Name: Todd Longfellow, Race: Human

Height: 5’6”, Weight: 130, Sex: Male

Archetype: Fighter

HP: 18 / 18, Mana: 0 / 0

Stats:

Physical: 4, Moxie: 2, Spiritual: 2, Luck: 2

Agility: 2, Magic: 2, Mental: 2, Energy: 3.

Relevant Skills: Physical - Awareness, Physical - Butcher, Physical - Melee Fork

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Todd woke up to the smell of something cooking over a fire. It almost smelled like bacon, but sliced pork belly wasn't something these people had caught onto yet. He sat up while pulling the blanket with him, holding it close around his shoulders as his vision focused.

"I hate middle watch. It never feels like you get a good night's sleep, and if something happens, I get too wound up to go to sleep." Henderson said as he crouched near Todd. He held out a metal fork with a cooked piece of meat attached to it. "Your friend, Charisse, is quite the hunter, killed a wild pig with her dagger at thirty paces."

"Hunter," Todd stumbled over his words for a moment, "Aye, she is quite the lady." He

"Aye," Henderson looked off in the distance. The fork was slowly lowering toward the ground. The utensil forgotten as the man's mind wandered.

Todd quickly grabbed it and pulled it out of Henderson's hand. Then, taking a quick bite, he savored the grease and pondered if he could open a restaurant that served just bacon and if it would succeed. He took a second bite before Henderson looked back toward him.

"Yo almost dropth ith," Todd muttered through a mouthful of pork.

"This ok, I'm not that hungry." Henderson stood up and wandered off, leaving Todd with the fork and remaining the last bite.

Todd chewed the food and the NPC's words as he mulled over and tried guessing how it would take to raise enough hogs to have a constant source. When the bite finished, he wandered over to the fire where the pig cooked. Charisse was there slowly turning the spit. As if reading his mind, she shook her head as he got closer.

"Wild pigs don't have as large of a belly, while you get close to bacon, it's not as much as a farm-raised pig," Charisse said.

"How did you guess?" Todd lifted the fork to his mouth and sucked the grease and juice off of it.

"You're like the third person to walk up with that look on their face." Charisse looked at the pig, then back at Todd. "Besides, we aren't staying here."

"But the refugees could use it as a means of making money." Todd tapped the fork against the roasting pig. "Could even make it part of the religion, so the secret stays with the faithful."

"Jax already shot it down; we can share the knowledge but can't set limits or restrictions." Charisse sighed. She stopped turning the pig, pulled out a knife, started slicing a strip of meat off the cooked creature. When a large piece was hanging, she motioned toward Todd's fork. He stabbed the slice, and she finished cutting it off the carcass.

"Even if we can't make it a part of it, imagine the impact we would have if we shared and promoted it. A religion with bacon as a sacred meal." Todd chewed on the cooked piece of pork. Watching the pig slowly rotate as he chewed. "I wonder if the cooking skill is useful."

"As in you don't get sick or die?" Charisse said as she continued rotating the food.

This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

"More as in getting bonuses and such. I don't remember reading about it."

"The bonus is you don't die or end up shitting yourself for a couple of days."

"Well, since you put it that way," Todd moved over toward the rotating arm Charisse was turning. "Let me spin this for a little bit so I can skill up some."

"No," Charisse glared at Todd. "The last thing I want is people shitting themselves because you critically failed. At this point, I wouldn't trust you to boil water."

Todd opened his mouth to speak but instead just sighed as he remembered the various failed rolls he'd done. Then, shaking his head, he stuffed the rest of the pork into his mouth, stabbed the fork into the side of the pig, and walked off.

Success! Physical Roll, 7d10; 10, 3, 1, 8, 3, 8, 1; Three Successes; Skill Physical - Melee Fork gained 3 Experience, Skill points to the next level, 9,900.

With some help from Jax, Todd put his armor on and helped pack up the camp. Once he finished storing the items in the backpack, he spotted Henderson digging a hole away from the camp. Walking up to the trapper, Todd approached slowly and made sure his presence wasn't a surprise.

"You come to help?" Henderson said as he scooped up a shovel full of dirt and set it aside.

"What are you doing?" Todd said.

"The pig carcass, we didn't finish it, need to ensure its buried so it won't attract scavengers. However, I would still like to use this trail in the future."

"We'll just take it with us," Todd looked over to where Charisse and Mark stood near the fire.

"Are you sure? The last thing I want is some wolves sniffing around here."

"Yeah, we'll take care of it." Todd nodded as he looked back toward Henderson. The man's face did not look convinced. "Here, hang on."

Todd walked over to the half-eaten carcass. He tapped Mark and Charisse on the shoulder.

