As Ozzy and his guide walked into the city, a strange transformation came over the boy he'd been following. Ozzy stopped and looked him over. He thought he'd been following a crippled boy of about 14-16 years old. The missing leg was still missing. But the illusion of humanity faded away.

Runt was still only about four foot tall. He still had a peg-leg. But other things changed, most notably his face. When Ozzy tried to remember what he had looked like before, it was a vague memory, as if he hadn't really paid attention.

Runt turned, "What? Never been inside before. We have to get moving...Oh, well that sucks, you can see me, can't you? I was hoping to put off this discussion until later. Must be something to do with the city."

"Go ahead, say it!"

Ozzy just shrugged. This wasn't his first fantasy world, "You look like you've been working out pretty well. Nice biceps."

Runt's eyes narrowed, "That's it? I mean, yeah, I do work out whenever I can. Hard as hell to get STR experience in the dungeon besides slamming rats with a rock. But seriously, let's get this over with. Just ask a question, make a comment, toss an insult, it's going to happen sooner or later."

Ozzy took a step forward and loomed over Runt, "Let's get something straight, I don't give a shit what you look like. I'm turning into some sort of ogre who beats people to death with his fists. My girlfriend is looking more and more like an elf every day. And Rolly...well, you'll see sooner or later."

"So, even though you look like a..."

Runt stamped his good foot, "Just say it."

"Like a pirate who lost his eyepatch and parrot - well, I just don't care," Ozzy couldn't help but smirk after he said that.

Runt's mouth closed. He glared at the smiling butcher, then relaxed, "That will have to do, I guess. You're a real smart ass, you know that?"

"But seriously, you're dating the hot chick that was mudwrestling? I didn't know elves were into ugly guys. She got a sister?"

----------------------------------------

Gristle was wringing his hands and pacing the floor. The sounds from the stock yards were increasing. Where was Runt and the new butcher?

Finally, the door slammed open and Runt returned, followed by a large, leanly muscled man in an apron. Gristle was alarmed at his appearance, but beggars can't be choosy. If this was the only butcher available, he'd have to do. But still! His apron was clean, he looked fully human, and had a lack of scars. But he'd have to do.

Runt introduced them, "Ozzy, this is Gristle. He's polite, oblivious, and got the job because no one else wanted it. He's going to hit you up for a guild fee and then throw you into the deep end."

"Gristle, this is Ozzy. He's a new butcher with a hot girlfriend. He's also a smartass and probably smarter than he looks. He lives down in Sedgewick, the little town everyone in the city ignores."

Gristle stuck out a gnarled hand. "Greetings, I am guild master Gristle of the Gadobhra Butchers guild. So nice to make your acquaintance."

Ozzy shook his hand, glanced at Runt, then said. "Nice to meet you. Runt says Billy has a job for me? And you need me to pay a fee so I can work?"

Gristle smiled widely, "Yes. Official guild fee to register you here. In return for just a few shiny coins you gain access to all the guild has to offer and you can take on official guild jobs such as the one your Baron is requiring of you."

"Ok, how much is the guild fee? I didn't even know there was a butchers guild."

Ozzy decided Gristle would fit right in with the ACME managers. Pay to do required work? Billy had better pay him back.

Gristle rubbed his hands together, "Why, every city of any size should have one. Not Sedgewick of course, it's barely a wide spot in the road. But as to the fee, how much do you have?"

Ozzy put his hand in his apron and pulled out some coins, "I've got 1 gold, 12 silver, and 4 copper on me." He put those on the counter. Gristle quickly swept them into his apron.

Gristle smiled at Ozzy, showing off crooked and missing teeth, "By a strange coincidence that is exactly the amount needed. Special offer to celebrate reopening. Sign the logbook please."

The logbook was a large tome made of dark leather and yellowed vellum bound in sinew. The first few pages held the names of hundreds of butchers from the past. Only a few were not crossed through: Chopper, Tuskwort, Knuckleguts, Smiling Ned, Cragella Cruel Sticks, Georgy Eight Cleavers, Oink, Sausagehoof.

Adding his name at the end, Ozzy felt an odd twisting in his gut.

Welcome to the Butcher's Guild of Gadobhra

Your guild rank: Apprentice

Current job title: Stock yard slaughter hand.

Your guild status is: Never trust a newb.

Current quest: Gotta Kill them all!

Slaughter 10 beasts in the stockyards without dying yourself and deliver to The Pit of the Butcher

Reward: Access to the Apprentice Butcher Skill List.

Ozzy read through the notification, then turned to Runt, "Time to get to work, I guess. Lead on, MacRunt."

