Jax #2 - Jax's Team
Kris Me
Jax:
#2 - Jax's Team
By: Kris Me
Introduction
Jax blinked and groaned, "Bloody hell, where did you send us, Tommy?"
Jax had encouraged her team to go with her to Tara and leave the death and destruction of war behind them. They couldn't all fit onto the dais, so they split into three teams of seven.
Jax's team was the last to leave Timor but the first to arrive at wherever it was they had ended up.
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Copyright:
Copyright © 2021 Kris Me - All rights are reserved
This story is the work of Kris Me. You must contact me before you copy more than one page or ten percent of the content, as per the Copyright Act 1968, Australia.
Last updated: 25/11/2021.
The book cover was designed in Microsoft Paint 3D using art that is my own, copyright-free or covered by creative commons license for commercial use from https://pixabay.com/
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Declaration:
~~ Adult Themes ~~
This is an erotica science fiction book based in the fictitious Keltrian Universe. It is NOT recommended for people under the legal age to access such stories, depending on the reader's country of origin.
This book may contain vulgar language, references to religious icons, violence, coercion, murder, rape scenes or descriptions of coitus between humanoids of the same or different genders.
This book DOES NOT contain descriptions of bestiality nor coitus between Earth-born humanoids closely related by blood.
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Editing:
Since this is fiction, you may find my assumptions fabricated and that I have taken liberties with reality, as you know it. The humanoids in this story are not based on anyone I know or have read about.
Australian based dictionaries were used for reference, and Grammarly was used as part of the editing suite. The story was written in Microsoft Word.
If you find grammatical or spelling errors, they are not the fault of my editor or proofreaders who did try to fix my work. However, I do tend to fiddle around after the fact, so all errors are my own.
If my Australian colloquialisms or terms need clarification, or you just wish to correspond, I'm more than happy to answer your emails. You can send them to: kris.me2@inorbit.com
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The Wiki:
https://keltria.fandom.com/wiki/
The Wiki contains information about the Keltrian people, wizards, magical items, colloquialisms and adapted words that have been created for this universe. Maps, character lists and other information that may relate to this book could be found.
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Jax's Team of seven:
In case you have forgotten, below is a brief description of Jax's team.
Other than Jax and David, the others all wore one of Jax's bracelets with a diamond and her special olivine gem on it and were all between twenty-four and twenty-six years old.
Jax Pickon (Was Jacky Picton on Earth)
She was born on Sigma Island, Tara, to Prol parents. However, she is also a shapeshifter, thanks to an ancestor. She is now 18 going on 19 years old, 157cm (5'1") and has red curly hair. Jax is slim with lightly tanned looking skin. She is a four-gemmed Lore Mage with Earth, Nature, Psychic and her special gem.
Sergeant David May
Was an Electrician in the Army Engineering Corps. He was born in Coral Cove but lived in Cairns, QLD. He is 180cm (5'11") with green eyes and a light olive complexion. He has a runner's build and has some Aboriginal heritage. He is a Lore Mage with Energy, Earth, and Physics and Jax's gem.
Bluey (John) Jackson
Was an Electrician in David's unit. Born in Brisbane, QLD. He is 175cm (5'9") tall, slim, redheaded with a big smile.
Ernie Ubobo
Was a Carpenter in David's unit. Born in Darwin, NT. He is 178cm (5'10") tall, wiry build, with dark beige skin. He is part Australian Aboriginal.
Lance-Corporal Eddie Russo
Was an AA-gunner in the Army. Born in Innisfail, QLD. He is 186cm (6'1") tall, thick-set with dark blondish hair, Mediterranean looks and dark olive skin.
Tommy Ryley
Was a Boilermaker with David's unit. He is 170cm (5'7") tall, slim to medium build with some Aboriginal heritage. Born in Sydney, NSW.
Captain Blair Black
Was in charge of a combat unit on Timor island. Born in Brisbane, QLD. He is 183cm (6') tall with dark brown hair, brown eyes, and a medium built but very fit body shape.
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Acknowledgements:
Special thanks to Anna Dapter and J. Konietzko, who did try to decipher my dyslexic scribbles.
Cheers to all of the readers who have pointed out I do make mistakes and have helped me fix them. And extra thanks goes to Lazeez for his support.
I hope you enjoy the story.
Kris Me
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Chapter 1
"No, let's go," Tommy said excitedly and mounted the dais.
Eddie Russo stepped up there with him, so the rest followed. They wiggled around to make sure they were all within the metal ring.
Tommy said, "I always wanted to meet Tinker Bell."
"What?" Jax got out, as she felt her body shift.
They all felt the weird sensation of being pulled apart and moving as if in a flowing stream and then being put back together again.
Jax blinked several times and groaned, "Bloody hell, where did you send us, Tommy?"
Jax's team looked around and came to the same conclusion that this cavern wasn't like the one that Jax had described being on Sigma, her home island. For one thing, it was a lot smaller, being only 20m across, and the crystals were not as developed as they had been in the cave in Timor.
