January 1886 was a quiet time.

  New Midian was cut off due to the heavy snow; even the Driver family hunkered down to wait it out this year. The start of the year was a series of days and nights with no cloud cover, but it was bitterly cold. Ice and snow were inside the church, and I spent most of the short days cleaning it out.

  I was cut off from the world until late January when the snow blocked all transport routes into Crossway. Eventually, it melted enough for people to start getting through, and I saw Herbert appear with a backlog of newspapers for me. I had become acutely aware of how important this limited access to the outside world had become to me. When the papers were finally in my possession, I spent several hours reading through them in the crypts.

  Locally, little had happened, of course, due to the weather. There were a few births and a sharp uptick in deaths because of the weather and the time of year. All in all, it was as it should be; nothing stood out. That was until the last paper was published. It looked like Mr Myers was upholding his side of the deal and openly calling for the federal government to send more Marshals after Adam Pilgrim's gang that was heading towards the state of Northern California.

  “Good. Hopefully, that will take some attention away from me.”

  It was a flimsy story, but hopefully, the longer it was told, the more it would be believed. So far, the federal government hasn't responded to the US Marshall Service report that they were sending more agents to Northern California to investigate whether Adam Pilgrim had indeed gone there.

  Internationally, the only thing to note was the British annexing of Burma.

  At the start of February, more snow started to clear slowly as the snowstorms subsided. It was slightly warmer than it should be this time of year, which helped. San Francisco was rocked by anti-Chinese riots, as it was one of the last cities on the West Coast to have a sizeable Chinese population. Many had either returned to China or moved up to Cascadia. The governor called in the National Guard, and the remaining Chinese population was driven from the city. Most were reported to be heading north into Cascadia.

  I had a map of the neighbouring states, and I looked at Cascade to figure out how the population dynamic was starting to take shape. The city of Portland was the major population centre in the state, and there was no Seattle, but a small fishing village was located there. According to reports over the last few years, Portland has grown primarily due to the influx of Chinese from the United States. Many native tribes that were forced out of their lands by the federal troops had also made their way there. They had settled in the state's east side along the Rocky Mountains. A large European population was also there, making the whole thing a very tense location. It seemed, however, that the Canadian government was adamant about holding the place together and not having it explode into violence, as the US might use it as a pretext to try to annex the territory.

  There was still some lingering resentment over the War of 1812.

  The rest of the month saw President Arthur Windborne fighting with Congress, the Senate and the Supreme Court over the acts that were removing the Chinese and native populations. He actively pointed to the recent riots in San Francisco as a clear sign of their problems and how they were open to abuse. He did win a few victories, it seems, but at a cost that he was presently under investigation for impeachment.

  March had much more traffic along the roads at the edge of the trees that marked the edge of my land. The snows were retreating fast, and spring was now taking hold, with new growths appearing all over. Amy and their new son visited the dungeon for the first time. The child was bundled up, and she carried him as she approached the gates. She had ridden in on her horse and seemed quite able to handle both simultaneously.

  We exchanged pleasantries as she entered the courtyard, and I brought forth my avatar. She was here to get her instructions for the rest of the year as I like to keep things loose but aimed towards their goal. It did not take long for her to understand what I was aiming for in the next year, and she was happy to help me achieve my goals. I thought it was the best time to raise the subject that she had not apparently thought of.

  “Amy, it is not safe for you to bring your child here.”

  “Why. Is there a problem?” Amy looked at her child and then back at me, confused by my words.

  “Amy, New Midian is not a place for children; it is a place for monsters and those who want to challenge them.”

  “But we have always been safe here.”

  “That is because I've been protecting you. I do not let you pass the courtyard often for the simple reason that there are rules here that I cannot even cross. I can bring you in and have you do things, but if you stay too long, I will not be able to protect you.”

  This causes her to look around the Dungeon for the first time with fear since she arrived for the first time with her family. I was lying to her, but for a purpose; I thought it was noble. I wanted to limit the child's exposure to the monsters around here because if he grew up playing here, it would skew him in a way I did not want. He was most likely going to be screwed up in some way, but I tried to limit it, not make him a social outcast due to his outlook on life.

  “Bring him by all means. But know that you could hurt him before he has started in life.”

