A/N: This is my first attempt ever at writing a story, so please be kind.
It's dark, she doesn't know where she is or how she got there, the last thing she remembered was being in a gun battle with Nick by her side. "Oh my God Nick, Nick where are you!?" Judy looked around for her fox in this seemingly impenetrable darkness but couldn't see more than a few inches in front of her.
Walking around almost blind she nearly tripped over something large and soft that gave a slight whimper as her foot connected with it. "Nick is that you?" she asked as she reached down to feel with her paws to try and "see" who it was, she sobbed in relief when she felt the muzzle of the fox who's face she held in her paws countless times before.
"Nick are you okay?" she started to feel around over his body to determine if he had any injuries, and felt something wet coming from his left shoulder, "oh no, Nick you've been shot!" She reached for her radio "dispatch to Judy we have an officer down, dispatch do you copy, officer Nick Wilde has been shot in his left shoulder and is unconscious!" No response, "Dispatch, is anyone there?!"
Still no response, not wanting to do nothing Judy tore off the left sleeve of her uniform and wrapped it around Nicks wound as best she could, it stopped the bleeding somewhat, she breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the makeshift tournaquet and saw that it wasn't getting soaked through. The immediate danger past, Judy then tried to get Nick to wake up, part of her not wanting to be left alone by herself in the darkness, she started shaking his other shoulder gently so as not to aggravate his wound, almost crying in her desperation, she kept calling his name.
"Nick please wake up, Nick don`t leave me, I couldn't handle losing you, not now, Nick can you hear me?" Finally Nick stirred "Ohhh, just five more minutes Carrots, I was having such a nice dream, oww what is that, it feels like you punched me really hard in the shoulder." "Oh Nick, thank God you're awake I was so worried, I don't know where we are, and you've been shot in your shoulder, I called it in to dispatch but they're not responding, it's like they're not even there."
Nick looked around to try and get his bearings, "well it's a good thing I can see in the dark, it looks like we're in a large room filled with shelves lined with thousands of books, and there's something else, it's almost like the darkness is alive." Judy looked over at the unusually serious fox, reaching out with her senses she understood what he meant, she could feel it too, had been feeling it, but it was in the periphery while she was worried about Nick, now it was tangible, it was a horror she would not, dare not put a name to, to do so she instinctively knew would be to invite it in, and then she heard it, voices gibbering around them both, whispering words cold as the grave, craving their flesh, closing in around them, all Judy and Nick could do was stare wide eyed around them while clinging to each other, both believing this was how it was going to end.
Suddenly a voice boomed "leave my guests now or face my wrath!" The two small mammals looked to the source of the voice and had to blink as the room was lit up and they saw their savior, a golden skinned mammal with no fur except on top of his head which was long and white, he was dressed in a black robe and was looking them over, "Not exactly what I was expecting, but you'll do." he said, "I suppose you have questions." it was a statement not a question, certain that he knew the answer. "Yeah like where are we, what were those things, and who are you, and how did we get here?" this from Judy who was looking at this person with curiosity since she'd never seen someone without fur before, while Nick was taking in their surroundings with hunger in his eyes, he had a sneaking suspicion he knew what this place was and what their host was, and if he was right he wanted to learn as much as he could.
"I am Raistlin Majere and you are in my tower" the man replied, "those things you saw are the towers guardians, they protect it from all intruders save for those that I invite, I am the master of this tower, and the most powerful wizard in all of Krynn, as to how you got here, I used my magic to pull you here from your plane of existence, I have need of two such as you, although I would have preferred someone sturdier, the magic I used specified two with a strong sense of justice, but also a merciful heart, one that's been hurt, but still intact." Judy and Nick looked at each other hardly able to believe what they were hearing, Nick though was able to grasp two things, one, he was right in his assumption and this was a wizards tower, and two, they were no longer in Zootopia, which would explain why dispatch hadn't answered Judy's call.
"Okay" said Nick, "that explains the how, but not the why, if you're so powerful, why can't you just use your magic to do what you need?" "Because what I need can't be done with magic, as I said, it requires someone with a strong sense of justice, which I decidedly lack, were I to try and do it on my own the people involved would not trust me, and would almost certainly try to kill me, whereas you two would be above suspicion, aside from the fact that you are a fox and a rabbit." As he said this Judy's gaze turned suspicious, "So you want us to deceive someone and expect them to trust us, that doesn't seem very honorable, or trustworthy, but you expect that said deception will keep our integrity intact?" "Ordinarily I would agree with you, but under the circumstances it will because after I explain to you the situation you'll see that my intentions are honorable, but because of my past nobody else will trust me, hence the reason I brought someone from another plane, someone who knows nothing about me and is therefore not biased against me."
"I think I'm starting to be, but before we go any further, lets hear what the situation is." This from Nick, who even though he was intrigued with the possibilities of learning real magic, instead of the parlor tricks that he knew, was becoming distrustful of Raistlin and his motives. "As we speak, there is a slave caravan heading from Palanthas, where we are now, to a place called Neraka, should they be allowed to arrive there it will be nigh impossible to rescue them. The reason I can't use my magic to simply extract them is because were I to do so, their captors would either come after them, or simply capture more slaves to make up for the loss, they need to be dealt with, however I am unable to do that either because were I to try, no doubt the slaves would not trust me, and might try to flee, in which case that would only make the situation worse, so I need an envoy in my stead, one who's motives are sincere."
