open Fallout Equestria: Endeavor

[Unicorncob 5,681]

Crackshot listened intently to Ricto's explanation. He'd killed Chip's mother to get a weapon contract, then took out his dad when he wanted out.

That would explain a lot. He remembered seeing the old stallion before, but never really noticed Chip around before.

 

He kept his mouth shut during the story, but his anger and contempt for this raider welled up. No doubt Ezekiel was ready to pounce him as well.

 

He had to get this info to Chip, as well as the rifle. He'd want the honours of taking out this son of a bitch himself after hearing this.

Though, his scoff about holding on to a dead loved one was tempting him to take him out himself.

 

Upon hearing he was going to hunt down a new gunsmith, he perked up with an idea.

"How about I go hunt down this pony for you?" He suggested, "You're obviously busy here, and somepony needs to hold down the fort."

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

Ricto's ears perked up at the offer Crackshot presented him. "Idiot..." he scoffed at Crackshot. "As if I had planned to go out and do this myself, like you said I can't go leaving Ponyville otherwise some other raider leader will jump on the chance if they hear i'm gone." 

 

"You will go hunt down this new weaponsmith and return him to me... So I can properly persuade him to join me." He said with a sinister smirk as his eyes drifted to a cabinet on the wall in the kitchen.

 

Ricto had a slave collar he intended to use on the weaponsmith to keep him in line. 

 

Ricto took another swig of his liquor "By the way Crackshot, where did you kill Chip? I feel like going out and taking a shot at that bitch's corpse myself, maybe burn it... blow it up..." He begun listing different ways to damage a corpse bringing his hoof up to his chin with a chuckle behind his words. "All choices sound good, what do you think Crackshot?"

[Unicorncob 5,681]

Crackshot's glare darkened at Ricto's snark, but he kept his cool somewhat.

He nodded at his order, following his gaze to the cabinet. "Who's this guy I'm looking for?"

 

What was in there, he wondered.

 

He was internally disgusted at Ricto's list of ways to mutilate an innocent corpse, but he kept a stoic expression. Though he couldn't say the same for Ezekiel.

Oh won't he be surprised when he eventually realises he's hunting down something that doesn't exist.

 

"The body's outside town, a good few miles out," he explained, nodding in the direction opposite of the farm, "might take a while to get there, but you'll know it when you see it."

[Scribblegroove 565]

Greshken

As soon as they arrived on the site of their fight the previous day, Greshken started searching for the weapon that he had tossed away when the missile was about to hit him. He was afraid that it might have been damaged, since the explosion blast had still been quite close. Looking at the crater that it had left, he realised that it was most likely still quite irradiated around there. Trying not to get too close, he scouted the area for the cannon. He eventually found it beneath some rubble. Scratched, but mostly undamaged. It still wasn't finished yet however, and Greshken wanted to get that fixed.

 

With the Cannon in his hands, he walked away from the barn, hopefully never to return, and approached Chip. "Did you get the plant?" He asked him, but seeing the bag he had with him confirmed it already. "I was wondering if we could fix the cannon here. If not we can return to your shop and see if you have more adequate parts there." he said, lifting the gun again and looking at its firing mechanism. Even though he had little knowledge on how it was supposed to work, he reckoned the two loose wires weren't supposed to stay like that.

 

Virtue

Everypony started to split up. Greshken and Chip had left to find a specimen of the virus to give to Dashia's mother, who apparently had the scientific know-how to research such dangerous organisms. Crackshot and Ezekiel had gone to talk to Ricto to get some more information. How useful it would actually turn out to be was unclear to her, but she reckoned there were things they had to settle. She wouldn't get between such personal matters.

 

Then Dashia came walking towards her clumsily, her stiff, makeshift casted hindleg clanking with every step. It made her snicker slightly, but she then approached to meet the mare halfway. "You need some medical assistance as well I reckon..." She said, giving a painful look. "I saw how messed up your leg was. Aren't you in pain right now?" She asked, wondering if the mare had injected med-x, or if she was immune to pain.

