New Midian

It happened so fast that I never had a chance to react. From my perspective, the graveyard blurred past me as whatever pulled me drew me back to the church.

To add to the great confusion I was suffering, I came through the doors which had opened, and as he did so, my avatar came into being. I impacted the stone floor, rolling back before the altar.

"What the…"

Before I could say anything more, the blue box dominated my vision, and I was forced to read it.

"Eh?"

I had to reread it before it disappeared. There was a great deal to unpack, but I had a more pressing issue linked to the information in the box.

I had the overwhelming sensation of being watched. It was coming from all around me in a way that I could not fully explain or understand. I shifted my point of view after dismissing my avatar to the outside of the church above the tiled roof. Here was even stronger, and I had the overwhelming urge to look up.

And I saw….

I tried to grasp….

Then they were gone.

They were there, I knew this. Nine figures were arranged in a circle around the Dungeon in the sky, looking down. Some were humanoid; most were not. I couldn't fully understand what I was looking at, and neither my memories nor my new existence as a Core could provide any clarity.

They were there long enough for me to understand that they were, and then they were gone.

I knew instantly that they were what the message claimed were my 'benefactors'. Whatever they were, the truth was they terrified me on several levels, ranging from mental to spiritual.

I felt like an ant who had suddenly attracted the attention of nine giant humans. Their size and complexity prevented me from even coming close to understanding what they were, let alone how they could exist.

I remained there for some time just looking at the sky.

I spent that trying to put what I have seen into context. I ultimately failed. The closest I came to it was the cosmic horror of HP Lovecraft.

I returned to the interior of the church. I summoned my avatar again as I stood before the altar and the statue. I looked at both, checking for any changes to either. I didn't see anything.

The message box is also giving me three other pieces of information.

The first thing I did was to head over to the wooden board that contained the information on my victors.

Alexander Rochester. June 3rd, 1897, A.D. He came seeking answers to the questions that his father would not speak of. He found them and so much more.

"Alexander."

I read the name aloud. Then I snorted. What was with the Rochester family naming their male members after emperors and conquerors?

From what was inferred upon the wooden plaque, it seemed that he had questions about this place, and his father had not given him any answers, so he had taken it upon himself to discover them himself. I wondered what answers he had found apart from the most obvious, of course.

As for "the so much more" part, I knew some of that, but not the details. What did it mean that he was now a higher-tier human?

Questions without answers. Another typical day for me. But I was a bit more optimistic that I might discover those answers in the future. It was slow going, but things were increasingly being revealed to me.

The last part of the message concerned me more.

Magic and increased potency across the world, and those who dream of me even vaguely now would be more aware of my presence. The warning was clear that they were coming. What does that mean in the long run? As usual, I had no idea.

Finally, the part of the message about my Hunters changing faster?

I needed to investigate this, but I couldn't do it right now. Several of my Hunters were busily healing.

I had to wait two days before I brought them all together. The Hateful Spirit was left where she belonged. I knew bringing her to the church would be a disaster, so I made sure to check on her before the others arrived at midnight.

She seemed unchanged.

I make sure to have this meeting at midnight, as many of the hunters prefer to move around in the dark. Rigger was the most obvious, but the others preferred the nocturnal hours over the daylight hours.

They shuffled into the church at the arranged time. I was already there with my avatar summoned, facing the altar and looking up at the statue of the angel of death. I was gaming out possible outcomes to the conversation I was about to have with them. I've been doing this for the last few days, trying to word everything correctly so I do not cause problems or issues down the line. I hope to have the right approach.

When they had gathered behind me, I turned and looked at them after a few moments.

The six of them were standing in a rough line, three on each side of the central aisle. The tension between them was present. Between some of them, it was more pronounced, while they seemed to tolerate others better. All were as far apart as they could be.

"I have called you here this night to discuss the fourth Victor."

There was a rustle of unease amongst them. Those who had been wounded and were now fully healed, and I noticed several of them unconsciously moving their hands to the injuries they had recently been healed from.

"We have had Challengers in the past. We will have many more in the future. Most will die, but some will become Victors. That is the way of things."

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My words were not calming, but they seemed to settle them, serving as a reminder of the way of things. They had all been uneasy, fearing my wrath at what had happened. I had reviewed everything I had planned while watching Alexander during his journey. Some of the Hunters had performed well, while others had been arrogant to say the least, which cost them.

