'The Pit: Hell Frozen Over' - Arc 3, Chapter 3: 'The One Truth' (Closed, Started)

[Fappy]

Orphan grunted inquisitively, "The Aryans under his thumb? Unlikely. You ever seen the guy?" Orphan smiled. "He's nothing but a rage-fueled rapist. I'm surprised he ever had anyone under his command."

And if he pissed on Blackrock's terf...

"Blackrock will have his head for this, but even so... you two are now targets. You need to stay out of the mines and lay-low."

Lucia could hear them speaking, but none of it registered. She sat on her cot, holding her legs to her chest tightly and staring down at her trembling hand. She couldn't stop thinking about what happened... and what she wanted to do.


She was afraid she'd lose herself.

*************************************************************************************************************************************

Sticks heard a stern knock on his door that woke him from his nap, "Bwah... oh, come in Conrad."

Conrad, emotionless as always, stepped into the office and dropped a file on his table.

"Who's this ugly fuck?"

"Travis the 'Dragon'," Conrad answered. "He runs... or ran, a small-time gang. He's a complete idiot and he's gotten most of his gang wiped out recently, but I think this is the kind of man you were looking for."

Sticks skimmed over the profile, "So, our guys in the Wolves are reporting Azrael's pissed at him... but he won't kill him?" Sticks held his hand over his mouth in thought. This didn't make much sense... this wasn't the Azrael he knew. "What's he playing at? This Travis is a loose cannon with no real ties to anyone of importance. If he's been fucking with Azrael I'd expect him to be dead by the end of the week."

Conrad shrugged, "He's ballsy."

Sticks smirked, "That he is," Sticks dropped the file on the table and looked up at Conrad. "I want him. Make sure one of our guys is with the Wolves when they confront Travis. We'll make our move once they've cleared out."

 

[The Funslinger]

'Well, see that's the thing', Acolyte replied. 'He saw us, tried to nab her for his own use, and talked to me. We were right under his nose and he didn't get who we were. He still doesn't. In any case, my wound's healed, so Lucia has stopped being all obsessive doctory. I'm not going to take your food and water anymore. I'll be heading off now.'

He held out his hand to shake Orphan's.

 

[Fappy]

Orphan looked down at his hand and shook it firmly before pulling him close to whisper in his ear, "The day the Pit sees true Armageddon is upon us. Lucia must make it out of this place when the opportunity presents itself," Orphan pauses for a moment. "Can I trust you to be there for her when I can't?"

To say Orphan's eyes were intense would be an understatement. The carefree old man suddenly looked like the devil himself.

 

[The Funslinger]

'I'll keep an eye on her.'

And with that, he was gone around the corner. Acolyte had heard a supply drop was going to happen soon about two 'floors' up. He intended to be there when it happened.

 

[Fappy]

Orphan stood there motionless as Acolyte left the cell. The room was completely still for a few moments until Orphan went to his cot to check his old watch. It was about that time. He pulled back the curtain to Lucia's room, "I have a job to do. I won't be gone long."

She was lying on her side staring at the wall. She didn't respond.

Orphan sighed, "I'm sorry Lucia."

With that, he went on his way.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"Orphan..." Azrael spat out the very word as if it were foul and toxic. "For decades he's has been the question hanging over my reign. Just one man, no crew, no army, no allies, and yet again and again he has defied me, alluded me, made me look weak! He's been smoke between my fingers, every time I clench my fist, he slips away, and now we know he intends to finish what he started the first time he tried to depose me, back when I was little more than a boy. Now though, now we have our chance, and when he dies there will be no more doubt, no more question of my superiority."

The moment had come, Nikolai knew. The moment he had been waiting for. He must be stone, impervious and unknowable.

"You have done well Nikolai, oh so well at the tasks I have set you thus far. Now comes your ultimate test, you will prove yourself a worth heir to me, beyond doubt, if you can slay the one beast that even our Pack fears. Are you ready, Nikolai? Do you believe you can kill him?"

