The year continued, and I worked on my floor beds while watching the world go by. I reread the book several times, but was still left with my initial impressions. Overall, the United States was not diminished, but it seemed more violent than my timeline had indicated. It had fought more wars on the continent than in my world.

October had just started, and I was looking out over the changing scenery. The land was changing colour as winter was coming again. The book's last page featured a map of the US states and territories. The only differences were that Oregon and Washington were missing, and California was split into two states, creatively named North and South California. The Baja section was added to Southern California and was part of the state.

The rest of the map was how I remembered the state and territory lines.

I was now thinking about getting more books. I had limited resources at this time. I was loath to give up my gold and was starting to rebuild my silver dollars. Spending them was the furthest thing from my mind.

I was watching the path leading to the road when I spotted movement. Two figures on horses, accompanied by a third pack animal, emerged from the trees. They were riding at a leisurely pace. Looking at the sky, I worked out the sun's location through the clouds. It was not long before it was dark.

I shifted down as they approached the gates to get a closer look.

Both men were outdoors types, with rough but sturdy clothes and unkempt appearances. They were close enough now that I could hear their conversation.

"… to the north inside the graveyard in one of the mausoleums, according to the rumours." The first was saying. It sounded like the locals, but the voice and accent were rougher.

"And you believe that, Arnold?" The second said.

"Of course not, Franklin, but it gives us a place to start."

Both men rode up to the gates and dismounted. They tied their horses up and walked to the threshold of the Dungeon.

"Heard other stories. Reckon they might be true now I see the place." Franklin said as he peered into the Dungeons' grounds.

"Maybe." Arnold agreed. "Are we going in now to have a quick look around? Get the lay of the land?"

Franklin glanced at his watch, which was on a chain under his coat. "It's nearly dark. We can have a quick gander," he said.

Both men returned to their mounts and pulled two rifles from their saddles. They walked past the gates into the courtyard. Arnold looked at the plinth and then squinted.

"Franklin, you're better with your reading. What does this say?" Arnold asked, indicating the plinth. Franklin looked over his shoulder.

"…. Something about a church and leaving by sunup." Franklin offered. "Mighty strange. Let's get going."

Arnold kept looking at the plinth as they turned and walked up the north-leading path.

[Alert! Intruders are not recognised as Challengers.]

I reached out to the stirring Hunters, telling them of the intruders. I followed just behind the two men.

"We have two men armed with rifles heading north. Three horses outside."

I looked to the sky, tracking the sun. It was nearing the mountains, causing the shadows to lengthen and deepen across the Dungeon. It was getting close to allowing the Spirit enough darkness to begin acting.

The path curved along the same angle as the outer wall and now crossed the sections from the trees nearby. The golden or red colour gave the Dungeon sudden flashes of colour that stood out among the greys and dulling greens. This would fade soon, but it had been dry for the last few days as the leaves started to fall, so their colour had not dulled.

The two men walked on, ignoring the leaves as they fell to the ground.

"This place is bigger than I expected," Franklin said as they walked.

"How big, you reckon?" Arnold looked out across the tombs, trees and gravestones.

"Good few miles. No wonder the gold has been so hard to find." Franklin answered after looking around himself. "Mighty strange a place as big as this located out here."

They continued talking about banal things they would spend their money on when they found the gold. They also noted the buildings they would need to inspect in the morning. I looked around more closely than they did and spotted my Hunters approaching. By then, the two men had crossed into the Spirits' hunting grounds, causing my other Hunters to hold back.

The sun was setting now, and the darkness was strong enough for the Spirit to act. As they approached the mausoleum containing the Spirit's body, they entered a large patch of shadow.

She walked into view from behind a tree further north of them to the right. She had a faint white light about her, but from the sudden tensing of their bodies, the men were not paying attention to that, but to her presence. She was dressed in clothing that would be found on a "lady of the night" or a woman you would see in a tavern in any film depicting the time as a prostitute. I could not see their faces; I expected her [Seduction] perk to be in play from their lack of surprise.

"Excuse me, Miss. Why might you be here?" Franklin asked as they both slowed but still headed towards her. Neither raised their eyes at her appearance. My Spirit replied, smiling coyly at them, drawing them closer.

When they were close enough, she turned, transforming, and the screaming began.

