Chapter 1: Out of the Frying Pan
War never changes... huh? Ponyshit. War changed alright, just so ponies could kill each other faster. Hooves and magic, then guns and magic, then explosions... They fucked the world sideways, and now we were all suffering for it.
There was a bang as the griffon slammed the shot glass down, pausing before burping loudly, bringing a series of loud cheers from the patrons who had gathered around her. Silverbeak was her name, killing was her game. It was a lame saying, but it was hers. She was tall for a griffon, tall and heavy, making her look dangerous, even in a casual setting like a bar. She was in her mid 30s, but she would never tell anyone what number exactly. She had a dark brown body and white feathers on her head and wings, her beak had a gray tinge to it, giving her the nickname she owned. Most would assume she was a mercenary, and they would be right. She was a mercenary, but she had long since abandoned the Talons. She didn't like sharing the caps she made if she did most of the work. So now she was a mercenary for hire, taking odd jobs. Most of them were settling bar disputes, since most ponies who needed a mercenary went to the Talons. Well fuck them, they were missing out. She ordered another drink and it was poured quite quickly for her, and she downed it in a gulp.
“...Kinda boring, isn't it?” a voice next to her asked. The griffon turned to her and saw that she had been so involved in her drinks, she didn't notice that someone had moved in to sit next to her. Yeah, someone. Silver wasn't a freaking pony, fuck your wordplay. Though from the looks of her visitor, she'd have to hear it. He was clearly a pony with his size, much smaller than her. He had on a fedora and a duster, almost making her laugh a bit at his “cool” look. He kept the fedora over his face and his head ducked in the jacket. Most would probably pass him off as another pony, but she knew better. He had a bit of a gravel-like undertone to his voice, and Silver could smell it... the scent of a living pony who wasn't alive like they used to be.
“...What's a ghoul doing in a bar like this?” she asks the pony, pouring herself another glass of alcohol. She wasn't against ghouls, well... Not for being “zombies”. They had a weird scent, and with a griffon's lion-like sense of smell, it nearly made her wince. She also didn't know what the ghoul wanted. The last time she let a pony talk to her, it was to show her her... S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Stats... for a fee, of course. Strength-10, Perception-10, Endurance-8, Charisma-2, Intelligence-5, Agility-1, Luck-4. She didn't care what the computer had said. She was skilled in whatever she put her mind to, so what if she didn't like sneaking.
“Good question.” the ghoul says, “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Quick Lure.” Now that she was paying attention, she could notice a few things. One: his coat had been light brown at some point before he took a radiation bath. Two: The gravely tone that she used to I.D. The ghoul was quieter than most, his voice was actually almost normal, rather light in tone. “And I hear that you're a mercenary.”
“And?” Silverbeak asks, gulping down the drink she poured.
“And I'd like to hire you.” he says with a smile.
Silverbeak set the glass down and looked at the ghoul. A ghoul with a job, huh? She started wondering what he wanted. Maybe kill a few ponies who spat at him for calling him a zombie? "What's the job?" she asks. She may have advertised she did any job for a fee, but she at least had her limits. She didn't kill innocent ponies, nor did she like teams that much.
“I need a bodyguard.” the ghoul says simply, watching the large griffon.
“A bodyguard, huh?” she asks, raising an eyebrow. It was worse. He wanted someone to hold his hoof while he walked around and looked like an amazing traveler. She met ponies like that... and punched them in the face.
“Let me be more specific.” the stallion says, as if sensing her disgust. “I have three specific points I need to get to.” he explains, pulling out a map and laying it on the table. The map had three locations circled. Manehatten, a smaller circle around a blank area on the map, and a third circle near Canterlot. “We well go to each in this order, and with each successful trip, there's a thousand caps in it for you.”
Silverbeak nearly spat the drink she had. 3,000 caps for this? Nu-uh. Something was up. “...What's the catch?” she asks cautiously.
“I like that.” he says, “You know how to tell when something sounds too good. You're cautious, that's a great perk to have nowadays.” He then notes her glare at him, obviously skipping over his speech. “Ahem... These locations are fairly out of the way, and I expect the Manehatten trip will be pretty dangerous. The 1,000 after each trip will compensate mostly for if you need supplies or medical treatment during the trip, and there's an additional 3,000 caps in it if you stay all the way.”
