Milo woke up.

He felt much better than he thought he would. His wound was fully healed, and his aches and pains were gone. He had to agree with some of the people he had talked to on the forums: Ratkin were OP, and regeneration was awesome. He didn't understand why anyone played a human. Just the tail alone was such an advantage. And if you couldn't handle a tail, be a dwarf. Their racial toughness stat was a big advantage.

He wondered briefly why the world was overpopulated with humans. But after some thought, he and concluded that it wasn't. The earth had 200 million square miles of surface area, but the volume in cubic miles was 13,000 times as much. And Genesis was bigger than earth and riddled with tunnels like an excellent swiss cheese. There was a lot more space for the underground races. Smart humans would probably start picking up Core Skills that let them see in the dark and navigate in the underground.

Feeling good lasted until something large grabbed him and squeezed hard. His ribs compressed, and he couldn't breathe or escape. Just as his bones were about to break, the pressure eased off.

"Tallsqueak is awake! Larry missed you! Come see Larry's new house."

Milo limped along behind his friend and into the main living area. Gendifur was cooking food on a large griddle. The smell of fried mushrooms and puffcakes...and bacon! Where had she gotten bacon? It didn't matter; he was starving. He sat next to Larry and reached for the plates of food. He froze halfway to the plate of bacon as two low growls sent shivers up his spine.

"Mama, Tallsqueak didn't wash up before breakfast!"

"Tallsqueak is stealing the bacon, mama!"

Gendifur rapped a heavy wooden spoon on the counter. "Good morning, Tallsqueak; glad to see you up. Larry has been anxious to welcome you properly. You were still passed out when he got here last night."

"We have some rules. Wash before meals, and no bacon or cheese until you eat the rest of your meal, including your vegetables." She looked at Rosie and Buttercup. "And we only growl at enemies, not friends. Use words at the table."

Both girls looked chastised and said, "Yes, mama." Buttercup stuck her tongue out at Tallsqueak when he wasn't looking."

Following orders, he went and washed up. If anything, his fur was shinier than ever. Was that from going to Tier 3? Or just gaining CHA? He'd have to see what happened as he gained more CHA from diplomacy. How did you use that skill anyway? Time for those questions later; right now, he was hungry. Regeneration made him eat more, and he always seemed to be regenerating these days. When he returned to the table, most of the food was gone, but a large plate had been set aside for him with four pieces of bacon. Larry and the girls were still at the table, waiting for the next round of puffcakes to come off the griddle. Brutus and Justin were napping in two large, overstuffed chairs. The senior guards had been given two days off to settle into their new household.

Tallsqueak noticed hungry eyes on his bacon. "My, these puffcakes and mushrooms look delicious. I'm sure I won't be able to eat all my bacon after I finish them. Larry? Would you like a piece of my bacon? And could you hand a piece to each of the girls?"

"Larry likes bacon. Thank you." He handed the bacon around the table, and both girls nodded their thanks before devouring it.

Diplomacy in Action!

Your reputation with Rosie and Buttercup has increased.

It takes strong willpower to give up bacon in an effort to reinforce manners in young ratkin.

+50 experience in Diplomacy. +50 experience in CHA. Diplomacy is now Rank 1.

(You're also crazy as a drunk mole for hoarding bacon while sitting near three Cheese Fiends!)

Milo groaned inwardly. This was going to be a tricky skill to raise. He might need a lot of bacon.

Larry looked at him proudly. "Tallsqueak is a stronger hero now. Larry can tell. We are having cake tonight because Justin and Brutus are Senior Guards, and Larry is a Hero. We need another cake for Tallsqueak."

Brutus overheard the conversation but kept his eyes closed. This was the best day ever, and he planned to enjoy it. New wife, new family, puffcakes and bacon for breakfast, and then bat tacos and cake for dinner. And he didn't have to worry about anyone playing surprise! while he slept. All of the Shadowskulkers were terrified of his house. And rightly so. He didn't mind giving up the perception training for a good night's sleep. He suspected having the girls around would give him plenty of training. Just playing hide and seek with them was tremendously effective. He'd even picked up the Stealth skill.

Gendifur nodded and started pulling out ingredients from the new cupboards. "I'm going to have to go shopping today. Lots of cakes tonight. For all the trouble that certain people caused the Hollow, it was certainly good for experience. Lots of people got stronger." She looked at Tallsqueak. "I certainly didn't expect to move up to Tier 3 so soon or get an improved class like Master Trauma Healer." She placed four more plates of puffcakes on the table.

"But first, we need to clean things up. Beds made, dishes done. And that includes Justin, Larry, and Tallsqueak. You need to set an example for my little angels. Then I think we'll be taking a trip out to the gathering fields. The girls and I can gather a dozen bushels of mushrooms while Brutus and Justin help Larry dig up and transplant some of the Jellybean bushes to put in the front of the house. Tallsqueak? Can I trouble you for as many Golden Puffballs as you can harvest? We go through a lot of them, and I'm told you know where to get them."

"Glad to help, and if I'm ever not around, Tweedle and Ringtail also know where to go. The tunnels are small, and you must be careful when going there." Milo would happily gather mushrooms if it meant breakfasts like this. He almost regretted his decision to leave the Hollow. It was comfortable here, but he needed to explore and see what else was in the world. And his first target was nearby. The trouble with Gangrene and the spiders had kept him busy. He wanted to explore where that sealed door and a mysterious stairway led. And he needed to find Boom Boom.

