Rodriguez and Roberson were both wounded. Rodriguez was injured the least, but still, we took a few hours to heal, and the cracked ribs were painful. I allow them to go and do that. Roberson took a leg of his kill with him after Blackstone cut it off for him.

Harrington and Blackstone were levelling.

I had them bury the bodies, and the horses were taken to Herbert before I let them retire. There was little loot to split, which was mainly made up of cheap alcohol and equally bad tobacco. A few dollars in change were also recovered along with six rifles and eight pistols. Six knives were also added to my arsenal.

The next day, I looked over the two Hunters who had levelled.

Hunter Name

John Blackstone

Level

2

Kills

0/8

Skills

 

Loyalty

Neutral

Carpentry. V

 

Masonry. V

 

Blacksmith. V

 

Leatherworking. IV

 

Trap Making. IV

 

Hammers. V

 

Stealth. I

 

Dark Traits

 

Sadistic Trap Maker.

 

Blackstone was the first one I checked, as he was the first one I saw. He emerged shortly after dawn and began moving around the area around his lair. He often did this in the morning, and after some attempts at conversation, I learned that he was constantly checking the ground for possible locations for future traps. He walked around with sheets of paper, looking over his shoulder. I found out what he was doing with them. It turns out that Blackstone was a skilled artist, as evidenced by the intricate trap designs featured on the paper.

Adding Stealth to his skill list was not something I honestly expected. I had expected him to add to his already impressive list of abilities, but it seems that he wanted to acquire a new skill to enhance his skills as a Hunter.

His appearance has also undergone slight changes. He seemed…. Broader? His visible skin had also taken on a slight red hue, as if he were suffering from a mild case of sunburn.

Harrington did not emerge for another two days, which I found odd. He generally appeared for a short time every day, even if it was just to check the weather. Thankfully, we had no more intruders or visitors during that time.

I had waited, not reviewing his Hunter sheet until he emerged. When he did, he was the biggest surprise of all the first levelling of the Hunters I had encountered yet.

His skin had turned an ashen grey. And he seemed taller and more gangly than before. The biggest surprise I got was when I opened up his sheet and took a look.

Hunter Name

Alister Harrington

Level

2

Kills

0/8

Skills

 

Loyalty

Neutral

Sleight of Hand. VIII

 

Deception. V

 

Acting. V

 

Blades. IV

 

Swordsmanship. III

 

Perks

 

Shadow Magic. I

 

Dark Traits

 

Child Killer.

 

"Bloody hell! A perk! What is Shadow Magic?"

I accessed the prompt for more information.

Well, this is a surprise!

One of your Hunters has developed a Perk before level 5.

This is only possible if they had spent a considerable amount of time researching and believing they could accomplish the impossible.

This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Shadow Magic.

This allows the Hunter to manipulate shadows for different effects. At level one, the Hunter can use shadows to hide their presence better.

"Are these prompts getting more sarcastic?"

No answer. No surprise.

The prompt provided me with more information than I think it intended. Passing level five marked the point when my Hunters started to evolve faster. I knew they could gain new Dark Traits, but I didn't realise they could also achieve Perks.

This meant that the Hunters would have access to a whole new range of abilities over time.

"I wonder what that'll bring in the future."

Before I could delve into a whole new rabbit hole of speculation, I decided to speak with Harrington. I need more information about his new abilities. He was standing outside his lair puffing away on his pipe. Before I summoned my avatar, I looked over again and noticed his clothes seemed to be a bit too small on him now.

"Harrington."

"Keeper, I suspect you have come to ask about my new magic ability." He returned my greeting when I appeared before him.

"I have. I must congratulate you first, as you are the only Hunter outside of the Spirit to develop a perk."

"Why, thank you for your kind words." He puffed out his chest a bit when I told him he was the first to achieve this. "When I went through the transformation of what you call 'levelling', my lifelong dedication to the magical and arcane arts was rewarded."

"So, I have seen. It is the first step along the path that will take you in an interesting direction."

"Would you like a demonstration?" He offered.

"I would."

We spent the next several hours reviewing everything he could do, which was quite limited at the time, but hinted at far more possibilities in the future.

July gave way to August, and the weather remained pleasant.

There were a few showers and plenty of warm sunny days.

Rigger was only seen a few times at night. The other Hunters went around doing whatever they wanted, as long as it didn't disrupt the dungeon or my plans. Most went on short hunting trips into the forest around the dungeon. However, most now limit these to nighttime.

