My consciousness returned gradually. At first there was only darkness.
Then came the sensation of a hard surface beneath me, followed by the faint smell of old wood and something that vaguely resembled alcohol. A moment later distant voices reached my ears before fading away again. Eventually I opened my eyes and stared upward.
A stone ceiling greeted me.
The room itself was surprisingly ordinary. I found myself inside what appeared to be a large stone chamber illuminated by several lanterns hanging from the walls. There were no torture devices. No ominous restraints. No giant arrays trying to suppress my existence.
Just a room and an old man.
The old man sat directly across from me in a wooden chair with one leg casually resting over the other. A bottle sat beside him. So did an empty plate.
Judging by the crumbs scattered across his beard, he had apparently been eating while waiting for me to wake up.
He looked old.
