Slaving Away (Group A) [Closed] [Finished]

Ale had to shake his head when the unicorn and zebra ran off again. "Round two." he chuckled while holding up a hoof and waving at the air near it with the other, "Ding, ding." He looked around the camp he saw that viktor and marcus had also decided to hit the sack. It was getting late and it would be wise for the group to get some sleep. He dug out his old gecko hide tarp out of his saddlebag and laid it out to form bedding before curling up on it to rest. "Hey Scar." Ale yelled in mek's direction. "You going to be okay keeping watch all night. I'm willing to tag you out if you need to rest."

Mek put his hands on his head. "How many timez do ah 'ave ta tell ya smoothhides dat ghoulz don't need ta sleep. Or eat. Or drink. Ah'd be much obliged if one a' ya lent me a rifle fer da night, though." He explained in an exasperated tone. He turned his massive frame towards Sanctity and Xeshir and got up off the ground surprisingly fast.

He reached over with his muscular arms and grabbed them both by the tail. " Oh, no ya don'! It's pitch black out 'ere, an' ah don' want nobody to come cryin' back 'ere sayin' day their shag was cut short by a giant radscorpion. You two. STAY. 'ERE."

Sanura listened carefully to what Hopscotch had to say and couldn't help but feel a certain... empathy, both for him and Marigold, she'd been in a similar position when she was younger after all, even though she hadn't really talked to anypony about it since then and oh she felt worse. She didn't even feel like eating the food she'd asked for anymore and so... she didn't. A nod was given toward Mad though for the offer of the food they'd come up with but she didn't say anything. Offering the steak to the slaver before she spoke up.

"I-I'm going to let you go." she said. Making a point of remaining quiet, just in case. "Just tell us what we want to know okay? And I need to know who grace is as well, and what kind of resistance the camp has... Just tell us what we need so we can be done with this." she nodded. She didn't want to do this anymore. The idea of being out hunting a group of ponies was a bit more wear on her than she thought it would be, even if they were slavers. Would've been much better if there was more of a chance for things to end less violently but that wasn't the job. At least the rest of the party seemed to be having fun. She looked their way as Mek went to snatch the other two before looking back to Hopscotch, "Just make sure you don't go to Stableton okay?"

Hopscotch pushed the offered dish away. He was certainly in no mood to eat right now. If Sanura was expecting him to seem cheered at the prospect of being freed, she was wrong. He just sighed sadly. “Okay, I’ll tell you. The slaver camp is about 20 miles east of here, almost directly due east. Grace has about 25 slavers working for him. Not all are guards, of course. Some deal with trading, some cook; you know, normal stuff. I’d say there was about 10 guards.” He sighed. “Grace. Grace is a monster. A smart monster, but still a monster. He’s got big horns, arms, stands on two legs. Can’t miss him.

“Do... Do you think I could bury her?” he asked, sounding a bit pathetic.

Diesel looked up from where he was resting and glanced at Scotch as he asked to bury her. "I have no problems with it, If you want I can dig the grave for you." He thought it was the least he could do for the pony after Ginger ruined his life. Smiling slightly he hoped the stallion wouldn't balk at his offer.

Sanura expected very little of what she could do could even begin to make him happy, no it was mostly for her. It would make her feel better if she at least tried to make up for what had happened. She did hope at least he would trust her for doing it. The mention of buring the other caused her jaw to clench just a bit before she'd nod, "Yeah, we can do that." And unless somepony stopped her she'd set about to wrapping the chains from the slaver with the pale pink glow from her horn as she stood up, ready to follow or lead him toward where Marigold had fallen.

"How long had you two been together?" she asked. jerking just a bit when Viktor suddenly joined the conversation and casting a glance between the two.

Ale had been listening in on sanura's conversation with scotch. He took note of the stallions "sad" story, yeah get in line everypony in the waste has a bit of their life that's not all sunshine and candy. Although scotch did earn some respect in ale's eyes, he'd tried to free a slave, he just went about it the wrong way. How many lives did he ruin trying to buy the freedom of one mare. It would have been simpler to just break her out and run.

The next part of the conversation is what really got ale's attention however. "Grace had horns, and stands on two legs? The buck is this guy a luna damned hell hound?" When the others got up to go bury marigold, the unicorn sighed and got up, trotting to catch up with the others. "Hey slaver boy." he called to hopscotch. "Figured i'd come pay my respects. Had I know about your predicament i'd have held back on the lethal shots." Ale looked down at marigold's body before continuing. "For what it's worth i'm sorry." He said to the deceased mare, thinking that she could here him from her place beside celestia and luna. He then looked over to scotch, "But your still a slaver in my eyes, I can't really forgive you for the things you've done." he paused. "But, you can still redeem yourself, help us take down grace and his slaver operation, and I can get you a safe place to live and find a new life, one that doesn't depend on the suffering of others." Ale then looked back down to marigold, who at this point was being lowered into the hole that viktor had dug, and bowed his head to give a silent prayer to the goddesses.