Franklin was closeted and disembowelled. The Spirit's claws ripped right through his clothing and lower torso. He screamed in pain and shock as his intestines fell out onto the ground. They were steaming and covered in blood. He collapsed to his knees, trying to pick them up.

Arnold screamed and tried to run. Tried.

As he started to move, she was right behind him. Her claws ripped through his upper torso and his back. She went in deep and ripped out, holding his still-beating heart. Blood was pouring from the wound as he collapsed face-first to the ground, dead.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

Franklin was in tears from the horror and pain as he tried to put his intestines back into his body. The Spirit glided up behind him, reached around, and ripped out his throat. Atrial blood shot out from the wound across the area in front of him.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

"Fuck me!"

I had seen violence, but never that brutal and fast!

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

The Spirit was still holding Arnold's heart as she killed Franklin. Now he was dead, she dropped the organ and glided away. She changed back to her "passive" form, causing all the blood she was covered with to vanish. She wandered away as if nothing had happened.

"I need a volunteer to come and get the bodies…. And bring the wheelbarrow."

Rigger got the task and arrived while the others went to deal with the horses. The Spirit returned but held back as I was there, too. My avatar was placed between her and Rigger, which motivated him to work fast. She glared but made no further movement.

Progress?

I ensured Rigger was out of the hunting ground before dismissing my avatar. Later that night, the loot was split up, and the Hunters returned to their lairs. I gained some more money, which I would give to Herbert. I would instruct him to look out for other books from both the Canadian territories and the United States.

The weapons were unloaded and put away. The money was left upstairs in a leather pouch to protect it, to be moved to the gates later. It was not a significant amount, but it would help my agent.

Herbert came the next day and retrieved the money as instructed. The two men were encouraged to check out the Dungeon at his words. He had been spreading rumours about the gold hidden here to travellers. I complimented him on this. Such stories were becoming local folklore and did not worry the townsfolk.

He left, and I went back to my routine. It was the wrong time of year for my flowers, but I will maintain the beds for next year.

The year rolled on, and I waited for anything to happen.

Winter came in with intense blizzards that turned the world white. Icicles formed as the temperature dropped after a brief hike. I watched the snowflakes as they passed through the spatial barrier, which caused the angle of the snow to change radically. My Dungeon was in full snow globe mode again.

Herbert supplied me with fewer papers as the weather made it hard for him to reach the town, and here, with no evidence of his travels, he left behind. Not much was being reported that interested me. The daily routine continued.

1881 arrived with no fanfare, and things went as usual. Spring came, but winter did its best to stay longer this year. A few surprise late blizzards blew from the mountains, showing winter was not giving up without a fight.

The view changed as the new growths appeared and the snow receded. As travellers were out in force again, more traffic could now be seen along the road. This year brought about one change to the area I was unsure of. The railroad had arrived.

Over several months, I noticed a cloud of smoke that moved. I found out from the papers that the local rail company was building a line through Crossway and the mountains to connect to the British and Canadian territories across the Rockies, known as Cascadia. They laid track and built several bridges to ford the river in the area and a chasm to the mountains.

Summer has arrived, and I have had no Challengers or Intruders so far. I was spending time with my floor beds, and they came along rather well. They would never win any awards, but they were mine, and I was proud of them. I planted and maintained six that ringed the church. I gave the area a slash of colour as only wildflowers were growing there.

[Alert! Intruders are not recognised as Challengers.]

"Shit!"

I had been looking over the flowers most of the day and had not seen anyone approaching. Shifting to the gate, I found a group of six men walking along the southern pathway. The six were workmen in their clothes. They carried shovels, and two had guns strapped to their hips in holsters.

"Six male intruders, only two armed with guns. Walking along the southern path."

I told my Hunters as they stirred. I noticed that Rigger was slower in responding during the summer days. He wore a large hat and a heavy coat whenever he was out during the day. It seemed that the sunlight was causing increasing issues to plague him.

The men were checking the tombs as they walked. I listened to the conversation and was unsurprised that they were looking for the gold they had heard was hidden here. Three against six are not good odds. From what I could see, these were not small or weak men. Several sported scars, and they appeared to be capable of handling themselves in a fight.