"So what's in it for you, you don't seem like you're the altruistic type." said Judy, equally suspicious of Raistlin as Nick, she didn't believe for a minute that he was doing this out of the kindness of his heart. "My counsel is mine to keep, all that should concern you at the moment is that there are people in need of help, and one in particular that interests me, however your window of opportunity for saving them is closing fast." "Okay, if we're going to do this, then we need information, and appropriate gear and attire, I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that even if we looked like the local populace, we would still stick out like a sore thumb because of the way we're dressed." She said and was looking at Raistlin like someone would look at a slug. Raistlin who was used to being looked at with disgust replied "I can give you clothes, weapons, food, and maps, and some money, the rest you're going to have to get on your own." Nick, thinking about the towers undead guardians asked, "and what about your friends, won't they try to kill us again as soon as we're not under your protection anymore? And I need something done about my shoulder, Judy did a good job wrapping it up but it's not going to hold up under pressure." "The towers guardians only care about those who enter, they will not bother you when you leave, as for your shoulder, there are clerics, or priests that you can go to who will heal your wounds. Now come, it's time to get you outfitted."
Nick and Judy followed Raistlin out of his study, just as they were about to pass through the door, another hairless mammal walked in, but this one had jet black hair and pointed ears. "Ah, Dalamar, your timing is perfect as always, Judy, Nick, this is my apprentice Dalamar, you may have noticed some differences between us, most notably his ears, that is because he's an elf, whereas I'm human, but we both share a love of magic, that is what brings us together, but the art is fraught with danger, who knows what may happen when dealing with such...volatile forces."
Nick, being the hustler he was caught the hint of a smile on Raistlin's face and wondered about that, but put it on the back burner, there were more pressing issues at the moment. "Shalafi, your guests are quite unique, I don't believe I've ever seen anything matching their description" he turned his attention to the fox and bunny then, they noticed that his eyes took in everything about them missing nothing. "it's a pleasure to make your aquaintance, this tower has no shortage of surprises it seems, but I must take my leave now and study, may we meet again when I have more time to speak." With that Dalamar walked to one of the chairs, drew a book from a shelf and proceeded to read, his lips moving with the words written within.
Nick and Judy resumed following Raistlin through the door, and found themselves in the middle of the tower, which seemed to be hollowed out with a set of spiral stairs leading from the top to the very bottom, both being lost in the endless darkness it seemed. Both mammals stared at the stairs, it was Nick who broke the silence, "well I bet you get plenty of exercise with all those stairs, how many times a day do you use them?" Raistlin gave a sneer and said, "Those of us who can travel the corridors of magic have no need for such mundane forms of getting around, stand close to me and I will demonstrate." Judy and Nick did as they were told, shivering slightly in the dark, the cold wasn't just a matter of the temperature, it was also the perpetual despair and fear the tower resonated as part of the curse cast on it hundreds of years ago when the current head of the tower leapt from the balcony, flinging himself to the gate and being impaled on the large spikes jutting up from it. Of course the bunny and fox didn't know this, they only knew that were they forced to live in this place for any length of time, they would likely go mad.
"Hey Carrots, how are we going to get back home, do you think our gracious host will send us back once we've accomplished what he wants us to do?" "I don't know Nick, I sure hope so, I don't want to spend anymore time in this place than we have to." "Yes, once you've rescued all the slaves and brought me the one I seek I will send you back to your home, or anywhere else you may wish to go." Nick and Judy were taken aback by this, they were speaking in low whispers and yet Raistlin had heard them even though they had put some distance between them, after being whisked to another part of the tower and regaining their bearings, not wishing to walk so close to the wizard.
"Excuse me, but are all hoomans as good at hearing as you are?" Judy asked, she was not used to someone with such small ears having as good of hearing as her. "and another thing, how are we supposed to know which captive you want us to bring to you?" "Most humans can't hear anything softer than a honeybee buzzing five feet away, but in my case I spent my childhood and young adulthood listening at doorways and keyholes to other peoples secrets, so I developed a knack for listening to even the softest of whispers gleaning the smallest scraps of knowledge and using it to gain an advantage against my enemies. And as for the captive that I seek, when you see her, you'll know beyond a doubt, and you should also know, all the captives are female." Nick was shocked at that, "Is this world really so dangerous that you have to take such extreme precautions to protect yourself?" "Indeed it is, anyway we're at my lab now, inside you will find what you need to start your journey."
