Tunnel Rat

Chapter 74: Stretched Thin

The top of his pod opened, and Milo simply didn't have the will to get out. He knew something was wrong, but he just didn't care.

Finally, he summoned the energy to whisper. "Run medical scan, suggest treatment." The pod came further to life, taking a blood test, analyzing his breath, heartrate, skin temperature and a dozen other tests.

Patient is suffering depression from severe emotional distress and mental exhaustion. Chemical analysis of the brain indicates imbalances of glutamates, lack of endorphins, buildup of fatigue poisons. Hypothalamus operating at low levels. Melatonin below critical levels.

Disclaimer: Modified nervous system adds an error possibility of +/- 23% to any diagnosis.

Recommended treatment: Minimum 4 hours sleep, and 4 additional hours light activity. Two healthy meals. Vitamin supplements, and ongoing medications increased. Injecting now.

"Would you like to notify the authorities of your medical emergency? This is recommended."

"No, I would not, and I made sure you can't send out my medical data a long time ago."

Since we cannot contact the authorities, would you like 'Advice from the Country Doctor?'

"What? Sure."

"Son, you look like a hundred miles of bad road stretched over three of the worst counties in Alabama. I've seen a roadkill possum with more pep in its step than you. Get your scrawny ass out of bed, get something to eat and a cup of coffee. Then sit in the sun and smell the flowers for an afternoon."

"Treatment complete. Advice given."

Milo didn't know what the hell a roadkill possum was, but it didn't sound good. He slowly got out of the pod, and staggered over to his chair. Physically he was fine. Mentally he was a wreck. There was a downside to having a nervous system that let you think faster than normal. For others it had been a hectic few days, but for Milo it felt like weeks. He'd run so many projections and plans to try and stop first the Snake, and then the World Boss, that he was simply worn out.

The hundreds of attempts that he had made to form the rune of velocity on Capt. Pike’s harpoon had been nerve wracking. He had tried every way he knew, every combination, and then experimented. The attempt of charging the runes has taken the last of his energy.

When he had passed out in the game, his pod must have decided he needed to take a break. He agreed with it. Either they won and things were fine, or they lost and the city came crashing down and he died along with everyone else. He'd been too tired to care.

That last stunt had been too much for him. He'd thrown everything he had at one last chance. He thought it had worked. He'd seen the throw, and the harpoon going deep into the monster. Then seen the monster jerked into the air as the engineers sent tons of rock falling downwards to lift the thing. He'd go back and check in a bit. For now, he just wanted to sit and watch his screens as his systems scanned Section E for problems.

His stomach growling reminded him that he was supposed to eat. He pulled a large block of cheese from his refrigerated drawer. It was a tangy blend of cheddar and parmesan, just perfect for a small snack.

An alarm went off as he started to take a bite!

All of his screens lit up, and he saw a stern-faced Milo pointing at him from all directions. "You're eating like shit! You know you need balance in your diet. Quit being weak and use your brain!"

Sometimes Milo hated that guy. The one who was responsible and left him messages telling him to eat right. He never should have put an alarm on the cheese drawer. But ResponsibleMilo had a point. He brought out crackers, a small tin that proclaimed itself to be 100% Real substitute tuna, and a jar of peaches with almond slices. The crackers went well with the cheese, the meat tasted like food cubes, and the fruit was delicious. This was the second or third time he'd had a jar of real fruit. He liked it. He should see what flavors fruit came in and try some other things.

Refreshed, he went to work on some minor problems with the waste disposal system, but overall things were in good shape. He checked his neighbors out, and saw that they'd had some explosions and systems go bad. They really needed to take better care of their machinery, obviously. He saw on his screens that they were doing the work of installing new components instead of stealing from old hab areas. That was good. Milo wanted those old areas untouched for when he needed things.

And then his jaw dropped. Were they really adding new power systems to the roof. Both wind and solar? Outstanding! Managing the power usage was always difficult. If the new manager of Section H was actually making their own power, things were better for the habitat in general. Maybe he'd even be able to borrow back all the power they had stolen from him.

Things were looking good for a change. He could go back in the game and not worry too much. But first he needed to sleep. Rarely was he this tired. He lay back in his chair, and snaked his tail over to the pod, connecting to it. He fell asleep in the middle of reading his notifications.

You have failed to form runes ....

You have failed to form runes ....

You have failed to form runes ....

You have learned something....this metal resists change...

You have failed to form runes ....

You have failed to form runes ....

You need to eat some cheese...

You have failed to form runes ....

You have learned something...this item has a purpose, which makes it resistant to change.

This method of forming a rune has also failed...

So has this one...

And this one...

Sure, let’s try 897 more ways...

This way has...wait, that almost worked!

You have learned something! By coating this magical item with a thick layer of bone, you almost succeeded in forming the velocity rune!

You have failed to form the velocity rune, you have lost some of your bone...

You really should take a break and have some cheese!

You have failed to form the velocity rune, you have lost some of your bone...

You have learned something! You must make the bone harder...thicker...

WARNING: You have taken a large amount of bone from your body; this is not recommended!

WARNING: All cheese in your body is depleted. Your body is entering severe cheese withdrawal!

WARNING: You are approaching death.

You have succeeded in coating a magical harpoon in your own bone.

You have succeeded in forming multiple velocity runes.

You have charged a velocity rune.

You have charged a velocity rune. Your mana is running low.

You have charged a velocity rune (3). Your mana is depleted.

You have charged a velocity rune (4). Your stamina is depleted.

Your velocity runes have activated! Your projectile has surpassed the speed of sound! You are deafened for 6 hours.

You have abused your body, sacrificing your own bones and mana to construct a magical weapon.

Actions have consequences...

You have lost your connection to your Arcane Library.

You have lost your connection to the Bone Runed Cowl.

You have lost your connection to Shadowblight.

You are no longer a Bonecaster.

You are near death and unconscious.

You have been logged out of the game.