"Yes."

"Good. Orphan is no fool. However, he has made the one mistake I thought he would never make. He has fallen to compassion, and tied himself to someone weaker. A girl who he saved from us when she was thrown in here, a liability. Before you can face him, you must bring the girl to me. She will deliver him to us, provided we make her the right offer.

"What offer?" Nikolai asked.

Azrael smiled. Though his aging features Nikolai saw a little boy, ready to pull off the wings of a fly he'd just caught.

"Her brother's life, for Orphan's."

 

[Fappy]

Orphan's mind was completely preoccupied as he squeezed the life out of the man before him. Was his time coming to an end? How long could he possibly keep Lucia safe?

Once he had finally snapped out of it he realized he was gripping the throat of a corpse. The man he'd been assigned to kill was some rat or another that the wardens wanted eliminated. Orphan didn't need to know much else about him. He didn't want to know anything else about him. Once the kill had been confirmed Orphan dropped the body down the mineshaft from a concealed location high above the mine. A loud crash echoed up the shaft indicating to him that his job was done.

He made his way to the top level of the Pit where he usually met up with his contact. As per usual another bearded man in rags appeared from a dark alley, "Has the package been sent?"

"It's long gone," Orphan muttered without making eye-contact.

The ragged man nodded and started back down the alley when Orphan spoke up, "Wait," The man turned to meet Orphan's gaze. "I need to speak to the Colonel."

The ragged man laughed, "I'm sorry, but I don't know what you're talking about sir, I--"

Orphan grabbed the man by the collar and lifted him off his feet, "I. Need. To. Speak. To. The. Colonel. Understand?"

The ragged man nodded frantically until Orphan dropped him, "I'll see what I can do."

Orphan stood there, motionless, as the ragged man ran down the alley.

Orphan had become a desperate man.

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Orphan had been gone an hour before Lucia finally got to her feet. She walked over to his cot, moved it aside and started feeling around on the wall. Her fingers dragged along the concrete until she felt an artificial crease and pulled hard until it swung open. Inside was a large safe. Orphan had given her the combination, but she'd never felt the need to access it before. After entering the code and turning the spigot the safe opened up to reveal a large collection of firearms and several assortments of bladed weapons. She reached inside and retrieved an old M9 Barretta pistol and an AK-47. Both with original parts and spectacularly maintained.

Lucia put them both on the table and sat down. After staring blankly down at them for several moments she picked up the pistol and began disassembling it. It took her a few minutes, longer than she would have liked. Now was the hard part. It took her fifteen minutes to put it back together. Orphan would not be pleased.

Fuck him. This is for me. Again.

She began disassembling the pistol once more.

 

[ProtoChimp]

Travis was lying down in his cell, dazed and his body stiff. Too much work had been done today for too little gain. 'I was so god damn close to getting my dick wet. Fucking white supremacists why do they care?' His top lieutenant was dead, he had pissed off Blackrock, though he didn't know the shitstorm that would approach due to what he had done, the only good thing that came out of this were two more guns. At least now everyone could be strapped, and he managed to teach one last lesson to the Tigers; who were somehow even lower on the food chain than The Dragons.

His thoughts were interrupted by Scar running into his cell. "Boss. We need you out here."

"Oh for fuck sake what now!" He couldn't be bothered with anything else today he just wanted to sleep.

"Well... the Arctic Wolves are here." The Dragon's face went as white as a sheet, and for the first time Scar had scene his leader show true fear. More than fear, he looked petrified. His hands shook. The hairs on his arms stood on end. Beads of cold swear ran down his back. He licked his lips to try and gain back some saliva as his mouth had gone dry.

His head twitched as he spoke. "Erm, where is everyone else?" Scar was speechless, he had never seen Travis like this. He looked... weak. "WHERE THE FUCK IS EVERYONE!" Travis barked like a scared puppy rather than a vicious wolf.

