Burus stuttered, struggling to speak through the tightness in his throat. "N-no problem… y-you can have anything you want."
Without waiting for a response, he removed the storage ring on his finger and tossed it forward with trembling hands.
Riley caught it mid-air, eyes narrowing just slightly as he stared at the metallic ring.
"T-that's… that's all I have w-with me," Burus stammered, sweat trailing down the side of his temple. "I… I hope that's enough."
Riley didn't reply at once.
His eyes flashed with a strange glint, almost amused… before a smirk slowly stretched across his face.
"It'll do," he said.
Then, he turned around, waving a hand lazily over his shoulder.
Burus exhaled sharply the moment he did, feeling like an invisible weight had finally been lifted off his chest.
The pressure… the crushing sense of death that had coiled around his neck… was finally gone.
But then—
Schlk!
Something sharp suddenly stabbed through his throat, and he gasped in disbelief.
