Where Am I?
Warning: This story contains mature subject matter. Reader discretion is advised.
I repeat: Reader Discretion Is Advised.
This story does not start out as a Caskett story, though it does end as one.
There is no major character death. Minor character death is discussed.
This story contains both sexual situations as well as acts of violence. If either of these are not to your liking, you have been warned.
As with all stories in this series if you ignore the warnings and read it and complain that is your fault. You didn't listen.
One Chapter Only
"Hi, Tigger, I need a ride." Alexis approached a large tiger using the command word Tigger and mounted him, paying attention to it climbing the steps. It was a lot of steps and many of them were very steep. It could be walked, but it was hard on the legs.
It was rather flat at first till a corner was turned, and then the pathway led upward. It went up the hill and then started the switchbacks but only twice. Then it was almost straight up between a rock outcropping before going back to switchbacks. Eventually, it leveled out for a little while before going almost straight up again.
There was one tiny little landing that was taken up almost completely by the Stone Guardian that stood watch at the Gates. The Gates themselves were thick, heavy, and large but swung easily. A finger could be used to open them if they were unlocked from the inside. If they weren't then considerable strength or powerful magic was needed. But first another command word was necessary.
"Hi, George." Alexis patted his huge foot and approached the door. "Open says me." Her dad had a serious sense of humor. Tigger, George, and now this. And that was just the beginning.
George was just over ten feet tall and weighed in at about two thousands pounds, more or less. Made of stone, he had legs, arms, torso, and a head. He was the very first Golem that her dad had kept after making him. He wasn't the first, but all of the others were out in the valley now.
Alexis reached out with a finger and pushed the door open so she could enter. She pushed it closed again and took off walking.
The compound was walled and heavily fortified against nearly anything. Save for her dad's magic circle the only way in was through the doors. Any other method was blocked permanently.
Alexis said the command word, "Sam, how have you been," and was able to walk past him. Sam was one of the more recent Golems her dad had constructed. He was made of seven thousand five hundred pounds of Adamantine, the single hardest metal anyone knew about. A deal had to be made with the Dwarves to even get a pound of that material, let alone seven thousand five hundred pounds of this stuff. Once her dad was done with him Sam was eighteen feet tall and weighed in at thirty-two thousand pounds.
Alexis walked through the gardens. The gardens were food on one side and flowers on the other. Out from the wall so they didn't overhang it were the fruit and nut trees. Tending all of that was one single Golem. This little guy was beyond cute. Big feet, big hands, big body, almost no hips, one little head with two big eyes and that was it. He was as cute as could be and damn good at his job.
"Greenie!" Alexis waved at him and watched him stop his work. He waved back and went back to work. He was so adorable Alexis could just eat him up.
Her dad's compound took up the entire top of this rock outcropping. It was walled all the way around and his house was a tower with an attached barn slash workshop.
This place's best spot was the massive tree in the dead center of the compound. Around it was a small lake that Greenie fed with what the tree needed to survive and thrive.
Her dad's home was a stone tower. It had four main levels, a basement, and an attic. It was about sixty feet round with a cone roof and the entrance was on the second floor. However, she walked toward the barn since that was where he did all his work.
"Sparkly, where's dad?" Alexis knew just inside the door was another Golem that acted as a guard. This one was a Stained Glass Golem. Sparkly unlike the others was a two dimensional construct. He stood up against the wall and since he had light on the back side during the day, he could be mistaken for a window.
Alexis watched him point. "Thanks, Sparkly." Alexis was thinking one of these days her dad was going to have too many Golems. Still, they all served a purpose, so it was likely he would never stop.
First up was his Laboratory. It was here that he created potions. Her dad was a creator. He created Golems and potions. There wasn't any spell a magic user like her dad could cast that he couldn't create a potion to duplicate. To a point. Some spells were just too powerful to be made into a potion. Not that that stopped her dad from trying, though. It looked like he had something brewing even now.
"Hi Dad." He was clearly working on yet another Golem. He was still in the early stages so she didn't know what this one was yet.
"Alexis! How is my favorite daughter?" Rick was happy to see her.
"I'm your only daughter," Alexis retorted.
"Doesn't change the fact that you are my favorite," Rick contended. "So, what do you think?" he motioned at his construct.
"No offense, but what is it?" Alexis questioned.
"I know he doesn't look like much yet, but I'm making him out of swords. Body, arms, legs, fingers. This time he'll be human-sized. Front line troops if this works. My only problem is getting enough swords without the part you hold. I just need the blades. I'm thinking another trip into the city soon," Rick explained. He only had just so many blades to make him out of.
"So what brings you up, Pumpkin?" Rick was at a stopping point and needed to go check on his latest potion.
"To invite you down to our house for dinner tonight. I'm cooking." Alexis was thinking that might get him to come.
"Your favorite or mine?" Rick queried since it was important.
"Yours, of course." It was the only way to get him to come.
"You have a deal then. And where is your husband?" Rick was curious since he was welcome here. His daughter had married him. He clearly loved her, and she loved him.
"A large batch of birds suddenly scattered so he's away finding out why," Alexis explained.
"I must have missed that." Rick knew what his job was around here.
"You probably had your head buried in your new toy," Alexis offered.
"Perhaps." Rick knew it was a failing on his part. It was just… This was what he did. He couldn't protect this valley all on his own so he needed Golems.
"Where is Henry?" Alexis inquired since everywhere he went Henry went. She watched her dad point. She looked and finally saw him.
Henry looked like a man wearing full plate armor. The difference was Henry had a sword for his left hand and a hand for his right hand. When he was active the runes engraved onto his body, arms, legs, and head glowed blue so he could be mistaken for just a suit of armor standing there.
Henry was a Guardian Golem. He was her dad's Guardian. His job was to get between her dad and whoever was attacking him. He was meant to take the damage intended for her dad. He hadn't been tested yet, but it was only a matter of time.
"Keep up the good work, Henry. I'll be expecting you for dinner, Dad." Alexis had delivered her message so she could go home. On her way she would shop for ingredients and begin cooking while waiting for her husband to come home and her dad to show up.