I watched from above and was curious to see how this would unfold. My Hunters soon found the group, and I watched them watch the Intruders. The men continued to inspect the tombs and discuss what they would spend the gold on. They looked around, but their body language was relaxed. They believed they could handle trouble if they thought there could be any here. But why? It seemed to be a quiet graveyard, after all.

The men decided to search the church, as it was the most likely hiding place. They walked along the paths but soon abandoned them to walk directly to the church. This allowed my Hunters to strike.

They had to walk between two closely positioned mausoleums, forcing them into a narrow alleyway as they approached the exit to reach the church. Rigger acted.

The lead man was close to the wall. Rigger was standing around the corner with his blade out, ready to be used. He was listening for them as they approached. As he stepped out, Rigger lashed out with his blade. Holding it in a reverse grip, his arm went out, catching the man by surprise as the blade went deep in the chest. His arm was straight out, causing the man to walk into the blade.

The man grunted and then coughed up blood. The men behind the first exclaimed in surprise and shock as they saw Rigger. From behind, the other two hunters came from the rear. Rigger blocked the front of the group, keeping the attention on him. The others hit them hard, and two more fell quickly.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

Blood was spraying around as the violence was taking place in a small area. The other three tried to fight, but they were in a tight spot that hampered them, and the shock of the attack had shaken them.

They tried to use their few guns and tools, but close up, my Hunters excelled. They blocked or deflected the danger that came close, creating openings that allowed them to strike back. Soon, wounds were caused, and more blood decorated the walls on each side.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

The fight was over within a few violent minutes, and my Hunters stood victorious over the scene. I tallied the kills, and each had two. They were not wounded, but all were covered in blood from their victims.

"Well done. Once you have cleared up, check outside to see how they got here."

The Hunters said nothing but nodded at my instructions. There were no words between them or boasts of victory. Each had the look of satisfied bloodlust on their face. They were all on their way to the next level, with both Rodriguez and McGregor now close.

I went to the gates and found an open wagon there. It seemed they rode it here. The logo on the side was for a rail company. I remembered it was the one building the line to Crossway and beyond.

"Railway construction workers. Let's hope they do not send others looking for them. That might be more trouble than I can handle right now."

The bodies and wagon were disposed of. Nothing except a few small items could be classed as loot. The money recovered was split, and Herbert was assigned the money when he showed up next.

A few days later, there was a report about the missing men, but it was suggested that they had just absconded because they did not want to work in the mountains for the rail company. I wondered if the townsfolk thought they had come here and were staying silent.

I asked Herbert about that, and he confirmed that my suspicions were partly correct. The townsfolk were still unsure how to deal with my Dungeon and were sticking to an out-of-sight-out-of-mind policy. I was amused that I was becoming the source of the local bogeyman story. Well, it was true in my respect, after all.

During these conversations, he told me many uninteresting things that I usually ignored, but one stood out. He had been trying to court the local eligible female population. It seemed to have gone badly at best. Now, this was a problem I might need to address. I planned that Herbert and his descendants would work for me, but that would not be practical if he had none. I had no idea how to address it, but I would think about it.

The next day, the consequences of killing those six rail workers came calling. It was early, and I was looking around the gates for new, attractive flowers when four armed men rode up. They were well-dressed, groomed and looked serious. One was looking down as they approached. They were following the tracks of the wagon.

"Well, this is not good."

They dismounted before the gates and approached them. The tracker took his time to analyse the tracks around the gate.

"What do you see, Mr Grey?" One asked, and he looked like the leader of this group.

"The wagon was brought here. The men got out and headed in. But it was then driven away in that direction by someone else." Mr Grey pointed to the path that would take the walker to the ravine. I have been discarding things I would like to keep.

"They did not come back out?" The leader asked.

"No. But three different people have been here since then. The first two came out and went back in. The third came to the gates and went no further than rode off that way." Grey pointed in the direction Herbert had left.

"Understood. Guns out, gentlemen. We are looking at the men who stole our employer's property. We will retrieve them and what was stolen." The leader spoke to the other three, and they pulled out rifles. They were different from the ones I had been seeing. They looked like Winchester repeaters.

As the tracks indicated, the four crossed the gate's threshold and turned north.

[Alert! Intruders are not recognised as Challengers.]

"Shit!"

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