So Shrike was indeed goaded into making the worst possible choice. It’ll be interesting to see the ramifications of this. Let this be a lesson kids, don’t fight an opponent with a xanatos gambit.
Hold on, Tess said that they weren’t called slavers where she came from. Does that mean that they were also called hunters and that’s what Erin is referring to?
Tess said it’s not called slaver*y* in Asera. She also said Erin’s dad got her from slavers in a place that wasn’t Asera. Two different locations with two different attitudes toward the acceptablility of (blatant, admitted) slavery, iiuc.
Wait, Erin actually gets to do somethin cool and impressive with his magic in front of his friends? Oh Gods, he will never stop talking about how impressive it was now.
this page feels to me like more evidence that what i suggested on the last page (one of the last pages? i dont remember which one) might really happen: shrike’s probly screwing herself over here. shouldn’t break the law in front of a person as well connected/esteemed/ etc as erin. but he does still have to get away with everyone intact, so we’ll see how that turns out first; seems like he’s turning that rainwater into mist or steam or something, maybe as a smokescreen?
I really enjoy how you employ tropes that are gratifying and not annoying. Never while reading this comic am I annoyed at cheap plot devices, filler, or the stupidity of the characters (they’re sometimes stupid, but always for in-character reasons). I pretty much exclusively watch your channel for Trope Talks, and I can definitely see all that study of tropes paying off in Aurora. Thank you for putting in the work to actually write quality stuff and not resort to shortcuts–this whole webcomic is just fantastic.
My brain registered that last panel before the others and I thought that White Dragon had possessed Erin to kill Walter
…
My brain is really weird at coming to conclusions
But on the other hand I get to hear “I need a hero” again
Erin has another cool moment, the gang has a chance to escape and almost everyone in this alleyway are going to suffer from water magic amplified frizzy hair, especially Alinua.
So Shrike’s plan is to capture them, take them to the arenamaster, then pocket the money before he realises that they’re not going into the arena because diplomatic immunity. Unfortunately for her they don’t need to “escape” escape to foil it; if they can’t get back to the embassy they can just find a guard or official, explain their privilege and then she can’t touch them.
Water magic’s first appearance in this comic, and what an entrance it is. I can understand why it’s taken this long for it to be used; there haven’t been many sources of water thus far for Erin to do tricks with. Plus from the tumblr lore it seems water is notable for being able to imperfectly mimic the properties of the other elements; why would Erin use it when he has other elements that can do those jobs better?
I’m just imagining Trusk a little way away, hearing all the metallic clanging, then seeing the mist explosion and now formulating a suitable remark when he sees Shrike next.
TL;DR: See privilege kid, I don’t care about the rules. I’m a filthy capitalist *gives Mr. Hubris enough time to use a simple stage trick to make a getaway*
Uh, Shrike? Erin just finished pinning all your people to the wall with no apparent effort whatsoever. Then there’s the girl who remodeled a street with vines, the lightning metal caste who could probably bench at least half your crew, and the Ferrin who survived free-falling off a mountain.
Are…are you sure you’re making good life choices right now?
I mean, you can be forgiven for not knowing that Tess has a hobby of punching dragons. But still.
WATER MAGIC! I literally said two pages ago I wanted to see some water magic and my prayers were answered! And Erin looks so cool while using it! I just hope that they have a cohesive escape plan.
It seems likely that they’re going to get away, which is a relief. Erin’s probably going to give them a lecture about getting in trouble with foreign cities and have a reunion with Tess. Exciting stuff! It’s interesting to see Shrike playing the system, since that seems to be her whole thing, and it’s not surprising she’d try to trick the Arenamaster like this. “I didn’t know they were involved with a foreign party when I brought them in, so I guess I can keep the money you gave me”. I’m excited to see her reaction to getting elemental-magus’ed. Who knows, maybe she’ll get a lecture from Trusk. Lectures all around.
And with that amazing display, we have now seen Erin use every element. (Except light, but that’s only available to the paladins.)
A steam explosion in an alleyway? To fight a corrupt system, no less? Erin’s giving off some real Isaac the Freezer (from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) vibes here (though without the murder, of course).
Evil Tree:
I was about to point out Lady Ilia’s expository flashback in chapter 7, where we see The Collector destroy an iceberg from afar, but then I remembered that that was just her special brand of life magic; so unless Ilia was using water magic to make little figurines of Jiya the Crimson and Erebas, The Nightmare Queen, yeah, this is the first time we’ve seen it used. It’s certainly the first time we’ve seen it used in a combative context; though given that Kendal’s collection of weird and exceptional friends will need to cross the ocean to get to Helm, I expect we’ll be seeing more water magic fights before too long.
