melodiesofeternity | Player Plot: Bizarre Bird Behavior!

Player Plot: Bizarre Bird Behavior!

Should you happen to have missed it, the plotting and information post for this event can be found here.

A. Choco-Chaos!

Perhaps the first thing anyone notices is the noise, the incessant squawking and warking of so many startled and disgruntled chocobos. Then comes the smell. Ew! In the early morning hours dozens, maybe even hundreds of chocobos invaded many of the cities of Vaikuntha, and while for the first few minutes some may have been elated to see them, attitudes quickly change. The chocobos are panicked, running around without much rhyme or reason, trampling on flower beds, knocking over merchant stands, and making such a ruckus even the dead couldn’t sleep through it. Any food they find is destroyed within minutes, and anything they’re curious about meets the sharp end of their strong beaks. While they’re generally harmless birds, they have the capacity for devastation.

And none of that mentions the, uh, other mess live animals tend to make.

Despite being within the city limits, they are far from tame. Any attempts to approach the birds will be met with either an angry warning wark, a display of puffed feathers, or the chocobo just straight up bolting away. This seems great, as maybe they can be corralled, but… Nope. While this works to an extent, as soon as the birds get too close to the city borders they turn tail and jump straight over the heads of the people attempting to be rid of them, running back into the city to make even more of a mess in their renewed panic. What is there to be done about them?

B. Lurking Lunchers

Should anyone be so inclined as to find out why the chocobos feathers are so ruffled, they need only walk to the edge of the city. Stalking around just beyond civilization are fearsome beasts known only as chocobo eaters. Based on the feathers stuck between their huge teeth this is probably an apt name. The monsters have little interest in humans, but become very interested when a chocobo wanders too close to the outskirts of town. The chocobo eaters are quite aggressive and will gladly take on anyone bold enough to make a challenge. Adventurers may attempt to fight them, but it seems like just when you send one packing, another bigger monster shows up. Was that a baby chocobo eater you were just fighting? You could have sworn it was an adult, with how big it is!

C. Fight or Flight

At last the time has come. A gold chocobo trotted in from off the horizon and rounded up what she believes to be able fighters, herded them into groups, and partnered them with a chocobo that will fight by their side. Ironically it seems to be the feathered member of the party that actually knows what to do, and the teams are led by their respective birds out into the battlefield to take on one of the ferocious beasts waiting out there for lunch. Fight as hard as you can and don’t let the birds down. Defeat might not mean death for you, but it certainly would for the chocobos!

Once the battles are won and the flocks free to return to their natural habitat, some of the brave battlers will find themselves with new feathered friends. Others will not, but everyone will have a handful of greens. If you missed this opportunity to get a chocobo, or you have a taste and want even more, head on over and check out the chocobo capture/breeding system that will be available from now until Eternity.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[He couldn't contribute, if only because now wasn't the time to argue. He quickly recalled the lessons from the Guild, and tore the blade through the side of the beast. Streaks of holy energy arced through the body, sending the Eater nearly reeling...

But he was still a greenhorn paladin. Kanji turned to Futaba and looked confused. He didn't feel any different... er, should he? He wasn't sure. But it sounded like it wasn't gonna hit yet. He nodded and trusted her on it.

The Chocobo Eater's double-mouth grinned. It noticed, and pointed at the astrologian, its other claw tightening into a fist. You're Next...]

[Naoto still had several bullets in the chamber, but while considering her next course of action, she doesn't miss the way the Chocobo Eater sets its sights on Futaba. Eyes narrowed, perhaps she'll regret it later, but it's an action that should be done.]

[Moving from her location, she placed herself between the monster and Futaba, prepping her next shot for her retaliation after.]

[ Her heart definitely feels like it stops for half a second when that thing sets it’s gaze on her. There’s plenty of the elements of battle that she’s used to, but actually being a target is not one of them.

Before she really has a chance to figure out how to prep, though, Naoto’s already moving, planting herself right in it’s path.

Kanji already has Boon of the Stars, so that’s our, and healing before the Eater’s made its move would be useless.... c’mon cards c’mon, give her a Bole, give her a- yes! ]

Defense up!