"Erm, we're all out here... up against the wall. They got us hold up, he said you shouldn't bring a gun. He wants to talk directly to you." Scar had to try and hide the disgust in his voice. Travis was no Dragon, now he could see what Travis really was. 'A scared little pussy.'[/]

"Who's he- whatever." Travis got up slowly and quickly paced outside, and was greeted by 75 Arctic wolves; gnashing teeth and laughing.

A man stepped forwards, Yuri, and said to Travis with dominance "Orphan is Azrael's alone to kill. He, or anyone associated with him, is off limits to The Dragon's; and if you don't stop waving around the pathetic excuse for a dick you have and tuck it back in your pants, then Azrael will, personally, relieve you of it."

Travis stood there and wanted to punch this man's teeth out. 'You have the gaul to come in to my house and not pay respects to- No, I can't play that game. I gotta play along with this piece of shit.'
Tracis was about to say yes to everything he said, but he couldn't stand there and be embarrassed in front of his own men. He replied "Okay, I'll leave Orphan alone. But just so you know, no one come into my turf and insults me to my face. Now apologi-" He was interrupted by Yuri grabbing his testicals and began squeezing like a vice, bringing the dragon to his knees. With a wave of his hand Yuri directed his men to kill five dragons, shooting them like a firing line.

"You need to shut your mouth right now, cos if you don't I'm gonna rip these off and bring them to Azrael himself. And believe me that's nice compared to what he'd do if I brought you to him alive. Are we clear?" Travis patted him on the shoulder, begging him for release, and nodded. Yuri smirked and let go, wiping his hands on Travis's shoulder. "Lets go boys."

 

[Fappy]

After spending several hours on the guns Lucia had moved onto conditioning. She had wrapped her hands in some spare medical tape and set a large piece of cardboard up against the concrete wall.

1-2-3. 1-2-3. 1-2-3.

She continued high, middle, and low jabs, throwing in a haymaker every now and then. It had been a boxing technique Orphan had taught her.

1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3.

The cardboard gave just enough cushioning to not bruiser her knuckle bones, but it still hurt like hell. She was caked in sweat but remained in her old ragged hoody. She needed to sweat the excess fat off. She needed to be light as a feather. She needed to be able to slip through her enemy's fingers.

Images of Azrael, Travis and others flashed in her mind as she continued her exercise, intensifying the impact of her blows. She thought of nothing else but revenge. She wanted to beat these men within an inch of their lives. She wanted to make them suffer as they had made her and so many others. Eventually her wrists began to sting and she noticed that the cardboard had more or less disintegrated.

She plopped down on the floor massaging her wrist. She opened and closed her hand deliberately as if trying to will away the pain. The fact that she was able to control her hand as well as she did despite the pain meant she was making progress.

She'd be ready this time.

 

[The Funslinger]

Acolyte was crouched in a ceiling vent, peering through the grate. The squad of Wardens had come through to the large clearing on quad bikes hauling trailers full of small stacked crates. Some of the Wardens established a perimeter, while others threw the crates. Some of them broke, and scattered their goods far across the room.

This time around, the Crips and Aryans were the main presences for this drop. The Aryans had a small advantage of numbers. Both sides were armed with shivs, pickaxes, chains and other improvised weapons. On a mesh catwalk dangling from the ceiling, two Warden snipers oversaw the drop. It went smoothly. The Wardens dropped their goods and got out. After a couple of minutes, the snipers left, too. The moment they were gone, hell broke loose. This wasn't a riot, but merely a skirmish for supplies, and as such, the Wardens would allow it to pass.

