Galaxy's Edge Space Bar

[Myitt]

"Hey, will you get off me?" the human scowls, shaking free of Dalik's grasp. "I just ordered a--"

The door to the walk-in freezer bursts open, and one...two, three...five feathered creatures, about four feet tall and frostbitten, hop out into the area behind the bar counter.

One of them, black feathers raising in hackles, breath escaping in a cold burst from its nose, hops onto the counter itself. It shakes its head and purrs, inspecting the bar patrons with warm, golden eyes. Like an eagle's eyes.

Wicked claws tip its three fingered hands, which are partially obscured by red and black wings - wings that surely couldn't allow this creature to fly.

At the end of its long tail, more feathers spread out in a birdlike fan. And most notably, at the end of its clawed feet, the inner toe is retracted back and held off the ground.

It's a four foot tall reptilian eagle from hell, and it's cold, and it's confused, and the glossy black feathers are spattered with a shock of red blood.

The other four creatures, similar except in variations of raven black and a dull gray, start to fan out from behind the bar - crowding and snapping, jostling bottles and glasses in their haste to escape the walk-in freezer.

[Chad32]

Verdana's eyes went black again. This could turn real bad real fast. He summoned a bone wall between the creatures, and his table. Also protecting anyone at his table.

"That's a lot of nope right there."

[Shenmue654]

Jeffrey's jaw drops as soon as the creatures appear, darting their way delicately into the Bar, making bird-like chatter as they spread out from the freezer. At first, he can't do anything--- There doesn't seem to be a remotely logical response to this scenario available. But finally he draws a sharp-looking knife from his belt and holds it in front of himself, but doesn't move. He does get off his seat and position himself in front of it such that he's poised to throw the knife if they attack.

He looks from one Bar inhabitant to the other in utter confusion. "What...does anyone know what those things are?! We don't have too many animals in the Main Dome left! Pidgeons maybe, but that's not a ****ing pidgeon!"

[guitarhero01234]

Merc slowly puts up an open hand. "Dude, I have no ****ing clue," he says quietly. "They're not attacking or anything, but I don't think it's a good idea to provoke them or anything." Despite his attempts to keep a calm demeanor, his hand is shaking, every muscle in his body primed to retaliate should these beasts attack. "I think they might be just as freaked out as we are. . . ."

[Shenmue654]

Jeffrey squirms but accepts the statement. He swallows, watching the creatures spread out and pitter-patter across the Bar like a pack of oddly coordinated wolves. One thing was certain--- These creatures were predators, and they were a team of hunters. So not morons. Any response would have to be instant to avoid getting killed. While his powers could disrupt humans, and apparently other sentient minds, they were essentially useless against non-sentients.

He glances toward Merc and nods grimly. "Yeah, yeah I got it, just..." He winces. "...ready, that's all. Yeah."

[Terenia]

William jumps to his feet as well, his conversation with Mercer forgotten. Like Jeffrey, he procures a small knife, holding it protectively in front of him. "Some sort of giant chicken," he observes. "With teeth." His stance lowers slightly, and he backs up, putting Verdana's bone wall directly behind him. Protected from one side was better than none.


Dalik is close enough to the bar that when the creatures appear she stumbled back a step or two, eyes wide. Her weapon is still in one hand, and as the creatures begin to fan out she lifts it. For a moment she looks unsure where to focus her attention, but finally she chooses the big, dark creature closest to her and Myitt. Drawing a bead, she pulls the trigger.

Tseeew!

The discharge from the Dracon weapon is loud in the small bar, accompanied by a red beam of light, directed straight towards the animal.

[Myitt]

The black feathered animal, on top of the bar counter, screeches as the bolt of energy hits her.

She is knocked backwards and topples, unconscious, onto the bar counter - taking a couple of empty glasses with her in her wake. The big feathered tail droops over the interior side of the bar counter.

"Jesus Christ," Myitt's host yelps, backpedaling away from the bar and patting her side for her own weapon.

The other four feathered animals do not respond lightly to their fallen pack-mate. Two of them snuffle the black one's feathers curiously, while the other two - a dark gray, smaller individual and a light gray, almost whitish larger one - hop up onto the counter itself. In a quick movement the larger light gray creature hops all the way onto the floor on the other side of the bar, where everyone is sitting.

Their attention is on Dalik, condensation from the sudden heat of the bar making their feathers and their leathery skin damp.