[ There you go, Naoto. On the house. ]

[After munching on chocobos all day, it was another cherry on the sundae to turn some small prey into paste. The skinny one with the fear in its eyes saw a gargantuan fist thrown down from above, but its luck was given a twist when a Fist of Fury collided solidly with the tiny one holding the noisy stick.]

Naoto!

[God damn it. He braced and widened his stance. Cover maneuver. The Chocobo Eater looked like it wanted a piece of all three of them this time, but after the beating, it was time to play defensively.]

Got you guys covered! Shit, this thing hits like a bus!

Ah!

[Futaba's defense up helps, but Kanji wasn't kidding. The thing hits like - well, no time for thinking about past battles. Shaking off the hit and feeling a little bruised, her improved Aim allowed her to target the Chocobo Eater where she intended to strike before: its eye.]

Don't let up!

[ Okay ow that really did look like it hurt. Nevermind earlier, Naoto's okay in her book. Between that and Kanji immediately moving on the defensive... Definitely glad to have them on her side during a fight. This fight specifically but hopefully more than that. ]

Thanks. Here!

[ In any case, hopefully those bruises don't ache too much or for too long, since she sends a Benefic Naoto's way. ]

[Annoyed, the Eater was beginning to realize that these ones weren't about to be reduced to pancakes as easily as the prey. Then it went blind in an eye, something it appreciated with a shrill shriek as it tossed its strange head from side to side as if to try and clear it. When it was dark on the left, it got pissed. When it hissed and advanced, throwing both fists like sledgehammers, the biggest one of the three was an obstacle and an annoyance, driven back a few steps. Kanji knew he was going to feel that in the morning, even if there was an odd sense of relief once the Chocobo Eater's assault relented; the Boon had triggered, and though he had no idea what that meant, all he needed to know was that it gave him the boost he needed.]

A'right... that's enough! Fuck you!

[You leave his party alone, you leave his damn friends alone, and you leave the birds alone... that powered the Shock Break as he swung the greatsword and called down another torrent of holy energy coursing down the cobble and over the tough flesh of the Chocobo Eater. With a roar, the creature was knocked off its feet, riddled with blade marks and gunshot wounds. Its stumpy legs thrashed to try and right itself.

Oh. Now this was familiar. Kanji's grin was downright predatory.]

Yo. The Guilds have any rules against doin' it like we did back home?

Thank you!

[Looks like the shot actually worked this time and a good thing too... mostly. It was wildly swinging and it battered Kanji again, but it looked like whatever Futaba had used earlier went into effect. He certainly wasn't staggering so much anymore anyway, and the Eater had stopped its rampage.]

[The next assault from Kanji had the Eater reeling, Naoto's eyes widening... and she considered what he was implying.]

I didn't hear there was a rule against a downed enemy...

[Opening her gun, she emptied and reloaded for the next assault...]

[ Oh you better believe she knows what this means. If only she had Malefic yet- ah well. As it is, she has a fun trick or two up her sleeve, if only the cards would coopera- ah. There we go. ]

Sorry I can't join in the fun. Give 'em an extra hit or two for me.

[ And that's how Naoto ended up with an Arrow. Don't worry Kanji, you'll get her first balance, but Naoto is kinda the DPS here. ]

YEEEEAH!

[Someone missed doing things like this. Kanji threw the sword in first, rendering the Eater a temporary sheath as he went in to experience a bit of nostalgia. No rules said a Paladin couldn't get into a fistfight, reduced damage be damned. These bastards had caused a lot of trouble and rounded it off by beating on his friends. The Eater flailed and bellowed with a double-sided assault by Paladin and Gunslinger, the latter of which would be feeling a little extra quick on the draw with the power of the Arrow.

But the Eater had designs. The air suddenly dipped in temperature, the sunny resort town feeling a cold snap coming on. It sharpened further for Futaba, who the Eater still wanted a piece of. Looks like it knew magic, casting Blizzard.]

That can be arranged!

[With the boost from Arrow and the other from Concentrate, Naoto's skilled trigger finger got to work. Easily, she can aim around Kanji and turn what would normally be one powered up shot into two striking the Chocobo Eater, fired in rapid enough succession that it might as well have been a single shot.]

[Still, it wasn't enough. Of course it isn't enough, but her eyes widened when it used Blizzard of all things.]

Futaba-san!

