>>5180477>>5180480>>5180483You simply must know what is going on here, before you commit to any decisions. You slide down between the pipes, leaving your vantage point, and start to approach the barricade. Black pikes aren't really looking in the direction you are coming from, plus constant metal rumbling and poor lighting are further obscuring your approach.
They aren't speaking in a hushed tone either, so you don't even need to get that close, to listen to their conversation.
"We gotta get out of here and warn the others, or at least get some reinforcements" insists a small bald guy with the least armor among them. "What if this is a full scale invasion? We gotta get the news back to the Stack, before shit hits the fan!" The man listening to him is clearly unimpressed. He looks like he is made out of black metal, crude armor plates covering him almost completely, face hidden beneath a fully closed helmet. You honestly have no idea how he even sees anything from under this thing. The armor plated man waves his hand dismissively. "Don't be a bitch, Tiny. Maybe you haven't seen any mutant invasions yet, but I'm old enough to remember the last one. Time from time they come from down there, driven by hatred, trying to "kill all humans" or whatever, it never works. All gangs are going to defend their territory, and even if it gets really bad, arbiters are going to make themselves useful and push the muties back where they belong." He shrugs his shoulders in massive flat pauldrons and leans his back to the wall. "We got a task to take that lab from Acid Rats and we aren't running away just because some ugly fucks from below decided to come visit. We are going to wait here untill they attack us, and then obliterate them. No matter how scary they look, most muties are stupid as fuck, you'll see what I mean when they will run straight into that gun we have here", he nods to the heavy stubber and the guy mounting it.
Well, that explains some things. Apparently mutants invaded the lab you were going for.
You also got a better look at the black pikes raiding party, there are 3 people armed and ready, 1 guy lying on a floor with something that looks like a poorly bandaged chop wound and 1 guy mounting the heavy stubber. You also notice some grenades they have prepared near a barricade.
>Sneak into the inviting maw of the tunnel down. Would be difficult to do, but you still want to get whatever is in that lab. (Stealth roll)>Steal those grenades, you did came down here to loot after all. (Stealth roll)>Stop hiding and approach the black pikes raiding party. Maybe you can help them, maybe they can help you. (Social roll)>Attack the raiding party. For some reason you crave blood. (Very hard combat)>Go back and find another way to the lab through the tunnels (Pathfinding roll)>(Write-in)