The Butcher of Gadobhra

Chapter 283: Sailors and Dragons and Paths Less Taken.

The Battle for the Lower Farthing was over. The war had started with rumbling earth and an eruption of hot mud and steam as Lord Geyserbreath the Turbulent had made his entrance. A highly paid mercenary under contract to the shadowy leaders of the Gopher Revolutionary Army, he brought his entire army to attack the farmers trying to clear their lands of root munchers and 'tater thieves. Ozzy quickly called in the crew of the Splinter to help him deal with the squads of steam-belching naked mole rats, fire-breathing groundhogs, and a belligerent dragon-hamster named Ted.

Ted was upset at the entire situation. He'd been told they would be raiding a rich castle with piles of loot. Instead, he had mud in his fur and a hundred farmers with sharp weapons charging him. He ate one person, luckily a contract worker, and flew off in a huff. Ted's departure threw a spanner in Lord Geyserbreath's plan, and the large, red gopher found himself facing Ozzy in hand-to-claw combat.

More of a behind-the-scenes schemer than a combatant, Geyserbreath relied too much on his breath weapon. The stream of hot mud did little other than annoy the Butcher. After being pinned to the muddy ground and hit in the head twice, he surrendered and took what was left of his mercenaries to some other war. The combined force of workers, sailors, and farmers had dealt with the named and elite bosses by then, and what was left of the creatures retreated.

They left behind a vent in the earth that put out a constant stream of hot water and a small eruption four times a day. The Battle for Lower Farthing ended with the new hamlet gaining either a steam-powered bathhouse or a minor tourist attraction. They took the bathhouse and looked forward to soaking away the ache of sore muscles in its hot pools. Ozzy settled for a bucket of water from the well to wash off the mud and headed for Gadobhra. Billy needed something dug up and was worried about ghouls.

The courtyard in front of the ACME building was losing the light as the broken walls blocked the sunset. As the shadows grew longer, the oil lanterns surrounding the city square were lit and gave enough light to see by. As usual, the statue in the center brooded over the city. Ozzy wondered what the hell it was supposed to be. The stone base was chipped where someone had forcefully obscured whatever had been written there. Pidgeon had covered the head and shoulders of the dark metal sculpture with their droppings. Why they preferred to nest there was a mystery; there was nothing to eat nearby. Ozzy thought it was fitting that not even the pigeons in this place were normal.

Billy had asked him to get a few workers together and dig at a spot where he had scratched an X into the flagstones. The Baron thought there was a chance of finding a ruined teleport stone somewhere near that spot, buried in the ground. Digging was easy, but the city always had complications. Ozzy was keeping a lookout for ghouls or daemons.

The digging was easy. Contract workers had a lot of things they couldn't do, but when it came to hauling and digging, they could outperform almost anyone. Flagstones were tossed to the side, then piles of loose stone and debris from damaged buildings. As they dug deeper, they widened the hole. Billy came down to watch and grew frustrated as the hole grew larger. Marius and Greg were down in the hole when the rubble underneath them caved in, and they fell into the darkness. The screams of ghouls could be heard below. Ozzy started climbing down into the hole; Billy stood at the edge. "Shit, shit, shit." He cursed, then drew his sword and slid down the slope. The Butcher reached out and grabbed the Baron, then leaped into the darkness.

The hole was thirty feet deep and filled with ghouls. Greg was on the ground with a badly broken leg. Marius was standing over him and flailing with an adzed. Ozzy landed on a ghoul, smashing its head into the ground and killing it. He set Billy down and unleashed Butcher's Breath, lighting up the room and sending a dozen ghouls scurrying for cover. Billy's sword glowed with a blood-red glow, lighting up the room as the flames died seconds later.

Ghouls had been digging here, expanding this hole under the city's center. A rough tunnel led away from the room and down into darkness. The ghouls whispered to themselves for a moment, then retreated, dragging a half-dozen burnt friends and a body with a broken skull. 'Waste not, want not' was popular among the hungry undead.

Billy stalked around the hole and examined a pile of dark stone rubble that seemed different from the other rocks. "Crap. Someone or something stole my idea and is trying to steal my damned teleport stone."

Ozzy looked at the half-dozen chunks of stone, seeing carvings on each piece. "You found out a teleport stone was down here?"

Billy shook his head. "Sort of. Maybe. My source isn't very reliable. It's probably in pieces, but it's a start and might give us clues on how to make one. Now, I'm guessing that most of it is down there somewhere." He pointed to the tunnel. "Now I just need to find a team of people who like to go into dungeons and strange places on their days off. Who knows what treasures could be down there?"

