It wasn't long before my next visitors arrived.
Three men showed up two weeks later and were killed by my Hunters. They were grave robbers who were not ready for what they found. Roberson, Rodriguez and Harrington ambushed them.
Robson got the first kill.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
Rodriguez tore out the throat of the second man.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
Harrington finished off the third with a bit of fancy sword work. He was getting used to his cavalry sword.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
The bodies and horses were disposed of, and things quietened down again.
The world continued on its path, and I watched the world pass by. In Canada, the government attempted to negotiate a treaty with various Cree groups of the First Nation tribes. The Canadian government sought to acquire more than 300,000 square miles of land, but because of the large native population, the proposal was modified. The various territories that were becoming states gained some of the land, but it remained under the control of the people who lived in those areas. This strengthened the power of the First Nations in Canada.
The summer was bright and clear with little rain. July arrived, and a Challenger came knocking at my gates.
McGregor ambushed the man shortly after he left the gates. The irony was that he was out and about during the time he arrived. McGregor had stepped out to do a spot of hunting and had just returned when the Challenger rode up to the gates. He was assigned to the southern hunting grounds, and when the Challenger entered the South, he was attacked almost instantly.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
The blitz attack was brutal and fast. McGregor used his traditional savagery and sadism. I left him to deal with the aftermath of the kill.
Over the next few days, it seems far happier and less sullen.
The month continued, and towards the end, the first international peace conference concluded with the signing of the first Geneva Convention.
August soon rolled around, and Senior Ahmed made a reappearance.
"Greetings, Keeper and thank you for speaking to me." He was improving his conversations with me. When he first came, he was always full of flowery language, but I'd convinced him to stop with that.
"And to you, Senior Ahmed. What brings you to my gates this day?"
I want this over so I can get back to watching the world pass and think about the news stories I was reading.
"We have started to see the establishment of the automotive industry in many countries. We are seeking advice on where to focus our attention as it comes to the United States." Things were moving to the next stage as technology entered a new phase.
"You have some ideas?"
I asked him to see what the Way is thinking.
"The Northeast of the country is where the most interesting companies and individuals are based." He said after several moments.
"Detroit, Massachusetts. That is the best place to concentrate your attention."
"Detroit. I'm not familiar with that city." Senior Ahmed frowned as he thought about what I said to him.
"Its location allows it a natural advantage in production. It has access to the rail lines surrounding Chicago and the Great Lakes."
He nods along again as I speak. It is clear he knows little about the city I'm talking about, but I suspected he would quickly find out.
"You have a choice to make now. You can actively support these attempts to establish the industry, or you can work in the shadows. Remember what I said, no matter what happens, the oil demand will be your greatest source of income."
"If we remain in the shadows, you are proposing that we act similarly as with the burgeoning aviation industry." He enquired.
"Yes. As your organisation is already aware, the true power players in this world operate from the shadows."
"That they do. My elders had already decided that we would act from the shadows in all but our chosen industry." He nodded to himself slightly as he spoke. It seems that they were finally getting on board with my plan.
"Excellent. Watch those who are innovating in the automotive industry and support them where you can. Many will fail, but those who succeed will reach great heights."
"I understand." He nodded solemnly. I had to wonder why he was really here. This was not the sort of thing that required checking in with me.
"Was there anything else?"
"There is." I could sense his hesitation. He took a moment before continuing. "My elders are concerned with your relationship with the Daughters of Medusa. They would like to know what you are sharing with them."
And there it was. I was waiting for this conversation.
"Fear not, Senior Ahmed. The Daughters have been directed along a different path from you. In time, your two groups will overlap a bit, but I hope by that time you will have reached a more tolerant relationship."
"So you are not preparing to have them act as an alternate or even play them against us?"
I chose to be a bit more honest and forthcoming than I usually am.
"In some ways, yes, they are a backup to my agreement with you. This is meant in no way to disparage your organisation. I need the Daughters to affect different aspects of society, where they are better suited. I offer them no more and no less than what I have offered you. Your elders might be upset by this, but I believe in the long run, both your organisations will see the benefits of at least not interfering with each other."
"My elders will not be pleased with this revelation. They are hoping for a more exclusive arrangement."