Congratulations on reaching Tier 3!

Your characteristics, skills, and core skills that you gained in Tier 2 become the base upon which to build your character in Tier 3. Tiers 1 to 3 are considered the base for your character. Choose your advances wisely.

-At the end of Tier 1, you gained bonuses for attaining Benchmarks with the following stats: INT, DEX, AGI, and PER. You will gain upgrades to those abilities that have reached Benchmarks again.

(Bonuses from your new class do not count toward these Benchmarks.)

-Skills may advance to Rank 15. Current rank in skills and their experience total is retained, and you will build upon that.

-Characteristic skill ranks are reset to 0, similar to the start of tier 2. All permanent stat gains are now part of your tier 2 base. (Excludes magical items not permanently bound to you.)

-You may earn five ranks in each stat, similar to Tier 2. (10 if you raise the cap for each skill.) The experience cost to gain those points is, of course, increased. The caps stats may be raised to 10 through the expenditure of Core Skill Points earned in Tier 3, similar to how you increased skill caps in Tier 2.

-When fighting creatures of Tier 2, you increase your avoidance by +20%. (30% for Tier 1)

-When fighting creatures of Tier 2, you increase your chance to hit with an attack by +20%. (30% for Tier 1)

-Attacking creatures over Tier 3 will likewise be more difficult.

-You will not receive experience for Tier 1 creatures except in exceptional cases such as massive hordes or specific events. They can still kill you. (And won't that be embarrassing.) Tier 2 creatures will give far less experience than they used to, from 0% to 50%.

-Points of INT, CHR, or WIS will add 50 mana.

-Points of STR will add 50 stamina and 30 health.

-Points of CON will add 50 health and 30 stamina.

-Points of TOU will add 80 health and 2 points of Universal Mitigation.

-The cost of some T1 and T2 Core Skills you did not earn are increased to reflect the increased amount of CSP you will receive in Tier 3. Some of these skills may be removed from your list. Others will be added.

Class Change: Runeboned Scout evolves to Ancient Runic Engineer.

-You have received a bonus to your stats for selecting the class: Ancient Runic Engineer. You have gained +2 INT, +2 PER, +2 DEX, and +2 TOU.

-You have gained the unique perk: Shroud of Hecate. This Perk allows disguising your class behind another and other sneaky things.

-The skill: Spellcasting has evolved to Runic Casting.

-The Skill: Spell Construction is now included in the skill: Rune Crafting, and the combined skill is more flexible in its use.

-The Skill: Rune Lore is renamed to System Rune Lore.

Benchmarks Achieved!

At the end of Tier 1, you earned benefits for maximizing your DEX, AGI, PER, and INT scores. Each of those abilities will be upgraded if you have again raised your stats to the required levels.

Congratulations on raising both DEX and AGI to 20 in Tier Two. The benefit: Acrobat is upgraded to Skilled Acrobat.

You are incredibly skilled at tumbling, walking a tightrope, or swinging from a trapeze. If you have an evasive defense skill, it gains a 20% bonus.

Congratulations on raising both DEX and PER to 20 in Tier Two. You have gained the benefit: 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 small 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 +25% chance to hit with physical ranged attacks or spell attacks that must be aimed.

Congratulations on raising both DEX and INT to 20 in Tier Two. You have gained the upgraded ability: 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.

Congratulations on raising both PER and AGI to 20 in Tier Two. You have gained the upgraded ability: Improved Uncanny Dodge. If you are aware of the source of an attack, you gain +30% to any chance to avoid the damage.

Congratulations on raising both INT and AGI to 20 in Tier Two. You have gained the benefit: Fast-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.

Congratulations on raising both PER and INT to 20 in Tier Two. You have gained the Perk: Fast Hands, Faster Brain! Any task involving assembly, disassembly, sorting, or manipulating multiple objects is trivial. You don't have to think which part goes where, you know! In addition, Runic Formations that you have practiced are easier to use with far less chance of a miscast.

TRIFECTA: As before, you have raised three stats to their benchmark and scored a Trifecta bonus!

The benefit of Trifecta is increased to +200 Mana, +200 Stamina, and +200 Health.

QUADRATIC: You have solved the Universal Quadratic Equation by raising four sets of stats to their benchmark. Choose one of these abilities:

-A resistance, either active or inactive, to one of the following: Fire, ice, acid, earth, water, storm, dark, wind, wood, or light. This is a skill and must be increased by exposure to that type of damage.

-Choose +500 Health, Stamina, or Mana.

-Gain 1000 Gold Coins.

-Gain: +2 to any stat.

Once again, you have exceeded expectations. As only the 13th player to raise two stats 30 or more in Tier 2, you have upgraded your Heroic Ability. Restrictions on Counter Attack are removed, allowing you to always counter a spell with a spell, weapon, or runic formation. You are the 3rd player to gain this skill.

Because you have raised both INT and DEX to 30 in Tier two, you have gained the ability: Improved 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 gives it away. You may counter their spell with an attack of your own, either a spell, runic formation, or with a weapon. After all, it's hard to cast a spell if someone just cut off your fingers or put a knife in your throat.