July was summertime, and the land around was alive and active. Wildlife was plentiful, and the plants were thriving.

  The land was green, and flowers were everywhere. My flower beds were blooming, and I was happy with what I had created around the church. Each flower bed was a riot of colour, and the bees happily buzzed around. A few rainy days had helped with the growth around and within the Dungeon.

  Rigger had been very active during the shorter nights. The sunlight was strong this time of year, and he avoided it as much as possible. The few times he did, he was bundled up like it was the height of winter. Hat, scarf, gloves and heavy coat, leaving as little skin exposed as possible. He had been working on his lair during the nights. He had installed the stove and added a chimney. He had been working on other projects, but I was unsure what they were. I decided not to ask, as they remained within his lair.

  This was the most I had seen him active in a few years outside of fighting against Challengers or Intruders that enter the Dungeon. Roberson was also out and about as well. The two were often out in the woods harvesting trees for firewood. I ensured that they planted at least a new one for every one they cut down. They were a bit confused by it but obeyed my instructions. Now and again, I would see a tree fall out in the forest surrounding the Dungeon at night or day, knowing they were at work.

  The other Hunters were not left to their own devices and were at work, ensuring the path leading to the Dungeon and the space before the gates was free of too much vegetation. This happens yearly as the autumn and winter months present too many obstacles due to the weather.

  August came on with the Hunters, who were still working around the Dungeon. There was far less work to do now, as most of it had been taken care of, so they ventured out less. I was regularly supplied with papers this time of year, and little attracted my attention. I was content to sit back and watch the month pass. I stayed tuned into nights, into days, and back into nights, then days.

  This changed a bit towards the end of the month when two natural disasters happened within ten days of each other. On the 20th, a massive hurricane destroys a large swathe of Texas, completely destroying a town. The second occurred on the last day of the month when an earthquake in South Carolina, centred around Charleston, caused massive damage. It registered as a 7.5 and caused enormous damage, estimated at around $8 million, and killed over 100 people.

  September started with a change in the weather as more rain arrived. These rainy days dampened the memories of the summer ones that had just passed. At the start of the month, down in Arizona, Geronimo was engaged by the US military, with him and his followers being killed in a running gunfight. It was announced that many believed that this marked the end of the American Indian Wars, as he was the last major leader left in the country.

  Over the last few years, it seemed that the number of reported battles with the native tribes had been steadily falling. With the tribes being moved to reservations or forced out of the country, there were far fewer of them to fight the US military now, but they always had the numbers against them that the US army could call on.

  The weather did not improve over the rest of the month, and the area experienced quite a wet time. Two things that drew my attention did, however, happen in October. The first was reported on the 10th of October, but it had occurred on the 7th, and that was Cuba breaking away and becoming an independent country from the British Empire. It had been a protectorate for nigh on 80 years and now took its steps as an independent country.

  The paper had an editorial wondering what the long-term effects would be. From the comments I got from the British government, they seemed pretty happy to be rid of them. The Royal Navy Caribbean squadron was based in Puerto Rico and Jamaica, not Havana. I thought that was odd as Havana would be a much more practical choice due to the size of the city there. The fact that no significant military presence in Havana meant that the British had kept the island at arm's length.

  The next was President Winborne, who dedicated the now-completed Statue of Liberty in New York Harbour. In his speech, he called upon Americans to remember that this new symbol of their freedom extended to all within their nation. His political opponents derided him for such comments.

  Things suddenly changed in November as blizzards rolled off the mountains to the West with shocking speed and ferocity. The storm's sudden speed quickly cut off New Midian and the Driver's residence. It was many long months before I again established contact with the outside world and learned that this was one of the harshest winters seen in living memory and its effects.

  Thankfully, I had ensured the Driver family had sufficient supplies that were stockpiled in case such an event happened. I knew they would be OK, and they settled in to wait out the winter.

  Unfortunately, I remembered that the church was a bit banged up, so I spent a lot of the winter getting rid of the snow blowing into it, doing my best not to have the weather damage be too extensive inside. It got so bad that for several weeks, I had icicles hanging from different parts of the church on the wings of the statue of the Angel of Death.

  This was not a pleasant winter for me.

