Chapter 14: Ruins

The wizards finally headed back to Ulu’s Village.

Alexus, Penny and Kale were with them. They spent a week helping fix what had been destroyed, and Storm finally got to visit the cavern. It had a ring like Storms cave, but it wasn’t functional. The ring room was covered in fine green, and yellow dust and the lava pools were solid.

Storm wasn’t sure how to fix the cavern. Some of the other crystals still worked, and they could at least find the treasure room. Ulu was amazed at what was stored in it. Storm re-established the preservation spells for him.

They found little information that was useful and many of the other rooms had deteriorated over time. Many of the items were just dust in them, and there were no wizard boxes in it. They were all a little disappointed.

Ulu said that he felt he needed his wizard’s box. He believed the Palatines were not going to take his ownership of the town they had established well. Storm also agreed it was time to do this.

He was starting to feel a little urgency and Ulu had little trouble getting him to agree. He gathered up those who were going, Ulu, Kale, Alexus, Penny, Kim and Lindell. Yalla insisted that she was going too and no one objected.

She perplexed Storm, as he hadn’t given her a magical item of any description. She had a glow but not like any of those, he had given items to so far. He had given Inhu a medallion and Tiki a ring, but nothing to Yalla. He wondered if he just hadn’t found her item yet.

The group of eight packed up their backpacks, weapons stores and tents into a waggon with four lankys to pull it. They made sure they had enough to cover them for a week. They could hunt and forage if they needed to or just come back and get more supplies.

Ulu and Storm took the driver’s seat, and the rest made themselves comfortable in the back. They blinked to the location Ulu wished to start from. Ulu said there was an ancient road but he hadn’t gone far up it, so this was as close as he could remember going.

It was a beautiful spring day, and they all enjoyed the ride into the mountains. Storm and Ulu cleared the road as they progressed. Storm was fascinated that the paving underneath the overgrowth was very similar to asphalt like back home. He detected that spells once kept it in good repair. He found the odd patches that still worked.

They travelled for several hours twisting and weaving their way deeper into the mountain range. The canopy overhead would thicken as they crossed waterways and then open out into sparser areas where the rocks and cliffs were more prominent.

The bird life was abundant. They saw ground birds weaving in and out of the undergrowth and birds or all shapes, colours and sizes. Davin’s notes had mentioned to Storm that there was a lot of variety here.

They had more trouble finding reptiles and Storm had only heard frogs croaking once or twice. He hadn’t noticed any spider webs and commented on them to Ulu. Ulu gave him the raised eyebrows and Storm had to describe what spiders were.

Alexus joined the conversation, “The land to the east of us had a creature like this, but it has ten legs. The front two are special legs that they use to spin large silk cocoons for their young.”

“The people there make beautiful silk cloth. It is highly prized as trade goods but hard to get. The little people are very distrustful. They say there are Giants and Faeries and tribes of women they call Sirens. They like to beguile the sailors, but they never let them stay.”

Storm was very interested to hear this. Davin didn’t believe any of the other races made it here, but it now sounds like they did. If they were distrustful of the others, it could explain why they didn’t encourage contact.

The continent to the east was the largest of the five, so it was more than big enough to be divided into many countries if several other races had settled there. He could be gone from home a lot longer than he intended if he had to go there.

They had a transportation ring, but he hadn’t detected any boxes there. He did know if they were deep underground as for some reason that he couldn’t feel where they were until he got close to them. He would just have to wait and see.

His biggest worry was sorting out Ulu and Penny first. He would worry about the other two Wizard’s boxes later. He may even let them find their own apprentices boxes. As full wizards, they should be able to handle this, and they could always call for help. He felt better about this decision when he made it. He felt it was something they needed to do.

About an hour later, they came across their first lot of ruins. They guessed it had been a small village of about twenty homes. Set back in the side of the mountain was a mine entrance and they soon determined upon inspection that it was a small gold mine.

Ulu and Storm went to investigate it, while the others wandered through what was left of the homes. None of them was intact. Many were buried by time and grown over. In most cases, it was only the hint of the brick flooring under thousands of years of forest waste.

The basic street layout was definable where the spells had held the longest. It helped suggest where a home had been. They guessed most had timber frames that had long since rotted way.

The largest dwelling still had the lower outer walls for the most of it, and you could determine how it was laid out. Some of the large beams were still intact enough for them to work out it had once had a timber second floor. They guessed it held the bedrooms. However, too much vegetation trash and new soils that had built up over time didn’t really help them learn much of use.

