by Alexis Rojas
“I’ll go with Harwit,” I remarked, “Show me the way, friend.”
Harwit smiled and pointed to the right end of the tunnel. The gnomes got out of the way as I took my massive steps. The females hid behind the males as I accidentally crushed over barrels and carts.
“They wanted to take you because of the Know Quests,” Harwit explained the situation, “We gnomes classify our role in society not by our power or gold, but by our knowledge. The more wits you have, the more you’ll get of the other two. Anyway, we set on quests around the world to learn about other lands, cultures, creatures, and etcetera. The Nomac is the wisest of all of us, so he has the most power and influence. If the other gnomes had taken you, the Nomac would have given them a reward for presenting you, funding their quest. I don’t think that even the Nomac himself has been face to face with a man of the surface.”
“So, after a Know Quest, a gnome would return with knowledge that in turn would be rewarded with social status,” I replied.
“Exactly! Knowledge is everything.”
“Well then, good for you, Harwit. Soon you will receive a nice reward to fund your Know Quest.”
Harwit raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t realized it, “Yo-you are right! I have never gone on a Know Quest before, never had a reward.” He put on a broad smile on his face and anxiously pointed out the way. The rest of the gnomes followed us as we reached the end of the tunnel. There was no illusion at the end this time. Instead, it was very bright. I thought it was going to be another well lit tunnel, but was I wrong. I stepped into the biggest of chambers. The ceiling was immeasurably high, like if the mountain had been mined completely hollow. The road in front of me continued until I could see it no more. The buildings were a few feet higher than me and were cone-shape in structure. The smaller, humble buildings had an egg-like shape. Large lamps shone every road and corner, but also rows upon row of lanterns had been installed on the walls of the hollow mountain, shining in a spiral all the way to the very top.
“Welcome,” said Harwit, “to the City of Gnomes!”
I walked on the direction that Harwit gestured me to, inevitably making a commotion at every step. I saw gnomes looking at me dumbfounded from the windows of their cone buildings, or run away when they saw me walking their way. I finally saw a large yellow cone building sitting on a small hill. It had a decorative gold halo around the top and triangular windows circling the bottom.
“That’s the Nomac Manor,” Harwit pointed out. I continued my walk, hearing sighs and yaps with each of my stomps. This moment reminded me of when I first met Auria. I was amazed to see someone like her; a wonderful creature, a living myth. The gnomes must be feeling the same for me.
Facing the Nomac Manor, I was surprised to see a tiny, spirited dog on a leach. It was guarding a set of large doors. It lively barked at me as I approached. For me it was little, but for the gnomes it would be the size of a horse.
The doors opened and out came a gnome with a green cap and a red beard. He held a short whip.
“Quiet, Dingus!” he yelled, “What’s to bark about?” But, when he saw me, he jumped back with a gasp, “What in the beards?!”
“Calm down, Rubas,” Harwit said, “Quick, alert the Nomac. Tell him Harwit has someone to show him.”
The red bearded gnome nodded repeatedly and went back inside. Soon enough, he came back out with a group of gnomes and invited us in. I placed Harwit down and entered behind him, bending and squeezing through the portal. I was now in the lobby of the building. Here the ceiling was high enough that I could stand by hunching my upper body. There at the lobby I could hear the chirping and croaking of animals. Along the walls were square bird cages with canaries, large crystal containers with frogs, and a thin glass case trapping a colony of ants.
“Impressive, right?” Harwit said proudly, “These are some of the creatures brought by the Nomac after his epic Know Quests. Have you ever seen them?”
Was he kidding me? I used to play with these things when I was a kid, and for the gnomes these were some prized trophies? They knew a lot about underground nature, but I was beginning to think they didn’t know much of the upper world. We went through a narrow hallway to finally enter a circular hall. This round room was flooded with books, books, and more books. The ceiling fashioned a diamond shaped chandelier with a golden frame and ruby embedded corners. And in the center of it all was a triangular table, with the Nomac sitting behind it. His green, gold brimmed hat combined well with his blonde, curly beard. His thick dark eyebrows pinched together and his lips pouted. He seemed to be the angriest of the gnomes.
