Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Fahil's gaze remained fixed on the bloodied man, his mind racing with a flurry of thoughts and suspicions. Yet as he looked closer he realised this wasn't the individual he'd had contact with, he gave out a breath of relief. Perhaps, he dared to hope, his covert actions had gone unnoticed.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Fahil played the role of the curious observer, "Who is he?" he inquired, his tone carefully neutral.

"Ah, now that," he replied cryptically, "is a tale best told by our newfound friends here."

Moving forward, Alpheo advanced toward the bloodied man, seizing him by the hair to force his head upright, forcing him to look up to the man.

--PFFT--

A spit landed on Alpheo, as if nothing happened Alpheo cleaned the spit out of his cheek before backslapping the man, letting go of his hair.

Fahil winced as the blow landed, and the man went limp.As Alpheo ordered the spy's return to his cell and instructed for him to be given a thorough beating, Fahil's mind raced with a torrent of questions and concerns.He was never good at scheming , if he was , he would surely have understood what his position was, yet the commander was currently surviving on the feeble hope, that he was just called to be informed of the spy.

"Do we know where they will be attacking?" he asked

"Not yet," he admitted, a flicker of irritation dancing in his eyes. "The bastard does not know it , but," he continued, his voice lowering to a conspiratorial whisper as he gave Fahil a smile, "we did manage to extract something else from him"

"Apparently, he was not alone," he continued , his tone matter-of-fact. Fahil's breath caught in his throat, his mind reeling at his words.

"I presume you captured them all?" he ventured, his voice strained.

Alpheo's response was curt yet affirmative. "Indeed," he confirmed, his gaze steady. "But," he added with a note of caution, "there may still be one or two that I did not catch"

Fahil's pulse quickened "If you will allow me,I will send my men to lead a watch party inside the city " Alpheo made no answer he just watched him with a neutral stare.

Fahil 's gaze darted to his sides, where Jarza and Egil appeared closer than before . But when he turned his attention forward, his heart skipped a beat, the young man on the front was smiling—a chilling, predatory grin that sent a shiver down Fahil's spine.

He was caught.

Without hesitation, Fahil lunged towards Alpheo, his hand reaching for his dagger. But before he could even draw the blade, agony exploded in his left hand, followed by a sharp tug that pulled him back with a forceful jolt. He cried out in pain, his breath catching in his throat as he realized he had been thwarted, with a dagger nailing his palm to the table.

"Lay your palms flat " Egil's voice cut through Fahil's anguish, the casual flick of his dagger sending a wave of fresh torment coursing through Fahil's wounded hand.

"You fucking bastard," Fahil growled through gritted teeth, his voice laced with venom as he struggled to endure the agony coursing through his hand. He raised his gaze to meet Alpheo's, the intensity of his hatred burning brightly in his eyes.

''Well I am sure you will be happy to know, that the 'spy' which we have caught was one of my men. Quite the actor,isn't he?''

Fahil made no answer, he just gave a deep sigh and lowered his eyes .Seeing this Alpheo gave a deep breath as he continued ''Initially I thought about using torture , however that is a rather unsure method,after all I have no way to know if what you are saying is the truth or not''

Alpheo's response was measured, his tone calm and composed despite the chaos swirling around them. "Things rarely unfold as planned.Truth be told, if you had kept ignorant a bit more I would have thought I had erred" he remarked, his voice carrying an air of detached curiosity. "I'm curious, Fahil. What did he promise you?"

"To be made baron of Aracina," Fahil spat out the words with bitter resentment, his voice thick with defiance.

"A tempting offer, indeed," Alpheo mused, his expression unreadable. "In exchange I think you had to open one of the gate to him?During the night perhaps...''

Fahil's desperation was palpable as he ranted on ignoring the question , his voice tinged with madness as he clung to the remnants of his shattered ambitions. "Arkawatt will lose. He's barely clinging to power with your men by his side. Desert him, and Prince Sulayth will reward you handsomely. Why die for a losing cause when you can bask in opulence?"

Alpheo regarded Fahil with a mixture of pity and contempt, his gaze unwavering as he contemplated their next move. " I have more important issues to check now. There is also still the thing about your fate..." he mentioned , his voice tinged with a hint of irony.

Fahil's response was immediate, his tone desperate as he pleaded for clemency. "Haven't you heard me? Join his grace, and you'll be granted wealth beyond your wildest dreams."

"You're a terrible liar, you know?" Alpheo's words cut through the tension, accompanied by a smile that bordered on mockery as he tapped Fahil's forehead lightly.

Fahil's response was resigned, his sigh heavy with the weight of impending doom. "Very well, go on with it," he acquiesced, his gaze dropping to the floor in defeat. "Your head will soon lie with mine, the prince will surely breach the city, be it before or after the prince arrive. "

As Alpheo approached, Fahil braced himself for what was to come, his body tense with anticipation. Alpheo's hand reached out, hovering inches from Fahil's neck before descending to his shoulder in a reassuring pat.

"Why so pessimistic?" Alpheo said his smile warm and inviting. "There's still a way out. Death may be the end of everything, but fortunately for you, the end of the road is not yet in sight. You can still choose to take a detour if you wish to live."

Fahil's gaze narrowed at Alpheo's words, a mixture of skepticism and defiance etched across his features. "If you don't take my head, Arkawatt will. Do me a favor and be quick with it," he retorted, his tone laced with bitterness.

Alpheo's response was calm and collected, his confidence unwavering in the face of Fahil's disdain. "Now, now, that's what would happen if I weren't here," he replied with a faint smirk. "Fortunately for you, you may have got someone covering your ass."

Fahil's skepticism only deepened, his expression morphing into one of incredulity. "And that would be you?" he scoffed, his disbelief evident in the curl of his lip. "I assume you would need something from me?If it is silver this city is awfully empty of it.."

Alpheo's smile remained unfaltering, his demeanor exuding an air of calculated charm. "I want no gold nor silver. Well what I am searching for , it's more of an exchange, a favor for a favor," he explained, his tone smooth and persuasive. "You do a small little thing for me, and I'll make sure that not only will you avoid execution for changing sides, but you'll even be rewarded handsomely.You scratch my back, I scratch yours... Care to listen?"