But what if, hear me out, Kendal doesn’t want to hurt his new friend?
How are they gonna force Kendal to fight seriously? If both parties agree they don’t want to fight, they could just do a little choreography before one of them yields.
The actual chances of this working rely entirely on what they say to get Kendal to agree to this. Because I sincerely doubt he’s going to try to seriously harm Dainix if he believes there is even a slight chance of avoiding it.
Well NOW it loads!
As to the really hard question I mentioned last page:
If one of the characters were to die, which ones death would hurt the most? And I’m talking about any point in the series, it could be a few pages away, or at the end of the comic.
I swear I’m not a spy for Red that’s gathering info for which character to kill first
Jokes aside, it’d kill me if Kendal died. He’s one of the characters that I see as a… idk, little brother I guess? The one that the whole fandom will protect, ex: Luna lovegood, Hearthstone (magnus chase), Peter Parker (MCU specifically), and Appa and Momo (ATLA).
I love that the arena master thinks that Kendal would fight him. Kendal would probably spend most of a fight against a complete stranger doing the whole “we don’t have to fight” thing. He has actually met Dainix, he will either refuse to fight or go “yeah sure you can beat me up for your freedom, I don’t mind”
Panel 4 makes it sound better than intended. I mean he didn’t say the outcome needs to be binary (either he dies or Kendal dies).
Also remember when Dainix tried to hide his magic? Why did he do that if the Arenamaster already knows? ???
It’s all fun and bloodsport until Tynan drops in on the Kendal vs. Dainix fight thinking it’s a suitably dramatic time to make an entrance. Though even if that’s not what happens, encouraging them to fight in the arena, armed, with no reason to fight each other, and every reason to cause things to be inconvenient for the various Zuurith functionaries… Things do not go well for the arenamaster.
No way that both Kendall and Dainix fight seriously. If they have even a moment alone together before the match, I know they’ll both fake it really well before one of them pretends to lose. Unless all the arena matches are fights to the death…..
Dainix: Oh good, for a second there I thought you were going to get me to wear a shirt.
Arenamaster: Perish the thought! Your half-naked fights has brought in quite a few new spectators; I’m tempted to make it compulsory.
Old A.M. seems quite chipper about this setup; he can test the skills of Kendal, draw in a massive audience and Dainix will finally be out of his hair. He and Zuurith don’t lose face for releasing him early and best case scenario he’s defeated and they no longer appear weak.
Dainix’s approach of annoy the system until it lets him go has worked, but I don’t think he was counting on that catch. I wonder if he’ll feel a little guilty, inadvertently getting Kendal wrapped into his problem. “Even without the magic your people are known for” Hello? A.M., are you saying Dainix isn’t a fire mage? I wonder. Could this be due to his status as Caliban’s champion? Maybe like an emissary he has a link to his god rather than an element. Or maybe he does have magic and is only pretending to not so he isn’t expected to use it in fights. Or because, y’know, the Demon theory.
Prediction for next week: I’m thinking Dainix might bring up Kendal is technically a political prisoner and could easily refuse, not wanting to fight his cell buddy. However I see Kendal willingly going along with it; he doesn’t like placating to Zuurith’s system but if he does this match Dainix goes free, regardless of the outcome. He may even be told of his release tomorrow and offer Dainix to tag along with them for a bit.
Im missing the part where this is a problem? Ham it up for the crowd and the arena master and you’re both free men tomorrow regardless of who wins? I mean id like that in writing please but other than that its a deal right?
huh… cant say i didnt see this coming
i had a few ideas about dainix that probably wont happen but are food for thought
first. what if ingans have innate have innate fire tattos (like the chimeric plauge but less explodey but not really less explodey ill get to that later) and those intricate, things (birthmarks? tan lines?), act like elemental tatoos or at least have the ability to, and what if demons are just ingans with tats so sick that bits and peices of the fire primordial are like “wow i can get on that” so they do, and the ingan bursts ito a ball of flames the next time the ingan uses magic ; which leads on to my next theory.
what if dainix has an alinua like situation going on and his tats were “so sick” and attracted enough of the fire primordial to spark sentience. if so would life mum recognise this and tell alinua
YALL WHAT IF THEY FRICKEN CAPTURE ALINUA, FALST, ERIN, AND TESS and then tell kendal that they’ll kill (idk, whichever is squishiest) if kendal doesn’t kill dainix in this fight. it’s unlikely cuz i doubt (a) all four of them could be effectively imprisoned (though i guess there’s sealing cuffs) (b) that the arenamaster would know to leverage kendal this way (though he could be good enough at his job to play hostage games regularly) but either way i just wonder what kendal would do. functionally, he’s just Dude With Sword and he’s a tank, but can’t overwhelm the stadium like alinua could in his place. if he was told to kill someone he likes to save someone he loves, that’s just a very fun moment for him, isn’t it.
