Chapter 73:Beating Them Up
Roan announced what Roland asked him to.
The room buzzed with quiet anticipation as Roland’s words sank into the minds of those gathered. They stood in tight rows, shoulder to shoulder men and women both, cloaked in shadows of their past, broken and hardened in equal measure.
Some bore visible scars, others hid theirs deeper, behind stone-cold expressions and eyes that had seen too much.
Roan stood beside Roland, arms crossed, his expression calm but his heart tight. He knew what kind of crowd they were dealing with.
Rogues, assassins, ex-mercenaries, ex-slaves, street orphans raised on blades, fallen knights there wasn’t a single soul here who hadn’t killed or been near death. Many didn’t even flinch when addressed. They didn’t need loyalty,they needed fear or respect. Roan didn’t yet have the former. Roland had both, and this was his moment to cement it.
Roland scanned their faces. Most didn’t even meet his eyes. Their loyalty was paper-thin, bound by payment and vague promises. That wouldn’t last not in war, not when temptation and betrayal whispered from every corner.
So he stepped forward, voice sharp and steady.
"You’ve all come here from different places, different fates. Some of you suffered, some of you made others suffer."
He let that hang in the air. A few twitched. A flicker in their eyes.
There was recognition. While some had guilt and defiance.
"It doesn’t matter anymore. The past is dead. What matters is the choice you make now. The chance to start again. To build something new."
He paused, letting silence fill the room before continuing.