A rope sling came down for Gregg and hauled him up, and Marius was next. Both were going to be alright but were a little shaken. Ozzy took a look into the tunnel. It descended thirty feet at a steep angle and turned into a stone corridor. Torches gave off weak light, and he could hear the undead moving down there.

Ozzy considered the situation. It had been a while since they had gone into a dungeon, and this certainly looked like one. "I have to finish the hamlets tomorrow and the last Gopher War. Who knows what the hell that one will be? Afterward, I'll grab Rolly, Ben, and Suzette, and we'll explore and look for your rocks. Unless the heroic Baron of Gadobhra would like to accompany us? You need the levels and the experience, remember?"

Billy sighed. "I really should have played more games growing up." He eyed the stones. "Let's take those with us. And sure, how can I send my brave workers into danger without leading them? I'll drag Layla along as well."

"I feel cheated; you got more options than I did. I need to get out more." Suzette was looking over Ozzy's options for heritage.

You walk close to your ancestors, but the path diverges into many. Who will you follow, and what will you be? Choose a Heritage, or walk your own path.

Your Heritage is more than just bonus stats and abilities. Who you are influences your fate, interactions with the world, and all those around you. Choose Carefully.

Fire Walking

You have much in common with the Firewalkers of Muspelheim. They would welcome you and make them part of a family. Some stay in Muspelheim and raise families, others roam the planes and send back letters when they remember. Your stature is yours to decide, from adding a mere 6" to gaining the average height of 12' or taller.

Gain: Complete Immunity to damage from Flames and Heat

Gain: Increased Smoke and Heat

+6 STR, +4 CON

The Draconic Pyramid

You have chosen to wear the Gauntlets of Gauderang the Vile. You are strong, breathe fire, and love collecting a pile of treasure. The piece of the Dragon's soul that remains judges you fit to be recruited into the Draconic Pyramid. The start of your hoard is impressive for one so young. Join the Pyramid and let the power of draconic investing work for you! For just the modest cost of half of your hoard, your mentor will show you ways to increase your gold each year with wise investments. And as you recruit young dragonlings, half of their hoards move up the pyramid to you in exchange for your wisdom. Be part of something bigger than your own hoard! Join the Draconic Pyramid!

+4 STR, +2CHR, +2INT

Gain: Guaranteed increase of 1% and 5% to your horde per year, plus 50% of any gold earned by those you recruit.

Perk: Draconic Evolution. At each stage of your growth, you will gain one of the following: Wings, Impressive claws, strong teeth, hardened scales, stylish tail.

Small Town Butcher

It was good enough for your Grandpappy and good enough for you! Continue the Path of the Butcher.Be a normal Butcher, chopping meat in your shop and slaughtering in the stockyards, or expand into smoking meats. Expand to other villages, train apprentices, and run for Guild Master. This is the traditional path of the small-town Butcher. It will re-enforce your role as The Butcher of Sedgewick.

Gain: Increased trust of everyone in town and a growing reputation in nearby villages and hamlets.

Gain: skills: Haggle, Cook, Tell Long Stories, Look Harmless

You will be responsible for many new quests to give out to Adventurers, probably to their annoyance.

+3 STR, +3 CON, +3 CHR

Dungeon Lord

The glory and power of the Dungeons call to you. Follow the path of the Dungeon Lord. Go where the action is and compete for your spot in an Under Realm, or break away and create your own Dungeon!

+6 STR, +2 CON

+1000 Health per Tier (Retroactive.)

Increased size and appetite

Guaranteed Employment

Sailor on the Seas of Smoke

You've worked your way up from a castaway sailor to Captain but haven't commanded your own ship. The Smoke still calls to you, and someday you'll go back.

Gain: Dual Citizenship in both the Smoke and the Conjunction. You are comfortable in each and counted as a resident of both planes.

Gain: Increase Smoke, Heat, and a larger Furnace.

Gain: Increase power with spells from the Aspect of Heat and Aspect of Smoke.

+3 PER, +3AGI, +2 Aura, +2 Shielding

Champion

Embrace your role as a Hero who embodies all of the good things of your chosen god. (Options: Artemis, Hades, The Burning Man)

Your relationship with the gods is complicated: More than human and less than divine, but that hasn't stopped you from drinking with them and punching them in the face. You bear the mark of Artemis, wear of favor of Hade's approval, and have hosted part of the Burning Man, and your Heroic Journey has just begun.