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Dashia looks at her leg and says, "as long as the preasure is low I can handle the pain. Aile said she needed some time to herself. So where is everyone? As for medical. Just a Med-x to keep me going. Chip did a fine job of keeping my leg from bleeding out." Dashia began to head towards the doc's place again hopeing she would follow.

 

She then asks, "What are your feelings about someone who hates the one you care for? What would you do to them?"

[Scribblegroove 565]

@@Midnight_Aurora

 

Virtue's ears perked up at the strange question, and she raised a brow. "I'm not sure. If you're implying your coltfriend and Ricto, I would keep an eye on the scumbag, and make sure he never comes close to anything you hold dear." But her expression became a little more sensitive and emphasizing. "But of course you should keep your loved ones safe from the corrosive loathing of others. If the matter is unresolvable, I would make sure to never come in contact with such hateful ponies ever again."

 

She smirked at Dashia. "If you're looking for an excuse to kill Ricto though, there's plenty. You don't have to justify anything for yourself. The world would be better off without knuckleheads such as Ricto." When she finished that sentence, she did feel like she betrayed herself a little. "Though I would never kill Ricto in cold blood. As much as he is an asshole, I'm not the one that should decide his fate." she tapped her muzzle with her hoof, looking up, as if she tried to remember something. "In fact, he did help me in some way." she gestured to the town around them. "He, and many leaders before him made sure the savages of this town didn't tear me apart the moment they saw me. Being a pegasus is difficult enough, let alone a fragile mare like me. But I had services to offer them, and many of their high ranked accomplices." She gave Dashia a confirming look. "But by all means, if you want to murder Ricto, go ahead. I wont stop you. Just make sure you get to him in time, I have the gest that Crackshot will do it himself sooner than later." The entirety of this conversation, they did so close to eachother, making sure nopony else could hear them.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Scribblegroove

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

Ricto laughed at Crackshot. "How the hell should I know who your looking for, just find a Bastard that's good with guns." Ricto said as he opened a door pulling out a canister of gasoline.

 

Ricto walked up to the door opening it. "Alright now get out I have things to take care of," he said with a smirk.

[Unicorncob 5,681]

Crackshot rolled his eyes and got up to head for the door, nodding for Ezekiel to follow.

He caught a glimpse of the gasoline canister on his way out. No points for guessing what he was going to do with that.

 

Once outside, he looked to the zebra.

"Well, that was enlightening," he commented sarcastically, then glanced back to the house, "we need to get that rifle back. Goddesses know what that fuck's gonna do with it."

 

An idea crossed his mind, and he smirked to Ezekiel.

"What do you say we give the new girl her first job?"

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

After the two left his home Ricto shut his door locking. He walked out of ponyville armed with his two swords and magnum, along with a canister of gasoline clutched in his jaw.

 

Ricto was keeping his eyes peeled as he made his way toward where crackshot had indicated he killed Chip. "Now where is that little bitch so I can have my fun." He mumbled past the canister handle.

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Dashia looks to Virtue and says, "To be honest, if he hurts my Chip, I will make him regret it before he dies. I may be missing my hoint but I am not a helpless filly." her voice is laced with like for Chip and a Dislike for Ricto. She then asks, "Would you be willing to go into his place and find me anything he has that has to do with Chip? I want Chip to be happy and him to be miserable."

 

Dashia walks into the doctor's office. She says, "Hey Doc. How much for checking out an injured leg?"

 

"Had a run in with an explosion of a sort and it took out my knee joint. Am using the leg of a power armor to keep it from hurting for now." She adds not wanting to give to many details.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Midnight_Aurora

[Unicorncob 5,681]

Crackshot spotted Virtue talking to Dashia in the street, before the darker pegasus fluttered off to the medical clinic. He glanced back and caught Ricto leaving his house with the gas can.

 

Perfect.

 

He trotted up to Virtue.

"Hey, you want a real job? I got one for you," he explained and nodded over to the house, "there's an old beat up rifle in that house, see if you can break in and get it for me."

[Scribblegroove 565]

Doc Verdant observed Dashia for a while. "Med-x it is." He said eventually, having 5 sets of needles for Dashia. "You want fixer with that? You pegasi don't want to get addicted to that stuff. It'll be 80 bits with, 55 without." He said as he put the needles on the table between them. "If you want me to fix a knee joint I'll need a place with better equipment. I can't help you with that besides preventing infections."

