Yue

 11th January

23:48 GMT +1

I look around the warren's antechamber. The walls are carved into the stone of the surrounding mountain, but the floor and steps downwards are made of cut stone blocks mortared into place. Mortar implies a level of technical sophistication I wasn't expecting; more powerful fae would just make the rock flow in accordance with their whims in a continuous piece. Those mutant gnomes could have used their breath to partially melt the stone to stick the bricks together… Perhaps it was made while they were regular gnomes. Or perhaps only a small proportion of the population was changed? I don't have an advisor on the habits of the fae. Maybe… Other John..?

Amon looks around. "No guards."

Zatanna nods. "Their first line of defense is secrecy. If someone found their way in here by accident, they don't want to reveal exactly what it is right away. A random hiker would probably take a look around the entrance, assume they found some old tomb or something and then leave."

I nod. "And then the gnomes' own magic would prevent them remembering exactly where they found it."

"Exactly." Zatanna smiles. "The gnome soldiers will be further inside, somewhere they can ambush us."

I nod, starting my way down the steps. Zatanna's concealment spell is making the sound echo oddly. "Or their magicians. A disappearance or a body would provoke a search. Someone turning up a few days later bereft of their wits is a reminder not to mess with the wee men."

Zatanna starts to follow me, only to stop as Canis finally pierces the illusion covering the warren entrance. An all-senses illusion, you actually feel like you're trying to walk through rock until you come out the other side. Whatever he felt, Canis actually seems to have been calmed down by the passage. A novel experience, perhaps?

Zatanna and I return our attention to the stairway, and I walk down just ahead of her. It's about a metre wide by… Two tall, and there's enough of a curve to it that someone at the top wouldn't be able to see a light at the bottom. From the way they were scrambling around I assumed that the mutant gnomes would be at home on any surface, but I can't see any claw marks on the walls.

We're just out of sight of the entrance when the steps become noticeably steeper. And… Again, given the size of the gnomes I would have expected the steps to be smaller, but I'm comfortably putting my feet on them. Was this built so that larger fae creatures can use it? Or for the occasional human? Could be part of the disguise. There aren't records of gnomes working with other fae on an institutional level. Still, hobgoblins are a possibility here, and those things can be savage.

The stairs level out slightly as we come to the first interior chamber. Zatanna and I can see in the dark, but a dim lighting gleams from lanterns on the walls containing bioluminescent insects. The ironwork of the lanterns looks old, and the misshapen pieces of glass come in a range of colours and thicknesses. Not their own work. A little further in and oh my.

The larger cousin of the mutants we encountered in Ms Vadim's office towers over us in the vaulting space. Ill-fitting armour is strapped in place about its torso, and it's carrying a thick-hafted axe in its right hand. Ordinarily I'd say that either of us could take it without much difficulty, but given the exotic effects which the smaller ones could conjure I'm not so certain. Plus, this is the logical place for an ambush. There should be-.

Zatanna points and I nod. Yep, half a dozen or so more lurking just out of sight of the exit in the lee of stone support pillars.

"Are those weapons enchanted?"

"I can find out if you want me to, but…"

"Never mind then."

I cautiously move around the room, taking note of their positions. They're basically lurking in a series of cubby holes, nine, ten… Three passageways leading off, but one only leads to a… Break room? There's a fire pit and.. bones. Scanning is a risk, but the bones don't look human. Choice of two, then. Empathic vision constrained by the spell, so… That one.

At least that explains who is using the large steps. Though those large mutants don’t look like the sneak-thief types. Whoever's running the place must be keeping them back. Are they older? Elite warriors? Can they only empower a limited number? The one I interrogated didn't give the impression of being particularly intelligent, but I wasn't really seeing it at its best. No.. chatter between the guards. Limited intelligence or faultless discipline?

The passageway I selected takes us down further, the opening at the far end taking-.

Oh…

It looks like they hollowed out the interior of a mountain down here. It actually reminds me of Hades' palace, classical style stonework in a dingy environment. Colossal stalagmites have unglazed windows cut into them, while other structures are a combination of carved stone and stone blocks. The actual interior walls look… Yes, those are melted. I think I can see the glow of insect lanterns through some of the windows, but the majority of the light is coming from large orange-yellow crystals hanging from the roof on long iron chains.

And the people! Regular gnomes lurk in corners and archways, only moving in the open in groups and even then their motions are furtive, as if they're hoping not to draw attention to themselves. Clothing appears to be limited to leggings and pointed shoes, though one or two appear to have acquired hats. The smaller type of mutant gnome is also evident and the regular gnomes are clearly backing away whenever they encounter one another.

Take over? Using or creating mutants from the.. general population? But the mutants aren't the majority. The other gnomes could just leave… Except the mutants could probably track them. And gnomes don't have a reputation for being fighters. Thieves and saboteurs, certainly, but not fighters. So they can't get away, can't resist martially…

I wonder if they'd be willing to work for me? Assuming we.. deal with whoever is making the mutants. Honestly, the more I see the less I think this is a dragon. Even in the legends regarding intelligent dragons, I don't remember anything about them being able to fleshcraft their servants. Crazy gnome wizard? Crazy human wizard? Possibly with a dragon to scare the rest into compliance? Grabbing a gnome and interrogating them looks like a sound option, except that if grabbing gnomes was easy everyone would be doing it.

"We need to go deeper. Having any trouble with the spell?"

"Okay." Zatanna nods. "And no. I don't think they're trying to use magic in here."

Alright, that staircase should take us in the right direction, and it's wide enough that we shouldn't have to push past the locals.

"Is there a reason why we're not flying down?"

"You're not doing it in order to minimise your magic expenditure-."

"I have my kinetic belt."

"Which might reveal our position if it takes a hit while we're using it to fly." I glance at her. "I'm probably being excessively cautious, but we're not really under any sort of time-."

A wind rushes up from the depths. I suppose a place like this must have some sort of system for refreshing the air. I certainly haven't seen any plants. Still, that sort of thing should result in unusual air currents and heat gradients that someone should have spotted, in this part of the world anyway. That could be something I could offer the gnomes as part of a settlement: Atlantean air purification-.

Zatanna has attached herself to my left arm.

I turn my head left, looking down at the top of her head. This would be a catastrophically bad time for us to have a relationship conversation. I don't think for a moment that she'd be unprofessional enough to actually… Press her suit here.

"Zatanna?"

She points and I look as one of the normal looking gnomes on a nearby platform staggers, clutching at his head. His neighbours react with obvious fear scampering away even as the mutant variety stalk closer.

"I want you."

What? Okay, yes, I could see Zatanna becoming more assertive in her efforts to seduce me, but just stating a desire as a demand is out of character. I half-turn, reaching across myself with my right hand to hold her in place as I free my left arm.

"Zatanna, what's going-?"

The spell concealing us evaporates in a puff of violet mist