“Respectful Nomac”, Harwit announced, “I, Harwit, bring to you a—”
“I know what he is,” the Nomac interrupted, “We’re not all idiots.”
Harwit lowered his head and went to the side.
“So, man, tell me,” said the Nomac,” what is your purpose in the City of Gnomes?”
I kneeled to show respect, and for my head not to hit the chandelier, “I seek passage through your tunnels to get to the other side of the mountain.”
“I once received a report that your kind was building a bridge over the river. It must be finished by now. Why don’t you use that?”
“Oh, eh, that bridge broke under giant pressure…”
“Ha!” the Nomac smirked, “Man’s architecture. I wouldn’t trust it for a second.”
“Yes, well, I---”
“We have a mountain that stands without its core. That is real architecture!”
The gnomes around laughed and nodded.
“Um, anyway, will you grant me passage through your---”
“No.”
“What?” I looked at him bewildered, “Why not?”
“Because you’re an intruder,” the Nomac blurted, slamming his hands on the table. “Listen, tall guy, I don’t know how you entered our city, but we don’t take intruders lightly. Now, leave or face the consequences.” Suddenly a horde of red bearded gnomes flocked the room from the hallway, wielding clubs and pickaxes.
“Wait,” I shouted, “I earned my way here. I killed the beast!”
Suddenly, all the gnomes in the room stood quiet and slowly turned their heads towards the Nomac.
“Y-you killed the Bunyip?” the Nomac stuttered.
“If you mean the beast of infinite appearance, yes I did. I took the arrow coffer from the carcass, and with it, opened the turning column.”
“You mean the compass and the drill-bit cylinder,” Rubas said like if the terms were obvious.
“Uh, yeah, those things. I have the right to be here. You cannot chase me out!”
The Nomac bit his lip and looked around, trying to find an excuse to expulse me, but couldn’t.
“All right, all right. With the courage to face the Bunyip, and defeat it, too, I grant you a limited stay in our city. But…”
There it was. That sniveling but.
“…only to here. No access to the other side for you.”
“You don’t like my kind very much, do you?” I sighed. The Nomac kept still, pouting his lips. I shook my head and stared at the floor.
“Don’t worry, Erik,” Harwit tried to cheer me up, “there must be another way around the mountain you can take.”
I couldn’t cheer up. At this point, the passage was the only way to the other side. But without the Nomac’s permission, I felt like the canaries and other animals in the lobby; trapped, closed and limited to what its possessor allowed them to do.
Then, an idea came to me. My thoughts jumped from limited to animals, from animals to beasts, from beasts to book, and from book to knowledge.
“Ok, then,” I told the Nomac, “I guess I’ll stay in the city for a bit. But since you’re present to me at the moment, I have some questions that only your great intellect can answer.”
“Well, yes. Ask me,” said the Nomac, liking my complement.
“How did you get that monster to guard your passage?”
“You mean the Bunyi
p? It was in one of my Know Quests. While returning from the surface with root samples, fine toads and a small eucalyptus plant to study, I stumbled upon a goblin. He had in his possession an odd looking rock. It was rough with oval lumps lining around the extremities. It looked fascinating, unlike any other rock I’ve ever handled. I traded half my supplies, for I had to have it. When I returned, the others laughed at the sight of it. But, when one day it broke and a baby creature emerged, I knew I had made the right decision.
“Unfortunately, it grew to be quite troublesome, destroying private property, eating valuable supplies. It even ate my guiding compass, which always showed me the way back to the city. Alas, I had to banish it to the outside above, and a very strict policy was created for bringing creatures into our abode.”
“Yes, I noticed those limitations by only seeing the few frogs and birds in your building lobby.” The Nomac folded his arms with a disappointing stare.