GODS Erin is so epic.
I love the little detail of his hands behind his back, then activating the Tattoos of Glowiness where they can’t see him.
Also, many nice comments.
So:
Welcome back, HelloHaiku (We all missed you)
Jorlem, looking back at that panel after reading your comment actually made me burst out laughing.
guildsbounty, I have to agree. Even not knowing the full extent of their power, she had to understand this could go badly. Hubris, though, I guess.
FINALLY, WATER MAGIC! I’ve been waiting for it for a while, and it seems like I’m not the only one. Neat. Also, RED! That barrel was the smallest detail, and great gods it worked beautifully! AND THE LAST PANEL! Anyways, enough gushing, it’s time for a PASTRIVIA about one of the funniest moments in the comic. How long did Kendal go without sleeping?
A. A sindahlan?
B. A sef and a half?
C. Half a sef?
D. Half a sindahlan?
The Mythologeek: an orchestral remix would fit, but a remix of what?
Love how composed Erin is in this situation. Now I wonder, when this Shrike-situation is over, will he be all giddly about his heroics or will he keep his seriousness given he's not fond of "huntery".
Also, the last panel is badass! Fortunately, we have the void dragon so we can hope for a late game boss fight with a lot of this kind of badassery ^^
That is so COOL! That mist effect is incredible! And this time on Aurora, Erin gets to follow up his awesome entrance by continuing to be awesome. I love when he gets upstaged by everyone else in the cast, but I also adore seeing him in his element(al magus mode)!
God Erin is so absolutely my favorite character. He is just the right mix of Haughty high society asshole while still being a genuinely good person. And he is very confident in his own ability but its for VERY good reason as he IS the very powerful elemental magus.
omg … OMG … OMG!! Water magic and Erin getting a chance to BE the hero! I love this so much.
Erin being this cool hits me right in the heart. Making a reference: It’s like how in Final Fantasy X I fought my way through that dang blitzball, restarting – playing it over & again until I was able to win that game. It was my only way to justify that Tidus was worth his braggadocio by earning that win & the Crystal Cup.
Guildsbounty:
Don’t mind me I’m just trying not to laugh out loud in class and embarrass myself. (I think I’ve already embarrassed myself though before this)
Humanoid clay:
Ummmm…. B?
Hello Haiku:
YAAYYY you’re back!! It’s great to see you again!!
Disasterous Goth:
Lol, you’re right!! He never will…
Commentor #20461 :
Yeah, mine too. If I said half the things I thought in my head out loud, I would probably be executed for being utterly crazy and dangerous…
Somebody:
I’m so glad you have those people in your life! And I agree. It is REALLY hard sometimes to believe that people like your writing. But I’m really glad that you have those friends who believe in you! (And as hard as it is to trust, sometimes you gotta trust that they accept and actually like your writing (which is f-ing hard, believe me, but really worth it in the end))
@Humanoid Clay the “remix” is probably a reference to the alt text, which I only just posted (sorry, I’ve been oversleeping…)
I will also join the chorus of people excited to see Erin use water magic. Incidentally, it’s also a good strategic choice to minimize collateral damage: sure, water *can* cause problems, but it’s not nearly as destructive as the options the rest of the team have at their disposal…
@Hollow IDK if anyone else saw “Huntik”, but Erin reminds me of Sophie Casterwill in that regard (IIRC, her TV Tropes page describes her as “a rich snob, but a heroic rich snob”)
“I can do this with one, ah, tattoo behind my back.” I love frame four, where Erin is making efforts to make it look easy. Also–yay, water magic! I’d’ve expected Erin pulling water out of the air (dewpoint) in Ignan desert, but combat water? Heck yeah! I bet Erin has to touch the tattoos on his arms because he funnels Too much power. Without the tats he has zero control, while a less powerful mage might not even need them. [Did the soul healers help him gain control, or rip open channels of raw power? Or was Tess taken to the soul healers to help her find her spark? I’m wondering whether her scar comes from normal wear and tear whe chosen by the sky, or was there a botched attempt (from Erin? Erin’s father?) to spark her?]
Shrike is true to form. She’s never had respect for the law anywhere in the comic–and those are three juicy bounties. No doubt she assumed, because that’s all she’d seen, that Erin was a stone mage like herself and that she could take him. No doubt there are Emissaries and there are Emissaries: no doubt they have power in their domains, but a diplomatic Emissary (who handles negotiations between entire cities) might have a higher status than a simple protocol Emissary (who’d simply see to the behavior and treatment of visitors), and an agricultural Emissary might not have much influence if they’re from a city that relies mostly on fishing.
