Incline 36: Ivahstar

I open my eyes quickly, battering down the grogginess with brutality only comparable to what the future holds. The familiar broken vision of close up, black cloth warps my vision. Light breaks apart the strands, giving me an incomplete but still full view. There are men at my sides and two ahead. Hands tied up in the usual behind-the-back manner.

We're in a moving car...

"Hold on, take that off," the man to my forward-right orders. The one on my left reaches over, heaving up my mask and revealing the world to me. I wince only slightly at the shift in light. The headache from my prior battering throbs and my teeth tighten.

"He's certainly up quickly." the gangster on my left points out, and I turn to meet him. He smirks, his paw affectionately rubbing the holstered away handgun. None of them have their hands properly on their weapons. I roll my shoulders, cracking some aches and pops out of my body. Testing for additional restraints.

"Heh, certainly going to want to limber up for what we have planned for you." the gangster on my forward-left remarks and the one on my immediate right shuffles. 

"Are we sure we have the right guy?" he asks, throwing my thoughts through some doubts.

"You heard the boss. Leak from the station told us about a blood wasp weapon in Agadton. Certainly circumstance that we then here Ivahstar in the crowd." the forward-left one explains and I keep my expression neutral. Though my thoughts could not be any more set in stone. He's here for me. Gamtambo. 

His thugs, anyway... Suppose he wants to do the job personally.

"Boss will have our heads for bringing him the wrong guy." the one on my left goes.

"No, he'll take his head, and a handful of our quills," the forward-right one corrects, his fingers jabbing at me and then circling the batch. I shake my head, denying his dreams, but otherwise hide it as a recovery movement. I blink sloppily and go a bit limp.

"Ah, nothing special. Just a quick burst of energy." the forward-left one says, his leg kicking out at my shin. I take a deep breath, focusing on the distance and ease he had with it. My senses are clear to me. This is a big car. One with plenty of room.

One with a weakness in the eyes of the man at my forward-right. He's quiet, but he's not at ease. The only one with his hand anywhere near his weapon. I meet his eyes and maintain the stare. I test his instincts, probe at his pride and maturity.

The gangster sneers and moves forward, coming closer. He glances around at his compatriots and he starts to laugh. The rest follow suit, but the energy is not there. The forward-right gangster comes even closer to my unfazed expression. 

He snarls and I snarl right back, backing down as he threatens a blow. He smirks, so do I. I lash out, going straight for his neck and sinking my teeth into it. Wide eyes surround me on all sides and the seconds barely tick. I pull back, a bloody chunk clinging to my lips.

On the rise and twisting around, I throw my feet up. The two gangsters on my left get knocked about and I force my quills up. Throwing myself at the pair ahead, I launch myself right back into the one behind me. He goes silent and my carefully prepared natural weapons dig deep. The special poison on them activating as blood touches soaks the points.

I pull myself out, throwing my legs up at the gangster once on my immediate left. He spits out across the door and I lock my legs around him. I twist with all I have, pulling him down and keeping his arms focused on one thing. The surrounding danger. I shove up against the one behind me, smashing my head back into his nose.

I keep ongoing and going, letting one leg go to the other and I seesaw between the two. Quill-covered head, full force of leg. Quill-covered head, full force of leg. All the time until the end of their times.

The two appear limp and I shrug about, glancing at the gurgling mess I started this with. He doesn't know what to do. There should be meat where he cannot feel anything but running red. He can't even find the strength to reach his gun. I rise back to my feet, shrugging my shoulders and twisting my neck limber.

Restraints keep me in an awkward position and I continue to pull on them to stave off the tedium. Whoever the drivers are, they're not all too aware of what happened back here. Guess that must mean they were beating me on the drive. Orders, perhaps...?

"Mm." I let out, sitting down and slipping my arms under my legs. I get a good look at my restraints and then eye a simple pocket knife. Nothing fancy, but it'll get the job done. I reach for it and get to cutting. My impatience boils and I snap the ropes apart as a detail drives me to silent fury.

They have my daughter. They have my daughter. They have my daughter. They have Heiya!

My neck twists again, easing that tension out of me as my breath comes out cold. I take what I need from one of the gangsters and check the handgun's state. It is indeed loaded. The four were just careless. Clueless, too, if their words meant anything. Perhaps they've spent too long on rumours of me?

No, they're... Were too young to know of me properly. I doubt they were even the ones intended to get me. Just ones that got cocky once they had me blackout. The gun clicks and I waste an unspent bullet, letting it fly. I bang the car's divider and a small panel opens up.

"What!?" an irate man answers from the front passenger, his head not turned enough to see the mess.

"Stop the car. I need to piss." I lie, testing to see if I can get this car to stop safely. I can handle a crash, but I'd rather not.

"Which one's that...?" the driver asks, my voice most certainly not familiar.