None of the volcanic feeders worked either, so it wouldn't recharge in a hurry. One thing in their favour was that they did all feel lighter. Jax commented that the gravity was more like her home planet.
She also felt it had taken as long to travel as it had the first time, so they all the feeling that there was a good chance they had made it to Tara. Not that it mattered much as they would remain here until the cavern could transport them again.
In his defence, Tommy said that he had been thinking of going to Tara to meet a creature like a fairy in the Peter Pan and Wendy's story. The problem was that Jax didn't know of any Faeries on her islands.
"We do have the Fayle. They are like big Faeries, around 140cm (5' 5") tall. But they do have wings like their smaller cousins, the Faeries."
The men all tried to work out how tall that was. They were more used to the imperial system but knew most of Europe used a metric system. Jax had told them her measurements were also done in a metric system and that it was the same in lengths and weights as the one used in Europe.
She had been teaching the boys so they could adapt to the systems on her planet a lot earlier. They were still learning. Tommy shook his head, put his hands up, so one was over the other, and spread them, so they were about 12cm (4-5") apart.
Jax frowned, "No, the Faerie race I know of is supposed to be about 45cm (17") in height. I did read some old tales about the Nix. They were supposed to be very tiny. But they were just children's stories, and people believed they were just young Faerie children being depicted."
"I like kids," Tommy grinned.
The men chuckled. However, this didn't sort out where the hell they were. This cave was also very cold, and they all found themselves digging into their packs, looking for warmer clothing.
Jax didn't think this was her island, but until she knew more, she decided to see if they could work out just where they were. It wasn't as if she had anything or anyone waiting for her on Sigma Island.
Even so, she had felt uncomfortable on the humans' world. Being surrounded by so many angry and unhappy people had been very hard for her, and she knew that she couldn't fix the problem.
At least being with these men, she felt shielded from most of the other peoples' problems.
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Jax investigated one of the pits.
She called David over. Tommy and the other four men joined them. Jax had the men link together, and she taught them how to make a tiny tunnel about as wide as a finger down into the earth until they hit magma.
With some effort, they directed the magma up to the pit without letting it escape into side fissures. The boys let it fill the pit while Jax formed a new shield over the pit, so it couldn't overflow.
The sulphur smell wasn't very strong, and David commented that the magma seemed to have a very high iron content in it. They all appreciated the warmth from the pit.
They opened up the second pit and decided that would do for now and stopped for a rest. They were all hungry, so they delved into their packs to find something to eat.
Ernie even set up a billy over a hexamine tablet holder so they could have some tea to warm them.
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Once rested, the team went exploring to find a way out.
Jax had told them about secret doors that were shielded by magic. The fact this cavern still had crystals meant any spells were likely to still be active. That being said, Bluey and Blair started walking around the walls.
The cave only had one tunnel into it, and Tommy and Eddie had elected to check it out. Jax told them to mark their way with crystals to help light the tunnels so they could find their way back. She also spelled a compass for them, so it pointed back here.
"Hey, David," Blair called out, "Solve this riddle. You measure my life in hours, and I serve you by expiring. I'm quick when I'm thin and slow when I'm fat. The wind is my enemy. What am I?"
David frowned, and Jax giggled before she said, "You are a candle."
"Oh! Humm, then solve this one. A girl has as many brothers as sisters, but each brother has only half as many brothers as sisters. How many brothers and sisters are there in the family?"
David grinned as he was rather good at maths and said, "There are three brothers and four sisters."
Jax hmphed, "I have way more brothers and sisters than that." She turned to see Blair standing near the wall with his hand on it. "What are you doing over there, Blair?"
"I can't get in unless I answer the riddles," he said and grinned at them as they all scuttled over to him.
"So, what is the next riddle?" Ernie asked excitedly.
"What gets wet while drying?" Blair asked him.
They all looked at each other for a few moments, and then Bluey grinned, "A towel or a cloth."
They all heard a click, scraping, and then a whoosh as a section of the wall slid back and then sideways. The air from their room rushed into the new room. It was very poorly lit with tiny crystals high up on the 4m high walls and on the ceiling in two rows.
It was a huge, very well-appointed sitting room, some 15m (49') square. It was set out into four distinct areas. Each had a huge fireplace in which corner of the room. Wide, crossing walkways separated the areas. Space between the inner-corner couches let them enter an area.
Small tables with tall lamps were placed near the ends of the seats. Longer tables acted as coffee tables, and thick rugs adorned the floor. Empty shelves lined the walls away from the fireplaces. Large chandeliers were set in the centre of each area.
The room had a set of large double doors at the ends of the cross walkway. On the wall they faced was a single door like the one they entered. The team spread out to look around.
"Hey, look! These doors lead to a wide hall, and heaps of bedrooms are coming off either side, but they haven't furnished all of them," Bluey yelled out from the left.
David and Jax had headed to the right and looked into the doorway on the other side. The wide walkway gave access to a large dining room on the left and a huge kitchen on the right. They were surprised that the kitchen was set up more like a mess or restaurant kitchen. The dining room held four, six-seated dining tables.