Silverbeak did spit this time, luckily missing any patrons nearby. 6,000 caps? This guy was rich or something. While it sounded like a sweet deal, it also sounded fishy as fuck. “...If you're so rich, why are you hiring a bodyguard and not a mercenary team?” she asks, then leans close rather dangerously, “And what's stopping me from taking it off you now?”
That ghoul was still smiling. It was a smug smile, and she wanted to rip his lips off. “I could hire a group.” he says, “But I think one griffon could do more with 6,000 than a group who have to split it.” He had a point there... “And I don't have it all on me.” he says with a shrug, “I have 3,000 on me. 2,000 belong to you after our first two trips, 1,000 for my own expenses. The remaining 4,000 is at the final location: my home.” He leans closer. “Kill me for 3,000... Or stay for double that amount for a month of traveling... The choice is yours, ma'am.”
Damnit... He was a clever bastard. 6,000 caps was a good deal for at least a month of her time. She takes the bottle and takes a long swig before setting it down. “... I have conditions.” she says.
The ghoul looked up from the map, “So you-” The griffon held up a claw, making him shut up.
“One: You better know how to fight, I'm not gonna cover your ass if you don't try to protect yourself.” she says.
The ghoul tilts his head, “Yes. I can fight. Though you can see I'm barely equipped to handle more than a tussle.” he says. It was true, that duster could barely hold anything bigger than a hoofgun, which she noted the butt of one poking out of a holster at his side. So they had better not decide to go against any armies.
“Two: You pay for ammo and medical during our trip. I keep my money to myself.”
The ghoul opened his mouth, but stopped as he paused. “...Very well.” he says with a nod.
“Three: What I say goes. You may be paying, but I'm the one with the experience.” she says, “I say jump, you say 'How high?'. I say duck in cover, you better duck. If I say we abandon a place cause it's too dangerous, then we run.”
Now that he was looking at her, she saw the stallion's brow furrow over his dark chocolate eyes. He was clearly not liking that the line between bodyguard and employer was wavering. However, Silverbeak wasn't going to back down on this point.
“...Fine.” the ghoul says after a long pause.
Silverbeak nods slowly. “Then I accept.” she says.
The ghoul stallion smiles and holds out a hoof, “Then we have a deal.”
Chapter 2: Into the wasteland
The two had agreed they would start in the morning, giving the both of them time to prepare. The gryphon had ammo, a sleeping bag, and a few weapons to make the trip worth it. An assault rifle, a pistol, and a bat. The bat and pistol were in case of an emergency, she had a fondness for her rifle. The two met outside of the small town and with a nod, the two were off to start their adventure...
...Did he EVER shut up? Silverbeak had been leading the way to Manehatten and was seriously resisting the urge to shoot her “employer” in the face.
“I mean it's the concept, really...” Lure says as they walk, “If zombies are supposed to spread their disease through biting, then why do they eat the corpse? It leads to half-looking zombie things or just a pile of skeletons that barely move. And they call Ghouls “zombies” just because of how we look. You don't see me biting everything in sight.”
Silver needed to change the conversation or she was going to shoot him. “...What's with your voice?” she asks the ghoul, turning to look at him. “Last night you sounded pretty normal... Now you sound like every other ghoul.”
Lure smirked a bit, “Ah. I guess you would catch on to that.” he says with a nod. His fedora lifted slowly, revealing a glowing horn. “Just a bit of altering magic. Makes me sound less... Nasty.”
“A ghoul AND unicorn?” Silverbeak asks, raising an eyebrow. Last she heard, ghoul unicorns were rare outside of Canterlot, and she didn't know they could do magic. But if he had some good spells on him, then he wouldn't need a bodyguard.
The ghoul smiles at that, perhaps a bit proud of his magic. “At least I kept something useful, eh Beaky?”
“...Don't call me that.” Silverbeak says flatly. She had told the ghoul her name after they had agreed to this contract... And now she had more of a reason to hate the ghoul.
“But it's a cute name.” he says with a grin, more than likely knowing that it got on her nerves.
“I'm NOT cute.” the griffon says, her feathers bristling a bit.
“Sure you are.” he says, “Cute beak, cute walk, a cute little wiggle to your hips...”
