July went on.

  The L1 Zeppelin toured Germany and even flew to Austria. It generated great excitement as it toured, sparking increased interest in airship technology. This was seen just as much abroad as at home. Other nations were actively developing their own airships.

  The Confederation of Australia was established. I was seeing more calls and rallies in support of the Imperial Federation as well. Canada and Australia were seeing large rallies. New Zealand was quieter because South Africa was locked in conflict at the time. Within the British Isles, there was also quite a significant movement to bring it about. I have no information about what was happening within the Raj.

  Could this become a reality? I did not know. My own recollections of the history of my timeline on this matter were far vaguer. I knew the Imperial Federation was never formed, and was an option in many strategy games that I played. When the nation was created, it was a powerful entity capable of dominating the world. Would it happen here, though?

  The conflict in South Africa had taken on a slightly different tone now. Both states fighting the British were now occupied. It seems the Boers were trying to mount a guerrilla campaign but were critically short of weapons and ammunition, which was affecting their ability to fight. The change in British tactics was also having a profound effect, preventing their raids from being as effective as they could have been.

  In China, the emperor continued his modernisation programs. There was some public backlash, but it was quickly addressed. I didn't know how far these reforms were going or what effect they were having on China's industrial power, which, in turn, would affect the nation's military strength. It was clear that the Boxer Rebellion I remembered was not happening, and that the government had more control over the country.

  It was near the end of the month when I spotted movement in the trees coming towards the gates. It was a clear, bright summer day with little cloud cover, close to midday.

  I shifted down towards the gates to see who was coming to visit.

  A group of six men, all Caucasian, rode into the clearing before the gates. All rugged working-class men. Nearly all supported beards, but two were clean-shaven. They brought two donkeys with their horses. Each donkey was loaded with what appeared to be mining gear.

  "More miners from up north then?"

  I found out that there was a series of mine shafts further up the mountain ranges to the north. They have been producing a steady stream of materials for the last 20 years, but it seems they are tapped out. There was not enough profit for the mine owners, now that the easiest deposits had been extracted, and the harder-to-reach ones were deeper in the mountains and within the range itself.

  This is why a comfy source of many miners over the last few decades. Most were now leaving the area, the boom over. The most desperate or curious was swinging down this way to investigate the rumours of the wealth hidden within a graveyard here. Of course, there was a fortune hidden in this graveyard, but it was guarded.

  Crossway saw a lot of foot traffic heading towards the mining areas and now away from them. The town served as a hub for cross-border trade with Cascadia, so it was somewhat insulated from economic shocks in the mining industry. Farming was the area's most significant industry, not mining.

  I watched them, but was not really paying attention to their conversation. I caught snippets of it, but it was the usual fare of complaining about the weather, travel, women, whatever was vexing them at that moment in time. I've heard similar conversations a dozen times before, and they didn't interest me.

  The size of the graveyard caused some consternation amongst the group as they would be smart enough to realise that something was off with the proportions of what they were seeing. I waited to see if greed or common sense would win out. Ultimately, cautious greed became the consensus of the group, and they set off into the graveyard.

  They brought their horses and donkeys.

  [Alert! Intruders are not recognised as Challengers.]

  Several were openly carrying firearms.

  I reached out to my Hunters in the group and shared what I was seeing. A group of the site meant I was going to have to organise an ambush. They were taking the northern route through the graveyard. I knew that the Spirit would not be out in this weather, so I decided to hit them quite close to her hunting grounds. Rigger bowed out of this hunt again. I could sense his frustration, but I respected his decision. The others didn't care.

  The group was moving in a single file because of the horses and donkeys. They were also not moving as quickly as if they had left the animals behind, since they needed help navigating the path.

  Five Hunters versus six intruders. My money was on my Hunters.

  The five of them got into position just as the group came in sight. It was a bit of a close-run thing. I should have organised the ambush deeper in the graveyard, but I wanted it over quickly. We weren't just going to have to deal with the burying of the bodies, but also with rounding up the animals.

  I focused myself a bit more, knowing that I would have to trigger the ambush. The hunters had arranged themselves in a rough pair of lines on either side of the pathway; they were going to attack from both directions when I gave the word.

  "Go."

  I turned my attention from the fight, finding it all somewhat predictable. I realised the mistake I was making and turned my attention back. I watched the men die in brutal and bloody manners. One even managed to get a gun and fire off a few shots, panicking the animals further and sending them scattering. This worked in both sides' favour in the short term, but the fight was almost preordained.

  Rodriguez got the first kill.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill.]

