Zazz moves opening up lines of fire, twirling to the side, stoping to the side and throwing the cog wheel in his right hand, and bring the left hand juggling cog to his front in case of attack.
Ta'mas nearly breaks the ratkin behind him ... it hops and whines in pain from the kick.
Zazz's cog flies past its target, but does catch his attention.
Araden moves up and fires a round into the gut of the shortbow-wielding ratkin.
Tomin delivers an overhand chop meant to at least drive the ratkin back. His strike misses, and the ratkin springs at him with dagger and bite.
The ratkin with the shortbow steps back to remove himself from Araden's line of sight, and fires another miniature arrow at Draught.
The ratkin Zazz had just buzzed with a cog looks Zazz over, and apparently seeing something he is carrying of worth... "Mine!"
He goes for Zazz, and delivers a vicious bite to Zazz's copy.
The rifle-rat, and badly injured dagger rat work together to bring down Ta'mas with a sudden incredible ferocity.
Ta'mas draws his axe, and swings hard at the head rat.
Zazz spins his remaining gear before clenching it tightly, and side stepping, recites a robotic mantra before releasing a wave of energy.. that fizzles. Inciting a sheepish sigh and pulls out his next blade.
Tomin will make another swing at the ratkin.
Draught moves up and fires another shot from her pistol as Araden does the same. The ratkin falls with Draught's sizzling shot.
Ta'mas axe misses the rifle-rat, and Zazz's spell fizzles. Tomin is able to deliver a nasty wound to his foe - who retaliates with another dagger and bite.
The two ratkin on either side of Ta'mas attack again.
The ratkin who'd lost his crossbow to Ta'mas, and now facing off with Zazz, bites at Zazz.
Draught reloads, takes a five-foot step to T18, and fires at the ratty-rat next to Zazz.
plus
Ta'mas keeps swinging at the de-rifle'd rat.
The head rat reels from a strike delivered by Ta'mas. Both ratkin flanking him are now in pretty bad shape.
Tomin decisively ends his foe with a falchion chop.
Zazz slices his foe after the ratkin suffers an acidic shot from Draught.
The two fighting Ta'mas fail to inflict any wounds, and the third ratkin misses a swipe against Zazz.
Draught five-foot steps to U18, reloads, and fires again at the one next to Zazz.
plus
Another ratkin falls. Only the injured pair flanking Ta'mas still stand.
From the unhinged look in their eyes, they are committed to slashing and biting at their foe until the bitter end.
The last two ratkin fall. No other threats are visible.
A moment later, Timney and Ervin come out from hiding. Ervin (slightly overwhelmed) tries to fan himself to cool his nerves. Timney tugs on the mule, and unlashes a pack. "I'll prep dinner if someone'd make a fire. Poking around before it gets dark'd be a good idea too. Got a half hour or so before the sun goes down."
Those who had been fighting now see the reason the piles of junk were made stable enough to walk upon. There are tent flaps on many of them... crude half-underground shelters.
To the northwest is a sheet-metal shack surrounded by more unrusted metal scrap. The winds have all but stopped.
Further west (off map), it is a field of rusted scrap, junk, and sand. The filthy haze which spans over it - now catching the light of the setting sun, looks like how tobacco smoke hangs in a still room with no door or draft.
"Oh. You all live here. That is interesting. Are your homes sanitary?" Draught asks, now knowing how offensive she is accidentally being.
Ta'mas walks back over to where the others have gathered. "Am I staying here too, then? You trust these travelers, or should I stand guard?" he asks the well-dressed man. To the newcomers, "Yer help's appreciated, but you're here under odd circumstances, y'know."
"Here Timney, I'll make you a fire. Ta'mas, keep an eye out for now, we can do a perimeter search in a few minutes."
Tomin will then gather a pile of wood (at O11) and ignite it with the spark spell.
After taking a few moments to warm himself by the fire and catch his breath after battle...
"Alright, let's go. We should see what else is hiding in this pile of rubble."
He will take 10 on perception. Result: 14. He is looking for both threat and salvage.
The well-dressed man Ervin, half-listening to Ta'mas, nods "That's fine, young man." as he follows Timney to where Tomin is building the fire.
