she?"
"She looks weak. What do we do with her? She says she just wants to go home. Wherever that is," Kate told them.
Varossa tried again. "Please? I won't tell anyone that you three are Demons. Just get me off this island."
"Island?" Alexis raised an eyebrow at that.
» – Ж – «
In the end Varossa found herself lashed to the main mast and left there while they disembarked to search this place and perhaps the island. But that was only after going back down into the hold, opening Kate's new Portable Hole, and putting the treasure inside it. They didn't have much fear that she was going to get loose and sail the ship away. Not when the cove was blocked by Black Coral.
There was a rope and wood bridge from this side to the other. Then they came upon a fork and went left.
This room was large. It had sixty foot ceilings and five stone columns filled with engravings to hold the ceiling up. There were a few broken-into-kindling picnic tables, making it difficult to judge just how big they were.
The next room was filled with Black Coral, making passage difficult but not impossible.
The next room had a twenty foot ceiling and a raised stone lip in the center of the room defined a pool of clear water. At the bottom of the pool, a mosaic eye resembled the large single orb of a Cyclops. The eye appeared to gaze directly at every creature in the room, following them as they moved around.
"Weird how it does that." Alexis circled the pool again to get it to do that. She didn't understand why it was even here, but it wasn't doing anything else.
The next room was easily a hundred feet long and had two massive columns in the middle holding up the sixty foot tall ceiling. There were slabs of marble everywhere but nothing else.
The ceiling in the next room was still the same sixty foot height. Within this expansive room, cyclopean statues stood at attention, pointed toward the center of the room from alcoves set in the facing walls.
"Are those what I think they are?" Kate walked up to one and looked it over.
"If you mean Cyclops like in one of those old cheap Wrath of Titans or one of those pirate movies? Yeah." Rick walked over to look at the other one. Except it wasn't just a statue. It appeared to be carved out of stone and was still attached to a large portion of the uncarved stone.
The next room had carved stone ceiling that was twenty feet high. A cyclopean marble statue stood on the left side of the hall and a pile of rubble laid opposite it. Just past the statue, shadows enveloped the hallway in absolute darkness. The walls depicted religious rituals performed by giants with a single eye in the center of their foreheads and battles between the giantfolk and serpentlike humanoids.
That had Alexis putting on one of her new glasses and studying the walls. "This talks about the rise and fall of various chiefs and the establishment of cyclops enclaves across the pre-Earthfall region that later became the Shackles. The carvings include scenes of ritual blood sacrifice and a great war against the serpentfolk and reveal that the lighthouse served as a center of guidance and divination."
"Lighthouse?" Kate questioned. "Must be outside somewhere."
The doors at the far end that were closed, set about ten feet into the cliff face, were covered with runes and depictions of powerful one-eyed warriors and robed spellcasters fighting serpentfolk. Each side of the landing bore an alcove with a ten-foot-tall, chiseled humanoid statue with a single great eye, standing vigil.
"More Cyclops." Kate looked one over. Eventually, getting the door open was easy. Outside was open air and trees. A twenty-foot-tall stone monument rose above the brush in this small clearing. The monolith bore rows of weathered inscriptions. About thirty feet to the southeast, at the far end of the clearing, a large waterfall poured down from the cliffs above into a clear pool of water.
Again, Alexis put her glasses on to look over this monolith. "It talks about defense of the Ghol-Gan empire against outside aggressors. "From this gate the Eyes of Ghol-Gan march to victory. We accept no other destiny. It is only to the song of victory we go forth, and it is to the sound of victory we return."
"Sounds like research for you, Dad. Whatever this Ghol-Gan is," Alexis said with a shrug.
In the end they released the woman and then vanished, going home, and leaving her behind. If it was an island they had no other way off and no reason to want to try and either sell or keep the ship, Fearsome Tide.
» – Ж – «
The next day they were back in Waterdeep to sell what they had gained.
