Tunnel Rat

Milo ran back to the group. "We have Snake trouble. It's not as big as the last one I fought, but it's been corrupted and mostly transformed. Looks old and clunky, but that could be deceiving. And Copperheads have a nasty poisonous bite. Although..." Milo looked at the girls, "It shouldn't affect the girls with their Fiendish Resistance, and my Poison Resistance is better than it used to be."

Brutus patted his potion bag, "Guards all have Poison Resistance. We have to, with some of the stuff we fight, especially spiders. I'm not as tough as my dainty daughters, but I've got a belly full of puffcakes and some potions to help. I'm more worried about the machine bits. Sharp claws on these things. But it's a snake?"

"A big Snake. Capital S, at least an Elite."

The girls began jumping up and down. "Big Snake, Big Points!"

As if to emphasize their point, the Snake slammed its head into the doors, trying to widen the opening that had let the smaller creatures through the day before. The thick metal bent slightly, and the Snake drew back again. Time slowed down for Milo as his brain sped up. Options appeared: Build a trap, run away, fight the Snake in these tunnels, or flee down the new tunnel. Images of the huge furnaces in the other room filled his head, and the idea of getting them running and then decoying the snake began to percolate in part of his brain...and then the plan was discarded. No time, unknown machinery, the problem of baiting the Snake where he wanted it. Time was the enemy here unless there...was...some... ? ...!!!

"Brutus, prepare to shove the door directly in front of you when I say to charge. Hit it hard and keep your shield up afterward, taunt, defend, and fall back if needed. Rosie and Buttercup, flanking positions, hit each of the doors in the middle at the same time as your Dad, and push!"

The Snake rammed against the doors again, the gap widened slightly, and it saw the little creatures that threatened its eggs. Georgie barked at the Snake, saying something rude about eggs. Whatever it was, the Snake hissed back and became even angrier. It drew back...Milo yelled, "Charge!"...and the Snake's head hit the doors wide enough that it could put its head through. Before the body could follow, a Stoneclan Guard and two Cheese Fiends hit the doors, slamming the edges into its neck and pinching the opening closed.

Milo let loose with his Runic formation, narrowed as much as he could, aiming directly at the point on the door where he had the most leverage to bend the edge further into the Snake's neck. Another blast followed a second later as he burned mana to double cast. His fingers and tail were aching from casting two Runic Formations with little preparation, but he began to cast again and yelled instructions to the girls. "Tear off the armor and use your claws to carve into the neck. The copper is softer. Race to see who gets to the middle first."

The snake screamed, a sound like jagged glass scraping across rusted metal. Its tongue lashed out at Brutus, but the Guard was ready, blocking with his shield and giving a half step to weaken the blow. The Snake changed strategies, green pupils were replaced by red ones that glowed ominously. Brutus saw it happen and heard them click into place. He threw his shield and dove to the side. Red beams of light hit the metal shield, blasting through it and scattering drops of molten metal. Then the Snake screamed again as Fiendishly Sharp Claws dug into it from either side, Rosie and Buttercup displaying the ferocity for which fiends were known and feared.

Red eyes glowed as the Snake forced energy into them, sparks flying from the scratched orb. From the undamaged eye came a ruby-colored blast of heat and light, aiming for Milo, who leaped and dodged...but not quite well enough. The blast hit his right foot, obliterating it and leaving a charred stump of bone.

Ouch! You've been De-Feeted!

Defooted? I'll let you decide. Your enemy has used a devious ploy of gifting you highly charged photons. Your foot was so 'excited' with the gift that it turned into ash and steam. Isn't this new Science-Stuff amazing?! You should try it sometime after you become a corrupted version of yourself, serving the whims of a powerful hidden entity that threatens this part of the DeepDown. (No, not Damien! He fits the description but is causing trouble somewhere else.) Truly, I've got no clue, and the Engine is suspiciously silent. But whatever is corrupting these things needs to be stopped. Running would also be smart, or in your case, hopping.

