Tunnel Rat

Helmets on and weapons in hand, the two dwarven engineers were slowly backing towards the tunnel entrance where the creature couldn't follow.

"Be careful of the beastie's reach. They can surprise you." The creature was vaguely humanoid, but its form was made from earth and stone, with rocky armor covering much of it. From the earth that covered parts of its form, mushrooms grew. Its shoulders had huge growths of shrooms. Glowing green eyes looked down at them.

The creature stopped a step away from the mine tunnel. Then, it slowly squatted down. It looked at one of its hands and then down at Milo and the dwarves. It seemed puzzled.

"MI-LOW...WHY SOOOO SMALL?"

The words hurt Milo's ears; they were so loud. But the deep, slow voice was familiar."

Milo tried to shout back. "WE DIDN'T GET SMALL HARRY! YOU GOT BIG! LOWER YOUR VOICE BEFORE YOU DEAFEN US!"

Harry held up his hands, compared them to Milo, compared them to the mushrooms growing nearby. He shook his head as if to clear it, and focus came into his eyes.

"Yes. That makes more sense. And no need to shout, Milo. I'm larger but not hard of hearing. In fact, I have very large ears. Good for hearing."

Milo turned to the dwarves. "Throttlecog and Two-Screws, please meet one of my first friends, Dr. Harold Earthtongue, who didn't used to be nearly so large. Harry, these are two friends from the local Engineer's guild."

The dwarves hesitated a moment, stowed their weapons, and then came forward and bowed. Harry carefully sat down. George took the opportunity to use Harry as a playground, running up and down his large form. Everyone relaxed a bit as Milo explained to the dwarves his relationship with Harry and told Harry of some of his adventures in the past few weeks.

The explanation for Harry's growth spurt was simple: He had investigated the noise from the battle but arrived after the snake had left to pursue Milo. With the creeper and zombies dead, Harry had explored the cavern and found the battered body of Roobazahl the Ancient and recovered his heartshroom. The huge, acorn-shaped organ contained a huge amount of Earth-aspected mana. Milo couldn't resist a good cheese, and similarly, Harry couldn't resist just having a few bites of the rich-tasting heartshroom.

An hour later, he had eaten the entire thing and laid down in the mushroom field, feeling full and sleepy. How long he slept, he didn't know, but he felt refreshed when he awoke. Any of the weakness left from his disease was gone, washed away in a huge flood of Earth aspected power. Since then, he'd been oddly content to simply stay in this cavern and study the large number of rare varieties of fungus that grew here. When he found mushrooms that he wanted to study, he simply planted them on the earthy areas of his arms, where they quickly took root.

"It's very convenient this way. I always have something to study. And my understanding is much greater now. I can almost hear them talking to each other. And there are other voices. Old voices. They are calling out from the depths, using the smaller fungus as a way to amplify their voices. I hope to understand them someday."

Milo was intrigued by the thought of the voices calling out from the depths. What else lived deep in the earth? He thought again of the things he'd seen through the eyes of the great beasts. A longing to explore and see these things himself filled him. He thought of himself and Harry exploring lower into the depths and chasing those voices, then realized why that wouldn't happen.

"I guess you're living in this cavern from now on? I don't see how you would fit through the tunnels to get back to your old home."

The Troll laughed, which sent the sound echoing through the cavern.

"Moving earth and stone is not a problem for me, Milo. I am still a troll on the inside, and I've always had some abilities with moving earth. But now, some of me is composed purely of the earth. My connection is strong, and my abilities are enhanced. When I punch a rock, the rock goes away. And when I tell the earth to get out of my way, it does.

Harry reached out one arm towards the mine tunnel. The opening slowly grew, the earth and stone pushing away. Within a minute, the first fifty feet of the tunnel was much larger, over fifteen feet wide and thirty feet tall. Harry lowered his hand, looking tired.

“Each time I do that, it gets easier. I plan on connecting the caverns with walkways for one as large as myself. Who knows? I might even go visit the Alchemy guild in Shadowport. There is someone there that I need to have a serious talk with."

The dwarves, who had been very quiet as Milo talked with Harry, joined the conversation. The two wanted to improve the road to the top and Harry changed from a gigantic threat in their minds to a tunneling expert. Throttlecog approached the huge troll. "Might be we could help each other out some. Our guild could give you some help planning your route and bracing the tunnels as you dig them. I've got a lot of bored engineers looking for new projects other than rebuilding."

The dwarves and Harry talked for a long time. Milo yawned and excused himself. He needed sleep, but he needed to finish his upgrades before something else happened. Harry’s arrival had just emphasized that point.

It turned out to be easier than he’d thought. Some things he could buy now wouldn’t be available later, and some would. Enhancing his stats was one of the things he needed to get now. For 18 points, he could add +3 to agility and dexterity. Raising the caps on his stats took another 16 points. The last 6 points he used to raise his strength by two points. Ore bags were heavy, and the extra health was always a bonus.