  Harrington quickly slipped in and got the second.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill.]

  Roberson almost decapitated the third.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill.]

  McGregor jumped on his target, knocking him to the ground, disembowelling him.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill.]

  The last to try to run, but Blackstone introduced himself, or more correctly, his hammer. Both men died quickly from head strikes, causing their skulls to collapse.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill.]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill.]

  "Round up the animals and strip the dead. Let's get them buried before nightfall. Roberson, get those horses and donkeys down to Herbert. We will split the loot in the church as normal."

  As they worked, I reviewed our various status screens. Harrington was one kill away from his next level, and I suspected he was quite excited by this. This will give them access to the perk lists and the chance to unlock more magic.

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

  These kills are taking me over a hundred now, and I feel nothing. I used to be disturbed or unsettled by the death, especially the violent ones. Now it was just almost like another day at the office. Challengers excited me, but these intruders were just a bother that showed up now and again. I accepted this as another sign of my eroding humanity. I still had some standards and morals, but….

  Looking over the six dead men, it seems that this was no longer part of them.

  More tools were added to my collection. I gained access to more lantern oil, which was a boon. The tobacco and alcohol were broken up amongst those who are taking part in the killing. Harrington had turned his nose up at all of it, claiming it was far beneath him. There was a sizeable amount of money recovered from the dead men as well as several watches and other valuables. I was considering selling my watch collection to raise capital.

  Herbert could easily get rid of the horses and donkeys, but what about the watches? They might raise more questions than I was comfortable with. For now, I will hold onto them.

  As I thought more about that, getting rid of them, I realise that I could have him travelling to Cascadia along the rail line to the city of Portland and have them sold there. I might have to explore that option in future.

  Things settled down again, and the days slowly drifted past.

  The end of the month saw another flurry of international activity when an anarchist assassinated Umberto I of Italy. This led to another continent-wide crackdown on different opposition parties and anarchist groups. This, of course, only reinforces the more radical ones' attitudes, and there were several violent responses.

  The first days of August reported these crackdowns. There were calls from Democrats in the United States to impose similar crackdowns on extreme socialist groups, but for the moment, they were being blocked nationally; however, locally, some crackdowns were underway.

  Slowly, things quietened down again, and August drifted past.

  In general, it was a wonderful summer with long, peaceful days. There are a few like rainstorms, but nothing too severe. All in all, it was a very sedate time, with the days drifting past lazily.

  I was bored out of my god damn mind.

  I got used to the passage of time, but this summer, for some reason, everything seemed to drag. My Hunters sensed my restlessness, I think, as they were far more withdrawn or engaged in their own pastimes. They didn't want to annoy me or invite my ire. Herbert often visits and tells me of his son's exploits down on Bosley and how we seem to be doing well for himself. He had taken up an apprenticeship in a new automobile garage that had opened there. It appeared the city had several new automobiles running around, and he had managed to ingratiate himself with one of the first shops to provide maintenance for them.

  I was pleased with that. If he performed well, that would be highly beneficial to us all in the long run. I made sure Herbert sent my regards and pleasure for his life choices so far. A later letter indicated that he had overheard a conversation I once had with his father, in which I had suggested that automobiles would be the way of the future; when the opportunity arose, he took it.

  Smart boy.

  In the middle of the month, my next visitor arrived.

  A Challenger, I was sure of it.

  You don't see many Asian women in this part of the country. Well, you don't see many Asian women in any part of the United States now due to the government-backed removals. It was highly likely she was from Cascadia. Portland and the rest of the coast had a large Asian population, mostly uprooted from California.

  She was dressed like a man, but her hair was arranged in a single long braid. She was carrying a six-shooter on her hip and several large bundles on the back of a horse with her saddlebags.

  She was slow and purposeful with her actions. There was no rush as she armed herself with blades and put her gun away. The sun was starting to set to the west, and even with the encroaching darkness, she did not seem to need to move faster. Before long, she had prepared herself.

  She stood before the gates with two short swords and several knives now strapped to her body. She was still wearing the hat and heavy coat, but now had a satchel and lantern. She stood there quietly waiting. I was surprised she had not already moved in to use what little light was available to pass through the graveyard towards the church.

  As soon as the sun touched the mountains in the west, she stepped forward into the courtyard. She walked without pause straight to the plinth and looked over the writing upon it. She briefly ran a hand across the surface of it and didn't wait that long. She turned and began walking along the northern pathway, and things began.

  [A Challenger has entered your DDungeon]

  "Here we go."

