Brutus held the scroll out toward Laurence, the parchment looking almost delicate against his enormous fingers. "This is a contract," he stated, his tone making clear this wasn't negotiable.
"If you sign your allegiance to Jack Kaiser, he will clear the dungeon and allow your people to benefit from its resources. You will read it. You will sign it. Or you will refuse and watch your territory fall to the corruption that your incompetence allowed to flourish."
Laurence took the scroll with hands that shook so badly he nearly dropped it.
The parchment was heavier than expected, with substantial weight from magical reinforcement and high-quality materials.
He unrolled it carefully, eyes scanning the first page with growing confusion.
The contract was ten pages long, dense text written in formal legal language that would have challenged educated scholars.
