A man pulled a heavily laden wagon into a ruined city, flanked on his left by an old graveyard filled with burnt crypts and shattered gravestones. Attracted by the smell of his goods, several ghouls approached the road but slunk back into the shadows after seeing who pulled the cart. They were too few to attack the Butcher. Such foe was beyond them without large numbers or the might of one of the undead lords in their ranks.

The Butcher turned off the stone road and entered the Beastwoods. The little chimera that infested the area came to investigate the sounds of the wagon and the smell of the cooked meat it carried. Ozzy stopped in a clearing and glowered at them, letting the intimidating aura from Don't Mess Around with Jim come out in full force. The chimera screamed and retreated. This part of the woods only had Level 2 creatures, easily cowed by his aura. The ability was a lot stronger after returning from the Smoke. Before, he could scare off Tier 1 critters and make Tier 2 pause. Now, Tier 2 monsters turned and ran if they got too close to him. His higher level had something to do with that, but not as much as gaining five points of shielding and seven points of aura in the Smoke. When he used it, he could feel those bonuses merging with his Aura of Intimidation, making the area larger and the effect stronger.

Curiously, it didn't affect creatures in the stockyards. He could walk up to a pen of horned rabbits and glare at them, only to have the littlest one stick a horn into his shins. The damned bunnies were a pain to deal with, their sharp horns going right through armor, shields, or hull. Butchering in Gadobhra was always going to be a challenge. He needed to go by the Butcher's Guild and pay his dues for Tier 3 and put some pressure on his Guild Master about upgrading the Guild and getting some new abilities to learn.

For a similar reason, he was pulling a load of barbeque through the Beastwoods. He wanted to make an offering at the hunter's shrine. There were so few ways for workers to get skills. The Hunter's Shrine and Butcher's Guild were fast becoming essential for every contract worker in Sedgewick. If they could increase the level of abilities, it would go a long way for people to finish Tier 2 and then move through Tier 3. They'd need those levels if the shit hit the fan. Too many people wanted Billy to fail and Gadobhra to return to the dustbin of history.

The more Ozzy heard about the pressure being exerted on Billy, the more he wanted to hit back. Part of that was the knowledge he still owed Billy a little less than four years of work. The pressure from outside could push Billy in bad directions. It was hard enough to influence him as it was. Neither Billy nor Layla was stupid, and the more they adapted to the game, the smarter they got. He'd rather be working for a benevolent Baron who worried about rebuilding a city and making money. Having to fight another Baron's invading army, or even worse, the Legion, would suck. Plans were in the works that would relieve some of that pressure without an open confrontation. But if it came to that, he wanted the barony to be able to defend itself.

Arriving at the clearing that held the small shrine to Artemis, he hefted the huge rack of barbecued sloth ribs on one shoulder and grabbed the ten-pound package of Hot-Sloth Not-Bacon with the other. The old ghost watched him carefully, but the young golden bear came up to Ozzy, tongue out and whining for a treat. He'd anticipated that and brought a large chunk of meat from the other rack of ribs, keeping this set as perfect as possible. The bear grabbed the meat and sat back, chewing happily and cracking the ribs with his teeth.

Ozzy put the bacon and ribs on the altar and unwrapped them. He wasn't quite sure about the next step. "O, Artemis, goddess of the hunt and butchering, I offer the meat of a mighty predator killed by myself and fellow hunters, prepared as I know best."

He stepped back from the altar and looked over at the old ghost. "I hope she likes it."

The ghost glided forward, sniffed once, and then inhaled deeply. "An old beast and a mighty one. I expect that will do. Interesting to make an offering this way. Traditionally, the gods are offered the bones wrapped in fat and burned on a fire, while the mortals eat the meat at a feast. Prometheus taught us that when he tricked old Zeus. Traditional, but if I was a god, I think I'd prefer a nice rack of ribs now and then."

