In the wake of battle, tensed body slowly unwound. Not entirely. They were far from finished. But now that the immediate enemy had been killed or taken prisoner, she had a moment to take a breath.

The sight of her knights patrolling, finishing those who were too injured to survive, was a sobering one. It was one she simply wasn't entirely prepared for, even if she had given the order herself. Every time she watched one of her knights pierce a vital region of a fallen enemy, a part of her curled into itself, her hands tensing. But at the same time, it was absolutely necessary. No matter the enemy, to leave them to slowly die from their injuries surrounded by their slain comrades was needless cruelty. Mercy was easing their suffering, passing them on to the afterlife swiftly.

If the Lamplighters chose to guide them, or if their transgressions were severe enough to leave them forever lost, only they would know.

She was torn away from her thoughts when an injured man was presented to her by Sir Renar and Sir Fionn. Though she was not especially versed in medicine, it was clear he did not have much time left, a grisly wound marking his abdomen. Exactly what it had pierced, Fanilly did not know, but the amount of blood lost and whatever underlaying damage had made his prospect for survival virtually nonexistent.

Perhaps that was precisely why he was an ideal choice for interrogation.

"Then, I trust you have information for me?" she asked, eyes briefly lingering on the man's wound before returning to her face.

"Hah, it's true, they really are lead by a cute little lass!" the bandit declared, even as his voice wavered with pain, "Heh, aye, if it's information you want, might as well spill my guts. Better to die with a drink then die with nothing."

His breathing sounded difficult.

"A drink and mercy, then," Fanilly replied, nodding. She assumed that the former had been offered by Sir Renar or Sir Fionn, and the meaning of the latter was obvious.

"A week ago, the boss and his inner circle brought something back to camp. None of us on the lower rungs saw it clearly, but we hear it. It's a beast," he began, "They have it caged up. 'Course, even if we can hear the godsawful noises it makes, they covered the cage up to keep it from gettin' aggressive so we can't see it. But it's big. Bigger'n a horse or a bear. Shrieks something awful when it's hungry, the guy in charge of keepin' it fed gives it rabbits."

A beast? Fanilly searched her mind for what it could be. But without knowing more, there was no way to be sure exactly what manner of creature it was.

Still, knowing that they could be dealing with more then simply bandits was a valuable piece of information.

Meanwhile, the injured man who had been used as bait had been pulled back to the rear of the formation, where one of the healers was attending to him. She was a woman in her thirties, clad in Mayon's colors as was custom for many healers of Thaln, carefully addressing his wounds with both magic and medicine.

[hr]

When Sir Gerard threatened the bandit, the pommel pressed to his cheek was enough to make him freeze up in fear, eyes wide. He was shaking with considerable terror, likely in part due to so recently seeing just what the man was capable of against his allies. He had absolutely no desire to experience a broken jaw, not after having escaped any serious injuries in the battle. 

It was to his great relief that Morianne intervened. Indeed, though he had hardly been a religious man, a little prayer to the goddesses didn't seem out of place at this point.

Perhaps this is why he was especially vulnerable to Morianne's spell, his eyes becoming slightly hazy, and yet almost shining, as they became fixed on the elf maiden's visage.

"... I... for a fine elf-maid like you, I'll tell you anything..." he half-murmured, swaying slightly as he spoke, "Palisades, there's palisades set up around the camp, but it's not a complete wall... a watch tower, too... hehe... I've never seen anyone as beautiful as you, y'know..."

[hr]

The forest became quite dense for some time, a fallen log here or there, brush offering a perfect hiding spot for both of the knightly scouts currently advancing on the bandit camp.

Increasingly, through the trees, there was a glint of torchlight. Soon enough, they would see it.

The camp was located in a clearing, with an enormous large dead tree on the far side. It was not entirely enclosed by walls, but there were palisades set up in several defensible positions. At the center, a great bonfire was raging, with the bandits around it. While some were eating, many were clearly patrolling the perimeter of the camp. While they did not appear totally ready for battle, it was clear there was some expectation it would be coming soon. Near the fire, a few figures with chained legs could be seen as well. These had to be some of the prisoners, forced into serving food and drink to the bandits currently eating.

Between the tends, a set of cages with something inside them were visible. On a second examination, it was clear these were most of the prisoners, those intended to be sold or kept for other purposes.

There was a particularly large cage closer to the center, but whatever was inside of it was impossible to see clearly. A canvas had been draped over the cage, but it was just possible to make out something moving occasionally inside.

A throne had been erected near the bonfire, but no-one was occupying it at the moment.

[@Raineh Daze][@Rune_Alchemist][@Psyker Landshark][@Pyromania99][@HereComesTheSnow][@Saiyan][@The Otter][@Crimson Paladin][@ERode][@Psychic Loser][@Richard Horthy][@Aeolian][@Rin]