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Kate was celebrating! She was coming home with Chinese take-out to eat to celebrate. Opening the door she was confronted with her one true friend on this planet.
"MEOW!"
"Midnight! How is my handsome kitty." Kate reached down to pet him. "We're celebrating! Chinese for me and salmon for you." Kate took out the fresh slice of salmon she had bought at the store on the way home and put both on the kitchen counter. She watched Midnight jump up onto the countertop and start sniffing the fish that was hidden away behind a barrier from his teeth. FOR NOW.
"Keep your pantyhose on. Let me wash my hands first," Kate chastised her best friend and washed her hands at the kitchen sink. Then she took a plate and a knife out of the dishwasher, cut the salmon open, fed him a tiny part of the fish, and put it on the floor where he should be eating it.
Kate left her Glock in the kitchen for now. She would move it to her bedroom after dinner.
"Enjoy," Kate told him. She picked up her container of Chinese, headed for the sofa with her chopsticks in hand, and turns on the TV. There had to be something worth watching. Kate found something and sat back. "This isn't so bad." She ate until suddenly Midnight was on the back of the sofa, looking over her shoulder and down at her Chinese.
"You had yours. Did you even taste it?" Kate asked him since he couldn't have possibly tasted it by eating it that fast. Wary, Kate guarded her meal.
"Meow?"
"We're celebrating my making Homicide Detective today. Captain Montgomery took me out of Vice and made me a junior Homicide Detective. I start tomorrow. No more pretending to be a street hooker. It was almost enough to make me give up on men."
"MEOW!"
"Thank you. I'm happy too. That's why we're celebrating, and no, you can't have any of my Chinese. Not good for kitties." Kate moved her Chinese even farther away from Midnight.
"Meow?"
"No, I'm not joining a Coven. We had this conversation already," Kate replied.
"Meow."
"Yes, I know joining a Coven grants certain benefits, but I'm not turning my life over to a Coven. The benefits don't outweigh losing my independence and Mom's notes haven't swayed me." Kate turned her head to look at him. "Or is this you telling me you want a kitty friend?"
"MEOW!"
"You're not very convincing, Midnight. You're going to have to try a little harder," Kate told him. "And if this is you telling me I need a boyfriend, I DON'T! So no Coven."
"Meow."
Kate was satisfied and concentrated on her dinner while sort of watching TV. "Christmas in July. As if people didn't already want my money." Kate would change the channel just to get rid of the commercial but it would be gone soon.
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"Here's your other piece of salmon, enjoy. I'm going to go change clothes and maybe find a good book." Kate put the plate on the floor and headed for her bedroom.
Midnight didn't know just why but he sensed it. He left his salmon, raced over to Kate, and launched himself at her back. "MEOW!"
"OW! DAMN IT, MIDNIGHT!?"His claws went right through her shirt and straight into her back. Then all of a sudden she wasn't in her apartment any longer. She counted herself lucky that she made it one step into her bedroom. She was outside and it was no longer dark outside. She saw trees and this tall tower of stone in front of her; it had stairs and a ramp leading around the corner to the far side.
Turning about she spotted a grove of trees. It looked like buildings had been built in the trees. Thankfully Midnight let go of her and fell to the ground.
"What the hell was that for? And just where are we?" She saw mountain ranges on either side suggesting they were in a valley somewhere. This definitely was not New York City. There were no other buildings, no noise, no smells, or anything that suggested a city. If anything, the air was cleaner than ever.
"MEOW!"
That had Kate spinning around to look and she saw a young woman riding a Tiger coming down the walkway toward her. It was clearly a Bengal Tiger save that it looked like it had been made and wasn't actually alive. Its joints looked connected.
As for the woman she looked young, maybe shorter than her, with long orange hair, and clearly pretty.
"Hello. Who are you?" Alexis asked while still sitting. If necessary she could get the Tiger to go back up the stairs at breakneck speed and leave the woman in her dust. The safest place she knew of was her dad's place.
"Where am I?" Kate countered.
"Interesting." Alexis didn't understand that comment. So she got off the Tiger and stood next to it. "This is the Shyvar Pass in Aglarond, the lone pass between Aglarond and Thay. Where do you think you are?" Alexis needed to be careful. It wasn't beyond the possibility that Thay would send a spy.
"I was in my apartment in New York City when suddenly I'm here. Where am I again?" Kate questioned her again since what she said didn't make any sense. Actually none of this made sense to her.
"To the east is Thay and to the west is The Sea of Fallen Stars. Tannath Mountains to the south," Alexis said and saw her giving her a blank look. "You really don't know, do you?"
"I don't understand any of this," Kate said.
"Meow."
"What's your name?" Alexis preferred talking to people with names.
"Kate… Kate Beckett. I was inside and it was dark out, and now I'm outside in the sun." She really didn't get this.
Alexis's eyes opened wide. Her dad had used that name once before and it meant something to her. "I think you better come with me." Alexis got back on her Tiger. Dinner just might be delayed.
"Pick up your kitty and hop on." Alexis waited for her to do just that.
Kate ran her hand along whatever this was. "What is this thing?" It was hard and didn't even feel all that real, let alone look real.
"It's a Construct. It beats climbing the stairs on your own," Alexis said.
"Stairs?" Kate didn't see any stairs but she did pick up Midnight and got on behind the redhead. She watched as it walked until it rounded a corner and all at once Kate saw stairs.
"OH, MY!" The stairs went up, and up, and up. Just the sight of it had her holding Midnight with one hand and feeling around for something grab hold of with the other. "How do you hold onto this thing?" It wasn't just walking up the stairs, it was bounding up them!
"You don't," Alexis answered. There was nothing to hold onto. You didn't need to.
"WHAT!?"Kate yelled and realized they were going nearly straight up before going back to switchbacks until it leveled out and then it was straight up again.
Now she was watching this stone statue next to a pair of large double doors. Then young woman said something and pushed a door open using only one hand.
Inside she noticed a garden with a pathway dividing it, leading to two buildings both made of stone with wood roofs. This green thing was walking around. Then she saw this extremely tall big thing just standing there, and the young woman walked right past it like it wasn't even there.
"Meow."
