Hákon's Story: Chapter 2
VS Kazuko: Tip of the Iceberg
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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.
Runa is at the rightmost position, with Hákon to her left. Oddr is across from Hákon, he’s a human with black hair and fancy clothes. Erlingr is standing behind him.
Oddr: Congratulations on your victory Hákon. That Amezwar certainly looked like a tough opponent.
Hákon: Thank you. And Erlingr did excellently as well, I’m glad you let him compete. He’s a great fighter.
Oddr: Maybe, but he isn’t good at pleasing the crowd. I had to intensify his training once you requested he fight in the festival tournament, but he’s still not as marketable as he could be.
Erlingr steps back from Oddr and guards, then drops his guard.
Oddr: Of course by the time his graduation auction comes around he’ll have been chiseled into the ideal gladiator and thrall-consort. Can I expect to see you there?
Hákon: No. To be honest, I don’t get the whole business. Why can’t gladiators just fight or singers just sing, without having to put on some fake ‘marketable’ personality?
Hákon: Thralls are to be won in warfare and respected as members of the household, not bought and sold on the market like trendy clothes.
Oddr: It’s how things have been for generations, for those with status that is. As a farmer’s son you wouldn’t understand. Maybe if you had one yourself you would, I can reserve Erlingr for you.
Erlingr: …
Hákon: (Come on Erlingr, why won’t you say anything? You had to notice that I repeated what you told me back in the day.)
Runa: As someone who has never been on the other side of thralldom, there are things you don’t understand.
Runa: Now my husband and I have important matters to attend to. Just remember, the rest of the world is looking at Erlingr now. How you treat him will have consequences.
Runa walks off-screen to the right, Hákon follows.
Transition to Grand Festival Hub
Runa and Hákon walk on screen from the left.
Runa: *sigh* That went exactly like I expected, at least now I know for sure I hate Oddr. It’s a good thing I was there, you would have pretended not to notice that insult.
Hákon: Well that’s how diplomacy seems to work. Anyway, I know you don’t like the idea, but waiting to buy Erlingr’s freedom seems like the only way to help him.
Hákon: Even if I can pass all of our reforms right after the festival, it won’t do anything for the people of other isles, including him. And I can’t just leave my former mentor to become someone’s pet.
Runa: There are many more in his exact position. Buying Erlingr would only feed that awful practice, it’s a last resort. There has to be a better way now that you’re a councilor.
Hákon: You’re right, sorry that I’m not smart enough to think of one right now. Maybe I’ll come up with one after my match, or if I can get Erlingr on his own for a talk.
Runa: Don’t be so harsh on yourself. You’ve done more good than most people here. You got my freedom, so I know we can get Erlingr’s. And this time without compromise.
Exploration Start
Now that you’re past the tutorial, there will be some very basic platforming in these sections. In this case you just need to hop over some stalls on your way to the fight. Along the way you can listen to the gossip.
Lunan Noble: I’m still not sure I get it. So mana is like honor, but a place can have it too?
Revolving Sea Noble: It’s also power. And everything except a thrall can have it, mana they would have goes to their household. Do you distinguish household members and family like we do?
Thrall: I can’t stand entertainer-thralls who whine about their lot. They get better bedding, recognition, and an easy path to thrall-consort status. The rest of us don’t get anything like that.
Gladiator Fan: Why’d they shut down the arena’s night market for the festival? I’d love to have a night with Erlingr.
When you’re ready to begin the next fight, talk to Kazuko.
Exploration End
Hákon: Hm, you’re one of the Corkoa right? My name’s Hákon. Looks we’ll be facing each other in the tournament.
Kazuko: Yes, I’m Kazuko of the Corkoa tribe. I’m currently on my pilgrimage to become an adult.
Hákon: How have you liked the festival?
Kazuko: The festival is a lot of fun, there are so many places I want to go to now. But, I really don’t like how you allow slavery.
Hákon: (Here we go again.)
Hákon: It’s part of our way of life. I have responsibilities towards my thralls, and they have laws protecting them. Foreigners make it sound much worse than it really is.
Kazuko: They’re still slaves, that doesn’t sound like it could ever be right.