Ulu said that there had been a long dry time and a lot of ash in the air after the War of the Wizards. The fact vegetation seemed to take longer to breakdown here, also allowed the wood to petrify before it rotted. Ulu and Storm said much of the mine was caved in. There was little to learn there either.

After a short tea break, they packed up and moved on. The group walked down into a small valley then climbed higher between two peaks. They decided to camp in the pass and make their way in the morning. The three couples each had tents, and Kale was going to bed down in the waggon.

Storm had erected a cover over it, so it looked a lot like a waggon out of an old Western movie. They left the sides up while they travelled but they could put them down if it rained.

Storm was surprised when Kale asked him if he didn’t mind joining him after he had Kim and Lindell sort out his other needs. He just wanted someone to cuddle him so he could get some sleep. If anyone understood what he had been through it was Storm, and he agreed.

After they had gotten the tents set up, Storm had to ease Kim’s worries that he would be tempted by Kale, by fucking him stupid first. After a leisurely dinner and the camp was secured for the night, He then happily did Lindell, while Kim rode him.

As it was his favourite position, he had no problems performing his husbandry duties for Lindell and Kim. He had her on her knees as her tummy was getting larger and he didn’t want to squash his daughter.

He loved fucking into Lindell, then sliding back up Kim’s lovely cock. It hadn’t taken him long to appreciate the extra length, he now supported. Kim for his part loved the way Storm happily opened for him to enter and squeezed him once he was in him deep.

He may still enjoy the occasional random fuck, but to be honest, he got more pleasure from being in Storm than any other man he had fucked since meeting him. He suspected their bling and the fact he loved him, had a lot to do with it. He was also finding that he was just as happy to be in Lindell for the same reasons.

Lindell was more than happy for either of her husbands to make love to her. They both did the job a little differently, but both made sure she was well and truly satisfied. She had little to complain about these days. It was a far cry from her previous life.

Storm was horny, and even though he had already fucked Kim, he found he was just as happy to get Lindell up to speed and working on satisfying his needs, as he met hers. As far as he was concerned, she always did this with little trouble. Once she started shaking on him and clamping up, he never lasted much longer.

This time was no different, and as he locked his cock into her pulsing cunnie, he got the double pleasure of arse coming for Kim. Kim also had difficulties of holding off once either of them came. It flipped his switch every time.

Once his partners were happily settled down for sleep, Storm put his pants back on, and he went and crawled into the waggon with Kale. Kale had made a lovely soft bed, Storm wiggled his longer frame in behind him, and Kale happily snuggled back into his arms.

“Thanks, Storm, I hope your partners don’t mind too much,” Kale said as he snuggled under Storm’s arm, as he laid his head on the other. He felt a peace settle over him, as the big man wrapped him in his comforting embrace.

Storm hugged him gently and kissed him lightly near his ear making him shiver. Kale was surprised he actually felt a stirring of interest. He hadn’t felt like sex since that bastard tried chewing his knob off.

Storm chuckled, “Sorry, that’s all you get. Kim’s a bit possessive, as far as me being with other males.”

Kale smiled and replied, “But he happily does them, doesn’t he?”

“Oh yeah, the boy is a nympho, that’s for sure. Actually, I think he has been settling down a bit of late. He has a problem with believing that people love him just for himself. But we have been together now for over five months, and I think it’s starting to sink in that we both love him warts and all.”

“Yes, I’ve seen this before with other kids that have been abused. Being a pretty boy can have its issues. I got so I just learned to make my partner enjoy me. I found most of them are just as happy if you’re willing and don’t tend to beat you as bad.”

“You get the odd bastard who is different and just loves dishing it out. I liked turning the tables on them and start pursuing them and begging them to do me. It amazed me how often they would start avoiding me as if I was the sick one.”

“Even the guys on the slaver’s ship, eased off on the abuse, as long as I complied. I much preferred fucking Ulu and Yalla, as they at least invited me. Ulu is a very considerate lover. I think Yalla has a similar problem to Kim’s.”

“What about Ulu?” Storm asked. He was nice and warm, and he enjoying Kale’s company. He didn’t feel any desire for Kale, just as he had found with other men. Only Kim seemed to turn him on in that regard. He didn’t know why, it was what it was.

“Oh, Ulu is promiscuous by choice. I think it’s a wizard’s thing in his case. I think your upbringing tempers yours and the fact that you have found some of your life partners.”

