In the upper reaches of the smokehouse, what was left of Bucktooth was slowly curing.

Ozzy grabbed a chain and climbed to the top, checking on the meat.

It was almost perfect.

"Lower this one down, slowly.

I'll grab something to wrap it in and get a wagon." The Pit complied with the order.

Ozzy purchased four large, white table clothes from the Kallvek's Emporium, laying two down in the wagon for the large rack of ribs to set on, and spread the other two over the top.

He pushed the wagon out of the smokehouse and went to shut the doors tight.

To his surprise, four chains had wrapped around the barrel he had used to play tug-of-war with the Pit.

"You want to go again?" The chains rattled.

Ozzy wondered if his Pit was like a big dog, needing attention and playtime.

It seemed to behave better when he was here.

A few minutes of playing a game wouldn't hurt.

It would give him some practice making chains and not relying on the magic one around his wrist.

He wove smoke into four stout chains and grabbed hold of the barrel.

This was a much tougher fight than the last time, even with his STR reaching the maximum for Tier 3 already.

Hack Undead, Butchering, and using his Flensing Hatchets had pushed the ranks up fast.

Especially the last battle in the smoke.

He had killed the charred on the Black Barge for hours on end.

He'd used his points from the gopher war to increase his cap and purchased three points with Spirit of The Bear.

The stuff he had to fight was getting bigger, and he could use all the STR he could get.At 45 STR, he felt like he had an edge on the pit when it used four chains.

It was a struggle, though; it had gotten better at pulling since getting the skill.

He wondered if it might be better to roll in whole wagons of sedge beast carcasses for smoking.

If the Pit could lift the loads to the top, he'd end up with smoked meat for the Legion, and the wood of the wagons might take on some of the smoke.

He idly wondered if the pit could learn to infuse smoke into wood.

The game went back and forth until, with a sudden tug, the Pit pulled the barrel to its side of the line.

Ozzy was knocked to the floor and came up laughing.

"A point for your side.

You won that time.

I'll bring you back some fresh meat from Gadobhra." The chains were quiet as he left, slowly moving the curing meat around and rotating the carcasses.He checked on one of the barrels of Hot-Sloth Not-Bacon.

As he opened the barrel, a jet of fire and steam shot out, along with a delicious aroma.

He sliced off a small chunk and took a bite.

The flavor exploded in his mouth.

The peppers had dissolved into the maple and bear fat, leaving a complex taste that went well with the fatty sloth belly.

New Recipe! Hot-Sloth Not-Bacon (Tier 3 magical meat.)No one else has thought to lure this elusive predator, kill it and turn it into (not) Bacon.

Your problem now isn't finding people to eat your new treat; it will be finding more prehistoric giant sloths! One thick slice (1 oz.) gives the following effects for 1 hour: +300 Health.

Damage from heat, fire, smoke, and melee weapons that use STR increased by +100.Warning: At 1 million SMU (Sedgewick Smoke Units), this food can cause damage to lesser beings.

Iron Stomach, Rank 3 in Fire Eating, or some form of fire resistance, is recommended.

The Baron of Gadobhra takes no responsibility for spontaneous combustion.

You've been warned.