  It wasn't until the beginning of March 1887 that I reestablished reliable contact with the outside world. The Drivers were now able to travel again. The snowstorms and resulting snowfall had been so bad that they had been pretty much trapped inside the house until a few days earlier.

  The world around us continued on, and many things happened, but I was not interested in much of it as few things would affect me. Towards the end of March, however, something did pop up that I found might be affecting my future in some small ways or maybe more extensive, depending on how things pan out. There had been an incident on the French/German border that nearly escalated to war. The French backed down as they would be fighting the other two members of the three-emperor alliance and Germany. Even the prideful French at this time were not stupid enough to pick a fight as one-sided as that would be.

  I did not know how this would affect Europe going forward, but I knew I would need to keep an eye on it. From my timeline, I remembered that this was when the road to the First World War was effectively guaranteed.

  The snows were now retreating all over the place, and spring was here in force.

  April brought my first visitors to New Midian. Early in the month, a rider approached the gates and looked into the Dungeon but did not cross the threshold into the courtyard. After a few moments, the rider returned to his mount and left the way he came. That confused me then, but it was answered the next day when the rider returned with three others.

  The style and quality of their clothes indicated that all four riders were frontiersmen. Each was riding a horse but had brought a pack mule to accompany them. They dismounted, tied the horses before the gates, and unpacked the mule. They were all armed to different degrees, but what caught my attention was the picks and shovels that they were now also starting to equip themselves with.

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  “Great, more grave robbers.”

  Yes, they increased my kill count, which benefited me, but overall, I was getting quite bored with these people constantly coming here to try to rob the place. I did have a fortune located under my church, but the principle of the act was starting to get to me.

  I contacted my Hunters and warned them of the robbers' approach, saying they would soon be called to deal with them. It was close to midday, and they strode into the courtyard, ignoring the plinth and turning immediately to the north.

  [Alert! Intruders are not recognised as Challengers.]

  I got closer to them to listen to what conversation I could.

  “The stories are true that this place is here.”

  “Like you, I am most surprised by this. When I rode up yesterday and confirmed its location, I was perplexed by the volume of graves here.” The rider from the previous day said.

  “I agree it is odd to see such an expensive graveyard in such a location.”

  At first, I found the conversations and language used that I overheard, but I remembered the time I was now in and how, by my time, the English language had grown and changed with terminology and words falling in and out of use.

  After nearly sixteen years, I had become used to it, but part of me always found it odd that such men with poor hygiene and worn clothes could still surprise me with the extent of their vocabulary.

  The men continued along the path, unaware that danger was soon to find them. Roberson was the first to see them. They made it easy for him as they were not moving very quickly, taking note of different graves and mausoleums as they went, planning to start at the church and work their way out. Listening to that plan, it was pretty logical. If the bodies buried in my graves and mausoleums had any valuables on them, it would have been quite profitable for them.

  Over the next ten minutes, the other three hunters arrived and started stalking the four men individually. I realised I had to step in here and ensure they didn't trip over each other.

  “That's a T-junction head. Take them there. But wait for my instruction.”

  The hunters quickly got into position, realising what I was planning to have them do. The men were armed but had left their rifles with their horses: they all carried digging tools and six-shooters on their hips. I also suspected blades, but their long coats hid them.

  “Go.”

  When the men reached the T-junction, I instructed them to spread out a little, inspecting different areas. The four hunters exploded from their hiding spots and were forced to defend themselves straight away while the others dropped their tools and went for their guns, but it was far too late. The hunters were too close and too fast.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  The four men's deaths were brutal and bloody. None of them had the chance to defend themselves. There were a few punches, and even one tried to bite, but the momentum was too much against them. My hunters were starting to saver their kills more and taking their time. I was a bit concerned for the future if they continue to do this, as this could make them sloppy. I could not speak out against it as they were doing their jobs and achieving the kills we all needed.

  Without instruction, my hunters got to work stripping the bodies and preparing new graves. As the earth was soft and they had become quite proficient at digging graves, it did not take long for the bodies to be buried and the horses outside to be released after their saddlebags were looted.

