Hákon's Story: Finale

VS Erlingr: Unmelting

Nov 17, 2022

Open on Oddr’s Ship

Oddr and Erlingr are standing to the left. Hákon walks in from the right.

Oddr: Ah Hákon, what brings you here? I assume it has to do with your opponent.

Hákon: Kind of. What’s your price for freeing Erlingr?

Oddr: I’m not selling that. If you want him, buy him in the graduation auction. It’s sure to have quite the turn out even if he only gets second place.

Hákon: Then how about something greater than money, my alliance. I hear being sworn allies with a councilor, even one from a different isle, increases your chances of joining the council yourself.

Hákon: With me on your side you won’t need to worry about being disgraced by a defeat or having to pay your own ransom. Since you’re from a different isle, you don’t need to worry about my reforms.

Hákon: (It’s fine, he’s only mortal. And maybe I can make him see things differently with time. This may get me more involved with his business, but it will help me get the power needed to help people. )

Oddr: Hmm.

Erlingr: Oddr-talm, permission to speak?

Oddr: Granted.

Hákon: (Least you could do is use Erlingr’s name.)

Erlingr: I have a request. Let part of this deal hang over my fight. If I win I’ll be freed, and if I lose, Hákon becomes my master.

Oddr: This is agreeable to me. I accept both that and your offer Hákon.

Hákon: (Erlingr you idiot! Ugh, if I throw the fight he’ll take it as an insult. Guess he can’t stop me from freeing him anyway if I win.)

Hákon: I’ll honor Erlingr’s request. See you in the arena.

Hákon: [Runa you won’t believe the nonsense Erlingr just pulled.]

Hákon walks off-screen.

Transition to Grand Festival Hub

Exploration Start

This is just a simple walk down to the arena. You have some optional conversations you can take part in.

Hákon: Are you sure you’re going to be fine with us having Oddr as an ally.

Runa: He may officially be an ally, but we both know he’s really a tool. As much as I’d like to see men like that brought low, I think this is more strategic.

Runa: Why can’t the most satisfying thing also be the best option?

Hákon: I don’t know.

Hákon: Look, about Aodh. I’m still pissed off at him, but I do think you went too far with what you said to him.

Runa: He had it coming. As frightening as the flames were, I’m glad you finally cut him off.

Hákon: Maybe in the future I might forgive him, but I think I’ve had enough of him for a while.

Walakea: I heard you finally came to a decision.

Hákon: Yeah, thanks for your advice. It’s funny how different you and Nisha are.

Walakea: We’re similar where it counts, like you and Runa. We also made progress on our own goal, people are interested in our school.

Hákon: I hope your students know they won’t get any slack.

Walakea: They’ll learn one way or the other.

Hyperion: I talked to Aodh, he won’t admit it, but he does seem sorry about what happened. Those flames were an accident.

Hákon: He’ll need to admit he’s sorry before I talk to him again. You don’t need to pick sides though.

Hyperion: I was worried you might not think that. Maybe someday all four of us can get along. Good luck in the finals.

Keep going until you reach Erlingr, and the final battle will begin.

Exploration End

Erlingr: If you throw this fight I’ll know I’m completely devoid of mana, and no better than a dead man.

Hákon: How about this then, I’ll fight you honestly only if you fight as yourself. Not as the person Oddr thought would be the most marketable.

Erlingr: Win or lose I’m no longer his, so that’s fine by me. No holding back.

Transition to Forest of Fog

This stage is located within a dense forest, the sky can’t be seen. A river bisects the stage but a bridge allows for it to be easily crossed. The fighters start on opposite sides of the river. Fog obscures most of the background.

Battle Start

This time you’ll have access to your full moveset again. Erlingr’s gameplan involves building up a special meter that when filled has him manifest two tentacles which increase the damage of his attacks. Normally he starts with that meter empty, here he comes in with it already activated.

Start out defensively so Erlingr doesn’t immediately seize the lead, his special meter automatically drains overtime so it can be waited. Look for a way to break through his offense and start your own. Once Erlingr’s enhanced state goes away he becomes less aggressive. This makes it harder to spot his patterns.

Since Erlingr’s special gauge is increased by dealing and taking damage you can’t stop it from going up. It will take a lot of time to fill back up, which is why Erlingr has a meditation move dedicated to filling it. Don’t give him the space to meditate without taking a large chunk of damage.