And lead Runt did, about a hundred yards further into the rubble of the city, to where the buildings ended and a wide area had been laid out with pens and corrals covering nearly 40 acres. Animals of different sizes and shapes were packed end to end in the various enclosures. The stench of rotting meat, manure, and animals blended together into odor unique to stockyards everywhere.

There seemed to be no plan to how things were laid out. Several small pens would be jammed next to large ones. The walkways between them zig-zagging in crazy routes that lead to the center of the area.

And at the center, taking up a few acres on its own, was the dungeon. The upper level was a windowless stone keep that rose several stories above the stock yards. Surrounding it was a wide moat filled with blood and floating bones. The bridge across was made from the ribs and spine of some huge beast with a narrow walkway down the center. From the walls hung bodies on chains, most reduced to a few bones. A stench of rot and old blood blew from the doorway between the open gates.

"Screw this. I am not going into a damned dungeon that's a cross between Baradur and a Chicago meat packing plant," Ozzy had taken one look and decided Billy and Gristle could both take their job and shove it.

"Hey, it ain't bad inside, if you like frozen hellscapes. It will be so much worse when it thaws out. But then, I grew up there. Don't worry about it though, chief. You get to work by the side entrance and just throw your kills into the dungeon. Follow me." Runt lead Ozzy around the side of dungeon, to a large mound of stones and bones near the moat. The side facing the stockyards revealed a cave entrance that fell straight into darkness.

Runt used his cane to point from the animal pens to the cave. "Here's the deal. Kill stuff, butcher the bodies, and toss the carcasses down the hole."

"There are some rules though, you absolutely have to butcher the stuff first. Otherwise, it just turns into a zombie animal once inside. The big guy hates that and he'll come tear your head off. Sheep get the head cut off. If it looks like a cow, just gut it and take off the hooves. All the parts can go in, but you have to cut first. Horses and half-horses need to be in at least three parts. Anything with wings, tear the wings off and leave them outside."

"Pigs are tricky, never toss all the parts in. Pigs need to lose the rear legs and the belly. Never toss those inside. Think you can follow those rules?"

Ozzy had Runt repeat them just to be sure, and then asked questions, "Why no wings, pork belly, or hams? Those are the best parts."

Runt rolled his eyes, "Sure. If you're one of the namby-pamby guys that like to cook shit up or smoke and cure the meat. The Butcher is old school. He likes his meat rare and uncomplicated. He don't like bacon, and hates ham. He'll use a string of sausage to strangle someone, but won't eat it. Wings are just out. Too much work for too little meat."

Runt pointed to an area further into the city. "You'll have to dig a garbage pit to toss that shit in somewhere."

Ozzy thought for a moment, "How about I get it hauled off and dispose of it down in Sedgewick? I don't want to take the chance of pissing anyone off, and I don't want to have those meat demons roaming around the area."

Runt considered. He didn't like meat demons either. They ate all the rats in the dungeon and made it hard for him to get experience. "Damn good idea. I really don't care what you do with that crap, but Sedgewick is a good place to dump it. The gods know it isn't the first time Gadobhra used Sedgewick as a garbage disposal." Runt pointed to a pen, "See if you can kill some of those sheep and clear out that pen. I want to start you on some easy stuff."

The sheep in the pen looked up at Ozzy with crazed eyes. Several screamed at him and he saw that their teeth weren't made for chewing grass. One lunged at him, but could barely move. He punched it, killing it instantly.

You have killed a Carnivorous Lamb, Level 3

No experience has been earned.

Do not show this message when you kill some poor, low-level critter? Y/N

Mentally clicking the N, he tossed the sheep towards a conveniently placed slab of wood by the cave. For the next half hour, he reached into the pen, pulled out a sheep, and killed it with one punch to the head. The sheep kept pressing against the side of the pen trying to reach him, making it easy to grab them. The few times he got bit it didn't even leave a scratch on his toughened skin.

Finishing up the last of the sheep, he went over to start butchering them, "Runt, just the head? And both pieces go in?"

Runt yelled back from a spot safely away from any animal pen, "Yep. That's it. If we can finish those up, we can call it a day. You're probably beat from all that work." Runt had worked with a lot of Butchers. When they got tired and were low on stamina, they got sloppy. Sloppy butchers were dead butchers. Ozzy had killed 111 carnivorous sheep since they started work that day. Not enough, but a good start. The dungeon was still freezing cold and Runt had checked his alarms. They were good for at least a couple more days.

The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Ozzy was lopping off heads in one swing and tossing the parts thirty feet to the cave. "Not really that tired. Just getting into the swing of things."

A half hour later, Ozzy finished up the last sheep, "What's next?"