"I don't bloody know. Just stop the car, let them walk back. Had enough of that damn racket back there!" the passenger snaps and I almost want to smirk. The sounds of death squeak like the brakes of a car on a gravelly road. The door locks lift up.

Getting out of the car, I walk around and line myself up with the window. The passenger looks at me, then away, then back with wide eyes. I pull the trigger, painting the interior leather red. I twitch to the left, making my metal beast roar again.

"Mm." I let out, watching distant taillights vanish down the dark tunnel. I was in a convoy? That means Heiya should be ahead of me. What about Hrurim...? Nin? If they heard my name, one of them must've lucked to us while I was meeting back up with the pair. Right before our shopping trip. 

I walk around to the back of the car, banging dents into Gamtambo's property. I stand safely aside and blow off the lock of the boot. My instincts prove correct and I find a treasure trove. Confiscated equipment, all with my name on it.

The handgun falls to the ground, the 'ich' of disgust on my lips, and I reach in. Piece after piece ends up back on my person and my familiar weight returns. I knock on the blood wasp container and hear no buzzing. A click breaks open my lips and I empty the container of the dead insects. Some honey was made, so that's good. But now I need to replace them all.

"One and half." I remark in the open, checking my gun and how much it's still loaded with. Enough to clear a few dozen with careful shots. A fraction with the reality of what a fight is actually like. The weapon clicks back into order, and I dirty my paws again with the handgun.

I reach into the car, pulling out one body after another. My aged body groans as it remembers labour of a long time ago. I twist again, feeling all the more limber as adrenaline remains in my system perpetually. My daughter... I'm coming for you. Gods protect you.

Gods protect you or I am coming for them all next!

"Now... Business." I click, my tone as cold and flat as ever. One, two, three, four, five, six. A new bullet for everyone, just to make sure. I toss the handgun, letting it join the toxic blood.

With the keys still in the car, I lock everything up, slamming the boot back down to force it shut. I hop in the gore-messy front and boot the car back up into motion. The convoy is heading the way we are faced. Therefore, the black market is...

The car moves the wrong way and I squeeze the wheel around, almost snapping it off. The tires screech on the road, burning their complaints into the stone. I take off at full speed, safety belt clicking not a moment too soon. This silence is inspirational and my head comes alive.

My objective is simple: Save Heiya. My immediate steps are much the same: Gear up.

Find out what happened with Hrurim and Nin, maybe even deal with the latter. The plan for selling him off is now on hold. There's no need for money anymore. The safe plans to get near Gamtambo are gone. There is only force now.

Perhaps I can bargain with Nin? Whatever man he was when I last knew him, that doesn't seem to be the case anymore. That man would've violently thrashed at us at every opportunity. He kept his cool, his victory against death taking away all that fear and the anger it makes.

The tunnel road proves reliable and I have no need to turn. The lights of the black market call to me, even this far away. I slow down, respecting the circumstances of everyone else. Making more enemies now is not the way I can take. 

My lips and jaw shift, another thoughtful tick going off in my head. Whatever those gangsters have planned, it can't be much. They were too careless with me. Too witless about it all. Their hands should've never left their guns. May Undwote never find them. Never.

Still, I cannot make this same mistake. No problem worth solving ever is worth doing in a half-arsed attempt. Solve it once and solve it well. I need more gear. Proper gear.

A blood wasp funded weapon is not just for show, there is practicality in such esoteric means. Hopefully, someone in the market happens to have some for sale. Hopefully Gamtambo has not strangled the markets clean of sources. Or, maybe, he's enhanced them... A honeypot just for me.

Well, should it thankfully be the latter, I'll show him well what it means to feed the animals. Read the signs, poor, stupid Gamtambo. Read the signs... Don't. Feed.

A growl builds up in my throat, my grip twisting ever harsher around the steering. If I find so much as a quill missing from my daughter's head. A drop of blood that so much as shimmers like her eyes. There will be no escaping my wrath. None at all.

My grip eases up, and I pat near my heart. I slip into a pocket and pull out a picture. The one we took so recently. I stare, lingering my eyes on that smile of hers. I may never see it again.

No.

No, I will. I will see my daughter again. She will hold me again and I will make her smile more. We will rid ourselves of the life I've dropped us down and we can climb on out. Not for another job, but to live at peace.

"I'm sorry, Princess... Pops is coming. Pops is coming." I whisper, hoping the gods will carry it on the wind and to her ears. Do one kind thing for me, beings of the divine. Do this one kind thing for me in my life of evil. Keep her safe until I can save her. Keep my Heiya safe.

The black market eases closer, all the clearer for it. I pull up towards the entrance, rolling the bloody glass down. An old man steps out, his gear jostling at his simple job. He gives the vehicle a quick inspection, his brow rising at the bits of damage and blood.

He walks up before me, a curious glint in his eyes, "Got a name for me, Messy?"

"Ivahstar," I answer, pulling up my weapon and unlocking it, a bolt of blood wasp honey in my pinch, "The Terror of the Dark."