And just like that, the ghoul ended up with a black eye (well... kind of black) and was leading the way this time. “It was just a joke.” he says, rubbing the spot.
“It wasn't funny.” the griffon says, cracking her knuckles a bit.
“Griffon's really need a better sense of humor...” the ghoul says, still smirking despite the punch to his face.
“And ghouls need to learn when to shut their mouths.” Silverbeak says, contemplating how quiet it would be if she just... Wait... She reached out and grabbed him, pulling the ghoul back. “Armed ponies.” she says, looking ahead.
Quick Lure's smile turned into a frown and he followed her gaze. “How many?”
“Four.” she says, seeing them before they noticed the two. “They don't see us yet. But at least two are armed...” she says, guns glinting a bit in the light. She also saw they had saddlebags, but couldn't see what was inside. They were also pretty scruffy looking. Dirty bodies, unkept manes. Raiders? No... Not crazy looking enough. Slavers? Her claws clenched a bit as her mind raced, the thought of getting into a fight so soon like this...
“I see...” the ghoul says as the group approached, keeping his tone mild. They could try going around, but they would get seen now. “Well then... Let's keep going.” he says. He tried to be cool, but Silver could hear his heartbeat pick up a bit.
“Rrgg...” Silverbeak growled in frustration. She wanted to avoid fighting in an unfair matchup, especially since she didn't know what the ghoul could bring to the fight. However, she didn't feel like walking around that group, especially if they did spot the two.
In time it didn't matter. The two continued forward and the four ponies had now noticed the griffon and ghoul. Two immediately drew shotguns as the other two walked forward. Yeah... This was gonna get rough.
“Well well...” A blue coated pony says, “Looky here, boys. A griffon and a zombie.” The others laughed a bit, the two with shotguns slowly edging their way around the two travelers.
The ghoul smiles, “Hello gentleponies.” he says, his voice changing to the same he had used in the bar. “Nice day for a walk, isn't it?”
“I'm thinking... 220 caps for the ghoul.” the blue pony says to his friends, clearly ignoring the pleasentries. “We might be able to get 700 for the girl.”
Silver scowled a bit. They WERE slavers... And now she couldn't reach her gun without getting shot.
The ghoul paused, Silver could see the gears whirring in his head. “Oh... I doubt that.” he says.
“Oh you DO, huh?” the stallion asks, finally turning to face the ghoul. He was scowling now, slowly pulling out a plank of wood from his saddlebag.
“Yeah.” Lure says, “I mean come on. Who wants a zombie around? We look and feel nasty. I doubt anypony would pay the caps for that.”
The pony paused, his brow furrowing. Silver could tell now the pony was thinking about killing the nonprofitable zombie.
“Now the gryphon...” Lure says, patting Silver's side, making her scowl more. “She's great stock, isn't she?” Silver shot him a look. What WAS he doing? “Big... strong...” the ghoul walked around the gryphon, “And nice hips, good for ponies with an... exotic taste.” If that ghoul was in kicking distance... The ghoul walks up to the blue stallion. “Best of all? Dumb as a rock.” Ohh he was a dead ghoul... “Seriously. She only grunts. I think she was dropped on her head as an egg.” The ghoul turned to her, “Isn't that right, Sil?”
'Sil'? The gryphon girl stared with anger, but made a grunting noise. The ponies were listening to the ghoul... meaning they were both going to live. Silver needed to play along... For now.
The ponies laughed a bit at that, moving closer. Lure smiles, “Yeah... Worth a bit more than 700 caps.” he says, “I would say 1,000. Most ponies would leap at the chance to get a dumb griffon to do whatever they want. She can be a hell of a bodyguard. Tell her where to shoot and she will.”
“Hell I wanna go at her.” The second unarmed pony says with a grin.
“No way, you'd damage her.” one of the armed one says, stepping closer. Both were looking at the ghoul while standing next to Silverbeak.
Silverbeak finally got it. He was distracting them, keeping them busy... She slowly slid a claw in her pack while backing up.
“Now I'm betting,” Lure says, “smart guys like you can see how valuable she is. So let's say you give me 200 caps and I'll tell her to follow you. She'll even bark like a dog.”