I knew I had to speak to them, but I had decided to modify my initial idea. I was going to take each of them aside, have a good rant at those who needed it, but things have changed with that message. But that didn't mean I was going to let them off easily.

"Some of you performed well even though you failed. While others perform badly."

I didn't say who, of course, but I gave a few pointed looks in a couple of directions. Those I looked at or maybe glared at shifted uncomfortably.

"I was going to have a pointed discussion with several of you. But things have… Changed."

There was more shifting caused by nervousness amongst the Hunters until I said the final part. They all suddenly stopped and looked at me with a great deal of interest. It was time to start my explanation and the questioning.

"The last Victor was the son of the first. This is because they a unique event to take place which will both benefit us all and may herald being far busier in the future."

I now had their complete attention—time to throw a curveball.

"How are you all feeling?"

The question was simple but caught them all unaware. It was not the question they all expected me to ask them. They were all confused and looked at each other, trying to find out if the others were in the same position. I waited.

"Wha' do ya mean, Keeper?" Rigger spoke up. I had expected Harrington to be the one to ask, but I knew that Rigger trusted me the most.

"Things are changing."

This was the starting point I chose to explain what was happening.

"The event triggered will have two effects. The first dreams that draw people to New Midian will affect more and be stronger."

I knew that this would be my Beacon perk being affected. I checked my character sheet and found no alteration, so it did not merit a change in its status. This piqued the interest of most of the Hunters for different reasons. No, that was wrong; it piqued the interest of all of the Hunters except for Harrington, who had a different reason. Anything hinting at magic had his full attention; the killing is a bonus.

"Yes, that means we will be having more people coming to us. That means both Intruders and Challengers."

A ripple of excitement passed through them, thinking of all the possible death and suffering they could inflict in the future. I had grown accustomed to the sadistic nature of my Hunters, but part of me still couldn't bring myself to like it.

"Then there is the second effect."

This brought their attention right back to me. If I were anyone else, I would have quailed in fear at the attention of so many predators.

"This brings me back to my first question. How are you feeling?"

The uneasiness shifted again amongst them, but none answered straightaway. There were a few glances to see if any would step forward. Eventually, I decided to elaborate on my question.

"You're all aware of the changes that are coming to you. Well, now they will come faster and more pronounced. What this means for the future, I cannot say."

Another ripple of interest passed through my Hunters as they digested this information.

"But."

My tone with a single word drew their attention back to me.

"You will all reflect on the last Challenger on what you did right and wrong. From now on, I will be changing your hunting grounds regularly. This is to get you all more familiar with different parts of the graveyard. Now off with you all."

I dismissed them

In truth, I want to rip a few new ones, but I knew that would be counter-productive right now. That message box threw all my plans out the window, and I was adapting on the fly, even with a few days of thought behind it.

My Hunters quickly got the message and filed out fast. That was apart from Rigger, who held back. Once the others were gone, he motioned for the other person to step forward. He seemed to want to talk to me in private for some reason. He was either unhappy or deeply uncomfortable about what he wanted to discuss.

"Speak Rigger."

I didn't want to beat around the bush with him, and I knew he appreciated directness.

"It's 'bout me wives." He took off his hat as he spoke. Part of me wished he had left it on. He was holding it before him, turning it nervously.

"What about them?"

I honestly didn't care, and I didn't want to know, but maintaining good relations with the Hunters made my life significantly easier, and I didn't want to change that policy.

"Well… It's to say… To be 'onest my girls are a bit tired." It was like pulling teeth, but he got there.

"I'm sad to hear that."

I wasn't, but I was not going to tell him that. I wondered what he was trying to get to.

"I was hoping… If it possible…. Well, to get another?" Again, it was painfully slow and hesitant, but he eventually got there.

And there it was. My distant emotional part was screaming, "Hell no!" But my logical side, which dominated as usual, had to review it. It didn't take long, and thankfully, he already had the answer, and he knew it too.

"You know the rules, Rigger. If any possible candidates appear, they are yours. Until then, I'm afraid you must endure."

"Thank ya for ya time, Keeper." I could tell he was slightly dispirited by my answer, but expected it. He put his hat back on, which I was thankful for, and quickly shuffled off. As he left, I decided to throw him at least a bone of hope.

