A few months later, Rojan rode into Venite, a seaside city along the northeastern coast of the Blair Continent. If he were to be honest, was in a rather downcast mood.
His findings across the Blair Continent had been rather bleak. The state the continent, after so many years of war, was in far worse shape than But, at the very least, he’d accomplished one of his objectives - if not his main one, to find a leader worth following.
He shook his head as he tied his horse to a pole, then walked into a tavern. Making eye contact with the bartender, he said in a nonchalant tone, “The world shines bright today, sir.”
“May it shine brighter tomorrow, sir.”
With that, the bartender led Rojan into the back section of the tavern, opened a door hidden in the wall of the hallway, and motioned for Rojan to descend a staircase. Eventually, Rojan arrived in a large cavern with fifty or so people inside.
Near the edges of the cavern were many makeshift mattresses, blankets, and desks. All signs that quite a few of the people inside had been living there for quite a while.
People had been sleeping, working at their desks, or eating, but as soon as they saw Rojan enter, all those in the cavern immediately ceased their activities.
“Everyone, gather up! Rojan is here!”
In a matter of moments, all those in the cavern surrounded Rojan, pestering him with questions.
Thankfully, a certain man placed himself between Rojan and the crowd. “Everyone, to your places! Let’s let Rojan rest, I trust he’ll address everyone’s concerns appropriately as soon as he’s rested.”
With the man’s words, the crowd retreated, giving Rojan some space to breathe.
“Thanks, Wren. It’s been a long road.”
“So it would seem. I heard you met Mark and Celina in Tero.”
“So I did. I also met Frank and Ley back in Werstaw. Have they made it here yet?”
“Yes, they have. You missed them in the crowd?”
“Guess I did.”
“Alright. Well, you stink, so in a bit talk to the owner above and he’ll set you up with a nice bath and a change of clothes. Once you don’t smell and look like a dying pig, then come back down.”
“Mm.”
…
After bathing himself and changing into a new set of clothes. Rojan stood in front of his allies. His unease was, for the first time in quite a while, visible on his face. After all, he’d failed to find them a leader to follow and support.
Seeing his friend’s discomfort, Wren approached Rojan, patted him on the shoulder, then faced the crowd.
“Alright, alright. II think we’ve worried him a little too much, should we just tell him?”
“Tell me what?” Rojan wasn’t sure what was going on.
“So even the great Rojan Cheru can be surprised, haha.”
Outside of the two’s quiet conversation, those in the cavern cheered, shouted, and even whistled as loudly as they could. Although Rojan still had no idea what his friends were talking about, he couldn’t help but smile.
Just what surprise had they prepared for him?
Wren looked at Rojan with beaming eyes. “Silly, we’d expected all along that your efforts would be in vain, so we’ve decided. We will build our own power!”
Hearing this, Rojan’s smiling visage quickly soured. He glared at Wren, then shouted. “Have you all gone mad?! Perhaps a hundred years ago, or even fifty years ago, this would have been possible, but now??
“Even before we can create an army, we would need considerable amounts of gold just to afford their food, weapons, armour, and then they would need months of training. Beyond that, we would need land to train on, and -”
“Rojan.” Wren cut him off. “Do you look down on the rest of us so much? How long do you think some of us have been here? What do you think we’ve been working on?”
“... You’re all going to have to fill me in.”
A few minutes later, Rojan’s head was reeling from information - for him, quite a rare occurrence.
“... And that’s how we’ve secured the services of five thousand trained soldiers, as well as enough supplies for two more months. They’re stationed about twenty miles southwest, and we’ve been drilling them for the last two months. To be honest, were starting to get impatient, wondering if you’d ever show up.”
With that, Charles, one of the other strategists in the group, finished Rojan’s briefing.
After a brief moment of silence, Rojan burst out laughing. “Ah, if I’d known you guys were doing this from the get-go, I could’ve just used the last few months to relax. So, what’s the plan? We’re going to take over this city? What’s the name, Venite City?”
Wren smiled. “Yes, sir.”
“Well then, bring me the reports. And everyone - prepare for war!”
Fifty voices shouted in unison. “Yes, sir!”