"Henderson is worried the pig will attract scavengers. Can we chop it up and bring it with us?" Todd said.

"I could just burn it to a crisp?" Mark said. Todd could swear he saw a little flame dancing behind his friend's eyes.

"No," Charisse said. She grabbed a backpack and opened it up. The opening was much smaller than the pig corpse. "I'm glad we don't have to deal with physics of this."

Todd nodded and lifted his sword. He paused with the blade pointed up as he gaged where to cut.

"For fucks sake," Mark said. He waved a hand to the side and then pulled down the pig from the sticks holding it above the fire. He set it down in midair. The cooked flesh of the creature flatted as if it was resting on a table. "Here, the force creation won't dirty the meat, and your sword won't cut it."

"Never considered that spell as a cutting board, but ok," Todd said. He swung his sword down multiple times;

Success! Physical Roll, 4d10; 2, 7, 9, 6; Two Successes; Skill Physical - Butcher gained 2 Experience. Skill Physical - Butcher, has reached Rank 1! Skill points to the next level, 9.

Reducing the pig into five sections. He nudged the skull of the creature to the side. "Unless someone wants the skull," Todd glanced around, and no one moved. He grabbed one of the haunches and put it into his backpack before walking back to the NPC. As he passed by Henderson, he smiled.

"Such magic; I'm glad I'm on your side," Henderson said.

"Ha, you haven't been around us long enough," Todd said as he patted Henderson on the shoulder. "Let's get moving; we're burning daylight."

A few hours later on the trail, Todd saw Henderson waiting near a tree. The trapper stood under the branches, one hand against the trunk, the other waving at Todd. As Todd approached, the NPC moved from the tree and stood next to the trail.

Success! Physical roll 7d10; 2, 3, 5, 8, 2, 3, 3; One Success; Skill Physical - Awareness has gained 1 Experience. Skill points to the next level, 9,940.

With a glance up the trail and then behind, Todd didn't see any other friends nearby. He tensed but relaxed once he saw the smile on Henderson's face.

"Charisse threaten to cut off your nuts?" Todd said.

"Aye, but that's normal," Henderson smiled briefly before his face returned to a neutral expression. "Mostly, I was curious about a tale I heard that you took on a whole squad of royal guards and lived."

Todd paused and closed his eyes for a moment. "Where did you hear that?"

"People, people that I trust but don't want to put in harm's way." Henderson raised both hands and took a step back. "I mean no disrespect, or if it is some secret, I'm ok with not knowing." He sighed and lowered his hands. "I'm often alone, and if there is something or some way to ensure I can get out of a dire situation, I'd be a fool not to try and learn it."

"My friends and I are special people with powers and abilities. I don't think I can teach you, at least not without beating you to an inch of your life repeatedly, to see if you can learn it." Todd lifted his sheathed sword a few inches. "I can try to avoid the face."

Henderson cringed and bent away from Todd. "I respectfully decline."

"I truly wish I could teach it," Todd paused, then pulled his backpack off; reaching in, he grabbed his character sheet and held it out toward Henderson. "What do you see on this?"

Henderson reached out a hand and tentatively took the sheet. He held it sideways, then turned and looked at it upside down. Todd's hope fell before the NPC gave up.

"It's in a language I can't understand. I know common, goblin, and even dragon, buts it's none of those." Henderson handed the paper back to Todd.

"Wait, you know dragon?"

"Aye, the written version, I can't speak it. I lack the uh, equipment."

"If we have time when we get to a town, I've love to try and learn some."

"Do you plan on dealing with dragons?"

"Not sure I haven't already." Todd looked off in the distance. He mulled over if a dragon had killed their group. Then, he caught the odd look Henderson gave him. "Sorry, there is much of our past, my friends and are have hidden from them."

"Oh, sorry, elixirs of forgetfulness such and make terrible traps. I once knew a lad who drank a whole flask and forgot his wife and children. He went back to town and started a new family a year later... Boy was there quite the fight." Henderson said.

"Yeah, something like that," Todd looked into the forest ahead, the trees were sparse, and the vegetation stayed low. Twisted branches sprouted from thick trunks. Roots of some trees burrowed through rocks and the earth below. "Is this the right way?"

"Yeah, we just gotta go over the windy hills, and we'll be at the city." Henderson put on a hat and tied the cords around his chin. "It's not deadly except for the stupid and small."

Todd held back on a snide remark about his friends, biting his lip to contain it. Henderson caught the motion, and his eyes widened before he laughed.

"Don't worry, we all suffer from the occasional stupid." Henderson let out a deep laugh.

"The sad thing is I think some of my friends don't suffer in it; they enjoy it." Todd patted the man on the back and started walking.