Nisha's Story: Anger

Chapter 3: VS Erlingr

Aug 31, 2023

Open on Grand Festival Hub

Walakea and Nisha on screen.

Walakea: I’ve been asking around about your next opponent. This is the same Erlingr that mentored Hákon. And Hákon was uncomfortable talking about it, I believe he left more things unsaid than said.

Nisha: I thought this Erlingr was different because Hákon hadn’t brought it up. Hákon is usually straightforward, this concerns me. Not even he thinks well of the gladiator business, it must be something involving it.

Walakea: He did give me some advice to pass along, and said he’d prefer you win. The magic the Radakali use requires focus and concentration, if you can break that, Erlingr won’t be able to use it.

Nisha: I’m more concerned with Hákon’s motives. It’s unlike him to act against his own mentor, he must have a reason. I’d prefer to know what that reason is. Can I trust Hákon with such little information?

Walakea: Yes, because he’s your brother. Hákon may be naive and unwilling to question most things, but we’ve never known him to have malicious intent. People don’t need to say everything. And this is a tournament, you’re supposed to try to win.

Walakea: Truthfully, I do regret you taking part in this somewhat. Your caution and responsibility are overflowing into needless doubt, don’t let it carry your health away.

Walakea: This was supposed to be fun, not a trial.

Nisha: I’ll try to not dwell in excessive contemplation then. But, now I wonder if finding fighting fun is a poison. It’s the reason there are gladiators after all. Coming here at least let me consider that.

Walakea: You just fell back into your overflowing mind. I need to drag you out of the library far more often than I thought.

Walakea: I’ll get Tetlacatl, he should be done with his prayers by now. And we’ll both be watching you in the arena.

Exploration Start

As you make your way to the next fight and look for people to eavesdrop on, you’ll notice different arrangements of platforms. Try experimenting with them for a bit, it could prove useful.

Pessimistic Pheonan Knight: Our order is screwed. This was Chief Amezwar’s last chance and he got put up against a dragon. They’ll use it as an excuse to replace him with some frail fop and ruin us.

Optimistic Pheonan Knight: Chief Amezwar isn’t going to let it end like this. I saw him talking with Lord Massen, I’m sure they’re planning something right now.

Revolving Sea Merchant: Seems like a waste of power to me that Hákon is the only dragon stepping up to run things. Who’d choose a library over an empire?

Patriotic Xilian Soldier: I hope Nisha loses for spreading lies about our empire.

Once you reach the furthest point of the map, Nisha will start walking off automatically to the next scene.

Exploration End

Transition to the Arena

Here the audience is no longer hidden by illusions, you can see the stands in the background. Some audience members are holding up signs related to the fighters, other signs are less relevant like ‘if you can read this you can read.’

The stage has a flat dirt floor, with walls of ice to set the boundary. This simplistic look is merely how the stage starts out.

Nisha: Why do you have such a hateful look on your face?

Erlingr: I saw your fights. Your lack of passion for battle is disrespectful to my ancestors and the gods themselves. Even getting this far was about your raw power as a dragon, not your skill.

Erlingr: Aodh clearly trained to use his fire, and Hyperion hardly used his light. Meanwhile Hákon actively works to be skilled beyond his inherent command of ice, instead of relying purely on his power the way you do.

Nisha: I do respect that most who fight here genuinely care for the art of battle, even if I don’t. It was Hákon who invited me, and turning down an invitation that clearly means much to someone is disrespectful.

Nisha: Regardless participating myself has taught me much, giving me a better understanding of this event. Even this conversation is illuminating to me, hearing your perspective.

Erlingr: Don’t act like your eyes are devoid of the same pitying look all the other foreigners direct to me. Us Radakali are proud warriors, the creators of the arenas, becoming a gladiator is a fitting fate for me.

Nisha: (I should try to defuse his anger. This could get troublesome.)

Nisha: The power your people possess is quite impressive, I would be interested in learning more about it.

Erlingr: That art belongs to my people and my people alone, never to be written down, especially not in some dusty tome for your library. There’s nothing to say about it to a foreigner.

Erlingr attacks, Nisha parries.

