《Tunnel Rat》Chapter 21: Stinky Cheese!
Advertisement
The night market was in full swing when Milo emerged from the guildhall. He needed to do some shopping, and he felt much calmer here in the gloom near Light's End. Between the shadows, and spending points on The Invisible Tail, he was confident he could roam around in his normal skin here, no one the wiser.
He'd made the trip back across the rooftops without much incident. A few things had been thrown at him from windows, and he'd stumbled over two teen-agers involved in romance upon one roof, but overall, it was quicker than using the streets. And he'd gotten a great view of an airship! A very small dirigible had gone overhead, propellers pushing it forward. The gasbag didn't seem anywhere near big enough to hold it up. Some sort of magic must be involved. Milo sat and watched as it gained altitude and finally docked at one of the hanging buildings near the ceiling.
The guild had purchased all of his deep copper ore. It had been a chore packing it up the stairs. He unloaded it into bags and took three trips to get it all upstairs. He didn't want to reveal his stash withing the guild. Instead, he found a secluded spot in the caves and transferred the ore to several heavy bags. A couple of the miners had laughed as he was struggling to pack it up. The burly men could have easily taken it all in one load. After selling the copper he was 30 silver richer.
The parts from the machinery had surprisingly been worth more. When he dumped out the assortment of gears, broken sprockets, and chain drives the appraiser's face had gone from curiosity to greed. "Oh, nice, very nice. Old work here, where did you say you found these?"
Milo kept his answers vague. "Down deep, I got lost wandering through caves, ran from some critters, found an old mineshaft and a machine. Not sure if I can find it again."
The old dwarf knew a deflection when he heard one. "Well, if you suddenly remember, bring me more of it. These are hardened dark iron. After the parts are forged, some of the old smiths had a way to harden the outer layers of the metal, and leave the inner layers still flexible. Ideal for machine parts." He'd given Milo 100 silver for the parts, quite a sum of cash, and now it was time to go shopping at the nearby market.
Advertisement
His first priorities were food and carving tools. While looking through the food vendors, he smelled something delicious! He began running, dodging through the light crowds, diving under tables, and leaping over obstacles. Vendors cursed behind him and urchins took advantage of his disruption to steal food and goods. Milo was unaware of all of this, he just kept following his nose. And his nose led him to a small store on the edge of the market, near fish vendors and soap makers. The shoppers in this area held sachets of spices to their noses or had a cloth on their face.
Milo stood before the cheese shop and inhaled the strong aroma of dozens of cheeses. Two halflings were behind the counter. An older woman was working at a stove, dipping large cubes of cheese into a boiling pot of red was. She saw Milo and nodded at him. "Be right with you sir!". The other halfling was much younger and male. He currently was reclining in an old chair, snoring, with his large and hairy feet on the counter. The old woman kicked out with a foot, tipping the chair over and knocking him to the floor. "Ah hell, grandma, why'd you have to wake me up again?"
Grandma snorted and whispered at him. "Get up, Jethro, you lazy lout. A customer needs to be taken care of!"
Jethro dusted himself off and smiled at Milo. "Sir, welcome to our shop. We make the best stinky cheese..." He was cut off by a glare from his grandma. "um...the finest varieties of fragrant cheeses in all of the city."
Milo was drooling. "I can't believe I didn't smell your shop the last time I was in the market."
Jethro leaned forward and spoke in a stage whisper. "It's a terrible thing sir, but the authorities make us move around a lot for some reason. Makes it difficult for our best customers to find us."
"But enough about the troubles of hard-working merchants. What type of delicacy can I get for you today? A nice slice of gorgonzola? My grandma is just sealing our latest batch of freshly made, aged cheddar. Take home a block, you won't be disappointed. And for the brave soul with taste for the exotic, I have a round of liederkranz. And we always have plenty of limburger."
Advertisement
Milo's eyes darted around the stand. "I'll take all your cheese."
Jethro suppressed a smile at the thought of selling a huge platter of cheese. "Very good sir. One assortment of all of it coming right up. Would you prefer a basket of a dozen samples? Our finest assortment of 30 slices? And our 'feed the neighborhood' basket comes with a bit of all 57 of our slinkiest cheeses in all their pungent glory."
Milo put down the bag of copper Harry had paid him and added a handful of silver. "I didn't ask you for a menu, I said 'I'll take all your cheese.' "
Jethro stammered a bit upon seeing the money. Grandma looked at Milo and saw he was shaking and taking deep breaths. "Dammit Jethro, back away now and start packing it all up. I've dealt with his type before. Get moving!"
Turning to Milo, she handed him a large chunk of freshly made, aged cheddar. "Here sir, why don't you start on this to take the edge off of your hunger while we get you all packed up?" As Milo began to gnaw on the cheddar, she expertly scooped the money into her apron while keeping an eye on him.
When all the cheese in the stand was packed up, Milo had finished his snack and was feeling better. He looked at the assortment of boxes and bags and realized he couldn't carry them all. He looked over at the two happy but nervous cheese makers. "If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone with my cheese for a bit."
Jethro scratched his head, confused. "Why do you need...."
Grandma grabbed Jethro by the arm and dragged him out of the stand, pulling the leather curtains closed. "We totally understand sir. We'll give you some time with your purchases. Come on Jethro, its lunch time."
As she dragged her grandson away, she shook her finger and admonished him. "What have I told you about his type? When they get the hunger, you need to be careful. Don't end up like your Uncle Philmont." Jethro didn't know he'd ever had an Uncle Philmont.