"I see them, I see them." Kate was barely moving as she looked both of them over. The big one just stood there, but the other seemed to be working. The entire space was walled. Then she spotted a really big tree with a small lake all the way around it.
"Meow?"
"No, I have no idea where we are." Just about then Kate realized she needed to hustle to catch up to her, whoever she was.
"DAD! We have company." Alexis entered the barn and waited for Kate.
"Company?" He normally didn't get company. And getting into this place was damn near impossible, or at least it was supposed to be.
"Company." Rick caught sight of her as she entered, carrying a black cat.
Kate stopped in her tracks. "Who or what are you?" Kate saw him but wasn't sure just what he was. He was a bit reddish in color, had large wings that were reddish darkening to black, had a tail, and he had horns!
Rick raised an eyebrow at that. Everyone in town knew him. He had made two more Golems to tend the fields of the town so they had fresh food. Everyone around here knew him.
"She says her name is Kate Beckett and something about New York City," Alexis said and saw the shock of hearing that name on his face. That was why she had brought her to him.
"Beckett." Rick hadn't heard that name in a long time. "I'm Richard Rodgers and this is my daughter, Alexis. Did I hear your name correctly? Kate Beckett?" He needed to be sure.
"Yes." Kate tried again. "What are you?"
"I'm a Demon. An Incubus to be precise," Rick explained.
"DEMON!"She was dead! She just knew it.
"MEOW!"
"Miaow." There was a new meow and that had Midnight looking and he jumped out of Kate's arms to protect her from whatever this was.
It took Kate's attention off of the Demon that was going to kill her and onto her cat. "Is that cat on fire?" It was walking in slowly and headed for Midnight. "MIDNIGHT!" If it was actually on fire it was going to burn her cat!
"Embers, be nice," Rick told his cat.
Kate was looking between the cat that was literally on fire and this Demon. He wanted it to be nice? He was going to kill her, and this cat that was on fire was going to kill Midnight!
However, she watched Midnight. He wasn't afraid; he stuck his nose in and hit the other cat in the nose. Then suddenly the cat that was on fire took off running and Midnight was hot on its heels.
"DO NOT BURN MY LAB DOWN, EMBERS!" Rick yelled at his cat. "Well, since those two are off playing how about you tell me how you got here?"
Alexis spoke up first. "I found her confused at the bottom of the stairs right up against the rock."
"I was… Why should I tell you anything?" Kate challenged him. "You're just going to kill me."
Rick opened his mouth and snapped it closed. "I'm a redeemed Demon. I no longer worship the Lord of the Abyssal layer I was born on. Getting me out of there cost my parents their lives. I found myself here and built this place.
"It's my job to protect Aglarond from Thay and their armies. This valley has a tight pass with a small stream. I use my abilities to defend the people of Aglarond." Rick was becoming more curious about her. "Now, how about you tell me what you know."
"I was… Wait. Redeemed? Does that mean what I think it means?" Kate asked instead of answering his question.
"It means my dad isn't evil. He was born on a layer of the Abyss but his parents helped him escape at the cost of their lives. Or at least neither of us know just where they are today. He met my mother and had me. But she was killed in one of the early wars between Aglarond and Thay. You can be safe here." Assuming she stayed.
Kate still wasn't sure she understood. "I just made homicide detective and was home celebrating with Midnight. I was headed for my bedroom when Midnight landed on my back and sank his claws into me, then suddenly I was here. That's it. That's all I know," Kate told them both.
"Door. …Portal, perhaps." Rick looked at his daughter. "Did I hear correctly? Your name is Beckett?" Rick watched her slowly nod her head. "And the names of your parents were?"
"Jim and Johanna. Why?" Now she saw shock on his face.
"Where are they now?" Rick asked her. "Back where you came from?"
"Dead. Mom was murdered and Dad, well, Dad died because she died." It was the truth in her eyes.
"I'm so sorry. Johanna was good person. I learned a lot from her before they left. I think you better come with me." Rick began walking toward the other end of the barn. "EMBERS! Do not hurt Midnight and do not burn down my Lab," Rick called out and kept walking. Alexis motioned for her to go first.
They left the barn and entered his tower then went up the stairs and into the main room. This room looked like a living room with a fire place. It was large enough and comfortable looking. Up stairs on the edge led to a dining room and kitchen and an even larger fireplace that looked like a medieval way to cook using wood with pots. Up again led to a bedroom with one big bed and furniture including a very intricately carved, full size mirror just standing there.
There was also another ladder that kept going up to yet another level.
"Do not get scared and don't run. Don't run because without the proper command words the guards will kill you before I can stop them. Got it?" Rick needed to be sure and again watched her nod. "Guard the stairs, Pumpkin." Rick decided not to take chances.
Kate watched him touch sections of the mirror while talking or was he chanting? While she didn't catch any of the words she did catch sight of Johanna Beckett.
The mirror got cloudy but the clouds dissipated and there stood her mother. The sight of her had Kate sucking in a breath and clapping a hand over her mouth.
"Hello, Johanna, It's been a long time. You know me as Richard Rodgers."
"Little Ricky Rodgers. You've grown. Look at you. Such a handsome Incubus! You must have women falling all over you." Johanna smiled since she was sure she was never going to see him again.
"I have someone that wants to talk to you." Rick stepped out of sight, reached out, and dragged Kate into view.
"KATIE!" Johanna literally reached out like she could touch her and hug her, but she couldn't begin to reach her. "IT WORKED!" If she was where Rick was it meant her Portal had worked.
"MOM!" Kate walked up to the mirror, reached out, and touched it. Soon the two of them had palm against palm but weren't actually touching because one of them was dead.
"You found Richard. Good." Johanna was very pleased with that.
"You gave her a portal?" Rick questioned.
"Not exactly." Johanna kept her hand up against Kate's. "I'm a Witch, so I used my power to set up a scenario for her. Katie needed to reach a certain ability level. I got powerful enough to create one. If I was dead it was supposed to send her and Jim to your realm.
"Where is Jim?" Johanna tried to see off to one side and the other and past them. "Katie, where is he?"
"Dead. He's dead, Mom. You were murdered, Dad became a drunk and got himself killed." Kate now had both hands on the mirror. She needed to reach her so she could hug her. Her broken heart needed her.
