SE04 : EP26 - Red Zone pt.15

Daphix summons wolves into the fray as he himself wild shapes into a polar bear. The party opens up on the group of flunkies. The clang of metal and the acrid smell of magic pierce the air. Clambering onto the desk Ryder syncs two phantasmal daggers into a yowling Kranko. Parthas summons the thread of the divine to punish the bulk of the room with a fireball. Bodies turn to cinders in the ensuing inferno. An extra move of spite of Parathas's crown of stars strikes Kranko.   "Stop, wait! STOP!" the goblin boss screams.    Parathas, still boiling with intensity, commands him, "Talk!"   The cyclops go still, and the room falls quiet.   Kranko flusters as he tries to regain his composure, "What do you want?! Spell it out. What do you want?"   "Zonot 52. Where is it, what is it, and how do we get into it." Parathas draws out calmly.   "It's a weapons factory. They use Izit ingenuity, and alchemy makes creatures to order for those who can pay."    "That sounds like exactly what we wanted to know."   Enakahas chimes, "So Daphix was right, they must be the makers of the things from other Horizon."   Parathas nods, "Kranko, I want to ask you about someone."   "Sure, I know everybody," The goblin responds.   "Do you, Stargazer?" As Parthas says this, the polar bear snarls.   "No, I don't think I know anyone going by that."    Ryder's eyebrow raises. "Are you sure you don't? I feel you do."   Kranko protests, "Look, I told you everything about the Symic."   Parathas says, "I'm asking about Stargazer right now."   Kranko's eyes dart to a group of barrels, some bombs. Ryder catches this and follows the eye line.   "Did you trade those with him?" Ryder says as both he and Parathas turn their gazes more intently on Kranko.   "Look, he's just a businessman, crazier than most. But we made our trade, and that was that."   Ryder speaks next, "You sold those? What are they? Bombs?"   Sheepishly the goblin admits, "Yes."   "How many?" Parathas say with a sharp edge to his words.   "A lot. Enough to level a building, maybe a few if you did it right."   Parathas gaze breaks away and in his mind reaches back to Horizon, to Gynn. They discuss how to break this threat to the city to the council.   Ryder continues the integration. "Did he give you any indication how he was going to use them" ? "No. He was buying all kinds of things. Building an army. But he promised me they wouldn't be used in the precinct. He seemed to be setting up something outside the city. I don't know."   "Oh, we know where he is going with those," Ryder says.   Ryder looks over to Parathas as his attention returns to the room.   "How powerful are they?"   "They blew up that wall with just four of them." The goblin gestures to blasted out part of the wall. "And that's a reinforced and fortified."   The party stirs in their skins—the thought of a direct attack on Horizon dawning on them.   "Can I go now?"   Parathas and Ryder exchange looks. In a powerful voice, PArathas responds, "Tell us where the Zonot is and then, yes, and Kranko..." magical energy courses around him, "Never do business with that individual again."   * * * * *   They arrive back into the house at the top of the stairs. The party candidly discusses the information. It's disturbing the number of explosives in Stargazer's hands. They start into the BListercoils, following the directions Kranko gave them.   The afternoon heat has become oppressive. They stop at a stand to purchase water and some food. As they eat, two Boros guards pass on the way to Kranko. They tuck into plates of shwarma. They take tho moment to rest and then continue on the path through the city.   They arrive at the area they feel the Zonot must be, with a massive horizontal pipe that must run into it. Ryder finds a seems and pulls open a sliding door that enters into the pipe. Ryder and Cass scout ahead into the pipe. A conference lichen lines the walls. After a distance, they find a boat that continues down the pipe into a waterway. The party gathers in from of the boat. It could hold maybe sixteen people. A small box in the front has a collection of ponchos. Also, a hand level is built between the front seat. Everyone ties off the restraints and takes position equally around the boat. Ryder pulls the lever.    A rod extends forward, and a screen opens in front of them. From behind them, a gust of hot wet air blows past them. Just as they process this, a blast of steam shoots them down the pipe at insane speeds. After a wild set of turns, the pipe disappears as they launch into the air. They sail through the sky until they fall into a similar pipe, sparks flying from underneath as the boats scrape the bear pipe. A splash is heard as they reach water again, followed immediately by another steady rush of steam. After losing the shwarma in the next sequence of turns, climbs, and drops.    They arrive into a natural cave system a bit worse for wear. Disembarking, they steady themselves on the dock. They carefully begin to maneuver into the caves. The passages are narrow and lit only by clusters of placed lichen. Daphix communes with nature and seeks to understand the terrain. Traveling single file, they attempt to seek out the more open center of the cave system.   Scouting ahead, Ryder discovers a set of double doors. Beyond is a large, dimly lit chamber. In the middle distance, a tank is built into the ground with writhing limbs and eyestalks. They have a familiar look as they are the same type of abomination they fought in Other Horizon. They close the door and continue to search down the passageway. As they proceed, the rancid smell of stale meat wafts through the air. It is overwhelming and awful as they get to a wooden slat fence that blocks any more forward progress. Doubling back, they find another fence blocking the southern passageway. Seeing no way forward, they hed back to the double doors. Ryder stalks into the room to get the lay of the land.    Alcoves with weak lantern light flank the hallway. Inside the main room, a Symic works magic into a console infusing into the tank-bound creature. Doorways lead off to the north and the east. After going as far he dares, Ryder returns to the group. They discuss how they need to approach. First, they need to incapacitate the attendant before he can alert anyone or release the creature. Second, they need to control the space.    Its decided that Cass will move in and try to knock out the attendant.