Milo smelled something when he logged into the game. Something delicious. Something he really needed to find right now! He turned around to where his tutor, Galet, was sitting at a table having breakfast with a very small person with curly golden hair.

Milo stared at the table full of food, trying to figure out what smelled so good. He mostly ate the food cubes from the processor, or when he could get it, freeze dried meals.

"Come and sit, young Milo. I have a friend with me today, this is Sidney, a halfling from the golden vale."

Sidney pointed at the food. "Dig in. We've got plenty for the three of us, Galet made extra. Pancakes, eggs, bacon, and more bacon."

Milo sat down. "It does smell very good. Food in the game is so much better than...than where I live." He was putting a little of everything on his plate, tracking the smell. Was it the bacon? No, that smelled salty-tasty, but not what he was looking for. He finally found the source of the smell in a small pot. He spooned some of the yellow stuff onto his plate.

Sidney frowned. "That's uh…,that's cheese sauce, its goes well when you put down an English muffin first, then the ham, then the sauce. Want to try it?"

Milo was scooping up the cheese sauce with bacon. "No, this is fine. Really good. So much better than food cubes." He kept pausing to smell the cheese sauce. He would have to try to find this in the game. Maybe Harry knew where to get it.

"Is that what you normally eat? Food cubes?" Sidney asked him.

"Doesn't everyone? I mean, it's free." Milo got more bacon, this time pouring the cheese sauce on top.

Sydney nodded. "Oh, yep, free is good. Food cubes are free...so their good. So... how are you liking the game?"

Milo quit eating. There was no more cheese sauce. "I like it. It's nice and dark, and you can climb everywhere. I killed a boss and got some skill points I need to spend. I should get going. Thanks for breakfast." He entered the game as Sidney was trying to ask him something. "Wait, you killed a boss?!"

=*=

"Dammit, Steven. He's hacking the system somehow. He sat there laughing at me, slurping down cheese sauce and bragging about killing a boss."

Steven was looking at a picture of yellowish, glistening cubes in a bowl. "Here, I found a picture for you. And I hope I'm never desperate enough to eat one. They are used to meet the daily nutrition requirements in some of the habitats. It's a chicken flavored, enriched gel that gets pumped into each home. The gel goes into a tray, gets microwaved to cook it, then sliced into squares and presto, you have a bowl of food cubes. Cheap, nutritious, and horrible."

Sidney had her doubts. "And people actually eat this?"

"People with no choice eat this. Be glad you didn't even know what it was until now. But, if true, it's a clue about our mysterious Milo."

=*=

Milo appeared in the game, and stayed still for several minutes. Hearing nothing, he padded back towards Cronk's body. The big guy was rapidly drying out and shriveling up. It was easy to pick out the shiny bits of ore from his corpse. Over two thirds of the contents of the cart had been normal rock. The rest seemed a mixture of rich ores, the rocks heavy with the metal. He piled it all off to the side. Maybe he could take some back, see what it was worth? His identify skill showed it to be a mixture of metals but mostly copper.

The pick surprised him. It didn't look like much, but identify told him more.

Dwarven Mining Pick

Tier 2 (Fine Quality)

A solid steel head on a sturdy hickory shaft. This pick will easily mine Tier one rocks and ore, and mine normally through Tier 2 strata.

So maybe this was an old dwarven mine? Or maybe dwarves just made good picks and other miners used them?

He took a look at the dense, shiny ball that had been inside Cronk

Earthen Heartshroom (consumable).

This immense Heartshroom comes from a large cave guardian. It can be used in alchemy to make a large number of potions using Earth magics and has many other uses.

Heartshrooms may also be consumed by a brave individual. Effects will vary, but some type of ability will be gained that aligns with the type of Heartshrooms. You might also take root.

Kidding, that hardly ever happens.

Milo wasn't quite sure he wanted to do that. Maybe after he spent his Core Skill Points.

