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

[ Hunk's gotta admit that the slithering is weird, but the others are actually starting to outpace him, so he speeds up to a hasty little jog.

It felt like a trap. Why else would a shiny, priceless chocobo appear to them outside a desert? It sounds like a great way to lure someone to an ambush! ]

Have we managed to touch the golden chocobo? [ He says the words, but they sound uneasy, afraid. ] What if it's a mirage? Or some weird illusion magic by something that wants to kill us? [ That's a thing! He knows illusion magic is a thing! ]

[ He laughs, awkward and forced. But he speeds up, trying to keep pace with the other two. There's gonna be sand in these shoes for weeks. ] I mean, what are the chances we find an impossibly rare bird out here?

[Remind him to never apologize to Hunk for being snek.]

You sound more chicken than the other bird does. If it wants to kill us, we'll just kill it first.

[He curls one hand into a fist and strikes an open palm for emphasis, but they don't have to wait long to figure out what's going on. The golden chocobo comes to a stop in front of a sand dune, kweh-ing and ruffling its feathers while another few chocobo flee from behind it.

And stepping out from behind the dune? A Chocobo Eater. Or, as Dylas is going to put it:]

Whatever that is, it's too scary for Chunk, right?

[He may have forgotten Hunk's name, he might not have, who knows.]

Hunk. Chill. If it's some kinda monster trap, then we kill the monster.

[Please. Sparks has a lot of experience in this wandering around looking for random monsters things. So when the Chocobo Eater makes itself known, he's not surprised.]

Oh, hey, one 'a these things. Shoulda figured it was. These things can be a pain, so stay on yer toes, fellas.

[Well, Sparks wastes no time. He had loaded up on fire Magitek bullets for his gunblade before heading out of town, so he steps forward and opens fire at the creature.]

I told you it was a trap! [ He's shouting, and his feet dig into the sand. Hunk's too shocked at the arms on this thing to keep composure as a hand instinctively goes to his side, to his trusty Bayard. He'd just use that giant cannon and keep his distance and- ]

What am I supposed to do with a tiny little knife?! [ And now he's crying. ] Nooo! [ A chef's knife is not a giant gun, sadly. Hunk takes a step forward, glancing back and forth between Sparks, Dylas, the Golden Chocobo, and their enemy. ]

M-Marshal Nevada, you know what this is?! [ He's definitely pleading for some help. ] Wh-what do we do?

[ He wants to move in like he's seen people do in the past, but he's terrified. So for now, he's awkwardly bouncing back and forth on his feet as he strafes in a circle towards the beast's side, keeping about as far away as Sparks. ]

It's not a trap! It's agitating the birds!

[He can figure out that much. He can also tell that this two-tongued monstrosity is a real heavy-hitter. Literally. He looks heavy, and Dylas can feel the vibrations he makes with each step. And here he is, stuck with a bell.

He's tempted to cast mute on Hunk, but instead he calls forth on his MP like he would on his lightning magic back in Selphia to cast Prigmatic Missile. Small missiles of light erupt from nearby him and soar towards the Chocobo Eater, striking it for a minimal amount of damage. Torn between two targets, it starts to run towards Sparks.]

Wow. Uh, Hunk? I think we need to get you, like, some combat lessons 'r something when we get back. What Jobs ya got, anyway?

[This was like being in an adventuring party with Felton. But at least Felton didn't cry-- Wow, is Hunk really crying?

No time to think about that with a monster lashing out at him. The fire bullet seemed to do some extra harm to the Chocobo Eater, so Sparks loads another and fires it off as it rushes him. However, he can't get out of the way of the physical attack and takes a moderate hit. This thing is tough.]

Dangit. What I wouldn't give to have my Crystallis Jobs back. From what I remember, the way we beat one of these back then was to push it off a cliff.

We're in a desert! [ Hunk shouts, following up with a deep breath to try and regain his composure. Even if they're not Team Voltron, he still has to support them, to keep them safe. So seeing Sparks get hit makes him mad. ] What else can we do, Marshall?

[ He'll show you combat training. So he rushes at the beast, towards the nearest shoulder. With how big and dangerous those arms are, they needed to keep it from using them! As the knife Chops its way into the the beast's flesh, it lets out a grunt... though this might just be due to the fact that Hunk's momentum has him clinging to the outside of its arm, Shadow-of-the-Colossus style, still gripping that knife and accidentally wiggling it around in the wound. ]

Now what do I do?! [ Close combat is not his forte. Sadly, Hunk is too busy freaking out to communicate that. The Golden Chocobo, on the other hand, sees an opening and delivers a series of claw attacks to the other arm. ]

[Dylas wants to ask Sparks to fire a warning shot at Hunk, but that seems a little too mean. There here is. Yelling. Yelling so much. Well, Hunk is stuck on the guy's arm, so Dylas speaks up so only Sparky can hear how exasperated he is.]