Erlingr has a tricky move where he creates an illusion of himself that either runs forward or stays back while he runs forward. Thankfully the AI will always alternate which version it uses, if the real Erlingr ran at you then next time the real Erlingr will be the one staying back.

That bridge in the middle of the stage will break once it takes enough damage, and it won’t come back. Falling into the river counts as a ring out, try not to let that happen.

One of Erlingr’s supers, Phantom Combination, is an anti-air where he does a jumping uppercut, then has an illusion slam you back down for another punch. He’ll use it if you try to jump across the river while he’s on the other side, meaning you can bait it out and have a punish ready for when it misses.

His other super, A Thousand Punches, has an obvious bit of wind up time with meditation, but if you react with your own start up heavy attack you’re going to get hit. Disrupt it with a weaker but faster attack instead, or go for the usual block and punish.

Once you win this you’re done with Hákon’s story, so you can sit back and enjoy the ending.

Battle End

Erlingr: Anyone who didn’t enjoy watching that doesn’t have the mind to appreciate combat, wouldn’t you agree Hákon-talm.

Hákon: You won’t be calling me that for long.

Erlingr: Don’t you dare. I wouldn’t be able to live with that dishonor. You’ve surpassed me, now let me serve you.

Hákon: [Guess who’s so opposed to charity they won’t accept any for themselves?]

Runa: [I knew it. If he wants to be our thrall let him. He’ll probably get overdramatic if you free him anyway.]

Hákon: [That’s one word for it. He’s compared being freed to death twice now.]

Hákon: If it’s your honor at stake then I guess I have no choice but to keep you, Erlingr-thralm. This has got to be the strangest way to get a thrall yet.

Erlingr: I’ve heard of weirder. Now shall we celebrate your triumph, master?

Transition to Grand Festival Hub (Night)

Hákon, Runa, and Erlingr are standing together. The festival is still active.

Runa: There’s something I need to make sure of. You do realize the way Oddr treated was wrong, right?

Erlingr: He earned the right to do it, but I still hated it. Being a gladiator was miserable, it makes a mockery out of combat, not to mention all the other nonsense.

Erlingr: You two might be too soft, but I’ll take that. I was worried I’d eventually forget my actual personality with how things were looking. Glad I can put that behind me.

Runa: [There’s no way Erlingr got over what he went through that quickly.]

Hákon: [We’ll handle that as it comes up, I’ll trust your judgement on it.]

Erlingr: Discussing me in your minds? Well before you discipline me I do have one thing to say.

Erlingr: I hated being Oddr’s gladiator, but I wouldn’t mind being yours. You’re someone who respects the beauty of battle, rather than treating the arena as a glorified theater.

Hákon: You’re not getting punished for speaking, we had something we needed to quickly talk about in private.

Hákon: This isn’t how I wanted things, but for now I’m just glad you’re safe with us. We can decide your role in the household tomorrow, tonight let’s celebrate.

Erlingr: As you command. Tomorrow can’t be too bad with you steering my life, the next dawn seems like it will be brighter than usual.

Runa: I’m also more hopeful for the future than I’ve been in some time. We might finally witness real change sooner rather than later.

Hákon and Runa walk off-screen together, with Erlingr following close behind.

END

Note from the Author: And so the most controversial character’s story is now complete. Hákon is the kind of character I enjoy writing, but I always feel an urge to make sure people know I don’t agree with him at all on slavery, however constant denials like that can come off as a bit suspicious.

What made Hákon as a protagonist both challenging and interesting was that he was primarily made as a sort of moral roadblock for the other dragons. He’s someone they can’t ignore who prevents them from fixing an obvious problem, even his niceness is a challenge since it makes him harder to hate and dismiss, it’d be easier for the other dragons if he was just a jerk.

I found that Hákon worked better as a main character if he was actively trying to improve his own culture, while still remaining attached to parts of it we find objectionable. I see him as something of a darker Superman, being a paragon of a culture that’s easy to write off as evil.

Narratives about fixing the world outright have an obvious appeal, but currently I’m more interested in stories about how to make do with a world where the problems can’t be directly solved. That’s what Hákon presents to me, both as a protagonist and an obstacle.

Thank you for reading the story I was most scared to write to the end.

The Warthog Report

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