Boots of striding and springing (two thousand gold pieces), a monk's Belt (two thousand gold pieces), a staff of Woodlands – twenty-one charges (forty-five thousand gold pieces). In addition they found six thousand gold pieces, three masterwork Chelish paintings (worth four hundred fifty gold pieces each), a well-constructed mahogany humidor containing twenty exquisite cigars of varying flavors (worth five hundred fifty gold pieces in total), fifteen bottles of fine spiced rum (worth three hundred gold pieces in total), three crates of old Mwangi tribal masks in excellent condition (worth nine hundred gold pieces in total), and uncut gems (worth one thousand gold pieces in total).
Kate now had fifty-nine thousand one hundred gold pieces plus a little over seventy thousand gold pieces to play with, so here she was walking around trying to decide what to do. However, she had left the Wizard Guild and was at a weapons shop looking for a weapon. She was going to run out of ammunition one of these days.
+3 Vorpal Long Sword (fifty thousand gold pieces)
Now back to a Wizard Guild
Magic Bedroll (Endure elements and increase natural healing – five hundred gold pieces)
Necklace of Acid Pearls (functions like Alexis' Necklace of Fireballs but does Acid damage instead, seven pearls, two small, two larger, two still larger and one large pearl – ten thousand seven hundred gold pieces)
"What do you two think? One Adult Bronze Dragon for one hour every twenty-four hours for seventy-five thousand gold pieces," Kate asked Rick and Alexis. "Not that I have that much any longer, so forget it." Then something else caught Kate's eye.
"Ooo, Figurine of Phantom Steed. Ride over sandy, muddy, or even swampy ground without difficulty or decrease in speed. Run at one hundred, water walk, air walk, and fly. Lasts for eight hours every twenty-four hours. Only sixteen thousand gold pieces." Kate liked it. "We need three." He only had two but another Magic Guild had one just like these two.
It left her with just under twenty thousand, so she switched to magical wands.
Alexis bought another Necklace of Fireballs since she was almost out of balls on hers. - ten thousand seven hundred gold pieces.
Detect Magic Wand (fifty charges) – three hundred seventy-five gold pieces
Detect Secret Doors wand (fifty charges) – two hundred seventy-five gold pieces
"What are these?" Kate picked up a gem and examined it. She thought she saw something inside. "Didn't we have one of these once?"
It was explained to Kate that they were Elemental Gems. Throw it and it breaks, releasing the Elemental trapped inside it. It attacks your enemies immediately for a short time before vanishing. "Really? Didn't we sell ours?" Kate put it back since it was a one and done item. Two thousand two hundred fifty gold pieces for one elemental for a short time.
Ring of Invisibility (Lasts forever until you attack someone, then the spell ends till the ring is removed and replaced yet again) – twenty thousand gold pieces. She needed one hundred gold pieces from Castle to buy it.
Now they could go home. Right after they went to a Temple and Rick and Alexis bought more potions. Now they could go home.
» – Ж – «
"So you two have been doing this every summer? When do you write your books?" Kate asked Rick.
"When we get back," he replied. "I should be writing even now, but I'm spending time with you."
"Then go write." She didn't want him getting into trouble because of her.
Rick smiled at her. "I'd rather go out on another date if you're up to it."
"I'm all yours, Castle." Kate slipped her arms around his neck, pressed herself against him, and kissed him as a human.
"Have we converted you to this?" Rick questioned her again.
"Mm-hmm. Just summers?" Suddenly, doing this only during the summer wasn't enough. It was just she didn't have summers off. In this case she wasn't even going to last all summer. Just one lousy month.
"Alexis has school," Rick murmured and kissed her neck.
"Ah, yes." Alexis did love school for some reason. "I'll um… I'll think of something." She didn't have enough accumulated vacation time for all summer, and she couldn't begin to afford taking all summer off.
"So, where are we going on this date?" Kate asked him since she would be ready just as soon as she went home and changed clothes.
Rick smiled at her. "I was thinking either a dinner cruise with more dancing, or a trip to the Statue of Liberty."
"Would you believe I've lived in New York City all my life, but I've never been to the Statue?" Kate admitted to him. "But I liked dancing." Now she was conflicted. Statue or dancing?
