by Tom Hoffman
“You know about the gravitator beam?”
“Of course, it is just one of the many conveniences offered by the Imperial Inn of Anarkkia, bringing your ship safely into our complimentary and secure parking area.”
“Um, we didn’t have a lot of choice, it just grabbed us out of the sky and pulled us down that big shaft.”
The blue creature nodded sympathetically. “And how many days will you be staying with us?”
Orville was about to tell the blue creature what he thought of their convenient gravitator beam service when he was interrupted by Sophia.
“Just one night I think. Do you have a restaurant? Or maybe room service?”
“Of course, madam, there are four marvelous restaurants offering a wide variety of exquisite gourmet cuisine, or if you prefer, you may dine at leisure in your room. It is your choice.”
“That sounds perfect, we’d like to stay for one night and have meals brought to our room.”
Orville pursed his lips, his eyes on Sophia. He turned to the strange rubbery blue creature behind the counter.
“How much does all this cost?”
The creature gave a disarming and empathetic smile. “Nothing to worry about, good sir, I assure you, our rates are most reasonable. You will be pleasantly surprised, no need for concern. I will add that all meals, including room service, are included in the cost of the room.”
“Oh, that’s not so bad, I guess.”
After checking in, the adventurers followed the blue creature down a long softly lit corridor. Orville eyed the curious blue creature.
“How long have you worked here?”
“Do forgive me, I have neglected to introduce myself. I am Master Grymm, sole owner and chief executive officer of the magnificent Imperial Inn of Anarkkia.”
“It’s a remarkable hotel, when was it built?”
“I began construction of the inn at the end of the great war, our grand opening taking place precisely one hundred and seventy-four years later, to the day.”
Orville stopped in his tracks. “One hundred and seventy-four years? How old are you?”
“Orville, don’t be rude, it’s not polite to ask someone their age.”
Orville glared at Sophia.
“Do you get many guests here? It’s a little out of the way.”
“Quite a few over the years, our complimentary parking service draws in many of our guests.”
“You mean the gravitator beam.”
“Quite so, one of our most popular services. Ahh, we have arrived at your room. I am placing you in the sumptuously appointed Princess of Amtori Royal Deluxe Five Bedroom Palatial Suite. Feel free to relax in the warmth of your heated eucalyptus scented soaking pool while pampering yourself with a complimentary box of our luscious gourmet chocolates.”
Master Grymm swung the heavy gold inlaid doors open, motioning for them to enter.
Sophia let out a gasp. “This is stunning, I’ve never seen a more beautiful room.” She ran over to the exquisitely embroidered sofa, sinking down into the soft cushions.
“Mmm, so comfy.”
“Excellent. You’ll find menus from all four of our gourmet restaurants on the table, just circle what you would like, slip the menu under the door, and your meal will be delivered in less than one hour.”
Master Grymm gave a gracious sweeping bow and backed out of the room, closing the door softly behind him.
Sophia couldn’t stop grinning. “This is amazing, I’ve never stayed in a hotel like this before. We even get room service. I’ve never had room service. I’m going to go soak in that big warm tub and have some of those gourmet chocolates. Why don’t you pick out something yummy from the menu? Get whatever you want. We can leave in the morning for Cathne.”
Orville and Proto sat on the enormous stuffed couch.
“This place is amazing, but something is off about it. Why would there be a fancy deluxe hotel at the bottom of a corroded old military complex? It doesn’t feel right. It’s also weird that they use the gravitator beam service to attract most of their customers. Wait, they attract customers with a gravitator beam? Get it? Attract customers?”
Proto stared blankly at Orville.
“Never mind.” Something else was nagging Orville, something he couldn’t put his paw on.
Sophia emerged an hour later wrapped in a huge fluffy white robe. “This robe is so soft and luxurious, it’s amazing. I wonder if they sell them here? Maybe we get to keep them, maybe it’s included in the price of the room.”
“He never did tell us how much the room was, which is a little concerning. I only have nine silvers.”