"Why are each table and set of chairs a different height?" David asked Jax.
"Because it's designed for several races of different heights. My mother's race, the Prols, are around the 145cm mark, and the Pix are some 20cm shorter. The Burgis and Genteli races are between 155cm to 175cm, and the Grandteli are as tall as your people and even taller."
"This room looks like the people that were here or planned to be here were of the main races of Keltria, where my ancestors came from. Also, children can use the smaller tables."
"That makes sense," David replied.
He looked into the last room at the end of the hallway to find a huge bathing tub that eight people his size could fit into easily. Along one wall was what appeared to be four shower roses coming down from the ceiling. Another wall supported four side by side sinks, each at a different height.
Along the third wall were four partitioned cubicles that each held a thunderbox, and they too were set at different heights. David and Jax both giggled and took advantage of this find.
Once refreshed, they met back up with the others and went to the door in the back wall. They walked into a new room. It was also poorly lit, and its immense size didn't help either.
"Bloody hell!" Jax said. "Major James told me the old wizards liked to hoard things, but this is ridiculous."
"Well, at least we should be able to find some more warm clothes that fit in with the people who live here and possibly some beddings," Blair said, practical as ever.
Tommy and Eddie called out that they were back. The others left their exploration of the storeroom and went back into the sitting room and picked the area with the bigger furniture in it.
"Well, we've got good news and bad news," Eddie told them, as he flopped down onto a couch.
The others found a comfortable spot to sit, and David replied, "Hit us with it."
"Sorry, Jacky, but I don't think this is your island. For one thing, it has been snowing outside, and I'm sure you said you didn't get snow. Plus, while I feel as if the land we are on is surrounded by water, it doesn't feel like a huge island like you described."
"This planet does have two moons that we could see. They were both setting, and the sun was coming up towards the south of east, suggesting we are to the north. I'd say it was still wintertime here, as the snow is deep."
"We are reasonably high up in a cratered mountain that Tommy says is north, as his regular compass seems to work just fine here. From what we could see, two ranges split off from this one. One goes more southwest and the other southeast."
"The area around this mountain is covered in forests. Some of the trees look like a type of pine, and there are several other varieties. There isn't much low growth, but I guess that will change come spring."
"We have a large lake down below in the fork of the ranges that's fed from the mountain we are in. We couldn't see any houses, but then we couldn't see all the way to the sea in any direction," Eddie added.
"Well, if we did make it to the Tear Islands and we are north, we could be on Iota Island or Kapp Island. Both islands are around 200km across and at least as long or longer. Did you feel a larger landmass to the east or the west of us?" Jax asked.
Eddie closed his eyes and felt out around him for the sea. He seemed to have an affinity to water and could find it anywhere within a reasonable distance. He had already noticed that his magical abilities seemed stronger here and that his range was greater.
"Larger islands are to the west and south of us." He then grinned and said, "To the north is a polar ice cap that cups the island on the west. It's weird, but I can feel the areas of ice in the sea."
"That corresponds to the map you gave us, Jax," David commented.
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Chapter 2
David smiled at his girlfriend.
When Jax was in her female form, David had found that he preferred to call her by her proper name. The boys had also picked up on this fact even though they occasionally slipped and still used Jacky.
Jax hadn't changed to her male form since the day before, so it seemed that she was in Jax mode. David also felt that she seemed more comfortable when in her natural form. Plus, this was her world, so it seemed appropriate.
"Yes, well, I suppose we need to decide what we want to do," Jax stated. "It is odd. I felt this need to come home, but now that I'm here, I'm unsure where I should be. I don't fit in with my family as they don't consider me a proper Prol female."
"Hence, I'm not even sure going back to Sigma will achieve anything other than visiting with them and making sure they are okay. Although we should go and check to see if the others did end up there. I must admit that I have doubts," Jax said with some concern.
"Jax, we are your family now," Tommy told her.
Jax had to smile, as he was very correct in that she did consider these men her family. She had more in common with them than any of her brothers or sisters, other than the same parents, and they were now gone.
Blair stated, "Well, why don't we just fix this place for the time being? We have plenty of food, and we can do some scouting. Tommy can look for the fairies he seemed to want to find, and we will see where events take us. I could do with a rest for a month or so."
Jax looked at the other men and realised that Blair wasn't the only one who needed to de-stress for a bit. Most of these men had been in the Army for nearly three years and had experienced a lot more horror than she had.
Even her limited exposure was enough, and she agreed that some simple living wouldn't be bad for any of them for a little while. While she had learnt a lot, being in highly stressful situations for long periods took its toll.
"I agree," Jax said, and the men all sighed and relaxed, making Jax giggle.
The men all smiled. The team had all worked out that Jax took anything Blair said into consideration. She only argued with him if she thought he was suggesting unnecessary danger or didn't know all the facts.
Jax had been in their Army long enough to understand the chain of command. For all intent, Blair was still their commanding officer even if they had all deserted.
"I'm sorry," Jax suddenly said, making all of the men look at her. "I got you all to leave your posts just so I could come home. I didn't think of how this would affect your sense of honour."