The food on the altar disappeared, and the old ghost laughed. "Yep, looks like she agrees." The bear suddenly stood up and yowled, shaking his head, eyes wide. He left the half-eaten chunk of meat and ran quickly to the nearby stream, drinking deep and pawing at his tongue. The ghost laughed. "I warned him it was going to be hot, but you know bears, they have to take a taste before they believe you."

Artemis, Goddess of the Hunt and patron of Butchers accepts your offer of sacred meat, butchered from the carcass of a great predator and prepared in a way that is pleasing to her. The scribes of Olympus have recorded your recipes for Bear-Braised, Nine-Spice, Barbecued Megatherium, and Hot-Sloth Bacon.

She's looking forward to what you can do in her service at the Great Hunt.

In appreciation of your offering and acknowledgment of the creatures you have hunted and slain, the Goddesses Artemis and Aeto'le grant further blessings to this Shrine:

Core Skill: Great Beast Slaying

The mightiest of hunters seek out the true monsters of the wilderness, challenging themselves as they test their prowess against the most terrifying of Beasts. When hunting alone, you will do additional damage to Beasts of a higher level than yourself. Double the bonus if the creature is an Elite boss, and quadruple the bonus if the Beast is Monstrous.

Great Beast Slaying 1:

When fighting a Beast of a higher level than your own in single combat, you are inspired, and your weapons will do +10 points of damage per level difference. Cost 5 CSP

Great Beast Slaying 2:

When fighting a Beast of a higher level than your own in single combat, you are inspired, and your weapons will do +20 points of damage (30 total) per level difference.

Cost 10 CSP

Great Beast Slaying 3:

When fighting a Beast of a higher level than your own in single combat, you are inspired, and your weapons will do +30 points of damage (60 total) per level difference.

Cost 15 CSP

New Core Skill: Pack Hunting

As humans first learned when hunting mammoths and Wyrms, it's best to take friends. As each hunter strikes, they will do extra damage. Double this damage vs. Monstrous Beasts.

Pack Hunting 1:

When hunting an Elite Beast of a higher level than your own, with a group of six or fewer hunters, your weapons will do an additional +20 points of damage per level difference. Cost 5 CSP

Pack Hunting 2:

When hunting an Elite Beast of a higher level than your own, with a group of six or fewer hunters, your weapons will do an additional +40 points of damage per level difference. Cost 10 CSP

Pack Hunting 3:

When hunting an Elite Beast of a higher level than your own, with a group of six or fewer hunters, your weapons will do an additional +60 points of damage per level difference. Cost 15 CSP

Ozzy bowed to the altar. Every bit of damage helped. Some of the more skilled workers were going out into the woods around town and hunting to gain experience with an adze, and looked for small bosses. The group ability seemed very appropriate for the Menagerie, especially for lower-level workers they took in. And Rolly was going to love these skills. He and Squirmie hunted alone all of the time. He claimed having a pet still counted as hunting solo.

But Wait! There's More! Act Now, and you will also receive a new skill: Gopher Hammer!

Used by nearly everyone in the East Farthing to Whack Moles, Strike Sloths, and Grind Gophers, this large, wooden, two-handed hammer is your ideal choice when fighting an army of rodents.

Damage: 200 points + 10 points for each point of STR over 10 when used against rodents.

Fifty points + 10 points of damage for each point of STR over 10 when used against anything else.

Get yours now! Available to almost anyone, anywhere. Spread the word.

What the hell? He checked his list of skills and saw that it was there. The old ghost was chuckling. "Ah, I remember when I was younger and got trolled by the system. It takes me back a ways; it does. It gave me 'Giant Spoon' as a weapon to fight slimes with after I'd already cleared an entire dungeon of the things." His bear had finished cooling off his mouth and wandered back to camp. He hesitated and then started chewing on the other half of his snack. Ozzy left the old ghost and his pet and walked back to town to make some hammers and start teaching people to use the new weapon.