Runt hopped down from his perch on a fence, "Quitting time. You've got to be low on stamina. Go home, sleep, we start at dawn."

Ozzy had a little smirk on his face, "You have a lot to learn about workers from Sedgewick. I've barely used up my first 500 stamina. These aren't anything like sedgebeasts - just some weird sheep."

Runt through his hands in the air and started walking to the next pen, "Fine, have it your way. Let's see how you do on some buffalo. He'll be wanting some nice fuzzy coverings for his throne."

"And you haven't seen the really weird sheep yet. Those were just meat eaters. I've got a pen of Fire Sheep just up the way. Stay the hell away from them. Their wool is explosive. Damn things were bred as suicide bombers. They run over to you and Ba-boom-Boom! The explosion might not kill you, but being set on fire is no joke."

There were two dozen huge buffalo in the next pen. Each one was the size of a large sedge bull. There weren't many real buffalo left to compare with, but Ozzy was pretty sure these had been super-sized. They seemed calm, but Ozzy didn't expect them to stay that way. They weren't getting through the corral though. The posts were at least a foot thick and rails on the fencing were eight inches thick. Heavy spikes over two-foot long secured them to each other. "Runt? You have a pile of extra fence rails around?"

Three hours later, Runt added a mark for the last of 24 buffalo and was still trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. First the newb wants logs. Then he hauls them back six at a time and makes a big pile. Runt thought he was going to make a slaughtering enclosure, but no, the crazy guy starts throwing them at the buffalo! Better, he was actually killing the stupid things!

It had taken a few hits each, and dozens of logs, but he killed every last one of them by chucking wood at them and laughing like a maniac. Then he just picked the dead buffalo up and packed them over to be cut up and chucked down the hole. A couple more days like this and they'd be way ahead of the game.

As he was finishing the last one, Ozzy called over. "Hey, Runt? Mind if I keep one of the hides? Would make a great rug."

It wasn't like anyone would miss one hide. "Go ahead. A bonus for a hard day’s work. It's nearly dark, let’s get the hell out of here."

Ozzy rolled up the hide. He'd give it to the tanners and pay them for some extra work. "Not tired. What do we have next?"

Runt had to give him a gold medal for not quitting early. Runt considered that maybe he laid it on a bit thick with the 'And then we all die.' motivation. Not that there wasn't some truth to it. But this guy really took it to heart! "Ok, look! I admire the work ethic. But promise me we do one more pen worth of beasties and then we get some sleep. Take your pick of any of the four pens in that corner. You've got Night Weasels, Death Ostrich, Poisonous Mega Rabbits, and some weird ass mutated cows. Just don't go near the middle pen; remember the Fire Sheep? That's them. We don't cull them unless I can get some damned expensive fire resist ointments and some special aprons."

Ozzy walked over and took a look. Four long, narrow pens surrounded the flammable sheep in the center pen.

The weasels looked fast as shit. They were moving all over the enclosure, biting at each other and getting tangled up.

The Ostriches looked dangerous too, with those long, sinuous necks and razor-sharp beaks.

The rabbits were large, fat and putting out a horrible stench. There was a green miasm all around them.

The last pen held some familiar looking sedge beasts.

Ozzy considered where to start. "Any idea how bad the explosion from the sheep is? And how strong the fire?"

Runt was happy that he was at least leery about the sheep, “The explosion isn't bad, about 50 points of damage, but you get hit three times. Sort of a 'Ba-boom-boom' sound. Plenty enough to kill a low-level human. But the fire afterwards is what gets people. They run around for a bit doing the burny dance and taking 50 points of damage a half dozen times. 400 points of damage is no joke."

"Don't let that fool you though, if one can get to you, more will be able to as well. I don't know what your level is, but I guarantee that 4 or 5 Fire Sheep will have you walking back from hell."

Ozzy was looking at the pens again. "So, if we can finish off those four pens of critters, that's enough to satisfy the boss in the dungeon?"

Runt took a quick calculation. There had to be over 150 of the stupid weasels in there, all wrapped around each other. Call it three dozen of the birds, thirty of the cows, and about 50 rabbits. The rabbits were only Tier one, but the other stuff was Tier 2. Maybe do the sheep next week? There were 50 of those in there. "Yeah, if we can get that done in the next few days then we can breathe easier. That's enough raw meat to restock the larder, make a few meat demons and other critters, and put another layer of fur down on his throne."

As Runt looked on confused, Ozzy took off his apron, tunic, and boots. The only thing he was wearing was a black and grey kilt.

"If you don't mind, I'd like to speed up the schedule. I've actually got a lot going on. My friends and I have a day off coming up so I think I'll just finish up tonight." And with that, he took off running towards the pens.

