Two Halves: chapter 38

lets go chapter 38! Lets go giant crab thing!

The next morning Nicolas woke up with a start, a knock on the door forced him from his sleep. Jen had lent Nicolas and Bestalel one room, with Zeckle in the room next door. Bestalel let Nicolas sleep on the one bed, while he slept on the slow shapeless couch. The bags Telly had packed included sleepwear, which he was now wearing. Nicolas crossed the small metal room to the door and pulled the latch and listened to the door as the rusty hinges creaked ominously. Jen was standing in the doorway.

 

“We’re shoving off in about an hour. You two need to prepare, the shower is at the end of the hallway and towels are under the sink.” Jen was rapped in a towel his hair sopping wet. He walked away down the hallway towards his own room and knocked on Tochi’s along the way. “Tochi get breakfast ready for our guests, and make sure you pack all the tools you need. I don’t want you on the transport going to repair somethin’ and realizin’ you forgot the right tools.”

 

Bestalel had sat up and pulled back the blanket he was sleeping under. Nicolas looked back at him.

 

“I’ll go first.” Nicolas said as he retrieved some clothing from their rucksack; then he walked down the hallway, and went into the small bathroom. A small boiler sat against one wall to purify and heat the water, and a small stall was what you stood in for the shower. While the water poured over you, you had to pump the water with your other arm. A few good pumps would provide thirty seconds of inflow, but soon he would be pumping again. A large yellowing bar of Krignal fat soap sat on a ledge; it was the only kind of soap you could make around here. No other animal produced enough fat to make tallow easily.

 

Nicolas finished up after a while; the Krignal soap was the only cleaner in there, and now his hair felt strangely silky feel. He reached under the pump sink where there were indeed towels. The itchy fibers hurt slightly as he rubbed it over himself, and after he had dried he put on the set of travelers clothes.

 

He called to Bestalel in their room as he approached the stairs. The small of baking bread escaped from the kitchen. Jen was already sitting on one of the cushion smoking a long pipe; it was made out of the carved paddle-claws of one of the spindlefeet. The smoke slowly rising towards the ceiling was a bright toxic green, and the column slowly filtered into a vent at the highpoint of the ceiling.

 

“Tochi should be getting done with the food soon. Made outta ground Keki meal, and gots those little… small white seed things. I forget the name, but it’s good for what it is.” He said this then pulled another long draw from his pipe, and blue a smoke ring up towards the vent.

 

Tochi walked out the kitchen backwards, pushing the small gate with his back. In one hand was a plate stacked with small buns, each tined with purple and covered in white seeds. In the other was a large lump of lard in a dish.  When Tochi put the plates on the table Jen reached over and took a bun, and ripped it in half. The steam escaped from the bun as he reached over for one the knifes and spread the lard on the warm bread.

 

They sat there for a few minutes eating the buns slowly; they were bland, but warm. The lard had the strange moist but firm consistency that Krignal lard has. After a few minutes Zeckle joined them yawning immensely. She had already morphed her clothes into a pair of traveling robes except it missed the cowl. She had retracted her horns to two small stumps protruding from her hair, and when she sat down next to Nicolas she stuffed a bun into her mouth,

 

Zeckle was working on his fifth roll when Bestalel came down; his wig was gone and sunglasses put back into place. He stood in front of the table and addressed Jen.

 

“How long until the transport is to leave?”

 

“Oh, ‘bout another three hours, but I need to be there early to do last minute adjustments. You’re welcome to join me and Tochi as we make our way there. Him and me are gonna be going in a few more minutes. Just enough time for you to finish your meal.” answered Jen through a mouthful a bread and lard.

 

“We will be heading there with you,” said Bestalel; he sat down on one of the cushion and ate a roll slowly. “Thank you for the meal. If you would like I can give you some money for your trouble.” Jen swallowed and laughed.

 

“Money ya got from Telly? I have no need for it anyway, everyone ‘round here work together anyway. If one of us runs out of money the others will pick up the slack.” He got up and brushed crumbs off his lap, and Tochi leapt up to follow him.

