Erlingr: In Character
Chapter 1: VS Feriel
Welcome to Battles Beneath the Stars, a webserial styled like the guide and script of a non existent fighting game. If you’re new to this story, be sure to start at the prologue, from there each character’s story branches into its own version of events, so you won’t need to read anyone else’s story to follow this one.
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Open on Oddr’s Ship
The walls and floor are made of wood, but there are expensive looking rugs and tapestries to adorn them. There is also a statue in the background depicting a bearded humanoid figure with two arms, one of which is covered in scales. It also has claws, two tentacles, a tail, horns, and tusks.
Erlingr is kneeling in front of Oddr, a human man with black hair and fancy clothing.
Oddr: Remember, don’t break character, in or outside the arena. Not even in private. Or there will be consequences.
Erlingr: Yes, Oddr-talm.
Erlingr: (Why does he have to go over this every time?)
Oddr: With all the foreigners around you need to put on a good show. Give them nothing to use against us and our ways. You’re representing not just the Radakali, but the isles as a whole, and you’re proud of that.
Oddr: Of course even with the appeasement of those foreigners, we still have the usual while they’re not looking. You’ve already been bought for the night, they expect to sleep with a winner.
Erlingr: Yes Oddr-talm.
Erlingr: (Because clearly I was going to lose on purpose if I wasn’t ordered to. My problem is lack of acting skill, not fighting skill. So much for getting a break from being whored out this tournament.)
Oddr: Be more enthusiastic. If you do well in this tournament, it could be the climax of your career. And then you can graduate to being someone’s thrall-consort and play a new role in supporting our people. Which is what you want.
Oddr steps forward, Erlingr flinches.
Erlingr: As you will.
Oddr turns to the statue.
Oddr: Oh, progenitor of our people, founder of the arena, grant us success.
Exploration Start
Transition to Grand Festival Hub
Unlike other fighters, Erlingr can’t take his time in these segments, he’s on a timer that will reset you to the first cutscene of the chapter if it runs out. The exploration theme even gets a more tense remix to signify it. You will have plenty of time to eavesdrop on NPCs and get to the next fight, but your practice time is limited and just seeing that timer tick down can mess with you.
For now just get familiar with Erlingr’s basic attacks. The special moves and meditation mechanic won’t matter for the first fight.
Curious Fan: I hear they got some of the Radakali using their magic to make the arena transform for the fights. I wonder if that Radakali fighter can use that kind of magic too, it always makes for fun fights to watch.
Enthused Spectator: It’s impressive how even with a population spread across all the isles the Radakali are still fairly unified. I don’t think most groups could keep something like their magic so safe guarded for so long.
Cynical Spectator: Well the law forbidding even slaves from teaching it to non-Radakali certainly helped. Seems less like unity and more like getting the right laws to make outsiders using it more trouble than it’s worth.
Resentful Thrall: Can’t stand gladiators who complain about their lot. Those of us in the houses and fields don’t get any of the special treatment they do, we’re practically invisible.
Approach Hákon to start the next scene.
Exploration End
—
Hákon: Erlingr, you’re right on time. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the arena. These are going to be some interesting matches.
Erlingr: (First rounds are usually the least interesting and most lopsided, just a warm up, you should know that. But I can’t let Master hear or know that I said that here, and who knows who could be listening. What would he want me to say.)
Erlingr: Yes, I’m looking forward to testing my might against the fighters from other lands. We’ll show off the strength of the isles together.
Hákon: That’s oddly patriotic of you. I need to check some things with the organizers, but I’ll be watching your match.
Hákon walks off-screen, Oddr walks up behind Erlingr.
Oddr: Good, that’s how you should be. Believe it more next time. And more emphasis on our people specifically.
Erlingr flinches.
Erlingr: (I swear he’s like a living shadow with his stealth skills. Good enough to have captured me with that sneak attack at least.)
Oddr: For this battle, you will show them what you can do. Get people familiar with the basics of your style. Save the special techniques for later, let’s build up anticipation of your magic.
Oddr: Remember, failing to be who you’re supposed to be is the same as losing the battle.
Erlingr: Yes master.
Erlingr walks off-screen.
Transition to Lava Lake
Erlingr stands opposite his oppoennt for the round, Feriel.
Battle Start
Special Condition: Hit with each basic attack at least once. All non-basic attacks are disabled.
Oddr’s demands will serve as secondary objectives for Erlingr to fulfill during battle, failure to do so will count as a defeat and force you to redo the fight. As he said in the prior scene, you need to use all of Erlingr’s normal attacks, and everything else is blocked off.
Don’t put any real focus into doing damage until you’ve connected with every move. Feriel’s long range spear attacks can make approaching a little difficult, but if you keep moving forward you’ll back her to the edge and can close the distance. The stage also has a floating platform in the center that will let you vary up your approach and help land air attacks.
Getting knocked into the lava will deal damage and blast you right back to the stage, the impact of landing does a bit of damage to anyone near you. If you knock Feriel into the lava be sure to back up a bit to avoid losing momentum to the collision.
This fight is aggressively parred back features wise so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get a handle on things and come out victorious.
Battle End
Erlingr and Feriel are standing back at round start positions
Feriel: I didn’t expect to get far, but losing this early, I guess I need even more training than I thought. Ah sorry, it’s not polite to get down like that. Congratulations on your win. You’re a good fighter.
Erlingr: (Beating up a novice is hardly anything to celebrate. She has the movements down, but she’s still only imitating whoever trained her, she has yet to become one with the techniques. And I can’t tell her any of that without risking a beating.)
Erlingr: Thank you, you fought well. You must have a good mentor.
Erlingr: (How pathetic, being this afraid of a little beating. No it’s not that. I’m a thrall, I need to be whatever I’m commanded to be. The punishments shouldn’t be why.)
Feriel: Good luck in the rest of the tournament.
Transition to Grand Festival Hub
Erlingr walks past a white scaled lizal woman, whose blue dress reaches down to her knees.
Runa: Erlingr, it’s been some time.
Erlingr: Yes it has. I see your husband is still as simple minded as ever.
Runa: Hákon is smarter than even he gives himself credit for. He knows what’s really going on with you, not that it’s hard to figure out. Where are you going?
Erlingr: (To get fucked. Or to fuck on command, but that’s the same thing.)
Erlingr: On an errand for my master.
Runa: To do what?
Erlingr: What he told me to.
Runa: If it’s something that shouldn’t be happening while the festival is ongoing, you should speak out. Especially if you can speak to a councilor’s wife where nobody is paying close attention.
Erlingr: A disloyal thrall is lower than a worm.
Runa: Even a thrall’s loyalty has to be earned. And before you make any ‘clever’ retort, I suggest you remember that I was a thrall for longer than you’ve been one.
Erlingr: I am not the sort of self centered weakling to change their opinion on slavery simply because they became a thrall. Now I must be going.
Erlingr walks off-screen
Chapter END
Note from the Author: And Erlingr’s story has finally begun. I’ve had a vision of it for quite some time, the Revolving Sea characters are fun for me to think about but a little nerve wracking to actually write and share. Erlingr isn’t the nicest guy, but despite what he says things are very much not fine for him.
Getting this chapter ready to ship out came with some unpleasant surprises, such as learning that pasting into the substack text editor no longer keeps the bolded characters or hyperlinks for me. I don’t know which side of the process caused it, but it was quite the irritation.
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