They were now on the fifth floor, and the monster were getting harder. The fire tactic stopped working, as most of these monsters had armor. This wasn’t a problem for Barbara who lived up to her other name. She stopped hesitating and jumped at each new monster with equally monstrous force. A gorilla in armor was ripped in half in a mere second while fighting her.

“Explode!”

Jackson said his little spell, and a second gorilla went flying as he tried to get a drop on Barbara. They pushed forwards and found the next set of stairs. After reaching the bottom, Jackson stopped Barbara from moving on.

“Let’s take a break.”

They sat in the room with the stairs, and Jackson lit a flame for them to cook with. It had been several hours, and for all he knew, it was night outside. He felt tired and hungry, but knew he was in a dangerous place. Even the Berserker could be beaten if they got jumped while resting.

“Listen, I’ll take the first watch while you sleep. Then, I’ll wake you and take a nap.”

Barbara nodded, took out a sleeping mat and fell asleep. She looked so innocent, if one ignored the blood. Sitting alone in the dark dungeon gave his mind time to wonder, and he thought back to his classmates. They must all think him dead by now. A recon unit most likely found the battlefield, and without any sign of life reported the massive defeat. Most of them probably didn’t care that he was gone, but Joseph most likely did. It was strange, since coming here, he hated that Hero less and less. Perhaps it was their secret training they did, maybe they grew to be friends. Didn’t matter now, he had to stay with Barbara.

…Elsewhere…

As young Jackson remembered his old classmates, Joseph sat with his teacher. She was distress over the loss of her student. She was the only one besides him who cared. The others just thought he was weak, but Joseph knew too well about his friend’s strength. They had trained together, and Joseph learned how to strategy can change a battle even if the opponent is over whelming. Jackson beat him so many times, and without using any spells.

“You always tried to be nice to him, didn’t you?”

“Yes. I looked up to him… This will sound crazy, but it was him who made me want to help people.”

“really?”

“Yeah, when we were younger, some kids were picking on a cat in the playground. I’d played with it several times, but on that day, I was too scared to move. Then, against these kids twice his size, Jackson ran out. He didn’t fear them, even as they beat him. I remember seeing him afterwards cuddling that cat after the big kids left. He chose not to fight and had a black eye among other scars. He looked so alone but was still braver than me. I guess, I was jealous of him.”

“Wow, that seemed so out of character for him. Are you sure it was him?”

“We went to the same school since we were little. It was him. Is it wrong I hate that Berserker?”

“No, you lost a friend.”

A few days ago, the report reached the capital, and the outcome of the fight with the Berserker was known to everyone. This was their way of giving him a funeral. The worst part was no corpse was found for Jackson. At first, Joseph and Ms. Jinx hoped he was still alive, but the scouts couldn’t fathom that outcome. They described how the entire army was destroyed. They believed that his body was taken by some bandits, or wild animals. His wasn’t the only one missing.

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“I will keep fighting, in his name!”

“Why? Why must my students run to…”

“Don’t say that! We are the chosen ones; we need to help these people.”

“But you don’t need to! This is not your fight.”

“Yes, yes, it is ma’am! We can’t go home, so this is our world now. That why I chose to fight in the first place!”

They laughed while tears leaked down their faces. Angela secretly leaned around the corner. She had never liked him, he always pushed back against Jackson. His existence felt like a mockery to her. He was everything that she despised. Yet, she was jealous of how Joseph always went to Jackson. How much Joseph cared for him. Yet, why was she so sad when she heard he’d died. Why was she crying so hard for a guy she hated so? She hated him, she put him down when she could, she stayed up late plotting against him. Why was she crying?

“Why did he die! I hated him, but I didn’t want this! You had one job, to come back. Smiling, come back smiling! Only you could mess that one thing up! I’ll kill that monster! What gave it the right to take you from me? … I mean us! Berserker, your days are numbered!”

The capital had a dark cloud over it that night. Deeper in a secret chamber, the king was speaking with his advisors.

“We let leaked the information like you said.”

“Good. I knew we needed a martyr to get them serious! Plus, it was the dangerous one. He always had rebellion in his eyes, even the first time I saw him. Soon, the full might of the Heroes will fall on the Berserker, ridding it from the land. Then they can be sent to finish this war in one fell swoop!”

“Father, will something like this really work?”

“Do you know why you must sacrifice pawns in a game of chess?”

“No.”

“To help clear the way for stronger pieces. That what my father taught me. A pawn is weak, and is useless for most of the game, but if it can save the king… It was useful. This Jackson was but a pawn in the game, and like a pawn he reached his end.”

“Sir, might I remind you what happens to a pawn when it reaches the end of the board?”

“That doesn’t matter, now does it. He’s dead!”

“We found no body, and he was a hero with high physical attributes. The possibility isn’t zero that he is still alive.”

“So, what if he is. He hasn’t come back, nor sent word. So long as they think him dead, what difference does it make!”

“A hero is the most dangerous thing in this world! I have heard rumors that the others have started to train heroes as well. If they recruit him against us, they might find a weakness to the blessing!”

“Holy man, what weakness is there to our great goddess?”

“None, for now.”

“Then why worry father with needless things?”

“Prince. Think of all things that could result in a loss is important as the next king. This is why I thought the Princess should be here. Much more level headed.”

“Not now she isn’t. She fallen for the ‘Hero’ Joseph. Won’t stop talking about him. Spying on him to!”

“Then the king’s plans are working.”

“What?”

The prince was shocked to hear that this was all in his father’s design. The king and Priest both laughed at his response.

“Think boy, why would he keep fighting for us in a few years. Hope for humanity never lives up to a war. It will break him, and his friends, but if he has a reason to fight, like a wife of the kingdom… think for once boy.”

“I see father.”

The prince looked away. He didn’t like the idea of his sister being used in this manner.

“It might not be a bad idea for you to pick a wife from them as well. War breaks all men, once you seen it, it rots your very soul! You may need something worth fighting for.”

“Yes, father.”

…The dungeon sixth floor…

Jackson woke Barbara after several hours. He didn’t see anything more than rats. They were currently smoking off to the side of the room. He also practiced with wind magic, but the remains of the leaf showed how far he was from mastering it. Barbara switched spots with him, and he let his heavy eyes close.

Several minutes passed, and Barbara heard his soft breathing. She moved over to him and started to stroke his hair. She smiled softly and stood the watch.