Kazuko's Story: Leader
Chapter 2: VS Quiahuitl
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.
Last time Kazuko made a new friend, the neophyte knight Feriel, and won her first battle in the tournament against Metrophanes. Metrophanes parted with a warning not to put ambition over one’s home. Now it’s time for the second round.
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Open on Grand Festival Hub
Kazuko and Feriel are standing together.
Feriel: Kazuko, congratulations on winning your first match.
Kazuko: You too. I hope we won’t have to fight each other though.
Feriel: If we do, I’m okay with letting you win. I’m just here to get stronger, I wouldn’t want to keep you from your family.
Kazuko: Oh. Thank you, but it wouldn’t feel right. I need to prove that I’m strong enough not to be a burden, so if you let me win it wouldn’t prove anything.
Feriel: I guess you’re right. I think… well anyway, you should be careful in your next match. I heard you’re facing Quiahuitl next.
Kazuko: Who is she?
Feriel: You don’t know? Even where I’m from there’s some talk about her.
Kazuko: My tribe likes to keep to themselves, we only really know about a few other tribes and the people of the isles.
Feriel: She’s the ruler of the Xillaman Empire, not just that, she created it by conquering all the other cities of the forest.
Kazuko: There are women rulers? Where I’m from it’s the male elders who make the important decisions.
Feriel: My homeland has been governed by queens in the past. Oh, I’m getting distracted. What I want to say is that Quiahuitl is powerful and ruthless, so be careful facing her. I hear she’s even killed members of her own family.
Kazuko: Thank you. I’ll be careful.
Exploration Start
Your path forward puts you on quite a few slanted platforms, almost like it’s hinting at something for the next stage. If you had any trouble doing things mid battle against Metrophanes now is your chance to practice it some more. And don’t forget to eavesdrop. When you go far enough you’ll walk off-screen and to the arena.
Laid Back Merchant: The Corkoa get looked down on too much, they’re always good to trade with, got a strong sense of fairness. We could do with more of that here.
Cautious Dravalan Noble Our emperor isn’t a misogynist, but word is he’s rather strange around women. I hope that doesn’t lead to anything sour between us and Xillaman, chocolate is expensive enough already.
Prideful Ball Game Lover: What do you mean other lands don’t have a ball game like ours? It’s essential. I can understand some people being too primitive like those Cor something, but I thought this island was civilized.
Exploration End
Transition to Burned Grove
The stage is set on a small pyramid in a grove, fighters can duke it out on the pyramid’s flat top, or go down the steps to the forest floor, where you’ll quickly run into the trees that serve as the stage’s walls.
In the background are burnt trees, giving the stage its name. A statue of a female talpman stands in the background on the top of the pyramid.
Kazuko and Quiahuitl stand at the top of the pyramid facing each other.
Quiahuitl: Let’s start the battle.
Kazuko: Wait, before we do, I was thinking of asking you something. What is it like to lead as a woman? Where I come from it’s unthinkable.
Quiahuitl: I’m not surprised people who can’t even write would have such a primitive outlook. That’s why we have cities and you have huts. I lead with strength and clarity of purpose, and make any man who opposes me bend in submission.
Kazuko: That’s mean…
Kazuko: (But everyone else has so much cooler buildings than us, and all sorts of wonderful things. We seem so weak in comparison.)
Quiahuitl: Empires are not forged with kindness. Though I did over react. You reminded me of those who doubt my power, but I don’t believe you doubt it. Let’s see if you can face it in single combat.
Battle Start
Space to set up traps will be harder to get now, because Quiahuitl will be coming right at you. Defend against her attacks and try to push her back, it’s easier to steal momentum from her at a distance with traps and your boomerang.
The slanted sides of the stage will mix up where your boomerang lands after being tossed, it’s thrown along the slope if you’re standing on it, but the distance is decreased going upward and increased going downwards. If you keep it to the top this won’t be a factor.
Even when you have Quiahuitl at a distance, she has a projectile of her own in the form of a rubber ball. You can bounce it back at her, but then she can hit it back at you for increased damage, or simply go around it while you’ve wasted time hitting it.
This is a test of how you deal with aggression, so taking the time to internalize the specifics of how to defend here will reward you in later more difficult fights.
Battle End
Quiahuitl and Kazuko are back at their round start positions.
Quiahuitl: Damn it, such power from such an unexpected source. I made a fatal mistake underestimating you. It’d be a shame for you to waste your talents in the service of some archaic old men.
Kazuko: Um, thank you?
Quiahuitl: Come see me if you’d like to put your talents to better use. You have potential.
Quiahuitl leaves.
Kazuko: I never questioned the elders before… I bet she would win in a fight with them.
Chapter END
Note from the Author: I didn’t expect there to be a common thread of Quiahuitl developing respect for Kazuko across multiple stories, but here we are. Quiahuitl may be one of the meaner fighters, but she has to put up with a lot. Also I can’t think of any modern world leaders who Quiahuitl wouldn’t easily beat in single combat.
| Prologue/Introduction | Table of Contents | Profiles | Non-Gamer Primer |