  I hoped that this would force a change in her attitude. Since I had freed her from her family and got her started on her new life, she had come out of her shell and become far more confident. This was a good thing, and I was happy about it, but I knew I could not allow it to become complacency. She was becoming too accustomed to coming here and being allowed access. I needed to remind her that this was a place of danger for her and her child.

  From the look on her face, I think it might have sunk in, and she was taking this information to heart. The problem was that I knew we were losing something in this, as there would be a distance between us now. She had become one of the closest to a friend I had. I had realised this would become an issue if someone tried to use her against me, so I needed to establish a line between us. I had a job with clear consequences if I failed to perform it.

  She finished her business with me and departed. As she rode away, I knew that what I needed to do had been done. In the past, she had often left with a smile on her face, promising to return quickly, but now she simply said goodbye and rode off, never looking back.

  “It is for the best.”

  It wasn't pleasant, but I knew it was the truth.

  March passed and turned into April, and I now saw much less of Amy. Herbert was often now delivering the papers and taking my instructions to implement them in the world.

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  Locally, April had little happening, with the usual notices in the paper on births, deaths, and minor business transactions. Crossway seemed to be doing well and was settling into a community with a future ahead of it. Trade from Cascadia along the rail line and its farming produce made it a reasonably thriving community.

  Internationally, things were happening. The first report in the paper was that Vancouver was now incorporated and the centre of the new state of British Columbia in Canada. Vancouver and Portland, the two major Canadian cities on the West Coast, are now linked by rail. Portland was connected to the US rail network through Crossway and up through Northern California.

  One story that was reported heavily was the passing of the Irish Home Rule Bill in the United Kingdom. The bill would grant home rule to the Irish nation by 1890 with specific provisions and protections for the Protestant population in the north. Most welcomed it, but there was still a hard-core group of Irish nationalists who wanted complete independence. There were the opposite rumblings from the Protestants.

  At the start of May, there were large-scale general strikes across the United States, and we're all campaigning for the 8-hour working day to become a federal law. Many had taken it on, but many corporations were still resisting the idea, and the strike seemed to target them and force the issue.

  I was reading about the strikes out east mainly when my first visitor of the year arrived.

  I was down in the crypt under the church, reading the paper, when the notification came in.

  [A Challenger has entered your Dungeon.]

  “Shit!”

  After dismissing my avatar, I quickly shifted position to the gates. Here, I found a black man walking along the northern route. He was stretched out in travelling clothes and carried a satchel across his back. He held a hand scythe in his hand, and along his belt, I could see several knives strapped to it. It was about halfway through the day, and the weather was clear, so I knew the spirit would not participate in this little event.

  My Hunters were aware of the Challenger now and stirring from their lairs. Roberson would be the first to take a crack at this guy while he was on his hunting grounds.

  Roberson took a little time to find him, as the denser nature of the graves and buildings within a dungeon limited the number of directions he could move in. The Challenger was approaching the edge of his hunting grounds by the time he did find him, and he had a choice to make.

  I wondered which one he would take, but it became clear that he wanted to engage.

  After evaluating the Challenger, Roberson did not hesitate. He favoured a large, almost meat cleaver-like blade, which he used to hack off the parts of his victims that he desired to consume. He had pulled the blade out and was now moving just behind the Challenger to ambush him from behind.

  Today, luck was not on his side. As he approached, he stood on a branch or small twig that snapped as he put it down, alerting his opponent that someone was behind him.

  “Classic mistake of not looking at where you're walking.”

  The Challenger had turned around and was facing his hunter in a guarded stance. Now that the element of surprise had been lost, this would be a much closer fight, and I was pretty interested to see how my newest hunter would handle such a fight.

  Both men were similar in build and height, and their weapons did not give either an advantage in range. I wondered who would make the first move when my Hunter leapt into action. The sudden assault pushed back the Challenger and blocked the blade with his own. The dull clang of metal striking metal was heard with grunts of exertion and the occasional curse.

  Roberson was able to claim first blood with a small cut across the hand holding the scythe. The Challenger did not drop the blade but was clearly in pain from the wound, but not enough to stop the fight or give my Hunter the advantage.

  This brought both men back to circling each other.