Some of the first few Aryans were killed or wounded by zip guns. One hit wonders, that wouldn't fire again. The survivors in that first group made it through and started going to work on the gunners with metal pipes. A couple managed to yank out shivs to defend themselves. Acolyte ignored them, watching. As the fighting progressed, both sides also incrementally made off with supplies. Acolyte clocked an Aryan skittering around with a battered holdall. He and a couple of friends grabbed things, half at random and crammed them into the bag. Acolyte counted a can of tuna, a loaf of crusty bread, a portable hob with a small unit of gas, three cans of soup, two 2 liter bottles of water, a pack of water biscuits and three boxes of Aspirin. Aspirin! To Acolyte, that was a treasure. Over the years, he'd discovered regular doses of Aspirin lowered the frequency of his blackouts. They had to be regular doses, though. So he horded any Aspirin he could get his hands on.

He waited, and when the three Aryans passed the way they'd come, he crawled backwards through the vent, around the corner, and kicked out the grate he'd loosened. Lithe as a cat, he dropped and rolled, coming to his feet just as the trio came around the corner. This was his least favorite technique for harvesting from the drops, because it guaranteed violence, but it was his best shot in such a heavy skirmish.

'Hello, guys. Could you do me a favor, and hand over the bag?'
'Fuck off, you ain't Aryan!'
'No, I'm not, but it's just easier for all of us if you give me the bag. Please?'
'I'll give you a bag. A fucken teabagging!'

The three rushed him. Two had rough iron shivs, and the third had what looked like a steak knife. Acolyte sprinted towards them, and they faltered slightly in confusion. Veering to the wall, he set his feet to it, moving quickly along, bringing him up in front of the right-most Aryan. Pushing off the wall, his foot connected hard with the man's jaw with a loud cracking. The Aryan was hit so hard, he bowled into one of his fellows, who stumbled. Acolyte landed, and stooped to the man, swiftly clapping him on the temple and neck on opposite sides, knocking him out. The third took a swinging slash with his shiv, which Acolyte dodged. He grabbed the man's shoulder, found the nerve cluster, and squeezed. The Nazi twitched; the shiv clattered to the floor, and he himself collapsed. Acolyte picked up the holdall, and was about to shoulder it, when he turned to see a familiar face. The mountainous Aryan who'd helped Lucia in the mine shaft.

Ah...

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

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"Stand down Corporal!"

"Fuck you, Sir!"

"I said STAND DOWN, THAT IS AN ORDER!"

"These bastards have been giving us hell for weeks. I'm done with it. I'm done with all of it!"

"Look at him. LOOK AT HIM DAMMIT! What is he, 15? Maybe not even that. Do you think he likes this war any more then we do? He is our prisoner, and we do not shoot prisoners, now lower your weapon."

"Who's war have you been fighting huh? No Tiger officer ever told me what we do and don't do to prisoners before."

"I don't give a shit what anyone else told you. For all command knows or cares we're dead! Fuck this war, and fuck the Tigers. I am the highest ranking officer you've got, and I am taking us all home before anyone else gets killed, do you understand? This kid isn't our enemy anymore, so I am ordering you, to lower. Your. Weapon!"

"Or what, you're gonna shoot me?"

"This is not a path you want to take Corporal..."

"GO ON THEN! PUT ME OUT OF MY MISERY, YOU'VE GOT FIVE SECONDS... FOUR... THREE... TWO... ONE..."

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"Colonel?"

Lee was jerked out of the memory by the arrival of Cpt. Montoya. In a split second, he had composed himself.

"What is it, Captain?"

"'O' has made contact Sir, he says he wants to meet you, in person."

"Then I will not disappoint him."

The Captain paused "Sir, are you sure that's wise"

"No, but considering the circumstances, I feel it's the least I can do. We are proceeding on schedule I trust?"

"Even better than anticipated." Montoya sounded uncomfortable.

"Good." said Lee, but as Montoya turned to leave, he spoke up again.

"Would you describe me as a good man, Captain, if pressed?"

"I would Sir."

"Then you're naive. It's been a long time since I was last a good man. One way or another, I have always fought for what I believe in; and, strangely, I believe more in this than I have about anything in my life. My work will, in the long term, bring hope to this place. Perhaps I will even make it respectable. However, this does not make me a good man. I am a soldier, fighting a war, and I learned a long time ago what happens to good men in times of war."

