The group was moving with purpose, and the hunters were stalking them. I watched it all unfold.

  After some soul-searching, I gave the hunters the basic facts about the group and decided to leave them to it. My emotions and what little left of my humanity expressed their unhappiness. It was the children who were causing the issue. I had never expected any to come here.

  I did not care about the adults and teenagers. Killing these children did not sit well with me. Not to the point that I could not perform my task, but this was the loudest they had been in the few years I had been here. I decided not to watch the fight unfold when it started. It was a purely selfish choice.

  The preacher leading the group held his Bible aloft, leading his flock to the church. As he went, he preached Bible quotes to the glory of God and the paradise they would make here on earth in his name. They were so focused on him that they did not look around and really see where they were. I had hoped that one would at least wonder why this place was so large.

  After a bit of a trek, they reached the church, and the preacher opened the doors dramatically as his flock continued to follow. He led them deep into the room. This is where things started to change, as they got a good look at the room and the altar. This was no church to their God.

  Confusion settled over them as they tried to understand what they were looking at. The preacher had fallen silent, finally at a loss to explain what he was looking at. My hunters were approaching the group from behind. Things were soon to start to get bloody.

  Some were now questioning the preacher, and those in the back spotted the hunters. A cry of alarm drew the preacher and men forward to the doors. The women and children huddle further back nearer the altar. They were still keeping a distance from it.

  "I greet you, children of God. Pray tell, are you from around here? I ask for this is no place of worship I have seen before." The preacher began speaking to the men approaching him. I could tell that the others were getting more concerned. Something was telling them these two were dangerous.

  I would watch only a little longer. I did not want to see what was going to happen.

  "Sí, se?or, we are, and we welcome you," Rodriguez said to him as they both stepped into the church. With this, the preacher understood that they were in danger as both men before him had the smiles of predators. He pulled open his coat, revealing a holstered gun. That's why they were seen as Intruders. Rigger had his blade in his guts before he could pull the gun, and the screaming began. I pulled away as the men sought to fight their assailants with their fists and numbers. My hunters were moving with almost animalistic grace. Blood and screams flowed freely. My viewpoint changed to the roof of the church…

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  … I wondered how long this was going to take…..

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  ….. and if it would alert the two young men guarding the wagons….

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  …. as they were both left with rifles to do their duty.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  The screaming was becoming more intense as the slaughter went on. It was going to be hellish to clean up….

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  ….. such a blood bath. I was going to have to….

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  ….. send them out to kill the last two when this is done…

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  Suddenly, a woman ran from the building carrying two young children. In her fear, she ran blindly to escape, heading north instead of east to salvation. The church faced that way and not to the east as churches normally do.

  "Well, now we see how our resident hateful spirit will react to them."

  I tallied the kill count and found a discrepancy: there were only fifteen kills when there should have been seventeen. I gathered myself and went down into the church.

  It was a blood bath.

  There was no other way to describe it. The human body holds a large quantity of blood and fifteen bodies worth was now scatted across most surfaces or still oozing from the cooling bodies of the dead. It was pooling across the floor.

  Both hunters were covered in it, and I noticed why I was two kills short. Rodriguez was securing two young teenage girls with restraints while both were unconscious. Now I understood a strange conversation I had with him last year when we were separating the loot from a kill. Later, he had asked if he could have the manacles that the various lawmen who had died in my Dungeon had brought with them. As they were something I had no use for, I had agreed. Now I understood why.

  Sadistic Rapist.

  Rigger was eyeing up a few of the less damaged female bodies, and I shuddered internally. I needed them to finish this before they could have their fun.

  "The three that escaped are heading north and will soon run into the spirit. Once that happens, we will see…"

  A loud, hateful scream filled the air from the north. It carried across the Dungeon.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  "…. That the spirit as no issues with types of prey. Rodriguez, secure those two in your lair, then kill the last two with the wagons. They are armed, so take them out quickly and outside the Dungeon if needed. We will deal with the wagons and bodies tomorrow."

  We will all be levelling after this.

  I shifted my point of view to the gates. The two young men were alert and trying to decide what to do. The spirit's scream had most likely alerted them to things going badly for the rest of the group.

