An offer of food was something Runt rarely turned down, but he hesitated for an instant when Ozzy offered to "treat him to breakfast at the tavern." This was definitely a favor, and he'd owe Ozzy. No one just did favors in a dungeon for no return - especially with a minion. But turning down an offer of food could be seen as an insult, and after seeing just how crazy and violent this guy was, he wasn't going to take a chance. He had a nice, plump rat back in the pit, but that could wait for another day.

"Uh, sure. I'm ok with that."

"But you should check in with Gristle first. Always make sure you get credit for your guild jobs. You should have some points from a few quests. Those early "Gotta Kill Them All!" quests add up pretty quickly."

The two of them made their way to the Guild Hall. Gristle was outside, holding a hammer and nails and trying to climb a wobbly ladder. "Ah, Runt, just in time as usual, I'll leave this to your capable hands while I help our new Butcher with his introduction to the guild." He pointed to the sign. "It's a bit off, I think the sign stayed level when the building started to lean. Please make it even with the door, if not with gravity."

Runt rolled his eyes, grabbed the hammer and nails, and with a couple of taps to align the sign and a new nail in the wood, the job was done. He hurried off to stow the ladder and tools before Gristle thought of something else he couldn't handle on his own. Runt knew he was going to end up rebuilding the damned guild house one job at a time.

Gristle ushered Ozzy inside, "I received some notifications that guild quests had been finished. Excellent! Good to see the next generation rolling up their sleeves and getting to work. There's so much to be done."

Ozzy looked around the room, noting the rotten beams, slanting walls, and collection of rusted cleavers in one corner, "Yeah, lots to do. Wish I could help more, but I'm just a Butcher so I'll focus on that. Maybe you could explain how I use these Guild Points I just earned from doing your quests?"

Gristle seemed momentarily disappointed but rallied and showed Ozzy to another large tome made of leather and vellum, "This book will show you the wonderful list of skills and perks available to you as an Apprentice Butcher. And before you ask, yes, I've put in your application for Journeyman already. Traditionally that happens after you have earned 25 guild points and paid a small fee, but I can see that you've already technically achieved the new rank."

Ozzy moved to the book, "I'm not too worried about it. Take a few days if you need to. I have my day off tomorrow and today I have work in Sedgewick. I'll get back to taking care of your dungeon after that."

Apprentice Butcher Benefits

Anyone may buy Basic Butchering skills. 3 points in basic skills are required to gain the Class: Apprentice Butcher. Perks and Combat skills require the Butcher class.

Basic Butchering Skills (1 point each)

Learn the skill: Chop Bone The art of shearing through bone and not leaving splinters in the meat. (known)

Learn the skill: Hack Meat The art of turning a carcass into hunks of meat. (known)

Learn the skill: Slaughter Enhanced damage on restrained beasts. (known)

Learn the skill: Precise Cuts Essential for better butchering and even cooking of porkchops.

Learn the skill: Anatomy of a monster Essential for those who wish to dismember monsters. Mixing up the liver with the poison glands is never good.

Learn the skill: Choice Cuts

How to remove glands, organs, and other parts of creatures used in alchemy and other magical arts, or how to find the tastiest bit of flesh for your own dinner.

Combat skills: (3 points each)

Learn the weapon skill: Cleaver (Not available to Contract Workers)

Learn the weapon skill: Huge knife (Not available to Contract Workers)

Learn the weapon skill: Meat Hook

Learn the weapon skill: Hammer (Not available to Contract Workers)

Perks: Un-ranked abilities to enhance your class. You must have the butcher class to buy these. Perks almost always lead to the advanced abilities and better perks needed for advanced butcher classes.

Armored Apron: Physical Damage (10)

Your butcher’s apron is made from the heavy leather of a beast you slew and tanned. It bestows 10 points of physical mitigation. Further levels of this perk may offer increased protections from a variety of sources.