 

Virtue sighed at Dashia’s request. "I'll see what I can do. Tough don't expect me to come back with his diary or anything." She mumbled. She a pony like Ricto kept logs, so she probably wouldn't find anything substantial at his place if she were to look there.

 

Just at that moment Crackshot asked her if she could break into Ricto's place to retrieve a gun. "Now why would I do that. Shouldn't we be more worried about why Ricto is heading out if town right now?" She asked, not knowing about the conversation that took place between him and Ricto.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Scribblegroove

[Defender of Tomorrow 323]

"You still there?" Aile whispered down to chip she held in her hoof, no response. "Nobody is here, we can talk." again, no response came from the chip, its faint blue glow having dissipated and leaving the chip with a mundane appearance, if no pony knew any better they would mistake it as a worthless piece of technology. "Have it your way then.." with that she whisked it away in her crimson bags, not crimson by nature but crimson by the blood that stained it long ago and dried up over time. Aile began trotting in the direction of the doctors office trying to piece together her life so far after coming across that pendant, all of confused her and made her head spin, she hadn't the slightest clue what any of this meant and why she had to be involved, she wasn't anypony of capital importance, hell even Ricto the scumbag was more important than her, he ran ponyville and heaven's know what else he ran. Stumbling into the doctor's office she quickly regained her composure and stopped thinking about it all for now, there was no point in trying to piece together a puzzle if she didn't have all the pieces.

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Doc Verdant observed Dashia for a while. "Med-x it is." He said eventually, having 5 sets of needles for Dashia. "You want fixer with that? You pegasi don't want to get addicted to that stuff. It'll be 80 bits with, 55 without." He said as he put the needles on the table between them. "If you want me to fix a knee joint I'll need a place with better equipment. I can't help you with that besides preventing infections."

...

Dashia placed the 80 caps on the counter and claimed the Med-x and the fixer. She knew what he ment by that but for her 'problem', she needed a fixer of the heart. She thought about Chip and hoped he was ok. She knew once the group met up again she will be revealing the secret of Hellhound Sanctuary.

 

She took one of the Med-x and put the others and the fixer in her bag. The feeling and rush of it made her slightly light headed and she shook her head to clear it. She knew soon she will need a fixer but not yet.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Ezekiel refused the offered drink. He didn't partake in alcohol. It was truly astounding every word out of Ricto's mouth was another blasphemy against all that was good and decent. It was a truly herculean task to resist breaking each of this pony's legs, beating his face so bad that his eyes and nose no longer worked properly, and then leaving him. To the pain, indeed.

 

Still, by some miracle, Ezekiel contained himself long enough for the conversation to end. Truly though he was put off by Crackshot's display.

 

"I . . . ." He was breathing heavily. "I don't know right now what I suppose. I need some time to compose." He made his way off to some odd corner of Ponyville, when he turned with a flare, one could see Khalid resting in it's scabbard. Licks of fire could be seen spitting from just below the hilt.

[Unicorncob 5,681]

Crackshot nodded to Ezekiel, understanding his signs of pure disgust. He was grateful he lasted so long, but at the same time, surprised he didn't cut Ricto into bits with his sword.

"Yeah, go calm yourself down," he muttered, "and thanks."

 

As the zebra wandered off, his attention returned to Virtue, and her inquiring as to why they weren't going after Ricto.

"I told him I killed Chip and left his body a few miles from here," he explained, and quickly continued, "I didn't, obviously, the kid's on his way to get something with the minotaur."

 

A dark smirk appeared on his face. "I sent the dumb son of a bitch after something that doesn't exist, so you should have plenty of time to break in and grab the gun."

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Dashia comes out of the Doctor's looking better and more mobile then before. She looks over and see that Chip isn't with Crackshot.

 

She comes up to him, worried look on her face, "Where is Chip? I last saw him with you." She looks worried and a bit more angry. She quickly adds, "And don't tell me he is dead."

[Unicorncob 5,681]

"Alright then, I won't," Crackshot deadpanned to Dashia, "Last I saw him he was on his way back to the farm with Greshken to pick up that cannon. After I faked his death."