"Nah," Bluey said, "We didn't desert. We just went on to the next mission. We don't know what it is, but then again, we lower ranks don't get told until the order to charge is given."
"We came here to do something, Jax. I just feel it. But not today. We need to rest and recuperate," Eddie said and yawned to his surprise, making the others smile.
"Let's go pick a room," Tommy said.
He stood up and went to haul his larger lover to his feet. Hand in hand, they wandered off to pick one of the rooms to claim.
Ernie and Bluey followed.
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Jax looked at David and flicked her eyebrows at him, and nodded towards Blair.
David wasn't really surprised. He had felt the attraction between them and knew that Blair had come with them because of Jax.
He then grinned and said, "Blair, have you tried changing to female yet?"
Blair blinked at David, "Why would I be able to do that? I have not been with any of your team."
"Hum, well, you may not have screwed any of them, but they have all touched you many times, even Jax."
Blair frowned and concentrated. He felt this odd shifting sensation as if his body was re-aligning his bits and pieces. It was similar in some ways to when they jumped, but then it wasn't quite so dramatic.
David looked at his rival for Jax's affection and could see some serious advantages of having Blair join them. As a sheila, he was tall and willowy. Her breasts were probably considered on the smaller side of medium.
Still, that didn't bother David in the least as the perky titties that Blair had, suited her. David did have a bit of a thing for long legs, and Blair sure was a looker, not to take anything from Jax.
David chuckled when Jax said, "Wow, look at those sexy legs. She is damn near as sexy as you, my love, when you are in this form."
Blair stripped off her boots and pulled the wide leg of her shorts up to inspect the leg the couple were looking at. She ran her fingers lightly from her slim ankle around her calf and up her thigh, marvelling at the very smooth mid-beige skin.
She looked up to see two very randy males staring at her legs. Going by the bulges in their pants, they both had the hots for her. Blair found this both disconcerting and rather erotic.
As a male, he hadn't had sex for way too long. He found his feminine side basking at the glory of being desired by two very sexy men. Blair decided to bow to the inevitable and gave them both a sultry look. She had a feeling that she would get to plunder their bodies in due course.
"Do you think we should find a room or just make do here?" David asked.
Jax looked around at the wide comfortable couches, and several positions came to mind.
"Will you suck my cock?" Jax asked and stood up to shuck his clothes.
Blair had to think about that and then surprised herself once she saw what Jax was offering, "Why not?"
"Do you mind if David does you first?" Jax then asked as he started helping Blair get naked.
Blair looked at David as he was stripping and Jax squeezed and pulled on her nipples, making the heat flood her nether regions. She nearly orgasmed on the spot from the very new sensations.
David sprung free of his shorts, and while he wasn't quite as big as Jax, he had nothing to be ashamed of either. He lay down on the thick, plush-piled carpet between the lounge chairs.
Blair found herself kneeling over David's face as she wanted him to lick her first. She then found something to lick herself. Never having done this before, she took instruction from Jax.
Blair soon realised that Jax liked exactly the same things done to him, as Bair liked when in male form. The sensations David was causing were, however, very distracting.
The first time Blair felt the magic being pushed into her from Jax, when Jax came in her mouth, had exceeded her wildest dreams. The sensations Blair felt blended into one another for the next hour as she seemed on a constant high.
All three had changed form and positions as the giver and receiver several times. They had brought each other to heaven so often that Blair eventually flaked it after he came for the last time.
At the time, he and David were both deep inside Jax, who was sandwiched between them in her female form. She also pulled the magic and sent it through both men making their orgasm last far longer than either man had felt before.
David hadn't been far behind Blair at reaching saturation.
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Blair awoke to find himself lying on the wide couch and covered by a nice warm, fluffy blanket.
A small soft pillow was on the arm that was under his head, and the nearest fireplace had a fire crackling away cheerily. He then realised he was snuggled into a long frame and a male arm held him across his chest.
He nearly freaked when he realised what was poking him between his arse cheeks. He then chuckled and gave the object something else to poke and the hand something more to grope.
Blair sighed and wriggled as David softly poked and squeezed his female form a bit more. Blair decided that this being a sheila lark sure had its advantages. She loved the different sensations this form of her body got to experience.
David was also a gentle and thoughtful lover and took his time making sure Blair got the full benefit of being loved. Jax had been a bit more aggressive in her male form and seemed to like pounding them both into submission.
When Jax was female, she loved it just as hard and fast as a bloke could manage. She had been one wild ride. Blair had to chuckle as he realised Jax had bitten off a bit more than she bargained for when he and David sandwiched her.
Jax did come bloody hard, and the power she pulled and pushed through them was just incredible. He wasn't surprised that he flaked.
"You know why she put us together, don't you?" David asked Blair softly as he moved his hips to get better penetration into the soft, warm flesh that had parted for him.
David had learnt that Blair was a damn fine lover and had no objection to doing him-her or letting Blair do him in either form. David had long since gotten over his hang-ups once he could turn female for Jax.
