Tunnel Rat Volume 1 will be be STUBBING on NOV. 1st!

Chapter 31

Racing through the water, swimming fast to stay ahead of death. His brothers and sisters raced with him. The fast would live, and the slow would be eaten. This was slow-water. It dragged at you, made you work hard to move through it. The start of life was in slow-water. Those that wanted to live moved towards live-water. And moved fast. The slow were food.

The transition from slow-water to live-water was quick and bright. Left behind were the predators in the dark. With mana in the water, they could swim faster. Ahead were the eels, they who breathed lightning and grew wings to soar the skies. He hated the eels. They used the energy of the live-water to gain power, then waited here to feed. Again, the slow died. He and some of his siblings grabbed the power of the live water and drew the runes of speed on their skins. They wouldn't last long, but skin-runes would hold until they were past the eels. The speed-rune burned as it absorbed the bright mana of the live-water, and they raced upward.

They almost made it this time. They broke the surface, feeling the still-wind on their backs, and shot towards the outcrop of stone that marked where live-water ended, and high-stone began. They needed to climb the high-stone and find where it held the world-blood. Then they would be safe. Eels would not brave the fires of the world-blood.

But here, at the start of the high-stone, they were seen! A winged eel swooped down and caught them all up with its sharp-fins. The others died; he pushed hard and slipped its grasp, tumbling down to the live-stone, landing hard and striking the rock. Rock broke. He had used the hard-rune on his bones. He was slower now, but he was alive. The eel had stripped off his old skin and with it the speed rune. No matter, that was for live-water. Being hard was better when on high-stone.

He stayed in the cracks as he crawled higher and higher. Small, scampering creatures made their lairs here, using the husks of dead plants. Little things that ran on two legs and made homes from the grass. They amused him, so he only ate a few and tried not to step on their little lairs. The legend-makers said they would grow strong enough to kill eels. Silly legend. Too small. But it was enough of a pleasant thought that he didn’t eat them all.

A land eel caught him. It already had its land legs and boasted it would soon have its wings. He didn't care. He had the hard-rune in his bones and the sharp-rune on his claws. When the eel pounced, he didn't run. That surprised the eel. He grabbed it with his sharp claws and didn't let go. He bit its throat and held on. The eel tried to bite him, but it only took skin and muscle. It clawed at him, but his bones would not break. He killed the eel and roared out what he had done. More eels would come. Some with wings, some without. They would be angry that he had killed one of them, and that made him happy. Let them be angry. He would be gone. This time he would make it to the top of the high-stone. This time he would dive into the world-blood and let it burn and devour him, starting the cycle anew.

He would enter the earth and become strong. He would return to fight the eels pitting his runed-bones against their fire and lightning. They would not rule for long.

Name: Milo/Tallsqueak

Class: Were-rat Scout

Race: Ratkin

Level: 2

Experience Points: 3895/6000

Enhancement Points Available: 5

Enhancement Points Spent: 30

Vitals:

Health: 435 (+100 per Level) (+100 Cheese!)

Stamina: 850 (+100 per Level)

Mana: 850 (+200 per Level)

Stats:

STR: 3 (+2, Cheese!) (Rank 1)

DEX: 5 (+2 Racial bonus) (Rank 3)

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

CON: 2 (Rank 2)

INT: 7 (Rank 5) (Item: +2)

WIS: 3 (Rank 3)

CHA: 0 (Rank 0)

PER: 5 (+2 Racial bonus) (Rank 2

Racial Skills:

Tail Fighting (DEX) (Rank 2)

Weak Claws (DEX) (Rank 2)

Primary Skills:

Bonecasting (INT) (Rank 4)

Skulk (WIS) (Rank 1)

Climbing (AGI) (Rank 1)

Dodge AGI (Rank 3)

Acrobatics (AGI) (Rank 0)

Small Blades (DEX) (Rank 2)

Sense Danger (PER) (Rank 1)

Identify (PER) (Rank 1)

Weak Poison Resist (Con) (Rank 2)

Mycology (WIS) (Rank 2)

Secondary Skills:

Throw Sharp Things (DEX) (Rank 0)

Fleet of Foot (AGI) (Rank 3)

Manipulate Locks and Traps (DEX) (Rank 0)

Gathering Skills:

Mining (STR) (Rank 1)

Foraging (PER) (Rank 3)

Crafting Skills:

Mechanic (INT) (Rank 3)

Trap Making (INT) (Rank 1)

Lore Skills:

Runic Lore (INT) (Rank 0)

Perks and Special Abilities:

Shape Change to Human Form

Superior Low Light Vision

Dark Vision 20’

Enhances Sense of Smell

+100 mana per Level (Gift of the Oracle)

The Power of Cheese! (Varies by stage and appetite)

Hard-Runed Bones

Sharp-Runed Talons

Speed-Runed Skin

Enhancements:

Smugglers Stash 2 (Cost: 8)

Invisible Tail. (Cost: 8)

Jumping Jack 1 (Cost: 2)

Slashing Tail 1 Cost: 2)

Weak Poison Resistance (Cost: 5)

Not-so-good Regeneration (Cost: 5)

Items:

Ring of the Swiss Army

Bone-Runed Cowl (+2 INT)

Shadowblight

Spells:

Exploding Skull

Bone Spike

Mend Bones

Curse of Brittle Bones