Chain Drag (5)

Cast out a meat hook on a chain to grab the carcass and pull it towards you. Further levels of this skill may offer benefits in combat.

Flensing (5)

Gain knowledge of how to peel even the daintiest of skins off of a creature without damaging the fine leather. Further levels of this skill will allow this to be done to living creatures and apply to the Torturer skill

De-boning (5)

Learn to remove bones without disturbing the meat. Further levels of this skill will apply to the Torturer skill.

Butcher Shop Basics: (5)

The mundane job of running a normal butcher shop from day to day.

Enhanced Reputation: The friendly neighborhood butcher. (5)

Always smiling and happy. Advisor to house wives and best friend to every stray dog.

Everything is Sausage: (5)

How to use extra spice and special grinding to turn any meat into sausage. Turn useless gristle into extra money in your pocket. Extra helpful when you need to make something (or someone) disappear.

Fresh Meat! (5)

(cantrip) Why let that lovely flavor fade away? Learn this cantrip that lets you keep meat fresh from one sunrise to another.

Lesser Minion (10)

(Spell: Level 1)

Summon a nearby minion to slave for you for an hour, or until someone else steals it away. Higher levels of this spell allow for higher level minions or a larger number at one time.

Double-Fake Meat (5)

Don't miss out on sales! Learn to make convincing Fake Meat products using real meat! The vegetable lovers will never know.

Smoking (5) (known)

Ruin good meat by smoking and over cooking it.

Ozzy raised one eyebrow while looking at the list. As expected, most of the weapon choices had been placed on the list that Contract Workers couldn't take. Someday, Ozzy hoped to meet the guy responsible for that list. He'd buy him a beer for being sloppy enough to leave a few things here and there for the workers to find. Then he and Rolly would take him out back and beat him senseless for coming up with the list in the first place.

Still, there was one weapon he could learn: Meat Hook. It would probably not be as good as just hitting someone. All the CSP he'd put into that line of abilities had made his fists very effective weapons. But it was another way to earn experience, probably for STR. The same might be true for the other butchering skills. He bought all the skills available along with meat hook, then looked at perks.

The obvious choice was Armored Apron. Seeing the name of the skill reminded him to see if Ben had finished the replacement pants, tunic and apron made from sedge bull hide. He should probably just do Ben a bunch of favors or throw gold at him and beg him to make a couple of sets.

Another thought kept him from buying the skill immediately. Butcher Shop Basics and Enhanced Reputation added up to ten points. He was remembering his talk with Rolly and the warnings from Hades about people that might come looking for him. He could buy the other perk later. A bit more camouflage sounded like a better use of points. Most of his points spent, he closed the book.

You have gained the following abilities from the Butcher class:

Weapon Skill: Meat Hook (Primary DEX)

Skill: Precision Cuts: (Primary DEX)

Skill: Choice Cuts: (Primary WIS)

Skill: Anatomy of the Monster: (Primary INT)

Enhanced Reputation: (Perk Level 1)

Basic Butcher Shop: (Perk Level 1)

Gristle was staring into space and then shook his head in disappointment, "Oh dear, what were they thinking? I guess it's to be expected of a little hamlet like Sedegwick. I have terrible news! I am going to have to delay your promotion to Journeyman Butcher. Whoever taught you your basic skills of Chop Bone, Hack Meat, and Slaughter was terribly lax. You only have them as tertiary skills! We're going to have to correct that."

Ozzy tried to look sheepish, rubbing the back of his head with one hand and looking down as he shuffled his feet, "Sorry, Guildmaster. You're right. Us Contract Workers don't get much formal instruction. But you say a guild can increase those skills to primary status?"

Gristle patted him on the shoulder, "Think nothing of it, my boy, I'll see this is all straightened out. Just a little more work on your part. One Guild Point will raise one of those skills to secondary, and two more points will move it to primary. With how many you earned today I can easily see you getting your skills improved soon."

"There may be a small fee for the paperwork. Call it one gold for that and two more for your Journeyman's fee. Feel free to bring that with you next time."