Meanwhile, Erin has a double scoop of privilege: he’s the Elemental Magus, and he’s the son of Asera’s diplomatic Emissary.
He’s never tried to look cool while performing his magic before. He’s always been more pragmatic, matter-of-fact, if delighted in his own power (a check mark in the “developed these powers later” box, btw, or he’d take them more for granted, the way Kendal takes his ability to jump 40 feet for granted b/c he’s always been able to do that). Erin’s going for Shock and Awe with Shrike. It might not be working on her (much) but I bet it’s working on her men. I lay 50/50 odds that they say eff this, Shrike doesn’t share enough of the bounty to make it worth it.
Hollow,
I couldn’t agree more. Erin became my favorite character back in the Storm when he told them to run instead of demanding their help (despite the risk to themselves). That told me everything I needed to know about him. His hubris and attitude (which is privilege but also has a whiff of fragility) has just been icing on the cupcake. Loved the moment when he dropped everything to rescue Tess in particular. With the others he would’ve whined, but since it was Tess? He went all business.
@Jeems, that’s understandable, since Erin traveling with the former vessel of a god and the chosen vessel of Life itself, our perspective gets tilted. Nice to have the reminder of what regular mages can do.
I’m waiting for a mutiny on the hunters’ side of things. as Guildsbounty pointed out, they’ve seen that the floof squad can do. I really want to see them abandon Shrike. Sorta doubt that’ll happen though.
Icarusancalion:
You forgot he’s also traveling with one very sassy cat who has excellent fall damage. (Aka Falst. Also, hope I spelled your name right, I’m very sorry if I didn’t.)
Hi, @Hiii, yes, let’s not neglect Falst! (No worries on the spelling of my name; it’s an old HP and LOTR fandom name. You can shorten it to Icarus. Much better than my LOTR books forum name: Marileangorifurnimaluim, lol. Friends decided it was Entish.)
@Sig Figs, it sounds like Shrike’s team is a group of mercenaries, on equal enough terms that they can probably just stand there and tell her NOPE, the mage is your problem.
HECK YES, YOU GO ERIN!! WOOHOO! He finally gets a Badass Entrance to himself, AND the option to continue it, and of course he NAILS both. That last panel is GLORIOUS!
Shrike, you just chose the option that leads to the most havoc possible, and I am LITERALLY so hyped- none of the Floof Gang are going to hold back anymore, and there’s nothing currently in their way from doing so.
Looks like Shrike has another anti-magic cuff in her hands, but unless she has multiple, that’s not going to stop any of them for long. This paid off so well-
FINALLY water magic!! I’ve been waiting to see what it looks like, it seems like they have to manipulate water around them, as apposed to simply conjuring water. Cool. Now all that’s left is sky magic!
WHOA that looks awesome! Erin’s expression in the last panel is amazing!!
Humanoid Clay: 1, your username is epic, and 2, I’m pretty sure it’s B, a sef and a half.
@Zer0 W0lf & Hiii, to keep things consistent, yes, the answer to Monday’s Pastrivia was C. Congrats!
@Hermit Thrush, I watched Huntik, but I can’t remember any of the characters except Dante and the little gargoyle that followed them around, and even then only barely. Curse you, selective memory!
@Vengeful Puffin, thank you, your username is very cool as well :-).
I’m loving the undercurrent in the comments calling Shrike out for being singlemindedly stupid. Really shows how easily greed can blind someone to the point of self-sabotage.
CJ The Bard:
At that point, Kendal had only been alive for a sef and a half, and not counting injury-induced blackouts, he hadn’t slept at all in that time.
Rev_Ursus:
Well, his unmatched versatility obviously puts him very near the top spot, and his raw channeling capacity seems above average, but I’m discounting his unique access to void magic (because he gets possessed whenever he uses it), so under normal circumstances, Alinua and The Collector have him beat on sheer power. With void magic, though, he is the most powerful mortal mage, or as he put it, “the single-deadliest being on the planet.”
icarusancalion:
Tess got struck by literal, whole-ass lightning. That definitely leaves scars, metal skin or otherwise.
Can we all appreciate how much effort Red put into that last panel? Erin is completely shaded despite the fact tha he’s heavily obscured by the fog and GODDAMN RED YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO TRY SO HARD YET YOU DID AND I LOVE IT.
so i was going to say, “sure, the magic is cool but the REAL devastating blows are the verbal sparring’ (bc seriously, Erin vs. Shrike have had like four fight-ending epic speeches but refuse to back down or be intimidated)… and then Erin does THAT
(definitely getting the ‘Erin would make a fantastic villain…’ vibes here with that EYEGLOW it looks AWESOME)
icarusancalion — I’m pretty sure they are sealing tattoos/runes. They prevent too much elemental magic from entering him and greatly reduce the chance of elemental corruption, but he must touch them to allow the ambient energy to enter him, and touch them again to close the gate.
