And may these sinners be granted eternal life, should death prove due penance.

He had counted Paladin Tyaethe's swift advance as enough acknowledgement of his idea, following closely behind himself. While she was assisting Sir Jarde, the younger knight had busied himself with mopping up what remnants tried to break off the from the front and flee— a pair of skirmishers who liked their chances of getting past him better than they did as prisoners of the Iron Rose.

Swiping down with a sharp, chopping motion, Gerard rid most of the blood from his blade as he returned to the group proper, eyeing the prisoners the knights had taken before glancing back over his shoulder to the felled pair further up.

They did not stand down when I gave them the opportunity.

It was unfortunate, but wishing their souls' absolution was all the mercy he could have afforded them. They had resolved to keep fighting, and he had orders and cause to let none escape. While sparing someone was a virtuous act, there were limits before it became a ruinous one. This... would have been crossing those. No way out. The Iron Rose stood for Justice and Mercy. When Mercy was not taken, the hammer of Justice fell.

No time was then for deliberation, and no time was now for doubt.

This was how things were. Spare those who are willing to be spared, swiftly deal with those who were not and render them no threat to yourself, your own, or your protectorate.

Now then, for checkups after battle. He remembered the order of operation that had been drilled into him for a warfighter's attending to needs— Horse, Harness, Man.

"Horse" was simple in this case— Quite literally just a horse, but in the terms of the mantra it referred to one's method of travel. Had they been in a caravan, for instance, or using a wagon, the knights would first want to ensure their mobility was not hampered. Gerard, luckily, found nothing along those lines— his Rouncey had been trained well, neither spooking nor running off and getting himself injured in the melee that had ensued.

"Glad you're safe, my friend."

Onto "Harness". His gear. The sword had made it through unscathed, and only needed more thorough cleaning— which he set to work on as he retrieved a rag from his saddle. As for the rest of him, he had come out of the fight unscathed, luckily enough. They were untrained warriors, true, but that the lone bolt from the trees had buried itself in his pauldron as opposed to his neck was fortunate indeed. A firm yank tore it free, leaving a slightly warped hole in the metal. He would need it repaired after this, but for now...

Raising, rotating, and swinging the arm in a wide circle, he was satisfied that it did not alter his range of motion all too much. He could swing his sword just fine.

"Man", then. Was he well?

A bit of pain on the aforementioned shoulder, likely no more than bruising. His thudding heart had calmed, his breath had fully returned to him. He could think, he could speak, he could fight. He expected to be no less capable in any of these before or after a culling of untrained bandits such as this. Nothing from the skirmish would affect him in the main battle.

He was ready, then. He met the passing gaze of yet another of his fellows, Sir Jerel, who seemed to be lost as to what they were expected to do next. For Gerard, it was simply answered.

"Onwards, I imagine."

@jdh97

The enemy wasn't routed; they were utterly annihilated. The sudden onslaught of every knight had completely shifted the battle from the minor advantage that the ambushing bandits possessed to the knight's massive advantage once blade met skull. The knights that fought directly alongside of her—the ones with spears—impressed Aria. Not only did they follow her (albeit ambiguous) orders, but they were wholly self-sufficient. Indeed, Aria thought that they deserved to fight alongside her in the Iron Rose knights. Not that she had any say in who was accepted in it. Still, the least she could do was remember their names had she not forgotten them in the first place. Well, she could always just reintroduce herself once the bandit king was captured or slain.

The spear-knight with sparse armour was of great assistance. Having someone watch your back was truly a pleasant thing to have. Even if the enemy bandits were so laughably weak that one could simply defend it with a fluttery cape, the peace of mind afforded to Aria was not taken for granted. The knight with the odd, twin-ended spear was a different story. Rather than the comfort of an ally, Aria had to stifle much of her laughter at his accidental piece of comedy. While in the middle of combat, he had grappled and hog-tied a bandit. Arrows were still whizzing above his head while he had done so. Really, his level of priorities made it hard for Aria to keep a straight, professional face. The poleaxe wielding knight had charged alongside him. His quick brutality was always a welcome addition; crushing one's enemy at an incredible pace always broke morale. Surprisingly, the knight who shared blood with Aria joined with them. Together, they had charged directly into the enemy. The right side of the bandit's line had crumbled beneath their advance.