Now was the time to make the offer, “What if I told you that there is a way to learn about all those wonderful and dangerous creatures from the world above, without ever stepping out of the comfort of your gnome city?”
The Nomac slowly raised one eyebrow. I looked to the side and Harwit was scratching his head.
“And what way is that?” he asked.
“This way!” I took out the book from my bag and raised it high for all to see, “Behold, the great Book of Beasts… First Edition!” The gnomes ogled it like if looking at fresh water on a vast desert.
“This,” I opened it, passing through the pages, “contains information on creatures, famous and not known by all; gargoyles, lamias, vampires, giants, selkies, harpies, and much more.”
“It even has illustrations,” Rubas expressed after I let him have a peek. The Nomac ordered him to bring the book, but I closed it and raised it out of reach.
“Oh, I see you’re interested in it. It would be a valuable book to have in your collection, don’t you agree?”
The Nomac took a deep breath, puffing his beard while exhaling, “Very well, you made your point. You want to trade, don’t you? Fine, I’ll give you access to the other side of the mountain in exchange for the book.”
“Not only that,” I extended my arm and pointed at Harwit, “You must supply him with all the tools he needs for his first Know Quest.” Harwit’s jaw completely dropped when I said that.
The Nomac tightened his brow and twisted his lips until finally conceding to the proposal, “All right, fine! Harwit will get his quest; and you, your passage. Just hurry up and give me that book!”
I gave my farewell to the book and handed it to Rubas. He carried it over his head and ran to the Nomac. When they opened it, they went, “Ooh,” and “aah.” The other gnomes flocked around to see, too. While they immersed themselves with the knowledge of the book, Harwit and I exited the building, happy to know we got the things we both wanted.
18- Downtrack
Harwit took me to the passageway. To my ugly surprise, it was right behind the Nomac Manor. An alley behind the building led to a tunnel on the mountain wall.
“You could take the regular path to the other side through there,” Harwit said, “but because of the discrepancies of size and area between you and the tunnels, it would be a most complex travel.”
“Huh?”
“You’re too big for the tunnels.”
“Ok. Then, what other option do I have?”
“Come with me, I’ll show you,” he took a right at the tunnel and went up a staircase perfectly carved from pure, black volcanic rock. I could see my reflection off its polished surface. Its steps were low and short, just like the gnome’s. We walked up and all the time I was just admiring the craftsmanship of the stairs, not paying any attention to where we were headed. They were flawlessly leveled and buffed, and each riser had a small white stone embedded on its center.
Reaching the top, I praised the stairs remarkable craftsmanship, “I must say, Harwit, the ability your kind has in crafting is too great. The beauty of these steps says it for itself.”
I was waiting for a positive response from him, but I got no answer. When I looked at him, he was pointing at another genuine craft even more impressive than the staircase. On a slight incline was a metal box with metal wheels, riding on top of parallel railings.
“This modern marvel,” Harwit said proudly, “is called the minecart. We use it to transport cargo and valuables from the different points of the mountain towards here, the city. Before, we had wooden carts. We had to push them and it was difficult to maneuver them within the twisting tunnels. But with this invention, thanks to the rail tracks it rests upon, you only need to push it down the slope and its inertia will take it to its destination.”
I walked towards the minecart and admired its intricate details. Each of its sides was gold plated with small representations of the gnomes. It depicted them mining, reading books, teaching the young ones, building their houses, among other things. I looked inside, and there was enough space for me to fit in snugly.
“So, this minecart will take me to the other side?” I asked.
“Yes. The Downtrack, as it is called, is one of the first tracks we built and it goes directly to the other side. It’s a bit bumpy, but don’t worry, I’ll accompany you.”
I immediately hopped in, tucking my shield on my side, and my sword and bag between my legs. Harwit grabbed a small ladder to get on. He sat on a rough, bulky seat attached to the side. It had a belt and a bar to hold on to.
“Are you ready?” he asked me.
“Ready as I’ll ever be.”
He looked down to a gnome working on the tracks and commanded, “Release the cart!”
