Hunger for Destruction
The Ikkilitian Tails
Chapter III: Destruction and Mayhem
Part I: Hunger for Destruction

It was all in place. A short trip to the deep lairs in the depths of Hell Pit yielded endless supplies of powders and materials that were easily mixed into highly explosive agents, which were then easily packaged into bombs. After creating a large stockpile of these things, Ikkilit had hastily mutated a Rat Ogre, and had gone to Verminkin to get permission to enter in the Ogrefest tournament in Skavenblight. Verminkin had been initially opposed to the idea, but Ikkilit's fast words and gift with manipulation soon had the Packlord dancing to his tune, and Ikkilit was allowed to depart. In all truth, Ikkilit remembered little of his discussion with the leader of Clan Moulder - he had a vague suspicion that he had not been himself during that time. But for whatever the reason, after a week or so of travelling, Ikkilit reached the capital of Skavendom - Skavenblight.

It had taken him a very short amount of time to settle in - once he had found the Moulder Quarter, he had penned his beast and removed its burden of bombs. During the darkest period of the day, Ikkilit had snuck in past the guards guarding the area of the city in which the Ogrefest would be held, and placed bombs all throughout the arenas. He had them hidden under te dirt in the center, in the walls of the judges' booth, and under the seats of the audiencerats. He quickly ran out of bombs, but in the center of the Underempire, finding more supplies was all too easy. The arena section of Skavenblight was soon like a keg of Skryre Warpstone Powder, ready to go off at any time.

The triggers that he had designed on the bombs were Ikkilit's favorite part. Inside each bomb was a tiny piece of metal held above a similarly-sized piece of flint by a small wooden bar. Holding each piece of wood in place was a mechanical hinge that would swivel out of the way of metal when a certain signal sent through the Aethyr reached it. And of course, Ikkilit held the Master Control. When pointed in the general direction of a series of bombs, and the button was pressed, it sent a magical communication through the weave of the Aethyr, instantaneously reaching the receiver attached to the hinge. The hinge would move, the the metal would strike the flint, creating a spark that would set the Warpstone powder ablaze for an instant before it exploded in a fiery maelstrom of destruction.

Ikkilit shook his head, dispelling his dreaming of the past. He needed to focus on now. He glanced up at the beast standing above him - his hastily-created Rat Ogre, staring stupidly ahead. He had no real need for the beast, as it had merely been an excuse to be sent to Skavenblight without angering the Packlord. But now that he was here, he might as well make some money before he carried out Tzeentch's will. At this thought, he felt a vast consience brush his own, and felt a sense of approval from it. Ikkilit shook his head again, dispelling that eerie feeling.

The announcer's voice suddenly carried through to where Ikkilit and his beast were waiting. "Ikkilit versus Xallam!" After spending a moment contemplating the strangeness of his opponent's name, the door in front of Ikkilit swung wide open, revealing the sand of the arena in front of him. Across from him stood another Ogre, with five bladed tentacles emerging from his back. Ikkilit grimaced. His own beast had only an additional head and arm... there was no way to win by the rules. The only reason he had won in the preliminaries was because his opponent's beast had had a seizure at the start of the match and had killed himself. Which, of course, Ikkilit had had nothing to do with.

As it was, Ikkilit whipped his beast, and it roared and trundled forward slowly. His opponent's beast appeared to be lethargic, and hardly moved at all, even as Xallam whipped it as hard and fast as he could. Ikkilit advanced slowly but steadily at his almost-unmoving opponent, and the crowd booed and hissed at this lack of a show. Ikkilit grinned to himself. He would give them a show later...

Finally, Ikkilit's unnamed beast got within striking distance of Xallam's Makketh. The Ogre lashed out with all three arms, and ripped out all of his opponent's tentacles. Xallam's beast scarcely noticed, and Xallam dropped his whip and fled the arena. Unperturbed by his opponent's lack of reponse, Ikkilit's beast wrenched its opponent's head from his neck and bit into it. The two heads began to fight over the tiny morsel as Makketh's headless corpse fell over backwards. Ikkilit grinned and began to whip his quarreling beast back to the pens.

***

Ikkilit was resting in his chamber in the Moulder Quarter, his Master Control close at hand, when he heard the voices. Ikkilit rarely slept for more than a few seconds - he did not trust anyrat who would dare get close to him. By awakening every few seconds for a few seconds, Ikkilit was almost constantly aware of his surroundings, even in 'sleep.' It was during one of these periods of awakefulness that the whispers reached his ears. Ikkilit was instantly wide awake, and within moments was out of his cot and standing by the door, ear pressed to the crack. His body was tense, and he was ready to flee and hide at any time.

"-in there-there. Why is it that you want-want him? The Packlord sent us orders that-that he be protected." The voice of one of the guards.

The second voice sent a chill down Ikkilit's spine. He hardly recognized it, as a new confidence had come into it. "That is for me to know and you to- not know. Let me by. I, too-too, have explicit orders from the Packlord." It was Ikkil.

"And what about the rest of your army there?" Ikkilit suddenly shivered. He had a very bad feeling about this... he clutched his Master Control more tightly, taking comfort from it.

Ikkil's voice was flat and even. "They follow me, guardrat. I am sure-sure that they are capable of putting any objections of yours to rest." Ikkilit heard the guard back off swiftly, and his pawsteps carried him past Ikkilit's door, further down the corridor.

Ikkilit hastily stepped back from the door, and looked around frantically for a hiding spot as the door burst open. Ikkil stood there, a smug grin on his face.

"Well-well, dear brother, we meet again." So many of Ikkilit's mannerisms were manifesting in his brother that Ikkilit flinched and backed away, unnerved. Ikkil took a step forward, revealing the small army he had following him. Doubtless the sole reason for his confidence.

"And this time, I believe I am in the better position. Do you not agree, brother?"

Ikkilit said nothing. His hands were behind his back, fingering the cover that covered the button on the Master Control. He took another step back, bringing him within reaching distance of the table - with smaller versions of his bombs lying on top, triggered not by a control but by impact.

Ikkil took another step forward, and two of his retinue stepped into the room. "You have been reported as a heretic and follower of Tzeentch to the Inquisition, dear Ikkilit. The Inquisirats are looking for you now, but Verminkin sent me here to... find... and kill you before you caused any more trouble for the poor old rat." It took all of Ikkilit's will to keep a straight face, not betraying his emotions. He had never believed his brother capable of anything even close to this... betraying him to the Inquisition!"

Without giving his brother any noticed, Ikkilit whirled around and grabbed a handful of bombs from the table behind him with his free hand, and wasted not a moment in spinning around again and hurling them at the smug rat in front of him. In an instant, a roar echoed through the room, and undoubtedly the corridor as the explosions ripped through the Skaven and wall in his way. Ikkilit wasted no time in sprinting out of the room, pushing through the surviving guards as quickly as possible, and vanishing into the back tunnels of the Moulder Quarter. Once there, it was all to easy to leave the city. He had no destination, but wanted only to escape. He hoped that that damn explosion had killed his brother - he hadn't stopped to check. It would have been near impossible to survive... but Ikkilit still didn't feel as if his brother was did.

If he is not, he soon will be... he will not be able to survive your wrath. Ikkilit glanced down at the Master Control he still clutched in his right hand and he paused to rest in an abandoned tunnel outside the city. The device was glowing with an eerie bluish-green light, and from it he sensed a hunger... a hunder that must be fed and satiated...

...a hunger for destruction.

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