After assigning all of his points, he saw the option to upgrade and was immediately moved to Level 6. He was glad to be done with that. Except it seemed he wasn’t?! The system had more messages for him, based on the blinking icon in the corner of his vision...but he was so tired...maybe a quick nap...dreams filled his head as he fell asleep...

After an eternity of boredom and pounding his head on the wall, he heard a small sound, and a bit of light came through a crack. He thrust his claws into the crack and pulled, but the hard material defeated him. An idea slowly formed in his mind as runes aligned and were discarded.

Milo-Osculum-Infantum cast his first spell: Sunder Shell.

His egg was ripped in half, scattering pieces of shell into the dark waters. Far, far above he saw the light. His clutch-mates had waited for him, even though they knew from the shape of his egg that he was malformed. One of his hind legs was too short and his head too big. They didn’t care. He was theirs. Family. They would swim upwards together.

Iritas-Venetor wished to use speed to swim past the eels but Magna-Stultas was more cautious and advised stealth.

“Let the least of us lead. He is hard to see and quiet. If all stay behind him, we will advance slowly.”

Iritas-Venetor agreed, but added, “And if the eels see him, it gives a nice diversion.”

They moved as a pack, up through the slow-water, and into the live-water. Now was the time of great danger. The cheating eels had found their spawning waters and sent half-grown eels to patrol the live water. As expected, they were seen!

A sharp-eyed eel saw them and let out a low keening to alert others. They prepared to flee. Milo-Osculum-Infantum knew he was dead. He was too slow! He would have to return to the dark and go through the cycle again.

He remembered other runes: “Swift-Swimming”. His skin shimmered and he leaped forward. Far faster than he had been. Faster than an eel! He shot past the stupid eel, his stunted rear-claw raking its eye and infuriating it. It followed him.

More eels came at the wounded one’s cry. Milo-Osculum-Infantum didn’t stop to taunt them. He swam through the life water for the light. He made it to the live-stone, but an eel was on his tail. Literally, its jaws were cramped cruelly on his lovely tail, and it was pulling him back into the live-water!

From above on the cliff, a predator leaped onto the eel. Volat-Repat had smaller claws, but many, and a long, glorious tail. He wrapped around the eel, wounding it. From the water emerged Magna-Stultas, his jaws chomped down on the body of the eel, and in its pain, it released Milo-Osculum-Infantum. Alta-Viator joined the fight, his strong claws sundering the eel’s head.

“Feed quickly brothers. We need strength to run.”

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

The eel was tasty, and they ran fast, finding an opening in the live-rock that took them deep. But Milo-Osculum-Infantum was not happy. The others gathered around. “What bothers you, little brother? Life is sweet with the taste of eel on your tongue!”

Milo-Osculum-Infantum hung his head in shame. "I was useless in the fight. I am too small."

Volax-Repat laughed. “Useless? You knew the runes of Swift Swimming and shared them with us. The speed was delicious.”

Magna-Stultas agreed. “As delicious as eel. You were brave, little brother. You attacked and drew first blood and drew off the eels.”

Altar-Viator wagged his thick tail in agreement with his brothers. “And you set the trap. That was clever. We were weak alone, but strong together. For four hatchlings to kill an eel of that stage is grand. The story will remain for ages.”

He looked at the others. “And we owe you a debt. You shared your runes with us. Runes none of us remembered how to cast. We must return the favor.”

Altar-Viator placed his paw upon Milo-Osculum-Infantum’s head. “You have my claws.”

“And you have my tail!” Volax-Repat shouted eagerly.

“And my bones!” Finished Magna-Stultas.

The Ancient Bone-Runes swirled through their bodies before being shared with the little one who had saved them, binding him to them forever.

Congratulations on Surviving and making it to Tier 2.

Not that we had any doubts, but let’s just say the odds were running against you at some point. And you did more than survive! You’ve earned some bonuses! You managed to raise INT, AGI, DEX, and PER to 10 in Tier 1. And three of those stats are at 15!

You’ve earned a total of six Milestone Perks and....what?

Oh My! Aren't we the clever little rat? You earned Three Heroic Abilities!

By raising AGI and DEX to 15 you have earned the Heroic Ability: Acrobatics

You are skilled at tumbling, walking a tightrope, or swinging from a trapeze. If you have an evasive defense skill, such as dodge, it gains a 20% bonus.

For raising both INT and AGI to 10 in Tier One. You have gained the Heroic Ability: Alert

Others might pause at the start of trouble, but not you. A spell or weapon is immediately at hand and you will act before your enemies unless they have a similar skill or somehow surprised you.

For raising both DEX and INT to 15 in Tier 1 you have gained the perk: Fast Casting and the Heroic Ability, Counter Attack.

Fast Casting:

When you cast an attack spell at a single target, you may immediately repeat the spell for twice the mana.