Is it too late to head back into the city?

[But it's whatever. The Chocobo Eater is agitated by the attacks to its arms and will focus its attacks on Hunk next, so Dylas has an opening. He lifts the bell he's equipped as a weapon and chimes it, casting Chaotic Rune on the Chocobo Eater. There's only a magical glow encompassing it that's chilling, otherworldly, enough to make Hunk shiver, but then...absolutely nothing happens.

You can almost see the "miss" text.]

Oops. You might want to move, kid.

Oh boy. [This is going to be something. Sparks was momentarily impressed with Hunk rushing the monster, thinking there was hope for this kid after all. Y'know, despite all the panicked yelling.]

We give it all we got til it either runs or we kill it. So keep up what yer doin'!

[Sparks would have to ignore his wounds to try and get in there with a Magitek Sword combo. Physical attacks aren't as effective as he'd hoped, since this thing is pretty decently armored. It's incredibly frustrating to the guy who just got back from Crystallis a few months ago with over 10 maxed out Jobs. He could have Fira'd this thing into ashes by now.]

... Can't believe I'm sayin' this, but I really miss magic right now.

The Chocobo Eater will use it's turn to attempt extricating Hunk from its arm, since that was getting really damn annoying, and swats at him.]

[ The Golden Chocobo tried to maintain its distance what with the necromancies and magitek, but the very occupied enemy gives it the chance to maintain control of the battlefield. It lets out a triumphant Wark! and volleys a Choco Cure at Sparks before trying to sneak around behind the beast. ]

[ Hunk, on the other hand, just has a very bad couple seconds. Dylas's Rune (lol) sends shivers down Hunk's spine and he nearly lets go of the Chocobo Eater altogether. Sadly, he doesn't, and the monster's swatting coupled with rattled focus from the failed spell (is that what magic feels like? terrifying!) sent him tumbling into the sand. The knife doesn't come with him, and is still wedged between muscles and sinew.

Sparks' encouragement (and Dylas' discouragement) stuck in his mind despite the impact. Hunk wants to get mad about the friendly fire, but now is not the time. So he clambers to his feet, using his turn to reorient himself, reach into his pack, and equip a Combat Fork, because of course he has a backup weapon.

And then he looks to Sparks, clearly the most experienced of the trio, and shouts a question he can't ignore. ]

How do we know how dead it is? [ But then he shoots a quick glare at Dylas. ]

It's not dead enough! Get it dead-er.

[That's his only response to Hunk's yelling, and he's comfortable enough with Spark's competence to leave him to his own devices. But what the hell is he supposed to do? He has a bell. He's not stupid enough to run in there and swing his bell at the fiend's head. Also, that's where Hunk is, and he'd like to spare himself the headache.

He fires off another Prismatic Missiles. It's not strong enough to do real damage, but it's enough to annoy the Chocobo eater. Dylas is aware of that, and, because he wants to keep his cool, is slithering his way so that Sparks is in between him and their enemy.

What? Sparks would probably love to tank one for the team.]

Whatever you do, let me get the final blow. I'm gonna steal this bastard's soul.

[He's sure that's going to freak Hunk out.]

["How do we know how dead it is?" Really?] Uh, reckon like ya do for anythin' else that's alive. Clearly this thing ain't dead enough yet.

[Being the Magitek Knight armed with fire bullets, Sparks didn't really have much choice other than to be tank. But it's okay, he's used to it. It was just a lot easier when he had an actual magitek armor to use to do it, not to mention easily accessible Paladin skills.

He lines up and fires off some more fire Magitek Bullets, since it seems to be having the most effect. What Dylas says is a little distracting, though.]

Yer, uh, gonna what now?

[He'll also very thankful for that Choco Cure, especially since now the injured and angry Chocobo Eater lets loose a Blizzard spell at the group. You want to use fire? Fine, have some ice in return!]

Yeah, fine, okay, sure, just make it dea- [ And then Hunk had to double-check what he was hearing. Dylas is gonna steal its soul?! What?! ]

How are you gonna steal it?! What are you gonna do with it?! [ Hunk shouts out those questions, very clearly just fed up with this entire situation. This is the worst and he hated it, and he just wanted to go home.

Meanwhile, the Golden Chocobo takes that ice attack and doesn't really flinch- that's the worst it's endured so far. It'll take the chance to go for a back attack with its claws, in an attempt to keep the monster guessing.

While at first Hunk was okay with the cool breeze, the sudden convergence of ice crystals was not fun. So with an angry groan, he's going to aim another Chop at that arm, specifically in an attempt to hammer that knife further into the shoulder. But then he shoots another glare towards Dylas, since he just had to ask... ]

You're not gonna try to steal my soul, are you?!

