Tunnel Rat-Chapter 403: Apple Core, Tier Four, nothing more.

Milo remembered when he'd first encountered Volax-Repat and seen how the great creature was covered in small bony plates that moved and flexed like an intricate set of scale armor. Or like interlocking graphene-iridium microplates. His bony armor wasn't anywhere near as complex. It was protective and flexed where it needed to, but it was also somewhat bulky, and he had to be careful with some of his acrobatics. He wished he could look again at Volax-Repats' armor. Sitting on top of an Arcane Library floating in the Void seemed like a bad idea. But the tail-tip from the rotting eel tooth was giving him a second chance.

The specimen was worn and decayed from seawater and eel spit, but some of it had survived, and the core held a runic structure similar to what he could see in Altar-Viatar's gargantuan bones. With his goggles, he could see the intricate structure of the remains of the armor and the reinforced structure of the small bone. After observing for over an hour, the system sent a message, with its usual dislike for something older than itself.

Through your untiring efforts, we have discovered the major cause of tooth decay in the Ancient Eels! Aren't you thrilled? Better teeth will make it easier to chew you into bite-sized pieces. Kidding...you are barely a morsel even if they swallow you whole.

You have identified the decayed tail tip of an ancient species and learned something new that may be applied to your Bonemancy Spells in the future. It will take further study to unlock all of its secrets. But for now, you have succeeded in strengthening your bones with layers of interlocking Hard Runes. Whatever those are.

You gain +3 Toughness. Your bones are unbreakable from normal blows and stress. (Note: You manage to hurt yourself regularly in 'not-normal' ways.)

He could feel the change inside himself and watched the bones in his good hand change as the network he'd been building propagated throughout his skeleton and claws. His ruined arm was still rebuilding itself. There were options open to him because of that. But he needed to gain his new class first. And to do that, he needed to first spend the Enhancement points he'd gained.

He was curious if other players had run into the large, hidden quests that the game hid within storylines, even stories that seemed to be generated by the players themselves.

He'd gained a lot of his current bonanza for his work in changing Shadowport, hopefully for the better. More than just establishing a trade route from the Hollow to the Engineering Outpost and finding the ancient city. That had involved killing some horrible creatures, but the changes made in the world were just as significant. And now he needed to spend 200 points. A few things he'd been thinking about for some time. He'd found others in the various lists he now had access to.

Deeprock Engineer Enhancements: 55 points total

Enhance Machinery 1:

If a Deeprock Engineer didn't contribute to a machine's design, it isn't as good as it should be. Rebalancing, better materials, better fuel, design tweaks, and Engineering Runes will make it better, and at least 20% more efficient.

Cost: 5 points.

Enhance Machinery 2:

And a Senior Engineer can make it even better, with at least a 40% increase over the original. The design might be strange, utilizing several 'shortcuts' that every Senior Engineer develops.

Cost 10 points.

Explosion Resistance: Gain the skill of Explosion Resistance (CON). You never know when a loose nut gets tossed into a gearbox and everything goes BOOM!

Cost: 10 points.

Shock Resistance: Gain the skill Shock Resistance (CON). Sure, you thought the power was off...!

Cost: 10 points.

Heat Resistance: Gain the skill Heat Resistance (CON). Machines get hot. Blame Thermodynamics and get over it. Or learn to live with it!

Cost: 10 points.

And the last two looked useful. One he'd learned of from Sledgemonkey, and the second from Black Eddie's journals after extensive reading.

Advanced Mech-Suit plate joining techniques: Tired of moving like a human in a suit of plate armor?

Cost: 5 points.

Micro-assembly of magi-tech circuitry

Cost: 5 points

Increased Stats: 84 points total. STR, INT, WIS, DEX, AGI, CHA, and PER.

That was a lot of points, but the increases were essential. While he could buy other abilities later, if he passed on increasing his stats in this tier, he lost the opportunity. And as he went up in Tiers, each point of those stats became more valuable.

The Hollow had several things he wanted, including Major Poison Resistance, Surprise!, and Advanced Stealthy Skulking. He put those on the 'Maybe or Later' list. As usual, there were too many things to buy once he got going. Increased health and mana, increased damage, claw and tail attacks, and the idea he had in the back of his head that wouldn't go away. He stared at his healing arm for a few minutes, then went ahead and spent the points. It either worked, or it didn't. He'd find a use for all the skills one way or another.

Light of the World: Gain the Aspect of Light and +1 Radiance. You have access to training in Light, Radiance, and Sunlight aspected magic.