"HE WHAT!? …I'LL KILL HIM!" Johanna couldn't believe it. Then she thought better. "Though I did bind us together, so when I died half of him died too. My death may have killed him. I hadn't planned it that way. I'm so sorry, Katie. It wasn't supposed to work this way." Johanna reached out to place both palms against hers.
"Can you bring her back?" Kate turned her head to look at Rick. "Please?" Her heart needed her mother.
"He can't, Katie. Even a Cleric in his realm can't do it. I didn't die in his realm. I died in a different one, the one we were living in. I'm not sure even if a Cleric came to this realm that she could do it and get back again. Even if it did work I can't make a portal for myself. That's not how it works," Johanna explained. "I'm dead, Katie, and that's the way I'm going to stay. I'm so sorry, Katie-bug."
"Please, Mom. It hurts." Kate let the tears flow down her cheeks.
Johanna changed her focus to Rick. "Where are you, Richard? What are you up to?"
Alexis answered her. "Shyvar Pass just east of Aglarond."
"Who was that?" Johanna couldn't see her until Alexis stepped over to join her dad since she had been guarding the stairs to keep Kate from running and getting herself killed.
"I'm Alexis. I'm his daughter."
Johanna was all smiles again. "Oh, Richard, you got married!"
"Mom was killed in a battle with Thay when I was just a baby. Dad raised me all alone."
"I'm so sorry, dear." Johanna felt for her. She probably never even got to know her or really remember her.
"I'm a Wizard, Alchemist, and Golem Warcrafter now. Alexis, her husband, myself, and all of my Golems guard the pass to keep the armies of Thay out of Aglarond. I lost my wife in the first war. Neither of us were all that powerful that long ago. I lost her. I swore over her dead body that I would do all I could for Alexis," Rick told her.
"I have a favor to ask of you. Watch over Katie for me," Johanna asked him. "She's a Witch, but she just doesn't have a lot of power. There is no way back to the other realm. Not until she has enough power. Perhaps by then she won't want to."
"MOM!" She had just made Homicide Detective so she could solve who killed her. It was her one and only goal in life.
"Stay here, Katie. Be a Witch. Stay and let Richard protect you. Gain enough power and maybe you can find a way to get me and your father from this realm to that one. Then a Cleric can revive us. There's no going back. Not at your power level." Johanna moved in closer. "Please, Katie? Your father and I grew up here, so you can too."
"I don't know anything about this place, Mom. I don't even know where I am." None of the words they were using meant anything to her. She was barely even practicing her Witchcraft.
Johanna tried again. "Learn, Katie. You have a good head on your shoulders. Be a Witch, it's what we both are. If you eclipse my power perhaps you can bring me and your father back."
"She can stay. We'll teach her. I'll create space for her." Rick would need to figure out how since he had just the one bedroom. Perhaps a spell to increase the height of his tower and give her her own room. Alexis's old bedroom was gone and changed.
"Stay here, Katie, and learn. I have to go find your father. AND KILL HIM!" Johanna looked pissed as hell. "I love you. Stay safe." Johanna gave her an air kiss and faded away.
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They were all back outside and watching Rick cast a spell while playing an instrument that Kate didn't recognize. It had strings but it wasn't a guitar. "What's he doing?" Kate didn't understand.
"Dad is a Wizard and he makes things. Mostly he makes Golems like those guys, but he also makes potions that duplicate spells that he knows how to cast. The more powerful he gets the more spells he knows, so the more potions he can make.
"In this case he's making a new level of his tower for your bedroom. My bedroom when I was growing up here is gone. It's either this or make a space for you in the loft of the barn. The attic of the tower is too small and the basement is too cold," Alexis told her and watched as Rick spoke and waved his hands.
The top rose up as blocks of stone came from seemingly nowhere and flew into place. "Wizard?" Kate didn't know what that was.
"What do you do? Your mother said Witch. You must be able to do spells, right?" Alexis asked.
"I have Midnight. That's my cat. I'm bound to a spirit of my choosing. In my case I chose a Black Dog. Only I and Midnight can see him. He's this big black dog. Right now he increases my understanding of Arcana. I'm assuming what your dad's doing. Later I get other benefits.
"I can cast certain spells that aren't very powerful. I'm supposed to join a Coven of Witches, but I refused. It supposedly gives me extra abilities if I do, but it also binds me to the Coven. I didn't want that, so I refused.
"My latest one was an increase to my Wisdom. It could have been Strength, Dexterity, Intelligence, or Charisma, but I chose Wisdom. After that I don't know until I get more powerful," Kate told her. "What do you do here?"
"I'm an Acrobat Thief and no, not that kind of thief. Though I can be. The thief acrobat is a highly trained specialist in the art of housebreaking, feats of dexterity, and acrobatics. I'm a scout extraordinaire. I can find traps, avoid being attacked in the back, attack people in the back, I can also run and make no sound," Alexis replied.
"Interesting. Did I hear something about a husband?" Kate asked.
Alexis nodded. "You did. My husband is a Wood Elf. He's a Druid and Master of Many Forms. He has a skill where he can change his form to nearly anything so long as he has seen it before. Tiny and huge are presently outside of his ability."
"Did you say elf?" Did she mean elf like in Lord of the Rings? Or did she mean elf like Santa's elves?
Alexis simply smiled at her. "You're going to have to learn a lot of things living here. I don't live here. I live in a town not far from here. It's mostly human and Wood Elf called Mesring. The next closest city is called Emmech. The Capital that you might see is called Velprintalar. Over there it is about thirty-seven thousand people. Roughly half are human. Half-Elf makes up most of the other half. The Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Gnome, and Half-Orc. You'll get to see those as well."
"OH, BOY!" Suddenly being here was going to be a bigger challenge than she thought.
"Pray that Thay doesn't attack anytime soon, or you're really going to see something. How are you with weapons?" Alexis queried.
"I left my Glock at home. If you mean hand weapons, my mom said something about quarterstaffs, crossbows, daggers, darts, and slings. I've never used any of them," Kate responded.
"Sounds like training for you. Dad's pretty good with a Quarterstaff," Alexis said. "I can teach you daggers, darts, and slings. We'll have to find someone for the crossbow."