  My hunters dropped their trophies off at their lairs and were soon moving again; both carried rifles as they had sated their blood lust. The two young men, by that time, had built up the courage to start towards the gates. Two shots rang out, causing both to jerk back as the rounds impacted them.

  My hunters walked up and finished off the one who was still alive.

  "Right, we are done. Head back and level. Tomorrow, we have much to do."

  Both obeyed without question and were soon back in their lairs. They were both quiet on the walk back, and I could not help but notice the distance between them as they walked.

  "Let's do this."

  [New Midian, Level up! Hunter: John Rigger, Level up! Hunter: Hector Rodriguez, Level up! Hunter: Hateful Spirit, Level up!]

  The Blue box came.

  I opened the list and worked down it. Several new entries caught my attention, but I knew what was needed and selected [Mausoleums. II]. When the level-up procedure is finished, a number of larger buildings around the Dungeon will be created. Once I confirmed, everything went dark.

  ……..

  With a flash, my sight returned and I was in the church again, but it was different once again.

  The main room and annexe are larger and now composed of better-cut and quality stone. The windows are larger and more ornate, and the furniture is of better quality. The room was still filled with corpses, but the blood had disappeared from all the surfaces. The altar and statue are now both made from a marble-like white stone with black veins running through it.

  I shift my view to the top of the bubble and look down; dawn is still a few hours away. The central mausoleums have increased in size, with wings now attached to them. There are more outer ones now, the same size as the first ones before their upgrade. All the hunter lairs have been upgraded. The maze of pathways had become more complex.

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  I opened my status screen.

  "Forty kills will be hard to get. I am not expecting large settler groups to show up often."

  I spent a few minutes thinking about the next level, but I realised that I was drifting from what needed to be done. The main room of the church was still filled with bodies that needed to be buried. Flies were now buzzing around the rotting corpses.

  "Looking good. Now to the hunters."

  Rigger has increased his stealth, and I thought it was a good move. His picture now showed him to be a bit more hunched, and his hair was even more matted, to the point that it looked more like dreadlocks.

  [Hunter: Hector Rodriguez's loyalty changed from Neutral > Good.]

  Rodriguez opted to improve his blade-handling ability, which was another good choice as this was how all but one of his kills had been made. His appearance had to change like Riggers' when he levelled. Rodriguez was now more…. Feral-looking? His face was longer, and his hair was thicker. This was noticeable due to his sideburns. As for the loyalty change… I was purposely not looking into his lair.

  Finally, the Hateful Spirit.

  Her picture had not changed as far as I could tell. The Spirit had gained a new Perk [Death Shriek], which had a chance to cause her prey to become paralysed with fear at best and disorientated at worst.

  "Not a bad choice, actually."

  I spent the next few hours leading to dawn taking a closer look around the Dungeon. I found the place the Spirit had found the woman and two kids. It took me longer than I thought to find where they all were. The Spirit had ripped them apart, and their remains were scattered over a wide area. Blood and body parts were hanging from graves and statues. Flies were congregating around the rotting flesh.

  "Well, I now have insects at least."

  A few rodents had moved into the Dungeon, but nothing larger. I watch them move around the flesh, eating and scavenging the remains. Dawn came, and I reached out to stir my hunters. Rigger appeared and was sent to work investigating the wagons. Rodriguez was not out yet.

  "Rodriguez, get your backside out. You have work to do!"

  He appeared shortly after. He made his way to the wagons where Rigger was working.

  "Ok, this is what we are going to do." This drew the attention of the two hunters. "Rigger, keep on sorting. We will divide the loot as usual, except for the food. Dump the general stuff along with the wagons. That includes the food rotting in the storeroom."

  Neither man ate now but indulged in any luxury items we acquired from the dead. This meant even the well-stored and persevered food was spoiling and rotting. It was taking up space, so it was best to get rid of it.

  "Rodriguez, grab that wooden wheelbarrow over there on that wagon and a shovel. There should be one around. Since you were late, you can collect the bodies from the north of the Dungeon."

  He grimaced, knowing where the bodies were and what was around there.

  "Do not worry. I will be with you, and she will not bother us as it is light now."

  "Sí, Keeper."

  I led him as he pushed the wheelbarrow through the Dungeon to the bodies. He paled as he saw the damage the Spirit inflicted on them. I found it odd that he could be shocked by any level of violence.