I'm going to steal it's soul?

[He repeats it softly enough for Sparks to hear, but there's no way his voice carries far enough for Hunk to hear him reiterate. He's distracted by the blizzard spell—Dylas finally takes some damage, shards of ice remaining on his arm from where he'd blocked the spell from hitting his head. And the cold...usually feels pretty good. He yawns, the urge to lay down suddenly coming over him.

But wait, that's only because he's partially cold-blooded. He snaps out of the desire and twirls in place once, letting his bell launch like it's the hammer toss at the olympics. It goes flying and hits the Chocobo Eater square in the face! ...but Dylas is a necromancer so it does about as much damage as Hunk's fork. It also makes a lovely 'ding' sound before it lands on the sand a few feet away.

Dylas laughs and punches the air.]

Take that, asshole! ...And hell no! I don't want yours!

[But the Chocobo Eater is pissed, and it's coming right for Sparks now.]

Yeah, but. Why. [Hunk had a point. He'd like to keep his soul, okay.

The Blizzard spell does a number on Fire-aligned Sparks, who doesn't remember ice stinging this much. Maybe he's spent too long on Mars. Shakily, he fires off more Fire bullets at the monster. It's definitely showing signs that it's hurt, but it's not down yet.]

C'mon fellas, I only got so many bullets.

[ The Golden Chocobo is keeping itself out of harm's way, which means it can see that beastie going right for Sparks again. It doesn't like that, and so it flings another Choco Cure at the Marshall. It'd rather be attacking this monster, but this'll have to do.

Hunk on the other hand hears that Dylas isn't going to steal his soul, and breathes a sigh of relief. It helps that Sparks thinks it's a little weird too, which lets him know that not all magic is like this. But the fork doesn't have the impact he was hoping for. This isn't working.

So Hunk pulls out his Slate and pushes a few buttons, switching to Magitek Knight and his Paladin armor in a flash of light. ]

Marshall, what do you mean you can run out of bullets?! I though they were magic!

[ The last word is accusatory. Hurt. See, Hunk doesn't want to run out of ammo. At all. Now he'll be worried forever. ]

If I don't get a chance to see if it works here, I'll have to try it out somewhere else later.

[He's behind Sparks, so he won't see that Dylas is making direct eye contact with Hunk as he says it. A power move. He wants Hunk to think he'll decide to use it on him later and that it'll be better just to let him have his way. It's bullying. Dylas is horrible.]

Let's try this again—

[Without his bell (thanks for not throwing it back to him, he thinks to himself), he waves his hands in the air as he casts Chaotic Rune again. The Chocobo Eater roars as Dylas' magic haunts its body, but this time it sticks. There's a flash of ominous blue light before the Chocobo's mouth is still open, roaring, but there's no sound. Smoke is also hovering in front of and blocking its eyes. With its senses cut off, it starts swinging its arms wildly and fiercely, no doubt ready to do as much damage as it can before the spell wears off.

Dylas gloats, grabbing Spark's shoulder and looking right at the monster.]

Holy shit! Look what I just did! Tell it to eat shit, Sparks! You and I make a good team.

[A pause, and:]

And the Chocobo, too.

They ain't magic in that way. They're magic in the elemental way. You want infinite ammo, take up Gunslinger.

[Which sounds like a good idea right now, especially with all of this reloading.

Sparks lines up his gunblade to fire again, but stops when Dylas manages to get the Chaotic Rune spell off. Now that's handy.

Also, Dylas's burns on Hunk are pretty harsh.]

Dang. That's cold, pal.

[Now was the time to let this monster really have it. Instead of bullets, Sparks used Magitek Laser instead. The chocobo eater is besides itself with pain and confusion, and probably don't take much more to go. Sparks looks to Hunk and shoots him a thumb's up.]

Almost got him. C'mon, Hunk, show 'em him what yer made of.

[Some encouragement has to help at this point. Right? Right??]

Edited 2018-06-19 19:14 (UTC)

[ Hunk looks despondent at the idea of non-infinite magitek bullets. He dodged Gunslinger so he wouldn't have to reload or run out of bullets, so this is just the opposite of what he needed to hear right now!

And then with the glaring and the threatened soul-stealing and leaving him out of the praise, Dylas is really getting under Hunk's skin! The Golden Chocobo got included, and they don't even have a name for their friend. ]

You know what!?

