Discussion of "The Trader Chronicle, 3" by Jackoalltrades

These people seem quite brutal, killing these soldiers for no good reason, or at least one I haven't seen yet. Still, this story is keeping me interested.

Jackoalltrades~ (SPOILER ALERT! Read the chapter before the comments)
I was disappointed with the killing of Trist. So I asked myself why?
On one hand:
1- You spent nearly an entire chapter building his character up only to have him die prematurely. And by prematurely I mean…wasn’t his capture for the sole purpose of information? What are the human warriors up to? Are they just organized to kill the raiding Slandra parties or were they up to something more? ‘Kings Army’ was all the info I got. And he was a courier! Surely he had some additional information of value they could have gotten before they offed him. Did I miss something?
2- You spent nearly an entire chapter building his character up only to have him die. I wound up liking the character and thought he would have added a brilliant dimension to the group. An insider to the King. A new comer to the group that I as a reader could have identified with and could have learned about the ‘mission’ with at the same time.
And on the other hand:
1 – I get that you wanted to make a statement. This group of warriors is on a mission and they are capable of anything and will not let anyone stand in their way. Additionally, Pral is their commander and regardless of whether they agree with his decisions or not, they follow his orders because they believe in him.
So, with all that said…despite my ‘like’ for Trist’s character I think that you did a terrific job of using him to further develop the character of the whole group. Nicely done!
The fact that I’m compelled to analyze as I’ve done should be a pretty good indication of how much I am enjoying your yarn. Expertly written. The details, dialogue, character development, the revealing little details along the way to keep me interested in the still mysterious storyline. Sensational.
Again, in the end, the only issue I had with Trists death was the lack of info obtained.
Another five chapter.