Tomorrow morning, you say? Hey, Kendal and gang are planning to leave tomorrow morning! Perfect! They can take Dainix with them without much issue! Except if he gets too injured in the Kendal fight… But hey, that’s what Alinua’s for.
I wonder how much of a Kendal v. Dainix fight we’d even get. While I think I speak for a lot of us when I say I WANNA SEE SOME THROW-DOWN I know that Dainix and Kendal don’t want to hurt each other after that bonding sleepover. I wonder how they’ll play this.
@ Indigo Toxin, that is a really tough one. I think it might also be Kendal because he’s just such a golden retriever of a person and I want him to be happy :(. Though if Erin died I think a lot of people (including me) would riot.
OK, I’ve never won one of these, but…
10 Denarii on Dainix not letting Kendal tap out early. Hear me out; he had a big speech about how a year in the arena let him improve more than a decade of practise, yes? Kendal represents the best chance he has to grow. A chance to cut loose, at least a little, and see how good he’s gotten. If he doesn’t, then isn’t he failing at his mission?
I mean either that or he is demon, and Kendal is his best chance at killing the demon. But Red wouldn’t give us two characters possessed by… Well I guess this would be more of a thir…. does Kendal count as…. huh.
Well, yes, he is going to get out alive tomorrow lord I-am-in-control-of-this-arena-situation, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to like the way they do it. For instance, there’s through the wall, there’s over the crowd, there’s throwing a “hey, what’s that (cloud doing here)?” In one direction and running in the other- you really can’t control how they get out, you’re just giving him an idea of when.
So I got a theory, and it is kind of out there but just let me explain: Dainix is a shape-shifting tiger ferin.
Reasons?
1. He has the orange and the stripes.
2. Gladiatorial arenas commonly used animals so it would totally be keeping with the theme.
3. It would doubly explain why the arena master is so bummed he isn’t going all out because tiger fights would be cool.
4. We have already established that ferin are being kept as prisoners.
I think the chances of this actually being the case are like 5%, but I totally think this is a possibility. Thoughts?
I’m guessing Caliban is going back to the cell to tell Kendal what the arenamaster is telling Dainix… unless it doesn’t fit with their plan somehow. Well, no matter when he finds out, I’m certain that Kendal, at least initially, will absolutely refuse to fight Dainix (unless he’s being coerced, like a guard tells him that Dainix will be executed if Kendal doesn’t take this seriously).
The Lolest and Evil Tree:
Dainix is hiding his fire magic; when he was talking to the fanboy guard after his previous fight, Dainix said that he was lucky to break his opponent’s bident, that it must’ve had a structural weak point. He deliberately burned it off in the sneakiest way possible to hide his magic. That’s why the arenamaster says “Even without the magic your people are known for,” he doesn’t know Dainix is pulling a sneaky; of course, the matter of why he’s pulling a sneaky is still unknown to any of us.
I can imagine this fight going a few ways. One: Kendal and Dainx just stand there and be like “we’re friends, we don’t want to fight each other!”. Two: they’ll actually fight each other (maybe because of threats, maybe not) and have fun with it. Three: they’ll fight for real/not-for-fun.
Another thing, (b/c it’s been a while since I re-read this) does Kendal even understand/know about the idea of a friendly fight? Or just any fight that isn’t with an enemy and to the death? He’s only like a month old now… Dude didn’t understand sleeping…
Is the Arenamaster really a nice guy? Did he just become 35% more punchable? Does ‘no catch’ for Dainix mean ‘no catch’ for Kendal? Will the Floof Squad make a dramatically destructive entrance at the arena? Will Life Mom put Zuurith in time out? Will this match draw a crowd of a similar magnitude to the Aseran Megabowl? Will the crowd be provided complimentary Temptations cat treats?
Well, that was predicted by most of the comments section. I dont think either Kendal or Dainx are going to truly fight each other. They might fake it for a while & have one concede to the other, or theyll agree to do it for real, but light enough that Dainx doesnt have to bust out whatever firepower he’s hiding. On the other hand, we havent seen the rest of the gang for a while; if Shrike caught them in the meantime, the Arenamaster has the legitimate hostage weight to make them fight to the death (or he kills one of the floof gang). Last we saw them, Erin was rushing over to save the day, so I doubt that between him & Alinua the Arenamaster can muster enough power to trap them, but you never know. Shrike was pretty formidible.
@Indigo Toxin: Honestly? I would be *crushed* to see Erin or Falst die, with Tess being a close third (I need to see more of her with the rest of the gang, & her dynamic with Erin specifically); but losing Kendal or Alinua would be a major blow to the team firepower & dynamic in-story, as well as herald a shift in tone; Kendal represents one of the main plots of the story & Alinua is the last defense for literally every situation (and her healing will basically cease any character death, any way, unless she’s not physically there). We havent seen Dainix with the rest of the floof gang yet & its too early to form a real attachment to him.