"Great work," she commended those who had fought with her, "your actions make me proud to fight alongside you." Did she really mean those words? Sort of. She wouldn't have said them had she not known how important morale was for a troupe.

With the bandits crushed and those who had not suffered fatal wounds captured, Fanilly demanded information from one of the captured bandits. "Are there any further ambushes" was only the most basic of questions and she had ended it there. Not a single moment of further questioning. Such a captain disappointed Aria. Still, she wouldn't confront her about it. Not just yet. She was just inexperienced. She would get better. It was a full moon when she was born, after all. To say malarkey and disagree with her would be to spit in the face of destiny and tradition. Some of the other knights were okay with this, willing to push on with only a general idea of what they were looking for. Still, the much more veteran Aria would have to fill in the gaps that their captain made.

It was time for some battlefield diplomacy.

She walked up to the bandit that her ally had hogtied and squatted down to look him eye to eye. "Answer these few questions and you can pass peacefully with a last meal and your dignity." Her tone was stern and cold; perfect for an ad hoc interrogation. "How is your encampment defended? Why have the king's men been unable to defeat your leader? And my last question: are there hostages?"

Jarde evaded and blocked the three bandits with ease, yet he could not make a counterattack without opening himself up. Still, his mind focused and waited for a chance. But he could not be on the defensive forever, Jarde was going to risk an attack and hope for the best.

But then, a flash of white appeared behind the three bandits. Before any combatant could react, a blade swung and two bandits were sliced to pieces. Jarde was stunned at the display of power and brutality, only coming back when the third bandit was shoved onto him. He quickly dispatched the bandit by striking the bandit's rib with his sickle and finishing him off with a strike in the neck. A more merciful end than the other two.

The battle promptly ended with the Iron Rose Knights victorious. An expected outcome. Jarde faced his savior, Tyaethe Radistirin. "Uhh, thanks. For the help." He muttered as his breath slowed to normal. The Paladin was famous for her longevity in the knightly order and infamous for her personality. Jarde did not truly know Tyaethe yet so he reserved any judgment. Still, he was in no mood to deal with whatever she was going to throw at him and so ceased the interaction unless she had more to say.

The young knight fell sitting on the forest floor. He had been trained for this. Rigorous, even. But to experience the real, actual battle had left Jarde shocked. Not only was it his first battle, it was also his first time to kill as well. Jarde gazed upon the messy remains of the bandits Tyaethe had killed. He was going to be doing more of this, wasn't he? He supposed so. He should not be surprised, he was told of this during training.

Warriors like the Iron Rose Knights slew people. But they do it to protect the innocent. That much was obvious. What if it was no longer obvious? Jarde rued the day, but he trusted the Captain. She would keep the order on its toes.

After gathering his bearings and once the interrogation was done, Jarde rose to his feet and approached the group. "So... anyone wanna give this fair gentleman a ride?"

"Don't rush ahead unless you're confident you can end it quickly. It's too easy to get surrounded and then you're in real trouble," the paladin noted, sparing the newcomer a major lecture--he'd at least had the skill to not get hurt and finished off the last. Besides, she had more important things on her mind than the combat abilities of one knight or the bandit interrogation going on--no, the bodies of these bandits were interesting...

Tyaethe knelt, picking up the top half of one of her defeated enemies, and took a leisurely pace over to the centre of the ambush--and the remains of the defeated soldiers. With the bandit to compare to and her experience... well, that explained a lot. Of course there were some differences--the bandit, for instance, didn't have the benefit of armour.

She put the bandit's upper half next to one of the defeated soldiers and rested the sword on her shoulder, waiting for the order to move out and surround the encampment.

@PaulHaynek

Untouched. Unfettered. No less unamused.

Forina stood over the corpse of her final and late opponent, a puncture wound erupting with dark blood through leather padding. All that hadn't surrendered or escaped were dead, and so she had loosened up her stance, though still kept her sword gripped tightly. Her face, however, had not relieved itself an inch. The red-haired knightess strode over to the gathering group, delivering testing prods and kicks with her steeled heel to the bodies along the way.