“I have at least twenty, that should cover it. Even the best rooms in Muridaan Falls are only six or seven silvers a night.”
After a spectacularly delicious dinner the weary adventurers retired to what Orville would later say was the most comfortable bed he had ever slept in. Unfortunately, he didn’t sleep in it for very long, his eyes popping open in the middle of the night.
“All those derelict ships, where did they come from? There’s a hundred decaying old ships, and now ours is one of them.”
Orville jumped out of bed, running to Sophia’s room. “Sophia, get up, this hotel is a trap, that’s why there are so many abandoned ships here. Master Grymm traps ships in his gravitator beam and no one ever leaves!”
Sophia’s mind was racing. “You’re right, I was so excited about staying in a fancy hotel that I didn’t even think about that. Master Grymm is up to something, and it’s not good. We have to find the gravitator beam, shut it off, and get back to the Dragonfly. If the elevator was damaged in the fall we’ll have to find another way back up to the hangar.”
“We know the gravitator beam is under the big shaft that goes up to the surface, but the controls could be anywhere. Wait, think about it, Master Grymm is the one who operates the gravitator beam, and he’s trapped a lot of ships, so he must use it fairly often. It has to be somewhere nearby.”
Sophia grabbed Orville’s arm. “His office, the controls are in his office! Did you notice how he locked the door behind him?”
“That has to be it. The good news is he doesn’t know we’re shapers, a locked door isn’t going to stop us.”
Proto was listening intently to Orville and Sophia’s conversation. He snapped his fingers. “Great heavens, I just remembered where I have seen automatons like Master Grymm before. I didn’t recognize him at first because of the suit he’s wearing.”
“Where did you see them?”
Proto hesitated. “I’m afraid it’s not entirely good news.”
Orville groaned. “What is it?”
“Master Grymm is a B-17 Warrior Android, also known to the Elders as Blue Nightmares, the Anarkkian version of the Elders’ A6 Warrior Rabbiton. He is armed with similar weaponry and is indestructible, short of dropping a pulsar fusion bomb on him.”
“What kind of weapons does he have?”
“Thermal energy beams, more powerful than those found on medium sized Anarkkian attack ships. I’m afraid your sphere of defense will provide no protection against such force. One blast of his energy beam would be the end of you.”
Sophia’s expression did not change. “We’ll have to use stealth, we’ll have to sneak out, and what better time than now, in the middle of the night?”
“Proto, would his beam damage you?”
“I would be instantly converted into a puddle of glowing molten plasma.”
Sophia gripped the knob on the room’s golden inlaid doors.
“It won’t open, we’re locked in!”
A purple beam shot out from Orville’s paw, a hole appearing where the knob had been.
“Now we’re not.”
The three adventures crept silently out of their luxurious Princess of Amtori Royal Deluxe Five Bedroom Palatial Suite.
Sophia whispered, “No talking, use thought clouds or paw signals. No light orbs.”
Step by step they padded softly down the long c
orridor, reaching the doors that opened to the hotel lobby. Sophia’s ears turned slowly, listening for the slightest sound. She tapped the violet button and the doors slid silently open. A thought cloud shot out to Orville.
“We’ll go into his office, shut off the gravitator beam, and make certain the doors at the top of the shaft are open. Grymm may have closed them.”
“Once the beam is off I’ll disable the controls so he can’t turn it on again.”
“Good idea.”
They stepped into the dimly lit lobby, soft ceiling lights glinting off the bronze and marble surfaces of the grand room.
Orville crept toward the front desk, stopping every few yards to listen.
“I don’t hear anything. Maybe he’s on another level doing maintenance or something.”
“Maybe. We should hurry.”
Orville padded across the plush carpet, stepping behind the front desk. He studied the heavily inlaid gold office door, noting the precise location of the locking mechanism.
He was about to vaporize it when Proto grabbed his arm, shaking his head, whispering, “Internal alarm system.”