Still no sign of the bartender from within the half-opened freezer door.

[Chad32]

"Dalik, get back behind the wall."

He threw a bone at the two creatures eyeballing Dalik, to distract them. They were more magical attacks than just pieces of bone, and would emit energy on contact. these particular attacks weren't really powerful.

[guitarhero01234]

"This is not gonna end well," Merc snarls, calmly standing up from his seat. For a brief moment, he strongly considers sitting right back down, despite how it was now obvious that these things are indeed hostile After all, this is Dalik's problem, not his. But after they're done with her, it most certainly will be my problem. "Hey, freaky ****in' chicken thing!" He grabs the first chair that his hands find and lifts it to his shoulder, the legs pointing upward. Considering the moisture covering the beasts, Merc is fairly certain that his pyrokinetic abilities would be next to useless. Brute force would have to be the way to go. With as much strength as he can muster from his less-than-impressive arms, he swings the chair at the dark gray creature on top of the bar.

[Myitt]

The human woman raises her own Dracon, aiming at the darker gray animal on the counter.

"They're Velociraptor," she breathes. "I didn't think...I didn't..." She swallows and lifts the gun again, but doesn't fire.

The dark gray raptor eyeballs Merc, opening its mouth in a half-pant, half-snarl. It leaps.

Then the chair takes it in the torso, and the lithe animal emits a piercing call of pain.

It skitters to its feet on the floor, a few feet away, dazed.

This catches the attention of the remaining two raptors; they turn away from their fallen comrade and fan out.

The light one keeps its eyes on Dalik. Even though it is much shorter than Dalik's host, there is a serious sense that the animal could do some very serious, very swift damage to a bag of human guts.

[guitarhero01234]

"Awesome," Merc mumbles, only a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "Dalik, you're free to shoot any time!" He takes a quick look around for more useful improvised weapons. Somehow, the White Russian he ordered didn't get knocked over in the fray. Is this gonna be enough to ignite? No time to consider. He turns around, a fireball having materialized in his hand. Without a second thought, he throws the drink, glass and all, toward the closest Velociraptor, quickly followed by the fireball.

[Terenia]

Dalik's moment of victory is short-lived, and her skin blanches as the animals turn their full attention to her.

<<Dalik?>> The human's internal "voice" is scared. Her fear is making it difficult for Dalik to keep the weapon from shaking. Hell, her entire body is shaking and she stares down an animal straight from Cameron's nightmares.

The bright gleam of fire, followed by the glass being thrown, is enough to jerk her from her paralysis. She re-aims, this time at the lighter colored raptor eyeing her. With one thumb, she dials up the setting of her weapon as far as it will go. Then she pulls the trigger a second time.

Tseeww!

The sound is the same, but this time the beam of light is accompanied by a very palpable wave of heat, strong enough to melt metal into slag. It radiates outward, instantly raising the temperature of the bar.

[Chad32]

Verdana summoned more bones from the floor to impede the raptor's movements. He didn't want them fanning out, and trying to flank anyone.

[Shenmue654]

Jeffrey wasn't sure how to best accommodate what was happening, but he knew that being anywhere near the Bar was the wrong way to go! Jeffrey hastily skitterw away from the Bar, trying to stay out of what he presumes is the creature's line of sight.

Jeffrey glances nervously at Marc, showing a hint of concern as he creates a makeshift Molotov ****tail right then and there, but doesn't act. He waits to see if there is good timing for a well placed knife throw to the head for one of these monsters.

[Myitt]

Dalik's beam hits the light gray animal, which promptly vanishes in a screech and a blast of unbearable heat.

Unfortunately the Dracon beam continues onward, slicing through a good third of the bar counter, exploding part of it into wood shrapnel and disintegrating the underlying third entirely.

Splinters and chunks of wood fling from the wreck of the bar, raining onto Myitt's host, who just barely has time to raise an arm to shield her face.

The bottle that Merc threw thunks against one of the raptors - one of the two standing near the raptor that collapsed onto the bar. It doesn't douse the animal in alcohol, but the fireball lights the creature up, and it screeches, running wildly for a moment, then darting for the front door.

Verdana's bone shielding effectively traps the raptor that was hit by the chair, though it snaps and snarls at the cage of bone, breaking off small chunks of the material.

Two raptors left - one unconscious on the bar counter, and another with reddish black feathers, backing away from the group with arms spread wide in a defensive stance.