The Captain said nothing else, for there was nothing else to say.

"I will meet with him at midnight, at the mouth of The Pit. In the morning, I want Lt. Korovich to meet me in my office, so we can talk about his progress. That will be all Captain."

===============================================================================================================================

All points of entry had been cut off, even the vents. While they needed the girl alive, Nikolai and his men did not know what they would find inside the cell block, even though they knew Orphan himself was elsewhere, so they were all armed. A few had thought beforehand that it was excessive to take so much care over one little girl, but Nikolai had corrected them. Anyone who ran with The Orphan was to be taken seriously, and even outside this case, they were never, under any circumstances, to underestimate an opponent. Nikolai would not tolerate mistakes from his chosen.

He crept closer, making astonishingly little sound for a man of his size, his back to the wall so he would not be visible from the line of sight out of the cell. he was close, so close he could hear her breathing heavily. She sounded tired.

It was time to move, and they must move quickly. Nikolai gave the signal, stepped out of the shadows, and kicked through the iron lock on the barred door as if it were paper.

 

[Fappy]

The ragged man returned to Orphan to give him the news. Midnight wasn't too far off, but he had some time to kill and he was hungry. He started for his cell wondering if Lucia had moved a muscle since he had left.

********************************************************************************************************************************

Lucia moved to the table where she had laid her head down for a short break. She was exhausted and was about to fall asleep when she noticed something displayed on the baby monitor Orphan kept atop the nightstand next to his cot. There were several men outside the door. Armed.

Lucia froze. Her breathing grew heavy. Was she about to die?

A week ago--maybe even a few hours ago--Lucia wouldn't have had the will to act. Her fear of a terrible and inevitable end would have doomed her to accept her fate. Now, however....

Goodbye Lucia.

She grabbed the AK-47 and placed her boot on the edge of the table. Just as soon as the lock broke under the weight of the large man's foot Lucia kicked the table on it's side, crouched down and opened fire on the doorway. She didn't yell or scream or shout. She didn't tremble or shake or freeze up. She simply gritted her teeth and fired at her enemies.

A single tear escaped her eye and rolled down the side of her face.

 

[The Funslinger]

'You could walk away. They need you out there against the Crips.'

'I do not ignore obstacles.'

Acolyte sighed. 'I see...'

'You hurt my comrades. You have our supplies. I can't let that pass.'

The mountainous Aryan still had his pickax from the mines. He hefted it, and charged. Acolyte sidestepped, and the head punched hard into the concrete floor. Acolyte expected him to try to yank it out, but he abandoned it immediately, and shoulder barged Acolyte, catching him by surprise. He went sprawling, winded.

The man then pulled his weapon free, bringing up chunks of concrete. He advanced, and prepared to swing at Acolyte who watched from the floor. He avoided this strike by rolling, and the Nazi stopped the ax head from being buried again. Acolyte jumped to his feet, and ducked back to avoid a slash. He darted forward and peppered the Aryan with a flurry of jabs. The man grunted in pain, but seemed otherwise unaffected. He slammed the pick's haft at Acolyte, who stepped back, grabbing it. Instead of trying to snatch the weapon though, he ducked under it, and under the Nazi's thick arm, turning slightly, and delivering a hard kick to the back of the knee. The Towering Aryan buckled, and then threw himself backwards. Acolyte had to backpedal to avoid being crushed.

He was sluggish. Finding it harder and harder to overcome this leviathan of a man. He should be able to run circles around him and drop him, but he couldn't. Why?

