He gripped the arm he used to own. That thing had just ripped it from his body, and the pain almost knocked him out. How he was still awake was a mystery. He let go of his left side, and grabbed the sword to his right. His balance felt off, his body was numb, and anger steadied his resolve. He stepped over the body of a knight recently ripped in two. The rain struck his wounds, making it feel like they were burning. The monstrous Black Knight turned to face him, it didn’t waver as it dragged the sword from another soldier. Its tentacle like chains, ending in sharp blades pointed at him, and the monster charged.

Their swords collided with such strength that the sound of thunder was driven out. His hand almost lost grip on the sword, but he refused to let go. Those chains moved on their own, and snaked around while trying to attack him. He skipped back as they impaled the ground. The knight’s red eye glowed brighter and it jumped at him, and a second sword formed in its other hand. Both blades struck his, and it took using the only magic he learned over the past month to hold onto it. That magic was body strengthening. The red veins that moved across the black armor glowed in anger, and it kicked him in the stomach. He bounced several feet as a result.

He barely realized that the monster was charging again. He rolled away, and grabbed a new blade from one of the many corpses. While the beast was distracted, he dived trying to impale its back. It reacted to him, and the rusted blade struck the helmet of the monster. The blade chipped away some of the armor, and a madden yellow eye stared back at him. The swords in its hands changed into hatchets, and it dashed forwards. He dodges as best he could from not only the hatchets, but the chains. Cuts formed across his body, and he lost his balance.

He didn’t feel it, but his mind knew what had happened. He watched it as one of the hatched came down on his left leg. The cut was clean, and the heat from the black weapon stopped all bleeding. Within a few minutes, he’d lost his left side, and only chipped the monster’s armor. The battle was paused, or perhaps time simply slowed for him, but he took the chance and dug the blade in his hand into the one opening he’d made. The sword tip pierced the cracked helmet, and the monster jumped back. The damage was done. Blood covered her yellow eye, and the helmet was destroyed. Her red hair was freed, and still seem to move slowly as it spun around her head. Her teeth sharpened, and a crazed look finished her appearance. He stood up, placing the nub of a left leg on the ground. The dirt didn’t agree with the wound, and he felt it sting. He was dizzy but knew if he fell in this fight he’d die. His opponent roared at him, looking more monstrous then when she was hidden by the armor. He cracked his neck, and strengthen his body with the one magic they had taught him. Lightning illuminated their fight as their blades clashed.

…

“Look at that guy, sleeping again!”

“You heard, he was…”

“We all know that rumor! But his cousins won’t talk about it.”

“Jack, wake up!”

Cold voices spoke to him, or about him. He had been asleep in class again. This was one month prior to his fight with the Monster Knight. This was the day it all started. Like most days, Jackson Franklin Ripper had been asleep during class. His black hair was a mess, like normal, and his glasses were slipping off his face. He hated his class, as they always talked about him, they always gave him that look like they understood. Of course, the one he hated the most was standing just to his left with his little harem. Joseph Cross, blond hair and blue eyed. He was the perfect student and person. He acted high and mighty all ways trying to be a hero. Everyone loved him, and he was everything that Jackson could never be, happy.

“You can’t sleep in class man! How will you pass the test?”

“Test? Didn’t he sleep through them?”

“Knowing him, yes!”

Three girls stood behind the dolt, one was blond, like him, with brown eyes. She had been Joseph’s childhood friend, and went by the name Carley Brown. A brown-haired girl stood next to her, with green eyes. She hated Jackson the most, making the second comment, and any that would put him down. Angela Thomas was her name. There was a third girl, a quite girl with black hair and glasses behind the group. She looked so out of place with the three-loud people. Her name was Alice Tomson, and was a lot like Jackson. In fact, that was how she joined the group, Joseph reached out his hand and pulled her to him, much like he was trying to do now with Jackson.

“Come on man, sit up, the teacher will get mad again!”

“Like I care what she thinks.”