[ Really, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been. Astrologians have some of the best innate magic defenses of any of the classes. Futaba herself doesn’t really mind colder temperatures as much as she could. It probably really wasn’t that bad.

All of that only matters so much when you’re not used to getting hit. Futaba flinches against the sudden burst of magic around her with a yelp of pain, nearly losing her grip on the Astrolabe. She still has the presence of mind to note she’s standing and the others are counting on her.

So she clings on and staggers upright again, throwing another Boon on Kanji. It takes, so she can only assume her other one activated. Not that she’d be surprised, with how hard this thing hit. ]

[He swore under his breath. That usually did it, but it looked like this thing still had a few more tricks up its sleeve. He grit his teeth and made a mental note: Maybe he should have gone with Berserker. He couldn't control himself, but maybe this thing'd be toast ages ago if he was.

The Eater began to right itself, but their avian navigator had gathered the guts. Springing in, it entered the fray with a series of kicks to the face. Kanji took to the left arm and decided to take advantage of the distraction, taking the blade in both hands and lunging with a downward swing. The greatsword broke through body armor and sliced into flesh, but stopped just halfway through.]

Okay, fine... one more, then!

[Punchy monster loses it's fuckin' punching privileges! He readied another swing to take this thing's left arm off completely. But the free right arm was making a grab for the chocobo. Time for a snack...]

Edited 2018-05-05 03:12 (UTC)

Are you alright, Futaba-san?

[Naoto blinked when there's a flurry of yellow feathers and it appeared they now had a Chocobo companion in the fray. Looked like that did a decent amount of damage and managed to distract their opponent for Kanji to get an attack in. However, now it was looking at the Chocobo with some interest.]

[Gun raised again, she fired at the right arm, trying to make it stop. She might need to try a new tactic, but she needed the right opportunity to pull it off.]

F-fine.

[ The others dealt with this all the time, right? They were the ones on the front lines taking all the hits. She gathers up the energy to cast Benefic on herself-

And that's when that chocobo scrambles onto the scene, and it's all too easy to see where this is going. And hell if she's just going to do nothing but let that happen? There's only so much she can do in the flow of what she was already doing, but she manages to redirect her healing spell onto the chocobo. It... will probably do nothing, but it's a hell of a lot better than feeling useless. ]

[He needed to help the poor thing! Seemed like the others had the same idea, like he had any doubts. But he applied some extra muscle, grit, and swung down until the blade hit the cobblestone. It passed through bone, passed through sinew, and out the other side. The arm was heavy in a heap on the ground, messily severed, and with the shot to its right, it flailed and howled in its pain and anger. If the chocobo wasn't quick enough, it would find itself in the path of a swinging arm.

With an angered steam rolling from its jaws, it pointed to Naoto. You're Next...]

[While Futaba and Kanji make their moves, Naoto took to her iMog. It was unfortunate that this would take time and she could see the Chocobo Eater was looking her way, but she was going to do this.]

[Passive = Active]

[In a flash, her light armor became draped in metals heavier gleaming blue and her hat replaced by a helm. Waist, legs, armors, all of it similar, all of it glowing, and in her hand, she took hold of a blade fused with what almost appeared to be a revolving chamber; except, no reload was required.]

I wasn't sure if I would be switching, but I'll give it a go.

[ Okay, not going to lie, getting to see Naoto change over into Magitek Knight gear is... really cool. Enough that she lets out an impressed whistle. Also if that windup was the same as last time, she'll have the chance to get off another spell before she needs to worry about it attacking her again. So rather than use another benefic on herself, she instead draws again, and. Huh. Another Arrow. Naoto got it last time so maybe she should-

Ah nah, who's she kidding. Naoto gets it again because she wants to see some of that sweet, sweet tech in action.

As for the chocobo, thankfully, that particular 'bo has enough self-preservation to scamper on out of there the moment it got its attacks in. Besides, a surge of premature healing energy drew his attention to his allies, one of whom seemed to be rather new at some of this?? Healing early and healing when they're hurt themselves!

As soon as he's within range, he casts a quick Choco cure on the small, startled healer. See? That's how you do it. ]

[Magic birds. Why wasn't he surprised? But when Kanji noted the manipulation of the iMog, he recalled some of his paladin cover remained. Good. Gotta let a transformation sequence finish uninterrupted... that was the rule!]

