Torchlight knifes through the door as Decimus Severus leans in, one hand still on the latch. His jaw is tight, and he scans the cramped room like a man counting knives in the dark.
Decimus Severus
Messalina has started asking where the missing gladiatrix is.
Behind him, the corridor hums with distant footsteps and muffled arena noise. The purse of coins lies untouched in the corner, bright as a wound in the straw.
Decimus Severus
She does not want rumors. She wants a face, or she wants silence. I need one of those answered before she gets impatient.
Marcus Flavius shifts beside Valeria, bracing himself between her and the doorway. The little room feels smaller for the news, as if the walls are listening now too.
Decimus Severus
Stay hidden, and I can keep turning her gaze elsewhere. But if she names you, even this house of shadows will not be enough.
The choice sharpens into view, remain a vanished rumor inside the Colosseum, or step into the light on terms that are not hers.
✓ Quest Accepted
Avoid being identified by Messalina