"Who are you?" One of the guards yelled.

"Sam," he replied. "I'm running an errand for Hank."

"I know that raptor," the other guard said. "What's his name?"

"Her name is Kai," Sam corrected. "I think you owe her an apology."

"That's her," the guard said. "Sorry about that, Kai. I had to make sure he hadn't snatched you."

The log gate creaked and groaned as it lifted out of the way. It didn't swing open like he had expected. Kai strode through the gate purposely not looking at the guards. She came to a stop before a raised water trough and looked back at Sam. The raptor plunged her head into the trough the moment he was out of the saddle.

* Location Discovered – Bar-T Ranch

Sam'uel dismissed the notification. He turned to get a better look at his surroundings. A log palisade reinforced by stone completely surrounded the area. Three houses, a corral, and a nest similar to the one at Jacksons Rest were located inside the protective barrier. Another set of guard towers marked a second gate on the palisade adjacent to the first. One guard walked along a raised that gave him a good view of the area around the ranch.

The main house had two levels. It was painted a muted red with brick supports as an accent. The roof was flat and there looked to be movement on it. He turned his attention to the other two buildings. One was a barn, or had been at one point. It had a deck that ran across where the set of large doors should have been and a couple steps that led up to a normal sized door. The last building was a squat rectangle with a long window running the length of the wall he could see. A couple of people inside were moving busy preparing a meal.

Kai had led come to a stop near the raptor nest. The water trough was far enough away from everything that he would have to cross open ground to get to any of the buildings. Sam rested his hand on the satchel strap, which just happened to put the grip of his revolver within reach.

This wasn't so much of a ranch as it was a fortress. Sam turned toward the main building. It was a delivery, and that usually went to the people in charge. The door to the house opened before as he approached. A wide, muscular man with a greenish tint to his skin stepped out. He held a shotgun nearly as tall as Sam with ease.

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"What do you want?" The voice came out a rolling growl.

"I've got a delivery from Hank," Sam replied. He patted the satchel.

"What is it?" They asked.

"No idea," he replied. "He asked me to bring it here. He told me that I may be able to pick up some work while I'm here."

Sam'uel slid the satchel off and held it out. They were either an orc or an ogre, being on the small side made it hard to determine. The green man was large, but lacked tusks, which most orcs in fiction had. Sam didn't think it was a good idea to ask.

* Quest Completed: Delivery to Bar-T

* +20 Reputation with Hank and Margie Jackson

"Sam'uel," he said. "And you are?"

"Gorignak," they replied. "What type of work do you do?"

"Gor," a voice called from deeper inside the house. "Stop harassing that knife-ear and bring them in here."

Gorignak studied the elf for a reaction. Sam realized that 'knife-ear' was an insult. The big orc, or ogre, waved for Sam to follow. They led him down a long hallway that led into a parlor. A large, polished desk took up the majority of the center of the room. Three hyena skin rugs covered the floor. The windows were framed with iron; each had a set of solid looking shutters.

A pale scarecrow of a man sat behind the desk in a chair that could have easily fit Gorignak with room to spare.

"Bartholomew Patton Twain," the man said. "I am the owner of Bar-T Ranch. Who the hell are you, and why should I care?"

There were few things in this world that Sam was sure of. His memories were vague, the Wild West wasn't his wheelhouse, and it he was still adjusting to the fact that his new world was a game. He did know one thing: this guy was a scumbag.

"Sam'uel," he said. "I'm a problem solver," he paused. "What do you need to get done?"

The human studied him for a long moment before breaking into a laugh. He smiled broadly, showing his stained teeth.

"And what makes you think I need your help?" Twain asked.

"You've turned this ranch into a fortress and I didn't see any sort of livestock," Sam replied. "Something has you hunkered down."

The smiled faded from his face.

"Gorignak," Twain said. "Send him after the mutts."

"Yes, sir," the orc-ogre said. "Follow me."

Sam'uel was glad to have a reason to leave the parlor. He followed Gorignak back out to the front steps.

"There are packs of Gnolls that have been attacking the ranch," Gorignak said.

"Gnolls?" Sam asked.

"Hyena people," they replied. "Always been a problem, got a lot worse lately. Track them down and take care of it. Bring back fangs as proof."

* Quest: Culling the Pack

* Deal with the Gnoll Threat

* 0/5 Gnoll Chieftain Fangs

* Reward: +5 Reputation with Bar-T Ranch

* $50

"Is that a problem you can handle?" Gorignack asked.

Sam nodded. Without another word he approached Kai and saddled up.

"Let's go, girl," he said. "We've got some work to do."