Rgh-!

[Blade up, he blocked that Fist of Fury that hurtled Naoto's way as she changed, and he retaliated with a shower of sparks as steel hit natural body armor. One of the fingers of the Eater flew off to the left and out of view, but when it staggered back again, it didn't fall. But Kanji's gaze sharpened. He saw the quivering in the knees, a struggle to hold weight.]

I got you covered! Rip this thing to shreds, Naoto!

[Yeah, not gonna lie, he wanted to know what Magitek Knights did.]

[Futaba's Arrow would be of great help. She remembered the Chocobo Eater was coming for her, but Kanji stepped in the way before the fists could strike. Looked like he was handling it better than her normal defenses would too.]

Thank you!

[The gunblade was already whirring, charging as its muzzle brightened, and Naoto's eyes were locked on her staggering target. It was growing warm in her palm, but it was still cool enough that it could be discharged two times. It had used ice, had it not? No movement, but the beam surged red - just in time for the gunblade to fire one Magitek Laser and then follow up with a second thanks to the support skill, allowing both to blast the Chocobo Eater's face.]

[ Oh man that was great. She can't help it, she cackles in delight. ]

Oh man that was awesome!

[ Sensing opportunity, the chocobo darts in to launch another good set of kicks on the side missing an arm. Meahwhile, with the chocobo having healed the worst of her frost injury, she's free to do whatever she wants and so she Draws with a flourish- ]

Did somebody order a Balance?

[ There you go Kanji. As promised. ]

You can shoot freakin' lasers!? That's badass!

[He turned to Futaba, curious as to what a 'Balance' was. With the card's activation, the sensation was immediate- an overflow of strength, a tightening grip on the greatsword. He felt like he could grab a truck and smash the Eater to pieces with it.

He really liked Balance.]

H-holy crap- Thanks, Futaba!

[Well, he'll just make use of it, right? As the Eater swats at the offending chocobo, distracted, Kanji raced in. With a heavy underhanded swing and a roar, the follow-through carried the monster up and off of its feet again. Kanji toppled with it, scrambling up the body and grasping the weird double-mouth. With a heave of his body weight and added strength, he yanked the maws open and held them there.]

We're fresh outta chocobos for you to eat, but I think we got a substitute for ya...

[Now was not the time to blush, but it was cool to shoot lasers...]

I didn't exactly prepare my elemental bullets before this...

[So she kind of only had lasers to fall back on... and her sword. Still, when Kanji grappled and opened up the Chocobo Eater's mouth wide, while she could theoretically go in for the strike with the blade, that still risked it breaking free and swallowing.]

[No, no, she would raising her gunblade again, aim, and shoot the next laser she had ready into its gluttonous gullet.]

Don't care. Still cool.

[ And that just means there'll be more awesomeness to witness later. Not that this whole thing isn't pretty awesome as is. Part of her wishes she could switch to Puppetmaster to add to the beatdown, but that would take time and she doesn't actually have her puppet with her.

So instead she Draws again and.... eh. A Bole for Kanji. ]

Try not to get skewered now.

[ The chocobo meanwhile, takes a bit of a hit while trying to distract the Eater, but given the awkward angle it had to try to hit him at, he's able to get back on his feet quickly enough. And he'll be going in for a few more kicks now that it's vulnerable again. ]

[Bolstered by added defense, his grip tightened on the maw of the beast. A laser fired in and he could smell the ozone as it burned to the gullet of the Eater. In a last-ditch effort to turn the tides and ponder escaping to eat chocobos another day, the large fist wrapped around the paladin and began to bear down.

That was fine. This was fine. He shut his eyes and grit his teeth. Even so beat up, it still had considerable fight left in it. When the chocobo descended to give a round of kicks to the face of the eater, it hissed and found itself thrown back, but it began to give off an odd black smoke.

It twitched.

It dissolved.

Kanji landed on the cobble in a heap of clattering armor, sword bouncing twice away from him. But he quickly held up two fingers for victory. He was okay. He just needed a minute. The Boon was a burst of light and a shower of stars as it activated. Guess even in its death throes, a boss could give adventurers a little hell.]

Edited 2018-05-08 15:10 (UTC)

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Finding a good shot of her cut in was surprisingly hard

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