Chapter 5
Deep in the smoky layers of the abyss, a dark figure walked alone on a shifting and oozing path. Seemingly delicate and fragile, but even the strongest demons knew this creature was among the most dangerous that walked the plane. A black skinned hand emerged from the robes, and pointed at a wall of mushrooms. "Obsul," came a command word from under the hood, and immediately, a small portal appeared in the wall, slowly widening until it was about six feet tall. The creature stepped through, the portal closing behind, and grinned evilly. Lloth had come to the future.
It was already 8:00 at night, and bright lights shone down on the top deck of the station, providing illumination for the outside diners. The Chinese restaurant was a popular place for travelers who stopped at the station, and all tables were full. Jan had chosen a table by the edge railing, and had ordered the chef's special, which composed of chicken fried rice, teriyaki beef, and a vegetable stir fry.
Exotic plants bloomed in large flowerpots around them, probably an attempt to cover up the steel deck and make the dining area more comfortable. Chinese style music drifted through the air, and women dressed in red robes with white trim danced and brought food. A swimming pool and hot tub were further down the deck, and guests from the hotel the next level down swam and relaxed while drinking a wide variety of wines from an appetizer table near the hot tub.
"When will my boat be ready?" Yen'rathe asked through a mouthful of rice.
Jan shrugged. "The prop was torn up pretty bad, that one will take a few hours to re-shape. I got the tech's looking at your guidance system and I also have team working on your engine upgrades. You said you need to get somewhere fast? Not a problem when they're through."
"What kind of upgrades?"
Jan pulled a list from his pocket and looked at it. "Looks like they are putting in a modified turbocharger on each engine for improved air flow, larger injectors, aaaaannnnnnd. widening the exhaust ports."
"What's the estimated cost for all of this?"
Jan smiled widely. "Zero. Your birthday's coming up soon right? I can work an extra month with no pay and it'll be taken care of."
"Jan don't do that!" an alarmed Yen'rathe said.
"Hey don't worry about me!" Jan replied. "I get food for free you know, regular breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not bad stuff either!"
"At least let me pay half," Yen'rathe asked.
"Not gonna let you do that, just do something REAL nice for my birthday!"
"Agreed." Yen'rathe looked to Liriel and Fyodor, noticing that they were done eating. "Feel like taking a walk?"
"Where?" Fyodor asked.
"I want to check up on the upgrades to my boat, make sure they don't toss anything I want to keep on there."
Jan paid the bill after the table was cleared off, and took them down the elevator to the maintenance bay. Yen'rathe's yacht was crawling with engineers when they got there. A section of the hull had been carefully removed, and the hole had been filled with cables, tubes and hoses of all sizes. Flame resistant tubes were attached to the exhaust tower, and more hoses ran across the deck and over the railing.
"How long will it take to finish all of this?" Yen'rathe yelled over the noise of drills, fans, and equipment.
Jan shrugged. "Maybe another few hours. Let's go up and see where they are right now!"
Liriel and Fyodor watched as a forklift effortlessly lifted a pallet weighing a thousand pounds or more and set it down on the deck of the boat. "What's that?" she yelled.
"Those are the turbochargers!" Jan yelled back. "They help the engines breathe!"
The group had trouble moving around the numerous pallets and workers that crowded the deck. They were finally able to climb over some barrels of oil and get down to the engine room. One engine was completely dismantled, stripped down to the block, and the other engine was being put back together.
Yen'rathe walked over and surveyed the work An exhaust manifold lay on the floor, and the openings were noticeably wider, edges rounded off and polished to a silvery shine. He nodded in approval. He walked over to the nearly complete engine and took a new injector out of a box.
Liriel left Fyodor to wander around while she made her way up to the kitchen. She made it to the top of the stairs and was hit by a dark blur with short white hair and eyeglasses. She looked down and saw a young drow boy rubbing his nose and mumbling to himself.
The boy looked up and blinked, finally realizing that Liriel stood there. "Can you tell me what the cube root of 315 is?" he asked in a high pitched voice.
Liriel had no idea what he was talking about, and shrugged helplessly.
He gave a loud, frustrated sigh and yelled, "Can ANYONE tell me what the cube root of 315 is?"
"About 6.8041," came a voice behind him.
"Uncle Yen'rathe!" A blur, then Yen'rathe was on the ground, and the boy stood happily next to him, babbling on and on.
"You're an uncle?!" Liriel asked in mock disbelief.
"I am," came the reply. "This is my nephew," he slapped his hand over the boy's mouth, "Derek."