Timney pauses long enough to look Ta'mas in the eye, then moves on with a nod... "We could certainly use you. Welcome aboard."
While Tomin pokes around the area, and Timney begins prepping dinner, Ervin gives some background.
"Decades ago... before the fall of civilization, several meteors hit the planet. One is quite well known, .. as the rare metals within brought rise to the industrial settlement of Drossberg."
"There were some who believed these meteors were sent... The initial prevailing theory was that a race from another world was preparing our world to fight a future common foe, and that other meteors contained more than raw materials. This was soon refuted by the government of Anodos - with what I have come to discover was misinformation... and false evidence. The official position was that it was patently ridiculous." He snorts, and shakes head.
As he continues he opens and checks the contents of his luggage.
"As I've said, Dr Harkleburn must have been leading the study, and I - by his own words - would be an invaluable asset. Now, I fear what has befallen the science team. Considering you've tracked a lawless band here yourselves, and these... ver-men." He gestures to the field of battle while catching his breath.
The rats' nests are filthy. Piles of inedible bits, stains from the edible bits, musk stench, and chew sticks.... You do notice there is a hum, and a nearly imperceptible vibration in the floor under the detritus. There appear to be boards.. movable or removable flooring as you'd found where the wagon tracks end at the fence.
~~~~~ ~~~~~
"You never paid me to put up with puns," Tamas grumbles. "But whoever those ratling mutants were, they seemed a bit paranoid, like they were hiding from the law. Newcomers—were you chasing 'em? I'd reckon they weren't here for any archaeology."
"'Course, if you don't want to get yer hands dirty, and there's pay in searching for whatever happened to the Doctor you say lived here, I'd be amenable to a bit of poking around."
"Let's check out this boss shack, the rats were talking about."
" sounds good."
Zazz finishes collecting his thrown cogs and follows.
Draught follows, still not sure she's comfortable with entering the rat-peoples' homes for fear of filth.
The shack in the northwest corner of this part of the junkyard is filthy stone and metal scrap panels. A rough piece of sheet metal is crudely bolted to the old hinge of the doorframe, and hangs ajar.
There is a faint low hum, and equally faint scent like that of dust burning off a furnace. The shack is filled with odd metal furniture, and black wires snaking all around the walls - from the floor, through the machines, and to a metal circular contraption on the ceiling. There are levers, dials, and buttons everywhere (though mostly on the metal desks themselves.)
One of the "metal desks" is covered with bullet holes, and a pea-sized amber light flickers on the face of it.
There is also a substantial factory-crafted hatch near the center of the floor.
The hatch has a card reader.
"That seems to be some sort of communications equipment. It is not working as it should."
Tomin will keep is take 10 perception of 14 from earlier.
"This looks like communications equipment. Amber light shows there is some power, but likely not functioning properly. It also has control panels and a card reader. Maybe we can find some control cards laying around."
Zazz takes a gander
Looking around the shack, you find no keycard.
You do find...
wrapped pack of BBQ pork flavored goo tubes (10 rations)
3 batteries
1 medlance (unused)
20 silverdisks
The ratkin's weapons and other combat gear are too small to be of use, though the scope on the rifle looks to have been intended for a weapon of "normal" size.
After a while Zazz finds a paper tucked behind a two-lever contraption on the east wall - separate from the communications equipment. It is barely legible string of instructions which seem to correspond with the contraption.
"Red square, left lever up, count to 10, right lever up, wait for beep, right lever down, left lever down, count to 10, red square."
By this time you can smell your dinner cooking on the fire.
" Found something, looks like a code key. Lets regroup, smells like food. Hopefully not Rat."
"Yes, I would prefer not to eat rat. Filthy creatures." Draught says.
"You mean... rat, or rat-mutant? Because those things were people, once," Tamas sneers, from the other side of the fire.
Timney is quick to reassure Ta'mas, "No no, I .. I would not cook ratfolk. This is that flying beast." He pops a piece too small to serve into his mouth, "Reminiscent of turkey."
After he finishes stripping the carcass of edible meat, "I'm assuming we are staying here for the night? I'll clean up the least filthy rat's nest... that and yonder shack will be enough shelter."