Simply being in female form did something to his brain chemistry. Once, he had sucked off Jax in his female form; doing it while in his male form wasn't that hard to accomplish either.
"One of us isn't enough for her," Blair offered.
"Yeah, that is part of it. It's not that we don't satisfy each other or that we love each other any less, but it just seems to be part of who or rather what she is. She didn't exactly hesitate when offering you the opportunity to join us."
"Plus, Jax uses magic as if it is as natural as breathing. She has given me some of her books to read, and I don't think she has reached her full potential yet. I don't know what's in store for us, but I'm definitely along for the ride."
Blair wasn't surprised when David pulled out and moved, so he was between her legs once she rolled onto her back. She sighed as David slid back in and started moving with more intent causing Blair to arch her back as the sensations throbbed through her.
Blair opened her mouth to accept the kiss when she felt lips over hers and was surprised when she realised it wasn't David but Jax kissing her. She shuddered and stiffened, causing David to go harder, and she screamed into Jax's mouth as David pulled magic, as he came in her.
She heard David grunt and felt him fill her with his seed as the magic engulfed them both. She felt him relax his weight on her and knew she was done for too. She let the magic befuddle her senses and dropped back into a deep sleep.
Jax lifted her mouth from her new lover and, using a bit of levitation, gently rolled them, so David was once more cuddled behind Blair.
She gently kissed them both and tucked the blanket around them again.
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Chapter 3
She wandered out to the kitchen to get some food.
The other four boys were all in there after having had a good night themselves. It seemed sleeping near a magical cavern did wonders for one's stamina. Especially if Jax had spent the night recharging the crystals.
Tommy looked at Jax when she entered the kitchen, "What did you do to the Captain?"
She smiled slightly, "Claimed him as mine."
Eddie looked her up and down and said, "Just like you did for all of us."
"Yes, it seemed the most expedient way at the time," Jax replied and grinned at Eddie.
"Does he remember the first time you kissed him?" Tommy asked.
Jax shrugged, "Do you?"
Tommy frowned and then grinned.
"No, but I know when. You did it the night you gave each of us the bracelets. We all changed a lot after that."
Jax shook her head, "Nope, it was way before that and in Darwin."
"Hang on! Back then, you told us you had never been with a man," Eddie said.
"I hadn't, as I told you, but I did kiss you all. I didn't screw you; that would have been a complete violation. And I asked," Jax said indignantly.
"Sweetie, you can kiss me or do whatever you wish to me any time you like," Tommy chuckled.
Jax had to laugh when she got three more nodding heads.
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The team spent the next week making the dwelling theirs.
Eddie had reported that a storm had come in, and it was a whiteout outside, so they stayed inside. They were surprised to find that the enormous pantry, which was accessible from the kitchen, was full of food.
It was split into dry stores and cold stores. Most of the products in them Jax deemed as local. However, they had no idea how long it had been since it was stocked. Everything was preserved as if it had just been put in the pantry.
During the week, Jax wandered around and updated the spells on everything. They had added fresh crystals to all of the rooms, so they were better lit, and the spells on them were maintained.
They believed at least three couples had spent some time here before they disappeared. However, the personal effects left behind were few and gave no idea about who they had been.
Jax, David and Blair made no attempt to hide the fact that they were a trio. The other two couples even let them have the bedroom with the biggest bed. They had all laughed at the monstrosity and wondered how tall the people who made it had been.
The trio made sure that they tried the springs out, and David was glad that he now had Blair to help him. He also found he really enjoyed spending time with Blair now that he had a chance to get to know him.
Jax wasn't complaining, as she had found both men were very good at satisfying her needs, even if she did wear them both out unless they double-teamed her. She was also enjoying the more relaxed atmosphere and learning more about both men.
The three of them become closer over the week spent together.
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The team made it outside around lunchtime on the seventh day.
Tommy was agitated, and they decided he had cabin fever. Eddie had reported it was a lovely day, so they dressed in their warmer uniforms and donned their packs to go scouting around outside.
It was a pretty winter's scene of freshly fallen snow and snow-topped branches with icicles underneath. It was also very cold. Jax got her bearings and let her senses fly on the wind.
"There is a small settlement to the southeast, and a larger one is to the southwest. Both seem to be based around the end of the range on the lower hills and are seaports. This island seems to have a lot of camla and antelos, considering its size. I only detect a few wolf packs, so that could be why."
Jax then frowned. "There is a heat source between us and the village to the east. Oh, dear, I think it's a dwelling on fire. Quickly, link up," she cried.
Without hesitation, the men touched the man nearest them and then Jax. They all blinked and had no sooner appeared when they found themselves diving for cover, as small arrows were suddenly loosed in their direction.
Jax hadn't ducked. She got mad and pulled her wand. She whipped up the snow and sent it flying at the group of twenty Pix-looking people surrounding the six huge, closely grouped trees.
These people had built up a pile of wood around each tree's base and then lit them. The small creatures were trying to fly away from the smoke that was filling their tiny tree homes. While they did, the people on the ground were shooting little arrows at them.