  “Querido dios, ?qué ha hecho este espíritu maligno?” He muttered in Spanish. Since his arrival at my Dungeon, he had been using the language more. I recalled a little of the language from my life as a human. I got the just of what he had said. "Yes, she is quite violent. Best not waste time and collect the remains. Do not worry about keeping the bodies together. Just collect them and bury them in a mausoleum." This got him moving to collect the bodies, and I directed him to the parts he missed. He pulled up a bandana mask to stop the flies and some of the growing smell. I decided to use this time to engage him in conversation. He was always reluctant before, but I was willing to try again. "Where are you from, Rodriguez?" He paused in his work and looked thoughtful, as far as I could tell with the mask. "Why do you ask, se?or Keeper?" He asked me as he returned to work. I had already thought about this and answered him. "We are all stories and would like to know yours." This surprised him, causing him to stop work again. "I was born in San Antonia, Texas. If you don't mind, se?or Keeper, I came here to forget my past." This seemed to be getting to him, so I left the issue alone.

  "Very well. I will respect your privacy."

  He went back to work, and I pondered his response. What made it odd to me was that it was very similar to the one Rigger had given me when I asked him about his past. Was the contract affecting them like my memoirs, and were they, too, being suppressed?

  It took the rest of the day, but the hunters buried the bodies and piled the loot in the church. There was still much to be done, but I noticed something I had to find out about.

  "Rigger, are you feeling alright?"

  He had been wearing a heavy coat and hat all day and seemed uncomfortable in the sun's light, which seemed to get worse as the sun got brighter.

  "Not, feeling right in sunlight now. Makes me all itchy." He confirmed my suspicion.

  "Alright. We split the loot and will finish the work tomorrow night. Rodriguez, do you have any issues with this?"

  "No, se?or Keeper." I knew why but said no more.

  The loot for such a large group was, well… disappointing. Religious settlers did not carry much beyond what was needed to establish farms. They had a few books—fourteen Bibles, to be precise—no use to me. They had a few items of jewellery, mainly wedding rings and watches. A large stack of money was found and added to my collection. It was mostly bills and a few silver dollars. There was tobacco and little alcohol, which was found in the preacher's wagon.

  "Everything not claimed goes into storage. The watches, jewellery and money stay with me. The rest is yours."

  They split the tobacco and alcohol. The rest was of no interest. They retired, and I summoned my avatar. The weapon and loot were placed in the appropriate storage locations. Money-wise, I was getting to be rather wealthy. I now hold $1456.45 and 20 silver dollar coins. I feel the strange need to separate the silver coins in location and amount.

  "What can I do with such money anyway."

  I am wealthy for this time period but can do nothing with it. As I return to work, I laugh at the irony. I start with [Hide the Crime!] and begin to remove the evidence.

  The night passes, and the day follows. I use [Hide the Crime!] again as soon as it becomes available during the day. This reduces the bloodstains outside more, but they will need another or two triggers of the perk to be entirely removed. Inside, the church was going to take a lot longer to remove.

  The sunsets and the hunters emerge from their lairs. I note that Rodriguez was tardy, and I had been purposefully avoiding his lair since he acquired his present guests. Rigger seemed happier, and over the night, the wagons were removed, and what needed to be stored was put away. You never know when you will need some of this stuff, and it seemed I was a bit of a natural hoarder. The horses were freed after all was finished to wander when my hunters were finished. This took most of the night, and I could see the sun starting to rise in the east. The sky was beginning to change colour, and the stars were disappearing.

  The next few days went by without anything interesting as I finished hiding the evidence. At night, I spotted my local Hateful Spirit wandering her assigned hunting location. Another day rolled in, and I was watching the…

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  "Well, it seems he is finished with his guests."

  I shift to his lair and find him starting to dig two new graves. The two bodies show that they died slowly and painfully. Their clothes were almost ripped off, and they were nearly naked. Almost all of their bodies had some form of injury, from bruises to deep cuts. I noted burns and bite marks as well.

  I wanted to know no more and left him to his work.

  Time rolled on, and the seasons changed once again. We had no other visitors, and I was surprised that no one had arrived to claim the fourth hunter position yet. Winter came again, and things went silent as the snow fell. The only interruptions were the blizzards that came down from the mountains.

  "I am not enjoying being a giant snow globe."