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

[moechocobos]

Despite having been knocked over, the chocobo thankfully didn't take too much damage from the attack. After a moment she's able to roll back onto her feet and gives an appreciative trill to Euphemia for the cure.

None too pleased with the attack on its back and head the Chocobo Eater grunts and swipes a heavy paw over its head for a strong physical attack to knock Connie loose and hopefully forward where it can keep an eye on her. To add to its annoyance it reels a moment as the bio takes a hit from its life, the monster looking a little green in the face.

Feeling refreshed the chocobo rushes forward to take another pass and peck at the eater's feet.

It makes a growling sound that sounds somewhat like "YOU'RE NEXT!" in Connie's direction while pointing menacingly.

[likewishes]

It wasn't as if Lelouch was aiming to alter the plan a little. Really, he wasn't. While he would undermine just about anyone, his half-sister was still close. He wasn't going to risk her safety. Perhaps Connie was right about the Chocobo Eater needing a Broil to the face. However that wasn't what Lelouch was going to supply. Instead he served up a Freeze spell.

With Connie knocked back and that beast growling towards her, at least they'd have a moment to step back and recover. Maybe they'd land a critical hit when immobilize took effect.

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie goes flying when the monstrous hand smacks her, tumbling across the ground for a few seconds before finding her feet and sliding to a stop. The chocobo eater hit like a truck, even with all of her armor protecting her. Which was all the more reason to take this thing down quickly. Connie aims her gunblade at the monster's right eyeball when it growls something vaguely related to English, pointing in Connie's direction. And then she freezes.

Was this thing intelligent? Could they negotiate with it? It was just trying to eat its natural prey, after all. They were the ones being aggressive! Maybe they could get Euphemia to patch it up and have a proper-

Lelouch's spell interrupts her train of thought. Right. Combat situation. This thing was trying to kill her. She could worry about whether or not it was sentient later. Connie was tempted to reprimand Lelouch for deviating from the plan, but the truth was that Freeze was probably a better option that Broil at this point, considering that she did need some breathing room. So instead she yells, "Good thinking!" before taking aim at the chocobo eater's right eye once again, firing off three Fire Bullets, before turning to the left and doing the same. Her chamber would need some time to recharge after firing six charges in the space of two seconds, but she really needed to debilitate this thing somehow.

[euphemia]

The Regen was probably still keeping the pair in good enough health to not do much else. It was not the Chocobo they were fighting at all but instead a rather ghastly looking thing that made her somewhat terrified. But what reason did they have to even attack it? It seemed almost unnatural to stop it from doing what nature intended.

Euphemia dismissed the thoughts. They were still in combat and Lelouch gave a small advantage with his spell. It was now up to her to try and do something to accelerate the takedown. But trying to remember just what it was she can do was delaying things. Was it Wind? Or Arrow? What was it...

"Ah, Aer—... no, I think it's..." Trying to remember the spell, unfortunately, made her skip a turn.

[moechocobos]

Lelouche's attack hit, and Connie's added a second quick punch. The monster reeled back, losing its balance and-- remaining on its feet. It looked as astonished as everyone else, then realized that its feet were immobilized stuck to the ground by the spell Lelouche used. It grinned and threw a blizzard spell straight at Connie as promised.

The chocobo let out a frustrated Wark! And ran forward to land a series of pecks on the Chocobo Eater's fists.

Special Initiative Break! Magitek Wall, Activate! (You've Activated My Trap Card!)

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie yelps in pain when the clump of ice shards impacts her torso, digging past her armor and leaving behind deep gouges on Connie's abdomen. Yet... something's off. Although Connie is quite clearly in pain, it looks like she's... smiling. Like her plan has just come together.

Then the jolt of Magitek Wall comes, some of the energy from the chocobo eater's blast converted into magical electricity that surges into Connie's nervous system and into her gunblade, creating a smaller version of the Moonlight Greatsword she'd displayed earlier. Okay, that also smarted, but there was no time to think about that now. In a blur of supernatural speed, Connie rushes up to the chocobo eater and delivers a dizzying fast series of slashes across its horrid face, before jumping high into the air and springboarding off its forehead back to her original position.

As the burst of speed wears off, Connie yells to Lelouch, "I appreciate your initiative, but if you had just followed the plan that thing would be on its back by now!"

[likewishes]

How was he to know it could also cast spells? If Lelouch Knew about that before hand, naturally he wouldn't have bothered. What the tactician didn't appreciate was the comment. Were it not for Euphy being here, he would have been petty. It wasn't below him to just shut his tome and walk away from it all or at least let the girl think that she was just going to have to deal with it herself.

Still, it was clear he wasn't happy to be told off. Not by a child and certainly not when he was legitimately attempting to spare her from an attack he believed to be coming. Instead of letting his pride get in the way, Lelouch scoffed. He attacked the Chocobo Eater with Broil.

[euphemia]

Well. That could have gone better. Euphemia could only look between the pair as Connie exchanged words. Somehow she just knew that was criticism that her brother wouldn't take too well, even if Connie may have had a slight point. As long as they were both still able to fight, that was the only thing that mattered to her.

So rather than comment, she decides to turn her focus to ensuring that both members were properly kept in good condition by tossing a very light Cure on Connie. She could use a spell against the Chocobo Eater but there's a fear it could draw aggro.

"We're doing great. Let's keep the momentum going!" She shouts, hoping that might dispell whatever mood Lelouch was currently in.

[moechocobos]

Connie's attack definitely does some damage and frustrates the beast immensely since it can't move, though that only lasts for another moment thanks to Lelouch. It's a double edged-sword, that Broil attack, the ice melting and freeing the Chocobo Eater but oh does that attack hurt it.

With an outraged roar it lunged at the source of the attack--Lelouch himself--for a physical attack,unaware of what Euphemia was doing.

Their chocobo companion lunges in to intercept with a Peck though she's easily knocked out of the way as the Chocobo Eater rampages towards Lelouch.

[likewishes]

Should Lelouch run? Probably. Was he going to? No. If he could handle one of Suzaku's flying roundhouse kicks then he probably could at least handle one attack from this beast. Lelouch was a bit of a gambler. Right now he was going to take the risk. He'd take the physical hit so he would cast another Broil at the Chocobo Eater before getting knocked back.

[conniemaheswaran]

Connie's eyes widen as Lelouch stays in the path of the enemy, concern winning out over annoyance by a large margin as she charges in to stay between him and the chocobo eater.

"Stay back! You could get killed if you keep taking risks like that!" Connie yells as she fires a Fira Laser into the gullet of the beast. "Euphemia, you know what to do!"

[euphemia]

"I do?" Did she? Euphemia wasn't entirely sure! Other than being slightly panicked when she witnessed the Chocobo Eater charge for Lelouch, she was somewhat at a loss for how to best respond. Her initial reaction was to maybe rush towards him and block the attack, but it seemed Connie was already a step ahead of her and better prepared to take the blow.

Fearing the worst, she quickly casts Cure on Lelouch so that whatever impact or damage he might have suffered is mildly repaired with a soothing rush of aid.