Fanilly winced slightly at the sight of the man's beheading. It was one thing to see such violence in combat, another entirely to watch it now. But he was not long for this world, and had died after assisting them. It was a mercy to end him in such a swift fashion, just as it was a mercy to end the lives of the dying bandits that lay strewn throughout the forest. Perhaps the Goddesses would consider his assistance when determining his place in the afterlife.

Glancing away from the beheaded corpse, she watched as the surviving bandits, lightly injured or surrendered without much of a struggle, were lead to the back of the formation in chains. From there, they would be returned to the capital, where they would face trial and possibly execution. The truly repentant could potentially earn a lighter sentence and a chance at redemption, but as of now their fates were unknown and it was Fanilly's best guess that most would end their lives on the executioner's block.

It was what they had earned, through banditry and kidnapping.

The Knight-Captain could spare no further thought to that topic, regardless. She had to ensure the success of the true goal of their mission.

"I must confess, Sir Fionn, without knowing more I can't say for certain what the caged beast may be," she replied with to her knight's inquiry. If only she knew more, then maybe she could have guessed. The fact it was larger then a bear, shrieked, and was fed rabbits was helpful in that it informed them it was some sort of predator. But beyond that, she could only guess at its nature, "But we know it's a predator of some sort, given they'd been feeding it rabbits."

The fact that some beast could be sprung upon them certainly complicated things.

"Given they have to keep its cage covered to prevent it from growing aggressive, I doubt it's been allowed to roam freely. If we can prevent its release, or kill it first, then we could eliminate it before it became a threat."

The petite blonde couldn't say with any certainty how successful an attempt to do so would be. But even if she didn't have confidence in herself, at least she trusted her knights.

It was some time before the scouts returned and relayed their information, during which most of the dead had been piled and made ready to be burned. It was undeniably gruesome, but altogether necessary for a number of reasons to ensure the corpses were disposed of.

The Dame Cecilia and Sir Hope had been able to confirm the information the interrogated bandits had shared, as well as give some specific locations of prisoners, and the caged beast. Most concerning was the Bandit King's absence, but they couldn't afford to wait and see if he showed up.

It was time to move.

"Iron Rose Knights, be at ready!" Fanilly commanded, trying to still her own hammering heart once more. "There is no more time to waste, the remainder of the bandits are still ahead. We must strike, and destroy this threat to Thaln's people."

She took a deep breath. Their objective wasn't just the slaughter of the bandits, however.

"But above all else, we must ensure their prisoners are freed and taken to safety. As such, our archers will hold after eliminating the scouts upon the watchtower until they are able to draw a line of sight on specific targets. The same goes for our magi. The camp is fortified, but not impenetrable, so we shall make our way past the palisades and cut through any resistance until every bandit lays dead or surrendered. We shall bring this Bandit King to the capital in chains or dead."

She had already informed her knights of their plan of attack, and little had changed since then, except...

"As for the caged beast, prevent its release or kill it before it can leave its cage. Now, we shall split into three groups with which to encircle the camp. I shall lead the first, Dame Tyaethe shall lead the second, and Sir Villis shall lead the third. Shields at the front, the rest follow, archers and magi remain at the rear."

Aside from herself, as Captain, she had selected the two most senior knights among those present. Tyaethe needed no explanation, and Sir Villis had served from years before the War of the Red Flag. The tall, imposing figure clad in gleaming armor, a great mace gripped in one hand and a shield bearing the sun gripped in the other, nodded quietly and took his place as the knights separated.

Slowly, carefully, they began to encircle the camp, taking their positions around the bandits. The watchtower was worrying, but as long as the guards were silently eliminated...

Fanilly had faith in the knights, at least, if not herself.

The camp was surrounded. The magi let off their signals to indicate they were in position.

Fanilly's grip on the hilt of her sword tensed. Her entire body tightened.

Kill the guards in the watchtower. Kill the beast in its cage, or at least prevent it from being released. Rescue the prisoners.

Crush the Bandits.

Defeat Bandit King Jeremiah.

"Iron Rose Knights, charge!"

As they rushed into the camp, they would be met with bandits, some far more ready for the coming battle then others, raising weapons, drawing blades and spears, and readying bows.

Unfortunately, more then a few were close to the covered cage...

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