Hákon: Well I don’t think sending kids out to wander the world on their own is right, but to your people that’s normal. Everyone has their own way of doing things.
Kazuko: Honestly I don’t like the pilgrimage either. I’m scared that I won’t be able to get anything good enough to bring back, which means I’ll never return. But the elders decide what our traditions are, not me.
Hákon: I understand, there are some things about how thralls are treated that I want changed, sadly passing reforms is hard.
Hákon: Now let’s get in the arena. Good luck, for the fight and your pilgrimage.
Hákon and Kazuko walk off stage to the right.
Transition to Corkoa Village
The main platform of the stage is a wooden platform on the sea, at the left side are elephant seals harnessed to the platform, like horses for a chariot. There’s a hut in the background of the stage.
Also in the background are similar platforms, when the stage starts moving they move with it. At times the stage will stop at different islands, each island has a summer and winter version, only one version of an island is used in a match.
Battle Start
Stay on your toes for this battle, because the stage is going to get pulled along to four different islands that each have their own layout.
Layout 1: On each side of the main platform are two wooden platforms. One wooden platform is diagonally above the main platform towards the edge of the screen, the second in the set continues in that direction.
Layout 2: The extra platforms are connected to a water wheel, so they move in a circular formation just over the main platform.
Layout 3: A platform equal in length to the main stage is now hovering over it.
Layout 4: You have to hop off the main platform to get on a rock formation. The formation has three flat segments, with the center being lower than the left or right (which are equal in height). Try to keep on the left side, that’s where the main platform will reappear when it takes off.
Now for your actual opponent, try not to step on Kazuko’s traps. If you do you’re either taking a lot of damage or a debuff. Once they’re set, try to move the fight away from them. Aerial ice slide can help go over the traps.
Another thing to watch out for is her boomerang projectile. Despite what you may expect, it doesn’t fly back to her automatically. Instead it falls to the ground and she pulls it back to her with string, which can trip you if you’re between her and the boomerang and don’t block. So block.
Kazuko’s weakness is that she’s bad at close quarters combat, which is what Hákon is great at, so stay close to her. The stage transitions are a great opening to get close if the traps have walled you out. Don’t let her out of range and you’ll win quickly.
Battle End
Hákon and Kazuko are at round start positions, stage is in its traveling form, but isn’t traveling. The magic fades and the stage turns back into the arena’s unaltered appearance.
Kazuko: I thought I had gotten even stronger after my last match, I guess it wasn’t enough. At least it was fun.
Hákon: With some training I think you could be a great warrior. There’s a-, no, never mind. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of the festival.
Hákon: (Erlingr would love training someone like Kazuko, but there’s no way he’ll be able to do that now.)
Kazuko: You’re a lot nicer than I thought a slaver would be. Now I know what my tribe means when they say that the outside world is complicated. It sounds like everyone wishes they could change something.
Kazuko: May the winds travel alongside you.
Kazuko walks off screen to the left.
Hákon: (Right, I’m not the only one unhappy with how things are. What I need is someone else’s wisdom. Maybe Nisha or one of her husbands will have an idea of how to help Erlingr. )
Chapter End
Note from the Author: This chapter has taken far more work than I’d expected, but now it’s here and you’ve read it (unless you skipped ahead). As always feedback is appreciated, the sooner a problem is spotted, the sooner it can be fixed. Hákon is a rather unconventional protagonist in my opinion, so I’m curious to see what people think of him as the story goes on.
I mentioned this in the latest monthly report, but Hybridis, the world of this story, has a dedicated World Anvil page. It’s even rougher than this story due to an open development approach, but it has more info on the unusual culture of the Revolving Sea. Though it’s my aim to include everything vital within the story itself.
Lastly, I noticed a minor continuity issue with the prologue that has now been corrected. The arena was referred to as being newly constructed, however I found that was inconsistent with everything else I had established about the setting. All the fix amounted to was changing a single instance of the word construction to renovation, but in the interest of transparency I feel it’s important to highlight and acknowledge that change.
| Prologue/Introduction | | Table of Contents | Profiles | Non-Gamer Primer |