Tunnel Rat

Milo followed behind the Cheese-Master and a very nervous Riftkin. A small side room was unlocked, which turned out to have only a staircase in it, leading downward. Milo could smell all sorts of interesting scents coming from below: mushrooms, spoiled milk, damp earth, and many types of cheese. The stone steps went down over a hundred feet, and ended at a locked door. Both Riftkin and Bleusnout put a key in the door and turned them together. Milo heard the click of a mechanism and the doors slid sideways into the walls. Riftkin returned upstairs, Milo followed Bleusnout into the room beyond.

The Chef paused. “Let us stay here for a few minutes. Take a few deep breaths.” Milo did as he was told. The room smelled delicious, but he suppressed hungry thoughts about cheese. After a full five minutes the Cheese-Master relaxed. “Well, you didn’t run into the room and start tearing out the bars of steel. Entering this room can have a very strong effect upon some people. You have a slight quiver to your arm and your breathing is a little faster, but overall, very good control. Let us go in.”

There were dozens of rooms with stout iron grates sealing them off from the main room. Milo saw huge rounds of cheese in bright wax, barrels of cheese carefully marked for aging, and vats of moldy cheeses slowly maturing. Just breathing in the air was a joy! The rest of the room was filled to the brim with cheese making apparatus. Churns, stoves, and mixing vats were in several places along with so much more that Milo didn't understand. His meagre skill in cheesemaking didn't give him enough back ground. Bleusnout led him to a room with a wooden door and ushered him inside. It appeared to be a library with scrolls and ancient books.

One book in particular he pulled from the wall. It had a green binding with gold lettering. A second was selected, very thin with a brown leather cover and much smaller than the first. Bleusnout set in gingerly on a table and blew the dust from it. "I need someone with a good memory and attention to detail. Let us see if what you showed me upstairs holds true with a book you could not possibly have memorized. He handed Milo the small brown book.

Milo read through Hamster Huey and the Gooie Kablooie in half a minute, then handed it back to Bleusnout. Bleusnout quizzed him on the book, having him read from each page. Luckily, he did not have to perform the 'Happy Hamster Hop' as instructed in part of the book.

"Very well, you pass. That is a very powerful gift you have been given. You may wish to consider the path of the Lore-Master, but that of course in many years in the future. Enjoy the freedom being young gives you to have fun and explore before you settle down and get fat like I did."

"Now a much harder book. Can you promise to let me know if this is beyond you? It is not easy telling certain types of mushrooms apart. If we were to use the wrong one in our cheese, the poison could wipe out the entire hollow. And you could easily die simply by handling some of the more poisonous types. He pushed forward the large green book:

Mushrooms of the Deep Hollows: An Identification Guide to the 47 Varieties of Spotted Death Bloom. With Pictures! by Gather-Master Redcap.

Milo turned the pages slowly, looking at the colored drawings and detailed descriptions of different mushrooms, all of which seemed to be extremely poisonous. "Wow, this is great. I read all of Harry's books, but he only had 23 of these listed in his wikishroomia.

Bleusnout raised an eyebrow. "Harry? Is he by chance a troll?"

"Yes, Harry. Very big troll sometimes. Smaller now. He gave me some lessons in mycology. His full name is Dr. Harold Earthtongue, but he says to just call him Harry. He really knows his shrooms." Milo paused, thinking. "He might even be part mushroom now." He went back to reading.

Milo was quite absorbed in his new book, entranced by the pictures and the copious number of notes scribbled on each page. He didn't notice the Cheese-Master sigh and shake his head. On the shelf of books were seven volumes by Dr. Harold Earthtongue. It was a day like this that made Bleusnout wish he had stayed a simple lizard farmer. The whelps always managed to surprise him.

After an hour Milo assured the Cheese-Master that he had memorized every detail of the book and that he should have no trouble harvesting any of the mushrooms listed using the proper equipment. A large knapsack was found and Bleusnout assemble a collection of small clay jars with cork stoppers, several sets of tongs for harvesting and cleansing solution to wipe down his tools. "I can't over-emphasize just how poisonous some of those varieties are. Leave anything not on my list alone. Be careful with that field guide, but take it with you. Consult it if you even the hint of a question about what type you are plucking.”"

"I have a need for a great many rare mushrooms. We have many fields here in the Hollow, but it's simply not safe to grow some of them in the open areas where anyone could wander by. I had small amounts of the rare varieties growing in the back caverns down here, but a blight got into them, and I was forced to clean out the entire cave and start over. Such a waste. All of the planter boxes turned black in only a few days. I need samples of many varieties to start fresh, but obviously care must be taken with them. I myself am not small or limber enough to carefully make my way through the wild shroom caverns without stepping in the wrong place. If you have worked with Dr. Earthtongue you know not to step on the shroomlings."

"Care must also be taken with the spider clans. We share much territory with them, but the peace is uneasy. Small skirmishes occur all the time. I don't expect you to fight. If you see spiders, run away quickly. And if the worst happens, and one of the guardian myconians takes offense, also run. They can hit quite hard considering they are made of soft fungus."

The Cheese-Master put his hand on Milo's shoulder. "Can I count on you, Tallsqueak? The Hollow needs brave young whelps like you to step into positions of trust where your work will benefit us all."

Milo considered the question, and the Cheese-Master gave him time. Finally, after a minute, he answered. "You can trust me to do a good job gathering shrooms or any other job you give me. And I'll fight to defend the Hollow. I won't reveal secrets and I won't betray a trust." He paused and exhaled. "But I have some awfully awkward secrets."

"Do any of them put the Hollow in danger?" The Cheese-Master didn't seem terribly concerned about secrets.

Milo shook his head. "No. And if they do, I'll tell you and either fix things or leave."

Bleusnout patted him on the head. "Good enough. We all have secrets. Let us get all this loaded into your knapsack and I will get you a map of the caverns you need to visit. Then we'll set you up with some bowls of lunch. Larry will be very happy to see you, especially when you tell him you memorized Hamster Huey. It's his favorite story. He even knows how to do the Happy Hamster Hop.”