"Every second we waste tying these men up and hauling them onto a cart is a second the enemy gets to prepare themselves," Forina said low. She stood by one such bandit who had been captured, eyeing him with scorn. Her sword was held threateningly close to his stooped form, as if showcasing the thin layer of blood now encrusting upon it.

"...To say nothing of a cart full of bandits needing supervision. What would you have? One? Two? Three knights to babysit them? Each one is fewer to attack the camp."

The battle was, as expected, an unequivocally a one sided curbstomp in the favor of the Iron Rose knights. Fighting alongside Larette and Forina, and several other of their fellow knights in that part of the small battlefield, Narcissa had made short work of her enemies. She frowned as she finished off the last of the injured bandits, spearing the man in the heart before pulling out her bloodied lance and wiping it on the side of the man’s rough spun tunic. Like Forina, she gave kicks and prods at the bodies she passed, nudging them with her lance to see if any survivors remained. Regardless of their state of injury, they were lanced, a mercy to the dying, and to Narcissa, a mercy nonetheless even if they were not.

“I agree,” she nodded at the redhaired knight. “It would be faster by far to simply save one and execute the remainder, lest we be caught with our pants down again bringing these prisoners back to camp. Our baggage train is already strained by the conditions to begin with,” Narcissa frowned, giving consideration to how far ahead they had traveled ahead of their supplies and retinue. “One is more than enough to get information out of.” This was even if their captain criminally neglected to properly interrogate them, but with a glance back at another one of the prisoners, it seemed her other redheaded comrade in arms was already on top of it and pressing the man with a proper questioning.

Although Narcissa couldn’t warrant it –they were just ragtag bandits that had been lucky up until now, after all—she still felt odd about the entire situation. Something felt off, as if there was more to the entire occasion, but there was nothing now that gave rise to any additional caution. She shrugged, cleaning the now drying blood off the tip of her lance.

“We should get moving. We can’t be sure if we caught all of the bandits, so the sooner we get to their camp before they have sufficient time to prepare, the better.”

Gillian dragged a body behind him as he skulked back towards the group, no small amount of gore coating his armor and hands. Say what one could about the benefits of having weaponized arms, clean up would forever be a chore. "If you've time to complain..." He said as he passed Fiora and Narciss, "You've the time to do something more useful. Like clearing a space out in a wagon to chain these folks in or securing the perimeter." It wasn't that he thought the two entirely wrong, and were the forces they were facing more dangerous he might agree. But as it stood, these bandits were hardly a threat. He was pretty sure the whole retinue could be asleep and the poor bastards they'd collected would still be all but helpless before them.

It wasn't arrogance that made him think that either. While the bandits clearly had some rudimentary training, as was evidence by their formation and their crossbow men using alternating volleys, it was really hardly better than the average milita's level of competence. To an average citizen, it would make them a legitmate threat. To Knights, festooned in armor likely several times more expensive than the whole of a farmers house and with training to match? Yeah. Kind of a joke.

He hefted the body over his shoulder, leaving the two Ladys of the Whining Court to their own devices, casually strolling over to where Aria was currently putting the screws to another of their poor survivors. While he could appreciate her honesty, opening an interrogation with the promise of death (albeit painless) was not exactly the best way to encourage someone to talk. "You know..." He said cheerily to the taller knight, dumping the body with a wet thud next to the bandit. "Most folks start with an introduction." he added, flicking the remaining gore from his fingers to the ground.

He kneels down beside his fellow knight, smiling calmly at their new captive. "You'll have to forgive the little lady here..." He said, taking a long second to chuckle at his own joke as if it actually amused him. "Nice to meet you friend, you can call me Gill. While I'd hate to take up more of your day than we've already have, I'd appreciate you answering her questions. If it proves true, I can probably convince the Captain that you should just get some jail time."