Cost: 10 points.

Stars in your eyes: Gain the Aspect of Starlight. You have opened up the ability to learn Celestial-aligned magic spells.

Cost: 15 points

Playing with Fire: Gain the Aspect of Fire: You may learn and train spells with the Aspect of Fire and Flames.

Cost: 20 points

It was a costly experiment, especially since to gain more than beginner spells, he'd have to find an Arcane college, either Uptop or somewhere below. But that wasn't his main goal. With 16 points left to spend, he picked up Magic Sense 1, 2, and 3 for fourteen points, and Canine Speech for two points. With his goggles, he didn't need Magic Sense if looking at something to identify it, or an incoming spell. But it might help him with controlling intricate spells that he wanted to cast. And he felt he wasn't holding his own in conversations with Georgie.

That done. He moved to Tier Four.

Welcome, Wandering Sage Milo (or is it Tallsqueak?) to the lofty Fourth Tier of Existence

As a Wandering Sage, you gain +3 PER, +3 WIS, +3 CHA, and the unprecedented bonus of+5 Free points.

This class focuses on research, archeology, learning new things from diverse cultures, and passing on what you know to others.

But wait! There's more! We'll also send you these great Perks and Skills!

-New Perk: Probably Harmless.

-New Perk: Probably tastes terrible.

Gain Skill: Alchemy

Gain Skill: Minor Medicine

Gain Skill: Rustic Cooking

And we're moving your Vitals around a bit to reflect your new class and your role as a mentor, teacher, and harmless wanderer. (My, I said that with a straight face.)

Health: +75 per level. (Your studies give little time for physical activity.)

Stamina: +75 per level. (Your long travels have sapped some of your vitality.)

Mana: +200 per level. (Great knowledge brings greater power.)

-Points of INT, CHA, or WIS will add 80 mana.

-Points of STR will add 70 stamina and 50 health.

-Points of CON will add 50 stamina and 70 health.

-Points of TOU will add 100 Health and +2 Universal Mitigation.

Milestone skills for raising INT and DEX to 45, and AGI and PER to 30 have increased! You also scored bonuses for Quadratic and Trifecta.

Skilled Acrobat:

You have an uncanny skill that involves tumbling, walking a tightrope, bouncing around cages, and swinging from a trapeze. If you have an evasive defense skill, such as dodge, it gains a 35% bonus.

Faster Draw:

Others might pause at the start of a conflict, but not you. A spell, formation, or weapon is immediately at hand, and you attack before your opponent, as long as you are not surprised. Even if surprised, you will be able to make a defensive maneuver.

Faster Casting:

When you cast an attack spell or Runic Formation, you may immediately repeat the spell at the cost of twice the mana of the original spell or Runic Formation.

You may do this even when reacting and using a counter-attack.

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 cuts off your fingers or puts a knife in your throat. You may cast a spell or use a simple Runic Formation you have practiced instead of a physical attack. If you do damage, their spell is disrupted.

Keeping all the Balls in the Air:

You are adept at juggling items in the air. You may also catch things thrown at you and return them to their owner. You are also skilled at sleight of hand and gain large bonuses for skills such as Pickpocket or Gambling. Your mind naturally calculates trajectories and orbits, and the interactions of objects in motion.

You have a +35% chance to hit with physical ranged attacks or spell attacks that must be aimed.

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! You may work on separate projects with each appendage.

Improved Uncanny Dodge:

If you are aware of the source of an attack, you gain +40% to any chance to avoid the damage. It is nearly impossible for Tier one and Tier 2 creatures to hit you unless in very special circumstances, such as overwhelming odds or something that hinders you from dodging. (Watch out for those Tar Babies.)

Sense Danger (PER) Rank 15

Identify (PER) Rank 12

Weak Poison Resist (CON) Rank 11

Strong Poison Resistance (CON) Rank 12

Weak Disease Resistance (CON) Rank 9

Basic Fire Resistance (CON) Rank 6

Mycology (WIS) Rank 12

Diplomacy (CHA) Rank 11

Secondary Skills:

Throw Sharp Things (DEX) Rank 8

Manipulate Locks and Traps (DEX) Rank 10

Gathering Skills:

Mining (STR) Rank 15

Foraging (PER) Rank 15

Skinning (DEX) Rank 0

Crafting Skills:

Hydraulics (INT) Rank 5

Ore Processing (INT) Rank 12

Chemistry (INT) Rank 9

Physics (INT) Rank 15

Pulley Systems (INT) Rank 9

Metallurgy (INT) Rank 12

Tool Making (INT) Rank 7

Mechanic (INT) Rank 12

Trap Making (INT) Rank 9

Bone Carving (DEX) Rank 11

Rune Carving (DEX) Rank 115

Smithing (STR) Rank 9

Lore Skills:

Ancient Runic Lore (INT) Rank 15

System Runic Lore (INT) Rank 15

Dwarven Engineering Rune Lore (INT) Rank 12

Enhancements:

Increased Health 2: (+150 Health)

Increased Mana 2: (+150 Mana)

Increased Stamina: 1 (+50 Stamina)

Diplomacy: Gain the primary skill: Diplomacy, using either INT or CHA. Smile and Lie like a Professional

Guardian Pet 2: Who's the Big Dog? Your pet increases in both size and intelligence.

Smugglers' Stash 4: Storage Skill. Summons/Dispels a magical chest. Size increases with rank. Currently 54 cubic feet.

Invisible Tail: Even in bright light, everyone thinks you are a boring human. Stay away from mages who can see through illusions. And guards with high perception. And dogs!

Jumping Jack 2:You may leap three times as far as normal.

Slashing Tail 2: Your tail does increased damage and can slash at your foes like a whip. Damage is increased by +30

Strong Claws 3: Increased Claw Damage by +40.

Weak Poison Resistance: Gain the Primary CON skill: Weak Poison Resistance.

Strong Poison Resistance: Gain the Primary CON skill: Strong Poison Resistance.

Weak Disease Resistance: Gain the Primary CON skill: Weak Disease Resistance

Near Fiendish Regeneration: Grants increased (x24), health recovery. Slowly regenerate scar tissue and missing body parts. A steady diet of cheese speeds up the process.

Breathless 3: You may hold your breath for 10x as long. (10 minutes.)

Abundance 3: Your gathering skills return +50% more resources than normally expected.

Skilled Provider 3: Your gathering skills have a significantly increased chance of finding better quality items and even rare items.

ShadowSkulking 4: Reduce the Perception of anyone trying to detect your presence, see through your human/rat illusion, or use an identify skill upon you.

Fiendish Traps 3: Your traps and machinery almost always work, and in fiendish ways no one (sometimes even you!) suspected. Everyone gets a surprise. This core skill affects Mechanics, Trap-Maker, and other such skills.

Never Lost: You gain a better memory of the routes you take, giving you maps to track where you have been.

Unlimited Dark Vision: You see in Darkness and Magical Darkness as if it were a cloudy day, but in shades of gray.

Second Wind 4: Once per day, regain 200 each of Mana, Stamina, and Health, with a single breath.

Extra Stabby 3: Increased chance of critical hits.

Extra Rib of Magna-Stultas: +100 Mana Per Tier

Blessing of the Oracle of Oblivion: (+100 Mana per Level)

Blessing of Regulus Tyborian: While bound to the Bone-Runed Cowl, you gain +2 Int.

Speed-Runed Skin: For the cost of 100 stamina, you increase your swimming speed to twice that of your land speed. Duration 30 minutes, you leave the water, or you lose your skin.

Interwoven 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 Talons: Your Talons are extensions of your bones. Use your sharp talons to hunt the eels wherever they are. Claw attacks will do +20 damage per Tier.

Stone Sense: Even in complete darkness, you can 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.

Enhanced Sense of Smell: Not as good as your lizard, but a lot better than a human.

The Power of Cheese!: (Variable)

Blessing of Hecate: Canine Speech.

Magical Items:

Signet Ring of the Scout Master

+10% to avoid blows you are aware of.

+3 Ranks to Sense Danger skills.

Storage area 1: 12 Potions.

Storage area 2: 50 arrows, spears, javelins, shuriken, or other ammunition.

Storage area 3: Up to 10 pounds of clothing.

Storage area 4: Up to four gathering bags of any type.

Signet Ring of the Warmaster

+5 STR, +5 CON, Quartermaster's Supply Tent

When the first Master Rings were forged, the wise ones foresaw the time when foes would arise so mighty that one Hollow would not be able to win against them. The Ring of the Warmaster was forged and given to Harthan Straight-Tail to signify his position as Warmaster of the Hollows. Along with the Ring of the Arch Mage and Ring of the Cheese Master General, these rings were known as Grand Master Rings.

Basic Storage available: 1 weapon, one cheese, and one pillow.

Rune Boned Cowl

+2 INT, Grants the ability to use Bonecasting Spells. Soulbound Item.