Diesel climbed out of the grave as he stood by the pile of dirt waiting for Scotch to say his last goodbyes. It was the least he could do for him. Nodding at Ginger he looked at the dead mare in the hole, was this going to be his fate? Buried in a no marked grave in the middle of the wastes, forgot by the world as it moves on. As much as he wanted to punch Ginger for the way he acted, he wouldn't ruin a funeral. He knew better then that and had been at too many where someone blamed him for the death, it was never fun for anyone there.

Xeshir looked at Mad Mek with an annoyed expression. The buzz has settled in her quite nicely by now. "You let me and him go right now or I swear I´ll-" His threat was cut short when she noticed the rest of the group doing something with Marigold´s body. They were...Buring her? She had no clue waht to do now, so she just stood there silently, slightly wobbling due to the inebriated state she was in.

Hopscotch rubbed the place where the bindings had been, happy that the circulation was returning. He stood and nudged Sanura aside, the composure of his face collapsing as he made his way towards Marigold, who was still lying where she’d been gunned down.

He dropped to the ground in front of the mare and picked her head up to cradle in his forelegs. “Goldy, I’m so sorry.” He hugged the body to him and sat there crying, rocking back and forth. They stayed like that for a time. Minutes later, he had cried himself out; he slowly rose to his hooves, and with reddened eyes, he turned towards Sanura and Viktor.

When Viktor offered to dig Marigold’s grave, Hopscotch looked at him with wide eyes. After a moment, though, his expression softened. “Okay,” he said, his voice slightly hoarse. “Thanks.”

The hole was quickly dug and Marigold laid to rest as the others offered their condolences.

His expression soured when Ginger approached, particularly at the mention of “lethal shots”. He paused to give some thought to his offer to take down Grace. “I think I might need the night before I can make any decision.” he offered cautiously.

Without saying anything more, he turned and walked back towards the fire, sat down, and stared into the flames for a while, a distant look on his face. After a moment, he tucked his head between his forehooves and tried to get some rest.

Sanctity turned round to glare at Mad as he decided that he should stop the pair of them from having fun. He even managed to force something that sounded close to a warning growl out of his throat, before it descended into coughs. Goddamn, that hurt, how did diamond dogs do it all the time?. He was about to say something, when he noticed that the rest of the group was stand around something. He focused his eyes on it for a moment, trying to make it out in the murky darkness Realising that it was a hole, he racked his brain for a few seconds, before it dawned on him what they were doing.

The feverish warmth left him just as quickly as it had came with that revelation. He turned to nuzzle Xeshir for a few brief moments. "I think I ought to pay my respects. Maybe later" he said quietly. He levitated the Cowpony Repeater off from his packs and handed it to the ghoul. "I want that back in the morning" he said, before trotting away towards the grave. When he reached the group, he realized that he had nothing to say, so he just stood there, quietly listening to Hopscotch and Sanura talk. He lowered his head in shame as the stallion mourned her. There were no tears in his eyes -he'd cried too much for that already- but he still closed his eyes out of respect.

He then walked back to the camp, deciding to eschew Xeshirs bedroll in favor of his own, which was set up a little further from the fire than everypony else's. He lifted his packs off from his back and placed them beside his bed. He led down and closed his eyes. He had never been good at getting to sleep, but even a few hours rest would be nice. They had a long way to go tommorow.

Xeshir nodded to Sanctity as he decided to pay his respects to the dead mare. She smiled a bit as he did so, he sure was a nice pony...Or at least tried to be. She watched him going to sleep in his bedrool and pondered for a moment if she should join him, if only to cuddle. Then she remembered Marcus suspicious about the two of them and decided against it. She didn´t want him to think of them as such. She continued walking over to her bedroll and layed down, closing her eyes as she tried to not think of the horrible hangover that would come in the morning.

Sanura used everything, everything she had to bite back her own tears, she was such a softly. She wanted to break down and start bawling for him as he apologized to the mare he'd been trying ot free. "A-anytime." she said weakly when he thanked them for their help and what she assumed was their kindness before she left away from everypony else. She didn't want anything to do with anypony after Marigold was buried, she didn't even eat the food she'd requested. She'd have to pay Ginger back though. The unicorn was such a sap though. She went to sleep flat in the dirt just outside of the light of the fire. She cried and sniffled almost silently to herself. She hated it so much, being part of what'd happened even if it was a mistake. She'd never been part of taking another pony's life, especially not one that didn't deserve it... She was almost pathetically stereotypical in her regret for what'd happened, like the heroine of an overdramatic foreign cartoon weeping over the death of her nemesis.