It was a lie of course, both in the sense of him not really intending to speak with the captain if the little bastard did talk and it being doubtful of her agreeing. But considering the man just watched his entire troupe get slaughtered, it was a lie he'd be readily open to believing . "Oh and uh...I'd do so quickly...Our ginger friend here isn't really the patient type..." He gives a dramatic sigh, patting the bandit on the head like one would a child. "You know I used to have real arms before she came along? Barbarian that one I swear."

Interactions with: @Click This@Asuras and@OwO

"Of course, Sir Jarde. I've got you." Segremors inclined his head to the young man as he approached with the question. "Though I would guess we might simply proceed on foot from here in the first place. We haven't much further we can ride."

A fellow rookie amongst the Iron Roses, Jarde was likely the youngest amongst them that was not the Captain herself, and an oddity much like her. The weapons he carried were exotic in the utmost, and his persona seemed that of a carefree jokester— Privately, Gerard had to admit that he would have expected the boy to be amongst his former fellow swords-for-hire as opposed to a Knightly Order.

"First time?"

Even so, a comrade was a comrade. And he recognized what this comrade was processing. He'd seen the look on his face often in greenhorns. It would be important if he got an idea of where his head was at now, before they began their main assault.

@PaulHaynek

Renar sighed as he practically tore his last foe's guts open with his poleaxe. Bandits weren't exactly the most stimulating of opponents. No armor, garbage weaponry, no proper training. If Renar had been a more empathethic man, he might have actually felt sorry for this lot. Well, if they hadn't sealed their own fates by murdering and raiding their way across the countryside. Renar grunted as he hefted his weapon up, starting to wipe off the blood that had accumulated on the blade.

He wasn't exactly enthused with the order to imprison the bandits, though. At this point, every bastard that lived was a dead man walking, anyway. If they weren't killed here, they'd hang once they were brought to the capital. Still, there were more pressing matters. Like Sir Jarde. From all appearances, this seemed like the boy's...no, he was a man now. This seemed like his first kill. Renar's lips pursed. If this wasn't handled properly, he likely wouldn't be of use in the coming assault.

With that in mind, Renar strode over to where Sir Gerard had already approached Sir Jarde. He removed his helmet for the moment, tucking it under his arm as he nodded at Gerard before turning to Jarde.

"First kill, eh?" Renar clapped the blonde man on the shoulder. "It was well done, Sir Jarde. One less highwayman raping and pillaging his way across the land. You've probably saved the lives of a good few travelers. And the maidenhoods of a village girl or two."

@PaulHaynek @HereComesTheSnow

Fleuri Jodeau

The skirmish was over. The bandits weren't just defeated, they were crushed. Most were dead and strewn on the ground, and the few that lived would no doubt hang for the depravities they committed. Looking over the battlefield, Fleuri wasn't seeing any casualties among the knights, thank Reon, just fallen bandits. To spring an ambush blindly without knowing what they're up against, and committing to a skirmish with the Iron Roses. How ever did these fools ever defeat a group of Thaln's soldiers? To Fleuri's relief, he hadn't seen any of them escaping- if any of them got back to warn the camp, the rest of them would be able to scatter like roaches into the dense forest.

Speaking of which, Fleuri needed to get his prisoner to the wagon as per the captain's orders. First, however, he would need to disarm him. Fleuri pulled a dagger from a sheath hanging from the man's belt and tossed it aside, then briefly patted down the prone brigand, checking for any weapons concealed in his cuffs or boots. Finding nothing else, he grabbed the bandit by the back of his leather armor and pulled him to his feet.

"Quietly. No sudden moves, or I'll take your head off," he sternly warned the man, directing him to the cart. The man complied, slowly trudging along as his captor demanded. There was no doubt that the man would hang. These bandits had killed innocents and royal soldiers alike, and intended to kill whoever sprung their roadside trap. Unlike the murderer in front of him, however, Fleuri found it distasteful to shoot or stab a fleeing man in the back, as fitting and deserved an end as it would be for someone that did it for a living.

"I got one that needs tying up," he announced, handing the man over to a knight who was helping to bind the captives. Glancing around, he noticed seemed that some of the other knights had wasted no time in interrogating the captives. Fleuri saw one of them being worked over by the Larette woman and Sir Reynaud, one of the order's Living Reliquaries. He himself was unsure that it would yield anything useful. The bandits seemed outmatched enough that it seemed doubtful that they could produce useful information, and even if they did, Fleuri would rather not place any trust in the words of a knave.

