Inside the village’s only jailhouse, three men entered with rather solemn expressions. Kyrat, the one leading the small group, opened the door to the dim jailhouse. Only one jail cell was occupied.
“Hey,” Kyrat tapped at the iron bars with his iron ring. “You alive in there?”
The inmate inside the crummy jail cell was none other than Togal, the leader of a small bandit group that had eluded the authorities of the neighboring village for almost a year. Kyrat learned of his identity from the elder who recognized him immediately upon seeing him.
Togal, all tied up, was leaning against the wall and turned his gaze towards Kyrat, standing outside his cell along with two other men behind him: Rayn, who wanted nothing more than to confront the man who kidnapped his son, and the village elder, who wanted to make sure nothing bad happened.
Looking up, Togal kept his dead expression as he spoke. “What do you fossils want?”
“Just wanted to ask a few questions,” Kyrat responded, barely acknowledging his insult. “First of all, let me ask you—”
“—You want a taste of my fists?!” Rayn gripped against the iron bars, enough to cause a worrying creaking sound.
“C-Calm down, Rayn!” The village elder said.
Kyrat watched the village elder trying his best to pull Rayn away from the iron bars with his frail arms.
To be truthful, he too wanted nothing more than to barge into the jail cell and teach that bandit a lesson, but he needed to keep tact.
“Rayn, calm down, let me handle this.” Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡✶𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚✶𝙣𝙚𝙩
Rayn glared at the bandit for a while longer before letting go of the iron bars to the relief of the village elder.
“Excuse my friend, I’m sure you understand what makes him quite ‘bitter’ at you.”
The bandit stared back at him, offering no response.
“Let’s continue, shall we? I believe your name is Togal, correct?”
Again, the bandit remained silent, his expression unreadable.
“I have several questions for you. I trust you’ll cooperate?”
The bandit continued staring blankly at Kyrat. His silence stretched long enough that Rayn took a few steps forward and banged at the iron bars.
“Don’t test us, you bastard!” Rayn snarled. “Answer the questions, or I’ll punch it out of your guts—”
Kyrat held up a hand, interrupting Rayn. “Patience, Rayn. He’ll talk.”
Togal scoffed. “Why would I? What’s in it for me?”
“You’re in no position to bargain, Togal. The best you can hope for is that we don’t make your stay here even more uncomfortable.”
Togal gave a silent chuckle. “I don’t even know who you guys are. How would I know you two aren’t the ones who killed my men? ‘Bandit Hunter’, I think that’s the name?”
“I assure you, we have no connection to the Bandit Hunter. My name is Kyrat Sareid, the father of the girl you attempted to kidnap.” Kyrat opened his palm towards Rayn, who was barely holding back his rage. “This is Rayn, the father of the boy, Feyt.”
Togal’s eyes widened by the mention of Feyt. “Ahh, so you are that kid’s father.” His eyes narrowed. “I have to say, your son seemed to have more tact and potential than you.”
Rayn’s eyebrows twitched, but he didn’t explode, yet.
“It’s a shame, he would be a great bandit under my guidance—”
“—He would never!!!” Rayn shouted and slammed his fist against the concrete wall beside him. Cracks formed around where he punched, which let out a few beads of sweat out of the village elder.
“Togal, I suggest you don’t provoke Rayn. No one knows what he’ll do if he breaks into your cell.”
Togal sneered, but he seemed to stop his teasing.
"Those two gave me a good fight. I'll answer your questions out of respect for that."
Those two? I understand Carine, but that boy?
“What do you mean by that?” Kyrat couldn’t help but ask.
Togal turned his gaze to Kyrat as he answered. “Those two worked together flawlessly. Tell me, are they childhood friends or something?”
Kyrat and Rayn exchanged glances, they shook their heads.
“Huh, is that so? They moved as if they’d been training together for years, covering each other’s weaknesses, striking in unison. They share the same mindset, the same plans, the same sword styles... If both of them were really strangers, they have great compatibility.”
Kyrat’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but he quickly composed himself. Carine’s skill with a blade was no mystery—she had inherited his swordsmanship, after all.
But Feyt? A commoner boy from a small village?
Kyrat stopped his thoughts, there was a more pressing question that needed answering in front of him.