He had spent time on the forums for the game. There was a lot of information about the abilities in tier 1, and some stuff in tier 2. He got the feeling very few people had moved on to tier 2 so far. While a player could just take it easy and slowly level, to really excel they needed to somehow earn Core Skill Points, or CSP.

These were used to go shopping for special skills and abilities that increase a character’s power greatly. Killing bosses was the main way to do that, either solo or in a group. But crafters could also earn them from making an exceptional item. And harvesters could get them from elementals. These were weak bosses that could spawn while a person was gathering raw materials. He'd seen mention of a sentient tree in a forest, an earth elemental, and monster made out of left-over bits from a butcher. These usually gave only a couple of points.

Elementals were Named Bosses, the lowest category. After Named were Elites, and then Monstrous bosses. Elites were considered something groups would fight. Monstrous were usually a raid boss in a dungeon. If Cronk had gotten one hit on Milo, he was sure it would have killed him.

Everyone got access to the Generic Skills. There was a basic list, and then more to be found around the world.

Generic Core Skills: Any player has access to these Core Skills. Many more skills can be learned by finding teachers, reading books, completing quests, or doing mighty deeds.

Name

Description

Cost

Increase Health 1

+50 points to health score

2

Increase Health 2

+100 points to health score (Must have level 1 first.)

5

Increase Health 3

+150 points to health score (Must have level 2 first.)

10

Increase Mana 1

+50 points to Mana score

2

Increase Mana 2

+100 points to Mana score (Must have level 1 first.)

5

Increase Mana 3

+150 points to Mana score (Must have level 2 first.)

10

Increase Stamina 1

+50 points to Stamina score

2

Increase Stamina 2

+100 points to Stamina score (Must have level 1 first.)

5

Increase Stamina 3

+150 points to Stamina score (Must have level 2 first.)

10

Identification 1

Gives information on an item or creature of levels 1-5 even if you are a lower level.

3

Identification 2

Gives information on an item or creature of levels 6-10 even if you are a lower level.

5

Tier 1 Stats Cap Increase.

Increase the cap on a statistic. Hard cap of 5 ranks bought per stat. Hard cap of rank 10 in any stat.

1

Tier 1 Foundation Increase

Add 5 pts to one of your foundation skills

1

Bonus Points: These abilities add to your stats. Gaining bonuses does not affect stats gained by ranks. A total of 9 points may be bought this way in Tier 1.

Spirit of the Ox 1

+1 Bonus to STR. A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Spirit of the Bear 1

+1 Bonus to CON. A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Spirit of the Monkey 1

+1 Bonus to DEX. A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Spirit of the Owl 1

+1 Bonus to INT. A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Spirit of the Cheetah 1

+1 Bonus to AGI. A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Spirit of the Pig

+1 Bonus to WIS . A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Spirit of the Hawk

+1 Bonus to PER. A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Spirit of the Swan

+1 Bonus to CHA. A maximum of 3 points may be bought this way

3

Second Wind 1

Once per day, regain 20 Health/Mana/Stamina.

1

Second Wind 2

Once per day, regain 50 Health/Mana/Stamina.

3

Second Wind 3

Once per day, regain 100 Health/Mana/Stamina.

5

Breathless 1

You may hold your breath 3x as long. (3 minutes.)

1

Breathless 2

You may hold your breath 10x as long. (10 minutes.)

1

Milo was more interested in the class and race skills. He knew he had to raise his stats some, but he could do that with the use of skills and gaining EP for now. Smuggler's Stash looked very good, he'd have a safe spot to put his stuff.

He needed a better understanding of foundation. If you had a poor score in your foundation, then that type of ability started lagging behind, even though you were gaining levels. A score of 25 was good enough to cover Tier 1. He was a long way from needing to worry about it though.

Scout Core Skills

Name

Description

Cost

Smugglers Stash

Storage Skill. Summons/Dispels a magical chest. Size increases with rank. (3 cubic feet, 9 cubic feet, 27 cubic feet.)