He knew why. And it meant he needed to finish this quickly. He shook his head to clear it as his opponent got to his feet. The Nazi stayed low to the ground and sprinted. Acolyte sprinted too, then at the last moment, jumped. his hands took grip on the huge man's back and he wheeled over him. Turning swiftly, he kicked. His foot planted itself firmly between the Nazi's legs and he crumpled. Acolyte jabbed nerves in the man's right arm and the ax fell to the ground. Then the left elbow slammed into Acolyte's gut and he fell. Then the man was on top of him and they were grappling. Acolyte was quickly getting groggier and groggier. There was only one thing he could do. He jabbed his thumb bluntly between the man's ribs. It went deeper in than the lay person might imagine without breaking skin or flesh. The Nazi gave an almighty flounder, and started gurgling. Then he fell limp. His heart stopped.

It took the weakened and winded Acolyte a herculean effort to lever the man off him. He got unsteadily to his feet, and nearly fell again. A vent. He needed a vent. He took two steps and fell against a wall. As he pushed himself back up, he heard faint footsteps. Shit.

They became louder as he fell to his knees and then sprawled, darkness consuming his vision. He blacked out. The Aryans came around the corner.

They examined the incapacitated men, the dead behemoth, and Acolyte.

'Shit! What happened here? Cried one.
'I dunno, but these are our guys!' They set about dragging away the unconscious. Acolyte's shaved head briefly saved him then.

============================================================================================

Korovitch was coming out of the latrine area when Captain Montoya flagged him down. He snapped off a crisp salute.

'The Colonel wants to see you, Officer.'

'I see.' He left without asking questions. He would find out what for in due time, and that was fine by him.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Nikolai had only a split second, but he'd always been faster than he looked. When he saw the gun he turned like a dancer round to the opposite wall, out of the line of fire. Nevertheless, one bullet grazed his arm, but not badly, and Nikolai only noticed because because he had the time to look as the girl in the room kept firing at the empty space outside the door, punching hole after hole in the wall across from them. When the magazine was empty, he stepped back in and threw the table aside, kicking the empty rifle out of her hands with ease, hauling her to her feet and out of the cell. He struck her with the back of his hand across her face, hard. He didn't quite knock her unconscious, but she was dazed, and went limp. It was time for them to leave.

"Little girl will not fight anymore, or she will die." he told her, as he scooped her up onto his shoulder like she weighed nothing at all, and jogged back towards the exit, his men falling in around them.

 

[Fappy]

Lucia, barely conscious, felt a cold, wet sensation on her back. She summoned enough strength to move her head and look at the massive hand placed firmly on her spine. There was some blood on his fingers. She didn't know where she hit him, but it obviously wasn't a good enough shot. For a moment she contemplated biting his ear and rolling over the side of the balcony, but there were too many what-ifs. The movement was consistent enough to lull her to sleep in her current state, but she fought to stay conscious. She needed to remember where she was. Where she was going.

It took a few minutes, but she eventually mustered up the courage to speak, "Who are you? Where are you taking me?"

*****************************************************************************************************************************************

Orphan arrived to a grim scene. His heart more than sank... it plummeted to the deepest depths of the Pit itself. He walked over to the entrance of his cell and was examining the blood splatter on the wall when a familiar face appeared. It was his bird, "Who did this."

The small, feeble man was trembling, "It was Azrael's men. His Dog led them."

Orphan's expression remained unchanged, "If I survive until the end of the week you will be compensated," orphan said as he headed back the way he came.

The small man reached out, "What will you do?"

Orphan stopped walking for a moment and without looking back said, "Anything I can."

It would be midnight soon.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"You know who we are, little girl." said Nikolai "We are Arctic Wolves. We are taking you to Master."

She didn't respond to that.

"Dog's can smell fear, little girl." he told her, his voice a low whisper. "Do not be afraid. Master wants you alive. He will speak with you. Do as Master asks, and we will not hurt you again."

==================================================================================================================================

In the darkness Lee strode across the snowy tarmac towards the meeting. What Orphan wanted to talk about, he could probably guess, but he had taken the necessary precautions, just in case.

 

[Fappy]

Lucia clenched her hands into fists, balling up bits of Nikolai's shirt in the process. Why would they want her alive? Could this be about Orphan?

