Aodh's Story: Chapter 2

VS Nisha: Kindling

William F. Edwards

Jun 05, 2022

Open on Grand Festival Hub.

Aodh walks to the center of the screen.

Aodh: Maybe if I win, that dream will finally leave me alone.

Exploration Start.

You’re free to wander around until you talk to Nisha, so don’t talk to her until you’re ready for the next fight.

Until then you can screw around with practicing movement and eavesdrop on some more NPC gossip.

Lunan Noble: Obviously as the current king it’d be best if King Eamon went on to win, but King Fintan’s drake powers gives him an edge. If only it hadn’t come at the cost of his leadership.

Dravalan Noble: I used to envy the Lunans for having the protection of a dragon, now I’m worried by how close Nisha is to the imperial family.

Mondragean Noble: Really? I don’t think any of the other dragons are as barbaric as Aodh. In fact I wish Lord Hyperion would get more involved in politics.

Merchant: Councilor Hákon is a genius for coming up with this event. I still wish he would lighten up when it comes to the entertainment districts though.

Exploration End.

Nisha: Aodh are you alright? You don’t look like you got any sleep. I’ll tell Hákon to delay our match.

Aodh: I’m fine. Hey…

Aodh: How has Ciara been? Is she still staying with you at the library?

Nisha: If you want to know, talk to her. I’ve already enabled you more than I should.

Aodh: Not this again. You used to say I was irresponsible for getting involved with mortals, now you say I’m not close enough to them.

Nisha: Aodh, you weren’t irresponsible because you had friends.

Nisha: You were irresponsible because you burned the hair of political dissidents, and thought it wouldn’t have consequences.

Aodh: I know.

Nisha: Then you should know to listen when people disagree with you, and that avoiding a conversation doesn’t make its subject go away.

Aodh: Let’s go to the arena already.

Nisha: Aodh, what did I just say? Though the audience is waiting for us, so we’ll continue this in the arena.

Aodh and Nisha walk off-screen to the right together.

Transition to the Layered Forest Stage.

The stage has two layers to it, the forest floor and the cavern below it. A massive tree rises from the cavern and pierces through the ground, bisecting the top level of the stage.

In the cavern there is a long main platform where the fighters start, there are no walls, so ring outs can happen.

A few platforms on each side help players ascend through holes in the ground (one on each side) to the top layer.

There is a platform just above each hole in the ground. Trees serve as walls on the sides of the top layer of the stage.

Thanks to the tree in the middle, the top left and top right are cut off from each other, the only way in or out of either is through the lower layer.

Battle: Aodh vs Nisha.

Now you’re up against a proper opponent with a full moveset. Nisha won’t use too many attacks, but she will lay traps and fall back.

Focus on getting around her traps and other attacks, once you get close you can go all out. This battle is all about learning how to approach ranged fighters.

Ingot shaped fruit with metal shells, called orefruit, will sometimes appear on the trees in the background.

When you see a warning sign near the orefruit, they’ll drop onto the stage, dealing heavy damage to anyone that gets hit. So don’t stand under the fruit if you can help it.

Battle End.

Aodh and Nisha are at the center of the lower half of the stage, the full stage isn’t shown.

Aodh: I didn’t go too far, did I?

Nisha: No, you have excellent control of your flames now. I’m proud of how far you’ve come with that fighting style.

Nisha: But might doesn’t make right, you know what you really need to do here.

Aodh: All I need to do is make sure Hákon doesn’t win and refine this fighting style.

Aodh walks off-screen

Transition to Grand Festival Hub

Ciara is standing on center screen, she looks the same as she did in the flashback. Aodh walks on screen from the right, then stops. Ciara approaches.

Ciara: Aodh, there you are.

Aodh: Ciara, I…

Ciara: Hákon already explained why none of us could find you yesterday.

Aodh: (Bastard.)

Aodh: Why do you even want to see me anyway? You left me. All of you did. And you were right to. I forced immortality on you and Fintan.

Ciara: I couldn’t be near you when you were driven mad by grief, it didn’t just hurt, you became terrifying. And I had my newfound nature as a drake to contemplate.

Ciara: Being with Nisha helped me reflect on everything that happened. I-

Aodh: Don’t say you forgive me. What I did can’t be undone, that’s part of that damn brand. You and Fintan should stay as far away from me as you can.

Aodh: (What was I thinking, getting this close to them? I need to beat Hákon and get out of here before I ruin everything again.)

Aodh walks away.

Ciara: After everything you did for me, I can’t leave you like this Aodh.

Chapter End

The Warthog Report

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