It took a few days to count all the money. I had several things to do, like cleaning up the blood in the church. The altar and statue were damaged by gunfire. The bullet impacts scarred the marble, and I pulled a few bullets that were in the stone. The ample supply of tools I had accumulated helped with this. I hoped they would be repaired when I reached the next level.

  I had separated the money into several piles. The non-precious metal coins totalled $35.56. The greenbacks, as the locals called them, now numbered $4647, making me a wealth Core. The silver dollars totalled 120 coins, with 100 gold of twenty-dollar denominations. I had nothing to do with this wealth, so I could just look at it now and again—especially the silver and gold.

  The weapons had been unloaded and were now stored in the room where the stairs connected to the crypt below. I now had an arsenal of guns and a lot of ammunition. If I ever had to fight a war, I could make a decent go of it. It's a shame I did not have the numbers.

  [Alert! Infamy (State) changed from Unknown > Whispers.]

  "Eh?"

  What caused that? Was it due to the gang member who fled the killing? Why was it a state-level change? I had partly expected a local area change.

  I was more alert for the next few days, but nothing happened. The changes took a week to take effect. I watched the world go by from the top of the bubble when I noticed three men riding over the ridge. I ignored them at first as they rode, as they were no different to many others travelling the road.

  It was just past midday, and the weather was cloudy, but I did not expect rain. The clouds were too high and not the right shade of grey. Over the last few years, I have gotten good at reading weather patterns.

  The riders came up the path to the gates and drew my attention. The three were dressed for the environment and leaned towards the frontiersman over the settler with their clothing. All were armed and focused on my gates as they approached. Their arms were out and ready to be used.

  "Interesting, why are they here? I would bet good money if I could that they are not challengers."

  The three dismounted and tied up their horses. They each carried several weapons and walked into the gates with purpose. They ignored the courtyard and plinth, walking towards the church in the distance.

  [Alert! Intruders are not recognised as Challengers.]

  "Wow, I am shocked at that news."

  My hunters were stirring, and I informed them that the three men were walking into the Dungeon. I allowed the use of firearms if needed.

  The men were nervous and scanning the area as they walked, weapons in hand and ready to be used. What was surprising was the lack of talking. They were heading towards the church with a grim determination. The three were walking abreast in a line. From their body language, it seemed the middle one was in charge. They were alert and tense.

  "What have you three all motivated?"

  I thought about it and almost kicked myself mentally when I realised it was the money. The escaped rider had blabbed about the money and they were here to find it.

  "Well, this will make life more interesting."

  My hunters were up and out of their lairs again and were at a disadvantage from the daylight. I had to try to remedy this somehow. It's a project for later, but I had to concentrate on my visitors.

  It then occurred to me how easy it was to get into the side room with all the weapons and then into the crypt.

  "Damn it! Another thing I need to investigate fixing."

  The men were closing in on the church, but my hunters were near them. Rigger to the north and Rodriguez to the south. Both were armed with blades and guns. The three marched on, not seeing them. I needed to do something and slow their arrival at the church. The maze was helping.

  Thankfully, I have an avatar with decent longevity before it dissolves. I reach out to my hunters.

  "I am going to cause a distraction. Be ready."

  I start with the good old rock throw behind them. They were walking towards the church, and I was going to summon my avatar in front of them. The clattering of the stone caused the three to spin around. One on my right fired off his rifle, accidentally startling the other two.

  "Damn it! Nathan, what the hell are you thinking?" The middle one yelled.

  "Sorry, Jack, but you heard the stories about this place." He apologised meekly.

  The three looked around as the really nervous one reloaded. They were quickly satisfied that there was no one behind them.

  "Let's get going. I want out of here before dark," Jack said. The three turned and found my avatar facing them. Their reactions were priceless. The three jumped in fright.

  "Aarrgghh!" Nathan screamed and fired his rifle off again. The bullet came not even close, and I wondered internally if this man had a nervous condition. I manage not to flinch or react.

  "Good afternoon, gentlemen! How may I assist you?"

  The three looked at me dumbfounded for a few moments. Behind them, my hunters were moving away from their hiding spots. I need to keep them distracted for a bit longer.

  Jack rallied first and took action, which the other two mirrored. They all pointed their rifles at me, even as one was empty. They were all single-shot weapons of which I had no fear of.

  "Now, now there is no need for hostilities."