 

Without even waiting for a response, he turned to Virtue.

"So, can you get that rifle out of that douchefuck's place?"

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Dashia waits for him to finish with Virtue. Dashia then smiles and whispers, "I am glade but why did you have to fake Chip's death? I know.he isn't liked here but your a good friend."

 

She looks calmer and nicer around Crackshot but he can see she wants to kill that bucktard of a Ricto.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Midnight_Aurora

[Scribblegroove 565]

Vitue

 

Frowning lightly, Virtue sighed. "I still don't know why you'd want me to get it..." But then her face brightened up and she grinned slightly. "But since it's so easy anyway... Watch this." With that, she trotted away to Ricto's house, composing a plan in the short time it took her to get there. She waited for about thirty seconds, cauteous that she wouldn't be seen. When one of the ponies a few blocks down started blaring at another, and a slight fight broke out, she made use of the distraction. In mere seconds she lockpicked the lock on Ricto's door, and went inside unseen. The moment she was inside, she scanned the place to find what she was looking for. Experienced as she was, she immediately spotted the old battered rifle. She took it in her teeth and then strapped it against her back.

 

When she was about to leave, she noticed that the streets had calmed down again. If someone saw her exit Ricto's house they'd be suspicious. She locked the door and decided to take another route. She opened a window to at the side of the building as silently as she could, and then jumped out of it without making a sound. Inbetween the shadow of two buildings, she could barely be noticed soundlessly floating in the air. She carefully closed the window. Throughout all of this two minute adventure, she hadn't left a trace of her presence.

 

As soon as she got to the ground, she walked up to Crackshot as casually as possible, as if she had just gone away to get something to drink. "Here we are..." She said, happy that she had so easily taken care of the job. She handed over the rifle to Crackshot. "You better hide that for when Ricto returns. It's your problem now."

[Unicorncob 5,681]

Crackshot nodded and watched Virtue go to work. He leaned toward Dashia and whispered to her as he watched.

"Because I had to convince Ricto that I'd killed him in order to get close to him and figure out what his beef is with him," he explained, "I sent him to go look for a corpse that doesn't exist, the fucking moron."

 

After only a couple of minutes, the pegasus returned with the rifle. He took it in his magic and placed it on his back.

"Thanks," he muttered, taking fifty bits from the pay he'd received earlier and hovering them to her, "I don't believe in doing something for nothing."

[Scribblegroove 565]

Virtue looked at the bits offered to her. She smiled coyly at Crackshot and snickered. "Me neither. Keep the bits." She turned around, facing away from Crackshot and looking at Dashia. "Do we still have business in this swine pit or can we leave? I believe things will get dangerous for you guys rather soon if we don't." She asked her, referring to Ricto ordering them killed once he found out Crackshot tricked him.

[Chip Circuit 1,842]

As Ricto was wandering the area that Crackshot had gestured to, he came across a recently fire shotgun shell in the dirt. Looking around f he found no body.

 

Ricto dropped the gas canister from his jaw "That lying Bastard, he's protecting that little bitch. I'll kill them both!" He shouted beginning to gallop back toward ponyville.

[Unicorncob 5,681]

Crackshot raised an eyebrow and returned the bits to his saddlebag. Odd, usually when he gave somepony something to do, they'd expect something back. This mare was something else.

 

She also had a good point, they shouldn't stay for too long.

"Yeah, you're right," he agreed, "no doubt he'll have found the lack of a body by now." He looked to the two mares, and pointed to the road leading to the farm. "We'll head down that road and meet Chip and Greshken either at the farm or halfway. Once we're all together, we'll decide where to go from there."

 

He suddenly realised somepony was missing. He looked around frantically, but saw no sign of him.

"Fuck, where's Ezekiel?!" He spat.

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Dashia asked Virtue, "So there wasn't any secrets this guy is keeping?" She sighed. "Oh well let's go. I still have to take yall to Cloudsdayle anyways. Shall we?"

 

Dashia begins to head in that direction until Crackshot said Ezekiel was missing. She says, "I think he went that way to calm down."

 

She points with a wing in the direction Ezekiel went.