  All my Hunters became active with the alert. They were soon quickly leaving their lairs and rushed to their assigned hunting grounds. Due to the time of day, I knew that the Spirit would also be involved in tonight's festivities if the Challenger made it through the first Hunter.

  Roberson would be the first today.

  I followed the Challenger as she walked along the pathway at a good pace. There is still enough sunlight coming from the setting sun to illuminate the path through the graveyard. If she got deeper into the Dungeon, then that would be a different thing. I was just above her and behind. We were deep along the pathway when I spotted Roberson angling towards her.

  The Challenger had drawn both of her short swords and was holding them ready for trouble. She was constantly looking around, seeking any sign of danger or threat to her. Roberson angled himself to minimise the chance of being seen as he approached.

  He was now behind her, slowly decreasing the distance between them. They would meet in battle soon.

  The Challenger may have sensed his approach, looked over her shoulder, and caught the flicker of movement as he tried to hide between a large statue. I saw her tense slightly. She knew he was there. She kept walking but had turned her body almost crablike as she tried to keep a good look at where she had caught a flicker of movement.

  Roberson knew he had been spotted and no longer sought to enter stealthily. He revealed himself and began moving towards her, and jogged. He was not running; he was seeking to pace himself. The Challenger now turned and faced him directly.

  Roberson grinned as he approached the opponent standing firm. He drew his own blade, which was more like a massive meat cleaver. She held two short swords, but now stood in the stance that showed me she knew how to use them.

  This will be interesting.

  When he reached a few metres from her, he broke into a full run with his arm held high with his blade. In response, she jumped forward just as quickly, which was surprising. As they closed the distance, she suddenly dropped to her knees using her forward movement to slide across the ground. She splashed out with both blades in the X, aiming for his legs.

  He was forced to jump to the right to avoid the blades, but failed as one cut into his leg. It was not a deep but an extended cut. The strange blood my Hunters developed began to ooze slowly from it. He snarled in pain and attacked.

  The Challenger moved again very quickly, reinforcing my impression that she had training. She was on her feet, pushing back from him as he swung with his blade, missing her entirely.

  This caused them to overextend, and she countered with another series of rapid thrusts with her short swords. Roberson was forced to back up once again and was stabbed. One of the blades cut along his arm, his coat protecting him from the worst of it, but it did slice through, causing another injury.

  He tried to regain the initiative, swinging his blade repeatedly. This forced her to back up again. I determined that she had already realised that she wasn't strong enough to beat him through brute force and was using speed instead.

  Smart.

  Roberson was getting frustrated, and that was saying something, as he was one of the most level-headed of my Hunters. He had to stay focused; losing control would open him up to more attacks. I have seen this pattern before with my Hunters when they had fought other Challengers.

  He kept swinging, getting more wild with each strike that did not connect. She continued to almost dance around him, striking whenever she saw an opportunity. He often blocked these attacks, but several more got through, resulting in additional light wounds.

  He was breathing hard from overexertion. She was breathing more regularly, like a professional fighter in a boxing ring. He was in trouble.

  He was thrown off balance by another mistake, and she moved to cut him again, but it turned out he had been setting up. He reversed the grip on his blade and slashed at her, catching her arm.

  Her coat protected her this time from the worst of it, but she was now wounded.

  He twisted the grip of the blade around again, back to where it was, and noticed the blood on the blade. He grinned at her and casually licked it—a purely psychological tactic on his side.

  It was then that a subtle change appeared in his features. I was watching when he ran his tongue along the blade, and her blood, and I saw the shift. His face twisted suddenly, not from rage but a frenzy. His red eyes lit up, and things changed.

  With a sudden burst of speed, he charged her, catching her by surprise. He crossed the distance between them with much greater speed than he had shown before. He impacted her, knocking her to the floor with him on top. She ran both short swords into his guts on either side of his torso.

  Roberson ignored these wounds as he tore at her throat with his teeth and began gorging himself on her flesh and blood. She screamed briefly, but it could turn into a gurgling sound. And then ended.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill.]

  He didn't stop her death and continued to eat her body ravenously. He tore off a close devouring everything you could until suddenly stopping and sat up, straddling the corpse.

  He looked around with a confused expression, as if you didn't understand what he was doing here. I summoned my avatar and stood before him.

  "What happened?" He asked in a small, confused voice as he blinked, focusing on me.

  "Your hunger claimed you."

  He looked down at the body under him and saw the bloodstained clothes he was wearing. "Well, that was surprising."

  He didn't seem too shocked now that he knew what had happened, but I was left wondering what this would mean for the future.