Mathew was a [Soldier], always had been, always will be. He signed up while he was young and never looked back. Of course that didn’t mean he didn’t miss em’, just that he never went back looking. But from his understanding that was for the best. He didn’t hear much, but apparently no good things happened after he left. Not that good things happened before he left. His father’s moderate success in business had earned he enough wealth to earn ire. This obviously caused his siblings to be caustic with each other. They practically threw a party when he left.

Of course he hadn’t immediately signed up. He first went out and met a girl. He spent two years with her eeking out a living. Then he signed up. She was the girl he promised the world to. The girl he was going to spend his life with. The girl he was fighting to send money back to in a [Baron]’s army. The girl that got herself knocked up one year after he left for his four year stint. The girl that didn’t even wait six months before she found herself another man.

He was in the military. Camp girls were a cheap and self serving way for the [Baron] to earn his money back. And Mathew wasn’t the best looking man but he never had a dearth of comrades that offered to ‘Rest and relax’ with, male and female. But he ignored them all to come home to a two year old child asking who he was. Of course his woman had a long string of boes. But she ‘never forgot’ her man… as she was screwing other men and women.

Welp Mathew forgot her that day. Better to just lay the escorts. At least those women were more honest. He didn’t even really care about the fact they lay with other people. It is the promise that is kept, or not. They had promised to stay away from other people for they only had each other. She could have even sent a letter stating that she wished for permission to sleep around. He would have given the OK with a little trepidation. But even he understood that four years was a long time. At least it was for him. It was only six months for her. He would have even at least tried to raise the girl as his own. But she hadn’t and he won’t. Mathew never regretted his decision. Mathew rarely did.

In the war Mathew fought for king and country and ‘family’. Only that last was a lie but the other were true. He just wasn’t acting benevolent. He was more mercenary then anything else. Fighting and killing other poor [SOB]s who had fallen for that line. They fought to win money and land. Some times their liege himself was more mercenary than the mercenaries. Acting on favors to fight, not for himself. Gaining gold to line his pockets at his soldiers expense. Mathew had seen many good people [Dead]. More often then not they were not so good people, but he still saw them [Dead] over nothing but never ending greed.

So when Mathew finished his stint he said his farewells to his friends and left without looking back, again. It seemed to be the story of his life. He then found himself searching out a little cousin from a distant relation through a quark of fate. She had become a sudden widow and her house was infested by a young milk drinker. So he hunted her down to fill what little he needed of family. Of course the pub wasn’t originally a place of ‘rest and relaxation’ but she had done so to pay him back. Now he found all his social needs taken care of. He had a family and he had his other needs. Plus the village now had a place that the ladies of the night could congregate while also being protected, men too.

For a while Mathew was content, then it all went to shit. He realized that the cute little milk drinker had become the thing he quit the army to escape from. A little entitled piece of shit. And it was all because he had him at his back. Oh sure, he could blame it on his cousin. But she could only do what he did because he never let them see reality. Let that muk get on his boots. No, he knew it was his fault even if not his decision. He saw that fate coming, or should have, and he didn’t take an action to avoid it. Because in some ways he wanted to avoid it too.

So he then crippled the little shit to save his life, in more ways than one. The [Baron]’s son was coming for an inspection, and Mathew knew their type the best. They were cruel but honorable. It was what kept them around. There were people like that in the [City]s but they didn’t have the need for competence that a [Baron] with his own lands had. So if he was ‘already’ punished, the [Baron]’s son wouldn’t see the need to do it again. He had failed. He now owes a debt to that [Count]’s son. The little shit was almost worse than the [Baron]’s.

So he left, and he took Micky with him. He didn’t feel the need to stop the others from coming with him so he advertised. The more poor basterds together the better, or the less. Had it been just Micky and himself he could have avoided this mess easily. Oh well, he rarely regretted his decisions and this was not one.

Now he was marching through the forest at double time. At least they were out of the Forbidden Forest of Eldinar now. Pretentious name of some prick, there was no Eldinar within the next two kingdoms over. He would know, he marched through em’ all. But even still there were monsters. They only wrecked the goblin villages though. The little rapist pricks didn’t have any woman in their rape rooms though so they must have just been raided. Not that they needed women per se, anything female, ish, seemed to work.