"Dancing, please." They could go see the Statue any time. Kate kisses him to seal the deal.
She still had over a week for at least one more trip based on how long the last ones took. And now she was more ready. She could actually contribute and not feel like she needed to be protected or babied.
Alexis Castle
+3 Ring of Protection
+3 Bracers of Armor
Rapier of Unerring Detection (This rapier has a curved blade and a hand guard of delicate golden filigree. This deadly weapon can find hidden enemies and pierce the protective magic that veils their true locations. When you wield a rapier of unerring detection, it functions as a +1 Ghost Touch rapier.
Relic Power: if you have established the proper divine connection, a rapier of unerring direction automatically ignores all miss chances, whether they stem from concealment, blink, displacement, or some other source.)
+3 Vest of Resistance
+3 Amulet of Natural Armor
Bag of Holding Type 3 (weighs just 35 pounds but can hold up to 1,000 pounds of weight and has 150 cubic feet of space inside)
Belt of Many Pockets (64 mini pockets that worked just like the bag of holding only hold smaller amounts)
Heward's Handy Haversack (bigger on the inside, what you want is always on top)
Boots of the Mountain King (full movement over rocky, and rough terrain and stoneskin)
Cloak of Shelter (4 person tent as leomunds secure shelter)
Eye's of the Eagle (vastly increase your ability to see and spot things not normally seen)
Necklace of Fireballs Type V (2 balls left)
New Necklace of Fireballs Type V (2 small, 2 larger, 2 larger still and 1 large one)
Rope of Climbing (it will go up and wrap around anything on command and then release on command)
Wand of Detect Magic (12 charges left)
Goggles of water breathing (Allow you to see 5 times as further than normal under water and creates a bubble of continual air around your head)
Monocle of Clarity.
Artificer's Monocle.
Richard Castle
Belt of Holy Might (+2 armor, +4 strength, magic circle against evil, word of recall)
Moon Cloak (cloak of resistance plus levitation and water walk)
Moon Bracers (bracers of armor plus one dimension door per day)
Hewards Handy Haversack
Quiver of Ehlonna (Holds 60 +1 arrows and 10 javelins of Lightning)
+3 Ring of Protection
Ring of Regeneration (Heal wounds slowly and grow a limb if one is cut off while wearing the ring, not after losing a limb)
Bag of Holding Type II (weighs 25 pounds, holds up to 500 pounds, 70 cubic feet inside)
Boots of Teleportation (teleport instantly to a location you know clearly any distance once per day)
Cloak of Displacement, Major (60% chance of being missed)
Daern's Instant Fortress (it creates a 3 floor fortress with locked doors that no one can enter but you can shoot arrows or cast spells out of)
Bow of the Solars (+3 bow that turns every arrow into an arrow of slaying)
+3 Frost Brand Longsword (extra cold damage)
Goggles of Water Breathing (Allow you to see 5 times as further than normal under water and creates a bubble of continual air around your head)
Kate Beckett
Goggles of Water Breathing (Allow you to see 5 times as further than normal under water and creates a bubble of continual air around your head)
+3 Ring of Protection
6 foot x 9 foot Carpet of Flying
Heward's Handy Haversack (larger on the inside, Cost = two thousand gold pieces)
Rod of Resurrection – 11 charges
+3 Moon Bracers (Bracers of armor plus Dimension Door, Cost = nineteen thousand one hundred gold pieces)
Boots of Speed (eight thousand gold pieces)
Bag of Holding Type II (weighs 25 pounds, holds 500 pounds, 70 cubic feet, Cost = five thousand gold pieces)
Ring of invisibility
Detect magic, wand (50 charges)
Detect Secret Doors, wand (50 charges)
Figurine of Phantom Steed. Ride over sandy, muddy, or even swampy ground without difficulty or decrease in speed. Run at 100, water walk, air walk and fly. Lasts for 8 hours every 24 hours.
+3 Vorpal Long Sword
Magic Bedroll
Necklace of Acid Pearls
AR-15 with 4 clips and a Glock with 4 clips