Ozzy smiled and shook Gristle's hand, "Thanks for looking out for me. I sure do appreciate it. I'll be back as soon as I can. Maybe I can put in another shift tonight with Runt's help."

"Oh, Runt will be thrilled to help, he always is. Feel free to tell him how thrilled he is," Gristle gave another of his horrible smiles.

Ozzy wondered about that, "I expect he likes the overtime pay."

Gristle looked surprised, "Pay? No, no one pays a minion. Minions do their work because they love it so much. If anything, we do them a favor by keeping them busy. The boy dashes all over the stockyards cleaning things up, then races to the dungeon to help out. He's a credit to his station."

Ozzy turned to the door, "Speaking of which, I've got some chores for him right now. I'll be borrowing him for the rest of the day, then be back here tonight." He left, shutting the broken door before any more conversation occurred.

Runt followed Ozzy from the Guild House to where the rubble of broken buildings became the slightly less destroyed area around the main square. There was a candle burning high in the ACME building but Ozzy had no desire to talk to Billy just yet.

The sudden noise of a large stone crashing to the ground made both Ozzy and Runt spin around and peer into the gloom. Something was coming their way, shambling through the darkness. Ozzy could see it was a hooded figure, vaguely humanoid in shape. His night vision didn't help a lot at this distance and dawn was still aways off.

Sound came from the figure, a deep voice, and one that he'd heard before, "Ow, oh, that stings something fierce." Stumbling out of the darkness was the man Ozzy had met the other day at the tavern.

Ozzy called out to him, "Johannes? I'm glad it's you and not some horrible thing I have to fight, but what are you doing out here at this time of night?"

Johannes continued to come their way, limping a bit, "Ah, the Butcher. Well met. I was also hoping it wasn't something come to see what I was up to. As to my doings, it seems that the answer is dropping a large stone upon my toes. Stings like the devil."

Runt looked at Ozzy and back to the gnarled man. He was better formed than Gristle, but not by much, "Ah, I guess I can help you out sir, if Ozzy doesn't mind."

Ozzy noticed Runt was less than enthused. But shifting a rock shouldn't take long.

As it turned out the rock in question was a huge stone archway. It looked like Johannes had cleared some of the area of smaller stones. 'Smaller' being a relative term. They were smaller than the huge arch, but still weighed at least a ton each.

Johannes gestured to the area, "Welcome, friends, to the future site of the city’s finest university. The good Baron had the wisdom to grant my group of scholars the land our order owned long ago. I was so excited I came out to look it over."

Ozzy eyed the piece of carved stone, "Do you just need it moved? How about a careful lift of one end and a slow drag over to the side?"

"That would be splendid. I only need it moved about thirty feet. I just want to sketch out the foundations for now. I'll have workmen coming soon to start building." Johannes pointed to where the piece needed to go, and the three of them picked up one end and dragged it the required distance.

Ozzy noted two things: Johannes was probably as strong as he was, but might not have the Hauling skills that magnified what he could lift. Runt on the other hand was either very strong, had similar skills to Ozzy, or both.

"That will do gentlemen; my thanks. I'm just going to take a small rest and watch the sun rise. I won't keep you from you journey home." So saying, the tall man sat upon a piece of rock and stared up at the stars.

Runt turned and walked quickly away. Ozzy caught up with him. Behind them, Johannes waited until they were out of sight, and went back to moving rock and debris. With a small cry of triumph, he uncovered a heavy stone door set into what had been the floor of a room.

"YES! Just as I had hoped, the door in the old storage room to the lower levels is still here. I remember it was covered by a lovely carpet. Shame the carpet didn't survive." Taking hold of an iron ring set in the door, he heaved and pulled on the heavy slab until it revealed a set of stairs leading down into darkness.

"What luck! It seems the lower levels are intact. They were always the best part of the college, anyway. This will make things so much easier. I wonder if anyone is still around down here?"