You have taken 1200 points of health damage. You take a 30% penalty to Dodge, and spells will be harder to cast since you need your tail to balance.

Milo kept rolling, waiting for the second eye beam to hit. The Snake would have liked that too, but it didn't happen. The scratched orb couldn't focus energy properly now, no matter how much it poured in. With a loud SnapcracklePOP!, the eye tore itself apart, spraying energy randomly. The girls were behind the arc, but Brutus took a nasty burn on his shoulder and left arm. Milo managed to take only a small burn across his chest as the red energy hit next to him.

The Snake took the brunt of its blast on the inside. Ruby glass, melted copper, and fried organic parts blasted from the socket leaving a black, smoking hole. It swiveled to find Milo and finish him. The girls were still racing to see who could reach the center of the Snake first, carving into the four-foot thick metal neck as the rest of the Snake thrashed in pain and struggled against the doors.

Milo managed to stand and chose to begin a Runic Force Blast. The Snake was quicker, but Milo was saved as the doors gave way to the frenzied push of its body. Brutus was knocked to the side. Buttercup laughed and held on. Rosie screamed loudly in delight, "Snake Ride!" They held on and kept cutting. The beam from the eye carved into the rock of the wall, leaving a foot-wide scar over ten feet long, vaporizing and melting the stone. The Snake splayed out across the tunnel, its head near Milo. He shot a double-force blast into it from the side just as the girl's claws touched in the center.

The snake's huge head was blasted from its body and bounced off the wall. Everyone was thrown or knocked aside by its death throes. Brutus grabbed Milo by his collar and dragged him along. "Run, girls! I need you to protect me and Milo as we move to a better tactical position in the rear!" The girls flanked Brutus as they ran, Georgie alongside them, barking happily as they raced away. Nothing followed them, and nothing exited through the broken doors of the area. After two minutes of thrashing, the Snake's body lay still. They waited another ten minutes, for good measure. Everyone was battered and bruised, but Regeneration was a common skill for rat-kin. Brutus had the first three levels, Milo more, and the girls barely noticed their bruises. But everyone agreed it was time for a cheese break.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"One extra-large cheese snack for Buttercup, one for Rosie, one for me, and two for Tallsqueak, who has to regrow his lost foot."

Milo sighed, "I'm used to it, believe it or not. I can use my pick as a crutch. We need to investigate those eggs and destroy them before they hatch."

Brutus shook his head. "No way I'm waiting for you to hobble down slowly and investigate a dangerous area." He turned to the girls. "Ponyride time. Rosie, you put Tallsqueak on your shoulders and give him a ride down, and Buttercup can give him a ride back."

Despite his protests, Milo found himself on Rosie's shoulders, one leg on either side of her head. She held onto his legs tightly and started running for the doors. "Race you, sister." Brutus chuckled and followed as fast as he could, watching his daughters leap over the remains of the Snake until they could peer into the doorway. Brutus checked the head carefully, making sure it was dead. You could never be too careful with these things. Then they moved into the room.

Thousands of 'Corrupted Scarab Eggs' were in piles in the nest, along with suspiciously larger eggs. By concentrating on each egg, Milo could bring up information and a time.

Corrupted Mutated Dire-Digger Squirrel - 37%. 123 hours 43 minutes until hatching.

Buttercup decided she didn't like the eggs. "These have bad stuff in them. Can I smoosh them?"

Brutus looked at the thousands of eggs and envisioned having to give them baths to get who-knows-what out of their fur. "How about throwing them at the wall over there? That puts some distance between us and makes cleanup easier. Do that instead. I'll take Tallsqueak so he doesn't get thrown by mistake." The girls began throwing eggs against the wall, which splattered with ugly-looking fluid and unfinished creatures falling to the floor. Nothing twitched or moved, to Milo's relief. Georgie was running around, sniffing eggs and pushing the bigger ones over to the girls for quicker disposal. When he was done with those, he searched through the rest and made a small pile off to the side. Brutus set Milo down by his Guard Lizard, and helped the girls toss eggs.