He stepped in front of Orville, touching the knob for ten long seconds. A small spark shot out from his finger and the lock clicked. Proto pushed the door open, the interior overhead lights blinking on. They darted into the office, closing the door behind them.
“Do you see it?”
Proto pointed to a curved silver console at the far end of the room.
Orville darted over to the control panel.
“It’s all marked in some weird language.”
“It’s Anarkkian, I can read it. The gold toggle switch is for the gravitator beam, the gold dial is for the surface doors. The outer doors are still open, but the gravitator beam is on. He probably never shuts it off.” Sophia flicked the gold toggle switch. “The beam is off.”
“That was easy.” A blast of purple light shot out from Orville’s paw, a wide hole appearing in the control panel. “He won’t be using that for a while.”
“Let’s get out of here. No talking, if he hears us it’s all over. Don’t forget, he’s a B-17 Blue Nightmare.”
Proto eased the door open, peering out into the lobby. He stepped out, motioning for the others to follow.
Sophia closed the door silently, pointing toward the exit.
Orville was creeping across the room when he caught a sudden movement in the shadows.
“Checking out so soon?”
Orville’s blood turned cold.
Master Grymm stepped out from a darkened alcove, his eyes glowing with a dreadful crimson light.
“I do hope you enjoyed your stay at the Imperial Inn of Anarkkia. If you wouldn’t mind stepping over to the front desk I shall tally up your invoice. We serve a lovely complimentary breakfast for our guests, but not for another four hours, I’m afraid. Most of our guests wait until morning to check out.”
A thought cloud shot out from Sophia to Orville.
“Don’t panic, he doesn’t know we shut off the gravitator beam. We’ll just pay our bill and leave.”
Master Grymm stepped behind the registration desk. “Unfortunately I must charge you for one full night even though you’re checking out early. Rules are rules, I’m afraid.”
He picked up a long gold pen, scribbling quickly on a sheet a pale yellow parchment paper deeply embossed with the name of the inn.
“There you are, all set. As I previously mentioned, meals are included in the daily room rate. I trust the beds were comfortable? No complaints? Meals were fine?”
“It was lovely, thank you so much, the meals were scrumptious. We’d love to stay longer, but Orville remembered an unavoidable prior engagement.”
“Quite understandable. Here is your bill. We accept cash only, I’m afraid, no credit.” He slid the invoice across the smooth marble counter to Sophia.
Sophia scanned it, her eyebrows raising. “This can’t be right.”
Master Grymm gave a frozen smile. “Can’t be right?”
“It says we owe three hundred and seventy-five thousand golds. That’s insane.”
Master Grymm hissed, “What’s insane is three guests trying to sneak out in the middle of the night without paying their bill. You have precisely three minutes to pay, or suffer the most dire of consequences.”
Sophia gave a pleasant smile. “I was just surprised, that’s all. We should have enough gold in our ship. We’ll run get it and be right back.”
Master Grymm gave a sarcastic snort. “Your ship must be far more powerful than it appears. Three hundred and seventy-five thousand gold weighs precisely twenty-three thousand, four hundred and thirty-seven pounds. Your quaint little flying insect ship has a maximum payload capacity of two thousand pounds at best.”
“We could fly back to Muridaan Falls and bring the gold back in a larger ship. A blinker ship will carry that much.”
“I’m afraid that is not going to be possible.”
“You can’t keep us here, that’s against the law.”
Master Grymm’s crimson eyes flared with a fearsome light.
“You will do as I say or become a pile of smoking charcoal. From this moment on you are employees of the magnificent Imperial Inn of Anarkkia. You’ll start first thing in the morning. I’m adding a spectacular shopping plaza with dozens of upscale stores and restaurants, stunningly elegant, exquisitely appointed, first class all the way. My previous employees are no longer with us due to an unfortunate incident involving some hideous blue and white striped worm creatures, but you appear to be quite resourceful. I’m certain you’ll do just fine.”
“How long do we have to work for you?”
“Until the balance of your bill is paid, of course. It shouldn’t take long, my wages are most generous, one silver a week for each of you.”