“Don’t say that, Ms. Jinx works really hard.”

“When she not living up to her name sake!”

“Is that all, I’m going back to sleep.”

Jackson put in ear buds, turned up his music, and laid on his desk. This normally ended it, but Joseph wasn’t having it. He took out one of his buds, and snapped his fingers close to Jackson’s ear. Jackson rolled over slightly, and stared into the eyes of the hero.

“I’m trying to help you! Aren’t you tired of all the rumors, and lonely lunches? Wouldn’t, just for once, you want to have a friend?”

Joseph reached out a hand, and gave his most friendly smile. Jackson looked at him, placed the bud back into his ear and rolled back down. This angered the harem, and Jackson was dragged from the desk by Angela. She looked like she was personally hurt by his decision.

“He’s trying so hard to reach you, when everyone else doesn’t even care about you! Why must you keep hurting him? Huh? Do you think your better? Too good? Everyone hates you! We all believe the rumor, that you Ki-”

“Angela, you don’t need to go that far. If he doesn’t want to join us…”

He looked down, sadden by the event.

“You heard him, down girl!”

Jackson spoke mockingly to her. As he pushed her off him, he started to head back to his desk. The next moment was a blur. He remembered Ms. Jinx entered the room, then a bright light, ending in the feeling of falling. He would later wake in a new world…

…Present…

Jackson was laying in a bed when he next awoke. His head felt foggy, and phantom pains started from his lost limbs. It was hard to breath at first. He didn’t know where he was, it was some wooden room, with a window leading outside. He was on a second story, as he saw the top of a tree just outside. It was still day, and no more rain was falling. He looked away from the window, and jumped. Sitting in a chair just to his right was a red-haired girl. She was asleep, with a smile as she laid on his bed. Her eyes opened and the gold iris looked at him as she smiled. A single tear ran down her freckled face.

“Berserker?”

Jackson tried to drag himself back from her, as he remembered the monster that he fought so hard against. She looked mad as he said the name of the beast. He reached the end of the bed, and almost fell off it. The Berserker grabbed him, and pulled him back to the center of the bed. She swung herself on top of him, and stared deep within his eyes. They hadn’t a sign of the madness that they did when they fought, instead a strange loneliness and sadness. Jackson calmed himself, and once more studied the room.

“Okay, Berserker where are we?”

She looked mad at the name and seemed to stop herself from striking him. She pouted instead. Was this really the same girl he had fought, steadily ripped from the armor, and almost died too?

“If you don’t like the name we were told, then what do I call you?”

She shrugged her shoulders as she leaned back. She placed her weight on him, and his body twitched in pain. She jumped, and leaned over him again. Her hair fell onto his face, and he smelt the scent of blood from it. Now that he thought about it, she smelt of blood and death. The door opened suddenly, and an elderly man with a large frame entered. He took in the scene, bowed his head and left. The pair on the bed just looked at the door then each other, then back at the door. Jackson let out a laugh as he realized what it must look like to him. He leaned her back, and endured the pain.

“Listen, do you hate Barbara?”

She just looked at him.

“Then I’ll call you Barbara, alright?”

She nodded, and smiled that she was no longer name the Berserker. Jackson didn’t tell her that he chose that name while thinking of Barbarians.

“Barbara, can you go get that guy for me? I have questions for him.”

She nodded, and jumped from the bed. Jackson rolled in pain from the impact and watched her dash from the room. Moments later she dragged the old man back.

“Sorry about before, it wasn’t what it looked like.”

“It fine Lad, I was young too. I regret that I won’t meet most of my…”

He trailed off from that sad fact.

“Where am I?”

“Lad, you just woke didn’t ya? Well, should of guest that. Listen, about a week ago this Lass came ta me while I was travelling with you have dead. The pair of you were in a bad state ya see, and she was naked… Cut across most of yours bodies. I guested you’d came from that battlefield and were the lone survivors. Rough, looked like the Berserker attacked ya division. Lucky, you only lost ya arm and leg if you ask me. I loaded you two on my cart, and brought you ta my house for some rest. She hasn’t left your side in a week lad. That what they call devotion.”