  "Who are you?" Jack yelled at me. He had his rifle up braced against his shoulder and was the steadiest in his aim of the three. It was an exciting feeling facing down three rifle barrels. I knew they could not hurt me, but a small part of my mind was unsure. Echoes of the old human fear of mortality were still around. I was committed and pressed on.

  "I am the Keeper of these grounds, and I am simply enquiring why you are here?"

  This confuses them as it is not the answer they expected. To be honest, I had no idea what they were expecting me to answer with.

  "Keeper of this place? You a demon?" Jack asked. From their look and limited conversation, I was leaning toward the fact they were not very educated. Could I use this?

  "To some, angel to others."

  I smiled at this, as it was a twist on the classic line from Hellraiser: One character demanded to know who the hell priest—which everyone called Pinhead—was when he first appeared with the other Cenobites. Their confusion and fear grow as I show them no fear or attempt to bargain for my safety.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  "Where's the money? Where's the gold?" The silent one suddenly demanded.

  "Micheal! Shut up!" Jack hissed at the man, not taking his eyes from me. So, I was right about the reason for their visit. Behind him, the hunters were nearly ready to strike, just a little longer.

  "Ah, so theft is your game is…."

  Micheal shot me in the chest, which caused me to stagger back. The bullet passed through the form I had, which I felt ripping away a chunk of it. I would not be holding it much longer. The bullet damage would see to that. I wondered what they saw.

  "Well, that was uncalled ……"

  Jack now shot me. I believe seeing a man being shot and not falling was something he had probably never encountered before. His shot did more damage, and I allowed my form to dissolve. The three cried out in shock and surprise. They were so focused on my form disappearing that they were unaware of my hunters until it was too late.

  Jack started turning as some instinct was warning him, but a tomahawk buried itself in the back of his skull, cutting through his hat. He collapsed forward as the other two turned, but my hunters were on them.

  Neither remaining man had any skills in hand-to-hand combat and were armed incorrectly anyway. Nathan got a bowie knife in the neck. Micheal was kicked in the groin and doubled over; this was followed up by multiple stabbing in the chest and gut.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  Jack still lived, it seemed, but was twitching face first in the grass, making strange gurgling sounds. Rodriguez walked over to him and pulled the tomahawk out of his head. It made a peculiar cracking and squelching sound. He stood there watching Jack slowly dying, resting the axe head on his shoulder. Blood and brain matter ran down the handle and onto his shoulder from the blade. He had a thoughtful expression on his face. Rigger was already searching for his kill, ignoring the other hunter.

  It took a few minutes for Jack to die, and Rodriguez watched the whole ordeal.

  [A Hunter has made a Kill]

  "Deal with the horses outside and the bodies later tonight; drop what had been collected on the altar."

  My hunters moved to obey my instructions. The day passed, and when sunset came, the horses and bodies were dealt with. The loot was split, and the hunters retired to their lairs before sunrise.

  I greeted the new day from the top of the bubble.

  It was a fiery one. The sun was a bloody red coming up, lighting the sky and reflecting yesterday's events. I just thought it was times like these when there was nothing to do. Well, that was not true. I had a few things to attend to, but I felt like procrastinating a bit today. I was in charge, after all.

  My thoughts today were on my little remaining humanity. Over the last four years, I have noticed things that have been strange or would not have sat well with me before. My attitude had changed.

  I had become desensitised to violence and killing apart when children were involved. This was unsurprising to me as I knew the more you were exposed to such things, the less it affected you. Over the last four years, I have seen a growing tally of violent deaths. I had to remember not to be callous or jaded to them as that could lead to mistakes that would be disastrous for me.

  The strangest thing was that I was not going stark-raving mad after all the time here with little conversation or interaction. You would think that this would be the least start. It was the clearest sign to me of my mental change, apart from the emotional distance I still experienced. Humans are fundamentally social creatures. I got glimpses of this in my memories. When I was human, I was a bit of a loner, but I had a few with whom I interacted.

  As far as I could tell, I was mostly the same as when I awoke here.

  Looking out at the land around me was relaxing, which is why I did it. I enjoyed the view and seeing the world change around me. Spotting trouble was another advantage I could not ignore either. I knew this was another holdover from my human life as I enjoyed hiking as my only outdoor activity.

  I wondered how much would remain as more years passed.

  Would I, in time, devolve into being a monster myself?

  Or am I already one?

  These and other questions come to me during these times.

  I do little this day but think. The day passes into night and then day again.

  "Right! Stop being a lazy Keeper and get back to work."

