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 Enhnacementsthat 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.

  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.