 

“Call Jeski and Injens to come and help you take these peoples stuff to the transport. I don’t want anyone strainin their backs before the journey” He guffawed and went into the kitchen, and Tochi scurried out the door. A few minutes later he and two heavy set men reentered the house and went upstairs. There were the sounds of rummaging from above and the crash of something falling over. A few minutes later they came back, weighted down with all of their luggage, and they exited the room. Jen returned with a large glass jug in his hand filled with thick buttermilk. He had several glasses in one hand and poured the drink into them; then passed around the cups for them to drink. The milk was extremely creamy and icy cold.

 

Zeckle wiped off a milk mustache as Tochi returned, he was in the same bulky overalls as yesterday and his lantern was attached to his pack instead of supported by a pole. Every step he made clinked as metallic toolbox. Jen finished and put away jug and brought them towards door. They opened the large metal door and once it was closed Jen closed it with a series of oversized brass keys.

 

They walked back through the town. It was noticeably less crowded, and the few people who were there were dressed like Tochi and heading for the exit. The cannery was empty and the troughs stagnant. A few forlorn shards of shell still littered the floor. They made their was back up the staircase and out of the above surface building. The stable was supporting their new animal, the Krignal was eating out of a trough in its pen and the Zenzi had feed sacks in front of them filled with seed.

 

When they exited into the basin the suns were rising over the mountaintops casting rays of light through the top of the cascade. Rainbows scattered through the valley, hundreds of them flashed in different colors near the bottom of falls. The huge metal crab’s boilers were starting up. Columns of steam pushed up above the valley into the sky, and teams of Krignal were pulling the huge troughs away from the boilers. The low rumble of the colossal tanks as the water began to churn inside its casing. They arrived under the crab where the last of the barrels were just being finished loading, and the ramp was being raised back into the cargo bay. A small staircase had been lowered from the bottom deck and people were filing up it.

 

They climbed their way up the ramp into the bottom the crab; Jeori lights lined the roof. They walked along through the metalworks inside the crab until they came to what looked like an open deck. Several people were looked out of a large window overlooking the river. A harness was sitting in the center of the room, and Jen made his way towards it.

 

“Tochi, before you make your way to the engineer’s station take these nice people to their rooms.” he said this as he began to buckle himself into the leather handing harness. When he was fully strapped into it he was suspended maybe a foot above the ground. “Captain, has the ship been secured?” The man behind the wheel turned to look at Jen, he was short and portly, but had a jolly face and smiling eyes.

 

“Yes, sir. Boilers have been set to full, and the engineers are at their stations.”  A system of pipes stuck up from the floor in front of him. They were labeled with small brass plaques, and he opened the cap to the one labeled: boiler room. “Divert pressure to the front four legs, get ready for movement.” He pulled a line extending from the ceiling; a huge foghorn began to blare across the machine. Small ribbons of magical energy curled from the copper plates above and below where Jen was harnessed. The streams of blue power curled themselves around his limbs and pulled them apart slowly. Two engineers began to unhook him for the harnesses, but he did not fall. The columns of incandescent light held him in place above the ground, and forced his limbs into a spread-eagled position.  Blue mist escaped from Jens mouth, and his eyes grew wider until they became two reflective discs of energy. A deep guttural tone came from his throat.

 

“Secure the passengers. We are about to move out.”

 

“Yes, sir.”  He pulled the rope twice for two short blasts from the foghorn. People around the cabin began to strap themselves down; all except the captain were tying themselves down, instead he simply took a firmer stance gripped the wheel.

 

“You guys are gonna want to see this. I’ve always got to watch em leave, but never saw it from the inside.” said Tochi as he led them to the front of the open decking, and out from under the small covering. They could see the many cannons on top of the deck cranking slowly as teams of engineers turned heavy wheels to aim them. There were a few stations for them to secure themselves along the wall; Tochi helped them pull the buckles around them to make sure they couldn’t move. They were just small approximately human shaped ports with several cords in front of them; Tochi was loading himself into his as one of the legs began to move. The two tubes attached to the boilers bulged as steam rushed through them, and Nicolas looked back towards the command deck. The Captain was turning the wheel hard, and behind him Jen was twitching erratically.