He led the way inside, Nick and Judy gasped as they stepped in, they were greeted with not just the paraphenelia one would expect in a lab, but other wonders as well, here was an enormous table that an elephant could comfortably stretch out on and still have room, there was a staff topped by a dragons claw holding a crystal ball, a multitude of weapons on display, some beautiful, others grotesque, all of them deadly. "You may keep anything you want from your world, although you may find that the weapons and equipment here suits you better." "I don't know why, I've got my gun here, and it works better than any bow and arrow" said Judy, "Maybe it does, but do you have a sufficient amount of ammunition" Raistlin countered "here you will find plenty of arrows for your bow, plus different arrows have different effects, for example there are arrows that burn or shock on impact, and still others may paralyze their target." Judy looked intrigued and said "Okay I'll take a look at what you have."
Raistlin then turned his attention to Nick, "I saw how you were looking at my spell books Nicholas, but I do not believe you have the aptitude for being a wizard" Nick was crestfallen at those words from the archmage, "However that does not mean you cannot use magic at all, there are a small number of spellcasters here called sorcerers who are innately gifted with magic, that is its in their blood, you have a gift for getting people to go along with things they normally would not, am I correct?" At Nicks nod he continued "that in itself is a type of magic, with proper training you could become a powerful sorcerer, but not from me, you will have to seek out a sorcerer on your own, in the meantime I suggest you take a light sword and armor for your protection, one of the benefits of sorcery over magic is that light armor will not hinder the casting of spells and you will have sufficient protection until you do find someone to teach you." "Where can I start looking?" Nick asked hopeful once more. "Seek out the silver dragons, they are the most gifted in the art of sorcery, if nothing else they can point you in the direction of someone more appropriate to training you, I cannot simply because my associations do not extend to sorcerers."
"Silver dragons, okay I'm going to make an assumption here and say that's not going to be as easy as going to the corner shop and buying food." "You would be correct in that assumption, it will take some doing to find a silver dragon, and even if you do there's no guarantee that they can or will teach you sorcery, that particular branch of magic is banned by the conclave, and only outlaws, dragons, or the very foolish practice it, I myself have no problem with practitioners of sorcery, I believe that anything that advances the art is to be encouraged, but there are those such as Par Salien who believe it to be too dangerous because it doesn't take a disciplined mind to use, instead you cast your spells from your will, making it manifest into what shape you want it to take."
While they were discussing this and getting Nick equipped with the appropriate gear, Judy reappeared with her gear, a set of leather armor and unbeknownst to Nick a mythril chainmail vest underneath, a slightly curved scimitar, and a composite short-bow, which for her size was a longbow, a quiver of arrows was slung across her back, and in her paw she was carrying a pack that Nick assumed would be essentials such as maps food and clothing, he didn't want to wear his armor all day every day after all. "Hey come on slick, what's taking you so long to get ready, don't you want to see what the rest of this world is like?" she asked with a grin. "Sure I do, but I want to make sure I last longer than five minutes in the wilderness, so I'm taking the advice of our host."
"indeed" said Raistlin "good advice is always worth heeding, so I will give you one last bit of advice before you depart on your journey, this world is not as technologically advanced as yours, however do not underestimate the danger, the denizens here are just as wily, and devious as anywhere else, and with the use of magic they can be even more deadly, if you can, I would suggest befriending people and adding their strength to yours instead of going it alone." "That is very good advice, it would also be nice to get to know this place better from people who actually live here and get their perspective on it." said Nick, being a former hustler he recognized the value of local knowledge.
"Well, if there's nothing else then it is time for you to leave, I will take you to the ground floor and you can be on your way." Raistlin gestured them closer then uttered the words to a spell, and the next time they blinked they were facing a wooden door with an ornamental bell attached to it. "That door leads outside, to the Shoiken Grove, a stand of accursed oak trees that stand guard over this tower, it is the first line of defense here, anyone who makes it past the trees then has to deal with the undead within the wood itself, without the proper protection they will be dragged into the earth and consumed, should they manage to make it past that then they have to deal with the former master of this tower, he who cast the curse upon this tower before flinging himself to his death hundreds of years ago to keep people from entering and looting it when the wizards were forced to abandon it, and then if anyone manages to get past that mighty specter, they have my apprentice Dalamar and I to face, and apprentice he may be to me, but he is a wizard of no small talent in his own right as I do not take anyone but the best as my apprentice." And though Raistlin said that with an air of nonchalance, Nick detected the barest hint of pride in his voice.
With nothing else to say or do, the bunny and todd opened the door and left the tower heading out the gate and into the dreaded wood, but as Raistlin had told them the undead left them alone, as they had no interest in anyone leaving the tower, however neither one of them spoke until they were past the wood and onto the abandoned road that led to the rest of the city. "Well" said Nick "I hope it's a while before we have to go back there, that's really not a very nice place to visit, I don't know how anyone can choose to live there." "yeah, I know what you mean, it's nice to finally be outside, and I can't wait to see what the rest of this world is like, it can't be as bad as that tower." said Judy with a shudder.
000
About 100 miles away a cart with bars was being pulled by a team of horses and overseen by ten men with cruel faces, inside the cart were captives who had been captured and placed in bondage with magic, none of the captives were from this world, this fact alone made them unique, but one in particular stood out from the rest, this captive wore a halter top instead of a shirt, so it was plain for everyone to see on her back two large markings in the shape of feathered wings, this captive was sure to get an enormous price at the slave market they were headed for.