"What have you got here?" Georgie barked and pushed an 'Uncorrupted Silver Scarab Egg' over to Milo, who spent a long time examining it and not finding any of the rust or corrosion he saw on the other eggs. They would hatch in 120 hours. Milo was curious, and Georgie seemed protective of them. "OK, we can see what comes out."

Three hours later, Brutus couldn't move his arms, and even the girls were tired. They scoured the nest area, heaving aside metal parts, ingots, and iron ore, looking for any hidden eggs and sending them soaring to the stained wall with its large pile of broken pieces. The smell was becoming strong in the room, and everyone retreated to the hallway.

I was going to say something about 'how egg-citing this adventure had been' but frankly, everyone is so happy you disposed of this menace before a few more generations of breeding turned this part of the world uninhabitable, that I'll refrain from puns. This alone tells you how serious this encounter was. And what a mess! No telling what one might find when searching through the remains.

Brutus has unlocked the career option 'Brave Guardian' when he next advances.

Buttercup and Rosie have unlocked the career option 'Heroes in Training.

Tallsqueak has earned a new Quest: Rusted Ruins of the Twisted King.

Each person receives 35 Enhancement points, except Tallsqueak, who earns 32, and an official notice that it's time to move to Tier Four. We'll be talking soon!

"Heroes!" The girls held hands and bounced around, fatigue ignored.

Brutus smiled, happier for them than himself. "I'm going to beg Larry to come for a long visit. He's better at this hero stuff than I am."

Milo shook his head. "Larry would love to help, but I disagree about him being better at it than you. You're there every day for them. That counts for a lot."

"Maybe so, maybe so. I won't lie and say it's been easy, but it sure has been rewarding. Speaking of which, that was a very un-subtle hint about looking around in this pile of rusted metal and copper."

The girls helped sort through things and quickly found a metal shield that was welded to the Snake for armor. It came off easily when Brutus pulled on it, and any rust or decay flaked off.

Adamant Guardian Shield

One of seven such shields made for the Royal Guard of King Morkavian, this Relic was lost in the Great Cataclysm. The wielder of this nigh-invulnerable adamant shield adds +3 to their Shield skill, +5 to CHR, and gains +200 Universal Mitigation against any attack.

Brutus seemed to stand straighter as he proudly equipped the shield. "Oh boy, I cannot wait to show this to Justin. He'll be begging to come on the next excursion."

Buttercup and Rosie had found a music box that played traditional dwarven lullabies. They covered their ears at the harsh sounds but brought up the jewelry inside to Brutus.

"Pretty things, Daddy! Put them on us."

Brutus helped them with the earrings.

Enchanted Earrings of Queen Helga the Unforgiving

Known for her love of jewelry, few understood that each piece enhanced the Queen who ruled during a difficult time and a mad husband.

Jade and Gold Earrings of Wise Decisions: Adds +3 INT and +3 WIS.

Onxy and Silver Earrings of Determination: Adds +3 INT and +3 CHR.

Milo was investigating the head of the Snake, which fell to pieces as he touched it, blasted from the inside by its own energies. One ruby orb and two green spheres rolled free.

Ruby Orb of Focused Destruction

Emerald Orbs of Illumination

(You're the engineer; you figure them out. No one tells me anything but the names.)

Intrigued, but cautious, Milo put the six-inch spheres into his Smuggler's Stash. There would be time to examine these later. Brutus yelled at him. "I say we bring up the moles after the girls widen that tunnel a little bit. We can camp here for a day, chow down on some tasty grub, and give you some time to heal."

Milo nodded, he needed to heal and look at the notifications the system was sending him. Before he could start his first nap, Georgie came loping up to him, cheeks filled. He spat out silvery eggs and a small book. How to Train Your Scarab.