Also, ngl, I wondered for a while if you were actually Indigo, but enjoying the comic as a normal reader; so your “not a spy” comment was kind of funny to me :). You accidentally debunked that theory yourself when you asked about usernames & explained you own, heh.
This is the moment the Dynamic Duo escape together! … wait. Kendal doesn’t know the Troublesome Trio (or I guess they’re the Quirky Quartet now?) are already in trouble… so he won’t wanna “get them into trouble”… darn your morals Kendal! Seriously, you should’ve just stayed OUTSIDE of the city if you were gonna be so noble to begin with. Now you’ve gotten Dainx into trouble without even meaning to!
The arena master has miscalculated. If Kendall and Dainix decided to not fight each other, but decided to fight their way out of the city, there would be no one who could stop them from trying. Dainix has been promised freedom after one last fight, and the crowds would be greatly entertained. And since they like Dainix, they’d probably cheer him on.
And if Alinua kept heeling them, they’d be unstoppable.
Please please please PLEASE have this wind up being the two men walk into the arena and fight by the ancient and honored rules of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”
Just so they can ‘fight’ and show how much they hate everything the arena stands for.
My prediction is that Kendal will hear this and say ‘oh, you have to beat me up to get out of here? Ok, this body is pretty sturdy, go for it. I know how much you want to be free, I can take it.’
And then Alinua, Falst and Erin bust into the arena intent on rescuing Kendal from his fight with the dangerous champion and just body Dainix from behind while Kendal watches in horror and tries to tell them no, the one-eyed ignan gladiator using him as a punching bag is his buddy now, it’s all cool, please put him down Alinua.
It Would be hilarious if they DO end up fighting each other.
But only as a friendly spar.
So the Arenamaster gets the fight he asked for.
But not the one he wanted.
At which point Dainix rejects the deal, and a flummoxed and angry Arenamaster returns him to his cell, where he relates the incident to Kendal. The latter then secretly arranges for the fight to go down with the same victory conditions, with intent to throw the match.
I think Caliban arranged this- they want Dainix to have a REAL fight and Kendal is probably the only one who would be able to do it. Also I believe they need permission from Zuurith for this to happen so I wonder if that actually happened? The arenamaster might be in trouble? If it’s a good enough fight it might not matter though.
Also there’s a rule about messing with other god’s champions right? If they refuse to let Dainix go after this happens I wonder if Caliban will reveal themself (as well as the fact Dainix is their champion…)
I predict they will get Kendall to fight by the use of high order shenanigans. Meanwhile Alinua’s group is probably going to have the rest of the city that is not at the arena after them, so they and Erin will end up in the arena at the climax of the Kendal Caliban fight. Things will come to ahead the power of a primordial may get unleashed. Also the storm god Tynan will attack. Zuurith will be forced to concede that he may not actually be in control of this situation and hopefully, they resolve the crisis with minimal loss of life and leave the city with some dignity intact. Or something really bad could happen.
LaniBird:
Zuurith also told the arenamaster, “You must try harder to convince me,” after which the arenamaster advocated for the Kendal vs. Dainix match as a way to potentially indirectly execute one or both of them without placing direct blame on Zuurith himself. That argument must’ve convinced him, as evidenced by the fact that the match is going to happen.
I’m back! Haven’t been commenting for a while , I guessed this would happen when they become cellmates so called it. I didn’t see the twist about Tess and Erin a few pages coming at all lol.
I wonder if they will use Alinua and Falst as leverage to make Kendal fight, since Zuurith knows they’re a part of Kendal’s party. I hope Kendal doesn’t get himself hurt for his friends sake
@Marlowe oh SHOOT I didnt even think of that. If the Floof Squad gets indication that Kendal might be fighting some kind of gladiator champion, something’s going to happen.
New theories!
1. Erin would be ticked that his privlidge didnt cover this, and probably send another extremely passive-aggressive borb to Zuurith.
2. Prison break? They already decided no, so unlikely. But, having Kendal fight might break the fragile ground Zuurith stands on, so it might happen anyway. In that case, we either get to see a fraction of the power of the Floof Squad as they bust their way into the Arena to rescue Kendal (I say fraction bc either Erin or Alinua at full power could quite literally end the world), and fun adverse reactions to Dainix as Kendal’s adversary.
Alternatively, I think it’s possible someone might see through any facade if Kendal & Daiix do decide to just spar (might be Alinua, who knows him best, or Falst, who prob knows a decent amount about fighting. Both have seen Kendal in action before & might know if he’s holding back.) In that case, they watch the fight from the sidelines & pick Kendal up after. Along with Dainix.
As for Tynan: two options.