Regardless, he approached the two knights, curious to see how the interrogation would play out. He said nothing, merely observing, while silently waiting for the Captain's orders to resume advancing on the camp. The sooner they begin to lay their trap to surround the bandits, the better chance the knights would have at catching them off-guard and preventing their escape.

@OwO@ghastlyInc

Ah, she... she should have asked more questions. She'd been so caught up on the ambush and ensuring it wouldn't be followed by another that she hadn't even thought about pressing her interrogation. Now she simply felt foolish... and the Knight-Captain of the Iron Rose Knights wasn't supposed to be acting in a manner that could be considered foolish. That wasn't how things should be. With her performance tonight already-no.

Fanilly had to keep pushing on. If she was to be the Captain, then she had to do everything she could. Next time she would remember to question a prisoner far more thoroughly. For right now, at least one of her knights had recalled to do the same and had taken over.

There was another matter to attend to all the same.

Fanilly's fists tightened slightly.

"We are the Iron Rose Knights," she said, after a few moments. "No matter their crimes, these bandits have surrendered and been divested of their arms. Their fate is now in the hands of the law, and that is what will judge them. We do not slay defenseless, surrendered prisoners."

The young girl was surprised, for a moment, at how sharply she had spoken. But this was something she felt rather strongly. The Iron Rose Knights were an order founded by a saint, were they not? They were an order founded on both Justice and Mercy, were they not? Certainly, these bandits were likely to die. That much was true. But they had surrendered, laid down their arms. They were defenseless with their hands and feet bound. Their fate was now left to be judged by the law, not to be slain in this forest after their surrender. No matter their crimes.

"This is no great distance from Aimlenn, and a pair of footmen can easily handle the job of watching over them if they must," she responded. On this issue, she would not budge. "We stand for justice and mercy, and so the prisoners that have surrendered will live to face the law."

She tried not to get angry. At least, not visibly. But how could someone suggest killing surrendered prisoners and then call themselves an Iron Rose Knight? That flew in the face of every single tale she'd heard, of even her research into the history of the order. A formal execution as judged by the law... if the Iron Rose Knights had to carry out such a thing, then they would. But killing those who have surrendered on a battlefield, just because it would take effort to have some of the footmen watch over them to ensure they don't attempt escape?

It was something she would never, could never, allow.

Fanilly turned away, her cape fluttering behind her as she did.

The bandit being interrogated was, by this point, trembling in terror.

"F-f-first the little girl now th-this... ahh damn it my day has just gotten worse and worse!" he moaned, "Kaleb spilled my soup 'n now... er..."

He trailed off after a few moments.

"... Camp has sentries posted 'round it..." he said, finally, averting his eyes. It was clear he at least felt some shame in divulging the answers, though not enough to stop himself from speaking, "Spikes, too, stoppin' horses from chargin'... Some prisoners, last I checked. Rivik was plannin' on some ransom or some such 'n King Jeremiah didn't seem to care... couple girls 'n a lady. A man, too, caught him snoopin' around... Haven't touched none of them. I would never, at least."

He seemed fairly confident that none of the prisoners had been harmed, but if that was true or just him trying to get in a 'good word' in hopes that his chances of execution would be diminished remained to be seen.

For a few moments he let the question of Jeremiah hang in the air.

Then...

"... He's a monster. Never seen anyone like him... K-King Jeremiah, I mean. Never seen anyone kill so many people so fast..."

He gave a nervous glance towards the bloody battlefield.

"... P-present company excluded, I m-mean."

Fanilly took a deep breath. While it was important to ensure the prisoner was interrogated, they were also operating on a rather short time scale.

They had to keep moving.

"As soon as the prisoners are placed on the cart, we must keep moving," she asserted, as best she could, towards her knights, "When the bandits have been defeated, we'll..."

Fanilly hesitated for a moment on this note. Her eyes cast themselves around the battlefield. There were a great many dead bandits, and... it was still difficult to be in such a place for her. The blonde girl-knight hadn't seen so much death ever before, even if she had caused a portion of it.

