Tom and The Wizard-02

"Barring any time warping weirdness, these Nazis haven't been down here that long." Tom said as he cinched up his belt, "The war ended in 1945, so they've been on the run from the surface for nearly 70 years now. Any senior leadership should have died off by now of old age, so what's left are aging officers and their offspring."

The Wizard handed Tom a chest rig for his revolver. "True, there's been some funerals over there- and not just from natural causes. However, these Nazis were not only SS, but also tied into the late and post-war networks that incorporated them."

"Odessa, Paperclip, and so on?" Tom said, taking the rig and throwing in on over his shirt.

"Correct, Mister Stone." Longfellow said, "These invaders were the ones responsible for the majority of their technological research and development, and I mean the sort that the surface world conceals from you people."

Tom grabbed the revolver and holstered it. "So, we're talking Thule Society, saucers, ritual magic, and all that stuff."

"Precisely." The Wizard said, handing Tom his hat.

"Wonderful." Tom said with a tone of exasperation, "I need to stretch my legs. Care to walk and talk?"

"Lets." The Wizard said, and he turned to Longfellow, "A tour is in order, I think."

Longfellow nodded, and he led his guests through the door and into the hall, where he then guided the two down a spiral stairway and then out into a well-manicured courtyard from which one could see out well into the distance as if atop a mountain. As if on the surface Tom saw a sky filled with clouds and lit by a sun. In the distance he saw the land curve up and away in all directions. He saw large bodies of water--lakes, rivers--flowing as if on the surface without difficulty, showing him that gravity didn't quite work as he comprehended it here. He saw birds flying, rather large ones at some distance, and then he saw some flying discs in formation- clearly Luftwaffe, late-war.

"Not quite Rivendell," Tom said, "but it'll do."

"Welcome to the Inner World, Mister Stone." Longfellow said, "This is my home, 'Longfellow Hold' is its name in your language, a place of refuge for my people as it has been for many years."

"Thousands, actually." The Wizard said, "His ancestors came here before the Great Flood."

Tom perked up his ears. "Really?" he said, "So, I'm here to safeguard the retreat of a race of Men who disappeared from acknowledged history before the rise of Sumeria from the threat posed by a remnant of the Nazi Occult wing."

"Correct." The Wizard said, "Let's go on to discuss the details while we eat."

Longfellow agreed with a nod, and he led his guests to the hold's dining room. There, waiting, were Mistress Longfellow and most of the Longfellow household. Master Longfellow led them to the head table, indicating two seats to his left for them, and then he said: "Now that The Wizard's friend is with us in truth, our deliverance is nigh. Thanks be to the Creator for our providence, and in the days to come may he guide our hands for victory."

"For victory!" the assembled host said, in unison.

The Wizard leaned towards Tom. "I do hope you know how to win a war."

"Not a problem." Tom said, hiding his apprehension, "No pressure at all."