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| - Lucia's unwillingness to kill and her patience to hear him through, and it was frustrating for both of them to say the least, showed how the Alliance was indeed a worthy enemy. If she was anything, it was a beacon for hope for her people and a reason for the Horde to reconsider why and how they fight. Kopfjagger was continually amazed by the strength of the living will. He supposed that he had taken it for granted while he wore the delicate flesh of the living. Her wrists extended, Kopfjagger again bound her to her staff. He left her feet free in case there was need for flight and he considered blindfolding her. The rag was in his hand while he pondered the option. No human, or other alliance member had ever seen the inside of Undercity and walked out in their flesh. He would have to work on his lying skills. Blindfolding her was not an option. If they had to flee, she would be helpless and blind. No, he thought to himself, better to die facing your foe than being led a lamb to the slaughter. Lucia was many things, but lamb was not one of them, and he would do everything possible to ensure that she was not a part of the slaughter this evening. Hastily, he stuffed the rag back in his backpack and looked into Lucias eyes. He tried to look as confident as possible and even managed a somewhat convincing wink. She smiled weakly back and he thought that her cheeks gained a little color. Perhaps, he thought. Human blood was an interesting thing. It always seemed to show up where it wasnt wanted. The Forsaken rogue picked up the loose end of the thin rope that bound her wrists and began an arrogant stride towards the guards. Both of his swords were on his hips and he walked slowly and confidently towards the torchlight. He tried to look as imposing as possible. Puffing out his chest, he made sure that his twins swung menacingly as he strode. Looking over his shoulder one last time, he saw Lucia, hair still a mess, robes tattered, look back at him. Fear and resolve mixed on her face in a way that showed her strength without hiding her humanity. Impressive. "You there, guardsmen," he called out once he rounded the corner. The hissing, slurring speak of his kind sounded ominous as it echoed down the dank cavern. "I am on a special mission for the head of the Royal Apothecary Society. I and my captive were never here. Is that understood?" He bellowed through the chamber in a strong, confident and hopefully arrogant voice. His feet kept moving and he gave a gentle tug on the rope when it went taut. It was the sound of his voice that made Lucia halt. It was not the sympathetic, understanding and compassionate tones that he used while he was trying to teach her his language. It was not the booming, jovial laugh she had heard before. This was the sound of a monster claiming its territory; loud, belligerent and angry. She crushed a shiver that ran down her spine and put her feet back in motion when the tug told her to keep moving. She didnt realize she had stopped. The shiver came back. Both of the guards jumped at the sudden voice coming from the direction they were supposed to be guarding. The quickly assumed intimidating stances and looked Kopfjagger and Lucia over skeptically as the pair came into the light of the torches. "That is a tasty little morsel," one replied. His eyes were already glowing yellow, which meant that he was either very cocky, which is what happened to Kopfjagger when he was feeling particularly arrogant, or it meant that he was able to see much better in the darkness that anyone could imagine. So it was with the Forsaken. No two were exactly the same. Just like the humans. "Yesss, ideeeed. Shhhhe dosssth look yummmy," the other agreed. His lower jaw was a mess and his tongue could be seen hanging from where his jaw should have been. It was a wonder he was able to speak at all. This one had no eyes at all, just black pits in a face that was more like a skull wrapped in leather. "My orders," Kopfjagger boomed over them, "are to bring her alive to my master: By any means necessary. If you so much as look at my captive wrong, I will remove your spirit from your flesh the most painful way I can imagine. If you touch her, I will not let your spirit release until days after you beg me to kill you." His strong voice was having an effect on the guards. Now it was time to see if he could finish the lie he had started. He lowered his voice to almost a whisper and poured all of his malice into his words. "And if I find out that anyone knew about my presence here, I'll know who to come find. I will feast upon your friends, I will hunt down and brutalize your family, your pets will be sent to the Trolls for food. Then I will track, find and torture anyone that ever heard your name. Only then I will come for you." There was a long pause as the guards looked over the Forsaken fingering his swords in front of them. Their eyes took in his twins, his armor and eyes that had become red. Lucia whimpered and shook visibly. This place was worse then Lucia could have imagined as her downcast eyes took in her surroundings. The thought of her husband trapped in here, if he was indeed still alive, horrified her in a way she couldn't have explained to anyone. She could feel the guards burning eyes on her as she played the role of a weak, meek defeated creature. She didn't have to pretend her fear. "She must be blinded," said yellow eyes tentatively. "I will not allow my captive to be harmed in any way before she meets the Apothecary. He wants all of his .... Subjects.... in as perfect physical condition as possible. I do not want even a bruise on her body or an ankle twisted," he rumbled at the guard. Both guards looked surprised and scared at the same time. Yellow eyes raised his hands as if to say, 'No problems here,' and jawless motioned for them to continue and turned to stare at the wall that was behind him, allowing free passage. Kopfjagger hid his relief behind a grunt and continued to walk slowly through the cave. He made his pace deliberately slow. He did not want Lucia to trip because he knew that his compassion for her would show instantly. He also did not want the guards to think he was nervous in any way. Confidence was their only chance and so far it seemed to be working. Past the guard, Kopfjagger went slow enough for her to glance at the place she was being led through. At the end of the twisting cavern, a huge, grisly city suddenly sprang into view. A multi-leveled chamber of horrors is what she saw. That green ooze filled this place, much more then the thin trickle of the tunnel. Corridors branched out every few feet and she was already lost as Kopfjagger turned and twisted his way pulling her along with the thin rope tether. There was a back route rarely taken to the master brewers chambers and that was the circuitous route they were to take. Before heading into the Apothicarium itself, however, Kopfjagger stopped to take in Lucia for what was probably to be the last time. He was going to miss her and he wanted to remember her face. This was not how he wanted to remember his bride. She had been so vibrant, so very full of life. Now her sick, bony frame was a mass of blotches and racked with coughing. He held her limp head in his arms and gently rocked her back and forth as her eyes became clouded with pain and her tongue lolled useless out of her mouth. Her cough made him flinch. No, this was not at all how he wanted to remember his bride, but he knew then that this, above every other memory of her, is how he would always see his heart. She noticed Kopfjagger stop for no real apparent reason and kept her eyes down. When he did not resume his walk, she cautiously looked up at him. Their eyes met and she shivered again. His eyes held hers as if studying. When he finally turned to resume his course, she realized that he had said goodbye to her in his own way. Strange that she should feel such loss now, she thought, when her husband was hopefully within reach. She shook her head to remove the tangled emotions. ((This part of the story was written in partnership by Kopfjagger and Lucia. I have the honor of retelling it but at least half, if not more, of the creative power comes directly from Lucia even though her name does not appear to the left of the post. *bows deeply to Lucia* Thank you, Lucia, for letting me retell our story, I hope to do it justice.))
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