Fintan's Story: Once Burned...

Chapter 1: VS Walakea

William F. Edwards

Dec 07, 2023

Open on Grand Festival Hub

Fintan walks across the screen from the left, then stops when he encounters Ciara.

Ciara is a human woman in plain light grey clothing, her short hair mostly covered by her hat.

Ciara: Fintan, I’ve been looking all over for you and Aodh. It’s been so long.

Fintan: And here I am. Though I’m not sure I match up to what you remember.

Fintan: I read what you wrote after the Bloody Day, what got added to the official history. You could have let me take some of the blame for my reign ending with the capital burning and covered in blood.

Ciara: It wasn’t your fault, or Aodh’s.

Fintan turns his back to Ciara

Fintan: My own sons rebelled against me, and I killed them.

Ciara walks to Fintan’s other side and faces him.

Ciara: Fintan, you did what you had to do. They would have killed you.

Fintan: I shouldn’t have let it reach that point in the first place. My goal was to create a peaceful kingdom, I failed. It wasn’t anything like a golden age.

Fintan: Besides, if you can forgive Aodh for forcing immortality on us, then your judgement isn’t to be trusted.

Fintan: Now if you’ll excuse me, the tournament is starting soon.

Fintan walks away. Ciara remains on screen.

Ciara: Fintan…

Exploration Start

Now is your chance to get some practice as Fintan in before the battles begin, so feel free to button mash and try random things at your leisure.

The main thing to know about Fintan is that his sword attacks, in other words pretty much all of his attacks, have a sweet spot on their tip. Maximum range is needed to maximize damage for them. And if someone is beyond your maximum range you can fire off quick fire sword projectiles.

One of the weaknesses you’ll need to watch out for is diagonal angles, because Fintan’s attacks tend to go straight. You’ll want to keep the enemy on the same horizontal plane as you as much as possible. And when the opponents get too close you can’t get the max range bonuses on attacks.

Fintan’s first super, Solar Sword, is a much larger version of his fire sword projectile. It’s fast so you can punish some attacks from far away. His second super, Blazing Bulwark, is a defensive ‘get off me’ option for when opponents get too close, striking the entire area around you.

You can take your time experimenting. When you’re ready head to the right until you walk off-screen. Along the way there are some NPCS to eavesdrop on.

Regretful Lunan Noble: So much violence in our past, and for what? We lost our greatest ally, the new upstart empire loathes us, I’m a touch fearful of what will happen next to the kingdom.

Calm Lunan Noble: What brought this mood about?

Regretful Lunan Noble: Word is Aodh and King Fintan are both in the tournament starting soon. Hard to think about those two without remembering that day.

Curious Revolving Sea Merchant: I’ve heard tales of a wandering swordsman with a blade of fire. Wonder if he’s in the tournament.

Gossiping Lunan Merchant: I wonder what will happen if King Eamon and King Fintan meet. If King Fintan still wanted the throne I’m sure he’d have claimed it by now, but he wasn’t the one to name King Eamon his successor.

Exploration End

Transition to the Arena

The stage has a flat dirt floor, with walls of ice to set the boundary. In the background are stands packed with people watching the fight, some are holding signs with irrelevant statements like ‘Notice me.’

Fintan and Walakea stand at center stage.

Walakea: Ah Fintan, Ciara has been looking for you.

Fintan: She found me.

Walakea: You don’t sound pleased.

Fintan: Did you- no I forgot you don’t read. I have some issues with how she wrote about our history.

Walakea: This is why literacy is a problem. You got fixated on those scribbles instead of actually talking to her, and you had plenty of time to do so. Did you think reading was a substitute for meeting her?

Fintan: Of course not. But a familiar face is the last thing I’ve needed.

Walakea: Is it? You certainly aren’t someone who has what they need.

Fintan: What I need is to settle things with Aodh. That’s all I’m here for, the only reason I’ve dared to show my face so openly.

Fintan draws his sword.

Fintan: Neither your lectures nor martial arts can keep me from that.

Battle Start

As the first fight of this story you don’t need to worry about super moves or any advanced techniques, just focus on figuring out how your moveset works against an opponent that actually fights back but isn’t the best at blocking.

Your main trial here is learning to space and block, since Walakea will try to get in your face and overwhelm you with a barrage of attacks. Carelessly using your ranged attacks will give Walakea an opening to do just that. When he does get in, block until you have an opening for a counter attack to push him back.

The stage has two large walls on the side, so ring outs aren’t a win condition here, keeping it simple. Different arrangements of platforms will appear over the flat ground as well. Regardless of which arrangement the platforms are in, you want to either be directly under the platform Walakea is on or on the same platform.

Super moves won’t be coming out from your opponents just yet, so you won’t need yours either. But if you do use them it will speed things up. Regardless it won’t take much to win this fight.

Battle End

Fintan and Walakea are back at center stage, any platforms previously present are gone.

Walakea: Now I’m concerned you might be too strong. If it weren’t for Nisha’s brand, I’m not sure this fight would have stayed non-lethal.

Fintan: Our immortality is no secret. Why hold back against someone who can’t be killed?

Walakea: Because we can still feel pain. If you’re not careful those flames of yours will turn deadly once you face a mortal opponent.

Fintan: I’m not an idiot like Aodh, I know how to control my strength. I can’t know peace until I finally face him again, nothing can get in the way.

Walakea: Tell me, you clearly have a plan for what the grand finals of this tournament will be, but what’s your plan for when you do find Aodh?

Fintan: Fools can’t be predicted.

Walakea: Part of my defeat came from failing to predict how you’d fight.

Fintan: I know. What I don’t know is what will happen. Only that it needs to. And that I’m no longer the man Aodh loved.

Chapter END

Note from the Author: In some ways Fintan’s story is inherently a contrast to Aodh’s, since it’s the other side of their relationship. Which makes me think of how the style of the story has evolved since Aodh started it off. That’s what I like about the structure of this narrative, I get to revisit some earlier parts from a new perspective.

Optional Response Prompt: Since Battles Beneath the Stars has begun there’s been a decent number of characters introduced outside the main fourteen, any favorites among them?

The Warthog Report

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