Most of the small men had been so intent on killing or building up the fires, they hadn't realised they had company. David and the boys also started to retaliate and made the men aware of their predicament.
Some of the boys shot ice spikes at the shooters to freeze their hands, while others blew flurries of snow at the fires to put them out. Several of the small men tried to run away. However, most found themselves iced in place, like a snowman while the fires sizzled out under a blanket of snow.
Jax growled at the first person she approached, "What in tarnation is going on here?"
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Jax tried to hide her shock to the best of her ability as she looked at the person in front of her.
She then glanced at the other people. They seemed to be some sort of Pix-Prol crossed race, but something went wrong as they all had deformities. Some had misshapen heads and facial features. Others had odd growths, extra fingers or shortened or missing limbs. Some were more obviously affected than others were.
"It was the Nix. They killed our mage," ranted the person that Jax believed was a male.
He seemed older, and he was better dressed than the others. So Jax guessed he must be some sort of voice amongst these people.
A small flying person, not more than 18cm (7") tall, landed on Jax's shoulder. She, being Princess Mia, was rugged up in what seemed like a soft, silvery-grey, feathery coat. Underneath, she wore dark-green pants and tiny, black boots.
Her single set of large wings spread out more like a moth's, and they had shapes on the wings like large, white-rimmed eyes in shades of blue to purple. She had small antennae on her head just above her long, pointed, almost cat-shaped ears. Her face had a pink nose, a short, hairless, catlike muzzle, and a mouth filled with sharp teeth.
Her green eyes were bigger than you would expect, and she had long eyelashes. She also had very long, dark, green-grey hair and a pale, pastel-green tone to the exposed skin. Mia's body shape and limbs were humanoid. However, her fifth finger was thicker and looked more like a second thumb.
Many of her people congregated in the air nearby now that the fires were out, and the smoke was dissipating. Some were sobbing and being comforted by others. They were all very agitated.
While she focused on Jax, the small woman said loud enough for everyone to hear, "Their mage was experimenting on us. He recently captured and killed four of our young, including my older sister, Princess Teah."
"He refused to return them to us, and when my mother, Queen Ayr, entered his abode, she found him cutting up our people like slabs of antelo. She went berserk and was able to breach Iqama's shield and kill the foul creature. Unfortunately, she has since become ill from his blood touching her."
Jax turned to the man still stuck in her ice spell and asked, "So why are you burning all of their homes if it was their Queen who killed the mage to avenge the death of her daughter?"
"They are nasty disease-carrying pests and need to be exterminated," the man spat.
"We are not, Traz, and you know it! This is our island, we didn't invite your people here, and it is your people who carry the diseases that afflict mine. We are but a third of our numbers since your people came here. You kill everything and poison the very soil you walk on," Mai ranted.
"Um, cobbers, I wouldn't be touching these people. They do have some sort of sickness," Ernie said.
He backed away from the Pix people keeping his staff extended. The boys had surrounded the eighteen people stuck in ice. Jax frowned and walked closer to the first man she had immobilised. She could smell the putrefaction of his flesh and wrinkled her nose.
"Yeah, that's right, turn your stuck up nose up at me, bitch, just because I'm not as pretty as you," sneered the man.
Many of the others grumbled too, but Jax had silenced them for now with her immobilisation spell.
"True, you are not a pretty picture, but my friend is also correct. You have been infected with some sort of disease that is putrefying your flesh. How long have your people been sick?"
"It was the damn Nix that infected us. We were fine until Mia's mother cursed us," Traz ranted.
"That is not true. Iqama took my sister, and she cursed him, but you people were already sick. It was why we tried to stay away from you. If anything, it was the mage who made you worse and not better," Mai retorted.
"I'm going to release your people. I want you all to go back to your village. If you step as close as 100m to a Nix village, you will be compelled to go another way. Now go home, all of you," Jax said and released the people on the ground.
The ice changed to water and slid off them, and the people stumbled and ran or hobbled back to their village as fast as they could move in the soft-powered snowdrifts and wet clothes.
Jax was unaware that her casual use of magic was the main reason they fled.
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Chapter 4
The man in front of Jax squirmed and tried to fight her spell.
"Release me, witch," Traz cried.
He was struggling to go forward and lift his bow, but he was being forced backwards. Jax frowned and hit him with a new immobilisation spell and then a sleep spell to reduce his conflict.
"How many of your people are hurt?" Jax asked Mai.
Tommy came up to Jax. Cradled in his arms were three small Nix people. They were obviously, children as the tallest were barely 15cm.
Tommy looked very sad, and he said, "The others say their parents are dead, but they seemed reluctant to take them in."
"Your friend shouldn't have touched them. They were cursed," Mai said in disapproval. To Jax, she said, "He will now sicken and die too."
Tommy chuckled, "From chickenpox? No, I've been immune for many years. I got it when I was six. Even my magic and can cure that virus."
Jax touched the oldest of the children and recognised the illness as one that was common on Earth. She had seen children with it when she had visited the hospital in Darwin.