The gnome nodded and with a hammer knocked away the wedges keeping the cart in place. Slowly, it started to descend, pushed by its own weight. It started picking up speed as we entered a narrow mine way. Wooden beams supported the walls and ceiling. It was dark and lanterns only glowed about every twenty meters. All this time the minecart got faster and faster.
“Woah, it’s getting fast!” I said.
We took a hard right, then down, another hard right, straight, and a hard left. I gripped the rim of the cart like if I were hanging from the edge of a cliff. My hands were so stiff I thought I would bend the metal. Shortly, my breathing eased once the unpredictable curves ceased. I then saw a light at the end of the tunnel.
“We reached the other side already?”
“No,” Harwit shook his head, “we reached the plant.”
We exited the mine way to a lighted area. The place had been mined extensively; there was enough space the gnomes had placed a peculiar contraption in it. It was a tall rectangular frame made of wooden logs, held together by ropes and nails. The structure was built in such a way that it held a long drill cylinder in its middle, like the one I put the arrow coffer in. On its top, there was a strange apparatus with smoke coming out of a pipe. We quickly passed it, but the structure stayed on my head.
“What was that, Harwit?” I asked.
“That was one of the plants we have for extracting the methinus. On the top there’s a pressure box; a mechanism that mixes gas and fire to have a series of minute explosions. The pressure of the explosions move the gears on the top of the drill, therefore, spinning it to pierce through the rock. After we reach a gas pocket, we collect and flow it through an extensive network of pipes to light up the city. That is why you see a pipe connected to every lamp and lantern.”
I could not comprehend much of the mechanisms the gnomes had, but I knew it was ahead of its time. Man could learn and benefit so much from them. Maybe there would be a time were such things could exist on the surface. It would make the balorian “troll power” a joke.
After the plant, there were no more lanterns to light the way. I could not see the rails or where we were going. But, I felt the slope get steeper; and the cart, faster.
“It’s picking up speed, faster than a horse!” I yelled over the shrieking noise of metal on metal.
Ahead there was a weak red glow coming from beneath. It looked like a drop.
“That light, is it another plant?”
“No, those are the Sizzle Pits,” Harwit answered.
“Sizzle Pits? What do you mean?”
“Molten rock that is spewing out from the core of our earth.”
“You mean lava, like in a volcano!?”
“Exciting, isn’t it? Oh, here comes the drop, weeee!”
At that moment, I discovered something about myself: women were not the only ones capable of high-pitched screams. We went down the drop; an incline almost vertical. The rails were between two cascades of lava that flowed out from the walls. I held on tight and felt the heat tingle the hairs on my fingers. Then, the slope leveled out over a pool of molten rock. The rails rested on stones that emerged from the lava.
“Ah, this is too hot. Why would you build it like this!?” I screamed at Harwit, but he ignored me, raising his hands as if having the time of his life. He was mad! How could anyone enjoy this? But ahead, the worst awaited us. There was smoke, flames and rocks erupting right between the rails.
“Wait, wait, wait! We can’t pass by there, we’re gonna get toasted!”
“Don’t worry, we’ll be fine,” Harwit smoothly said with confidence.
Pieces of burning rock bombarded the sides of the cart, flames scorched the bottom, and smoke intoxicated my lungs. I could only sit there, my eyes injected with horror and my body petrified, receiving a barrage from hell. It was the worst ride ever.
“You people are crazy!”
#
We finally reached a round room on the other side of the mountain. There was a wooden shack to the right and a flight of stairs to the left. The cart hit a rotating plank connected to a series of ropes and pulleys. The ropes were attached to a bell on the ceiling. It clanged loudly, announcing our arrival. Harwit pulled a lever beside his bulky seat and slowly stopped the minecart.
I was a complete calamity. I was covered in soot with burn marks on my head and arms. Harwit was also covered with soot, but did not receive a single burn. I guess the smaller you are, the smaller the chance of getting hit by a freaking ball of fire!