Leaving the dungeon was easier than when they entered. There was no more monster, so it was just retracing their steps. However, something seemed off. How could he explain it, something was missing?

“Hey, isn’t something, wrong?”

Barbara just looked at him. She tilted her blood covered head, clearly not understanding his problem. Why he’d even bother? It only took an hour to reach the surface. The sun was setting in the distance, and the old camp was now just an old fire pit. Jackson remember back to the night before they entered the dungeon.

“I know what it was! Why it felt off! Of course. I’m so stupid!”

He activated his body strengthening and his sudden reaction made Barbara prepare her blades. He hated how well he could predict things. He rolled out of the way and grabbed his dagger as the spot where he stood was bombarded with knives. A purple hooded figure jumped from the shadows, attacking without warning. He was fast, but Barbara was faster. She met him before he could land and swung her blade.

The loud sound of metal striking metal rung out. The figure blocked the attack with its arms, and it slid back several feet. They heard clapping from the shadows, and a man smiling with glasses stepped out.

“Bravo! You’re the first to make it past his first attack. The others didn’t even realize what had happened until…”

The man started to laugh. It was the same researcher whom just the other night, Jackson had eaten with. He seemed to be enjoying this.

“Then… You attacked the others?”

“Attacked? You make it so simple. I killed the others. Like I’m about to kill you!”

He pointed at them, and the hooded figure once more attacked. Barbara took her normal role of shield and made sure it couldn’t get to Jackson.

“Burn!”

The fabric ignited, but no screams of pain escaped it. It, using two daggers began an assault on Barbara. It swung the daggers almost as fast as she blocked and was gaining ground.

“Interesting. That old magic, correct. I like to research the old magics. It very rare to find, someone who can use them these days. I tried to learn it myself, but the old fashion way was just too slow. Like that Dwarf. He thought we came to help clear a difficult fight. He was stuck on the third floor and was so helpless against those weaklings. To think he was almost a rank seven.”

Jackson looked at the researcher.

“Burn!”

A fire started on the young man, but he snapped his fingers and water covered him.

“I guess you can only use fire. I watched your fight with the master. All you did was slowly crew away at its defense, and with the cheat that was the old magic, you cooked him from the inside out. I wasn’t actually there of course; I had an eye on you. Never fight without knowing what you’re up against. Unlike that elf. She figured me out. Smelt the dwarfen blood on his robes. Still a bow in closed spaces. It was sad how fast she fell.”

Jackson was thinking. His first instinct was to try freezing him, since he was covered in water, but he didn’t know if he could manage it as he just learned the basic a few hours ago. Plus, he already planned on dealing with fire, so why not planned for the other elements. Jackson watched the burning priest as he fought Barbara. He watched as the cloth burned away as metal shine it his eyes.

“A golem, huh.”

“Don’t insult my creation with that name! It more than a Golem. It’s learning. Every time it fights, every time it kills, it gets stronger. It learns, and the longer the fight, the better it gets. Unlike that support. She couldn’t understand what I was talking about, and to think I loved such a fool. Well she’s resting in pieces now.”

It all clicked inside Jackson head. How stupid he was. The request, for such easy coin was to lure people to this place, then kill them increasing his monster’s strength and skill. He must have started by hunting weak monsters, from inside the dungeon. Then moved onto low level adventures. Now he needed higher levels so his machine could advance faster. Let’s experiment!

“Explode!”

The golem was thrown back by the impact. The armor wasn’t damaged, but it took it a moment to recover. As it attacked Barbara again…

“Explode!”

Again, it rolled back several feet, but it recovered faster. That what he thought. The more he attacked, the faster it’ll learn. Even now, he could tell Barbara was having trouble protecting herself and attacking it. All it would take is a little cut, and this would get much worse.

“Thinking? If that Bastian guy did that, he might have won. He was so much fun to kill. His reaction when I showed him the trophies. His little band of cheerleaders, all dead save one. He tried so hard to kill me, but I was smarter. Why do they all love strong guys like him. You wouldn’t understand, you got such a loyal bitch over there!”

He had to slow that machine down so Barbara could strike a clean hit. That meant one choice.

“Freeze!”

His spell caused ice to form on the machine, but it glowed red and melted it.

“Really? You thought I wouldn’t think of Ice magic. How stupid do I look? He is immune to all forms of magic. That what the healer learned. She showed her true strength, and almost won. But she used the same spell twice, now he is unstoppable!”

The researcher started to laugh madly. It was now starting to overcome Barbara’s speed and strength. Jackson was frozen. He only had one arm, and a dagger. Plus, that thing was moving faster than he could, even with magic. It was hard to predict it next attack, creating an even greater gap. A machine that could adapt. As he tried to think, the machine got the better of Barbara, and knocked her flying. She landed hard against Jackson, and they tumbled back. He managed to push her off him as the machine jumped at them. Barbara was out of breath and tried to stand. Her cloths were torn, and a dark marc showed just under her breasts.

The machine charged at her and jumped over her. It grabbed her by the hair, slamming her against the ground. It pulled a dagger and prepared to end her.

