Tunnel Rat

Chapter 218: Family Time

Playing tag with Rosie and Buttercup was fun, with the added spice of terror. The two girls were much quicker than the last time he had seen them. The effects of dancing every day were paying off with increased agility and speed. Tallsqueak was still faster than they were, but the girls were very determined not to lose. Running from them was always a sprint, not a jog. And getting 'Tagged' could be anything from a pat on the head to a blow that sent him reeling across the floor.

After one such hit, the girls paused to look at him, and when he finally stood up, Buttercup said, "Mama was right; I don't think we can break him."

Tallsqueak considered that statement. "But what if I break you?"

Rosie looked at him seriously. "Mama says if we play with rough rules, everyone can get hurt, and don't come crying to her with something that will heal by the next day. And rough rules are only for playing with you, Larry, and Master Gilad."

"Rough rules sound, well, rough. So claws are OK? Tail slaps? Diving tackles? Headbutts? Spells?"

The girls turned to each other and giggled before slamming their foreheads together, knocking each other down, and laughing. "Daddy taught us about headbutts."

Rosie was thoughtful. "Larry has spells, but they're sneaky stuff. The other people we met, the humans, they had spells, but they were squishy and made funny noises."

Buttercup concluded. "So, spells are OK."

Tallsqueak smiled at them. "We should get started again. My turn to tag you; start running." Laughing, the two split up and ran a few steps before turning and making funny faces at him, trying to taunt him into chasing them. A small skull rolled up to each of them. The sound of two explosions and the bright flash of storm magic filled the cavern.

Gendifur heard the explosions but was stirring noodles and didn't have time to see what was happening in the playroom. "Brutus, go get the girls and make them wash up for dinner. And see if they broke Tallsqueak yet."

Brutus got up from his chair and stretched. He could smell the mushrooms in parmesan sauce and was happy to hear it was time to gather the family for dinner. He entered the playroom to a curious sight. Tallsqueak was high above, hanging by his long tail from a stalactite, making faces at the girls. Below, Rosie and Buttercup were snarling and jumping at him but not coming close to being able to get to him. They came running on all fours to Brutus, who waved a finger at them. "What does Mama say? We don't run on all fours unless the tunnel is too low. Now tell Dad what the problem is?"

Both of them showed the effects of an explosion going off nearby. Some of their fur was blackened, and the rest stood on end from static shock. "Tallsqueak cheats. He has explodey spells! Throw us up to him, Daddy!"

Tallsqueak yelled down, "No complaining, they said spells were ok in rough rules."

Laughing, Brutus gave them each a hug. "Maybe if you study hard, you can have explodey spells too, wouldn't that be fun? Now let Tallsqueak climb down so we can all wash up for dinner. Tallsqueak can tell you the story about using big explodey spells on the mean General."

The girls ran off to the washroom, and Tallsqueak hopped down. "You don't mind if I teach them magic? Can they learn?"

"Who knows? They surprise us every day. Maybe because they were so young when they became fiends, but they learn quicker than Larry used to. Or maybe it's having people around that treat them like people. I still feel guilty about Larry. We were so scared that he'd become a fiend in mind as well as body that we didn't challenge him enough to be better."

"But, try to teach them something simple at first, and non-explosive."

Tallsqueak had smelled the cheese sauce and had other things on his mind. "I should go wash up, too; I'm starving." Brutus chuckled as he ran off after the girls.

After dinner, Gendifur took the girls off for stories and bedtime. The sounds of Hamster Huey being read to them reminded Tallsqueak of how he had started with Larry. "Is Larry around? How is he."

Brutus grinned before answering. "He's better than ever. He's home for a few days and then running off to do 'Hero Stuff' somewhere. He tells the girls the stories when he's at home and dances with them. Eventually, that turns into a game of rough tag. We were initially worried, but it tires them out, and they need that. They generate a lot of energy. I think the bastards that changed them kept them drugged a lot. This might be why they enjoyed your story so much; they hate Gangrene passionately. It's good you killed him."

"Larry helped. I would have lost. He saved the day."

"He did, but I saw part of that fight myself, and Larry told me what he saw. You did most of the work, blew the piss out of him, shattered his armor, and wore him down. You also made sure he didn't get back up. So the way I see it, Larry gets an assist, and you get the kill. Not that anyone is keeping score or taking bets. Good guards never do that." He winked at Tallsqueak. "A shame about his stuff, though. That shiny breastplate of his was sharp looking! When you're a general, you get the best loot."

Tallsqueak pulled out two items to show Brutus. "I got these two things from him. The mace turned into a screwdriver when I experimented with it. That was the explosion that singed all my hair and put me back in Gendifur's clinic." Brutus had been reaching for the screwdriver to look at it but pulled his hand back. The other item was an ornate ring.

"That looks like a Master's Ring."

Tallsqueak picked it up and turned it around. It did look similar. "It's called The Ring of the Warmaster. After the hit I took from the mace, I wanted to be full health before I investigated it."

Brutus looked curious, then looked around the room sheepishly. "Gendifur would be upset if we blew up the house. Let's step into the playroom before you do anything."

They moved stealthily through the house to not wake the sleeping girls. When they got to the large cavern where the girls played, Brutus stayed ten paces away with his sword and shield equipped, ready for anything. Tallsqueak put on the ring, and the only thing that happened was a message he shared with Brutus.

The Warmaster is slain! Do you claim the spoils of war? Y/N

Tallsqueak looked at Brutus, who shrugged and gave him a thumbs up. "You've got this, and if not, well, Gendifur will earn a few more levels in healing."

Tallsqueak sighed and hit Yes.

As the slayer of Warmaster Gangrene, the ring accepts your claim.

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.

You have not increased the skill: Quartermaster's Supply Tent

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

Because the ring is overloaded, all inventory is removed.

Milo heard a rumbling like an avalanche of stone. Items started falling around him: dozens of weapons, scrolls, and maps; two tables and a dozen chairs, a canopy bed with a down comforter; several large tents complete with poles, ropes, and stakes, and a wine rack holding a hundred bottles of wine or alcohol. This was followed by a horde of coins, several barrels of aged cheese, and finally, a leather case that opened up in front of Tallsqueak. Master rings rolled out, two dozen or more.

From the house came Gendifur's annoyed voice. "You two woke up my girls, so you can put them back to bed!" This was followed by Buttercup and Rosie running to see what exciting thing had happened, both wearing flannel nightgowns. They looked at the huge pile of treasure and dove on top of Tallsqueak. "Presents! Tallsqueak brought us shiny presents!"

Gendifur followed, her face changing from annoyed to shocked, and finally resigned. Then she saw the wine. "If we're calling dibs, I see what I want."

Tallsqueak was trying to climb out of the pile with two large 'little girls' on top of him. "All yours. We need to show this to the conclave."

Brutus scratched his head. "Right you are, Scout Master Tallsqueak. Guard Brutus is on the case." He was laughing as he ran out the door to find Gilead and the others.

Rosie and Buttercup, meanwhile, had picked up two huge swords and were dueling with them.