Deep in the smoky layers of the abyss, a dark figure walked alone on a shifting and oozing path. Seemingly delicate and fragile, but even the strongest demons knew this creature was among the most dangerous that walked the plane. A black skinned hand emerged from the robes, and pointed at a wall of mushrooms. "Obsul," came a command word from under the hood, and immediately, a small portal appeared in the wall, slowly widening until it was about six feet tall. The creature stepped through, the portal closing behind, and grinned evilly. Lloth had come to the future.
It was already 8:00 at night, and bright lights shone down on the top deck of the station, providing illumination for the outside diners. The Chinese restaurant was a popular place for travelers who stopped at the station, and all tables were full. Jan had chosen a table by the edge railing, and had ordered the chef's special, which composed of chicken fried rice, teriyaki beef, and a vegetable stir fry.
Exotic plants bloomed in large flowerpots around them, probably an attempt to cover up the steel deck and make the dining area more comfortable. Chinese style music drifted through the air, and women dressed in red robes with white trim danced and brought food. A swimming pool and hot tub were further down the deck, and guests from the hotel the next level down swam and relaxed while drinking a wide variety of wines from an appetizer table near the hot tub.
"When will my boat be ready?" Yen'rathe asked through a mouthful of rice.
Jan shrugged. "The prop was torn up pretty bad, that one will take a few hours to re-shape. I got the tech's looking at your guidance system and I also have team working on your engine upgrades. You said you need to get somewhere fast? Not a problem when they're through."
"What kind of upgrades?"
Jan pulled a list from his pocket and looked at it. "Looks like they are putting in a modified turbocharger on each engine for improved air flow, larger injectors, aaaaannnnnnd. widening the exhaust ports."
"What's the estimated cost for all of this?"
Jan smiled widely. "Zero. Your birthday's coming up soon right? I can work an extra month with no pay and it'll be taken care of."
"Jan don't do that!" an alarmed Yen'rathe said.
"Hey don't worry about me!" Jan replied. "I get food for free you know, regular breakfast, lunch and dinner. Not bad stuff either!"
"At least let me pay half," Yen'rathe asked.
"Not gonna let you do that, just do something REAL nice for my birthday!"
"Agreed." Yen'rathe looked to Liriel and Fyodor, noticing that they were done eating. "Feel like taking a walk?"
"Where?" Fyodor asked.
"I want to check up on the upgrades to my boat, make sure they don't toss anything I want to keep on there."
Jan paid the bill after the table was cleared off, and took them down the elevator to the maintenance bay. Yen'rathe's yacht was crawling with engineers when they got there. A section of the hull had been carefully removed, and the hole had been filled with cables, tubes and hoses of all sizes. Flame resistant tubes were attached to the exhaust tower, and more hoses ran across the deck and over the railing.
"How long will it take to finish all of this?" Yen'rathe yelled over the noise of drills, fans, and equipment.
Jan shrugged. "Maybe another few hours. Let's go up and see where they are right now!"
Liriel and Fyodor watched as a forklift effortlessly lifted a pallet weighing a thousand pounds or more and set it down on the deck of the boat. "What's that?" she yelled.
"Those are the turbochargers!" Jan yelled back. "They help the engines breathe!"
The group had trouble moving around the numerous pallets and workers that crowded the deck. They were finally able to climb over some barrels of oil and get down to the engine room. One engine was completely dismantled, stripped down to the block, and the other engine was being put back together.
Yen'rathe walked over and surveyed the work An exhaust manifold lay on the floor, and the openings were noticeably wider, edges rounded off and polished to a silvery shine. He nodded in approval. He walked over to the nearly complete engine and took a new injector out of a box.
Liriel left Fyodor to wander around while she made her way up to the kitchen. She made it to the top of the stairs and was hit by a dark blur with short white hair and eyeglasses. She looked down and saw a young drow boy rubbing his nose and mumbling to himself.
The boy looked up and blinked, finally realizing that Liriel stood there. "Can you tell me what the cube root of 315 is?" he asked in a high pitched voice.
Liriel had no idea what he was talking about, and shrugged helplessly.
He gave a loud, frustrated sigh and yelled, "Can ANYONE tell me what the cube root of 315 is?"
"About 6.8041," came a voice behind him.
"Uncle Yen'rathe!" A blur, then Yen'rathe was on the ground, and the boy stood happily next to him, babbling on and on.
"You're an uncle?!" Liriel asked in mock disbelief.
"I am," came the reply. "This is my nephew," he slapped his hand over the boy's mouth, "Derek."