Runt shook his head. "A crazed, suicidal human. The only fething butcher we had available was a crazed, suicidal human!! Gristle is going to kill me!"

There was a small aisle between the weasels and the rabbits. Ozzy sprinted down it towards the sheep pen. Weasels threw themselves at the enclosure trying to get to him. They were far faster than he'd expected them to be. He was glad he hadn't tried to kill them the normal way. The rabbits started burping poisonous gas at him. It smelled horrible, but wasn't causing him any damage. The weasels didn't like it though. Many of the fuzzy critters rolled over and died, their fur and skin dissolving.

He held his breath, just in case. He could probably handle the poison, but no sense taking a chance if he didn't have to.

When he got to the sheep pen, he leaped the fence, landing near some of the red, fuzzy creatures. He used his Taunt skill to enrage them "Come get me you wooly bastards!" Several sheep near him exploded. Ozzy was ready for them, the weasels and rabbits trying to get to him weren't.

Who the hell charges things that explode? I guess the answer is monstrously tough, fire resistant, crazy-assed butchers wearing Death's spare kilt!

You take 50 points of explosion damage x3 x7. This is reduced to...0 points.

You are on Fire! x7! You will take 20 points of damage x7x5 for a total of 700 points of damage.

Ozzy raced for the next corner, pausing to taunt. More sheep exploded. Many of the sheep in the back became excited and went boom before they even got to him, waves of fire pushing out over the other pens and starting a chain reaction. Ozzy ran the perimeter of the pen, causing fiery explosions until on the fourth lap there were no more Fire sheep. Burning brightly, he stood in the center of the pen and let the fires die down. Then drank two healing potions he'd had tucked into his kilt. It had been a near thing but he'd calculated correctly.

The explosions didn't bother him in the least. Between Monstrous and Mitigation 3, he just ignored the 50-point hits. It didn't matter that there were 150 of them. The fire got to him though. Each sheep did 20 points of damage 5 times. That was over 5000 points of damage. Without his Active Fire Resistance, he'd be a smoking cinder. Negating all that damage took almost all of the 4000 points of stamina he had left after the hard day’s work. Over 1500 points of damage got through, taking him to under 2000 health. The potions put him back above that, and helped take the sting off.

The other pens had fared poorly. There was the smell of roast chicken coming from the ostriches, and most of their feathers had been blown off of them. Only half the sedgebeasts were down. They had a lot of health and the bulls were resistant to fire.

The weasels and bunnies were looking quite burnt. The poisonous gases that the mega rabbits put out were quite flammable and had added to the blaze.

Billy had been looking out of his window, when a huge plume of flames shot into the sky and he heard a sound like giant firecrackers going off. Hopefully someone survived to give a report tomorrow.

Gristle felt the explosion, and light streamed into the guild house from cracks and broken windows. He was very worried. If he lost Runt, it was going to be hard to find a replacement minion. Still, it was nice to see such a festive bonfire burning brightly.

Runt sat shaking his head, amazed at the stupidity of people. Now he'd have to find another butcher. As the fires died down, he saw a tall figure walking towards him. He stared open mouthed as Ozzy walked up to him sipping the last of a potion before casually using a spell to clean off all of the ashes, soot, and bits of sheep from himself.

Putting his clothes back on he looked over at the dying fire. "Give me a bit to clean up and take a breather and I'll get to work on those. We should be able to finish up well before dawn."

"Then how about we report to Gristle and Billy and then I'll treat you to breakfast at the tavern."

Runt was still in shock. "Uh, sure. I'm ok with that."

Summary:

You have completed the quest: Gotta Kill them all part 1 by killing 10 creatures and butchering them.

You have completed the quest: Gotta Kill them all part 2 by killing 25 creatures and butchering them.

You have completed the quest: Gotta Kill them all part 3 by killing 50 creatures and butchering them.

You have completed the quest: Gotta Kill them all part 4 by killing 100 creatures and butchering them.

You have completed the quest: Gotta Kill them all part 5 by killing 200 creatures and butchering them.

You are awarded 15 Guild Points. Guild Points may be used instead of Enhancement Points to purchase Butcher skills, perks, or Enhancements.

Current Guild Status: Useful and Dangerous

Current job title: Stock Yard Slaughter Boss

Current Guild Rank: Journeyman

You have earned 400 experience points in Active Fire Resistance

You have earned 400 experience points in Aspect of Fire

You have earned 500 experience points in the skill Slaughter

You have earned 500 experience points in the skill Butchering

You have earned 300 experience points in Caber

You have earned 800 experience points in INT

You have earned 1300 experience points in STR