3/5/7

Skilled Provider

Your gathering skills have an increased chance of finding better quality items

1/2/3

Abundance

Your gathering skills return more resources than normally expected.

(+10%/+25%/+50%/+75%/+100%)

1/2/3/4/5

Un-noticed 1

You have a stealth like skill that makes you un-noticed in normal settings by Tier 1 creatures. Combines well with Skulk

2

Silent Step 1

When trying to not be noticed, your steps make only 40% as much noise as normal. Combines well with Skulk

2

Unlimited Darkvision

You see in Darkness and Magical Darkness as normal, but in shades of gray. No limitations on distance.

10

Jumping Jack

You may leap twice as far as normal.

2

Fast Talk 1

Slightly increases the chance of someone believing your BS.

2

Fast Talk 2

Greatly increases the chance of someone believing your BS.

5

Never Lost

Vastly increased memory for keeping track of the routes you've taken before, reading maps, and following clues on treasure maps.

3

Twist the Knife

When your opponent is not focused on you, you have an increased chance of a critical hit. Knife not required.

2/5/10

Were-Rat Core Skills Tier 1

Name

Description

Cost

Strong Claws

Increased Claw Damage. Amount increases with rank.

(+10/+20/+40)

2/5/10

The Unseen Tail

Disguise/Illusion in Were form. Walk among humans in dark places and they suspect nothing! Works poorly in bright light.

3

The Invisible Tail

Improved Disguise/Illusion in Were form

Even in bright light, hardly ever does someone notice you aren't a boring human.

3

Whip-Tail

Your tail becomes a weapon equivalent to a small mace.

2

Slashing Tail

Your tail does increased damage and can slash.

(+10/+20/+40 Damage.) Requires Whip-Tail

2/5/10

Many small eyes

Make friends with local rats who will (maybe) do some scouting for you.

2

See through small eyes

Increased control of your small scouts and you are able to use their eyes instead of your own.

3

Cheesemaking

An honorable tradition! So tasty! INT crafting skill

1

Poison Resistance

Gain the CON skill Poison Resistance. Cost depends on whether the skill is Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary

1/2/5

Disease Resistance

Gain the CON skill Disease Resistance. Cost depends on whether the skill is Primary, Secondary, or Tertiary

1/2/5

Extra Stabby!

All of your attacks have an increased chance of a critical hit.

2/5/10

Extra Clever Traps

Your traps and machinery almost always work, and in fiendish ways no one suspected. Even you are surprised at times. This core skill affects Mechanic, Trap-Maker, and other such skills.

3/6/9

Not-so-fast Regeneration

Grants increased, (x2), health recovery. Slowly regenerate scar tissue, and missing body parts. A steady diet of cheese speeds the process.

5

Pretty-Good Regeneration

Grants increased, (x4), health recovery. Regenerate scar tissue, and missing body parts in less than a week. A steady diet of cheese speeds the process.

10

Mutant Regeneration

Grants increased, (x12), health recovery. Regenerate scar tissue, and missing body parts in less than a day.

Warning: As with all mutations, there can be significant side effects.

20

"I'm the Boss!!"

Intimidation skill. Other Rat-kin are starting to fear your power, and everyone knows that means respect! Only the strong lead. Primary CHA skill.

5/10/15

Magical Aspects open up options to learn more mage skills. Each additional aspect has an increased cost.

Chill of the Grave

You have a high Death aspect. Training will let you learn Death magics. Increasing cost with additional aspects. Increase your Corruption by +1. Opens more options for mage abilities. Increased ranks decrease mana costs of casting spells.

5/10/25

Deeds in the Dark

You have a high darkness aspect. Training will let you learn dark magics. Increasing cost with additional aspects. Increase your Corruption by +1. Opens more options for mage abilities. Increased ranks decrease mana costs of casting spells.

