Title: Industrial Perils: Suicide thread: Explorer Anon. CH 2 Author: Mossbergison Pastebin link: http://pastebin.com/rZP9y30E First Edit: Friday 27th of June 2014 07:46:37 PM CDT Last Edit: Friday 27th of June 2014 07:46:37 PM CDT >The lead minotaur begins to approach you, revolving rifle still raised. >You slowly put Flutters down and raise your hands, 8 targets all with sights on you. >There’s no way you can fight your way out of this. The minotaur gets about three paces >and swings his rifle *Crack* >It catches you on the chin, whipping your head around. You fall to the floor, before you can >bring your arms in front of you, the rifle butt comes down again, sending the world into >a spinning haze, but not darkness. Focus becomes hard, the voices around you, >incomprehensible. On the edge of your senses you can feel yourself being bound and >carried.   >”What in the name of the republic are you?” >”He’s a human, and you better get your claws off of him if you know what’s good fer ya.” >Everything hurts. You try to open your eyes, but the left one remains shut. >”Oh, he’s awake.” >Your right eye opens, to the visage of a tan colored griffon. Skinny and emaciated but still a >griffon. You just sit there and blink, still trying to piece together the shattered elements of >your focus and concentration. It’s not very pleasant; everything is still swimming around in >your mind’s eye. Eventually you get enough of your mind back together to start observing >your surroundings.  Grey cement walls, iron bars, plank beds, and a shit bucket. >Well, looks like you’re a prisoner of war, question is, what war?   >You bring yourself upright. A little fast, black tendrils at the corner of your vision. >”Easy there big guy, ya took quite the beating.” >You look over, AJ is in the cell across from you, she’s got a few bruises on her body. “Wh- *groan*- Fuck. Where’s Rarity and Shy?” >”They got put in a cell a little further down.” >She points down to her right. As if on cue you hear Shy speak up. >”It’s alright… we’re okay.” >Well at least everyone’s accounted for. >You look over at the griffon you share the cell with, you put out a hand. “Anonymous, you are?” >The griffon looks down at your hand before realizing what to do. >”Gerard, commandant for the 37th Republican guard.” “Republic? I thought it was a Kingdom.” >Gerard shakes his head, and ruffles his wings. >”What you been under a rock? The kingdom fell about a year ago.” >Your surprise must show, despite your facial swelling. >”Well, ever since the water riots and revolution the cro-“ “Water riots?” >”Geez, you guys are really out of the loop. What they don’t have newspapers in Equestria?” “Wouldn’t know, haven’t picked one up in about two years.” >Gerard lets out a squawking laugh. Before pulling himself back together. >”So I guess the stereotype of the ignorant Equestrian is true… Here let me get you up to >speed friend.”   >You settle yourself in on your bed of plank, ready for a history lesson. AJ sits herself down >on her haunches to listen in as well. >”So after our agricultural boom, our population began to sky rocket. It became >normal for families to have five or six chicks. I myself come from a family of eight…however >the vast majority of this continent is desert. With only two oasis located between our land, >and the minotaur tribes… Now the minotaur coalition. Water shortages became riots, riots >became revolution… now obviously the revolution didn’t make more water, so the >problem remained. The minotaur’s also had a population explosion during our revolution. >Well, thetwin oasis became more and more cluttered, and things began to fall apart. The >minotaurs started stationing guards around the oasis, protection from banditry they said. >So we started putting some of our guys around there.” >At this point Gerard sighs and looks down for a second. You vaguely remember hearing >something about new rotation patterns when you first arrived in Equestria. >”We don’t know who fired first, but before we knew it border troops were reporting >skirmishes everywhere. That was almost a year ago, the lines have since been static. >The minotaurs control the western oasis, and we the east. Neither of us has enough >water to support our populations.” >You sit for a moment digesting this new information. “When we came in we hit a barricade of sea mines, also ho-“ >”Yeah, we set those up. We heard that the minos were going to try to petition Canterlot >for martial aid, so we set them up to stop them. That didn’t work… obviously.” >Fantastic, you hit mines meant for an entirely different species.   “Well what about these weapons, I’ve never seen anything like these.” >You were lying, but best to feign ignorance. >”The guns? Oh those were made around the start of the revolution. Once food was no >longer an issue the sciences really took off.” >Well that does sound like what happened back on earth. You look up a Gerard with a thin >smile as he begins to start preening himself. “So do you know the guard patrols of this here establishment?” >Gerard looks back up at you, his tan feathered face contorting into a rough smile.   >It only took an hour to finalize the plan, since Gerard had been planning a breakout >since he got here, but was waiting for someone he could do it with. When the guards came >by to give you dinner, whatever stale bread was left over, you were going to have AJ get >their attention, while you and Gerard lift the keys and take care of the guards. According >to Gerard the prison was short staffed due to demands on the front, so this should be >relatively straight forward. You hear the gate at the end of the hall open, it’s go time. >The minotaurs may have taken your guns and knife, but you still had your belt, you wrap >it up in your hands, and wait. The guards come down the hall, lackadaisically tossing >random bits of bread into the cells. They come to AJ’s and she slams herself against the >bars she does it again while yelling. >”Ah got rights ya know! Ah’m I citizen of Equestria, you-“ >Both the guards look over, turning their big bull heads with them. Now’s your chance! >You press yourself against the bars, and quickly wrap your belt around the minotaurs neck. >He’s big and muscled, but also terribly off balance.   >You pull back with as much force as you can muster, placing your legs on the bars and >pressure as hard as you can, the strong leather of your belt serves as an acceptable garrote. >The minotaur flails about for a brief moment, before his hands immediately go to the belt >around his neck. It’s a losing battle, you spare a quick glance to Gerard, holy shit. >He whips out his retractable talons and grabs the minotaur by the back of the neck and >and pulls him against the bars as well, he immediately takes his right talon and goes for the >minotaurs neck. A trickle quickly turns to a flood, as Gerard tears into the minos throat. >Severing flesh, ligament, and eventually the larynx, he immediately releases letting the >soon to be corpse convulse on the floor. Gerard immediately turns to you and your quarry, >his eyes go wide. The minotaur seemed to wise up, his hand went for his submachine gun. >Gerard is already on it, running his claw up the minotaurs arm, rendering it inoperable. The >Guard slowly stops struggling, becoming more and more of a dead weight to you. >The guard is quite obviously dead, but you keep pulling, intent on even strangling it’s soul >before it can escape the body. Gerard on the other hand, calmly begins to take everything >of value off of the guards, including the keys.   >He even strips the guard that you are still strangling. >”Anon… Anon!” >Your head snaps up looking square at AJ, she seems to shrink back a little at your gaze. >”H-he’s dead, you ca-can stop.” >You look down, only now becoming aware of how you’re acting. You slowly bring the body >down and lace your belt back through its loops, but not before attaching a pouch of >magazines that Gerard hands you. He looks up at you after checking his weapon. >”Now for the fun part.” >Christ this griffon seems to have a few loose ones in his head.