"I understand why. But as you have two hands, so must I have two to affect the world in the ways I need to protect New Midian. Go and report to your elders that I will maintain my relationship with the Daughters, but also stressed to them that everything I do is towards my goal and nothing more."
He was unhappy with my response, but I could tell he was strangely accepting of it. Everything I had done up to this point had only reinforced in his mind that my goal was to protect New Midian. For the simple fact it was. I had no other hidden or disguised motive.
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He sensed I did not want to converse further and said his goodbyes, then departed.
I expected the Daughters would come one day for a similar conversation.
The rest of August was relatively quiet until the last few days of the month.
A group of seven treasure hunters appeared. They were drawn by the rumours of the hidden wealth within my graveyard. I had hoped that the influence of the Daughters would suppress such rumours and stories, but they had yet to lay them to rest. Eleanor had often told me they were doing their best, but a good story was hard to kill or bury.
It was obvious from the weapons they carried that they were not Challengers, and as soon as they passed through the gates, they were identified as intruders.
The issue was that they had come late in the day. The sun was already well on its way to dropping behind the mountains in the west, and the darkness was growing over the graveyard. They take on the northern route and are making good time, planning to set up camp in the church. They decided to bring the horses into the graveyard with them and use the church as a base camp to explore the graveyard.
My Hunters were gathering, preparing an ambush, but I had another problem fast approaching. The Spirit was up and around. The group was approaching her hunting grounds, and the sun was now sinking behind the mountains. The darkness was extensive enough now to allow her a much greater range of movement in her hunting grounds.
I had moved ahead of the group to identify if she was around, and I saw her active.
I informed my Hunters of this fact and told them to surround the Spirits' hunting ground. I wasn't just going to be dealing with panicking men but panicking horses as well.
"This is going to be bloody."
I groaned to myself as I got everyone into position. The western part of the hunting grounds was easily closed off, but the eastern part would be more challenging, as I had to get the Hunters around the group.
I hope for longer, but unfortunately, the Spirit was seen by the group. This made them pause, but soon they called out to her, and she began to move towards them.
"Get ready, things are about to happen!"
I communicated with the other Hunters through our connection. They all knew what was about to happen, and they suspected that they were already trying to figure out which one of them would lose the draw to go in and clean up the mess.
Across the graveyard, a hateful screen erupted.
The screening of men and horses quickly followed this.
Both men and animals panicked as the Spirit soon came among them. I got there as the carnage started, and even I winced at the slaughter taking place. Body parts and organs were being ripped and slashed from the bodies of their owners. Blood was flying in all directions, as if it were rain.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
The Spirit was sparing neither man nor beast. The horses were panicking and had now bolted. Two of their number had not been quick enough, lying on the ground.
The men were either running or shooting, and in some cases doing both. They were firing wildly in the general direction of the Spirit, but it wasn't helping their escape.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
They are now scattered enough that it was harder for her to get them in groups. She turned her attention to the closest and caught him before he escaped her hunting grounds. Her talons ripped through his back and out through the upper part of his chest. She didn't stop there, ripping out his lungs and then tearing his body to shreds.
My other Hunters were ready and took action when they could. Rigger claimed the first of those who escaped her hunting grounds.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
McGregor got the next.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
One was fleeing back along the pathway towards the gates and ran into Roberson. I had been following this one as he was the closest to the gates. I watched as Roberson stepped in front of him as he was running. He was not aware of the Hunter because he was looking over his shoulder in terror at the death of the last man in the Spirits' hunting ground.
He ran onto Roberson's blade. His head turned with a shocked look as he looked down at the blade now inserted into his stomach. Roberson smiled as he looked back up, his face going pale from blood loss in shock. It was then that my Hunter's new dark trait was fully revealed. He grabbed the other man and began to eat him alive, literally. He ripped into the other man's flesh with its teeth and began to devour with a savage intensity.
He screamed for a long time as his death was not quick.
[A Hunter has made a Kill.]
It was a bigger mess than I ever feared.
"Dammit! It's going to take days to clean this up!"
There was quite a bounty of alcohol and tobacco. Harrington pulled the sad duty of cleaning up inside the Spirits' hunting grounds. I had to escort him through the whole area to collect all the body parts.
