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 Walakea emerged victorious against Quiahuitl, but after the fight cut celebrations short by announcing his plan to return to his homeland of Hirzen after the tournament.
| Prologue/Introduction | | Table of Contents | Profiles | Non-Gamer Primer |
Open on Grand Festival Hub
Walakea, Nisha, Tetlacatl, and Keone are all gathered and talking.
Nisha: I’m thankful this isn’t the final round, I don’t want this to be one of the last things we do together.
Walakea: For someone who doesn’t enjoy this you’ve gotten quite far,
Nisha: I’ve had some fun, but it’s different when it suddenly becomes one of our last activities together.
Tetlacatl: We’re immortal, we can always visit each other.
Keone: The people would surely appreciate it if you met in the village. They’re making a road between it and Yazen that should be finished soon, so travel won’t as hard as it used to be.
Walakea: What? Being isolated was our protection during the conquest, having a road to one of the cities completely undermines that.
Keone: There are also many benefits to having an easier route to Yazen.
Nisha: It’s strange to me you’re not returning to your own village.
Walakea: It’d be easier to prepare for potential enemies from a city rather than a village.
Nisha: Where is this paranoia coming from? Is this merely because you realized Hákon’s political power has its limits?
Walakea: That was one part of it. If I want to protect the ways of my people it makes more sense to be with them. Besides that way I can use the power you gave me without making you get involved.
Nisha: That is what concerns me more than anything else, even with my faith in you. I’ll see you in the arena.
Nisha leaves
Tetlacatl: Anyway, Keone, it would be nice to visit you.
Keone: Everyone back home will be curious, and not just about Walakea. I wonder if that puppeteer would be willing to come as well.
Walakea: You two can look for him before the match starts. I should make my way to the arena as well.
Exploration Start
The path to the next fight is suspiciously simple, just flat platforms of different heights to jump across on your way to the next fight. Finding all the NPCs to eavesdrop on will take a bit more effort though, some are a little out of the way.
Thoughtful Merchant: That talk of a school run by a dragon has me thinking. It sounds more intended for scholars, but my son has a bit of scholarly side to him. Would be a good place to make connections too.
Cautious Noble: There are rumors going around that Our Revered Lady Quiahuitl was cheating in the tournament. I could see it being true, and I’m never repeating that.
Confident Bettor: At this point I’m putting my bets on Erlingr winning the whole tournament.
Approach Tetlacatl to start the next scene.
Exploration End
Tetlacatl and Hákon are talking. Hákon walks away and Walakea approaches Tetlacatl.
Tetlacatl: Walakea, I was hoping we could have a conversation with just the two of us before you left.
Walakea: Me too. What were you talking to Hákon about?
Tetlacatl: Setting up a way to help his friend, though for it to work his friend needs to lose. If he doesn’t lose this round you or Nisha will need to take him down in the grand finals.
Walakea: I’m not sure how interested I am in helping him, but I’ll win anyway.
Tetlacatl: You’ve been a little moody lately. Are you sure you’re not making a rash decision?
Walakea: People are fluid, things can change in an instant. And as you said we can always visit each other.
Tetlacatl: That is true.
Tetlacatl: You know, we love to play argue, but I do enjoy your company. You’re a good friend. I’ll miss you.
Walakea: I feel the same. Playing the sacred ball game with you has been fun, it’s one of the things I’ll miss.
Tetlacatl: You could always take it with you, like I did when I came to Nisha.
Walakea: It’s not the way of things in Hirzen, I won’t build a court for it. But I will tell people about it.
Tetlacatl: And I’ll reread my records of our time together and look back on it fondly. I won’t take sides in this fight, good luck to both of you.
Walakea walks off-screen.
Tetlacatl: I wonder if he realizes how stubborn he’s being.
Transition to Arena
Walakea and Nisha are standing apart from each other, a further distance than usual before a match.
Walakea: You don’t need to hold back against me.
Nisha: What do you mean? This is a proper tournament, everyone is holding back to avoid using lethal force. I’ve been making a genuine effort to win while following the rules.
Walakea: There is one notable way you’re holding back. I want to see your truest self, not the one that can easily fit in with mortals.
Nisha: I see. Well, since you insisted, I suppose bending the rules is acceptable this once.
Nisha transforms into her true form, a large black scaled dragon.
Nisha: Don’t go easy on me either.
Battle Start
If you couldn’t tell already, this isn’t a normal battle. In her true form Nisha has a small selection of highly telegraphed attacks that deal incredible damage. If she raises a claw you need to get out of the way or start guarding.
One of Nisha’s attacks summons giant swords to fall from the sky and stick into the ground, once they land you need to jump around them to reach her. The hilts can be stood on safely, but if you get close to the edges they still hurt even as part of the terrain. Eventually the swords will go away and the attack will be used again.
The other big attack is a sequence of large metal cubes that go from one side of the screen to the other at different heights, you weave around them to reach her and interrupt the attack with some good hits.
At around half health a new attack will be mixed in where chandeliers fall from the sky in a different patterns, stay mobile and keep dodging until it ends, you don’t want to be stuck in a longer attack when one is right over you.
Your metal ball projectile might not do much damage, but it can make for a safe way to do some damage. Sometimes Nisha will start hovering in the air, so you’ll need to do jumping attacks to reach her if there isn’t a sword to stand on.
This will take longer than most other fightes and be on a different pace, but get good at dodging her attacks and you’ll have this fight settled.
Battle End
Walakea and Nisha are back at round start positions, Nisha is still in her true form.
Nisha: Despite everything, going all out in this match was fun.
Nisha: Our relationship has been a strange one. I might have turned down Hákon’s request for me to join the tournament if if weren’t for your influence.
Walakea: I suppose I’m not the same as when I left Hirzen either, and not just because of the immortality. I won’t have the same range of different experiences and arguments staying in my homeland.
Walakea: But I’m letting myself get distracted. Preserving knowledge isn’t worth anything if there aren’t people to use it.
Nisha: Acting defensively is one thing, but there was a reason you decided to stay with me instead of going back the moment you became immortal. Don’t be too hasty.
Walakea: You can be too cautious. I’ll protect my knowledge in my own way.
Chapter END
Boss Battle Mode unlocked: challenge powerful enemies.
True Form Nisha can now be fought in Boss Battle Mode.
Note from the Author: If you’ve kept up with this from the start you might have seen the gimmick of this chapter’s fight coming, each dragon got one fight in their true form. With this game genre it makes sense to have the dragons stick to humanoid forms most of the time, but I wanted to let them take their true forms. Initially I planned on having Nisha as the final boss of this story, but decided on the current progression.
| Prologue/Introduction | Table of Contents | Profiles | Non-Gamer Primer |