I’m starting to suspect that Tynan is waiting for Kendal to leave Zuurith before attacking? He’s almost literally Vash, who beat him to pulp last time they fought. It would also explain why he’s waited this long; Tess pointed out that he’s just there, ominously, and could have chosen to attack by now. He’s based on fear, but noone’s paying him any attention, so building up tension isnt working. Kendal’s been in prison, whcih gives him a semi-optimal time to attack, when Vash’s vessel is indisposed. What is he waiting for?
Ofc, its also possible that Tynan’s waiting for Kendal to get out so he can incarnate, smash Kendal to the ground (in Tynan’s version), and inspire a MASSIVE amount of fear that allows him to take Zuurith single-handed.
Theory 2 is probably closer, but I’d be fascinated to see Theory 1. We’ve been expecting a huge showdown, but it’s possible it might not happen at all… I feel like thats pretty rare, where a main villain actively waits for the heroes to leave before attacking. Maybe I just cant think of any examples rn. its like 5 am for me lol.
Evening Star:
All Ignans have stripes, including non-ferin. Additionally, ferin can’t use elemental magic (except via inscribed lacrimas), and Dainix is a fire mage; therefore, Dainix is not a ferin.
As far as I remember, Dainix hasn’t performed any fire magic so far, therefore we can’t be really sure if he is actually a fire mage. So we’re just working on assumptions.
Well, I’m back! Dang I cannot wait for Monday!!! I’m kind of hoping that they do something ridiculous like a dance battle, rock paper sisscors or just sit there, but I don’t thinks it’s likely… (except maybe the third option), maybe the idea of Kendal letting himself get punched (though I’m not sure if Dainix will go along with it that easy), the floof squad busts in to save them, (possibly mistaking Dainix for an enemy when they do) sits on the sidelines (Idon’t think this one is extremely likely to happen tho), they try and bust out, the floof squad gets captured and is used as leverage, or a quick “fight” where Dainix or Kendal goes, “oh you hit me, I’m done for, oh no” (not very likely, but it would be funny) gosh, I haven’t seen the comment this full of theories since… the last page! (Seriously though, theories are buzzing like flies)
Indigo Toxin:
I would probably say Kendal, because I like him in such a little brother way, and he’s just so cute and innocent. (IDK, any of them dying would really hurt, I’m not good at making descieons. Also is this a thing where we just ask each other comic questions, cos if so, I THINK I have one!)
Red has said in her Character Death trope talk (I think) that she refuses to kill any of her characters. She even said that she made this comic specifically because she was tired of seeing so much grimdark fantasy and wanted something more lighthearted. I don’t think she’ll kill any main characters.
Something’s going on with our boy’s hand there… Lava maybe? And are you sure the arenamaster and the collector aren’t best buds on social media or something? C’mon they might have gone to the same college that churns out evil trash who disregard the value of life altogether? Besties who went different ways and promised to come back five hundred years later to see if they’re still single? I would have strung these two and the doctor who framed Falst together if they had the same eyes. These two definitely have some relation because of how their eyes are the same colour and they have a similar dressing style. The collector might be the arenamaster’s parent or sibling too.
At first when I saw you guys calling him A.M. I figured you were calling him a** man. Which would be applicable. But now I get that it’s just short for arena master, heh heh…whoopsies?
ohhhhhhh no. ;-;
Knew this was coming. I suspect their way of getting out of it will have something to do with the encroaching storm.
But what if, hear me out, Kendal doesn’t want to hurt his new friend?
How are they gonna force Kendal to fight seriously? If both parties agree they don’t want to fight, they could just do a little choreography before one of them yields.
are… either of them going to take the fight seriously? The Arenamaster May need to do some Serious Manipulation for that to work.
The actual chances of this working rely entirely on what they say to get Kendal to agree to this. Because I sincerely doubt he’s going to try to seriously harm Dainix if he believes there is even a slight chance of avoiding it.
Well NOW it loads!
As to the really hard question I mentioned last page:
If one of the characters were to die, which ones death would hurt the most? And I’m talking about any point in the series, it could be a few pages away, or at the end of the comic.
I swear I’m not a spy for Red that’s gathering info for which character to kill first
Jokes aside, it’d kill me if Kendal died. He’s one of the characters that I see as a… idk, little brother I guess? The one that the whole fandom will protect, ex: Luna lovegood, Hearthstone (magnus chase), Peter Parker (MCU specifically), and Appa and Momo (ATLA).
And he’ll fight Tess and Ferin
I love that the arena master thinks that Kendal would fight him. Kendal would probably spend most of a fight against a complete stranger doing the whole “we don’t have to fight” thing. He has actually met Dainix, he will either refuse to fight or go “yeah sure you can beat me up for your freedom, I don’t mind”
In that 7th panel, he looks like he wishes he had a shirt on. Just the feeling I’m getting.