  They had made about half a rotation around each other when the Challenger attacked this time. Roberson was forced onto the defensive, but his knife proved to be much better at blocking his opponent's weapon.

  He broke away, and the men began circling each other again. Both were breathing hard now as the fight started taking a toll on their stamina. I did not often see a battle like this last as long as this one had.

  “Do I need to get my hunters to do more cardio?”

  I wondered to myself as Roberson went back on the offensive. It seemed he had gotten the measure of his opponent and changed how he attacked. He made it look like he would strike again with his blade in a downward strike, and as his opponent raised his weapon to block it, he charged and body-tackled him. Both men collapsed to the ground, but Roberson had the advantage of falling on top of his opponent. The fight quickly devolved into a brawl on the ground as both men searched for the advantage of bringing their blades into play.

  Roberson kneed his opponent in the groin, causing the fight to go out of him for a few seconds. But it was enough, and Roberson climbed on top of him and began to stab him repeatedly.

  “Well, this is over.”

  The challenger died coughing up blood as he weakly tried to stop his murder.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  “I will leave to clean this up.”

  I turned my attention away, and within an hour, I was using [Hide the Crime!] for the bloodstains and trail leading to Roberson’s lair. The little loot was split, and the Hunters returned to their entertainments.

  I thought we were settling back into our routine, but something odd happened a few days later. I was downstairs in the crypts below the church, just moving a few things around when Rigger came and visited me.

  This was quite surprising as Hunters rarely came and sought me out on their initiative.

  “Pardon the Interruption. I would ask you something.” He had taken his hat off when speaking and was holding it before him against his chest.

  “What is it?”

  “Keeper, I was hoping to get a few things brought in from town.” He said after a few seconds of delay.

  “And what would they be?”

  He went on to supply me with a short list of things he wanted. They were not major things: a few more clothes, a couple of blankets, a potbelly stove, and a few other odds and ends.

  “Sure. That can all be arranged.”

  I still had over $6000 in notes lying around, so the financial cost was nothing to be concerned about. I wouldn't ask him, but I would get the stuff as soon as he next came around.

  Rigger broke into a smile when he heard this. Part of me wishes he had not, as without his hat on, I have a full look at his face now.

  “Thank you, Keeper.” He turned on and shuffled off, putting his hat back on as he ascended the stairs to the church above.

  I thought nothing more of it and instructed Herbert on what to pick up. I had considered it since Rigger left and decided to add it to his list quite considerably. Herbert would have to make a few trips to the neighbouring town and Crossway to hide the purchases, but it was all doable.

  I decided to pick up a lot of clothing in men's sizes and ten-pot belly stoves. The stoves could take longer to get, but I wanted a stockpile in case other Hunters change their minds and request them as well. I had plenty of room and underground storage, so holding them until needed was no longer a problem. I ensured that Herbert had a cover story to explain why he was buying all the stoves but was unsure if it would hold up too much scrutiny.

  It took the rest of May, but the supplies eventually arrived. It cost me a little over $500, but I think it was worth it in the end.

  [Hunter: John Rigger's loyalty changed from Good > Loyal.]

  This was an unexpected but entirely welcome surprise after I gave him all the supplies he requested. At this time, he had the highest loyalty out of all my Hunters, with the spirit being the lowest, but he was a special case.

  The other Hunters learned of the new stockpile as they were the ones who carried it in. They request quite a few items each, and they're all supplied, but the other two Hunters have no interest in getting themselves a stove. This didn't bother me as he would rather have them now for future Hunters rather than be scrambling to find any upon request.

  June 1886 was a pretty dull month as very little happening locally or internationally drew my attention. Sure, there were occasional local stories of vague interest to me, but it was all quiet on the crucial things. The biggest was a volcanic eruption in New Zealand and a significant fire in British Columbia. Herbert regularly attended town now for surprises and listened to the local gossip when he could, and so far, Myers's story seemed to be accepted by the locals. The US Marshall Service had launched an investigation, but because of the horses' scattering, they could not find where the battle had taken place against the Pilgrim gang.

  Questions were still being asked, but they were not a priority as the Cowboys down in the southern states were causing more immediate problems to address. I hope this will continue for quite some time, and I hope it was making no one turn up at the junction to my Dungeon just yet as I wanted to remain quiet and ignored.