Tunnel Rat

After his adventures in the mines, Milo needed time to heal and think. Magical healing was great for restoring Health and making the numbers he saw on his character sheet go up, but it didn’t negate all the bruises and pain, nor the psychological need for some downtime. Milo slept less than other people and thought faster, giving parts of his brain ample time to come up with new anxieties. The only way to stay sane was to keep busy and keep thinking. With his battered body not up to the trip down to Harry’s mushroom farm, he decided to rent a room at an inn. There were several in Shadowport with good reputations and lots of people. Milo didn’t want to be around people, so he headed to Ralph’s place on the docks. The Rustyguts Inn was shunned by all but broke and beginning players.

Ralph’s face split open as he tried to smile, revealing his large, decaying teeth. “A returning customer? I knew this was going to be a good year! You can have your old room. I haven’t bothered to clean the bedding yet, so it should feel like home.”

Milo smiled weakly, paid for two nights’ lodging, and trudged upstairs with his pack and a loaf of bread from the bakery down the street. He was finding that cheese went well with other food. After putting the bar on the door, he felt secure in the tiny room. A bite or two of cheese and a half loaf of bread relaxed him, and he lay down to think for a bit.

Things were happening too quickly, and he needed to expand on his long-term goals. He still wanted to keep to his plan of mining and mushroom gathering. He needed the STR that mining would give him and the money from the ore. Cheese took money, and he liked cheese. Foraging was raising his perception and supplied the mushrooms he was trading to Harry for lessons in the strange mushroom-based alchemy he practiced. But beyond that? Where was he going?

Shadowport offered many opportunities to players, especially those interested in the Rogue, Thief, and Assassin classes. There was constant competition between several gangs and at least three Thieves Guilds that gave out quests. The forums were filled with accounts of the weekly fights between players and raids by full guilds. It wasn’t for him. Too much drama and interaction with people when what he wanted to do was find secrets in dark places and explore things on his own.

Harry had told him about the Deep-Dark, the tunnels that were far under the earth where massive caverns were like different worlds. Stories about huge dwarven cities floating on seas of volcanic rock, endless caverns lit by giant, sentient crystals, and strange glowing trees that reached up from the stone and rooted again in the ceilings. He knew tales of strange, gargantuan creatures that ate the stone and created new caverns, enlarging the world and going ever deeper.

Of course, Harry also liked to imbibe certain special mushrooms after a hard day's work. Most of the stories were told after he mashed together several potent and poisonous varieties and brewed them into tea so strong that Milo sat in the next room to talk to him. Harry rarely remembered any of his stories the next day, and Milo didn’t know if these were stories he’d heard from others, places he had been, or drug-induced visions. He was intrigued in any case and wanted to know more.

His favorite story was about the machines. Harry kept coming back to the story about the machines that were in the center of the world, gears endlessly turning and keeping the world running. Or maybe it was the world turning that kept the gears turning? Details changed from story to story. He didn't know who put them there or what they did, but he always told that story. He told Milo that all trolls knew the story and knew it to be true. One night, when he was barely able to move, he insisted over and over that it was real. “The Engine is down there, Milo, grinding away and changing the world.” The next day he just scratched his head and shrugged.

In the end, it was wanting to explore the Deep-Dark that led Milo to take Stone Sense over the other two gifts. His Low Light Vision helped in most of the caverns where glowing mushrooms and phosphorescent lichen gave enough light for underground races to see by. His Dark Vision let him see in even darker places, but only for a short distance. There would be places with no light. Even places where you didn't dare make a light. And with this gift, he wouldn't have to avoid them. When he told Harry about his choice, the old troll agreed. "Always good to be in touch with the earth and rock."

-This is a perception-based ability. A high perception will affect how well you can use this ability.

-Even in complete darkness, you can concentrate and feel the shape of natural stone and earth to a distance of 50' and up to 10' past the surface of the stone. This allows movement through caves and similar terrain, even in complete darkness, at a normal pace.

-You know when creatures move around you if they are treading on stone or packed earth by the vibrations they make. Some stealth abilities may partially negate this, as will a very light tread. You must be silent and concentrate to detect them.

All of the choices had been good. The STR and CON would have given him more stamina and health. Health was something he was sadly lacking if he was going to keep fighting monsters.But there were other ways to get Health and no way to gain Stone Sense. Both mining and raising his resistance to poisons and diseases would raise those stats. For Health, he needed levels and Enhancements.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

He had twenty-seven points to spend, and with how fast the world moved, he should spend them now. He happily paid the ten points to increase his Smugglers Stash to its maximum size of 27 cubic feet. He could now take all the supplies he needed for exploring with him and bring back a lot of ore and mycology products. Since he was constantly getting beat up, he spent 7 points on Extra Health1 and 2, raising his health by +150 and putting his total at 590.

He debated the last ten points. Another level of regeneration, or Extra Health 3, would make him a lot tougher. Abundance would increase how much he mined and gathered. And Extra Stabby would give him a better chance at making critical hits. As always, he wanted all of it. The other consideration was the soft caps on his stats. He’d already hit the cap on INT. If he didn’t raise it, any additional experience would be wasted. INT gave him mana for his spells, also something he depended on. AGI was also going to be over the cap soon.