"What's Thay?" Kate asked and took a quick look at what Rick was doing.
"Thay is an evil Empire ruled by an Undead Lich. He rules with a group of Red Wizards. Think Dad only far less powerful usually. It's believed that their entire Empire had about five million people. Naturally not all are warriors. Thankfully. Most of that five million are believed to be Zombies," Alexis explained.
"I'm sorry, did you say Zombies?" Zombies didn't exist.
"There are a lot of Undead in this Realm. Not here, of course, but if Thay attacks, you can bet a lot of it will be Zombies amongst a few others. Not the Lich himself. He would never lower himself to such a thing. Beneath his station.
"It's why Dad makes Golems like that one." Alexis pointed at the big guy in the middle. "Golems aren't alive. They are constructs so an Undead means nothing to them. Spells by the Red Wizards are also useless. So Dad and his Golems are perfectly placed."
"He's getting pretty far." Kate was amazed at how well he was doing. "The windows look a little small."
"Glass is horribly expensive so smaller is better. Oh, one more thing. Dad has several Invisible servants. They mostly clean and close doors, open them, or close and open shutters. So if you see a plate flying through the air try not to freak out," Alexis advised her.
"Invisible?" Kate looked at her and watched her smile and nod her head.
"When I was just a little girl I used to throw things on the floor just to watch them pick it up. It was fun. You should try it. But I have to go. I have some shopping to do. I invited Dad over for dinner with me and my husband, so you should come too. You can see my little town. Tell Dad bye for me, and I'll see you two later." Alexis left her and headed for the gate.
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Kate found herself behind Rick on either the same tiger or a different tiger. "There's something behind us," Kate told him as they seemingly went straight down without falling. It was actually rather scary.
"Guardian Golem. He goes where I go when I'm outside of the compound.
"Bodyguard." Kate could understand that.
"You want one? I can build you one," Rick offered as even he was a little worried as they went straight down.
"No, thanks." She didn't need some THING following her everywhere.
"Alexis declined one too. It seemed like a good idea at the time." Recently he wasn't so sure, but it was too late now.
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Kate watched as they came into a…town? Maybe town? It was just all of the buildings were off the ground. Several were literally in trees. "Tree house town?"
"There's a river to the north. Past that is a desert, Singing Sands. To the south is The Yuriwood. It contains twelve rivers overall from the east to the west. We're on the eastern end of the woods." Rick stopped the Tiger and had Kate get off and follow him.
"Alexis and her husband are up there," Rick pointed toward it and began climbing. "STAY!" His Guardian was too heavy for this.
It meant stairs and rope bridges till finally she stopped behind Rick who knocked. "COME IN, DAD!" Alexis yelled.
Kate was even a little amazed. The place looked and felt rather tree-like. Wood floors, wood walls, open wood beams. However, it also looked comfortable and it had color and plants everywhere.
Rick headed over to Alexis's husband. "Aldon, how are you doing?"
"Very well, Richard." He noticed someone behind his father-in-law. Alexis hadn't said anything about her dad having a woman in his life.
Rick introduced them. "Aldon, this is Kate Beckett. Kate, this is Alexis's husband, Aldon."
"A pleasure." He bowed slightly to her. Kate saw a male with pointy ears. He was tall, thin, had long brown hair and a goatee. He was actually rather handsome.
"Hi." Kate kept looking him over trying to figure him out.
"You're her first Elf," Rick explained since Kate was still staring at him.
"Am I? I'm honored. Alexis is preparing your favorite, I'm told. So, first time in a tree house?" Aldon asked.
"I didn't even have one when I was a little girl. It's a lot bigger than I thought," Kate admitted.
"The main tree is full grown. Other areas require support to the ground," Aldon explained.
Kate looked over at Rick. "You're sure Midnight is fine back there?" She had left her cat behind.
"Embers seems to like him," Rick said. "To be honest I'm more worried about Embers forgetting himself and burning something."
"A cat that's totally on fire." Kate shook her head. The fact that she could understand Midnight was something she had just taken for granted. She just did.
"He literally doesn't have a body," Rick told her. "He's all fire so there's nothing really to hit. He doesn't eat, drink, or sleep. When he's in a good mood he's a very enjoyable cat. But piss him off and you get burned."
"Midnight is a bit temperamental on occasion as well. He gets bored when I leave him at home, so when I'm late he takes it out on me. I tried taking him into work with me once. But my job in Vice wasn't very conduce for that so she stays home." Kate had been hoping now that she was a detective she could take him into work with her.
"You have a job?" Aldon was interested.
"I was a Homicide Detective for New York City. I was going to start my first day at it tomorrow," Kate answered, her shoulders slumping.
"She's from a completely different realm, Aldon. Her deceased mother arranged for her to come to this realm. Now she can't get back," Rick clarified.
"Hi, Dad. Hi, Kate. Appetizers. Soup is next. It just needs to warm up enough." Alexis placed them on the table and went back to the kitchen.
Kate was curious even if she had eaten Chinese before coming here. "Are these… Bugs!?" Kate was a little grossed out.
"Beetle puree combined with meat and Keel. They're delicious!" Aldon picked one up and slurped it down. "Alexis is an excellent cook."
Kate watched Rick pick one up, slurp it down, and put his empty back. "Try one, they're delicious."
"I ate before I came here. I think I'll wait for the soup." Kate wasn't eating one of those. She might spontaneously throw up and that wouldn't be good.
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Kate was sitting with the others at the table, spooning the soup and taste testing it. It was actually pretty good even if she couldn't place the taste. It had bits of something in it like a chowder, but it was nice.
"This is nice." Kate continued eating.
"Thank you. Save room for the main meal," Alexis advised.
The main meal turned out to be stuffed fish, but it was the stuffing that made Kate's stomach turn. She helped herself to a second serving of soup and skipped the stuffed fish.
"We need to go shopping since Kate is wearing all that she has," Rick informed the three of them.
"I suggest Estel. She makes the best clothing. You just have to afford her," Aldon offered.
"Yes, some of my clothes came from her. She just needs the right material," Alexis agreed.