Over dinner he tells Ervin and Ta'mas stories of what struggles they had faced. The tales smack of hero worship toward now-absent Calvarot in particular... and Timney does not hide how he worries so over him now. After a few stories about the ranseur-wielding god of war, Timney gets lost in reverie staring into the fire as other conversations start up.
Tomin sits with Timney and takes a chunk of bird.
"He was good, but not THAT good."
"So... you're mercs, then? Makes sense, you're too gun-friendly to be outlanders, but yer armor's got too much metal ta be guvvies."
"Weren't you lookin' for a wagon, though? And those mutants seemed likely bandits. Why pick apart the bunkers, other than hunting shinies, if you still ain't found the haul?"
"That is a good question. What is our next move?"
It's been three days since the lights went out (while two tiny amber-hued upward-facing lights lit up - high on the wall), and your door has not opened. The walls of your room keep most sound out... you've not been able to hear much of anything with the door closed. It was three nights ago when you'd heard screams, and yells... minor rapid explosions, then nothing.
Dr Emory has not come by (no one has). The last time he'd met with you he brought a few books as promised - on subjects from his very limited library. He'd said these were the basics of the power of science his flock wields. He'd implied in fact, the working of the sliding doors and lights could be understood once one came to comprehend the knowledge within. The books are titled Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering.
Your weapons are not here. And your spellbook, according to Dr Emory's last mention of it, is in the office of a Dr Harkleburn. When he'd mentioned this, his head turned reflexively - suggesting this Dr Harkleburn's office is likely nearby.
The room is a bed and tiny table with chair, and an adjoining closet with a chair which serves as bodily waste receptacle - and banishes said waste by way of pull-chain. There is an entire piece of furniture devoted to the wash basin, and a spigot from which you may retrieve water as needed... but you are out of food.
Alynthar searches the room for anything of value or anything that may be helpful to escape that he may have missed.
If he doesn't find anything, he casts Prestidigitation to create a copy of the funny little card that Dr. Emory used to open the door and tries to use it.
When that fails, he casts Acid Splash at the door hinges until they are destroyed.
Alynthar doesn't come across anything which could clearly aid him - there is very little in the room beyond furniture. Once he begins conjuring and applying acid, he finds the hinges to be incredibly solid... though he slowly makes progress. The smell of the metal being eaten away fills the room.
~~~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~
In the junkyard...
Timney approaches Ta'mas. "We've lost a few since taking on this job. Considering you're here... and can handle yourself in a fight, if you're interested, be glad to cut you in."
He lights a torch from the campfire, and leads him to where the wagon tracks end abruptly at the fence.
"These are the tracks of the wagon we're after... dunno what happened to the wagon, but..." He looks around. "I don't see any wagon tracks leading away. S'pose it could've been unloaded... made light enough not to leave a clear trail."
Alynthar sighs at the low rate of progress, but, seeing no other option, continues to cast the spell.
"Right, an' I'll need to be headin' back to town anyway—might as well get paid to do it." Ta'mas shakes the man's hand. "In that case, I'll get right to work."
Ta'mas takes the torch, and begins to sweep it around. "I do know a thing or two about tracking footprints in scrubland like this, so now we'll see if'n they left any behind."
You make out a concealed platform here on the ground - like a 15' by 15' trapdoor. The line of debris which has slid down to what must be the hinge side is a clear giveaway. You don't see any type of handle or other clear way to easily open it. It's not immediately clear if it can be pried open.
Hmm. Anything can be pried open for a barbarian of sufficient level... but Ta'mas is not quite there yet.
"There's a trap door near the wagon," he shouts to the others, "I think the goods might have been dragged down inside. Anyone wanna give me a hand opening this?"
Draught walks over to Ta'mas and helps him open the trap door.
Unfortunately, she's just BARELY not strong enough to help much.
"Anyone have some extra extra water to flush the area and see the drain? Handle ought to have an indent where the water will flow to the most around the handle. "
"I can help with that."
Tomin will cast create water on the area. He will keep casting every round until the area is flooded.
Draught finds no handle, but when Tomin floods the area - washing away some of the covering debris, she spots a pair of shielded cables (quickly identified by the look of the black cords). The cables run from the large trapdoor to the shack... and up the wall directly to the two-levered contraption.