Player Plot: Bizarre Bird Behavior!

[moechocobos]

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.

Comments

[chosennobody]

Roxas seemed just as unsure about the chocobo in question, preferring to stay near the rear of the party as they trekked out into the cold. And of course it was snowing, and snow was not, in fact, a wondrous thing, but was a terrible thing that got into the neck of his coat and made the young nobody very uncomfortable.

"What are we even doing out here?" He groaned, ready to turn and trudge back to the city but just then a stick caught his eye and he felt the compulsion to pick it up and try to swing some of the snow and ice off of it.

[acceptedlife]

Ira has no idea when he started moving ahead of the rest, yet still maintaining a distance from the white chocobo. What he does know is that he's already getting a headache.

He hates the cold. Snow reminds him of when he, his adoptive family, and his girlfriend, woke up nearly buried in the stuff. In far less weather-appropriate clothing. He already had his robe's hood up, not wanting to bother with the same issue Roxas was. The only problem being they blend in well with both the snow and their feathery guide. Who he's kind of terrified of, but doesn't make a single word of complaint about. Mostly because he learned to internalize said fear ages ago, lest he make a spectacle of himself.

The teeth chattering and knees shaking is definitely just a reaction to the cold. Really.

Ira paused though, turning to stare at Roxas for a moment at the question. "I'd say 'ask our guide' but I doubt you'd understand a word it says." He wouldn't understand a word it said, either. Though perhaps he didn't need to, especially as he heard giant fists beat themselves together and he turned to look-

Oh, hell. "Or you could ask the big guy. He certainly looks eager enough." Mother, give him strength.

[melodiouspacifist]

"It's cold. And wet. I think I'm freezing to death."

Demyx seemed to have no shyness about complaining as they trudged through the snow and he was wearing his new clothes, the guild given ones so he was really missing his Organization coat.

"You know, I don't think my job is to come out here, because they didn't give me winter clothes."

Were his teeth chattering? They were definitely chattering. He had his new sitar strapped to his back and his arms wrapped around himself to try and contain his body heat.

Then they encountered the monster and he stopped behind Ira, fortunately before he could crash into him.

"That's..." Demyx let out a puff of breath and clapped his hands together suddenly.

"Alright! Go get it!" He encouraged. He was not a combat class after all, just support.

[chosennobody]

At least the organization coats had been warm and sort of all-weather. Hot, Cold, windy, whatever, he didn't remember ever minding the elements before. Then again, most places they'd been to didn't have weather extremes.

And then they were standing in front of a thing.

"That is... not the ugliest thing I've ever seen, but I'd rather not try to talk with it." At least it wasn't the human-crab amalgamations.

And then Demyx was encouraging them to fight it? Roxas looked down at his stick, cursing that he'd been unable to take on another Job and was left with this... lack of a Job? That's what people suggested it was anyhow.

"You have to fight too, you know," he snapped back at Demyx ruefully, then looked over to Ira to see what he was doing. The chocobo was remaining behind the team, out of reach of the predator while eyeing it warily.

[acceptedlife]

...

He turned to give each one of them a look, wondering why the hell Demyx wasn't already starting to play a song or something. He's a white mage. He can only heal and use a weak wind spell on this thing. And Roxas...

... Roxas, has a stick.

You know what? He's not even going to bother commenting on that right now. Instead he looked to the chocobo, who seemed about as terrified of the monster as he feels about its kind. He won't even question it right now. Instead, he simply took up the staff he'd been carrying and rolled his eyes.

"Then talk to it with your stick," he advised, not even meaning to take point but there he was. "Demyx, play something." He nodded to the chocobo once, took a deep breath, and stepped forward slightly, casting Aero on the beast. Hopefully Whitey there would at least be able to back them up.

[melodiouspacifist]

"I don't have any fighting moves here!" Demyx felt the need to point out to Roxas, but at Ira's comment that he better play his sitar, he pulls it over his head where it's strapped to his back and began tuning it briefly.

"I only know a couple of songs. I just...okay fine! I know!"

This melody was gentle and soothing, and he began to sing.

"In the spirit of the fight,
Our party needs more might.
Winning is not a matter of if, but when
Increase our skills by ten!"

Demyx was not naturally a poet, but if he was going to be a bard, he was going to have to play the part. He, Roxas and Ira should feel about ten percent stronger.

[chosennobody]

"Talk to it with my-..." Roxas looked utterly puzzled by this statement until it finally clicked exactly what Ira meant. "Oh, got it."

The blond paused long enough to listen to the silly little ditty, unable to help the little smile on his face. It was a good effort, and actually Roxas did feel a bit stronger. The song also doubled in helping the chocobo feel a bit more at ease and she moved from behind the party to take her position in their line.

For the most part the Chocobo Eater just waved in annoyance at the wind, but it did get some snow in its eyes so there was that.

Leading the physical charge was the chocobo pecking the monster's feet. Roxas tried to follow suit by hitting it with his stick, but... it was just a stick.

[acceptedlife]

Ira raised an eyebrow, but the tune had the similar effect that others like it did back home. So, he'll take it. He's a little annoyed that the wind spell did practically nothing except perhaps blind the beast, but... That's it. Maybe if a cliff was nearby...

Ira smirked faintly, before committing to it and casting Aero again. No one needed healing, and he doubted whacking it with two sticks would help matters any. He's got your back, white chocobo friend.

[melodiouspacifist]

Demyx's song ended and he just stood there and watched. "What am I supposed to do? They told me not to hit things with my sitar."

He paused briefly. "And it's not as sturdy as my other sitar!"

He shrugged helplessly, what was he supposed to do in a fight if all he could do was play music and it didn't have magic to accompany it? Maybe he should have come as a dancer, he was pretty sure he could kick things.

"Go team!" He cheered idly, and mimed shaking pom poms. They're really for the chocobo.

[chosennobody]

"Keep playing? I don't know!" This was so much more complicated than just summoning a keyblade and whacking the stuffing out of things, or dive-bombing or clawing at enemies until they were cut to ribbons and bleeding out. How he missed being a harpy...

The chocobo eater growled in frustration at getting even more ice in its eyes and attempted a physical attack against the chocobo, but it missed.

The chocobo took the opportunity to run forward and deliver a flying kick to the monster's face, and once more Roxas followed suit and whapped the monster with his stick, for whatever good that was doing.

So I tracked this... and then his paid expired. Whoops. >_<

[acceptedlife]

"Keep playing sounds like a good idea right now!" Especially since, you know. Sticks and wind magic kicking up snow and ice with the chocobo being the only one who's really doing much good at this whole attacking thing.

The chocobo eater could growl all it damn well pleased, he found a loophole and Ira was going to exploit it to the best of his abilities. Especially considering how worthless at least 50% of their group was. He cast yet another Aero spell, hoping it stayed blinded enough that maybe, just maybe, they'll luck out and there is a cliff or something behind it.

It was kind of hard to tell with all the snow.

RIP

[melodiouspacifist]

"Okay okay, I forget what this does, but I'm going to play it. I didn't write any words for it yet though!"

It wasn't really ready, as far as bard songs went but he knew the melody. He played easily, this song just as short as the last, but it sounded different. This song was called Sorrow of the Fiend meaning that their chocobo eater got slightly weaker.

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