I didn't receive any more visitors that month, either, but I was more focused on what was happening in the Caribbean. The British Caribbean Squadron was now actively striking at the Venezuelan coastline. On the 11th day of the month, they had won a significant battle at sea against the Venezuelan navy, sinking most of their active fleet units. Again, the torpedo destroyer bolts played a role, inflicting some damage upon the Royal Navy, sinking two of their ships and damaging eight others.

This naval battle effectively marked the end of the Venezuelan Navy, giving the Royal Navy complete dominance over the sea lanes and enabling it to strike whenever it desired. If there were to be any form of ground invasion or raids, it would likely occur sometime in the next few weeks, as the weather in the Caribbean is expected to change, making such operations far more difficult.

It was during this month that I decided to give Blackstone a task to perform for me. I decided to have him build a booby-trapped strongbox to store my wealth in. I took them down into the crypt and showed him the amount he would be storing, and that the design needed to have room for an additional space to accommodate more items.

He gave me a grunt of understanding and went to work.

September arrived, and I knew that autumn would soon be here.

The month passed slowly. Blackstone finished a reinforced strongbox for me that was more than adequate to hold the material wealth I still possessed. It was the size of a large travel trunk and made from oak wood with iron bands across it. He had added a nasty blade trap into its base. If you didn't flick a small switch on the side that was hidden before opening the box, the blade would shoot out and slice anyone standing in front of the box. I placed it against a wall to limit the directions that can be opened, maximising the trap's effectiveness.

Blackstone seemed happy with his work.

Little else happened that month in all around New Midian. Life continued outside as it always had for the last few decades.

Internationally, the British finally mounted a series of raids that captured several important Venezuelan towns, forcing the government to concede to the British demands. The Royal Navy had been facing questions over the casualties inflicted by the Venezuelan Navy during the campaign, and the new commanding officer of the Caribbean Squadron, Admiral Fisher, promised a full investigation into the whole conflict.

Herbert and Joshua continued to perform tasks for me and supplied me with the newspapers I needed to stay informed about what was happening beyond the borders of my domain. The boy had grown accustomed to the jo and the sight of the Hunters. He had recognised a few of them from memories of their visits to his home, but the changes had taken him some time to get used to. I had still managed to protect him from the more bloody aspects of his job that he had chosen to take on. There will be plenty of time for that in the future.

I have spent most of this month looking over my development. Things were progressing more slowly now, as it required 160 kills to make it to the next level. I was only 17 kills away towards that goal. At the current rate, I estimate it will take about 1920 before I can realistically expect to reach my next level. If things continued as they had, my next level would be 320 kills.

I had no idea how I'd get that many or how long it would take.

October arrived, and the weather began to change. The forest around me changed from green to red and yellow. In the skies, I could see the birds starting to migrate, and the animals were preparing for winter.

Another month of no visitors.

In the Pacific, Japan was solidifying its control over its newly acquired territories. The only notable event in the US was an earthquake in Charleston, Missouri. Extensive damage was reported, and five fatalities were listed.

That was on the last day of October, with November coming the next day.

There was more rain, and the weather was now colder. Most of the leaves had fallen, a few stubborn evergreens clung on, but they were the minority. Traffic along the road was decreasing.

Along the path leading to the gates, I saw a group of riders approaching.

I've seen them travelling from Crossway over the ridge. As they approached the path, I knew they were on the right track.

I shifted down to the gates to meet them.

"I wish I could go for a year without them coming along."

I complain to myself as I watch Senior Ahmed and four of his cult members riding towards the gates.

I watched him ride forward alone after motioning his guards to remain some distance away. He dismounted just before the gates and stepped forward, taking a few more steps until he was right at the threshold.

"I call on the Keeper of this place to honour my humble request for conversation." He called out into the courtyard.

I sighed to myself and waited a few seconds before summoning my avatar.

"Senior Ahmed."

"Keeper of New Midian." He returned my greeting.

"What brings you here today?"

I was in no mood to deal with him and wanted this conversation to be over quickly, so I didn't dally about.

"I have come to inform you of the progress we have made in completing our side of the bargain we have made."

Okay, this got me interested. There had been silence on that front.

"We are presently expanding our influence within the local and state government. It will be a few more years before we can fully claim to have a controlling interest, but it is an ongoing process, as you are aware."

"Yes, I understand. You do not want to be seen to wield too much influence too quickly, as that would cause issues."

"Indeed. When it comes to amassing political power and influence, we must take the long view. By doing this, we will become the unseen hand that guides those with office in the direction we wish."

