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

[twomeals]

Yue, on his part, wasn't bothered at all by the sight of a talking dog...though he had to resist the urge to pet him. Not the time, not the place. There was something more important than that right now, anyway--the monstrous bird-eating creature they were currently facing off against.

Honestly the fact it ate birds was making him feel about as nervous as the chocobos. Would it mistake him for a chocobo? How many had it eaten? Maybe he should keep his distance? Not that mages needed to be on the front lines in the first place.

Still. This was a battle, and he was a warrior of some sort. It's not like he hadn't killed anyone before, right? He could do this. The harpy held up the little stuffed fox that was his black mage weapon, staring at the enemy with a determined - if somewhat nervous - gaze.

"We could...hit it from behind? Get it before it gets us."

[mythmaker]

A plan...?

[Azusa places her hand on her cheek as she often does when thinking and tilts her head. How did it all come to this? She wants to help the chocobos, of course, and she's happy to be of service to Red and Yue...but this is her first real battle. Isn't everyone going to be counting on her, with her heavy robe and her deck of cards?

Hitting it from behind does sound like a good idea. She's relieved to see Red taking the lead and Yue already offering good ideas of his own. What should they do, what should they do...she moves her hand, affirming herself with a nod.]

We work in harmony. That's what we'll do. If you pick up my slack, I'll pick up both of yours~. How's that for a plan?

[mech_and_mutt]

...So we're playin' it by ear, then? Fine with me. [Always worked for him before, after all. Besides, it gave him the chance to try out some of these new tricks at his leisure... and he'd start by loading up some of the •Fire Bullets the Magitek Knights' guild had given him. Normally he'd use lightning- something a little more familiar- but apparently he 'needed practice' with the rest. No time like the present.]

We'll have this thing downed in no time.

[With all the foolhardy finesse of a career solo fighter, that heavy armor's weight didn't stop him from rushing straight to the front; that huge, toothy beast looked like it had already caught the scent of their avian guide, and Red would see to it that it wouldn't be given another to follow it. A quick double-tap from the gunblade brought saw two of fire erupting at the back of the monstrosity's head, and a noticeable stagger broke the fiend's stride.] HEY, UGLY!

[...But it seemed no worse for the wear when it looked back at its canine assailant. Only slightly scorched... and very, very angry. Oookay. That wasn't quite as effective as he hoped. Red restlessly thumbed the hammer on his gunblade.] Well, I got its attention...!

[twomeals]

[Ah yes, he definitely caught its attention. Yue's first instinct is to worry over their canine companion's safety, but--that's what the rest of the team is here for, right? Teamwork! Still, it takes a moment for him to remember to actually join in, raising his doll and focusing on shooting a blast of fire at its face. Sure, he'd learned one or two other elements, but fire felt easier somehow.]

I'll back you up! Does this work?

[He should probably learn to keep out of the way, being a mage and all, but for now he's staying exactly where he was when they started this fight, throwing fireballs at the monster without any particular aim. Face! Arms! Somewhere over its head! He didn't mean to miss there. (Hopefully he's not grabbing more attention than Red, either.)]

rng results: d2 says 1, d4 says 1

[mythmaker]

[Her little speech seems to have been mostly ignored, but that's alright. It's up to her to show these younger men just how a mature, slightly older person performs in a pinch, right? Even if she's never used magic outside of a practice skill here or there. She can't really relate this to dancing, aside from always needing to visualize the whole stage...]

Wolf-kun! I'll help you give it your all, alright?

[Azusa positions herself somewhere behind Red, but on the opposite side of Yue, leaving them in a V-formation. She snaps her fingers and summons a card from Major Arcana. The card of the sword appears in front of her, and she uses the intuition from her job to send its power to Red, increasing his attack power.

For now, the Chocobo Eater doesn't seem too concerned with her—it's proceeding towards Yue instead, licking its massive lips in the process.]

[mech_and_mutt]

Does wh--uwaah?!

[THAT was an impressive fusillade of fireballs soaring overhead-- it's enough to have Red hit the deck until Yue's barrage slows. Is that how a black mage does battle?!... Because Red's starting to wish he spent a little longer checking them out if they've got that kind of firepower. Hopefully it was that and didn't have something to do with Yue's part-human state...

But by the time he reenters the fray, the beast is nicely toasted, yet unfortunately still appearing more angry than injured. If anything, all it did was start turning its focus on Yue, that gaping maw baring its fangs and salivating--

...salivating?

And just as Red turns back for a second glimpse at Yue's feathers, the misshapen fiend begins its charge towards their back line. Oh, Furballs.]

--Yue! Get outta there!!

[Doggone it, this armor was not doing his pace any favors-- but he still had his options from afar. This thing was supposed to have some sort of •Magitek Laser built into it, right? He'd never used something quite like that before... but when the aperture in his armor's wrist opened and started glowing, a sudden swelling of magic from Azusa- that •Sword Magic, illuminating the way before him- that little glow in his wristpiece went from aglow to radiant.

And when a a sudden barrage of lasers finally burst free and slammed into the Chocobo Eater's flank, it was enough to knock it out of its stride and facefirst into the dirt; at least, for now. That... that was slightly stronger than he was expecting.

Whew-- you weren't kiddin' about picking up my slack, Azusa! Thanks!

[twomeals]

[The fireballs slow down pretty quickly, honestly--partly because he can't keep up that speed (it'd been more an instinctive "throw everything you got at once" than an actual measured attack), and partly because...]

Eh? --Ah!

[The sight of the monster's charge causes Yue to fly up in a panicked flutter of wings, almost dropping his weapon in the process. Seeing it get knocked down though...maybe he hadn't needed to escape like that after all?

....Nah. The harpy hesitates for a moment before deciding to try readying another Fire spell from above - possibly harder with his arms occupied, but magic is less about weapon-waving anyway.]

Was it trying to eat me? It wanted to eat me, right? I'm not a chocobo...!

tracks this thread because i have the power

[mythmaker]

You can thank me after we've helped the chocobos, Wolf-kun!

[But despite her words, Azusa sounds pleased as punch about the compliment. She's actually doing it! She's fighting. Well, she's fighting as much as she can. She's watching the scene with alert eyes—it's a far cry from her normal personality. It really is like she's on stage, improvising, working with the most unruly crowd member...

She readies her magic again, this time focusing on Yue. She casts Boon of the Stars on him, a healing spell that will take effect if he ends up taking too many hits. Still, there's a nice, tingly feeling that comes with it. It's not quite healing, but it should be reassuring!]

Sparrow-chan, I'll make sure you aren't hurt!

[But it turns out to be a bad idea to constantly yell out her intentions. After it's done with Yue and Red's movements, it turns and runs towards Azusa next.]

Ah...no way!