"Remember, Rigger. More are coming. Who knows what opportunities this will bring you?"

My words caused him to stop and turn, his face adopting a slightly thoughtful expression. Then he smiled again, another thing I didn't want to see.

"Never thought of it like that. Thanks, Keeper." He left but seemed happier, looking forward to the future.

I shook my head after he closed the door and disappeared into the night.

"The things this job entails!"

I have to admit I spent the next few days a bit nervously watching the horizon from the top of my special bubble.

Part of me feared the sudden horde of people coming over the ridge, swarming into New Midian. I laughed at the foolishness of it, but it was still a subtle fear I had in the back of my mind.

Across the river from me, the farmer's fields were thriving. The forest was a sea of green around me, and numerous birds were passing through the sky. Everything looked like it should during summer in this part of Idaho.

Internationally, tensions around the Philippines were still high, but the situation on the ground was confusing. It appeared that the Filipino guerrilla movement was gaining ground, pushing the Spaniards back further. Some of the news reports hint at possible international intervention in the situation.

Tensions between the two power blocs in Europe were high due to this.

Britain remained quiet apart from calling on all parties not to seek violence.

President Mayfair offered to act as an intermediary to prevent an escalation in the conflict.

The end of June marked the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria, and both the nation and the Empire were celebrating.

July arrived, marking the high point of summer.

As I had promised, the hunting grounds assigned to each had been changed. I decided to alter them every time that we had visitors of any type. This would keep the Hunters on their toes and give them all a fair crack at anyone who entered.

The forest around New Midian was fully alive. My hunters were out and about during the nights, mostly either stalking the local animal population or collecting firewood for the winter.

Rigger was far more active than he usually was. He seems to be hunting the local animals with far greater aggression. I have to put it down to whatever was happening within his lair with his "wives". I had a strong suspicion of what the problem was, but I chose to quickly end that line of thought and avoid thinking about it ever again if possible.

It was the middle of the month that I got my first visitors since the last Challenger.

Two riders came up to the gates. Both men are wearing rough but durable clothing. Their horses looked tired and possibly slightly abused. Neither man gave me the impression of being an upstanding citizen. I noted the firearms hang at their hips.

I watched them as they debated entering New Midian. It was about midday and the sun sat high in the clear blue sky. The last few days had been quite warm, from what I can tell, as the skies were clear and the sun beat down on the land.

They tied up their horses and eventually built up the courage to enter. Once they were in the courtyard, they ignored the plinth with the written inscription upon it. They pointed to the church in the distance, and from their conversation, I quickly realised they were treasure seekers. I continue to watch them as they take the southern path and begin travelling into the graveyard.

[Alert! Intruders are not recognised as Challengers.]

Rodriguez would be the first one up today.

Rigger had been assigned to the northern route, but he would not be coming out today to play if they had gone that way. His intolerance for sunlight was only increasing. I began to notice that other Hunters were also becoming less eager to step out during the day.

Rodriguez was not one of them.

The two men continued down the pathway, following subtle curves in the path. I watched as they accidentally passed by the junction that would lead them to the next ring, continuing to travel westward.

Rodriguez had been tracking them for a good ten minutes. He moved ahead of them once they realised that they had missed the turning they needed to take. I knew where he was going, and by the time the pair reached a nearby mausoleum, he was already in position. He was on one of the roof sections waiting for the pair to pass him.

It was clear that the two men were growing concerned about getting lost, but they did not have long to worry about this. It was then that Rodriguez introduced himself.

He leapt from the building, catching the closest one to the path. His Tomahawk impacted the skull of the man as he struck him, knocking him to the floor.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

The other man lost control of his bladder as he turned and fled. Rodriguez laughed and began chasing after him. As Rodriguez ran, I noticed that he was more hunched and seemed more feral than usual. Another sign of the changes?

As the two ran, it was clear that Rodriguez was enjoying the hunt. He quickly closed the distance but let the man go a bit further before speeding up and tackling him to the ground. There was a short fight, but it ended with a Tomahawk to the man's neck. Rodriguez continued to enjoy himself as the man died. He even started licking the blood that was pumping from the wound.

[A Hunter has made a Kill.]

I didn't need to tell Rodriguez what to do. He got to work stripping the bodies, and I knew he would deal with horses later. I went back to looking out across the world from the top of the spatial bubble. I will deal with the rest later.