He was building to something that I didn't yet know what it was. I decided to see if I could speed this up.

"That is good to know. But I suspect you did not come out here just to tell me that."

"Correcting again, Keeper. The cost in financial resources to build such a power base within politics is substantial, as you are well aware. We thank you for sharing your insights into the future. We didn't put much stock in oil, but now we are seeking to understand it. The elders have requested that, if possible, you can give us a timeframe to understand better what we are required to do and when."

Translation: they're looking for a payday.

"By now, the organisation has already seen the development of new technologies driven by oil."

"We have. We have secured land rights in Texas after performing several geological surveys, identifying several promising oilfields."

"Good. The first automobiles are being produced or will soon be. The technology is still in its early stages and will likely require another two decades to mature fully. The world war coming will help with that, I suspect."

"World War?" My words had caught him off guard.

"Yes, the war that is brewing. Or more likely wars that will lead to the big one."

"Big one?" The look of fear and confusion on his face almost made me laugh, but I managed to control myself. It was then that I realised that he had no concept of what a world war was or how an industrial war like it would be fought.

"You must see the tension is building around the world."

"Yes. Conflicts are a regular occurrence."

"Yes, but none are paying attention enough to them."

"Attention to what?" He asked.

"Technology and industrialisation."

"Please explain what you are referring to." I could see that he was a bit lost with my words, as he didn't understand. I realised then that I might have said too much, but I could maybe use this to my advantage.

"Warfare is changing, or maybe I should say has changed. The type of conflict I'm describing is when one or more industrialised nations fully commit to a global war. The closest one on the horizon that I can see is the rivalry between Russia and Japan. This conflict will not be the full industrial one that I have called a world war, but still will be quite brutal."

"Yes, the attempted assassination of Nicholas II when he was Crown Prince on that trip to Japan has soured relations between the two nations for years." Senior Ahmed thought about the two nations that I had named. "Surely Russia would beat Japan in any conflict."

"If you had asked me that 20 years ago, I would have said yes. However, it is now too close to call. Russia is vast and powerful, yes, but Japan is industrialising faster and is hungrier for victory. Add in that the Japanese industrial base is far closer to any areas that will become conflict zones."

"Surely the Russian imperial army will win, as the imperial army far outnumbers the Japanese."

"If concentrated, yes. However, the Russian Empire is vast, and its forces are spread out far more extensively than the Japanese army. But to beat Japan, Russia must win at sea, and that's where Japan has the advantage. The Russians have recognised this weakness and have been purchasing ships from Germany, primarily for their Far Eastern Fleet. In response, the Japanese are buying British ships and building their own."

I could see that he was not too well-versed in military matters, but he understood the basics. "Yes, I recall some news articles about the buying of new ships by both sides."

"Japan has control over the Korean peninsula now. That is where Russia will most likely try to fight them, or in the northernmost islands. If they can sever support to any of these locations from the Japanese home islands, then victory will be a matter of time. If the Japanese win a decisive naval victory or keep their sea lanes open, then Russia will have a far harder time in any military incursion."

"Yes, I understand what you're saying, but what is this world war you spoke about?" He understood my point about minor conflicts, but seemed fixated on the larger one. How can I explain it to him? Despite its education and industrialisation, this world remained innocent in far too many ways.

"That is easy. The Three Emperors Alliance versus the Western Entente. Imagine all six nations fully mobilising their military reserves and industry to fuel their armies. Then add in the mass conscription of the population, and you have millions of soldiers fighting in a minimal space."

His face went pale as he realised the scale of the war I was describing. "Surely military tactics will be the prevailing force on the battlefield."

"Unless those nations' military has progressed beyond advanced Napoleonic warfare, no. Cavalry and infantry will now always be trumped by artillery and machine guns. The advantage now sits with the defender, not the attacker."

"How bad will it be?" It is taking a few moments to ask the question, as he was still trying to grasp the full horror of what I was trying to describe to him.

"Battles will not be ended with hundreds or a few thousand casualties over a day or two. They will be settled in weeks, with the death toll possibly running close to the hundreds of thousands. And that's just with the weapons you have right now. War accelerates technological developments. Many will eventually call it hell on earth."

Senior Ahmed falls quiet, and I can see he was wrestling with what I said to him. "And oil will be the fuel that drives this whole century forward and all the horrors you say with it."

"Horrors, yes. But wonders as well."

He looks at me again, trying to discern what I am saying to him. He opens his mouth and starts to…..

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