Chapter 123: Clumpybigtoe

Chapter 123: Clumpybigtoe

Clumpy hated the hat, it was silly. A plain black skull-cap with round fake ears that stuck up obnoxiously, making sure everyone noticed the outsider in the room. And because "all outsiders look alike", his new name was stenciled on the front. The halfling exhaled a long breath and steeled himself for what came next. 'Jethro' had died when he betrayed his family and now, he was 'Clumpybigtoe'. He put the skull-cap on, and made sure the fake tail was hanging from the back of his belt. He'd been warned of punishment for being outside of his own burrow without either of them. And these guys took their punishments seriously.

The irony didn't go unnoticed. The fake ears and tail were to show his submission to the clan, and acceptance to his new boss. But rather than make him accepted, his new attire just pointed out to everyone that he wasn't an ally or hired mercenary, just someone in desparate enough to beg for a small spot in the Hollow.

It had been a chancy move. His family had been after him, and the sharp knives were at his back. His family wasn't big on forgiveness when your actions ended up with them thrown into slavery. When they were miraculously rescued and set free Jethro had run, and kept on running. He was happy they got free, he just didn't want to pay the price if they caught up with him. Wurchwitz Hollow was the end of the line - a place so bad that his family would leave him here as punishment rather than kill him.

Hat in place and firmly held on by a chin-strap, Clumpybigtoe left his burrow, and made his way down the long tunnel to the main part of Wurchwitz Hollow. Around him, exhausted ratkin peasants trudged between work and sleep. They were packed ten to a burrow with barely enough room to lie down. At least he had his own burrow. The Cheese-Master had told him it was because of his lofty status of 'One-who-cuts-the-cheese', but he'd heard the snickers from the commoners that it was because of his 'horrible smell'.

Two Cheese Fiends were stationed at the end of the tunnel. They glared at everyone who went by. The ratkin hid their faces and stared at the ground. Jethro waved to them, causing the confused fiends to scratch their heads and wonder why. He smiled at everyone like it was the best day of his life. It was a small rebellion, but he refused to let them beat him all the way down. More fiends guarded the cheese factory. He and the others who worked the last shift of the day waited to take their positions. The cheese factory was never quiet. It took a lot of cheese to feed the assembled army of Cheese Fiends that the Masters of the Hollow used to keep the populace in line.

Bells rang, the shift changed, and Jethro took his position on the assembly line. He declined to put on the gas mask, decorated with fake whiskers. The worker he was replacing had worn one, but he preferred not to. Stinky cheese didn't bother him, he was a halfling and his clan had endured the most pungent of the stinky cheeses for centuries. He had to admit though, that Milbenkase was pretty bad. The sight of the little cheese mites that squirmed out of the cheese as he cut it was quite disturbing. But if you wanted a good, stinky cheese, you did what you had to do. He was getting to like the taste of the creamy cheese and the mites added some protein.

The first round of magically-aged cheese was shoved down the assembly line to him. He picked up the huge cheese knife that he used for the job, and tested the blade. As always, the enchanted blade was sharp as a razor. But you always checked your tools over, and didn't trust the guy before you. It was another of his little rebellions. This might be seen by some as one of the least important jobs, but it was his job, and he'd do it well. N0v3lTr0ve served as the original host for this chapter's release on N0v3l--B1n.

It was time to cut the cheese!

"A share? That sounds...undefined." Gangrene liked his contracts with teeth in them. "You want to be Master of the Hollow? Fine. That is your reward. Three quarters of profits from the mines and the cheese factory will come back to me here. I will send my own Tally-Master to oversee that things are done fairly."

Sneakybadguy protested. "No... that is not what we said. You asked only for a small cut!"

A blade flashed and Sneakybadguy fell to the ground, one leg bleeding badly from a shallow cut. Gangrene roared with laughter. "And there is your small cut. Would you like a bigger one? No, I didn't think so. Time to quit playing games. Wurchwitz will take what it likes and you will be our agent there. Or I can find another who will serve me better. My spies tell me that there are several good prospects in the Hollow. Even a mysterious loner who seems to be challenging the Tail-Master for his position. He's ambitious and powerful. I hear good things about him."

Sneakybadguy rolled on the ground, trying to staunch the bleeding. "NO! Tall-squeak can't be trusted! No one knows where he comes from. He joined the Hollow already halfway to becoming a fiend! No one knows his goals, and he is hiding secrets! So many secrets!"

Gangrene stroked his chin. "Oooh, I like him already. I'll have to meet him somehow. As for you, we have our deal. Go get your cheese shipment from Clumpybigtoe at the factory. And remember that I have options to replace you."

Clumpybigtoe was annoyed when a limping stranger started yelling at him about cheese. They weren't from this hollow, that was obvious. "Yeah, yeah. I'll get to it. How are you packing it off?"

Sneakybadguy didn't like this new cheese cutter, he had odd looking ears. He opened his backpack and pulled out two Cheese Gatherer's Bags. "Fill those up, they take more than you would expect. And hurry it up. I need to be back at my own Hollow soon!"

Clumpybigtoe could care less, but smiled at the weird little ratkin. They were dressed up with only their eyes showing, like some of the human ninja clans. "No problem. I'll cut them up as they slowly come down the assembly line. You can just sit there and inhale the pungent aroma."

This one was an idiot. They should have asked for whole wheels. Once you cut Milbenkase wheels, the smell was horrible and the cheese mites squirmed all over. They would never get all the mites and smell out of those bags. But that was their problem. Clumpybigtoe had enough of his own.