Aodh Chapter 5

VS Hákon: A Battle of Opposites

William F. Edwards

Jul 26, 2022

Open on Grand Festival Hub

Text on screen: Day 4 of the tournament

Aodh is standing on center screen. Ciara walks on.

Ciara: Aodh, your match is coming up soon. Eamon just won his.

Aodh: … (Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!)

Ciara: People are looking forward to seeing you fight Hákon, I saw a lot of bets being made, and plenty of people are betting on you.

Aodh: I’m not sure if that makes me want to win or lose. But either way, I’m not letting Hákon win.

Aodh: Also, uh, about all of that stuff with Quiahuitl. How are things now?

Ciara: It’s all fine now. Eamon smoothed things over with her.

Aodh: (There’s no way it’s fine. I bet Eamon had to go through a lot of trouble because of me. Doran would despise me if he were here.)

Aodh: I’m sorry about all of that.

Ciara: Aodh are you okay?

Aodh: What? Is me apologizing that surprising?

Ciara: No, but you seem stressed about something. You don’t have to bear your burdens alone you know.

Aodh: (Of course I do, it’s what I deserve for forcing them on others.)

Aodh: Thanks. Now I’m going to go kick Hákon’s ass.

Exploration Start

This is the most complex the platforming in the story will get, but even that is simple. There’s just a gap that you need to do a double jump followed by aerial fireball to cross. As usual there’s gossip to overhear.

Gambler: Fire melts ice, so Aodh should win, right? Yeah, putting the money on him will work out.

Thrall: I hope Master Hákon wins. Even with his great power, our household needs more under its belt for certain people to realize they need to respect us.

Aodh Fan: I’m glad Aodh is showing the rest of the world how amazing fire dancing is. Go Aodh!

Talking with Hákon starts the cutscene and then battle.

Exploration End

Hákon: Alright, I’ve been waiting for this. Let’s go all out in the arena.

Aodh: I don’t want to burn it down.

Hákon: Obviously we’re not going to hurt the audience. I mean let’s use our true forms. Wouldn’t be fair against anyone else.

Aodh: No, my fighting style doesn’t work in my true form, and I don’t want to use anything else.

Hákon: Makes sense, then I’ll stick to this form. Now, the audience is waiting.

Transition to the Arena

Here the audience is no longer hidden by illusions, you can see the stands in the background. Some audience members are holding up signs related to the fighters, other signs are less relevant like ‘someone marry me please.’

The stage has a flat dirt floor, with walls of ice to set the boundary. This simplistic look is merely how the stage starts out.

Battle Start

Hákon is an unconventional grappler that’s based around hit throws, meaning his command grabs can be blocked like any other attack. His attacks take time to wind up and recover from, so blocking will give you ample chance to counterattack.

Despite his normally slow movement, Hákon has a move where he freezes the area in front of him and slides forward for a hit. He can use it in the air as well. Do not underestimate his ability to close the distance.

On top of that he has a projectile that serves as another hit throw. Because of that it’s more punishable than other projectiles, the start up and recovery are closer to Hákon’s other hit grabs than your fireball, which can safely destroy it.

Try to get a feel for the range of Hákon’s attacks and patterns, make him miss his attack before you make your own. If he gets you knocked down, your priority should be to get away, especially in the corner.

At different intervals in the match platforms will appear and disappear in certain arrangements. A countdown in the center of each platform tells you when it vanishes. The arrangements consist of, in a randomized order: three platforms in a triangular set up, two platforms at equal height that move side to side, a single platform in the center, and four platforms in a diamond shape.

Be wary of going to the top platform in the diamond shaped arrangement. Vertical ring outs are easier to do there, that goes for both you and Hákon. Aside from that just use the platforms to maneuver around Hákon as they appear and disappear. That will help you secure the win.

Battle End

Aodh and Hákon are standing across from each other on the stage.

Hákon: Hah, that was a great battle. Between you, Eamon, and Fintan the final four is going to be rather fiery.

Aodh: …

Hákon: Huh, are you okay? This silence doesn’t look like the good kind.

Aodh walks away, then stops.

Aodh: Tell Eamon he made it to the grand finals, I disqualify myself.

Hákon: What. Aodh, don’t run away.

Aodh runs away.

Transition to Grand Festival Hub

Aodh walks on screen from the right. Fintan is waiting for Aodh at the center. Aodh stops.

Fintan: You’re running away again, aren’t you?

Aodh turns to face the opposite direction.

Aodh: …

Fintan: I guess you never were used to facing the consequences of your actions, you never cared much for problems you couldn’t solve with fire. I was a fool for thinking you’d put anything over your own whims.

Aodh: …

Fintan: Eamon and I both searched for your face in the audience during all of our battles in the tournament. We never found it. But we were always cheering for you. I fought for a chance to finally see you again.

Fintan: But I’m still a fool, why did I ever expect you’d honor a commitment you didn’t feel like honoring. Clearly I was arrogant to think I mattered that much to anyone anymore.

Aodh: …

Fintan: …

Fintan: Fine then. I guess it doesn’t matter how much we’ve been through if you won’t even look at me. Our connection, the designs of the Grey Lady and Radiant Lord that led to our meeting, I once thought them a blessing. Maybe it was. But my heart is too wounded to think of it that way any longer.

Aodh turns to face Fintan.

Aodh: Do you remember what you said on that day? You wanted me to forget you, so that you could die without burdening me with sadness. Fintan, forget all about me. Everything we once shared, burn it and scatter the ashes to the wind.

Aodh assumes his true form as a dragon. He flaps his wings and flies away.

Chapter End

Author’s Note

And with that we have reached the endgame of Aodh’s story, two more updates will bring it to an end. At this point I’ve been writing about Aodh and Fintan for years, so I’m glad that I get to share it with more people.

I’d also love to hear what you think might happen now that Aodh has fled the tournament, or anything else in the chapter that caught your attention. Every comment helps, whether it be a simple “ouch poor Aodh” or detailed feedback.

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