  There was a fair amount of tobacco and alcohol to be split among them, and they seemed happy about that. Roberson had dug the grave of his kill and placed it in; then, he had stripped off what he wanted from the body. I couldn't condemn him for it as he was far more considerate of it and did not leave me a bloody mess all over the place.

  May returns the quiet times to my Dungeon. An earthquake hit northern Mexico, but I noticed that the details on damage and deaths are relatively scarce. The month rolls on, and I pay attention to the world around me from the top of my bubble. The grave robbers' disappearance seems to have not attracted much attention. Things continued on as expected, and Herbert, when he visited, reported no investigation into that disappearance as it was believed they had moved on.

  June was just as quiet for me as May was. Internationally, a few things did pop up that I found interesting. The three-emperor alliance had been signing a series of treaties between them to help with trade and resolve any outstanding issues. Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee was celebrated in Britain. Up in Canada, they established their first national park.

  The only thing of interest in the dungeon was that a wolf chased a deer into it, bringing it down and killing it. The wolf ate its fill and was soon away back into the forest around the dungeon. Rigger discovered the corpse that night and seemed quite happy to salvage what he could from it. Overall, he got some deer hide and antlers with a little bit of meat. After some thought, I decided to leave the corpse where it was.

  July seemed to start off the same as the last two months, and I was down in the crypts below the church reading the latest edition of the paper that Herbert had supplied. The biggest story internationally was of the British Empire, formerly an annexing of Hawaii after an anti-monarchist revolt on the island that had led to a great deal of internal strife. The large British military base allowed them to take control of the main island quickly and start to extend that control to the others as….

  [A Challenger has entered your Dungeon.]

  “Shit”

  I dismissed my avatar and quickly shifted my position to the gates to see who had come to the Dungeon. I looked around and found the Challenger walking along the southern path. I could only see them from behind, so I moved ahead quickly and turned to see who had entered to challenge this place.

  Walking along the pathway was an Asian man who I thought to be in his early twenties. He was dressed in rugged Western clothing, and clearly, he had been travelling for some time. Across his chest was a strap attached to a satchel on his back. Upon inspection, he held a sword in his hand, which was a Chinese one, not a Western cavalry sword or rapier.

  I looked up to check the time of day and realised it was much later in the afternoon than I had thought. Being underground while reading the paper caused me to lose track of time as I was thinking about what was happening abroad. If my Hunters didn't kill him, he would reach the church just before nightfall.

  I looked him over again, knowing that I could not interfere in what was happening. I took note of the other things he was carrying. He had two knives on his belt and a miner's lantern on the satchel. He had clearly come prepared.

  As he walked, I knew my Hunters were starting to stir and look for him. This brief time for the violence started to give me time to reflect. I had no test over the years at all. My challengers came prepared for this place, and I suspected it was the dreams that had told them what they needed to do as well as where they needed to go. In what shape or means those dreams came to them was another question that I could never answer unless I got to speak to one of them, and the chances of that were doubtful even if they did finish the dungeon and escape.

  The Challenger was in Macgregor's territory, and I looked around, expecting him to be here at any moment. I shifted my view around and eventually found him as he found where the Challenger was. From his body language, I suspected he was going to move quickly until he saw the sword.

  Identifying his opponent's weapon forced him to change his tactics a bit. You couldn't just charge, as the sword gave his opponent the advantage of length in his attacks. McGregor used knives, so he would be at a disadvantage.

  McGregor let him pass by his hiding spot and started stalking him from behind. I had to agree with his tactics, as this was the smartest thing he could do. He moved in slowly from behind, avoiding anything on the ground that could give him away. He spent his time looking at his opponent on the ground where he would walk equally.

  Again, this is another smart move I could not disagree with.

  The challenge was moving steadily, being aware of his surroundings, and constantly looking around. This meant McGregor could just waltz up behind him and attack; he had to be more strategic in his advance. Several times, he was forced to dive behind a gravestone or a large statue to avoid being seen. We were both aware that the challenger was not cognisant of his presence. Or we hoped if the challenger was, he made no overt sign of it.

  It took several long and painful minutes for McGregor to get close enough to attack, but when he was ready, he moved quickly. He wanted a blitz attack to dominate and then, if possible, to take his time with the kill.

  Unfortunately, it turned out the challenge was aware of him.