 

Jen threw his head back and started to yell an incantation, “Lords of the earth hear my pleas! Earls of the sky listen to my prayers! Masters of water heed my call! Dukes of fire notice my message! Give me control over this vessel, meld my mind with metal, and fuse my heart with stone!” The copper plates flashed blue and from it jetted sparks of aura. The copper conductor line’s light ebbed and flowed like a pulse. Under them the copper conductor cables ran through the entire ship, and down the legs, and at his intrusion into them the legs began to move with more coordination. All the grappling guns aimed up towards the rock wall of the waterfall several shot up, trailing long white ropes behind them, and embedded themselves into the rock. Most of the engineers had left except for one at each station was cranking the ropes until taught. Nicolas saw that their feet were tied to the decking.

 

One monstrous leg lifted up and pushed into the crag between two rocks; crushing a fair sized boulder. With ever movement of the joints steam poured from vents. The water from the cascade began to pour over the decking around them.  Nicolas’s face became wet and he reached up to shield his eyes from the water. The suns coupled with the breaking of the waterfall by the transport made the rainbows of the valley become all the more evident. Thousands of them appeared and died in moments around them, and among them engineers frantically cranked winches to keep the grappling hooks taught. Several more metal hooks flew by the deck and into the waterfall, and the angle of the decking continued to increase until they reached forty-five degrees. Nicolas heard a whoop from beside him as Zeckle cheered on the transport.

 

They continued to climb up the waterfall until they reached the crest of the waterfall, now the last of the grappling hooks were below the decks and being winched up quickly. The last leg swung over the cusp of the mountaintop and the water still lingering on hull ran off the sides of the machine as the engine returned to a level surface. Nicolas looked out over a plateau extending several miles in every direction, and the swing of the legs brought them forward at a slow pace. Tochi was unbuckling himself from his station, and Nicolas followed suit. Tochi led them back to the control room when Jen was sitting in the center of the copper shield breathing hard. Water was draining around him out onto the decking and off the ship. The Captain helped him stand up shakily and saw Tochi walking towards him.

 

“I thought I told you to take them to their room,” he said accusingly. “I know it’s your first time, but you’re gonna get a pay cut all the same for skirting duties. Everyone was supposed to be ready once the ship got moving. Tochi, get to the station. I’ll bring them to their rooms myself.” Jen walked towards them, and led them to one of the watertight doors. He turned the heavy wheel and opened the casing; water was still running into the small troughs that led to the decking.

 

Jen lowered himself down the ladder into the machines interior and made their way across the catwalks above the large cargo bay. People were moving around unsecuring certain crates in order to get at their contents. One, full at a hard briny cheese, was being open and unpacked. People were carrying rolls of cheese towards the kitchens inside on the far side of the hull.

 

“We’re gonna be goin’ along this plateau for the next few days. Which means I am not gonna have to be the controller again till then. They only need me for the tough bits of the journey, like that incline, and over Willeirs Peak.” he opened another large door and pushed into the bunkhouse. Rows of cots lines the walls, each with a chest under it that was attached to the floor. “You guys will be staying in slightly better accommodations, right next to my and the captain’s rooms. The other passengers are probably already getting settled. Your gear has already bee put in your rooms. “ They went past the rows of cots until the came to small compartmentalized rooms, each was small but livable, and each had one bunk, that was bolted to the floor. Nicolas entered him room and sat on the bed. The others had gone off to their own rooms without a word. The experience of the waterfall had been tiring, and his chest felt like it had been pounded on from all the water they had flowed into him. Even though he had only been awake for a few hours he felt like he already wanted to sleep, so he decided to take a short nap before returning to the decking to inspect the rest of the ship. He lay on his bed in his water soaked clothing and closed his eyes; letting himself drift off slowly to sleep.

 

It was two days later and Nicolas and Zeckle were walking across the deck. The last two days had been filled with searching the nooks and crannies of the ship. None of it had been terrible interesting. The engineering room had simply been few bolted down chairs and a supply room. Tochi had tried to shoo them away when they intruded on his duty, but they had persisted until he gave them a tour of the ship.

