Barbara watched Jackson sleep. Earlier he had returned with that other girl and looked worried. When she reached the Gypsy, she was arguing with some weird looking boy. Later. Jackson spoke with the Gypsy about their targets. Jackson told her to keep an eye out for “Stalkers”, and to kill them. She didn’t understand what a “Stalker” was, but she was good at killing.

Barbara jumped as she felt another’s presence near the wagon. It was a large ball of hate, probably an adventure whom was good at killing. The source wasn’t hard to spot, as he was a giant. Lumbering at nearly eight feet, he was a bald man with massive arms and a large axe resting on his back. He was moving towards the wagon, holding a picture. It was of the girl Jackson brought back a few hours prior. Was this “Stalker”?

She grabbed her blades and jumped from the bird’s nest to meet him. He was taken back by her. It was a comical sight to see, as she was so small compared to him.

“Girl? Don’t tell me you’re the guard?”

He waited for her response. Barbara just gripped the handle of her blade. Her eyes met his, and she prepared.

“Don’t want to talk? Listen, I don’t like hurting girls. If you let me get the target, I won’t kill you! Don’t give me those eyes, I don’t like to fight girls.”

He removed the axe from his back and tried to look imposing. His frame a lone accomplished this but Barbara wasn’t scared by larger opponents. He sighed and prepared to swing the axe.

“Hey, why am I flying? That’s my…”

The man uttered his last words as his head was removed from his body. With a single step, Barbara had removed his entire head. It was done so fast he didn’t even have time to realize he had died. Barbara grabbed her other blade and took a stance. She could feel them in the distance. Several people, all with similar feels as the one from before. They must of all been hired to take the girl. She cracked her neck, and silently declared death to all “Stalkers”.

In order to truly describe what happened next, insight into the Berserker is needed. Strictly speaking, the Berserker is a single unit. But it was a monster that was adapt at fighting, no decimating, large groups. Everyone knew the stories of how it killed entire armies on its own as that was the Berserker forte, its entire combat style was based around this one goal. Barbara, being the current Berserker, was no exception to this even if she wasn’t wearing the armor. In all honesty, she was better at fighting large groups then single targets. To make this clear as possible, on this night she would prove why the Berserker was feared as an army killer.

The battle started with several figures cloaked in darkness leaping at her. They were using magic to hide themselves, but Barbara’s combat senses were so strong that she saw them long before they attacked. Their little ambush resulted in them jumping onto her sword. Four figures rested impaled on her blade, and as she dipped the blade towards the ground, each slid off the tip. She could feel the weariness of the other attackers grow as they watched this sight. She cracked her right shoulder as she began her attack.

Down an ally, two young swordsmen prepared to defend. One stepped out of her way and swung down on Barbara’s back as she dashed at the other. She used the blade in her left hand to block the attack, while the other one struck the remaining swordsmen. He managed to parry the strike but looked shocked at the force behind the swing. He found himself sliding back several feet from the single encounter. Barbara shifted directions, slamming her left shoulder into the attacking swordsmen. He was slammed into the wall, and the sound of cracking echoed down the ally. She jammed the hilt of the sword into his lower jaw impaling into his mouth. She ripped the sword and his jaw from him and stabbed his stomach with her other blade.

The other swordsmen screamed at her, but she couldn’t understand him. A mage slipped behind her, along with two other warriors. The swordsman swung while the warriors fired arrows, and the mage shot a fire ball at her. In a single motion, she spun around cleaving the swordsmen in half and throwing the same blade at the other attacks. She blocked their attacks with her remaining blade and watched as her thrown sword cut into the three behind her. She felt their aggravation growing. She smiled as an old gleam returned to her eyes.

The contestants charged her. She couldn’t even remember how they did so, all she knew was her blade past through them with ease. Another large man appeared and swung his sword at her. She dodged with little effort and ran him thought. Blood painted the ground as she also hit the one behind him. She felt enjoyment from how easy they all died. Her glee was short lived when she felt someone on her side. He must have been an expert at stealth, as she missed his presence until right before he struck. A sickle ran across her back from his attack, and she saw him smile as he landed. Blood dripped down her back from the wound.

Barbara abandoned the blade inside her last victims. The blood started to form the armor on her back, and the wound was healing. As the armor started on her left shoulder, some blood dripped down into her palm. As her attacker began his second attack, a spear formed in her hand and pinned him against the ally wall. He could only look down at his stomach in pain as she ripped the spear from him. The cold steel hardened around her chest. Her golden eyes glowed in the night as she charged the next victim.

The spear changed into short swords, one per hand, as she met two rangers. Their arrows failed to break her chest plate and she grabbed their throats as her blades dug into them. A knight with a blue cape came to meet her, he felt different than the other “Stalkers”. Their blades clashed, and she felt like he was a royal knight. His style matched those she seen them use, and the blue was reserved for the elite. She turned the two blades into one long sword. Their blades clashed, and the building shook. He must be using strengthening magic like Jackson. Two more blue knights joined the fray. This was her advantage.

As her helmet began to form, her sword warped into a chain. She could control it, and had it rap around one of the knight’s neck. Each link was barbed, and as it tightened, his blood spilled out. She jerked the chain and the knight flew into the other two. While they recovered from the attack, she grabbed their blades and stabbed through them. The chain returned to being a sword as two more knights, with red capes charged her. Everything turned red for Barbara.

The two royal guards looked at each other as they realized they were about to fight the Berserker. It roared at them, and the helmet seemed to have a mouth and teeth. It jumped at them and sank its metal jaw into one of the knights. The other fell over in fear and tried to retreat. The Berserker red eye locked onto him and a hook dug into his leg. It started to drag him over to it, and it slammed it fist though his chest. Before the world turned black, he saw his own heart in the monster’s hand. It seemed to laugh at his death.

“Great! Round two!”

The Berserker turned to face it new target.