"We need to order a bed as well," Rick added. "She gets my travel sleeping bag for now."
"I'll live." What Kate didn't know was that it was a magical sleeping bag and very comfortable to sleep in.
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Estel had Kate's measurements and would have something for her in a few days.
Balin would start on her bed tomorrow and her bed would be done in a few days.
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"MIDNIGHT!" Kate was so happy to find her cat waiting for her and he was even outside. He came bounding her way, got picked up, and Kate rubbed her face against his.
"Meow."
"So you liked Embers. He didn't burn you?"
"Meow!"
"You went through him? Rick did say he was all fire and didn't have a body. Interesting. Well, you're with me." Kate followed Rick into the tower and watched him go downstairs instead of staying here, so she put Midnight down and followed.
Down there she saw barrel, after barrel, after barrel. "What's in the barrels?" Kate walked past a few of them and looked them over. They were all pretty big.
"Mostly wine. A few have beer. Some have ales and meads. White wine is on that side, and red wine is on this side. I'm working on this one at the moment. Would you like some?" Rick offered.
"Yes, please." Kate watched him drain some into a metal pitcher and then they went upstairs. She and Rick ended up in the dining room where he held the glasses which were real glass.
"Different. I can't place it." Kate tasted it again and still couldn't place it.
"This barrel is Assassin Vine. They produce berries that make an excellent wine. You just have to survive the vine itself," Rick said.
Kate looked at her wine again. "You mean the vine tries to kill you?"
"That's why it's called an Assassin Vine. Some of the best berries, however. We can start on your training tomorrow. Alexis tells me you know how to use a Quarterstaff."
"Mom said I could. But I've never actually touched one," Kate warned him.
"Rookie it is. I can work with that. We'll have you good at it in no time," Rick assured her. "MY POTION!" Rick and his scatterbrain had forgotten all about it. He rushed down the stairs, out the door, and over to the barn to check on his potion.
Kate stayed put and Midnight jumped into her lap right where he liked to be. Truth be told she liked him there.
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Rick was back and went upstairs to find her sleeping bag. He took it up to the top floor, rolled it out, and then went back down to finish his wine.
"Oh, I need to show you something. Follow me." He led her downstairs. "I'm an Incubus so I don't use this area much, but I do use it on occasion. This is where you do your business. Pull this chain to warm up the water and this chain to make the water fall. Just remember to be fast or you get cold water," Rick warned her.
"Got it." Since her bedroom was on the top floor this was going to be a challenge. "Do I want to know where it goes?" Kate watched him shake his head. "I was afraid you would say that."
"Try to leave me some hot water. I did this with Alexis when she was growing up," Rick explained.
"I'll try but no promises. I suppose there is no tub?" Kate loved hot baths and saw him shake his head again. "Showers it is."
Not too much later Kate yawned. She was beat and it was time to go to sleep. Kate was amazed at the feeling of his sleeping bag. Thankfully she had her own level so she didn't worry about stripping down naked to sleep and found Midnight choosing his corner of the sleeping bag to sleep on. However, to get the light to go out she had to cover it with a black cloth and it plunged the room into darkness.
Her two little windows with no glass yet let a breeze in, but his bag was really nice.
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Kate was getting clobbered by Rick's Quarterstaff and she couldn't block him. She had bruises all over her body. Today, though, he changed to her spells. He wanted to know what spells she knew.
"Three Cantrips and three first level spells. I have Dancing Lights, Message, and Spark. For first level I have Beguiling Gift. It means I can talk someone into accepting something and using it. With Sow Thought I can plant a thought for a moment into someone else's mind. And when I use Fumbletongue they can't talk intelligently. Mom left me sixteen spells to choose from.
"She left me just ten for second level, ten for third level, and another ten for fourth level. She said there were nine levels but I only go to four," Kate explained.
"We'll see what we can do about that. I need you to write down what spells you have access to so we can see if you chose wisely," Rick told her.
Rick changed Beguiling Gift into Comprehend Languages so she could speak and understand any spoken and written languages. This realm used a lot of different languages and she needed to understand what was being said or written.
Another was changed to Delay Disease for twenty-four hours so it could be removed later.
The other was changed to Ear Piercing Scream that caused sonic damage and dazed the target.
Rick had to explain why for each but Kate caught on fast. She had selected her spells for being a Homicide Detective. She was just a Witch now.
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"There you are." Kate found him in his barn turned lab. "Just what is this thing?" To her it looked like a weird sculpture that he was putting together.
"It's a Sword Golem. Its arms, legs, head, body, and even its fingers are swords but without the hilt where you hold it. Can you imagine this guy spinning like a tornado?" Rick literally spun while holding his arms out wide and the sight of him had Kate giggling.
She was learning that Rick was smart, nice, and very weird. In addition to being ripped with muscles everywhere, and very handsome. She just had to overlook his wings, tail, and horns.
Rick stopped spinning to face her. "Are you laughing at me?"
"ME? Nope, not me." Kate clapped a hand over her mouth when another giggle escaped. She was learning to like him. She was even doing her best not to use up all the hot water.
"Keep that up and I'm going to demand a kiss for compensation," Rick informed her.
"A kiss, huh?" Kate thought about that. "So how many of these things do you have?"
"Let me think. Stone Golem, Adamantine Golem, Garden Golem with two more in town. Sword Golem, which is this guy when I'm done with him. I have two Armor Golems, two Bone Golems, two Rock Golems, and two Mud Golems. All of those guard the entrance to this valley from Thay to keep their armies out. None of them are affected by undead or wizard magic unless they know the proper spell for each.
"Do you or can you wear armor?" Rick doubted it. He was betting she was more like him in this. Seeing her shake her head answered that. Rick gave a quick nod. "Rings, bracers, and amulets it is then. I can deal with that."
"So you make these things and make potions?" Kate looked down at the floor in embarrassment. "I um, I can't make anything."
"I can fix that if that's what you want to do. You're human, did Johanna tell you anything about skills like my skill to make potions and Golems?" Rick asked.
Kate shrugged. "A little but I wasn't really a Witch. I was a cop, so I never took any."
"Then we need to work on that too." Rick had his work cut out for him.