"This is not the same illness that the other people have. They seem to have some sort of sickness that has upset the cell structures of their bodies. I need to see the lab that this Iqama was using, and we will need to take this man with us as something is very wrong with him," Jax informed the others.
"Tommy and Eddie, do you want to check out the rest of the Nix people and see who else is sick and if they need any other help or supplies from us?"
"Sure thing, Jax," the two men said and headed back to the trees where the Nix had their homes.
To Jax's amusement, most of the Nix had become more cooperative since Tommy had adopted the sick children and made them better. She suspected the warm magical glow around Tommy and Eddie also attracted the small magical beings to them like flies to a barbecue.
Tommy had a very compassionate nature. Jax had been surprised that he had joined the Army, due to his empathy. However, she leant that Tommy also had a strong sense of right and wrong. He wasn't a pushover despite his easy-going nature, and he would stand for what he believed in.
She, however, had bigger problems.
------
Mai went with Jax so she could show her where the mage had lived.
"Whoo! What the fuck is that?" Bluey gasped as they approached the black teardrop-shaped spacecraft.
It was at least 40m long, 20m wide and 15m at its highest. The side ramp was down and the top door up. It was evident by the mud and snow on the ramp that it hadn't been closed in a long time.
Jax chuckled, "My people did come to this planet in spacecraft. Most came here long enough ago that the technology had been lost, and their ships were disassembled. However, as I told Major James, some strange things happen on Tara."
"This small ship has come from a wheelship. But it came here more recently than ten thousand years ago when the wheelships were supposed to have passed this way."
"Yes, this ship landed here about two hundred years ago with thirty-two people crammed on board. They said their bigger ship broke into pieces, and they had to escape," Mia told them.
"At first, our two people seemed to get along, but then something changed, and their leaders had a big argument, and their people split. Iqama became the leader of the village that is near here."
"Then those who stayed at the village stated having bigger problems. More of their children are born with mutations than not. They seemed to have a lot of children too, often two or three at a time."
"Mother forbade us to come near this ship as she said it was poisonous to magical people. As time passed, Iqama got this idea that we must be immune to the illness ravaging his people because we didn't seem to get sick."
"Yet, as soon as he took our people on the ship, they would sicken and die very quickly as Mother foretold. I believe he was dying, and he was getting desperate for a cure. Our people often saw him ranting at the sky."
"Ten days ago, he set traps and captured my sister because she was very magically gifted. Way more so than me. Unfortunately for us, the more magically gifted you are, the faster you seem to get sick if you go near the ship," Mai told Jax's team.
Bluey walked closer to the vessel but not too close. He then walked around it as he inspected it.
"Hey Jax, this baby has a leak of some sort from this rear engine. I think it has leaked inside too. It has an odd smell, but I think it is a fuel leak."
"Bluey, don't go any closer. I know what is wrong," Jax replied in agitation. "Damn it, I can't remember how to neutralise the Hyrodenzer fuel?"
"Detergent and water," David replied.
Jax looked at him in surprise.
David shrugged, "If it is a fuel, then most likely it will work. The detergent or, to most of the people here, soap; will surround the compounds of the fuel. This reduces its volatility."
"Then the soap and water break these components down, so they are not harmful anymore. It is why the best thing to do when fuel spills on you is to wash it away with carbolic soap and water as it can irritate your skin very quickly."
Jax smacked her forehead, "Of course, the engineer who taught me how to fix the engines on the planes told me to always wear gloves when handling the fuel and oils and made me wash up with that red soap afterwards."
Jax tapped her chin as she thought out loud, "Yes, I think that soap will interact with it and disperse it, but we have an added problem. This fuel is toxic to us. It is spelled to absorb and convert magical energy into a fuel when it is activated."
"That is how they can get the spaceships to cross hundreds of light-years across the universe in what they perceived to be a reasonable amount of time and not run out of fuel."
"So, you need a counterspell to nullify the magic on the spilled fuel first, is that it?" Blair asked.
"Yes, but it is a very ancient spell, and I don't know it, only of it," Jax replied with a worried voice.
"Can you isolate the ship for now, so no more people get sick from being near it?" Mai asked as that was her main worry.
"Yes, that is probably for the best I can do for now, until I can find a spell to neutralise the Hyrodenzer. We need to make sure it doesn't radiate the bad energies that are affecting people," Jax sighed in frustration.
Blair grinned, "Hey Jax, we have a whole heap of stuff in that storeroom that is ancient. What is the chance that they have books in there that will tell us some more about our problem?"
Jax shrugged, "Spaceships and space travel wasn't a normal thing for mages to do. They preferred to use the portals. Apparently, magical people don't fare well in stasis chambers. They could only sleep in one for ten to twenty years at most."
"To stay awake, stuck in a spaceship for a couple of hundred years or more, got very boring for the people who did the exploring. This is why they would often stop for a generation or two on a suitable planet before moving on."
"That's also why most settlement ships didn't have very many magical people wearing items on them, and they were supposed to set up the new portals so the other magical people could come later."