“At least you understand your position.” Kyrat rested a single hand on the iron bars, his gaze leaned forward. “Now, I’ll ask again. Why did you target my daughter and Feyt?”
Togal cracked his neck, his face unflinching. “Your daughter, huh? Yeah, she was my target. Someone wanted me to bring her to him. As for the boy, my men grabbed him thinking he could be sold for extra cash.”
“What did you say?!” Rayn banged the iron bar once again. That, combined with his shouts, created a cacophony of loud noise inside the small concrete room.
Kyrat, however, remained impassive. “Who hired you to take her?”
Togal reclined, shiting the ropes around his arms to a more comfortable position. “He’s a man, hid his face quite well, he’s quite tall. That’s all I know.”
“That’s all I know, I told you already.”
Not enough. That narrowed nothing out of the suspects.
Kyrat studied him for a moment, then asked quietly, “And why did you accept the job? You don’t strike me as the type to take risks without a good reason.”
“Hmph, well, it was…” He opened his mouth to respond, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. He frowned, brow furrowing. “I… It was good money. Seemed like an easy gig. But…”
Kyrat didn’t break eye contact, letting the silence press down on Togal.
Togal’s confident demeanor began to crack. “Wait… why did I take it?” he muttered to himself, almost as if he was realizing something for the first time. “I don’t usually go for requests. Especially not kidnapping kids… Why in the world did I…” His voice trailed off as he questioned himself.
Rayn, standing just behind Kyrat, leaned forward, his impatience barely restrained. “You’re telling us you don’t even know why you took the job?”
Togal’s eyes darted between them, his earlier bravado replaced by growing confusion. “No, I mean… But now, thinking about it…”
Kyrat’s expression remained unreadable, but his voice took on a sharper tone. “You accepted a job you wouldn’t normally take, from a client you can barely describe, for reasons you can’t even recall?”
Togal’s eyes narrowed. His brows furrowed. “Look, I already told you all I know. I’d appreciate it if you’d get off my back about it.”
Something was off, Kyrat knew that. Whoever this client was, he wasn’t normal.
Could it be? Is he related to that organization?
“Why you—!!” Rayn stepped forward again, his anger barely in check, but Kyrat raised a hand to stop him.
He met Togal’s gaze one last time, searching for any hint of deception, but all he saw was genuine confusion. Satisfied that Togal had given them all he could, Kyrat nodded to Rayn and the village elder.
“We’re done here,” Kyrat said, turning away from the cell.
“What? That’s it?!” Rayn asked. He walked behind Kyrat, demanding answers. “Listen, he’s the one who kidnapped our kids! We can’t just leave him be!”
Kyrat shook his head. “I don’t plan on leaving him be. He won’t leave that jail cell, we can question him later. Now’s just not the time.”
Rayn wanted to speak, but the words didn’t come out. He reluctantly followed Kyrat and the village elder out of the jailhouse.
Once outside, Kyrat turned to the village elder beside him. “Carine and that boy are still in the clinic, right?”
The village elder nodded quickly. “Yes, they are, Lord Sareid. The best doctors in the village are treating them as we speak. They’ll be fine.”
Kyrat nodded, his face relaxed. “Good. Still, could you check up on them for me, Elder? Make sure they’re getting the care they need.”
The elder, realizing what Kyrat implied, simply nodded. “Of course, Lord Sareid. I’ll see to it personally. I hope you find some comfort in our village, despite the… unfortunate circumstances.”
Kyrat offered a faint smile. “There’s no need to worry, Elder. Your people have been more than accommodating.”
The elder returned the smile with a respectful nod. “I’m glad to hear that. Well, I’ll take my leave then.”
As the elder walked away toward the clinic, Rayn turned to Kyrat with a puzzled expression. “Why did you send him away? What’s on your mind?”
Kyrat’s demeanor shifted, becoming more serious. “There’s something we need to discuss, Rayn.”
Kyrat took a moment before speaking, choosing his words carefully. “Feyt… I believe he has potential.”
Rayn blinked, taken aback by Kyrat’s words. “Potential? What do you mean?”
Kyrat placed a hand on Rayn's shoulder. "Feyt could benefit from proper training. Please allow him to study under me!”