Join the Club pt. 2

Lirassa starts to move forward, thinks better of it, and tosses out her mini-robot instead, shouting a command in Brekka. The little machine glides into the corridor junction...

...and almost immediately comes under stun bolt fire from the west. One bolt grazes the mini-robot, and it automatically retreats.

 Swearing, Lirassa jumps across the corridor and presses herself against the stairs, weapon at the ready. Mon'Fargret glances at Betham, who reassures him with an awkward grunt and vibe of annoyance. Then he moves out around Lirassa.

Up above, Granite Spear looks both up and down the curved stairway, debating her next move. It's dark up above, but she can sense there are living beings up there. On the other hand, her loyalty sense gnaws at her...

Just as Widjgleeby reaches the landing, Mey'Luskar crouches down to pick up a pistol dropped by one of the felled door guards.

 "Nice!" she coos.

The Farbett brings herself to an awkward halt, rumbling impatiently. Pru, eager to get to the top, walks right into the giant reptile's backside and snaps, "Hey, watch it, you!" Widjgleeby turns to confront the dark-skinned Yangae but smells danger.

She and Pru glance toward the west door just as it slides open with a bang to reveal a guard with light body armor and a carbine.

 Acting on pure instinct, Widjgleeby dives through the still-open front door just as the guard pulls the trigger...and nothing happens.

Snatching up the expensive-looking designer pistol, Mey'Luskar breaks into a run..and plows right into Betham as he tries to stand.

 Landing on the porch outside, Widjgleeby dimly notices that there is a group of people (three that smell like Yangae and three armored figures of uncertain race) hurrying away but concerns herself with the activity inside the house. She regains her bearings and turns back toward the door.

Sensing the commotion, Granite Spear spins around, presses against the rail, and begins scanning the area with all her senses. The strong beat going through the floor makes her acoustic sense almost useless and makes it hard to focus...

Whining like a wet fezik, Mey'Luskar spins around as she regains her balance and notices the guard is fiddling with his gun rather than shooting it. She glances at the pistol for an instant, guesses what button might be the safety, and trips it as the guard reinitializes his weapon.

Behind her, Betham takes a couple of steps to secure his footing and moves toward Mon'Fargret.

Shaking her head to clear it, Granite Spear finally spots the guard and notes the positions of the others. Through the fog of her battle lust, she begins weighing her options.

Lirassa makes no such effort.  Popping out from behind her cover, she squeezes off a shot at the other guard.

Stowing the bulky pistol as best she can, Granite Spear begins to climb on top of the stair rail and readies herself to jump.

Mey'Luskar purses her lips and shoots the handsome-looking pistol. There is a flash and a crackle of ionized air, and both the guard's weapon and the breastplate of his armor melt away into plasma. "Scarlet!" she hums, eying the pistol with a grin.

Lirassa adjusts her aim and shoots again. Then she ducks back and sends out her mini-robot.

Betham comes to a stop behind Mon'Fargret and reaches out with his psy senses.

With a violent HWOOPH, Granite Spear launches herself airborne, lands off-balance on the center stair landing (directly in front of Pru, who has to abort her attempt to emerge to keep from getting skewered), rolls, and comes to a stop braced on her feet and tail right in front of the guard. Partly confused, partly petrified, the guard manages one word or two before the Shurian's beak tears his throat off. Granite Spear then tosses the gurgling guard aside and continues into the room behind him. A second later, a loud crash can be heard followed by the Shurian's excited clicking.

"Oh!" whines Mey'Luskar. "I wanted to shoot my gun again!" With a huff, she struts on her way toward the others, tossing her head at Pru when the latter hurries to catch up with her.

Mon'Fargret glances at Betham expectantly, and the latter says, "There's one more guard in the parlor over there." He points south. "She's scared boneless. So are the people over that way." He gestures west. "Most of the people in the parlor don't know what's going on."

"Yeah?" retorts Lirassa. "Well, we need to fix that. Come on!" She swaggers out into the corridor.

"Do we really need to do that?" wonders Mon'Fargret.

"That's what I want to know," adds Betham. "What exactly are we trying to do here, anyway?"