 

They were brought the boiler room, which was really just a few square yards of decking at the base of the tanks. The space was dominated by numerous copper pipes, two engineer constantly squirmed between them tightening bolts and opening valves in order to keep the pressure in check.  The cargo bay hadn’t been much better, most of the crates were closed except for a few that were being opened and unpacked into the kitchen. They learned the rest contained food from the deep river and harvests of Keki nut. They would drop off supplies along the way at towns deep within the mountains where food was scarce but were rich in precious stones to trade. Though they wouldn’t be stopping anywhere soon, not on the top of this plateau. Tochi had told them it was called the Devil’s Spring. It soaked up the sun heat and radiated it painfully. It was annoyingly uncomfortable to stand on the decking during the day, which was why most of the work was done at night.

 

They passed several herds of Krignal that were stopping at the river to drink, and eat the low-lying shrubbery along its bank.  Large numbers of them were either leg deep in the river or basking in the sunlight. Whenever the legs of the transport approached them they would begin there rumbling calls, and a few of the more aggressive males would attempt to ram the legs, but to no avail. The wild Krignal’s bone plates were much larger that the domesticated ones; they dominated the males head and allowed them to have violent mating duels. They kept them under control either by rubbing them against rocks or against each other’s shields.

 

On the sunset of the second day they could see a green splotch on the horizon that was the oasis at the center of the Devil’s spring. Workers on the decking were lowering piping into the river. Two pumps attached the pipes to the vats of the boilers; they had become low over the last few days. Engineers began to pump water to replenish one while the other continued to run, but at half power the crab’s movements were jerky and slow.

 

After night had fallen large kites were launched from the grappling ports. They would open high above the ship and be carried on the harsh winds that whipped around the Devil’s Spring. Each had a large chunk of Jeori crystal handing from it. They glowed intensely in order to bathe the Transport in light.

 

After they watched the technicians strain to fill up the first tank and switch the piping over to the other they left to go under deck. Bestalel was already in the cantina. The chefs had been angry the entire trip. Apparently some cooking supplies had not been tied down properly and were damaged in the initial accent. A large man named Lignar was behind the counter carving up Krignal steak with an immense meat cleaver. Many of the crewmembers were already in line receiving their own cuts of meat and patties of Javin root. Bestalel had already received his food and sitting next to him were two trays reserved for Nicolas and Zeckle. Nicolas sat beside him and Zeckle pulled her tray around to sit on the other side of the table. Inside the cafeteria they sat on long benches on either side of low tables.

 

The meat was tough and tasteless but the Javin roots were good. They were the roots from the small shrubs. They would be mashed and compressed into discs.  The earthy taste was strange, but not in an unpleasant way. They were all thankful for the water; it was the condensed liquid after the boilers used them for fuel, so it was purified. Bestalel finished his meal first and looked up at them.

 

“After we make it across the Devil’s Spring it will only be another two week until we reach Gen. The high father should be near there at Heart Callers monastery. Our plan is to first make contact with guerilla forces through the local resistance, and then contact the high father. He will tell us the location of the Cloud walkers, from there will buy transport to Cloudtop and purchase an airship from there to find the Cloud Walker’s base.” he drained his cup and got up from the table to return to his room and left Nicolas and Zeckle sitting there.

Author's Note

The rest of the book is solidifying in my mind. I am learning the destinations on the map to the end, now I just need to find out how to get there.

I want to thank you all for your reviews. It's you guys that give me confidence that my writing is good enough for me to continue. That is my biggest problem as a writers, convincing myself that the world cares about what I have to say.

Reviews

[James Watts]

A few of the same issues as I have noticed. My biggest nit, the -lys in dialogue attribution. (makes me cringe lol) I can understand and get past those -lys in the body of the prose to a point, because I know there will always be a few that are needed, but not in dialogue. As for the story, it is building quite well and you have me looking to see the next installment.

[Aggie Skeleton]

I laugh and read on happily. Keep writing...

[Faye]

Even though i havn't read a majority of your book, i quite happily read this chapter without that much confusion. Overall a good job. :-)

[Liza]

well done, good climax and personality contrasts. talented author.

[Nicaushio Yamaki]

good story

[Tea And A Cheshire Smil..]

Another great chapter :) I can't wait until the next one

[Dutch Jr.]

This isn't bad at all. Building a bit of suspense, ready to read some more of it, and ready to see how it all comes to a close.

[Senseless whatever]

Great chapter.

[Huggy Bear]

Fascinating chapter:)

[Rawr!!XD]

There's a few spelling problems, but other than that this is great. I can't wait for you to post more chapters.