“I’m not going to say I told you so even though I really should.” Lydia looked up at Pete.

“Thank you so much for your gracious mercy, My Lady.” Pete performed a flattering noble bow to hide his annoyance at the situation.

“The real question is how should we reclaim our power back in Desmont. It’s simple enough to deal with Captain Frank and his soldiers, but the real issue is the lack of military presence that will be reported to the higher-ranked nobles by the nobles living in Desmont. We can’t stop them from sending out letters or messages through our people forever.”

“I already have a plan for that. We just replace Frank and his soldiers after killing them.” Pete clapped with a smile.

“If it was that simple, why didn’t you do it before?” John asked.

“I didn’t believe Frank was this stupid. He was useful and had his place in Desmont among the locals.” Pete shrugged.

“Guess you’ll have to learn about people more, leader of mine. An opportunistic pig like Frank was just waiting for something like this to happen, you know? I never trusted him.” Leo added.

“I got it. I got it.” Pete waved his hands. “I’ll make sure something like this doesn’t happen again or at least plan better for it if it does.”

“Who’re you sending out?” Leo asked.

“I’m thinking about sending the Green Snakes. They suffered the most casualties in the last battle, and it wouldn’t hurt for them to rest while bolstering their numbers. I was also thinking of sending John with them as insurance to make sure everything goes to plan.” Pete shared.

“I’ll send a few of my people as well. Lord only knows what Frank has done to our businesses and presence in Desmont since we’ve been gone.” Lydia nodded.

“When do we head out?” John asked.

“Should be near the end of the week. I still have to tell Robert and his men to pack up and get ready to go before explaining to them their new responsibilities.” Pete informed.

“Got it.” John nodded.

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The journey toward Desmont was rather uneventful for John. Suppose you exclude the looks of awe and constant revering given to him during the travel. John’s status within Hydra was basically legendary, from what he could see. Everyone respected him, idolized him, or feared him. He wasn’t quite sure how to feel about such a thing. John was only a mere commoner and a farmer not too long ago. It was with that mindset he looked at the world for the most part. The bandit part came much later in his life.

John did know that he wasn’t going to try to live up to the heroic idolization given to him by the other bandits, though. He was just himself. There was no need to act like anyone else. So, when the guys showed up in Desmont with the intention of causing havoc and chaos, he didn't hesitate to quickly put them in their place.

“These are our people, and this is our town. Our only targets are Captain Frank and his knights.” John threatened the rowdy bandits.

It only took those words to reign in their chaotic spirit. They followed behind John as they were stared at by the commoners of Desmont. John ordered the Green Snakes to split up. The majority headed with him to deal with the knights, while the others went to seal off the exits for anyone who managed to escape during the fight.

John was surprised to see Captain Frank personally come to find him himself. He came equipped with his best armor, weapons, and men but still. It took courage to face someone like John. Over the years, John knew he was slowly becoming something more than human. The more gracious rewards given by Lord Feedback, the stronger he became. That strength showed in more ways than just his body. It showed in his demeanor, the way he talked, walked, and even breathed. The way he thought, expressed his emotions, and went about life.

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“To think you rats would come crawling back. I’m sorry to tell you, but Desmont will no longer harbor any filthy rats trying to make their nest here! Order shall reign!” Captain Frank shouted.

“Order shall reign!” His knights chanted with righteous fury.

“I’m not Pete or my wife. I have no interest in playing word games with you, Captain Frank. I only hope you all left something behind for your next of kin. None of you will be making it back to them.” John sent a stare into the watching commoners.

They fled out of natural instinct to preserve their own lives, but it didn’t stop them from looking out from a distance at this upcoming battle for rule over Desmont. Humans were curious creatures at their core. Even if they knew what they were going to watch would be unpleasant or in some way taboo. They would still do so. After all, there wasn’t much for entertainment ever since Captain Frank ruined the businesses of Hydra after their temporary leave.

“Kill them all!” Captain Frank ordered, his men charging forward down the streets.

The resulting battle was something that would be spoken about for years to come! John led the charge himself and bowled into the fully armored knights with his giant flail with no hesitation. Knights went flying into their allies, incapable of getting up again to continue the battle. Such a strong start from the group of bandits seemingly set the tone for the rest of the fight. One man standing over the downed bodies of properly equipped knights filled the bandits with infinite courage and the knights with infinite terror.

At least, that would be the case if Frank’s maniacal laughter didn’t cut the atmosphere apart. “Hired warrior! Do your job before any more of my men get hurt!” Captain Frank commanded from the far rear of his knights. A hooded man came walking toward the front of the battle that had halted ever since the first clash. John had a head or three over the hooded figure, but his gaze was without fear as he looked up into John’s eyes.

John looked down into the man’s eyes as he pulled out his sword. Neither man needed to say a single word to get their intentions across. Everyone could subtly feel the difference between them and the two men. The pressure they gave off was enough to force everyone to unintentionally step back and give them room to fight. If this was a battle between knights and bandits at first, now it was a duel between two men of incredible strength.

The fight started in an instant without any shared words. A sharp clang roused the eardrums of everyone present as John blocked the sudden sword strike aimed at his neck. Decked in armor that covered every inch of his body, it was hard for the bandits and even some of the knights to think that the hooded warrior stood a chance. However, his skills spoke for themselves, as he actually held the advantage through quick, deadly slashes and incredibly agile moves.

Every time an opportunity revealed itself for John to strike, the warrior would avoid his tremendous blows. It was the first time in a long time that John actually had to properly defend himself instead of crushing his opponent in one blow. Because of his inexperience in defending with his flail, John’s golden helmet was knocked off and nearly his neck as well. Gasps rang out from the mouths of the bandits and knights.

Although John’s identity was no secret, few people actually saw his face outside of his armor and could recognize him. This wasn’t because there was something special about his face or anything. It was the opposite, in fact.

“He looks so normal...” The disbelief or disappointment could be felt off of the bandit’s tongue.

“I thought he’d be ugly or a pretty boy. He doesn’t look special at all...” Another bandit whispered.

“So, this is the appearance of the infamous Golden Behemoth...” A knight gaped as he recorded this memory in detail.

John realized in this battle that his skill with his hefty flail was sorely lacking compared to the swordsman. Defeating most of his enemies in one hit was coming back to bite him in a way he never could’ve expected. The only reason he was still alive right now was solely thanks to the rewards given to him by Lord Feedback. Due to his big body and tough armor, he could withstand the vicious flurry of sword strikes. As long as he protected his neck and head, this battle wasn’t over yet. John hasn’t given up in the slightest. The realization that he needs more training after this was put to the back of his mind.

The young farmer-turned-bandit focused everything on his battle with the highly skilled warrior. As John was being pressured back, sporting several cuts on his face but nothing life-threatening, he suddenly did something that surprised everyone watching the duel. John tossed his weapon. That large unwieldy-looking two-sectioned flail was lobbed at the hooded swordsman when they were locked in a clash of strength.

Even the swordsman was caught off guard. His eyes widened in shock at the fact that a warrior would abandon his weapon in the middle of a fierce fight. Unfortunately for him, John was no warrior. John was a bandit through and through.

John’s flail crushed the swordsman straight to the ground. He was smashed with a horrifying wheeze as it caved his chest. The bandit stood over his struggling foe, who was trying with all of the power in his body to lift the flail off of him. John easily picked up his weapon without straining himself at all. A clear contrast in strength between him and the hooded warrior. With his heavy foot pressing down on the swordsman's chest, preventing him from rising, he smashed the swipple at the warrior’s head, ending him in a gory shower of bits.

“Kill them all.” John ordered.