Barbara could feel the chaos from the wagon. It was calling to her. She could see everything in her mind, the people struggling, fighting, getting much over due revenge. The entire situation went over her head. She couldn’t understand why the people were fighting nor did she care. The intoxicating chaos was seeping in no matter how hard she pushed back against it. Everywhere, it was everywhere, and it was strangling her. The voice was growing impatient, wanting to be let out for just a moment. To have some fun. To allow her to have some fun. Saying how happy everyone would be. How proud Jackson would be. Telling her she was missing a chance to deal with those leeches.

Barbara tried to burry her head in some pillows, trying to drown out that voice. A moment of peace is all she wanted in that moment. Gypsy had said to stay, Gypsy didn’t want her to fight. Gypsy didn’t want the Berserker.

“She fears you. She fears the great things you can do; we can do, I can do.”

She shook her head as ideas flooded her imagination. Horrible ideas filled with rivers of blood and driving strakes through those she despised. They were becoming harder to ignore.

“Just for a moment, no one would know. Let’s have some fun. They deserve to die.”

She knew she needed to escape the city, but Gypsy told her to stay. She couldn’t remain in such a place, not if she wanted to maintain control but Jackson always told her to listen to Gypsy. Neither were there at the moment. Neither understood what it was like. They were ignorant of her plight and it was growing stronger.

She needed to escape.

Carley finished healing Joseph. Thomas had won that fight, thought it wasn’t an easy victory. Joseph was stronger than him, but Thomas’s skill proved to great to over come and thus Joseph was knocked to the floor with blade at his neck. The twins had left satisfied, saying they were going to go look for another worthy fight.

Franklin looked grim. He didn’t need to say why, as Joseph thought the same thing. They were going to go after Jackson, and in his current state he didn’t stand a chance. Jackson would lose and lose badly if he had to fight a full fledge hero like Thomas, or at least that was what Joseph believed.

“What are we going to do?”

Franklin asked in a hollow voice. It had been several months since anyone had beaten Joseph, so it wasn’t much of a surprise that Franklin was lost for words.

“We still need to find Jackson; he’ll need our help.”

“But they beat you?”

Alice spoke up, shocking the group as she was normally quiet.

“Why push yourself so far for that guy? They won’t kill him, and he could use a few blows to his ego.”

“She right.”

Carley stepped forwards now, looking disheartened.

“Is it so bad to let them fight Jackson?”

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“You’ve seen him. You know he can’t win a fight against a full hero. Plus, with what happened to that girl…”

“What about Jackson? What about a girl?”

Ms. Jinx chimed in, being the only one out of the loop.

“Jackson’s not in one piece.”

Joseph started, trying to think of the best way to break the news to her.

“The Berserker ripped off his arm and leg. And Kevin killed a little girl who was Jack’s friend.”

Franklin blurted out, turning red as he thought back to Kevin. Joseph wanted to scold Franklin for being so blunt while Ms. Jinx laughed madly for a moment.

“That not funny, young man.”

“I know.”

“We’re not supposed to talk about that.”

“And why not? Why not Carley? That scum kill a little girl because she wouldn’t marry him. How sick is that? I’m not covering for that bastard anymore. We owe Jack.”

“Since when? We didn’t do anything. Kevin did.”

“We let it happen. We were all in the next room, yet none of us did anything. You saw Angela and Jackson, they were devastated.”

“Enough!”

Joseph yelled, not wanting to relive his failure. Yet another failure when it came to Jackson.

“The simple truth is that Jackson needs our help now, I’m not going to force any of you to come along. I never have and I never will, but I’m going to help my friend. He’s been through enough in this world.”

Joseph got to his feet and started for the exit. Franklin and Ms. Jinx joined him, keeping pace. Carley and Alice looked to each other before sprinting after him.

“Darn, the explosions have stopped.”

Angela complained.

“Can’t you do a tracking spell?”

Gypsy asked Edward who was struggling to keep pace with them. This wasn’t much of a surprise as they kept charging through mobs fighting their way to the other side. To be more exact, Angela was making holes while Gypsy played crowd control and Edward tried to keep up.

“I’d need something personal from him, something he holds tear like a favorite book or toy.”

“Toy, how old are you?”

“I’d need something he hold dear; toys tend to hold strong emotions. Plus I’ve only ever casted it on a toy when we were looking for a lost boy a few weeks ago.”

Edward was retreating as he spoke, slowly falling to the ground in a heap of depression. In truth he was a year younger than Jackson and Angela. He, however, was short and often confused for a child. His baby face didn’t help either.

“He keeps most of that stuff on him, save for his books but I don’t know where he keeps those.”

Gypsy tried to think of an item that Jackson valued in this world.

“Doesn’t Barbara have his old shirt?”

Angela piped up, smirking brightly.

“Of course, Jackson loved that thing. But, she’s back at the wagon.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

With subtle nods they turned on their heels before grabbing Edward by his collar.

The sun had risen by the time Jackson reached the wagon and crawled into the crow’s-nest. He was exhausted and much of his body was numb. His veins pulsated from all the magic that had been forced through them as he pushed his body strengthening to its limits and fought his way through the city. Under the tarp, keeping his head down he was well hidden and was thankful that he’d managed to lose another crowd of would be suiters.

That had been most of the night, a constant game of hide and seek as people tried to take his head. But as he got closure to the wagon, he’d find a mob rioting who’d recognize him, and the chase would continue. Jackson wondered what the current kill count was up to. He couldn’t believe that nobody had died after seeing the warzone develop. He wanted to comment how similar to humans they were but was too tired as his eyes glazed over.

Catherine took a deep breath as she watched the wagon. She was just as tired as Jackson; the only difference was her magic was a little more dangerous and was starting to affect her vision. She was seeing double, in a manor of speaking. In short, she was seeing a few seconds into the past and a few seconds into the future and giving her a headache as her mind tried to process this strange reality. But it would pass, and she figured she should simply enjoy the quiet of her guard duty. Of course it wouldn’t last, a group was already heading to check the wagon. They must have thought they were clever attacking the vessel the champion had arrived on. Catherine drew her golden sword, took a final deep breath and moved to deal with them.