"I'm a mess, aren't I?" Kate felt so out of place here. She was being beaten to a pulp – not really – but she was bruised. She didn't make anything. Hadn't selected skills.
Rick reached out and gently took her hand. "Nothing of the sort, Kate. You just said you weren't acting like a Witch. Well, here you will be, so we need to make you feel like a Witch. If you're going to find a way to get your parents into this realm so we can find a Cleric and bring them back to life, you need to be a Witch, a very powerful Witch at that."
"You can really do that? Bring people back from the dead and just what was that mirror?" Kate had wanted to know about that mirror for a while.
"In this realm, yes. As for the mirror, it's a Communication Mirror. I can talk to anyone I choose to. The trick is that the other person needs to be willing to talk back. They can decline to talk so it doesn't work."
"So we could do that again?" Could she talk to her mother every day?
"Like talk to Johanna again? We can do that every month. Though the farther away the person is limits the number of times I can do that. Where she is now is pretty far. It might be longer than a month. I've never really tried to talk to a person that's dead in a different realm. She's pretty far away so maybe more than a month. Don't really know for a fact."
"We do that and I'll willingly kiss you," Kate offered.
"Now you're talking my language." Rick liked kissing. He liked sex even better and he was going to need sex pretty soon. He would just go into the city, find someone, and then come home. He needed female Cum to live and that was how he got it. She never remembered a thing. He could do that with Kate but that just felt wrong to him.
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Three months later…
Kate was lying naked, stretched out next to a sleeping Rick. She couldn't sleep. How could she sleep after what they had just done? Granted, she wasn't a virgin, but based on what he had just done it sure felt like it. Save for the pain of it being her first time.
She still didn't really quite understand any of it. Oh, she knew what they had done, it wasn't that kind of different. She just didn't understand how they had done it.
He had started out kissing his way up one leg and by the time he reached her pussy she was soaking wet. Yes, men had eaten her pussy before, but it usually took her telling them what to do. But not this time. However, instead of eating her pussy he just switched to the other leg and kissed his way up that one.
By the time he actually began eating her pussy she had grabbed his head to keep him right there so he couldn't suddenly stop. It was now that something changed. He had done something? Found something? Whatever it was she couldn't stop having orgasms. One after the other, after the other, and on and on.
Most of her mind had simply shut down. The pleasure was just too much. She was a captive to her own body. She was forced to just let her body keep having orgasms.
She still wasn't sure just when but she found her legs lifted up high and spread really wide. He had a hand around each ankle forcing them wide. Looking down was when she saw it. He had the biggest damn Cock she had ever seen in her entire life. Or even heard of a Cock this big. It was also pointed straight at her opening.
She was a bit conflicted. She wanted him to fuck her. Needed him to fuck her and yet he was going to split her in two with that thing. She was pretty sure she was still recovering from that latest orgasm when suddenly the head of his cock was inside her. Then more and more of him went inside her.
It should be impossible. It wasn't that her pussy wouldn't stretch to accommodate him and yes, he was stretching her. It actually felt amazing! And every inch of him was soon inside her. That was the impossible part. No woman's vagina was anywhere near that long. Except she was watching as he pulled back out nearly the entire way and pushed back in again till his balls hit her ass.
She suddenly didn't care if it was possible or not. "FUCK ME! …FUCK MY PUSSY!" She needed him to put that massive magnificent Cock to good use and fuck her.
Once again she still didn't understand just how he had done it. He had fucked her pussy alright. She'd had two more orgasms while he fucked her till he groaned loudly and climaxed inside her. There was so much of his Cum that she could almost swear she felt it.
So here she was. He was on his back, had one arm around her holding her close. Which truth be told was where she wanted to be. But he also had a wing wrapped around her and that was one more thing that was different. She felt like she was cocooned. Wrapped up nice and safe next to his naked body.
Looking down she saw his Cock. Even soft it looked bigger than normal. So why hadn't she noticed that before now? She wasn't above looking at a man's bulge while wearing clothes, so why hadn't she looked at his? But she was looking now.
It even had her reaching out to touch it, make sure it was real. Wrapping her fingers around it just to hold it. That was when she felt his arm tighten around her but she didn't take back her hand. She did stop though.
"Are you trying to start something?" Rick asked her. Because if she was she was one hell of a woman. He thought sure he had done his very best last night. God knows she had given him more Cum in one night than he'd had in several months combined.
"No, just… Maybe later." Seeing his Cock, feeling his Cock reminded her that she hadn't yet tasted him and she really wanted to do that. It had taken a number of blowjobs to get used to the taste. Most were between very salty or very bitter to just a touch of both to the point where they nearly had no taste at all. From too liquidy to really creamy. So what was Rick?
"Did I hurt you?" He knew he was in Incubus. He knew his mission was to make sure the woman enjoyed sex. It was mostly an afterthought. The more she enjoyed it the more Cum she generated for him.
"NO!" Kate looked up at his face. She was pretty much used to his skin color. Had adapted to him having wings and even a tail. It was just this close and looking up at him she had to focus her attention on his horns. They weren't big, more like stubs sticking out of his forehead.
She thought about telling him he was the single best lover of her life. But she also didn't want to inflate his ego. She would just enjoy the sex and maybe tell him later.
"It was perfect. So, um… can I sleep down here now?" She was willing to admit that sleeping wrapped up like she was now was really nice.
"Then what do we do with your room?" Rick questioned her.
"Um… an exercise room maybe. Find or make a yoga mat. Make and hang a punching bag. Need to make some gloves to wear first." Then Kate broke it to him. "No offense, but watching you make Golems and making potions is boring." She listened to him bust out laughing.
"The room is yours do with it what you wish. Maybe a quick trip into the Capital so you can do some shopping," Rick suggested.
"That might be nice. Alexis is almost an hour. So how far away is the Capital?" Kate didn't remember the name.
"Velprintalar is about an entire day by horse if I had a horse, which I don't. So we'll have to go by Teleport," Rick explained.
"Teleport? You mean like Star Trek? We can actually do that here? I'll get dressed." Kate started to move but stopped. "Right after the sun comes up, I'll take a shower and then can we try and talk to my mom again?" It had been three months since the first time.