“200? Man that's a steal.” the other unarmed pony says, completely forgetting they were gonna kill the zombie not even a minute ago. These guys were freaking idiots...
3...2...1. Silverbeak pulled out her bat and swung it, catching one of the armed ponies in the back of the head, making a hard, wet THWACK as she cracked his skull. He shuddered and his body jerked forward, but he fell flat to the ground.
The other three turned towards the griffon and the ghoul acted. His small hoofgun flew out of his duster and the barrel pressed itself to the temple of the annoying unarmed pony. BANG!! Blood and brain spurted from the side of the pony's head and he fell.
Silverbeak raised the bat and swung again as the raider with the shotgun raised it slowly, but the griffon was too close. The bat connected to the side of the pony's head and he spun a bit before falling to the ground, dead.
The final blue pony looked between the two, a hoofgun in his face and a bat near his side. “...Hang on... we can talk-” BANG! The sound startled Silverbeak as Lure pulled the trigger, letting the pony fall to the ground and collapse, a hole in his face.
Lure sighs, pocketing the gun. “Filthy slavers...” he says, the magic gone from his voice. “A pony that treats other ponies like things... They're fucking scum.” He kneels down, digging through the slaver's saddlebags. “Better loot what we need, and what we don't. Extra caps can only be better.”
Silverbeak went quiet, looking down at the ponies before looting them. She didn't think the ghoul would have it in him, but it was obvious this hadn't been his first fight. Then again, they had been lucky these guys were idiots. She picked up one of the shotguns the pony had, then checked how much ammo he had before putting it in her own bag and moving to the next.
Quick Lure had found some ammo he could use, and took the weapons to sell later. A couple of healing potions were also found, and about 369 bottlecaps in a small pouch. He separated a healing potion and half of the bottlecaps, levitating them over to Silverbeak. “Here. I think this guy was the leader. I doubt the other three have anything decent.” he says.
“...I don't need your charity.” she says, swiping the loot in a claw and pocketing it anyway.
“I know.” he says, “But you did half the work on these four, you take half the earnings.”
“You're the one that shot him in the face.” she points out.
“Like I said, he was the boss. I'm guessing he handled all the money and stuff for the others.”
“Whatever.” Silver says with a shrug.
The ghoul hesitated. “Sorry...”
“For what?” she asks.
“The things I said. I needed them to lower their guard, so they needed to hear some decent bullshit.”
Silverbeak shrugs. “I figured.” she says, “But if you HAD tried to sell me, I woulda killed you.”
Lure smiles, “I wouldn't blame you.” he says.
The two continue on for a bit, staying relatively silent thanks to the attack. However a few questions popped into Silverbeak's head. “So... What spells are you packing?” she asks, “Mind control? A beam? Something useful?”
Lure laughs a bit. “Well, I can't control minds.” the ghoul says, “I have levitation, as all unicorns do. I can make myself look a little decent, make my voice change to be a bit clearer. But I cannot affect others with my magic.”
“Right...” Silverbeak says. So much for magical backup... “Why didn't you do that in the town? Pretty yourself up and walk into the bar like that?”
The ghoul laughs a bit, “Like that would have worked on you?” he asks. Good point. “Believe me, I'm not an idiot. It's a good disguise, but touch my body and you'll feel my real skin. Get close enough and you'll smell me. Yeah I know.” he says, rolling his eyes as Silver let out a single laugh at the comment.. “Ghouls smell. I've taken a bath three times a day and still smell it.” He looks back at her, “Besides, even if you had fallen for the act, I can't power up that spell forever. I would have dropped it and you would have found out in a terrible way. I prefer to tell the truth.”
How much of that was the truth? Silver wondered. He still hadn't told her what they were looking for at those locations... Ah well. The sooner they got to Manehatten, the sooner she'd get paid her first payment, and the sooner she'd be done with this job.
“We made good time today.” the ghoul says, looking around the area. “Let's set up camp a little further up.” he says. Though night wasn't bad, ghouls apparently did need some form of rest... At least Silver assumed they did, anyway. She shrugs, looking up at the setting sun as the two pulled out camping supplies, designating that Silver would get the first watch, since she could see pretty far. This was gonna be a long trip...
Author's Note
Whooo second chapter finally up! Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave comments, criticisms, or things you feel would make the story better. I love reading them!