Counter Attack:

You recognize when someone else is about to cast a spell. Hand motions, shouting magic words, the smell of ozone, and that stupid smirk on their face give it away. You may counter their spell with an attack of your own. After all, it's hard to cast a spell if someone just cut off your fingers or put a knife in your throat. If you did not use Fast Casting immediately before this attack, you may also cast a single spell instead of attacking. If you do damage, their spell is disrupted.

By raising PER and DEX to 10 or higher You have gained the Perk: Juggling.

You are adept at juggling items in the air. You may also catch items thrown at you, and return them to their owner. You are also skilled at Sleight of Hand and gain small bonuses for skills such as Pickpocket, or Gambling.

You have a +20% chance to hit with physical ranged attacks.

By raising both PER and INT to 10 in Tier One you have gained the Perk: Fast Hands, Faster Brain!

Any task that involves assembly, disassembly, sorting, or manipulating multiple objects is trivial for you. You don't have to think which part goes where you just know!

By raising both INT and PER to 10 in Tier One you have earned the perk: Uncanny Dodge.

Any avoidance skill that you use to dodge incoming damage from a source you are aware of will gain a +20% increase to your chance to dodge. You must know the direction the damage is coming from.

Trifecta! Raising two stats to 10 is difficult, but raising three is simply amazing!

This Perk adds +50 to Health, Mana, and Stamina.

Quadratic! You just don't know when to quit climbing the mountain.

For raising 4 stats to 10 or higher, you receive one of the following benefits of your choice:

- A simple aspect of magic such as fire, cold, darkness, storm, etc.

- Minor resistance to any one element such as fire, cold, acid, or darkness. This is a primary skill.

- +100 Gold Coins

- +150 to either Health, Mana, or Stamina. Please choose.

General Changes now that you are in the second Tier:

-It is easier for higher-tier creatures to attack and injure lower-tier creatures. In general, you will have a bonus of +20% to hit, and damage, when fighting Tier 1 creatures. Your evasion is higher against their attacks, and you will resist Tier 1 spells more easily.

-Because it is trivial to fight Tier 1 creatures, you will no longer gain experience from killing them. Tier 1 Bosses will still give Enhancement Points but at a much-reduced level. (An exception to this rule would be a special event. If you singlehandedly stop the thousands of warrior-weevils in the onrushing hordes of Queen Squirmicide from devastating Plum Village you will certainly be rewarded.)

-Points of INT, CHA, or WIS added in Tier 2 will add 30 mana.

-Points of STR will add 30 stamina and 15 health.

-Points of CON will add 30 health and 15 stamina.

-Points of TOU will add 50 health and +2% to all resistances.

Skill Changes:

You retain the skill: Bonecasting, but will not gain Necromantic Upgrades to the skill. Instead, your spells may use the power of the Ancient Runes you know.

Skulk, Unnoticed, Silent Steps, and Hide are now combined to create a new skill: Stealthy Skulking. This racial skill reduces a creature's perception by 2+2 per rank. This reduced number is what will be used to see if they notice you doing something. If that number is 0 or less, they will only notice you if you are quite obvious in what you are doing, such as attacking, casting a spell, or swimming in a soup tureen. This skill may be enhanced further by the expenditure of Enhancement Points.

Spells:

You retain the spells: Extra Rib, Mend Bones, Brittle Bones, Exploding Skull, and Bone Spike and the skill: Manipulate Bone.

You know the following Ancient Runes: Destruction, Velocity, Hard-Bones, Swift-Swimming, Sunder Earth, Sharp-Talons

You have gained the meta-magic skills: Claws of Alta-Viator and Spine of Volax-Repat

Tail fighting, Mace Tail, Sharp Tail, and their benefits are now included in the skill: Spine of Volax-Repat

Strong Claws and its benefits are included in the skill: Claws of Alta-Viator

Milo awoke to many notifications and strange dreams swirling in his head. He felt much, much better. Raising his hand, he saw that his claws were sharp and hard. They were a creamy white and he was able to retract them completely or extend them to a length of two inches. He experimented and carved furrows in the stone of the cave floor with little effort.

Reading through his sheet, he saw that he still had some choices to make. His class boosts were automatically added, but his free points were an important decision. He needed to assign his free point. DEX and INT came to mind, as his highest. But TOU would give him more health. And it was a difficult stat to raise. He put his free point into Toughness, giving him a total of 6. The other choice was the benefit from Quadratic. He ignored the gold. Money would come and go, benefits were forever. He could use Enhancement Points to buy more Heath, Mana, or Stamina, and likewise, he could gain some different magical aspects. But he couldn't buy resistance, and he didn't like fire. He'd set himself on fire twice working with electrical wires and didn't like the feeling. Basic Fire Resistance looked like a nice benefit.

As he fell asleep in this world, he woke up in another. He had water pumps to fix, new machines to install, and a special project taking form in his head. He already had a tail, and it would be nice to have a set of claws to go with it.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!