"I warned you she was pretty far away and she has to agree to want to talk to you," Rick reminded her.
"Why would she not want to talk to me? Kate looked up at him again. "What aren't you telling me?"
"I'm not trying to tell you anything, Kate. I'm only reminding you of the rules of how this works. She might still be trying to find your dad and can't or doesn't want to talk," Rick said patiently.
"Oh." He had her there. "But we can try?"
"Yes, we can try again." Suddenly if they did find a way to get two dead people out of that realm and into this one and then find a Cleric, he could afford to bring them back. They were both going to need a place to live. His tower was wide open. The stairs were exposed in each and every room. His bedroom had no privacy. It hadn't really ever been an issue even when Alexis was growing up.
He might need to figure out where they were going to live. Maybe if he put a loft above his barn where his Lab was located. He could do that. Or if they found a place in Mesring with Alexis and her husband. But that was probably a long ways off.
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Kate had three outfits to her name here. She was wearing one of the new ones that Estel had made for her. She had taken measurements so it fit Kate perfectly. It was an amazing combination of colors and textures. However, instead of her boots from home she was wearing sandals.
She was outside standing in a circle next to the Adamantine Golem. His place was shielded in a way she didn't understand. Basically if you wanted to teleport in or out you needed to use this circle. And if you teleported in and didn't use the Command word, the Golem would proceed to pound you into the ground and apparently he had the power to do it too. Nearly indestructible and incredibly powerful, he put to shame all of his other Golems. Unfortunately, getting one's hands on that much Adamantine was nearly impossible and ungodly expensive.
"Teleport, huh? Is this going to hurt?" Kate asked and saw him grin. To her that meant yes, it was going to hurt.
Rick used a language she didn't understand and just like that she was outside of a walled city. She hadn't felt a thing! It was like it had never happened. "You made me think that was going to hurt!" Kate punched his arm just for that.
"And why do you suddenly look different?" She had gotten used to his wings, tail, reddish skin, and horns. Now he looked normal.
"It's an ability I have. Change Self. Demons are not well thought of around here. It's just an illusion. You see what I want people to see. If you concentrate you can see past it and see the real me. Shall we go?" Rick held out his hand. Kate took it and walked hand and hand with him past the gate. That he had to pay a copper piece each for them to get past.
This city reminded Kate of all those pictures or movies really, of mid-nineteenth century London. She was thinking of all those movies about Ebeneezer Scrooge. It also stunk in here. There was a foul odor everywhere they went.
She eventually found out that it had a river running down the middle of it and out to sea where the docks were located. The ships out here reminded her of all those Errol Flynn movies. Wooden ships with sails. Just without the cannons. Apparently they hadn't yet invented those here. Still, this place had magic on a level she was unaccustomed to having or doing.
It took time and Kate watched in amazement as her punching bag went into his backpack and disappeared. Along with her yoga mat and a set of weights she could use.
"What else is in there?" Kate asked him since it all went in easily.
"Wouldn't you like to know," Rick teased her and saw her frown at him.
"What are we shopping for now?" She was done and had all she really needed. They didn't have a treadmill or weight machines. It was all basic stuff but it was good enough.
"Birthday present. Alexis's birthday is coming up so I might as well look and get some ideas," Rick explained.
"Alexis is having a birthday?" Okay, she hadn't meant it like that. Of course she could have a birthday. She just didn't know when. "We need a jewelry store. All women love jewelry." Kate still had hold of his hand and started pulling him to find one.
"All women?" Rick asked her.
"My birthday isn't till November which is months from now." At least it felt like months from now. It wasn't even cold here yet. It was months back in her world. "Yes, all women." Kate just gave him a hint for what she wanted for her birthday.
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They arrived instantly next to the Golem and both had to use the Command word to keep from getting killed. "Where have you two been?" Alexis was standing there waiting for them.
"Shopping. Did you know his backpack is huge on the inside? Of course you did. Why am I even bothering to ask. And Velprintalar stinks! How do they get air in that place?" They had what she wanted but she was in no hurry to go back again.
"They need a storm to roll in first. But I have news. We need to talk; this isn't good news either," Alexis warned them.
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"He's sure?" Rick questioned his daughter. She didn't have just bad news, she had terrible news.
"Aldon is positive. He was just some common animal and they didn't bother him, so he got to listen. One of the Thay generals has decided to test your Golems, Dad. About eight hundred in total. Mostly Skeletons and Zombies with a few Wights. Backed up by some Red Wizards, War Trolls, and Hill Giants in addition to the General and his aids.
"He has orders to capture a minimum of eight people for a sacrifice that he didn't talk more about," Alexis told them.
"Just what we need." Rick didn't like the sound of any of it. "Sacrifice usually means they have some evil new spell or something. Need the blood to open a Portal to somewhere like Hades or something. Not what we need. Fighting Thay is bad enough, now we have to fight Devils as well?
"Did he learn a date?" Rick inquired and watched her shake her head.
Just then Midnight and Embers came racing in and each jumped into the lap of their most favorite person.
Kate instantly felt better. Since coming here she hadn't seen that much of her cat. He was always off playing with Embers it seemed.
Now they were sitting there petting their cats. "I need to get to work on another Golem. We could really use an exact date."
"I'll ask him but Thay is mostly a dead place. The wildlife over there isn't the wildlife over here. He may not be able to get close enough to learn a date," Alexis warned him.
"Then don't ask him. We'll just have to risk that the alarms work. They should work." Rick had traps with alarms all across the border just out in front of all of his Golems.
"We'll be ready, just come and get us." Alexis got to her feet, kissed her dad's head, followed by kissing Kate's head. Then she left.
Kate watched her leave in shock. Alexis had kissed her. She turned to look at Rick. Had he told her that they were lovers now? Granted, it had only been the one time but she had no plans to stop. It was the best sex of her life and she wanted more.
"We need to get you suited up if you have ideas of joining us." Rick finally got out of his head and looked at Kate.
"Try and stop me. I need to change my spells, though. Something more combative. Wish I had my Glock." She might only have the one clip but at least it was a weapon she was better at using. Rick was still kicking her ass with that quarterstaff of his.