But that didn’t mean they could keep this pace. The adults could hack it, or Mathew would leave em’ for [Dead], but the kids were having trouble. Micky and Adrian both seemed to be on the verge of blacking out. Even the young ones in the cart weren’t having a good time. It wasn’t exactly a comfy ride. And all the while Mathew knew it wasn’t going to be enough. He just hoped it would.

It wasn’t, and that’s why he was now face to face with a bandit band that seemed to be everywhere. Like a forest infested with [Dryad]s every tree seemed to be covered with em’. He didn’t drop his weapon, but he knew the only way out was talking.

“You know, since you killed my men I have to spill blood for blood right?” Said a heavily armed bandit. Usually you didn’t see a bandit with full armor, it made it harder to run away. But this one probably never had a situation that he had to worry about that. He was either gone before that even happened, or he had overwhelming force. No the real threat was the bandits themselves to him.

He had a shining helm of bronze, full legion bronze armor, a massive bronze shield. He looked more like a warlord then a bandit. Yup they were so screwed.

“Let’s not be supercilious, the [Baron] won’t be happy if you attack us.” Said Mathew.

“And what would you know of the [Baron]’s affairs? Nothing! We are bandits and will have a pay in blood today.” The bandit lord said. There were roars of approval, but no action. They were trapped and all knew this. Mathew just hoped nobody was stupid. Luckily only a couple of the villagers actually had ranged weapons and they wouldn’t do anything at range.

“It was his fault! It was him and those kids that did it, killed em in cold blood! Let the rest of us go!” Screamed one of the left wing fathers. Mathew almost facepalmed.

“The baron would not want to antagonize the [Count] of these lands for no reason. And this is the [Count]s man. And you are the baron’s.” Said Mathew after he waited for the outburst to be glared down… and the subsequent jeers.

“Do you have any proof?” The bandit lord seemed interested now. But both he and mathew knew he couldn’t seem too interested.

“Show him your papers Micky, and this is the proof that you are the baron’s men.” He said as he lifted up the innocuous crest.

Micky pulled out the papers and a bandit quickly ran over to snatch them out of his hand. They also took the opportunity to surround the groups with weapons drawn. Mathew put away his sword and they just took it. He wasn’t sure he was getting that back. They separated the two groups out as well.

“And what’s to say I don’t just take these then?” Said the bandit lord.

“You and I both know they wouldn’t do you any good. No they’d just get you killed.” Said Mathew, now staring the bandit lord down.

“And why would that be, eh? I’ve got witnesses that say I’ve done nothing wrong my entire life, perfect citizen I am!” said the bandit lord.

“And the perfect scape goat for the [Baron] when the [Count] comes asking. And oh is the [Baron] going to have fun with you and everything you care for. You and I both know what he is like.” Said Mathew.

“Fine But I still need blood for blood. The man you killed that was holding that was the blood brother of my third. So now you need to dual him till he is satisfied. He won’t make it quick.” Said the bandit lord.

I’ll be damned Mathew thought as received his sword back. I did get it back. He then faced down the bandit that was the bandit lords second as a circle appeared in the middle of the bandits. The caravan was now at the edge of the circle with blades to their throats.

The bandit brandished a short sword and licked it. He enjoyed the flavor of his now bleeding tong and said “This is going to be fun.”

Mathew brandished his sword and threw an item from his pocket.

The bandit walked lazily over to the ring and slowly picked it up while keeping an eye on Mathew. “You know my brother stole this ring from my mother’s cold [Dead] finger. It was mine! I killed her! He just stabbed her a few times to distract her as I slit her throat!” The bandit said as he walked out of the circle.

The bandit lord just raised an eyebrow. “You done?” he asked.

“Yeah, I’m good.” he said.

“Then you four follow me and take the cart.” said the bandit lord.

“But what about our stuff?” said somebody from the left wing. This time Mathew did facepalm and cry and little inside.

“Oh you can have your stuff back, and since these four negotiated for themselves you need to negotiate this trade deal.” Said the bandit lord.

“What that’s not fair let us go!” Said one of the adults. Mathew was so done with them now. The bandit lord just chuckled and lead the way. Mathew sent Simone to direct them on what was and was not their stuff… of course that didn’t mean she had to be honest. And the bandits really didn’t care, they just wanted to be entertained. This wasn’t even enough of a hall for them to get payed. So they would take it out in entertainment one way or another.