Orville’s insides were twisting. Master Grymm was clearly loopier than a three eyed flatbird. A thought cloud flashed out of his ear to Sophia.
“Get ready to run.”
A red beam flashed out from Orville’s paw, the plush maroon carpet across the room bursting into flames.
Orville shrieked, “FIRE! FIRE!”
Master Grymm let out a howl of unparalleled fury, his eyes bulging out.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?”
Orville and Sophia dashed toward the exit. Proto tore past them, smashing through the doors, knocking them off their hinges.
“MY PRECIOUS DOORS! YOU WILL PAY WITH YOUR LIVES!”
“Run! Hurry!”
The three adventurers sprinted down the long hallway, Proto blasting through the doors into the elevator room. They could hear Master Grymm pounding down the corridor after them.
Proto jammed his fingers between the elevator doors and pried them open.
Sophia shrieked, “The lights are out, it’s not working!”
“Put your arms around me, hold on tight, don’t let go!”
Orville and Sophia wrapped their arms around Proto as he leaped up, grabbing the massive steel elevator cables, climbing hand over hand up the elevator shaft. Orville was careful not to look down.
Halfway up they heard screams from the bottom of the elevator shaft. Master Grymm was coming after them, shrieking barely intelligible threats, something about the blue worms. Grymm was only thirty feet below them when Proto reached the top of the shaft and forced open the elevator doors. He scrambled out, Orville and Sophia still clinging to him. The adventurers raced wildly down the corridor and into the hangar, weaving through the maze of ships, sprinting over the rusted remains of decrepit flying machines.
“There’s the Dragonfly!” Orville dashed toward it, leaping into the cockpit, joined seconds later by Sophia and Proto. He flipped on the duplonium motors. “Hold on!”
Master Grymm’s demented shrieks reverberated through the hangar.
“YOU CAN’T ESCAPE MY GRAVITATOR BEAM! I WILL FEED YOU TO THE BLUE WORMS! WORM FOOD! WORM FOOD!”
A blinding blast of red light shot across the h
angar, the ship next to them exploding in a ball of radiant molten fire.
The Dragonfly’s wings were a blur, the deep roar of the motors filling the hangar. Orville slammed the control stick forward and the ship shot straight up at over one hundred and twenty miles an hour, pushing them down into their seats. He could still hear the deranged screams of Master Grymm as they flashed up toward the surface. Seconds later they rocketed into a clear blue sky, squinting in the bright sunlight.
“Creekers, that was close. That is one extremely crazy automaton.”
Sophia leaned back in her seat with a long sigh. “I wonder where he got those gourmet chocolates? Do you think he made them himself? They were so delicious, and those beds were so comfy. Room service was heavenly. That’s the first time I’ve ever had room service.”
Chapter 9
Cathne
“Keep heading east-northeast, we should reach Cathne in about an hour. Did Amanda say anything else about Puella the Wise One?”
“Only that she could translate the book and to watch out for the bloodthirsty bandits. She thought someone was watching her, she wasn’t very talkative.”
“A beautiful ghost mouse?”
“She didn’t see who it was, but it must have been her.”
“Doesn’t it seem odd that someone who can translate obscure ancient languages would choose to live with a gang of bloodthirsty bandits?”
“Copo lived with bandits and he was nice.” Orville grinned, remembering their visit to the Temporal Displacement Museum on Tectar.
“I liked Copo. I hope he made it up to the surface of the planet. Maybe he found another gang of ruthless bandits to live with, and he’s tapping his foot to one of those lively bolaphone tunes he was always talking about.”
An hour later Sophia nudged a sleepy Orville.
“Wake up, it’s Cathne.”
“Creekers, is that all one city? How could it be so big? It goes on as far as I can see.”
Proto answered, “Cathne was one of the largest cities on the planet before the war, home to over twenty million mice.”
Orville snorted. “That’s not possible, there couldn’t be that many mice in one city. Where would they get their food and water? I don’t see any farms or lakes.”