“A week? I was out for a week?”

Barbara nodded her head, and the old man sighed.

“Listen, I’m John, a blacksmith. I took some measurements, and I’m almost done with a replacement for the leg, but ya arm is another story. I don’t think you will be able to fight anymore.”

The girl turned to the man, and looked destroyed.

“Lass what did you think? He’ll regrow an entire arm. That expensive these days, and even then… It been too long, and I had to take more just to mend him. If it’s that important, maybe he can learn magic. But he won’t be swinging a blade.”

“Thank you.”

Jackson ignored his left side, and smiled at the blacksmith. He didn’t much care about fighting. He hated the fact he was forced into a war against his will, but how would he earn money? That was his only problem. This was a fantasy world, and he had no talents for anything here but fighting. The man left the room, saying something about not getting to loud with her. Jackson laughed, as he was still scared of her. He remembered their battle, how he steadily cut away at her armor. It was rough, many times he almost pasted out. The chest had the thickest armor, and the chains put many holes in him. He saw on his remaining arm, the marks left by those living chains. How they had dug into his flesh.

“He’s right, I won’t be fighting again…”

On those words, Barbara grew distressed and jumped back on top of him. She was shaking her head, and deeply saddened.

“You heard him, I can’t fight with a sword missing an arm. I only did against you because I didn’t want to die.”

She got up and left the room for a moment. She returned with an old book. She handed it to him, and showed him the title: Basics of Magic.

“I was told that magic would be useless for me…”

She ignored him while opening the first page. She sat next to him, and started to run her finger along the text. She was trying to make him read.

“The courts’ mages said I had no affinities for modern magic. That means, I’ll never master them!”

She ignored him, and started her finger from the first word again. She leaned closer, and Jackson found himself reading with her finger. Several hours past, and John brought them some food.

“That old book? Brought it years ago while I wanted to get away from blacksmithing. Never got too far, too much math.”

He laughed as he left the room. Barbara marked the page, and helped him eat. The food was terrible, but this was also the first time he’d eaten in over a week. He choked it down, and smiled at the monster to his side. So many questions field his head, but the main one was what was this girl’s story. He’d like stories, stayed up late reading them trying to escape his pain. They returned to reading afterwards.

Several days past, and they finished the book. He could manage all the simple spells, with all the calculations pre-done, and with some help could do some of the advanced ones. He now could do the basic fire ball, but they weren’t real combat spells. He was like a human lighter now. He had a metal prostatic for a leg, and it took him about a day to get used to the lump of iron now attached to his lower leg. It was like a metal peg leg, ending in a flat sphere. He needed a walking stick to move.

On the day they left the blacksmith, Barbara took two large swords for herself, and a dagger for Jackson. John didn’t make them pay, but asked that they come back once in a while. He also gave them directions to a town, and told them of a magic store in town. Barbara was eager to help him learn combat magic, and skipped a head of him. Over the past few days, he’s almost forgot what she was. She showed no signs of the monster known as the Berserker, but the state of his body was a constant reminder.

Author notes: Firstly thank you for reading the first chapter. I look forwards to some constructive criticism. I'm not sure this is professional, or allowed, but I'd like to take some time at the end of the chapters just to put some thoughts and comments on the story. It's something I enjoy when other Authors do it, so why can't I?

Introductions out of the way, may I just say I hate writing beginnings! I never know just how to start the story, and I don't want to spend ten to twenty chapters just building up to the main plot. I chose to start this story here because this is when the fun begins. I get to write my favorite character Barbara and get to the fun stuff without wasting time on the currently unimportant classmates. Plus, the opening was simply a scene I imagined long before sitting down to write and everything else afterwards kind of evolved from that little scene. I personally feel I write best when I do it from the hip, I always feel it has more heart than when I sit down and try to do mass planning.

Well, by for now.