Alpha looks at him with an amount of disbelief that you have never seen before. "Logic always applies. But my optics have registered your point. It is possible we can use him." He says as the look fades.
"Well, for now, sounds like he's worth keeping around. Hopefully we can fully recruit him... as I don't like the idea of more League here."
"I say we tie him up and have Val watch him while we check out this warehouse. If his information is good, then maybe we can make further arrangements with him and go from there."
"Fair enough; sounds like a fair compromise."
Kharax grabs his equipment and follows the others to the warehouse.
"Affirmative."
Following Sanvil's directions, you head across town to the warehouse. From the outside, the warehouse looks abandoned, its doors and windows boarded up. Peering at the structure, it becomes apparent that the boarded up appearance is a disguise, the boards nailed over the doors don't actually impede the doors' openings. The doors do appear to be locked.
"Appears we gotta decide whether we sneak in or just bash our way through! I can guess the Cobbla's vote, but what do you say my mechanical friends?"
"If we were capable of stealth mode, then that would be my choice. But we do not have that as a function so we go in directly."
"This could be a setup. Let's try stealth before violence."
Moving quietly, Richard approaches the western door, listens for activity within, then retrieved his tools and goes to work on picking the lock.
"Appears we gotta decide whether we sneak in or just bash our way through! I can guess the Cobbla's vote, but what do you say my mechanical friends?"
The Cobbler only grins, a bit of spittle running out of his mouth....
Richard tries to quietly open the doors, but finds he can't quite manage to pick the lock.
Wow. Good lock. Someone's definitely trying to protect something here.
Squinting at the lock for a closer look, Richard tries again, and again.
Richard easily pick open the lock on his second try!
Looking back to the others, Richard holds up a finger to wait a second while he casts a spell to detect magic, then cracks the door open and peeks inside.
Richard opens the door a crack and peers in. Inside he sees Garmen sitting at desk, looking over some papers. He detects a few magical auras coming from Garmen.
Kharax prepares himself, whispering "Good show!", to Richard. Seeing Garmin back there, he waits to follow the more agile android.
Not seeing anything suspicious yet, Richard stays hidden and watches for a few minutes.
Richard discerns that Garmen has on magical leather armor, and detects two illusion auras coming from the man's pack.
Hmm.. nothing suspicious here.
Richard slips away from the door, informs his companions about what he's seen, then heads up the stairs to the door leading into the other part of the warehouse.
'If Garmen really is the suspect, shouldn't we get the drop on him quickly? I can understand wanting to get more evidence first, though.', Kharax whispers to Richard.
Richard whispers back.
"Garmen is a wealthy and influential person in Torch. If Sanvil is mistaken, or setting us up, then confronting him without evidence doesn't seem... logical."
Maruf frowns, wondering why no one is kicking down the door and stabbing this guy until he hears Richard's reasoning. "I thought we were gonna spit roast him! Why don't we just go talk to him then?"
"I think Richard is right, if we are going to confront Garmen, we should do it with evidence with in hand... then if that fails, do so from a position of power."
"Yes, we need the advantage when dealing with him."
Thankful that Kharax and Alpha support his plan, Richard stops imagining the Cobbler ripping a bloody confession out of Garmen. Though it does give him an idea.
"Cobbler, you think you could make some noise around the double doors at the front to draw some attention away from what I'm going to do? Maybe bang on them and ask if the place is for rent?"
Assuming Maruf agrees, then Richard heads cautiously up the back stairs and checks the righthand door at the top.
Maruf makes some noise at the southern doors as Richard tries to pick the lock. He has as much trouble as he did with the other door, and is unable to unlock it after six tries.
Meanwhile, no one answers the southern doors where Maruf is knocking.
Richard gestures for Maruf to continue as he takes more time to work on the lock.
Richard finally gets the door open, only to see someone inside, on a catwalk, staring at him. Three other people are on the floor of the warehouse, staring at the southern door, where Maruf is making a racket. The man on the catwalk yells. He then takes a defensive posture!
The thugs in the warehouse move toward the stairs, while Richard hears a chair kicked over in the office.
The thug on the catwalk rushes Richard, landing a solid punch on the man!
Thanking fate for Sanvil's magical chain shirt, Richard whips out his rapier and thrusts at the thug in the doorway before stumbling back down the outside stairs.
Seeing Richard get punched hard and returning to the party, Kharax stays out of the stairway to allow Alpha access, but moves to heal Richard. "Torracha, heal Dick!"
"Thanks!" Richard nods to Kharax in thanks.
Guy has fists like bricks. Felt like a rib cracked.
Alpha moves up to the doorway, holding the line. He attempts to smash his shield into the thug.
"About damn time!"
Maruf runs back around the building with his longspear at the ready.
Richard stabs the thug with his rapier, then moves down the stairs, avoiding an opportune swing from the thug, as he descends.
Kharax moves up and heals Richard!
Drawing his shield along the way, Alpha darts up the stairs!
Hearing the commotion, Maruf darts around the corner of the building.
The thug in the doorway rears back and punches Alpha, hard!
The northern door slams open as two of the thugs rush out and move toward Kharax.
Kharax, seeing more than than he'd care for, steps back and casts a defensive spell.
Maruf pulls out a vial and gives it a good shake before winding up and pitching it at the closest man's chest!
Alpha is almost knocked off his feet by the blow. He retaliates in kind.
With the thugs swiftly moving to engage them Richard tries to buy the group some time.
He sings a loud pure note and gestures past the thugs closing in on Kharax. "Quick, surround them!"
At his command a burly man in hide armor wielding a heavy club in a metal tech cyberarm steps silently into the alley behind the thugs.
Kharax jumps backward and casts an armoring spell!
Maruf tosses a bomb at the nearest thug, smashing the vial on him and burning him badly. The other thug cries out as the fiery mixture splashes on to him!
Alpha returns the strike, swing his shield, but the thug is a second quicker, dodging the incoming shield!
Richard casts a spell, creating a figment of a technic league soldier. The thugs glance over their shoulder, but a voice calls out. "Stay on them, I deal with this one!"
The thug on the stairs lands another solid blow on Alpha, while the other two swing and miss.
A fourth man appears in the alley and tries to attack the illusion from behind, apparently believing it.
From that same direction, you hear the sound of another attack, but don't see anything.
Maruf lets out a guttural scream and drops his longspear, the better to claw the man near him.
Stepping back, Kharax tries to lash out at the thug engaged with the Cobbler.
Despite his damaged circuits, Alpha keeps fighting.
Drawing his stungun, Richard maintains concentration on the illusionary soldier, causing it to dodge attacks and make a powerful swing with its club - a swing that misses by a wide margin.
Maruf claws at a thug, hitting once!
Kharax steps back and trips the same thug!
Alpha powers through his wounds and strikes the thug in the door, dropping him!
Richard draws his stun gun!
The thug finally sees through the illusion and rushes toward Kharax.
The thug punches Kharax, while another steps up and punches Maruf. The last thug stands, and lays into the Cobbler with a haymaker!
Suddenly, Gamren appears next to Richard, stabbing him with a rapier!
Maruf lets out a ferocious snarl as he drops to the ground from his wounds.
Garmen's stab is good, but Richard twists away at the last second, avoiding worse injury.
Letting his illusion fade, Richard jumps, aims his Stungun at the thug that took down the Cobbler, and pulls the trigger.
*FWAMMP!!*
Alpha moves back down the stairs and bashes the thug fighting Kharax.