Sanura didn't want anypony else to be part of it or witness it though, she struggled to keep herself quiet and if anyone tried to get her to move or ask her anything she tried to hold her voice still long enough to tell them that she was okay.

After the doctor that found her after she'd mistakenly killed her first owner and started trying to teach her to live for herself. The situation struck very close to Sanura's heart. She could only imagine herself in the same situation that wasn't far from what had happened here. She would do -anything- to make it right again. If Hopscotch wasn't going to help with the coming fight. Sanura was going to let him go anyways. She didn't care. It was going to happen unless they executed him before she woke up. Until then she struggled and sobbed silently to herself just outside the range of the campfire in response to a situation that she felt she understood far too well.

Once marigold was buried, ale trotted back to the fire and to his bedding of gecko hide. On the way he passed by hopscotch, who was on his way back as well, and said "Of course, sleep on your decision, but i'll want an answer in the morning." Once he was back at the fire he laid down on one side of his tarp and curled up. "Damn it why can't the wasteland be just black and white. Making these decisions in the grey situations is going to be the death of me." Ale though before using his magic to pull the other half of the tarp over himself and finally falling asleep.

Mad Mek stayed behind at the fire pit, watching as the others paid their respects to the mare who put him in chains. Instead of thinking about the impromptu funeral, Mad Mek stared at the fire, watching it dance around beautifully. The description of Grace had him thinking about what creature could possibly be bipedal with horns. Suddenly, the revelation hit him like a bag of super sledges. Grace must be a goddess-be-damned Minotaur. There was no other possible way. He kept the thought in his head for safekeeping.

He considered paying his respects, but he would probably make any sad situation worse by saying something about her delicious (literally) looking flanks, and how it was a shame that nobody got to taste them (also literally). Instead, he just sat back and began his watch. He picked up the rifle that just happened to be the closest to him (the red-haired unicorn's rifle to be exact), dragged over a slab of concrete just big enough for him, and sat down to begin his watch.

(Watching for anything that could be a threat. Per 7)

No. She couldn't do it.

After just a few minutes of trying to be on her own do deal with it she found she couldn't. Sanura had quickly become an emotional wreck. She couldn't accept herself that night something that to everypony else might've seemed like something perhaps minor, or sad, it was flat out destructive to Sanura. After about half an hour she found herself back on her hooves and trudging over toward Mad Mek. Swallowing and licking her lips as she stood beside him a sad, sopping mess, as if she'd murdered fillies and colts in their sleep it seemed to hit her as she sobbed and sniffled.

"M-Mek...? C-can I stay with you tonight?" she asked, sobbing and simpering like a filly as she stood beside him, tears flowing freely down her cheeks as she quietly pleaded for his help. Ghouls were nothing new to her, she'd smelled and aided them in her past and for some reason she felt he might understand what she felt better than anypony else. She didn't know why, but she hoped that he could see it and might take pity on her since he was going to be awake all night anyways, that he might bare her demons with her that night.

Mek gave Sanura an earnest attempt at a comforting smile. He patted his massive hand on the concrete slab he had dragged over to use as a seat, and begun to speak. "Ya can stay wif me as long as ya like, Sanura." He softly said as he moved aside a bit to give her some space on the slab. He shifted the borrowed rifle to his other hand and held his free hand towards Sanura. "Need sum 'elp gettin' up 'ere?"

Sanura didn't seem to mind the hideous appreance that was simpy part of being a ghoul or the fact that he was a diamond dog instead of a pony, she scrabbled herself up onto the slab of concreat and stumbled a bit, almost falling over but she seemed to get up onto the bit as well as she could as he snuffled and sobbed. Such a pathetic thing she was as she plunged her head against his thigh and sniffled and wept, simply crying into his clothing and irradiated flesh as if some kind of large teddy bear... She's a wreck, pathetically so amidst the wastes but she was. And unless disturbed, that's how she'd remain... crying herself to sleep in a fitful manner.

Mad Mek felt the wetness run down his thigh, and his warm smile turned into a concerned frown. He procured the cleanest cloth he had (the one he used to clean off Rarity's picture) and set it down on his thigh for Sanura to use. If he was capable of crying, he would have cried with her. He took his gauntlets off and placed his hand on the back of her head as softly as he could, breathing in a deep sigh as he tried to comfort her. He had seen horrible things in his long and painful life, but watching this unicorn cry into his leg (to the point that some of his exposed muscle was feeling damp) was one of the most heart-wrenching things he had ever seen.

