>>5392762The weather had stayed dry as your officers took the patrols back and forth through the territory you had claimed and secured. They would go out and when they returned they all told you the same story. They hadn't seen anything. No bandits, no poachers, no trolls or orcs and especially no members of the Syndicate.
So when on the fifth day you were interrupted by one of the returning patrols, you were surprised a bit.
"Alright Malevus, we can continue later." You said to your squire as you put away a wooden shortsword.
You and Malevus had been sparring a bit every day and this vaguely shortsword shaped lump of wood was what you were using. Fencing with only your right arm while keeping your left arm still by your side wasn’t exactly easy, but it allowed you to exercise and help Malevus in her training.
"What is it?" You turned towards the soldier who had interrupted your sparring.
"My Prince, we have a prisoner." The footman told you.
"A prisoner? Bring me to him." You said back.
The footman guided you and soon you saw a man tied up and surrounded by Lyion and the former forest bandits in your service.
"Greetings Prince Alric, look what we have found. A lonely bandit attempting to flee towards the north." Lyion told you and seemed more than happy with what they had caught. "Tell Prince Alric what you told us."
The bandit was a young man, maybe not that much older than you and you saw the shape he was in. He had been beaten quite badly with a broken nose and lip decorating his face along with plenty of bruising.
"I...I left my c...crew and w...went north. I...I'm from A...Andorhal…" The bandit managed to say.
"Yeah yeah, but the juicy bits." Lyion said and probed the man's ribs with his boots.
"Y...Yes, we were s...supposed to hit S...Stonedon. B...But you d...defeated our troops." The man stammered out.
So he was part of the bandits who had joined the Syndicate, but apparently were elsewhere and was saved when you attacked the camp.
"Anything else?" You asked him.
"P...Please don't k...kill me." The man whimpered out.
Yeah you wouldn’t be getting much out of him anymore. The bandit was a complete wreck and in shambles.
You took a few steps back and pulled Lyion to follow you from his shoulder. After the two of you had a tiny bit of privacy, you spoke.
"Next time please don't rough the prisoner up. It makes interrogating them harder and they might not tell you the truth." You said. You had read something like this from one of your books and it had gotten stuck in your mind.
"Sorry Prince Alric. Won't happen again." Lyion said and gave you a bow.
"Good, now take him away and lock him up. I will decide what I will do with him later." You ordered him.
2/3