Panel 4 makes it sound better than intended. I mean he didn’t say the outcome needs to be binary (either he dies or Kendal dies).
Also remember when Dainix tried to hide his magic? Why did he do that if the Arenamaster already knows? ???
“So basically you just have to fight him and it sure would be terrible if you ended up dying:
Somehow I did not see that one coming. That’s I suppose, thanks to how immersive this comic is! Most impressive
Arenamaster just wants to see people fight. Even if it means manipulating them or holding them against their will
Greasy skunk-hair guy
Tries to instigate a fight
Probably won’t work
It’s all fun and bloodsport until Tynan drops in on the Kendal vs. Dainix fight thinking it’s a suitably dramatic time to make an entrance. Though even if that’s not what happens, encouraging them to fight in the arena, armed, with no reason to fight each other, and every reason to cause things to be inconvenient for the various Zuurith functionaries… Things do not go well for the arenamaster.
FINALLY
No way that both Kendall and Dainix fight seriously. If they have even a moment alone together before the match, I know they’ll both fake it really well before one of them pretends to lose. Unless all the arena matches are fights to the death…..
Dainix: Oh good, for a second there I thought you were going to get me to wear a shirt.
Arenamaster: Perish the thought! Your half-naked fights has brought in quite a few new spectators; I’m tempted to make it compulsory.
Old A.M. seems quite chipper about this setup; he can test the skills of Kendal, draw in a massive audience and Dainix will finally be out of his hair. He and Zuurith don’t lose face for releasing him early and best case scenario he’s defeated and they no longer appear weak.
Dainix’s approach of annoy the system until it lets him go has worked, but I don’t think he was counting on that catch. I wonder if he’ll feel a little guilty, inadvertently getting Kendal wrapped into his problem.
“Even without the magic your people are known for” Hello? A.M., are you saying Dainix isn’t a fire mage? I wonder. Could this be due to his status as Caliban’s champion? Maybe like an emissary he has a link to his god rather than an element. Or maybe he does have magic and is only pretending to not so he isn’t expected to use it in fights. Or because, y’know, the Demon theory.
Prediction for next week: I’m thinking Dainix might bring up Kendal is technically a political prisoner and could easily refuse, not wanting to fight his cell buddy. However I see Kendal willingly going along with it; he doesn’t like placating to Zuurith’s system but if he does this match Dainix goes free, regardless of the outcome. He may even be told of his release tomorrow and offer Dainix to tag along with them for a bit.
No catch, just fight the dude you befriended, who also happens to be a magical vessel of tiptop shape. What could go wrong?
Floof Tournament, go!
I can almost smell the coming revolt/riot
They escape together or we riot
The rest of the group better don’t get caught in the meantime, that’d be the only way the arenamaster would get away with this crap.
Said it once, will say it again. how in the everloving HECK does that eye bandage STAY ON? I need ANSWERS, RED!
Im missing the part where this is a problem? Ham it up for the crowd and the arena master and you’re both free men tomorrow regardless of who wins? I mean id like that in writing please but other than that its a deal right?
*vibrates violently with barely contained excitement*
To absolutely nobody’s surprise, there was a catch.
OH WAIT THE ARENAMASTER DOESN’T KNOW HE’S A MAGE! Maybe. The second last panel is very ambiguous….
TL;DR: Prison early release or early death at the hands of your obviously overpowered cellmate. All up to you, hope you die (insert smiley face)
-Arenamaster
Hey, technically the arena master will give him his freedom regardless of how the battle goes….good news! If you’re dead, you don’t have to fight!
@coal
he didnt say that kendall would be free
huh… cant say i didnt see this coming
i had a few ideas about dainix that probably wont happen but are food for thought
first. what if ingans have innate have innate fire tattos (like the chimeric plauge but less explodey but not really less explodey ill get to that later) and those intricate, things (birthmarks? tan lines?), act like elemental tatoos or at least have the ability to, and what if demons are just ingans with tats so sick that bits and peices of the fire primordial are like “wow i can get on that” so they do, and the ingan bursts ito a ball of flames the next time the ingan uses magic ; which leads on to my next theory.
what if dainix has an alinua like situation going on and his tats were “so sick” and attracted enough of the fire primordial to spark sentience. if so would life mum recognise this and tell alinua
YALL WHAT IF THEY FRICKEN CAPTURE ALINUA, FALST, ERIN, AND TESS and then tell kendal that they’ll kill (idk, whichever is squishiest) if kendal doesn’t kill dainix in this fight. it’s unlikely cuz i doubt (a) all four of them could be effectively imprisoned (though i guess there’s sealing cuffs) (b) that the arenamaster would know to leverage kendal this way (though he could be good enough at his job to play hostage games regularly) but either way i just wonder what kendal would do. functionally, he’s just Dude With Sword and he’s a tank, but can’t overwhelm the stadium like alinua could in his place. if he was told to kill someone he likes to save someone he loves, that’s just a very fun moment for him, isn’t it.