"... We'll... we'll burn the bodies and the camp together. But for now, we'll simply get closer before proceeding with the attack as planned."

Of course, Fanilly intended to reiterate her plan of attack once they were at an appropriate position, but she felt it best to wait before splitting the knights into multiple groups as she intended. She had to try and take the best possible path at every moment. Especially given her mistakes with the injured farmer and the interrogation.

@HereComesTheSnow@Raineh Daze@Asuras@jdh97@Dystopya@Psyker Landshark@Click This@OwO@Animal@TheFake@ERode@Crimson Paladin@ghastlyinc@PaulHaynek

"Lucky bastard," Elodie muttered as Jerel came by, nursing a hole in his shoulder. In any other case, one injury sustained after a disorganized melee was something to be celebrated, but this was an injury upon a marksman, against opponents that should be nothing but wheat. Careless indeed. Lucky it didn't go through his chest, in any case. But that was all she said, and as the battle drew to an end, leaving only the stench of spilled blood, soiled pants, and charred flesh (god, Gillian makes any battlefield worse) behind, Elodie slapped on her goggles and tied a handkerchief over her nose. Had to come up with a better design, eventually, but it was rather low on her checklist as it were.

Gotta spend some quality time with Silence and the Twinned Arms, after all.

Nodding Alyssa, perhaps the only truly irreplaceable member of the Iron Rose Knights, who was fated to put up with all the recklessness and carelessness of a corps of glory-seekers, Elodie walked out of the impromptu wagon-shelter, stretching out her back. There was a nice, satisfying pop as she surveyed all the preparations for their departure. A half minute of walking got her mounted on her mare again, and after some initial skittishness, the artificer was off, ready to go in the general direction of the bandit camp and leave it to everyone else to do the murdering.

Ah, there was one point though.

"Hey, Fanilly," Elodie said, pulling her steed up beside the Captain, "You asked 'bout how they killed off the regular army, yeah? Strategies, tactics, prominent magicals? Anyone other than their King to watch out for?"

Even a man of uncommon brutality was a mere man. If it was only Jeremiah who had any impressive martial skill, he wouldn't have an army left, after all.
@jdh97@Animal@VitaVitaAR

"Of course, Sir Jarde. I've got you. Though I would guess we might simply proceed on foot from here in the first place. We haven't much further we can ride."

"Err, that's true." Jarde sheepishly replied at the short-haired, amber-eyed knight. "Still, you have my thanks for the offer, Sir Segment-- Segregate-- Segremors! Yeah, that's it! Sir Segremeors. You have my thanks, Sir Segremors!"

"First time?"

The young knight smiled and closed his eyes, letting out a sigh. "Was it really that obvious?"

"First kill, eh? It was well done, Sir Jarde. One less highwayman raping and pillaging his way across the land. You've probably saved the lives of a good few travelers. And the maidenhoods of a village girl or two."

Jarde was clapped in the shoulder by another knight, offering consolation. This one was looked more middle-aged, with black hair and blue eyes.

The young knight already knew he and the Iron Rose Knights slaughtered in the name of justice, and Jarde trusted Fanilly to keep it that way. With a smirk, it was time for humor once more. Albeit, a darker one this time. "Well Sir Hagen, I prefer to think these bandits are just innocent, desperate people driven to crime by circumstances beyond their control. It makes killing them more interesting." He flashed a grin before looking at the corpses. "They probably had a family. Probably had friends. Probably played around in grassy meadows. Probably admired the Iron Rose Knight, even. I wonder what they thought once they saw they were fighting us, their childhood heroes."

"I jest, I jest." He told both Renar and Gerard, stopping the joke before it got too far. "Seriously though, Sirs, I'll be fine. Don't worry about me." In truth, he was not but he preferred to discuss his feelings with someone as fresh as him rather than with grizzled veterans.

Even post combat his gaze had darkened dramatically, old hatreds and resentment bubbling to the surface. If only there had been more bandits to the ambush instead of just the small force they had met. Such a group would have been but a fraction of what awaiting them and the fight served only to delay them.