The solution was killing more copperheads and other bosses and raising all of his skills and stats, and gaining all the enhancements. He spent five points to raise the cap on his INT to 8, AGI to 7 and bought Abundance 2 and 3. He would now gather 50% more ore and mushrooms, letting him buy more cheese. That seemed important. Cheese would make him stronger and help him fight.

The Boss Experience he put into Bonecasting first, maxing out the skill at rank 5. That was the highest rank he could get until he could move to Tier 2. He put 430 points into Dodge, also taking it to rank 5. Reading on the forums, he’d followed the discussion on the best ways to stay alive. The first was heavy armor, a good shield, and defensive skills that were available to Warriors, Paladins, and other types of heavy fighters. Or you dodged every blow and took skills to increase your evasion. Milo hated to get hit and wasn’t going to tromp through tunnels in clanky armor. That left 870 points which he put into Sense Danger, moving the skill to rank 4 and his PER to 5. Fights would be a little easier, or so he hoped.

He was close to Level 3, but that would have to wait for the next day. He was suddenly very tired. His mind wanted to keep going, but his healing body needed rest. Secure in the inn, he left his body sleeping and logged out of the game. There was always something to fix in Section E, and he couldn’t neglect his work. Problems escalated quickly when he wasn’t watching them.

Milo's Character Sheet:

Name: Milo/Tallsqueak Class: Were-rat Scout Race: Ratkin

Level: 2

Experience Points: 5620/6000

Enhancement Points Available: 0

Enhancement Points Spent: 72

Vitals:

Health: 590 (100+100 per Level) (+5xSTR)(+10xCON) (+100 Cheese!)(+150)

Stamina: 850 (600+100 per Level) (+10xSTR)(+5xCON)

Mana: 850 (100+200 per Level) (+15x (CHA+INT+WIS)(+200 Perk)

Stat:

STR: 4 (+2, Cheese!) (Rank 2, 150 experience)

DEX: 5 (+2 Racial bonus) (Rank 3, 545 experience.)

AGI: 9 (+2 Racial bonus) (Rank 5, 1575 experience) (Cheese! +2)

CON: 2 (Rank 2, 150 experience)

INT: 7/10 (Rank 5, 1430 experience) (Item: +2)

WIS: 3 (Rank 3, 500 experience)

CHA: 0 (Rank 0, 0 experience)

PER: 7 (+2 Racial bonus) (Rank 2, 1420 experience.)

Racial Skills:

Tail Fighting (DEX) (Rank 2, 150 experience)

Weak Claws (DEX) (Rank 2, 150 experience)

Primary Skills:

Bonecasting (INT) (Rank 5, 1000 experience)

Skulk (WIS) (Rank 1, 50 experience)

Climbing (AGI) (Rank 1, 125 experience)

Dodge AGI (Rank 5, 1000 experience)

Acrobatics (AGI) (Rank 2, 150 experience)

Small Blades (DEX) (Rank 2, 245 experience)

Sense Danger (PER) (Rank 4, 920 experience)

Identify (PER) (Rank 1, 50 experience)

W. Poison Resist (Con) (Rank 2, 150 experience)

W. Disease Resist (Con) (Rank 0, 0 experience)

Mycology (WIS) (Rank 2, 350 experience)

Secondary Skills:

Throw Sharp Things (DEX) (Rank 0, 0 experience)

Fleet of Foot (AGI) (Rank 3, 300 experience)

Manipulate Locks and Traps (DEX) (Rank 0, 0 experience)

Tertiary Skills:

(None)

Gathering Skills:

Mining (STR) (Rank 1, 50 experience)

Foraging (PER) (Rank 3, 500 experience)

Crafting Skills:

Mechanic (INT) (Rank 3, 330 experience)

Trap Making (INT) (Rank 1, 100 experience)

Lore Skills:

Runic Lore (INT) (Rank 0, 0 experience)

Perks and Special Abilities:

Shape Change to Human Form

Superior Low Light Vision

Dark Vision 20’

Enhanced Sense of Smell

+100 mana per Level (Gift of the Oracle)

The Power of Cheese! Stage 2 (+100 Health, +2 STR, +2 AGI)

Hard-Runed Bones

Sharp-Runed Talons

Speed-Runed Skin

Stone Sense

Enhancements:

Smugglers Stash 3 (Cost: 18)

Invisible Tail. (Cost: 8)

Jumping Jack 1 (Cost: 2)

Slashing Tail 1 Cost: 2)

Weak Poison Resistance (Cost: 5)

Weak Disease Resistance (Cost: 5)

Not-so-good Regeneration (Cost: 5)

Silent Step 1 (Cost: 2)

Unnoticed (Cost: 2)

Breathless 2 (Cost: 2)

Abundance 3 (Cost: 6)

Skilled Provider 1 (Cost: 3)

Extra Health 2 (Cost: 7)

Items:

Ring of the Swiss Army

Bone-Runed Cowl (+2 INT)

Shadowblight

Spells:

Exploding Skull

Bone Spike

Mend Bones

Curse of Brittle Bones

Spectral Spine