@Coal
also as pointed out by the rollover text; is able to crack rock with his bare hands.
*kendall
Well I guess he’s done for
Chekhov’s eyeball time
Tomorrow morning, you say? Hey, Kendal and gang are planning to leave tomorrow morning! Perfect! They can take Dainix with them without much issue! Except if he gets too injured in the Kendal fight… But hey, that’s what Alinua’s for.
I wonder how much of a Kendal v. Dainix fight we’d even get. While I think I speak for a lot of us when I say I WANNA SEE SOME THROW-DOWN I know that Dainix and Kendal don’t want to hurt each other after that bonding sleepover. I wonder how they’ll play this.
@ Indigo Toxin, that is a really tough one. I think it might also be Kendal because he’s just such a golden retriever of a person and I want him to be happy :(. Though if Erin died I think a lot of people (including me) would riot.
Better idea, kill the arena master, free kandel and amy other prisoner in this place and run like hell.
OK, I’ve never won one of these, but…
10 Denarii on Dainix not letting Kendal tap out early. Hear me out; he had a big speech about how a year in the arena let him improve more than a decade of practise, yes? Kendal represents the best chance he has to grow. A chance to cut loose, at least a little, and see how good he’s gotten. If he doesn’t, then isn’t he failing at his mission?
I mean either that or he is demon, and Kendal is his best chance at killing the demon. But Red wouldn’t give us two characters possessed by… Well I guess this would be more of a thir…. does Kendal count as…. huh.
Well, yes, he is going to get out alive tomorrow lord I-am-in-control-of-this-arena-situation, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to like the way they do it. For instance, there’s through the wall, there’s over the crowd, there’s throwing a “hey, what’s that (cloud doing here)?” In one direction and running in the other- you really can’t control how they get out, you’re just giving him an idea of when.
Prediction for the future:
We’re going to March down to Zuurith’s favourite avenue
And then we’re going to riot
(There is a song I’m trying to make a pun of but a can no longer find it ?)
they just need to convicingly fake it but that might not actually work…
So I got a theory, and it is kind of out there but just let me explain: Dainix is a shape-shifting tiger ferin.
Reasons?
1. He has the orange and the stripes.
2. Gladiatorial arenas commonly used animals so it would totally be keeping with the theme.
3. It would doubly explain why the arena master is so bummed he isn’t going all out because tiger fights would be cool.
4. We have already established that ferin are being kept as prisoners.
I think the chances of this actually being the case are like 5%, but I totally think this is a possibility. Thoughts?
Yay! …oh. That’s actually bad…!
I’m guessing Caliban is going back to the cell to tell Kendal what the arenamaster is telling Dainix… unless it doesn’t fit with their plan somehow. Well, no matter when he finds out, I’m certain that Kendal, at least initially, will absolutely refuse to fight Dainix (unless he’s being coerced, like a guard tells him that Dainix will be executed if Kendal doesn’t take this seriously).
The Lolest and Evil Tree:
Dainix is hiding his fire magic; when he was talking to the fanboy guard after his previous fight, Dainix said that he was lucky to break his opponent’s bident, that it must’ve had a structural weak point. He deliberately burned it off in the sneakiest way possible to hide his magic. That’s why the arenamaster says “Even without the magic your people are known for,” he doesn’t know Dainix is pulling a sneaky; of course, the matter of why he’s pulling a sneaky is still unknown to any of us.
alt text: I hear he cracks rocks with his bare hands, no pressure though
I can imagine this fight going a few ways. One: Kendal and Dainx just stand there and be like “we’re friends, we don’t want to fight each other!”. Two: they’ll actually fight each other (maybe because of threats, maybe not) and have fun with it. Three: they’ll fight for real/not-for-fun.
Another thing, (b/c it’s been a while since I re-read this) does Kendal even understand/know about the idea of a friendly fight? Or just any fight that isn’t with an enemy and to the death? He’s only like a month old now… Dude didn’t understand sleeping…
Is the Arenamaster really a nice guy? Did he just become 35% more punchable? Does ‘no catch’ for Dainix mean ‘no catch’ for Kendal? Will the Floof Squad make a dramatically destructive entrance at the arena? Will Life Mom put Zuurith in time out? Will this match draw a crowd of a similar magnitude to the Aseran Megabowl? Will the crowd be provided complimentary Temptations cat treats?
Tune in Next Week and Find Out!
Well, that was predicted by most of the comments section. I dont think either Kendal or Dainx are going to truly fight each other. They might fake it for a while & have one concede to the other, or theyll agree to do it for real, but light enough that Dainx doesnt have to bust out whatever firepower he’s hiding. On the other hand, we havent seen the rest of the gang for a while; if Shrike caught them in the meantime, the Arenamaster has the legitimate hostage weight to make them fight to the death (or he kills one of the floof gang). Last we saw them, Erin was rushing over to save the day, so I doubt that between him & Alinua the Arenamaster can muster enough power to trap them, but you never know. Shrike was pretty formidible.