“Some?” Storm said. He felt Kale nod.

“This may seem weird, but I think you are going to meet the next one soon,” Kale said.

“Out here?” Storm said in disbelief.

Kale chuckled, “You never know what you’ll find in the woods.” Storm shrugged and settled into Kale, and they were soon both asleep.

Kale woke to a long hard cock being pressed into his behind. The hips rocked rhythmically, and the hand rubbing his cock worked in time with it. He actually found it quite pleasant.

“Shit, sorry,” mumbled Storm and he rolled over. Kale rolled over with him and chuckled as Storm jammed his hands down his pants and scratched enthusiastically. Kale sat up and pushed down the loose pants to see what he was scratching. He gently lifted Storms cock and ran is fingers down it.

“No wonder Kim loves you,” he said stroking the impressive member. He gripped him and squeezed a little as he dropped a gentle kiss on the tip of the head and then tucked him back into his pants.

“Go find your boy. Thank you, I slept well Lord Storm. I don’t know what you did, but my mind feels at ease today.”

Storm sat up and hugged Kale, “You’re a good kid and I think life still has some interesting things in store for you.”

Kale chuckled as Storm blinked. He wasn’t the least bit surprised to hear soft moans and grunts coming from Storm’s tent a few minutes later. He suspected that if he had continued, Storm would have stopped him. The guy really did consider himself Kim’s, as far as boys went.

He packed up his bed and got out to get some breakfast. Lindell came over to him and hugged him, “Kim is a bit possessive but he is also smart enough to know that Storm wouldn’t have agreed to your request if he didn’t have a reason. You look and feel better this morning. I can see he had worked his magic on you.”

Kale hugged her back and gently rubbed her tummy. He guessed she had two months to go (10 weeks earth time). “Wow, she is one strong little girl, you are going to have your hands full with her. You guys are very lucky to have him, he is an amazing man.”

“But Storm isn’t my man, and we both know it. He got me out of a nasty situation, and I will forever be in his debt. I even like the new cock he gave me. When I’m ready, I’m sure it will get wet again. Storm said time can heal a lot of wounds and apparently, so can he.”

Lindell hugged Kale again, and he escorted her to breakfast and made her sit down, while he got it for her. He sat down close to her, and they talked about general things just enjoying each other’s company.

Storm and Kim joined them a little later, and Kim came over to Kale and knelt in front of him. “It’s my turn tonight. Storm said we have a lot in common and maybe it wouldn’t hurt me if we spent some time together. You will be safe with me.”

Kale felt the tears form and found Kim and Lindell both hugging him. “Hey, you’re with family now. We will look after you,” Kim said rubbing his back gently.

“Thanks, just being with you people makes me feel better,” said Kale. Kim nodded and released him. He went and grabbed his breakfast and came sat back beside Kale. Kale had to smile. He had a strange feeling he had just been adopted by Kim, as his little brother.

The group packed up and headed off.

At about that time, David, Kelli and Sarah were hovering over a shielded city.

“He is definitely heading here?” Kelli asked Sarah.

“Yes, he has been hard to track, he seems to be jumping all over the place, but he and the people with him have been heading steadily in this direction for a couple of days,” she said.

“I wonder if he knows it is here,” replied David.

“Probably not. You couldn’t see it in your crystal ball, so I doubt he could either. It just looks like a flattish valley in the hills. I believe it is spelled to stop other wizards spying by using the crystals,” Sarah said.

David had let her drive the shuttle, as the girls called it, so he and Kelli could enjoy the view. He was getting used to the fact Sarah had eyes in the back of the head. Actually, she had eyes everywhere. While she looked and acted for the most part like a human girl, her ability to multi-task on many levels could be a little, umm, creepy, he decided.

They came in low from a slightly north-easterly direction, so the wizards had no hope of seeing them being still in the pass that faced more south easterly. Sarah hovered over the hills so they could see the domed Citadel and the amazing city spread out before them.

David almost felt homesick. It looked like many modern cities back on Earth. Actually, he had liked the look of this planet in general. The continents may have different shapes and locations, but the climates, weather and atmosphere were nothing to whinge about.

Sarah said it was very much like a planet they had seeded on a galaxy about 20 light years from Earth, but this one was more developed. It’s slightly lighter gravity would be pleasing to the Grandteli.