  I give myself a little pep talk and get back to dealing with some of my issues. I start cleaning up the location of the three most recent deaths. Heading over to the church, I found that both bullets that struck me were buried in a wall. They were close to the windows, and I was surprised that neither of them had passed through one. I dug them out and cast them away.

  "Will my next level up fix this damage and the altar?"

  This a question for later, but it is not the first time I have asked it.

  I unloaded the new guns in my armoury and placed them with the others. Now, I turned my attention to the stairs leading down to the crypt where my wealth was stored. I thought about this problem. Several hours later, I concluded this.

  "I have no idea what to do."

  My best idea was to cover the stairwell with a board and place items on top to disguise it, but I found two faults. The weight could collapse the board and it would stick out as it was the only wood on the floor anywhere in the church.

  "Also, moving it all the time would be a pain."

  I thought about hiding the money in another location and moving the weapons down into the crypt.

  "Now that was a possibility."

  I would do this, but something told me to keep the wealth close. Why? I had no idea, but it was a constant itch in my mind when I thought about moving it from the crypt.

  "Well, this is annoying."

  I returned to the top of the bubble and thought some more.

  "Build a hiding place? …. Maybe. Expand the crypts on the next level up? ......I cannot commit to that, but it's a possibility."

  The day passed, as I thought, and a storm rolled over the Dungeon from the north. Heavy rain clouds moved across the sky, and lightning flashed in the distance.

  "Damn, this a big one."

  When the rain came, it fell into what people refer to as sheet rain. It was almost a solid wall of rain. The Spatial Folding warped the fall, creating a dome effect over the Dungeon. Inside, the rain was falling at several different angles as it passed through, and the effect was always weird to watch.

  The light and sound of the lightning and thunder were intense, as they were now nearly above me. I watched the light show. Several more streaks of lightning fell from the sky and connected with the ground. The following rumbles were right after them, as they were happening close.

  Then it happened.

  FLASH.

  BOOM.

  I was momentarily blinded as lightning hit the spatial folding bubble. An electricity arc across the dome formed from the rain as my sight was restored. I felt the bubble shake from the strike.

  "Holy Shit!"

  FLASH.

  BOOM.

  Another hit the dome. Electricity arced across the surface conducted by the water. Some of it arced into the Dungeon while the rest was diverted to the walls.

  "Do I need lightning rods now?"

  The storm continued and passed over the Dungeon. There were no more lightning strikes on the Dungeon, but several were close by. By the time the storm passed, the sun had set, and the night was here.

  "Let's hope that's the height of my excitement for a while."

  It turned out that it was, and the days passed, turning into weeks. The world continued to revolve around the Dungeon. The traffic on the road continued, but no one turned up the path to the Dungeon. Autumn was soon here, and the weather warned that winter was returning.

  One night, I noticed Rodriguez was out of his lair and sitting on a chair he had stored in it. He had a small fire going and was brewing a pot of coffee over it. Now and again, they emerged like this to do something they wanted or perform some tasks they thought were important, like gathering firewood.

  The fire pit was dug soon after he claimed his lair, but he used it sparingly and hid it when not in use. Rodriguez was the most active of the two in this regard. Now and again, he emerged and would sit back, watching the night pass with his fire and coffee. I did not count our local spirit, as she haunted her hunting area nightly. He was dressed in more clothing than summer, but not much. He had his hat on. I think it was chilly but not cold when the fire was added to the mix.

  I usually leave him alone, but tonight, I had a question.

  "Rodriguez, I have a question, if I may."

  "Sí, se?or Keeper." I got the impression he did not but was humouring me. "Alexander Montague, what can you tell me of him?" He blinked, as my question was not the one he was expecting. He leant forward, pouring the boiling coffee into a tin mug. Once he leaned back again, he spoke. "The gringo rode during the war between states. Got a reputation as a raider. When the war ended, he went his own way and soon started raiding and being a bandida again." Rodriguez looked into the fire as he spoke, his eyes distant.

  "When he robbed, did he kill indiscriminately, or was he more restrained?"

  "Only killed those who fought. Left women and kids alone. Punished any who crossed his rules." The light of the fire was causing the shadows around to dance across the walls of his lair as he took a big gulp of coffee. "Thank you, Rodriguez, that's all."

  I left him to enjoy the rest of his coffee in peace.

  My assumption about the late Mr Montague was correct: he was an evil man, not a monster. He appeared to have some morals but not very high ones. In time, he might have continued down the path that made him one, but when he reached my altar, he was not one and could not handle what he had agreed to.

  Like Rodriguez, I spent the rest of the night looking at the stars.