@Indigo Toxin: Honestly? I would be *crushed* to see Erin or Falst die, with Tess being a close third (I need to see more of her with the rest of the gang, & her dynamic with Erin specifically); but losing Kendal or Alinua would be a major blow to the team firepower & dynamic in-story, as well as herald a shift in tone; Kendal represents one of the main plots of the story & Alinua is the last defense for literally every situation (and her healing will basically cease any character death, any way, unless she’s not physically there). We havent seen Dainix with the rest of the floof gang yet & its too early to form a real attachment to him.
Also, ngl, I wondered for a while if you were actually Indigo, but enjoying the comic as a normal reader; so your “not a spy” comment was kind of funny to me :). You accidentally debunked that theory yourself when you asked about usernames & explained you own, heh.
This is the moment the Dynamic Duo escape together! … wait. Kendal doesn’t know the Troublesome Trio (or I guess they’re the Quirky Quartet now?) are already in trouble… so he won’t wanna “get them into trouble”… darn your morals Kendal! Seriously, you should’ve just stayed OUTSIDE of the city if you were gonna be so noble to begin with. Now you’ve gotten Dainx into trouble without even meaning to!
The arena master has miscalculated. If Kendall and Dainix decided to not fight each other, but decided to fight their way out of the city, there would be no one who could stop them from trying. Dainix has been promised freedom after one last fight, and the crowds would be greatly entertained. And since they like Dainix, they’d probably cheer him on.
And if Alinua kept heeling them, they’d be unstoppable.
Please please please PLEASE have this wind up being the two men walk into the arena and fight by the ancient and honored rules of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.”
Just so they can ‘fight’ and show how much they hate everything the arena stands for.
My prediction is that Kendal will hear this and say ‘oh, you have to beat me up to get out of here? Ok, this body is pretty sturdy, go for it. I know how much you want to be free, I can take it.’
And then Alinua, Falst and Erin bust into the arena intent on rescuing Kendal from his fight with the dangerous champion and just body Dainix from behind while Kendal watches in horror and tries to tell them no, the one-eyed ignan gladiator using him as a punching bag is his buddy now, it’s all cool, please put him down Alinua.
It Would be hilarious if they DO end up fighting each other.
But only as a friendly spar.
So the Arenamaster gets the fight he asked for.
But not the one he wanted.
At which point Dainix rejects the deal, and a flummoxed and angry Arenamaster returns him to his cell, where he relates the incident to Kendal. The latter then secretly arranges for the fight to go down with the same victory conditions, with intent to throw the match.
I doubt I called it, but let’s just see. 😉
Aaaaand there it is.
I think Caliban arranged this- they want Dainix to have a REAL fight and Kendal is probably the only one who would be able to do it. Also I believe they need permission from Zuurith for this to happen so I wonder if that actually happened? The arenamaster might be in trouble? If it’s a good enough fight it might not matter though.
Also there’s a rule about messing with other god’s champions right? If they refuse to let Dainix go after this happens I wonder if Caliban will reveal themself (as well as the fact Dainix is their champion…)
I predict they will get Kendall to fight by the use of high order shenanigans. Meanwhile Alinua’s group is probably going to have the rest of the city that is not at the arena after them, so they and Erin will end up in the arena at the climax of the Kendal Caliban fight. Things will come to ahead the power of a primordial may get unleashed. Also the storm god Tynan will attack. Zuurith will be forced to concede that he may not actually be in control of this situation and hopefully, they resolve the crisis with minimal loss of life and leave the city with some dignity intact. Or something really bad could happen.
“They’ve assigned us to fight.”
“Dance battle?”
“Dance battle.”
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0196229/
@Huttj I KNOW that won’t happen but I really really REALLY want to see that now.
@DragonMaster 66
Rlly? Huh that’s really neat.
I could be wrong but… I thought the god of the city specifically said NOT to put Kendal in the arena? You know showing a modicum of respect to him?
LaniBird:
Zuurith also told the arenamaster, “You must try harder to convince me,” after which the arenamaster advocated for the Kendal vs. Dainix match as a way to potentially indirectly execute one or both of them without placing direct blame on Zuurith himself. That argument must’ve convinced him, as evidenced by the fact that the match is going to happen.
I’m back! Haven’t been commenting for a while , I guessed this would happen when they become cellmates so called it. I didn’t see the twist about Tess and Erin a few pages coming at all lol.
@TheUnknownGame wait, what? Did I miss a page somehow??? *runs to the archive*
@TheUnknownGame nevermind, I did see it, I just didn’t make the connection.