After a few moments she relaxed her grip, "He won't come for me you know. Your 'Master' is... he's wasting his time," Lucia bit her lip and winced. "He's survived despite the odds all this time," She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince him or herself. "Why do you think he'd throw that all away after coming this far?"

*******************************************************************************************************************************************

In the darkness, Lee had suddenly stopped walking. He felt a cold chill run up his spine. It was as if Orphan had been following behind him since he left his office, "I thought I had more time, but it turns out I don't," Orphan paused for a brief moment, but continued before Lee turned around. "I need your help, Lee."

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Lee turned to face the man. He briefly considered a friendly greeting, but thought better of it. Orphan would know that the pleasantries were hollow. Better to keep this exchange businesslike.

"Make your request. I think we can both agree that I am in your debt."

==================================================================================================================================

Nikolai shrugged "Master will explain. I bring you to him now. That is all that matters."

 

[Fappy]

Orphan took a deep breath before speaking, "The girl I've been sheltering, Lucia... she's been taken by Azrael," Orphan scratched his beard, thinking for a moment and continued. "The Wolves don't give two shits about the girl, it's me they want. I'd gladly hand myself over to them if it meant she'd be safe, but we both know that's not how Azrael operates."

What he had to say next was something he'd considered in the past, but had hoped he'd never have to go through with. Something every inch of his nature fought against.

"Look Lee, I don't give a fuck about what kind of game you're playing in the Pit, but I'm not as old and blind as you may think. I know I've already crossed a line there's no coming back from, but in honor of all the years I cleaned the shit out of this hellhole for you, I ask... give me what I need to get her back and promise me she'll be set free. I know you've read her file and I know you have the kind of pull needed to get it done," Orphan crossed his arms and looked down briefly before looking Lee in the eye once more. "In return you can be sure I won't walk out of there alive."

**************************************************************************************************************************************

Talking to this thickheaded enforcer wasn't going to get her anywhere. Lucia decided to save her energy and think back to any knowledge about the Wolves and the Pit that may help her situation. Though, for some reason... she wasn't as distressed as she thought she should be.

I'm coming at last Tristan...

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

"For me?" Lee scoffed "You're rewriting history Orphan. You already had plenty of blood on your hands before I was put in command of this place. The predecessor of my predecessor I think it was, or perhaps before even him, who first approached you. Their plan, to have a man beneath the surface to solve problems outside of the Warden's reach and mandate, was certainly poking it's nose in the right direction. However, it lacked a certain sense of... scale."

He took a step closer to the man, and this time spoke more diplomatically.

"Nevertheless, I have used your services, and I am not an unreasonable man. In regards to your suggestion, I cannot grant you what you want. There are too many risks involved there, and any mistake to undo an entire operation years in the making. Rest assured, Lucia will be safe. Ironically, I'd argue that she's safer at this precise moment than she was under your protection. Azrael needs her alive, else she'd already be dead, and I have... implements, in place, that can assure her protection after you are no longer around. While I admit I can't guarantee against some minor level of harm to her person, she will never be in any real danger. Beyond that, I must ask that you trust me, and comply with any demands that Azrael may make of you, for her sake."

==================================================================================================================================

They found Azrael waiting for them in his own private chambers. It had been made to look comfortable, or at least as comfortable as a hollow of solid ice can be. Seated at the long table, the place at the other end had been served with a healthy plate of food, although with no knife or fork.

"My dear Lucia!" he welcomed cheerfully, as Nikolai set her down on her feet and stood guard by the door. He put on a good show of tutting with dissatisfaction at the sight of her bruised face. "I am sorry if the summons I sent for you was a little... physical. I am a cautious man, and it was of the utmost importance that you join me here tonight. Regardless, I offer you my deepest apologies. Now please, sit and eat. Warriors must eat well if they are to grow as big and strong as Nikolai here, and I would feel so dreadfully rude if I started negotiating terms before I had first offered you my hospitality. You are in the presence of a King after all. It is only fitting that you should be made to feel a princess!"