Milo spent his last CSP to buy the second level of Smuggler's Stash. That gave him 9 square feet of room. The chest was now a cube with each side a little more than two feet long. He filled the chest with cheese along with a lovely fondue set that Grandma had added to the deal, then put a couple of blocks of cheddar into his backpack. Dismissing the chest he continued on his way, able to think a bit better. Time to go pick up the rest of the gear he needed for a good explore of the old mines.
Shopping list:
-Engraving and carving tools.
-Dried meats and bread.
-Rope, pitons,
-blank journal and pen/ink
-3 water skins
-clean underclothes
-saw
-mechanics tools
He was nearly broke when he finished, with only 3 coppers left in his pouch. With a backpack full of supplies and a belly full of cheese, he started to head back down to find Harry and do some more mining and exploring.
Your racial addiction to cheese has increased! You will now receive a bonus to your health regeneration when you have kept up a constant diet of nutritious cheese. In addition, your health is increased by +50 points and your STR by +2.
If you go one day without eating a pound of cheese, your health will be decreased by -50 points, and your wisdom will be reduced by -2. So, stay healthy, and eat your cheese!
When Jethro and his grandmother returned, they found not even a crumb in their stall. Grandmother looked around while jingling the coin in her pocket. "Just like I thought, he's a hungry one. Worst I’ve seen."
Jethro asked, "So what do we do?"
"You have to ask, boy? We get the clan to work making more cheese and get rich when he comes back for more."
Advertisement
- In Serial128 Chapters
The Abyssal Dungeon
The world of Vol, a huge, bountiful plane where the only constant is life, in its many, many forms. One such form is a dungeon core, a peculiar little gemstone, and the focus of our attention. Watch as this otherwise unremarkable gem awakens in one of the most resplendant places in Vol, an aptly named Mana Reef, and how it turns its simple hole in the ocean floor into something truly unique, all while the rest of the world is forced to deal with its growth. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is my first venture into writing for fun, and I'm hoping to keep this running until I run out of juice. With that said, I very much enjoy dungeon core novels, and wanted to do one a bit outside the norm. Hope you enjoy! If you want to come stop by the discord, I know we'd all be more than happy to welcome you! https://discord.gg/pcR5g5XX8h
8 645 - In Serial6 Chapters
Reborn with a maxed out intelligence skill
Matthew Smith is a normal boy. Well, he used to be a normal boy before he died. Now, after getting reborn into another world he is given another chance. Another chance to have a life full of adventures and happiness. To achieve a life like this he is given a special skill. A maxed out intelligence skill. Think of it as a rewrite for the "Reborn with 1600 iq" but with more mystery and fun stuff.
8 220 - In Serial54 Chapters
Animus-Blade: Sword Singer
My first story, feedback is appreciated. Fifteen-year-old bookworm Joan lived a poor but sheltered life, her only worry was the upcoming rite that granted individuals of her age a soulbound magic weapon called an Animus-blade. Failure to acquire one labelled you as an outcast who is left to rot by society at large and Joan has good reason to believe that she will be among them. But after her only friend, Alessia goes missing Joan is slowly dragged into the cruel world and is forced to decide how she will confront the darkness in the recesses of humanity or be broken by it. [Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge - April 2022]
8 212 - In Serial15 Chapters
Dark Winter
It is always darkest before the dawn. After the divorce, Katie Fox was forced to live with her mother in New York after the judge ruled that her father, a former Army Ranger, wasn’t stable enough. They called him ‘that crazy bunker guy’ or ‘that paranoid freak.’ Whatever they called him, Christopher Fox was a Prepper. He taught those willing to listen how to survive in a catastrophe and how to prepare for the end of the world. More than that though, he was her father and she would rather spend her life in his underground bunker than another minute in that New York highrise. So, she ran away. The date is November 28th, Black Friday and hell has been unleashed on the world. A freak storm mixes with a deadly virus that turns its victims into mindless hunters of flesh. Katie will have to use everything her father taught her to survive and reach the safety of his underground bunker. Note from the author: Thanks for stopping by! The plan is to upload a chapter every Saturday or Sunday (as my schedule allows). Hope you enjoy the story!
8 163 - In Serial51 Chapters
wrong number // p.m ♡
in which kayla texts the wrong number, but will this change her life, and for better or for worse?
8 159 - In Serial57 Chapters
The Alpha's Breeder ✔️ COMPLETE
After being kidnapped by a group of vengeful werewolves, Emira finds herself in one hell of a situation.Her true soul mate is a Cardinal Alpha who is hell-bent on keeping her. And, to make matters worse, she only has 6 moon cycles to be 'marked, mated, and pupped'.What does that even mean? ...Snippet :"It has taken me far too long to find you. How could I let go of you?" he rumbled softly as if in contemplation, "How could I reject the best part of me?" His voice is deep and velvety with a husky undertone that seems to become even more heated with every word he speaks. I find myself completely enthralled by his longing tone of voice."I will give you time, mate. But it does not mean I will stand by and watch you without attempting to...entice you," he rumbled out with this really sinfully erotic voice that caused my heart to stumble. I think he already has me where he wants me....Both main characters are virgins.WARNING : Mature content, dark themes, sexual references. If you like emotional roller coasters than feel free to join! Chapter 35 has been shortened.** At the beginning of a chapter indicates that the chapter contains explicit sexual content not suitable for all readers. Proceed with caution....THE FULLY EDITED VERSION WITH EXTRA STEAMY CONTENT IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ON AMAZON!!!! Clickable link is in my profile!The Alpha's Breeder : https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07Q85WHG2
8 133