5/10/25

Storm Born

You have a high Storm aspect. Training will let you learn Storm magics. Increasing cost with additional aspects. Opens more options for mage abilities. Increased ranks decrease mana costs of casting spells.

5/10/25

He wanted everything of course. The last list was especially tasty.

He immediately spent points on The Unseen Tail and Whip Tail. Being able to move around in his were-rat form would save a lot of trouble. He'd have to test it out in Shadowcove and see what the limits were. If it worked, he would get the second level later.

Whip Tail gave him an extra weapon in combat, and one he that most people wouldn't suspect.

After a bit more thought, he got Smugglers Stash, and Jumping Jack. Moving over roofs and climbing tunnels often involved leaping. Having a way to transport more stuff would be great, it was a long way up to Shadowport.

He tried to look up similar items on the forums. He found hundreds of threads complaining about a lack of storage devices and skills, but very little about the skills themselves. One thread claimed there were rings that some imperial agents wore that stored messages and small items. Another hinted about an ability at Tier 2 that gave a player storage space. The only really reliable storage players seemed to have was a 'Home Chest' that was in a bank or inn near your respawn point. Why didn't he have one? He'd have to look into that.

He activated Smugglers Stash to try it out. A beat-up oak chest appeared in front of him. He couldn't move it at all, but he could open it up. It took 25 mana to summon it, and nothing to send it away. The size of the chest was 3'x1'x1'.

To test it, he filled it up with the good ore pieces, and some of the gears and pulleys he'd found at the top of the shaft. Plenty of room still, he made another trip up to the top and tossed down all the machine parts that he thought would fit. When the chest was full of rocks and metal, he dismissed it. It quickly faded from view. He was very tempted to take the second level of storage. He hated the thought of leaving things he might need. A life of never having enough materials warred with survival instincts that said "being dead is bad". There were stealth skills, regen, and extra health that he could purchase. What happened to the chest if he died? Testing and research first. He saved the points for now.

Next chore was assigning his 500 Boss EP from killing Cronk. He could only put that into Mechanic, Fleet of Foot, Acrobatics, or Climbing. Level 1 in a skill was only 50 points, but from there it climbed to 300 for level 2 and 300 for level 3.

Fleet of Foot had only gained 15 EP, moving up slower because it was a secondary skill. Running from things that wanted to kill you seemed really important. He dumped 285 points into the skill. He'd noticed that unlike regular EP, Boss EP wasn't affected by the 1/3 and 1/10th modifiers to secondary and tertiary skills. Acrobatics and Climbing he felt he would be using a lot, so he put the remaining EP into Mechanic.

As soon as he completed putting in the Boss EP, he received a message.

Congratulations! You have achieved Level 1!

EP needed for Level 2 = 3000. You currently have 1320/3000 EP

Gains over Level 1:

Mechanic has reached Level 2.

Fleet of Foot has reached Level 2.

Dodge has reached Level 1.

Small Blades has reached Level 1.

Acrobatics has reached Level 1.

Climbing has reached Level 1.

AGI has reached Level 2. Total of 4.

DEX has reached Level 1. Total of 3.

INT has reached Level 2.

PER has reached Level 1. Total of 3

You chose the Identify skill to fill an open slot.

You have gained 15 CSP. You have 5 CSP you can spend.

You purchased Smugglers Stash, first level.

You purchased Unseen Tail.

You purchased Whip Tail.

You purchased Jumping Jack

You have encountered CHEESE! You have a minor yearning to eat more CHEESE!

As Milo read the last part, he had a sudden craving for more of the cheese sauce he had for breakfast. Maybe he should just head straight up to Shadowcove? He should be able to sneak around all the shrooms now that Cronk was gone.

He looked around at the boarded-up tunnels. Where did they go? He wanted to know.

He needed supplies, and some better gear. Time to get back to Harry, get paid, see if he could sell this ore, and then get a small cheesy snack.