He wiped the blood on his blade off on the shirt of one of the bandits he had killed. Indrau slammed it back into the sheath somewhat more forcefully than was called for. He needed something to distract him, for a moment at least. He limped over to stand by Tyeathe, aided by his walking stick.

"I can scarcely believe that I used to yearn for this, but now I do it because it's all I know. How have you kept yourself going through all of these years?"

@Raineh Daze

Tyaethe looked up from her study of the bodies at Indrau's approach. A veteran, and a good fighter; one of the few people who made her regret not having any healing magic to speak of... though since she was less competent at magic than any novice hedge wizard, nobody could begrudge her lack of investment in the area. There were some things that you just couldn't be good at.

"Why do I keep doing it? Because I'm good at it, and combat is exhilarating," the vampire said, shrugging. Get tired of yearning for combat? She may as well tire of breathing or life itself. Devotion to the goddesses, her fighting prowess, and her past were all that she had or ever would. As long as they never denied her calling then she could continue with a light heart. "Though these bandits are... dull. I would rather we have a dragon to oppose..."

She nudged a body with one foot, then met Indrau's gaze, "You're pretty experienced. Look at these soldiers and this bandit. Notice something?"

@TheFake

"Worry not, Sir Jarde." the slightly younger of the more seasoned warriors said simply. "I'll be sure to make good upon it once the battle is truly over."

The other rookie'd of course need a ride back.

Turning his gaze outwards towards the bodies that littered the field for a moment, the leather-clad man allowed the young knight's words to wash over his mind and the scene of their handiwork before them. Though delivered with a smirk on the face and a tongue in the cheek, they did not seem to be wholeheartedly playful... Perhaps he did misread his compatriot, but in the event he had not, Gerard spoke again.

"Kidding or not, your words aren't without merit. Every man has somewhere he comes from. No man acts without a reason. It's something I personally believe we would be unwise as knights to simply forget." Here he inclined his head to Sir Renar, a return of the nod he had been given earlier. "Though we also can't ignore the choices they made once they reached that point either, as Sir Renar says. They chose their path as one of violence, exploitation, and extortion— something we have sworn to not abide."

Finally, his amber eyes returned to focus upon the young blonde sickle-wielder, carrying with them a glint of reassurance beneath their weatheredness. They would need him ready for the next stage of this mission.

"And beyond even that, friend; there's no great injustice in choosing your life over he who would end it. You don't need to enjoy the act, but you'll need to be ready for it. Keep that in mind from here on out, and it should keep you upright."

@PaulHaynek@Psyker Landshark

Forina was all for justice and mercy, but she understood just as well that being the ones to exact mercy was merely kicking the bucket down the road. However many soldiers these bandits had already slain was enough to sentence them to hanging or beheading, and all their mercy here would not change that.

And she was sure as hell not going to waste time pleading to the king to spare their lives either.

The knightess clicked her tongue before pulling out a cloth and wiping down her blade. After sheathing it, she followed Fanilly's orders and set to further securing the prisoners, moving them wherever it was they'd decided to start collecting them. All tied up, exhausted, and many wounded, Forina wasn't overtly worried that two or three soldiers could keep a good watch, but then again, the king's men had already died before to their blades.

She was inclined to go on ahead of the Captain, for fear that any traps laid out just before the bandit camp would meet the same oblivious fervor. She could preemptively stop it if she were ahead, or simply spring the trap itself with foresight of its nature. Seeing these pitiful fighters left Forina feeling confident that the coming assault would be similarly one-sided.

"We should make sure to check the bandits supplies for anything important stolen," Forina said to Fanilly, "Before we set to burning it down."

Fleuri Jodeau

With some time to spare before being ordered into position, Fleuri removed his helmet to get a better look at where his armor was struck with a quarrel. To his relief, there was no damage beyond a minor scratch where it glanced off his pauldron. The only other telltale signs of his participation in the battle was his bloodied greatsword and a few scarlet drops that had dripped from his sword onto his white cape. The evening was still young, however, and they had another fight ahead of them.