[ He's over this desert, the Golden Chocobo's trap, this stupid monster and its ice magic and his knife getting stuck in the thing's arm and soul-stealing and non-infinite ammo and... He pulled a trigger on the gunblade, sheathing it in a bright blue light. Whatever Dylas hit that thing with did something, and since its freak-out isn't aimed at Hunk, he's going all-in with a Magitek Sword combo! ]

Hey Dylas! [ He's shouting over the hum of his gunblade as it makes one cut down the Chocobo Eater's shoulder. ] Go ahead and take its soul! [ Assuming this doesn't kill it first, as another downward strike is made. ]

You seem like you really need one! [ And then the third strike goes, making it all too clear that he's still trying to chop that arm clean off. Better to focus on that than aim for the face and risk killing the thing altogether. ] So don't miss again!

[ And then he counters Dylas's dirty look with one of his own. At least he didn't throw a bell! ]

[Dylas pauses when he's yelled at and looks around. His face is frozen for a moment, and he looks cautious, wary. The tip of his tail is perk and alert, almost rattling, as he turns to Sparks with a grave expression.]

Did you hear something just now?

[It's clear from his tone and usual exclusion of Hunk that he's pretending he's not there. But he can't resist the sweet allure of checking out a new skill. With the Chocobo, Sparks, and Hunk all dealing big damage on the Chocobo Eater and without a cliff to push it back down, it all comes down to this.

Dylas rushes forward, slithering quickly...well, as quickly as a necromancer can, before scooping up his bell and slamming it into the Chocobo Eater again. This time, the weapon is imbued with a strange glow that blurs its movements. The hit makes the Chocobo Eater stagger...

...and then it falls. Soul Thievery, though a weak attack, is enough to finish it off. Something rises out of the monster and flows into Dylas, something that leaves him looking a little disturbed while the giant monster lays on the sand, more than dead.]

I told you I could do...Wait, what the hell? How do I get this thing out?

[He taps his chest. What the fuck.]

[Sparks lets out a sigh of relief at the defeat of the creature. He gives Hunk a job-well-done pat on the shoulder. Cuz not only did he unleash some hurt, he got a good counter-burn on Dylas.] Magitek Knight might be the better fit for ya.

[As far as Dylas, Sparks tries not to look too amused. This? This is one of the many reasons he didn't go for magic. He sure as hell didn't know what just happened.]

So uh. You don't actually know what that did? Are you possessed or somethin' now? You feelin' like yourself?

[ The recognition from the Marshall did Hunk a world of good. Not only was the frustration dissipating almost immediately, but Hunk was smiling again. A veteran of Crystallis, with its similar jobs, was proud of how he handled his first fight! Maybe he could do this close-quarters thing, after all... ]

Maybe you just have to wait for it to digest? [ Are souls like food? Maybe! Is Hunk trying not to make a poop joke? Definitely. ] Do you have some kind of manual?

[ But there's a snap as the repeated assaults and loss of soul are too much, and the Chocobo Eater's arm falls to the ground. Hunk, shocked and a bit disgusted, stares for a few moments before pulling his knife out of its arm. Then, he starts sizing up how to get the arm back to town...

The Golden Chocobo, on the other hand, runs around throwing Choco Cures on the party before stopping and staring at Dylas. Then it uses its beak, boops his chest which still contains the soul of its enemy, and begins trotting off into the bushes to its nest. Go git yer eggo, snekko. ]

[Thanks, Sparks. Dylas rolls his eyes. He likes Hunk more when he's a not-so-hot mess. Dylas scratches his chest over his robe like there's a small speck of dust on him and not a soul inside of him. Well, whatever, it's dead.]

I'll figure out later. I can always ask someone at the guild. [The creepy underwater guild that no one likes.] If anything weird happens, you'll be the first I show.

[That's yet another not-quite-a-threat, but Dylas is pretty sure he'll be fine. He'll put it in a jar or something. He's about to get ready to slither back to the city before he accidentally feels a sense of camaraderie after their group effort (the worst case scenario), but then there's the Chocobo, and...

...what was that?]

What? What was that for? It doesn't like me or something does it?

[He sounds judgmental? Shit taste, Chocobo.]

I... guess it likes you? [Out of all the people in the group, it's Dylas the chocobo takes a shine too?

This is what Sparks gets for immediately thinking about capturing and selling that bird. Which he is still thinking about, by the way.]

Don't lose sight of it. Gold ones might be really rare on this planet too, remember?

[ And Dylas is brought over to a small roost where the egg rests. This is what they get for Sparks talking about selling the bird and Hunk thinking it's a trap in cahoots with the Chocobo Eater.

Hunk, on the other hand, just waves towards Sparks with a sheepish little smile. ]

I think I can cook this up with the Gourmand job. Wanna help me carry it back to town? [ He's trying so, so hard. ]

((ooc- happy to end it here if we want, there's not much else for them to do encounter-wise ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Player Plot: Bizarre Bird Behavior!

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1d5: 4 - miss

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roll: 1d5, result 1 (Hit)

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