“Explode!”

This was the last time that would work. The machine barely moved, but he let her go.

“Float!”

Barbara was lifted by wind and brought to Jackson just as he hoped. Despite her strength, she was not used to taking hits. Meaning that the last few blows had taken a toll, and she was knocked out. Then, Jackson thought of something. What if he let the Berserker out. All he need to do is a little cut, and bam. The machine wouldn’t last a minute against her other self. He knew that better than anyone. He readied the dagger.

“Killing yourselves? I thought you had more fight then that. Well, I can’t blame you.”

He went to dig the blade into her.

Jackson remember when he cut her finger. She hated the idea of bleeding so much. She had refused, because she feared being that thing again. How could he force her to transform? He laughed at himself. He had a power with infinite possibilities, yet he wanted to use her as a weapon. Yes, that machine was immune to most magic, but his was the power of words. All he needed to do was chose the right one.

The machine began its attack again. Jackson readied his dagger and dived over Barbara. The machine was far faster and stronger than him, but it was no Berserker. He was at his best when he was at a disadvantage. All he had to do was think. One of the machine’s daggers ripped into his cape, and for the first time he was happy that he was missing that arm.

“You’re a cripple? You keep fighting with only one arm? What give’s man?”

“Sorry, I lost that in a fight. But, hell!”

The machine was faster than him and made an attack for his head. Jackson shifted his weight and used it to off balance the machine. He moved behind it and tried to dig the dagger into its neck.

“Damn!”

For the first time, John’s blades failed. It couldn’t cut the metal. It didn’t matter. Metal had one weakness that Jackson could think of.

“Rust!”

Nothing happened. He figured it wouldn’t be that easy. The Machine spun around and landed a kick on Jackson. He flipped for several feet.

“Float!”

He stopped himself before he hit a tree. He tried to picture old, rusty metal.

“Rust!”

The machine was unchanged. It leaped at him, and he rolled out of the way. Soon he wouldn’t be able to keep up with the machine’s speed.

“Fool just give up!”

“Funny, that the third time someone said that to me. It didn’t end well for them.”

What was rust? He had to think, back to the nights he stayed up studying. The internet said it was caused by oxygen, some type of reaction. Maybe the key was to think in the form of science. He ducked as a dagger came for his head. He could see the formula in his head and focused on the image of rust.

“Rust!”

On his order, the Machine slowed. It joints started to lock up, and red was forming on it. Jackson jumped for his chance to strike.

“Fool!”

The machine speed returned, and it grabbed his neck.

“Really, now? You thought rust would be able to beat it. I built the most powerful soldier in existence, and you thought rust would work?”

Jackson choked as he tried to free himself. He shrugged as the machine strangled him.

“What a disappointment! For a second, I thought you might win, but you are just another dumb adventure!”

The world was growing black, and the metal fingers grip tightened. He was starting to see his life flash before his eyes. He saw the moment he hated the most. The blood covered knife in his hand, them lying on the floor. What a monster he was…

X

XI

XII

XIII

Something clicked inside Jackson’s head. Of course, that why he didn’t attack when we were so weak. I’m really a fool. But that one won’t help now. This wasn’t a random location, he chose it because of that. It makes sense that I’ll get that one today. It always been following me, stalking me, waiting for me to snap again. And now it was in my hand.

“Thirteen, Death Arcana!”

A bright light knocked the Machine off him as he spoke. In his hand was a card, with a skeleton on it, and roman numerals: XIII. It was the Tarot card of death, or the end. This time, it was the end of the researcher’s plan.

“You talk too much! Bragging about your machine! But you let slip one thing! You wanted a short cut to learning the old magic, well let me show you the short cut! Death!”

A scythe formed in Jackson hand, and part of his face became a skull mask. A chain linked to his missing arm, and the cape became a cloak. His body was light, and the world appeared to slow. As the weapon cut into the machine, it rusted and rotted away. With one swing, it was turned to dust. He then turned back to the researcher.

“ROT!”

…

Several hours pasted before Barbara awoke. She found herself sleeping on a mat by a warm fire. Jackson sat a few feet from her, staring off into the distance.

“That scroll, the one I thought was useless, was a hint to learning old magic. The researcher wanted it because he couldn’t learn the magic like I can. But the scroll was just that, information. Because me and death go way back, I could use it. I killed both the machine and its creator. I am sorry, I thought of you only as a weapon. A fail safe, that when the time came, I chose not to use. I thought that if we hit a hard spot, you could get us out with your power. I’m a terrible person, I’ve always been a terrible person.”

Barbara listened to him but didn’t seem fully understand what he was saying.

“I think you’re better off not being with someone so selfish. I couldn’t even see you as a person, nor thank you for saving me. It ironic, the thing that ripped my arm off also showed me how little humanity I had left.”

He laughed as he felt two arms hug him from behind. Her hair dripped over his face, and her grip tightened. He wondered if she could understand what he said, but the fact she didn’t reject him made him laugh so hard. He couldn’t stop some tears leaking from his eyes.

“I guess we’re just two monsters, stuck together. Let’s head back to town.”