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Tunnel Rat

Chapter 181: Recovering

The news that Rifkin had escaped bothered Milo, but at the same time, he thought there was little that sneakybadguy could do anymore to hurt Limburger Hollow. No one trusted him, and he'd be grabbed as soon as he poked his nose out of whatever hole he was hiding in. And, of course, there was Larry. Larry didn't like Rifkin, and with how keen Larry's senses were, if Rifkin had any survival instinct, he would go far, far away.

Milo was just happy to have things settling down. It seemed like people in the Hollow were getting back to normal. People were going about their work, waving to each other and talking, with the glassy-eyed stares fading away. Milo began his day with breakfast, getting in line at the mess hall. Several ratkin greeted him and congratulated him on his promotion. A few suggested he skip ahead in the line, but he politely said no. He had time today, and moving fast made his head hurt.

The cooks surprised him. Smiley and Bleusnout were at the grill, tossing puffcakes into the air, but so were Ringtail and Tweedle. They were happily grinding mushrooms and making the batter. All four of them waved to Milo, Bleusnout pointing him to a table on the side of the kitchen. "Grab a chair; I'll have a fresh batch on your plate in a minute. You have to taste this latest recipe we came up with!" The smell was delicious, and Milo happily sat down. Just walking across the Hollow had tired him out. Bleusnout put a huge plate of pancakes in front of him and waited for him to taste them.

Milo's eyes got huge. They had the crisp, rich taste of puffcakes but the creamy interior of cheeseycakes. "You put the recipes together!" He began eating faster.

Bleusnout smiled. "The twins came up with it. They claim on purpose, but I think Ringtail or Tweedle, I can never tell them apart, started making one recipe and his brother the other, and they dumped them both into the large mixing bowl. The result, though, was outstanding. Everyone likes them." Milo certainly agreed.

The chef looked around the room, nodding to ratkin as they waved to him. "Which is good because the Hollow is going to be eating them every day for a long time. We got so very lucky that we had started making them, and you continued even after I was gone. The Golden Puffball mushroom has enzymes that fight toxins, including spider cheese ingredients that were controlling most people. Most of the Hollow just became very focused on their jobs but wouldn't follow Rifkin's commands blindly. We are making sure everyone eats a meal of Cheesy Puffcakes every day. The small amount of cheese, along with cleaning out the toxins in their bodies, will have everyone back to normal soon."

Milo finished his plate. "And they taste good. I should probably have another plateful for medicinal purposes." Bleusnout smiled and brought him another plate and a jar of syrup. Milo sat, ate for half a bell, and then sat and watched the Hollow. As mealtime was ending, there was a loud knocking at the door.

"Can Larry and his friends come in for breakfast?"

Bleusnout yelled back. "Of course. It is always good to see Larry and his new friends." The door opened up, and Larry walked in. Many of the ratkin present were still getting used to his new appearance. Larry was walking upright with his head held high. His teeth were straight and even, and he smiled often. His fur gleamed, and he had ribbons in his hair. Most surprising was how he moved. Larry used to shuffle, but now he glided, moving across the room with grace and poise. Behind him came two other ratkin. They were smaller than Larry but still bigger than anyone else in the Hollow, except maybe some of the guards or Gendifur.

Rosie and Buttercup were scared. This was a new place like Flowertown was a new place. They liked Flowertown. They had been given bubbly baths and had their hair combed like momma had used to do for them. Both had ribbons in their hair, and Rosie had her doll freshly cleaned and repaired by Pansy. Each was wearing a new dress provided by the mages of Clan Puffyfur. On their feet were pink weasel slippers, similar to Larry's. Hesitantly, and with Larry's help, they came into the room and sat at a table. Bleusnout brought each of them a stack of pancakes, and they were urged to eat.

Bleusnout would be monitoring their cheese intake. The girls had a long way to go, but helping them recover from what was done to them was important to him. It had helped him make the decision to turn his ring over to Smiley. They were already a little better. Larry was watching over them, and he had lots of helpers. After they had all eaten, Larry produced a book and handed it to Milo. "Will Tallsqueak come read Hamster Huey and Gooey Kablooie? Tallsqueak does the squeaky voices better than Larry." Milo, Larry, and their new friends went out on the porch where Larry and Tallsqueak used to take their meals. Stories were told, and then Larry and Tallsqueak helped the girls to learn the Happy Hamster Hop. Rosie got so excited that she dislocated Tallsqueaks shoulder. They all visited Gendifur, who rolled her eyes before twisting his arm back into the socket. She gave both of the girls a bag of jellybeans.

In the evening, after Larry and the girls returned to Flowertown, Milo relaxed and started going through neglected notifications.

You have killed General Gangrene, a level 19 Claw Warrior, and put an end to his dastardly plans.

-The Hollow has awarded you his two remaining magical items: The Mace of the Apocalypse and the War Master's Ring.