Nisha: (I said I wanted to learn about it, not reveal all its secrets. And I didn’t even get a hint of what’s truly at stake.)

Battle Start

While he won’t use super moves, Erlingr has an attack exclusive to this battle. He’ll grab and pummel you in the face, doing damage equivalent to a super, except since it doesn’t cost meter he can use it whenever he has an opening. Do not let him get close enough to use it.

Erlingr has a special mechanic, a bar that fills up with damage taken and received. When it fills up he’ll create two phantom arms for himself and grow more powerful until it runs out. He has a meditation move that can raise the bar faster, but in this battle he’s too focused on aggression to use it.

And because of that focus on offense, he’s also easy to lure into your traps, you can always count on him to move towards you. However, the walls on both sides of the stage means it’s possible for him to corner you if you’re not careful. Thankfully the stage has more going on.

At different intervals in the match platforms will appear and disappear in certain arrangements. A countdown in the center of each platform tells you when it vanishes. The arrangements consist of, in a randomized order: three platforms in a triangular set up, two platforms at equal height that move side to side, a single platform in the center, and four platforms in a diamond shape.

This works both for and against you. On one hand, when the platforms are around they make it easier to move around and stay out of range of Erlingr’s grab and pummel attack. On the other hand it makes Erlingr’s movement less predictable too.

Once you learn how to deal with his aggression, Erlingr will go down easily.

Battle End

Nisha and Erlingr are at center stage.

Erlingr: Damn you.

Erlingr falls to his knees.

Nisha: (I won, but that hurt. Were some of those moves even legal?)

Nisha: I won’t pity you if that’s what you want, but that was the only positive feeling I’d hold towards you now.

Nisha walks away.

Transition to Grand Festival Hub

Nisha walks on screen from the right, Tetlacatl is waiting for her.

Tetlacatl: Nisha, are you alright? That gladiator reeked of malice, he looked like he was trying to hurt you more than win.

Nisha: He was. Not all of his attacks were within the rules. Thankfully the wounds aren’t severe.

Nisha: He claimed to hate me for not enjoying combat, and wanting to learn more about his magic. I’m not sure his mind is well put together, perhaps his obsession with battle made it rot.

Tetlacatl: Normally I’d consider being a slave curse enough, but I’ll give him another curse if he doesn’t atone for this.

Nisha: There’s no need to be so vengeful, winning was revenge enough. And there’s something about him and Hákon that has Hákon unusually secretive, we may be lacking key information.

Tetlacatl: It’s against my creed to let something like this go unanswered. Once someone does the family harm no sob story can get them out of the consequences.

Walakea runs on screen.

Walakea: How are you feeling?

Nisha: The pain is… tolerable.

Walakea: Then get some rest. But first, now that you’ve bested Erlingr, I got Hákon to talk more.

Walakea: He wanted Erlingr to lose because it’s easier for him to protect Erlingr that way. In other words your victory was the right thing for him.

Walakea: Though with how some of those attacks looked, I question Hákon wanting to protect a man like that.

Nisha: Why didn’t he tell us this from the start?

Walakea: I suspect what Erlingr is being protected from is his master, or something along those lines. So it’d require a subtle touch, with few speaking of it.

Tetlacatl: I’ll see for myself when I go demand restitution. In the meantime you two should rest before the next round, especially with Quiahuitl advancing as well.

Nisha: I nearly forgot about her. While we’re discussing this, I have decided something.

Nisha: After defeating Quiahuitl I intend to drop out of the tournament.

Chapter END

Note from the Author: The ‘gameplay’ gimmick for this chapter came from realizing the plot worked best with something unusual gameplay wise. I dislike things such as story mode exclusive attacks generally, but this isn’t a real game, and it comes with an explanation of why Erlingr doesn’t use it in other battles.

I started this chapter by writing the pre battle dialogue between Nisha and Erlingr and expanded out from there. Erlingr is a character I don’t want people getting too much insight into outside of his or Hákon’s stories.

Optional Discussion Prompt: Do you think there are some things that shouldn’t be written down? Also it’s not a competition, but team Walakea or team Tetlacatl, who do you prefer?

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