Ciochini Cuisi awoke in total darkness, a dull pain pulsing in the back of his skull.
The air was thick with humidity and a pungent musty smell.
Her wrists and ankles were shackled, the varynx leather biting into her skin.
The heavy silence was only disturbed by the steady drip of a water leak somewhere in the darkness.
Suddenly, slow, measured footsteps approach his position.
A door creaks open, letting in a flickering glow that casts dancing shadows on the walls.
A feminine figure emerges from the frame, her robust stature reminiscent of a Fyros.
Her face remains concealed under a hood, her rough accent betraying a foreign origin when she speaks.
- Ser Ciochini Cuisi," she murmurs in a husky, almost growling voice.
You have incurred a significant debt to influential people.
Ciochini Cuisi swallows hard, his dry throat making every word painful.
- I...
I don't have the dappers.
Not yet...
The woman steps forward slowly, her boots scraping the floor.
She leans in close to the archivist, her face still in shadow.
- Time is a luxury you no longer have, Ser...
The terror-stricken man shakes all over his body.
- ...However, there is an alternative.
Ciochini Cuisi's heartbeat quickened, a cold sweat beading on his forehead.
- What a...
what kind of service?
The woman rises to her feet, towering over Ciochini Cuisi.
- My employers want the original of a specific document.
Nothing complicated for someone in your position.
On the other hand, if you do not wish to be implicated by your employer,
You will ensure that no trace remains of the document's existence.
Ciochini Cuisi nods frantically, hope reborn in his befuddled mind.
- Yes, yes, of course. Anything you say.
The woman turns away, heading for the exit.
Before disappearing into the shadows, she throws over her shoulder:
- Don't fail, Ciochini Cuisi.
The door closes with a sinister creak,
plunging Ciochini Cuisi back into oppressive darkness,
alone with his tormented thoughts and the weight of the threat now hanging over him.
The air was thick with humidity and a pungent musty smell.
Her wrists and ankles were shackled, the varynx leather biting into her skin.
The heavy silence was only disturbed by the steady drip of a water leak somewhere in the darkness.
Suddenly, slow, measured footsteps approach his position.
A door creaks open, letting in a flickering glow that casts dancing shadows on the walls.
A feminine figure emerges from the frame, her robust stature reminiscent of a Fyros.
Her face remains concealed under a hood, her rough accent betraying a foreign origin when she speaks.
- Ser Ciochini Cuisi," she murmurs in a husky, almost growling voice.
You have incurred a significant debt to influential people.
It's time to settle up.
Ciochini Cuisi swallows hard, his dry throat making every word painful.
- I...
I don't have the dappers.
Not yet...
Give me more time, please.
The woman steps forward slowly, her boots scraping the floor.
She leans in close to the archivist, her face still in shadow.
- Time is a luxury you no longer have, Ser...
The terror-stricken man shakes all over his body.
- ...However, there is an alternative.
A service in exchange for your debt.
Ciochini Cuisi's heartbeat quickened, a cold sweat beading on his forehead.
- What a...
what kind of service?
The woman rises to her feet, towering over Ciochini Cuisi.
- My employers want the original of a specific document.
Nothing complicated for someone in your position.
On the other hand, if you do not wish to be implicated by your employer,
You will ensure that no trace remains of the document's existence.
Ciochini Cuisi nods frantically, hope reborn in his befuddled mind.
- Yes, yes, of course. Anything you say.
The woman turns away, heading for the exit.
Before disappearing into the shadows, she throws over her shoulder:
- Don't fail, Ciochini Cuisi.
The consequences would be... regrettable.
The door closes with a sinister creak,
plunging Ciochini Cuisi back into oppressive darkness,
alone with his tormented thoughts and the weight of the threat now hanging over him.