Gain: +3 to all stats.

Gain: Unique abilities based on the god you choose to dedicate your heroic deeds to.

Gain: Jobs. Lots and lots of jobs. By the time Hercules had his first 12 jobs done, they had twice that many ready for him.

The Path Less Taken

Reject your heritage and build your own legend around your exploits and deeds.

Gain: +5 free stats.

Gain: 1 Skill of your choice

Gain: Mastery of one weapon or magical damage type.

Nearly anything could be down this path, so you should be prepared for almost anything...

"And your thoughts on them?"

She read through them twice. "Some good options. But here are my thoughts: Firewalking is good if you want to re-enforce what you are already good at. Fire barely bothers you now because of your active resistance and elemental mitigation. And granted, not burning is a great thing, but most things you run into aren't going to kill you with fire. Your STR and CON increases would bring more health, but you're insanely strong and tough as it is. This makes you more of that. But I'll be honest, I'm not happy with the idea of you getting larger. A twelve foot long bed is not in our future."

"I'd love to know if all dragons are in this type of society, or just some money obsessed tribe. That transformation doesn't look optional, so the Dragon heritage is out unless you want to find a lizard for your girlfriend. I'm not cuddling with you if you get scales, claws, and a tail. Plus, it looks like some kind of Ponzi scheme. Even if you don't take it, you should see what the banker in town thinks about it.

"Small Town Butcher is on the tame side. It lets you hide but has fewer benefits. It's great if you want to stay undercover. If that's what you want, we can make it work.

Dungeon Lord is a trap unless you want to live in a dungeon. Didn't you get a career option similar to this? I think someone up in the big dungeon in the big city is tossing unsubtle hints your way.

Path Less Taken looks good if you don't take any of the others. No responsibilities attached to it, and versatile. That leaves Champion and Sailor."

"Champion I'd have taken in a heartbeat, but I have a good relationship with Hermes. You've got the options of a Goddess of the Hunt and two Death Gods. And it straight up says they'll have jobs you need to do. Would being a champion of the Burning Man make you go back to the Smoke? Hades seemed pretty chill when we met him, but you can imagine the jobs you'd have to do for the God of the Underworld. I think Artemis is the best one there. Hunting down monsters fits you perfectly. +3 to all your stats is very nice, and the unique abilities could give you some overpowered hunting perks. Just have to avoid being given twelve labors to do."

"Sailor really depends on what you want to do long-term. You could make trips to the Smoke for Billy, or we wait for the end of the contract and take a long vacation. Nothing says we live here forever. And you know damned well that Ben, Rolly, and I would go with you. Flying Pirate Ship? Awesome. And you already have the plans to build a ship. But two more things about Sailor: You don't have to take it to go back to the Smoke on a magic ship, and on the other hand, it increases your magic and the stats you don't have as high."

She paused. "That's it, I'm out of opinions."

Ozzy looked them all over. "You did a good job, I keep going round in circles with them, good to have another opinion. And I agree with most of that. I'll think it over a bit. Champion is appealing, but I'm unsure how much I want to tie myself to a god. Which I guess should tell me something. Dragon is out, and I think I should quit wearing those gauntlets. They get tight and hard to take off sometimes. That might be a warning sign."

"Oh, that reminds me," Suzette showed him a ring she was wearing that gave her +50 Health. "I got this from the dungeon along with a bunch of other things. And Billy has a ton of stuff he got in Gadobhra. It's all going into the magic shop; we should look through it before we head into that ghoulish pit you want to explore. The bulk of it we can't use: Armor, weapons and shields. But we can use some of the talismans, rings, trinkets and stuff allowed for anyone to use. I think there were a pair gloves in there."

"Sounds like a plan. Finish the gophers off, meet up with Rolly and Ben, go shopping, and get their input. Oh, and Billy and Layla are going."

Suzette was immediately interested. "I can't wait to see how they get into trouble. This will be fun."

The Butcher wasn't sure. "Have they gotten better? I'm a little leery of taking them in. They don't have the Health and Mana of workers, and were really low on stats."

"They've gotten better. Whatever you talked to Billy about that one night lit a fire in him. He started butchering like crazy and then going with groups into the Beastwoods. And he hates ghouls. That big one really ticked him off bad. He wants to clear out all the undead and bulldoze that graveyard. They have armor now, and at least know which end of a sword goes into the bad guy."

Ozzy shrugged. "We'll give it a go them. If the worst happens we can throw them at the ghouls and run. They respawn fast."

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