Shadow Blight (Legendary Ratkin Spikeystick)

This ancient spikeystick has been used by generations of ratkin champions to slay their foes and instill fear in their enemies. The carvings on the bone spikes will weaken your foes, robbing their attacks of damage as Shadowblight curses them.

Foes will do -10 damage against you with melee weapons for each wound that you inflict upon them. The weakness stacks and will last for one minute. As they weaken, your strikes find the weak points in their armor. For each curse applied, your foe's armor will be decreased by 10, increasing your damage.

Base chance to hit: 40% +5xDex%+5%x Small Blades

Base damage: 40 + 5xDex + Rank in Small Blades x5

Slay more foes to reveal more of Shadowblight's powers.

Soul-bound Black Pick of Skulking

This sturdy pick is made of Tier 4 materials and will cut through lesser materials with ease. When mining, the normal sound of a tool hitting rocks is decreased by 75% and the sound dies out entirely after 50 feet.

Eveldeeves Spiked Collar of Pain-Gifting:

This fashionable collar was created by the Dark Elf Fashionista Eveldeeves and worn by her champion during Murderfest VI. 25% of the damage done to the wearer is gifted back to the striker. Very fashionable and often sold in matching sets to loving couples. This item is sized perfectly for that special lizard in your life.

Ring of the Swiss Army.

Made by the Archmagi Elsener and given to each member of the mage corps of Swissleland. This ring can cast the following spells without the need for mana. Each spell may be cast 1 time each day.

Darn Socks (2 pairs)

Water Breathing (self, 1 Hour)

Summon Nut Cracker (Lasts until no more nuts present in 10'.)

Protection from biting and stinging insects (Keeps them at bay for 1 hour.)

Heat Fondue (Creates a small flame that will heat oil or other things in a fondue pot. Duration 4 hours.)

Sharpen Tool. (4 sharpenings per day.)

Karl's Handy Tent Helper (Sets up a large tent or packs it up. Usable twice a day.)

Summon Guard Lizard (Bring a Guard Lizard from the Feenokioki swamp to guard your camp for 8 hours.)

Deflect Minor Blame (Something bad happened, can't be your fault, must be someone else! ).

Dog Bite Fixer (Takes the edge off of nasty hangovers.)

Summon Wine (1 Quart, quality varies.)

Cleansing Pantaloons of the Agile Skulker

+2 to Agility

Extra Skulky: -4 to any perception checks to a creature trying to detect the wearer.

Self-Cleaning and Self-Repairing. One size fits all

Spells:

Harpoon of the Winds.

By carving a Rune of Destruction and a Rune of Velocity into a small bone harpoon, you create a powerful ranged weapon.

Base damage of 200.

+60 Damage for INT above 10

Modifier: +30% damage for Skill: Ancient Runes (6)

Total Base Damage: 338

Exploding Skull: Charge a skull with your mana and hurl it at your enemies, damaging anyone within 20 feet of its impact point. Cost: 50 mana. If a prepared rune-carved skull is used, the normal damage of 50 is increased to 75 points and the area to 30 feet in radius.

Mend Bones: A healing spell that affects only bones. Heal fractures and breaks. Particularly bad breaks will need additional mana. Normal Cost: 50 mana per bone.

The Curse of Brittle Bones: Your enemy's bones break easily, and attacks with a physical impact will do additional damage. The curse has a cost of 100 mana, a duration of one hour, and a range of 20 ft.

Extra-Rib: Gain power by adding a rib bone from a sentient, spell-casting race to your ribcage. Effects will vary.

Ball of Starlight: Light your way with a small glowing sphere captured from the stars.

Warmball: Not quite a fireball. Useful for starting fires and burning bugs

Ray of Light: Deals minor damage to creatures, and slightly more to daemons

Spark: Create a small electrical discharge.

"I'm thinking I like the new me. Especially my mana pool. I have some ideas for how to put it to use. Now, I think you owe me a reward from that large chest over there."

Milo got up from where he'd been lying for days. He unwound the bandages and looked at his regrown arm and hand. His fur was just starting to regrow, as shiny and lustrous as ever. He clenched his fist, looking at the interlocking runes in his bones, and the runic formation burned into his palm. He wasn't quite ready to experiment yet. He needed to talk to Gendifur about some of the small control runes she used. They were precise and ideally suited for controlling the flow of liquids and gases in the body. And he needed to check his calculations carefully.

But before he became absorbed in the math of his new experiment, he had a large Loot Chest to open.