Sanura cried so hard. Nuzzling into the disintegrating flesh like it might save her from the anguish she felt. It was so close to her own situation. It was so ridiculously preventable but she hadn't tried hard enough. She hadn't made the others listen to her. She didn't do enough, it was all right there before her and she hadn't done it just right to prevent all of this and now somepony's slave that he'd sought to set free and perhaps live and love with was dead and as far as Sanura was concerned? It was her fault. That night she proved how soft and pathetic she was. She cried herself to sleep covered in what remaining stickiness of Mek's drying bodily fluids mixed with her own tears. She quietly wished that she'd just die there. She deserved it. She believed that anyways.

Unlikely it would happen though, regardless she resolved that she would never do this again, she would never be part of something like this. There with her muzzle buried against the ghoul diamond dog's thigh, shortly before going dead silent amidst her own dreams where she seemed to find some respite, Sanura decided she would never take part in something like this again. She would follow the Doctor's example. When they got back she would sell her one and only weapon and buy more medical supplies and wander out to do as the Doctor had done. She would never, short of being forced into it of course, be party of another group mounting an offensive... right that second though? She wept, she cried, she sobbed and simpered, and then she just passed out. Sleeping fitfully in the ghoul's lap with his paw on the back of her head. At least then she seemed comfortable.

Mad Mek looked out into the wastes as Sanura fell asleep on his thigh. Her breathing had calmed down, and he took his hand off of her head, using both of his arms to hold the rifle. He couldn't help but think that Sanura had some slavery in her past. He wouldn't be surprised. He ran his hand along the back of her head one last time as he took up the rifle in both hands and stared out into the blackness of the wastes. Life was good.

(Still watching the wastes for any activity -Per 7-)

The evening was a bit cooler than usual, so the group was thankful for the soothing warmth cast by the fire. Far off in the distance, the skyline was periodically lit up by a flash from a distant storm. For the group, however, it was a quiet and peaceful night. The only thing that got Mek’s attention was a lone radhog that came a bit close while foraging, but it soon left in search of better offerings.

The sun soon returned (in a manner of speaking), illuminating the wasteland in a washed out grey light.

Hopscotch was up early, his face unsurprisingly bedraggled; he hadn’t slept very well. He stretched wearily before quietly trotting over to Ginger’s tarp, and nudged the unicorn with a hoof until he got some sign of life.

“Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll come with you ponies to get Grace.”


(NPC joins the party! You can order him around IC, but he’ll ultimately decide whether he listens to you or not. He is currently unarmed.)

Hopscotch
S 8 – P 5 – E 6 – C 5 – I 5 – A 4 – L 5
HP: 300
DT: 12
AP: 30
Crit: 96+
Botch: 6-
Dodge: 12
Ranged: 54
Close: 64
Explosive: 54
Passive: 44
Unarmed – Hit: +25 – Damage: 15 – Crit: x2 (30) – AP cost: 6

As Diesel awoke he sat up and stretched while he yawned. Looking around he saw the only one up was Mek, getting up he picked up his gear and slid it back on himself. Walking over to Mek he stood next to him, "I'm going to head out and check some things out, I'll be back before we head out alright?" Not waiting for his response he started walking off into the wastes checking things out around him while he stretched his legs for a bit. Popping his arms and back he got himself more limber as he started to tunnel around for a bit, he always felt calm in the earth.

Sanura would wake to the dull gray but still somehow unbearably bright light to sleep in. Assuming Mad Mek was still there she'd just lift her head awkwardly, perhaps a bit sticky as well as the passed out mare had started to drool just a bit in her sleep as her bleary eyes opened and she looked around, rubbing the side of her face, "Bleck..." as she realized her cheek was sticky with the dribble before lookin' toward the ghoul she'd been sleeping on and giving something of an apologetic smile, "Err... thanks..." as she tried to straighten out her mane some with a broken comb taken from her saddlebags. She looked like she'd had a very long night, still a bit puffy eyes and mane as scraggled and pulled from her headband.

Mek gave sanura another smile as he turned his head down towards her. he had maintained the thigh that Sanura had fallen asleep on lifted higher than the other one. For the entire night. "Don' ya worry 'bout it, ah should be da wun sayin' sorry for not bein' too good at comfortin' Ponies. Ah needed da company anyways." He said as he procured the worn picture of Rarity from his armor. "Wot? No, you give me company too, Rare." He muttered as he put the picture away. "Don' mind Rarity. She can get just a little jealous sometimes." He remarked towards Sanura, the borrowed rifle now resting on his lap.

Something sparked in his mind and turned his head towards the fire pit, checking to see that Sanctity and Xeshir hadn't run off together in the middle of the night and gotten themselves eaten by a manticore.