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

Chapter 32:

Milo woke up. He looked around him. He was held down by chains. There was a considerable amount of blood making a mess of the floor, and his side ached. Cichol was sitting on a stool, looking at him curiously.

"So, tell me about that old bone. As soon as it was attached to you, it began inscribing runes onto the rest of your skeleton and making other changes. I have studied twelve different runic systems created by trolls, dwarves, elves, and dragons, yet those are older and stranger."

Milo felt his side. "It's old. Very, very, very old. And...."

Cichol waited a minute as Milo thought hard about something. "And what?"

"And it's not a rib bone."

Cichol looked very curious. "And what bone do you think it is?" The old Bonecaster unlocked the shackles and tossed him a wet cloth, indicating he should clean up the floor.

"I think,” Milo said, a bit of awe on his face, "That it's part of one of the little bones from inside the ear."

Congratulations! You have lived through the First Ritual of Enhancement: Extra-Rib!

This ritual grants you increased magical power as you add a fraction of the rib-donor’s mana to your own.

You have gained: +100 Mana per Tier. You may not gain a level of this ability past the final Tier the rib-donor attained.

Max tier: 9

Warning: You have gained the enmity of an ancient race: 'Eels'

You have gained ...complications...associated with the ancient race the bone came from.

The world simply is not big enough for you both. You will hunt them. They will hunt you. You gain double experience and enhancement points granted for killing 'Eels.’ (And they get bonuses for killing you. That’s only fair!)

This bone contains Ancient Runes! No one of this time understands these remnants of a bygone age. (So, I have no idea what the hell you may have messed up in your body. If you drop over dead, don’t blame me.)

You have gained abilities associated with the runes on the petrified bone you stuck into your spine.

Hard-Runed Bones: Your bones are hard. Falls and blunt trauma do far less damage to you. 50% of force damage and blunt weapon damage is mitigated.

Sharp-Runed Claws: Your claws are hard extensions of your bones. Use your sharp talons to hunt the eels wherever they are. Claw attacks will do +20 damage per Tier.

You may not gain a level of this ability past the final Tier the rib-donor attained.

Speed-Runed Skin: You swim very fast in live-water. Fast enough to out-race an eel!! As long as there is mana in the water to power the rune, you have a swimming speed of twice your speed over land.

You have gained ten enhancement points. You will need them.

Hic iugulandi dracones, hic lucri praemia divites; si quaerendo perimus, quare mors quantula est?