Sarah believed that the wizards would head here, as she now picked up the presence of at least one wizard’s box. She suspected there might be at least one other. They were mystified as to why he would need their help, as Sarah said he had found his apprentice. They should be able to handle most situations by themselves.

In the area behind the Citadel was what looked to David like a helicopter landing zone, with evenly spaced circles indicating safe landing areas. He suggested that if the shield let them through, it was a perfect place to park.

They approached the shield slowly and carefully and found it let them enter unchallenged. They all breathed out a sigh of relief and dropped down to park. Sarah dropped the engines off-line. They were preparing to disembark when they felt the ship vibrate. “Oh, Oh,” said Sarah.

They looked out and watched as the ground got closer, and they realised they were dropping into it. David grinned, “Underground parking, it keeps the place tidy.”

The watched as the view changed to indicate they were in a massive well-lit cavern. The eerie thing was that it was totally empty. “No one home?” questioned David.

Sarah commented, “No, I believe not. I don’t detect any movement of people or other life forms in the area. Only that droid thingy is moving. It is directing us over to that wall and a set of doors. I guess that has become our debarkation point.”

They heard a static over the com unit, and then a voice spoke to them. Sarah answered. As David and Kelli, listened Sarah translated the incoming voice, so they understood it.

“Unknown vessel, you will need to be checked for unknown pathogens before the people can enter the City of Gold. They will need to be scanned and to receive the inoculations that have been developed for their safety and the populous living here.”

“Hi, I’m David, thank you for welcoming us. Could you tell me the current total of your population?”

The voice hesitated, “Current permanent residences, totals six, visitors including yourselves, is now eleven.” They were amused that the voice seemed very happy by that total.

“If you don’t mind, how long have the six people been living here?” Kelli asked.

“The first two arrived twenty years ago. They have birthed four children since being here. The family have taken up residence in the Golden Dome,” the voice said.

“Well, we had better check out this inoculation thingy and then see if we can go find the locals,” David said.

Kelli and Sarah agreed and let the droid that was standing at the ramp on board. The 1.2m high, android had a nondescript not quite human face and wore a coat that made David think of a doctor’s coat, but this one was a pale grey, like the android’s skin.

It happily scanned them and then pronounced that inoculations were not required. It wanted to take blood samples, as they all had interesting antivirals that it didn’t have in its database, particularly David.

They agreed and once done they were escorted off the ship. They were then handed over to another droid who they were told was the Customs Official. He was identical to the first droid except for the pale blue coat. He asked if they had any banned items to declare.

When they said they didn’t know the rules, as they hadn’t been here before, he asked if they wished their data pads updated with the local laws, events, maps and tourist locations.

When David informed it that they didn’t have the local variations of pads, it tutted and produced one for each of them, compliments of Golden City, since they were the first visitors to the airport since it had been reopened.

They informed him after Sarah skimmed the rules that they had nothing to declare. He then asked if they wish to be assigned a tour guide, but they declined. He then recommended they stay at the Astral Hotel across the street. He led them to the elevators and told it to take them to ground floor.

The three of them had a hard time not giggling at the strange droids. Kelli replied that the city seemed very happy to have visitors. Sarah responded that she believed it was controlled by a SAI similar to Zara. Her mother had told her it was always nice when she had people to look after and not just systems.

Sarah informed then that she had dropped a little fact finding virus into the local system courtesy of the droid. She believed people hadn’t lived in this city for over three thousand years of the SAI’s memories.

It was going to take her some time to find out what happened here. The AI seemed to have spent a lot of those years just fixing the place after it was nearly destroyed. She hadn’t found out why yet.

The lift opened into a massive circular foyer with seven other lifts and as many entrances. They had all noted that there were twelve floors above the ground and four below. They had come from a lower floor marked Terminal 1.

They also took note of the elevator they left so they could find their way back to the ship if they couldn’t blink back. Sarah blinked away and then was back in a few seconds and reported that she had no difficulties accessing the helm of their shuttle.

This made David and Kelli feel much easier. They headed in the direction that said ‘Street Exit’, admiring the beautiful building as they did so.

As they walked out under the portico, they looked down the street.

It had taken Storm’s party an hour to get through the pass.

Several rock slides had covered the road in many places and trees had managed to work between the asphalt in places blocking the pass. Storm detected that the spells on the road were breaking down.

Storm and Ulu cleaned up the road enough to get through. They left it clear for the waggon but didn’t widen the road any further at this stage as they didn’t know if this place was to be travelled to in the future.