"Even so, they would have had to do something to mop up the odd fuel leak," David replied.
"Well, for now, let's place a ring of crystals and seal and shield this ship and the contaminated soil until we can find a solution. Whatever research the mage was doing will have to stay undiscovered until then," Jax responded with disappointment.
The men spread out and placed the crystals at least 10m from the ship and in a rough circle. They came back and linked with Jax. They all felt that the area was contaminated.
The team all agreed that the most heavily contaminated area was, fortunately, under the ship. The men helped Jax form a shield over the ship to encourage everyone but themselves to turn away from the area.
Jax also got them to help create a basin under the ship by solidifying the rocks beneath the contaminated soil. This sealed the ground within the basin to stop the rain and snow from causing more of the fuel to run off.
Ernie then chuckled, "See, Jax, I told you we had another mission already lined up. We just didn't know what it was. It is just as well that we can all do magic."
"Yes, it seems that we were sent here for a reason," Jax replied and smiled at her friend.
------
"What are we going to do with the walking disease here?" Bluey asked.
"Well, while we are linked, let's see if we can fix him?" Jax suggested.
The boys knew what she wanted to do, so they lent her their power. Jax inspected the man before performing any spells, and the others could see what she could see.
"Wow! His whole system is contaminated. I need to come up with a spell to see if we can draw out the Hyrodenzer. I just can't think of one," Jax said with frustration and let the magic drop.
"Well, our First Aid book says milk and activated charcoal are best for sucking up a poison that has been ingested, so the body can get rid of them," Bluey offered.
"Yeah, and warm poultices made with sugar and carbolic soap are good for all of those sores, too," Blair added. He then looked at the man and said as he wrinkled his nose, "I don't see how a good scrubbing would hurt him either. When did he last take a bath?"
"It would be interesting to see how the soap does react with the Hyrodenzer on his skin?" Jax said thoughtfully.
"We have plenty of soap so we could fill up that big tin bathtub I saw in the storeroom and toss him in it," David added helpfully.
"Even one of your general healing spells couldn't hurt, Jax," Blair added.
"True, I have a feeling though that we need a magician of greater power than me to fix what has been done to his system and to the others," Jax sighed. "Still, even if we can just neutralise his body, for now, it would be better than doing nothing."
"Mai, do any of your people have the Hyrodenzer on their bodies?" Jax asked the Nix as they herded their 'walking in his sleep' prisoner back towards the Nix's home again.
"If you mean the strange substance that I can see on Traz, then yes. I can see it on my mother, and it has made her very ill. She can't even use her magic anymore," Mai answered, very worried.
Near the village, David stopped and removed his pack. He rummaged around and pulled out a small bar of soap. He went to hand it to Mai and chuckled. What he considered small was bloody big to her. He would have to cut it into smaller pieces.
"Hum, David, it would be best if they washed her near a stream. She can't have that much on her if she isn't any bigger than Mai. I think the soap should disperse it well enough that even if it has a magical spell on it, it shouldn't cause any more harm."
"I wonder if an uncharged crystal would absorb the magic from the Hyrodenzer?" Blair said, startling all of them.
"Only one way to find out," Jax said, liking the idea.
"I can't see how it would harm the man."
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Chapter 5
Jax took her pack off.
She pulled out one of the old socks that still held the original crystals she had harvested. She poured a generous handful into her hand and then pulled the magic from them, so they went dark. Having just used a lot of magic, this wasn't hard to do, and she felt refreshed. She then roused Traz from his stupor.
"Traz, remove your gloves and hold out your hands. We are going to try and draw off some of the bad magic," she told him.
The man did as he was told and automatically held out his hands cupped together. His sleeves were still rolled up from when he had laboured to pile the wood under the trees. Jax poured the crystals from her gloved hand into his bare hands.
He grunted, and his hands gripped tightly together as his whole body shuddered. The others looked on in fascination as what seemed like a black oily substance bulged into the surface veins on his face and forearms.
It drained from his face and appeared to run down his arms just under the skin in long black streaks. It seemed to pool in his hands, and then the fuel disappeared into the crystals.
As they watched, Traz's breathing seemed to become more natural, and he stood straighter. He was still filthy and covered in sores, but something was definitely different about him.
"You may need to do that again, wizard," Mai said, looking at Traz carefully. "You got most of it, but not all."
David pulled a 10cm deep and wide stainless-steel-cased and ceramic lined canister from his pack. He unscrewed the wide lid. The lid was also coated with ceramic and had ridges that fitted over the lip of the inner ceramic shell of the canister.
"Get him to put those crystals in here," he asked.
When David held out the canister, Traz put his hands over it and let the crystals fall in. He seemed relieved to get them away from his body. David seemed equally happy to get the lid back on the canister.
Jax placed a couple more crystals into Traz's hands, and this time, he smiled as the fuel and fouled magic contaminating his body were drawn off. These crystals were not as dark as the others, but they still looked oily.
They, too, went in to David's canister, and he put a containment spell on it just to make sure the fuel stayed in the container.