After the bandit attack, the caravan started to move again. The genocide of bandits seemed to cause a stir with the other wagons. Prior to leaving, Jackson found himself being offered several jobs by the other wagons. However, Gypsy scared them off. He told her she didn’t have to try so hard, as he was fine where they were at, but she didn’t seem to trust his words. He was currently reading the second book and wondering how much longer the rusty metal ring would last. He had transcribed about a quarter of the book, and his pace seemed to have increased. His guess was that whatever translated for him was getting use to the poor hand writing of the author and was adapting it for ease of reading. The section he was currently on spoke of drawing power from objects to cast a powerful spell.

“Hey, Barb, this sounds like fun… Maybe I can create a spell strong enough to kill a dragon. I guess that like a Tuesday for you… but wouldn’t it be cool to one shot a dragon?”

She didn’t respond, if anything she tightened the cape around her. Jackson put the book away, and tried to touch her, but she moved from him and seemed scared by the idea. He wished she could talk or communicate. If so, he could at least learn what was truly bothering her. He returned to his spot and kept translating the book.

As the day’s past, Jackson and Gypsy grew closer. They made use of the bath room, and took several naps together. She often joked on him, offering a free service which Jackson turned down. The honest reason he turned her down was that he felt that he liked her and didn’t want to see her as an object. Plus, he was having strange feelings for Barbara as of late and didn’t want to betray her. It made sense to him, but he found it hard to put into words. The end result was Gypsy hurting herself laughing.

While Jackson suffered a moral crisis, Joseph was gaining clues on the Berserker. He was now in the Twin peaked town and had gathered a lot of information concerning the guards.

“So some guy with a metal leg and a missing arm, with the help of his wife, fought off the Berserker. A monster that destroys armies was driven away by that? Something doesn’t seem right. Joseph, are you sure these rumors have any value?”

“Yes, Kevin. Too many people all say the same thing. Plus some guards saw the guy with one arm fighting the beast before they retreated to the wagon. They said he was the only one to go longer than a few seconds against it.”

“Something doesn’t seem right. I can’t put my finger on it… Perhaps it wasn’t the Berserker…”

“No, the wounds match that of those killed by it. Also, I think the guards can tell a fake from a real monster.”

“Then, what if the Berserker has a master?”

“Explain?”

“Well, what if this guy with one arm is the master, had it attack and ‘Defeated’ it in order to boost his own reputation?”

“That doesn’t add up. What about it terrorizing the continent? Wiping out armies?”

“Maybe, he just got it under his control?”

“No, it doesn’t seem likely. The legends say that the Berserker is an ancient evil, created to be the worst of humanity, at its most primal. I can’t see such a force being tamed.”

“Still. Something isn’t right. A random couple just happens to be able to drive off the monster after it destroys a dozen people, not to mention elite guards. No adventurer should be stronger than an elite guard.”

“Maybe, he’s an ex-elite? Then he’d have the skills.”

Joseph leaned back and thought about what Kevin was saying and listened to Franklin’s idea at the end. Perhaps they were missing something. He knew this guard couldn’t have been an ex-elite, as he was too young. Then what? Someone with Elite training? Who would get that?

“Nobles.”

“Joseph?”

“Maybe he’s a noble. His father could have been an elite, and he learned from him… But why would he be a guard of a wagon?”

“From what we heard of the wagon, maybe if he is a noble… He ran off with one of the girls. He could have lied about being a guard to stay with her. Also, no one saw the girl fight the monster…”

“Okay, how he loses an arm?”

The group was stumped. They were no detectives and couldn’t come up with a reasonable argument. This guard would need to have elite skills, have a reason to be missing an arm, and was married. Even if parts clicked, there was still a part missing.

“My head hurts.”

“Of course, it does Franklin, it called thinking!”

“Kevin, don’t be rude to him.”

“I’m frustrated. What are we missing? Who could fight the Berserker and meet all the criteria?”

“Jackson.”

Kevin and Franklin jumped at the name. They didn’t expect to hear it while talking about the Berserker.

“What if he survived! He’d could have been injured by the monster when they first fought. He has the training too; he could hold his own against the Berserker if that’s the case!”

“Two issues. Firstly, Jackson isn’t married. Or at least he wasn’t. Secondly, why not contact us? Why hasn’t he come back? Yes, most of the class disliked him, but he knew to come back. We would never send him out to die. Also, he can’t use magic, the guard can!”

“That’s three problems.”

“That just show my argument. I’m sorry Joseph, wishing him alive won’t make it so. It doesn’t add up.”

The three looked down. Meanwhile Jackson was having his own problems. He was still trying to get Barbara to snap out of her depression, sort out his feelings for both girls, and defend the wagon from a giant worm.