Erlingr's Story: Finale

VS ???: Beyond the Fog

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. And if you just want other parts of the newsletter you can adjust which segments you receive here.

We’re on the finale of Erlingr’s story. Last chapter he finally became a free man again, and left the Grand Festival to follow the mysterious dreams that have been telling him to visit the Forest of Fog. What will he find there?

| Prologue/Introduction | | Table of Contents | Profiles | Non-Gamer Primer |

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Open on Forest of Fog

Erlingr walks through a dense forest, all that can be seen through the thick fog in the background are more trees, the sky is beyond sight.

Erlingr: I’m finally here. Where are you?

Erlingr: (Part of me is still thinking about how I need to stay in character and get back to master. I really did get used to thralldom.)

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Exploration Start

For the first time in this story, there is no time limit on the exploration phase. There’s a unique version of the theme for it playing here. There’s nobody to eavesdrop on, but plenty of platforms you can jump around on. All you need to do at this point is just head to the right until you reach… Hákon?

Exploration End

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Fake Hákon: Erlingr, since you’re so used to being ordered around now, you should be my thrall. I’ll even give you immortality.

Erlingr: Hákon wouldn’t say that. Stop with the illusions and come out.

Fake Hákon: First let’s see if you can defeat even a false dragon in his true form.

The fake Hákon transforms, taking on a large quadruped form, covered in icy white scales. He roars.

Erlingr: (Considering who this really is, there’s no doubt he can imitate Hákon’s mastery of ice too. I need to be careful.)

Erlingr: And I’ll see if this fake can put up as good of a fight as the real one.

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Battle Start

This isn’t a normal fight, so you’ll need to approach things different. The fake Hákon is more like a boss fight in other genres, with heavy hitting attacks you’ll need to learn the patterns of. Whenever you have a moment, meditate so you can maximize your damage.

The stage is simple flat terrain with walls on either end, the difficulty with moving around comes from the fight itself and the size of your opponent.

One of the most annoying attacks you’ll deal with is a projectile that freezes the ground as it moves. Dodging is easy, but the real damage is having to put up with the dreaded ice physics. And it will usually be followed up by another attack.

Another attack makes icicles erupt from the ground in different patterns, the locations telegraphed by them glowing. There’s also a homing projectile that will freeze you if it touches you, and the fake Hákon making a swift pounce after stepping back. And a variety of heavy hitting claw swipes and the like at close range.

Each of these attacks will deal severe damage to you, yet can be avoided with careful play. Learn the timings, block and dodge, and hit when you can. That will bring the fake Hákon down. You’re not out of the woods yet though.

Battle End

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The fake Hákon vanishes into a thin mist.

Erlingr walks onward to the right until he reaches a new area with a small bridge over a river. On the other side of the bridge is a bearded humanoid figure with two arms, one of which is covered in scales. He also has claws, two tentacles, a tail, horns, and tusks.

Brynjar: Well done, my descendant.

Erlingr: Great Ancestor, why have you called me here?

Brynjar: I have been watching the world and my descendants from this forest, so it did not escape my attention when stars fell and became dragons. Nor did the fact that one of them befriended a powerful descendant of mine.

Brynjar: Hákon has the potential to restore the arena to a place that honors martial prowess rather than exploits it. But he needs allies, such as yourself.

Brynjar: Then you lost a battle and became a gladiator, and refused the helping hands offered to you. You were tainted by the corruption you held yourself above. I could no longer be a mere observer.

Brynjar: Now that you’re here, fight me. Show me if you’re still worthy of my attention.

Erlingr: That’s all I’d ask for.

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Battle Start

Brynjar is essentially Erlingr but always in his enhanced state, so his damage output is more consistent but doesn’t reach the same highs as yours. Space to meditate will be much harder to get here, since Brynjar will do his best to keep you from it. Also if you do lose this fight you won’t need to refight the fake Hákon, the game isn’t that mean.

Aside from the absence of meditation and related damage adjustments, Brynjar’s moves are the same as yours, even the supers. So you should know exactly what to look out for by now, any cheap tricks that got you here are about to get turned back towards you.

While this stage may look functionally identical to the one with the fake Hákon, the bridge can be destroyed. Once it’s down it won’t be coming back, and if you fall into the river it’s a ring out. You could try to be cheap and destroy the bridge, then focus on trying to get a ring out. But Brynjar can do the same to you. And jumping over the gap can get you hit with the anti air super.

The key to pulling ahead is to make the most of your enhanced state, since that’s when you’ll hit harder. Make every second of it count, and try to save the activation for when you can get an opening, like after launching Brynjar with an attack.

If you can beat Brynjar, you’ll bring Erlingr’s story to a close and unlock Brynjar as a character for versus mode, where you can use him as he appears in this fight or as a mimic of the other fighters.

Battle End

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Brynjar: Impressive.

Erlingr: You weren’t fighting genuinely. I can tell you were holding back.

Brynjar: I needed to assess your strength, winning wasn’t my concern. Only to see if you had the strength of mind to observe the truth, and the desire to become a match for me.

Brynjar: This deep in the mist, none can reach us. Here you can heal from your time as a gladiator.

Erlingr: For how long?

Brynjar: Until you choose to leave.

Erlingr: I still don’t understand your reason. Is this all truly because I happened to help teach Hákon how to fight?

Brynjar: It’s also because you happened to be correct when you called the current state of the arenas a perversion of what I created, even if you were uninterested in changing it. And I hated seeing one of my stronger descendants fall to it.

Brynjar: Your life is your own now. Yet, now that you have suffered as a gladiator, perhaps looking down on them from afar no longer suits you. Or you may stay here for a peaceful life and heal from the wounds your mind received.

Brynjar: With that I will leave you with yourself for now. My time to shape the world has gone, I only offer shelter and guidance.

Brynjar walks away.

Erlingr: A place to heal… I suppose if he says so then I really was damaged enough to need this. There’s no obligations, no character to act as. Did I really forget how to be myself?

Erlingr: Hákon, Runa, you can’t hear me, but thank you. You’ll meet me again.

Story END

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Note from the Author: And so Erlingr’s story comes to a close. Most character’s stories run at six chapters or more, but I felt an extra chapter would have required stretching things out here, and it adds to Erlingr’s story being such a rule breaker. I hope you all enjoyed this story and its deviation from the norms of the other possibilities.

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| Prologue/Introduction | Table of Contents | Profiles | Non-Gamer Primer |