Fleuri contemplated about what the bandit had said while being interrogated. If this knave is telling the truth, sentries might be an issue if they spot us before we can get into position. If the bandits were alerted before they were encircled, many of them would be able to slip away into the woods. The other detail he noticed was the mention of prisoners. It wasn't surprising that these brigands kept prisoners, but it posed a slight complication in that the camp contained innocent people. There was a chance the bandit was lying about that detail, but the Iron Roses would not gamble with people's lives by calling his bluff.

There was one other detail that was worth noting- the bandit's description of the Bandit King. According to the reports, most of the royal soldiers sent to stop the bandits were torn apart by a single, unknown weapon. It was speculated that Jeremiah was this weapon's wielder but assuming he wasn't some sort of elaborate red herring- which these bandits were clearly not smart enough to pull off- this further suggested that it was indeed Jeremiah.

If he is surrounded, he could try to break out- after all, if he's as skilled as they say, he could very well succeed. But a man as bold as Jeremiah does not seem like the type to flee. Fleuri glanced at Fanilly. If the Bandit King opted to stand and fight, he'd probably go straight for the young captain. The thought of the Order losing its Knight-Captain so early into her captaincy, and just a few short years after losing their previous captain, made him uneasy. On the other hand, from what little he had seen of Fanilly, she wasn't just some bravado filled fool. Between the Vindramael knight and the legendary First and Youngest, she was in good hands.

He thought of speaking up to the captain, but decided against it. He had nothing noteworthy to say, and there were already enough people telling Fanilly how to do her job. He silently put his helmet back on and mentally readied himself for the next phase of the battle.

A brief laugh. Oh, he liked this one. A clever mouth, and a functioning brain inside that head of his. Renar wasn't that concerned anymore. If Sir Jarde could joke like that, he'd hold together long enough for the upcoming battle. Who knows? Perhaps he'd come to terms with the act fully once he'd slain a few more.

"If you insist, Sir Jarde." Renar nodded, stepping back as he put his helmet back on. "Then I wish you and Sir Gerard good fortune in the fight to come." He hefted his poleaxe up onto his shoulder, cheerfully whistling as he made his way back over towards the rest of the group.

@PaulHaynek @HereComesTheSnow

Fortunately, he'd returned to the main body of the knights soon enough that he'd managed to overhear the captured bandit go on about the strength of their so-called king. Well, well. So this Jeremiah was a cut above the rest, eh? About time. Perhaps he'd even get to cross blades with the man. The thought had him grinning in anticipation. While Renar enjoyed a challenging fight in and of itself, its true value to him beyond enjoyment was the chance to win glory by defeating strong opponents. With glory came recognition. With recognition came a chance at legitimacy. Of being a true blueblood.

Hopefully, they'd advance soon. The longer they kept the bandit camp waiting without a report back from the failed ambushers, the more suspicious they'd be that something was wrong.

---

Well, that was easy. Her adhoc interrogation worked pretty well. The words of a bandit weren't to be trusted, but simple hints about what was coming were always useful. The bandit that feared for his life was fine now. At least from dying in the battlefield. Unless a more utilitarian and morally ambiguous knight decided to... thin the herd, he was now the kingdom's responsibility. What was important, however, were the actions of him. Instantly, he belittled Aria's years of battlefield experience. It was easier to catch flies with honey, but she wasn't trying to catch a fly. She was trying to get information out of a murdering thief. He even called her 'little lady'. Aria was taller than him! If there was a manlet here, it was this ganglion who was unable to crack 6". Now, he was on Aria's list.

Slimy bastard.

Well, no sense jeopardizing a mission to get even. That would come later. Now was the time to advance. After all, if the bandits wouldn't return, ye olde king would have a great reason to run. Though, the strength of Jeremiah was the big question. If he was able to beat so many of the king's men with the help of dozens of useless bandits, then he was either one of two things. If he was able to kill people so fast, then he would have most likely been a mindless brute that could cleave entire legions in twain. In that case, he would probably have some immunity or resistance against being cut. All that meant for Aria is that her spear had an even larger target to pierce.

Well, it was better not to get too caught up in theory. Now was the time to march and dethrone a bandit.