I wonder if they will use Alinua and Falst as leverage to make Kendal fight, since Zuurith knows they’re a part of Kendal’s party. I hope Kendal doesn’t get himself hurt for his friends sake
@Marlowe oh SHOOT I didnt even think of that. If the Floof Squad gets indication that Kendal might be fighting some kind of gladiator champion, something’s going to happen.
New theories!
1. Erin would be ticked that his privlidge didnt cover this, and probably send another extremely passive-aggressive borb to Zuurith.
2. Prison break? They already decided no, so unlikely. But, having Kendal fight might break the fragile ground Zuurith stands on, so it might happen anyway. In that case, we either get to see a fraction of the power of the Floof Squad as they bust their way into the Arena to rescue Kendal (I say fraction bc either Erin or Alinua at full power could quite literally end the world), and fun adverse reactions to Dainix as Kendal’s adversary.
Alternatively, I think it’s possible someone might see through any facade if Kendal & Daiix do decide to just spar (might be Alinua, who knows him best, or Falst, who prob knows a decent amount about fighting. Both have seen Kendal in action before & might know if he’s holding back.) In that case, they watch the fight from the sidelines & pick Kendal up after. Along with Dainix.
As for Tynan: two options.
I’m starting to suspect that Tynan is waiting for Kendal to leave Zuurith before attacking? He’s almost literally Vash, who beat him to pulp last time they fought. It would also explain why he’s waited this long; Tess pointed out that he’s just there, ominously, and could have chosen to attack by now. He’s based on fear, but noone’s paying him any attention, so building up tension isnt working. Kendal’s been in prison, whcih gives him a semi-optimal time to attack, when Vash’s vessel is indisposed. What is he waiting for?
Ofc, its also possible that Tynan’s waiting for Kendal to get out so he can incarnate, smash Kendal to the ground (in Tynan’s version), and inspire a MASSIVE amount of fear that allows him to take Zuurith single-handed.
Theory 2 is probably closer, but I’d be fascinated to see Theory 1. We’ve been expecting a huge showdown, but it’s possible it might not happen at all… I feel like thats pretty rare, where a main villain actively waits for the heroes to leave before attacking. Maybe I just cant think of any examples rn. its like 5 am for me lol.
Evening Star:
All Ignans have stripes, including non-ferin. Additionally, ferin can’t use elemental magic (except via inscribed lacrimas), and Dainix is a fire mage; therefore, Dainix is not a ferin.
@TheUnknownGame
As far as I remember, Dainix hasn’t performed any fire magic so far, therefore we can’t be really sure if he is actually a fire mage. So we’re just working on assumptions.
@Marian: Look very closely at Panel 3. https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-12-33/
Well, I’m back! Dang I cannot wait for Monday!!! I’m kind of hoping that they do something ridiculous like a dance battle, rock paper sisscors or just sit there, but I don’t thinks it’s likely… (except maybe the third option), maybe the idea of Kendal letting himself get punched (though I’m not sure if Dainix will go along with it that easy), the floof squad busts in to save them, (possibly mistaking Dainix for an enemy when they do) sits on the sidelines (Idon’t think this one is extremely likely to happen tho), they try and bust out, the floof squad gets captured and is used as leverage, or a quick “fight” where Dainix or Kendal goes, “oh you hit me, I’m done for, oh no” (not very likely, but it would be funny) gosh, I haven’t seen the comment this full of theories since… the last page! (Seriously though, theories are buzzing like flies)
Indigo Toxin:
I would probably say Kendal, because I like him in such a little brother way, and he’s just so cute and innocent. (IDK, any of them dying would really hurt, I’m not good at making descieons. Also is this a thing where we just ask each other comic questions, cos if so, I THINK I have one!)
@Hiii
Go ahead and ask, might wanna wait for the next page to drop tho
Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…
Red has said in her Character Death trope talk (I think) that she refuses to kill any of her characters. She even said that she made this comic specifically because she was tired of seeing so much grimdark fantasy and wanted something more lighthearted. I don’t think she’ll kill any main characters.
Something’s going on with our boy’s hand there… Lava maybe? And are you sure the arenamaster and the collector aren’t best buds on social media or something? C’mon they might have gone to the same college that churns out evil trash who disregard the value of life altogether? Besties who went different ways and promised to come back five hundred years later to see if they’re still single? I would have strung these two and the doctor who framed Falst together if they had the same eyes. These two definitely have some relation because of how their eyes are the same colour and they have a similar dressing style. The collector might be the arenamaster’s parent or sibling too.
At first when I saw you guys calling him A.M. I figured you were calling him a** man. Which would be applicable. But now I get that it’s just short for arena master, heh heh…whoopsies?
Daniax: There’s a catch.
Arenamaster: No catch, Champion.
Also Arenamaster: Now here’s the catch…