The Spirit tracked us the whole time and was far more agitated than normal. She made several attempts to attack Harrington, and I was forced to step in and punish. Eventually, she got the message and backed off, letting us finish.
The five remaining horses were eventually collected and sent down to Herbert, but I decided to hoard the money. The weapons and items that can be salvaged from the packs were collected, and the Hunters took some of them. Clothes were becoming an issue for several of them.
The days wore on in September, and with it, the second Boer War was confirmed between the British Empire and the South African Republic. Several attempts to resolve their issues peacefully had failed spectacularly, leading to conflict. Around the world, there were other events such as earthquakes or mine collapses, but they were the norm.
Across the world, I saw increasing signs of the impact of new technologies and industries. More European countries were adopting zeppelins or developing their own airships. The automotive sector was expanding as more records were being set and broken in races.
The automotive stories sounded right, but the burgeoning airship growth felt a bit off to me. I wondered how much the Way of Athamos was profiting from all of this. It was clear from what the senior army had been telling me that their production centres were all up and running, and they had several oil wells pumping. They planned to be one of the major, if not the largest, petroleum producers within a year or two. They were buying land and surveying like mad in search of oil. Texas was the hub of this, but I instructed them to also look elsewhere in the country. I hinted towards California and Montana for future exploration.
October arrived, and the weather had changed significantly. I was seeing far more storms now. The trees around New Midian were shedding their leaves, and most of the birds had already migrated south.
The Boers in South Africa were taking aggressive action, putting the British on the defensive. The Boers acted far more quickly than many expected, utilising their cavalry to their advantage and pushing back the British line infantry in many areas, thereby placing some communities under siege.
In China, reports emerged of an attempted rebellion, swiftly quelled by the army. It seems that the emperors' reforms were having faster-than-expected results. They will still be nowhere near strong enough to face off against a westernised Japan or even one of the European powers. Still, they were clearly improving both economically and militarily.
At the end of October, the first significant battle of the Boer War was fought. The British pushed the Boers off the Talana Hill but suffered casualties in the process. The commanding general was also killed, causing some disruption in the chain of command, allowing more of the Boers to escape from the battle than hoped.
It was revealed that casualties on the bridge would be far higher but for the fact that the British gunners, for the first time, used indirect fire to shell the Boer positions on top of the hill.
Unfortunately for the British, other Boer commandos have better success, and several towns are now entirely under siege, including the fort at Ladysmith.
In the Philippines, both the Imperial German Army and the Imperial Japanese Army began to make headway against the Philippine insurrection. Both armies captured several major rebel strongholds, though the battles are fierce and bloody, and both sides suffer heavy casualties.
November arrives with even more storms racking the area.
New Midian had to endure a lightning storm right over us. Multiple strikes lit up the special bubble. Some of the electrical discharge caused minor damage within the graveyard, but it was not serious. I cursed the whole time the storm raged above me.
Fighting continued in South Africa.
A story that particularly interested me, aside from the conflict, was that the Mediterranean Sea had been crossed for the first time by air. An Italian aviator and creator specialised in air balloons and successfully made the crossing. This had led to considerable speculation in the press about future uses of airships in both civilian and military roles.
The Battle of Modder River is another British victory, but again comes at a high cost. Militia forces from other parts of the Empire arrived to support the British Army.
December arrived, and the snow line to the west was fast-moving down the mountains. I saw the first flakes in the air on the second day of the month. It seemed that I would get snow quite quickly this year.
From the 10th to the 17th of the month, it became known as "Black Week". The British Army fights three battles over the seven days, losing two but winning the third and final. All of the battles are costly in both men and material.
In the Philippines, both the Germans and the Japanese claim that the rebellion has been broken and victory is in sight. It was hard to confirm these reports, but it seems that the information coming out of the Philippines was that the guerrillas were bloodied but still in the fight.
By now, the snow was here, falling thick and fast. I received the last papers from Herbert for the year, knowing it was time to settle in and wait out the winter. The snow had arrived slightly later than usual, but was falling heavily.
The last report I received about the Boer War was that the British had sent Lord Roberts to become the commanding officer of British forces within the theatre, and Lord Kitchener had arrived with him to serve as his second-in-command, leading the hundred thousand additional troops.
What impact does this……