The alt text these last few pages had me cracking up, 10/10
Erin is growing on me again, which means sometime in the next 10 pages he’ll do something incredibly stupid
Dang that last panel looks COOL!!
That last panel though.
Erin looks so freaking cool.
Thank you, rain barrel.
I’ve been waiting for my boy to get a scene like this for so long, red certainly manages to never disappoint
HOLY GUACAMOLE
So Shrike was indeed goaded into making the worst possible choice. It’ll be interesting to see the ramifications of this. Let this be a lesson kids, don’t fight an opponent with a xanatos gambit.
Wow. Erin is badass
Hold on, Tess said that they weren’t called slavers where she came from. Does that mean that they were also called hunters and that’s what Erin is referring to?
GETTEM ERIN
https://c.tenor.com/JmH3vcFBiGcAAAAC/cutebiker-gravityfalls.gif
YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
just. YES 😀
God damn does Erin look badass in that last panel.
That last panel might just be my favorite to date.
Tess said it’s not called slaver*y* in Asera. She also said Erin’s dad got her from slavers in a place that wasn’t Asera. Two different locations with two different attitudes toward the acceptablility of (blatant, admitted) slavery, iiuc.
What a casual yet terrifying flex of power, haha
Wait, Erin actually gets to do someting cool with his magic in front of the others? Oh God, he will never stop talking about it.
Wait, Erin actually gets to do somethin cool and impressive with his magic in front of his friends? Oh Gods, he will never stop talking about how impressive it was now.
for the past episodes, Erin’s lookin’ like a boss
OH FUCK YEAH BADASS ERIN SPLASH EM!!
YESSSS
this page feels to me like more evidence that what i suggested on the last page (one of the last pages? i dont remember which one) might really happen: shrike’s probly screwing herself over here. shouldn’t break the law in front of a person as well connected/esteemed/ etc as erin. but he does still have to get away with everyone intact, so we’ll see how that turns out first; seems like he’s turning that rainwater into mist or steam or something, maybe as a smokescreen?
I really enjoy how you employ tropes that are gratifying and not annoying. Never while reading this comic am I annoyed at cheap plot devices, filler, or the stupidity of the characters (they’re sometimes stupid, but always for in-character reasons). I pretty much exclusively watch your channel for Trope Talks, and I can definitely see all that study of tropes paying off in Aurora. Thank you for putting in the work to actually write quality stuff and not resort to shortcuts–this whole webcomic is just fantastic.
That was just epic.
Shrike: you didn’t tell me you were *that* ambassador!
Please, please tell me that Erin actually wrote out the “SHOOM” sound effect in the water wall where all the characters can read it.
My brain registered that last panel before the others and I thought that White Dragon had possessed Erin to kill Walter
…
My brain is really weird at coming to conclusions
But on the other hand I get to hear “I need a hero” again
Seeing Erin in his element (magick and political bullshit) is a great experience.
Erin used Splash!
… It’s Super Effective!?
Erin has another cool moment, the gang has a chance to escape and almost everyone in this alleyway are going to suffer from water magic amplified frizzy hair, especially Alinua.
So Shrike’s plan is to capture them, take them to the arenamaster, then pocket the money before he realises that they’re not going into the arena because diplomatic immunity. Unfortunately for her they don’t need to “escape” escape to foil it; if they can’t get back to the embassy they can just find a guard or official, explain their privilege and then she can’t touch them.
Water magic’s first appearance in this comic, and what an entrance it is. I can understand why it’s taken this long for it to be used; there haven’t been many sources of water thus far for Erin to do tricks with. Plus from the tumblr lore it seems water is notable for being able to imperfectly mimic the properties of the other elements; why would Erin use it when he has other elements that can do those jobs better?
I’m just imagining Trusk a little way away, hearing all the metallic clanging, then seeing the mist explosion and now formulating a suitable remark when he sees Shrike next.
HelloHaiku?!!
Welcome back HelloHaiku, we missed you!!!
Also Get them Erin, I want to see those badass powers
Also also WATER MAGIC!!!
In response to previous comments:
I appreciate
the kind words in the comments.
I am doing fine. 🙂
HOLY SHIT HOW IS ERIN SO COOL
Go king go
Image source name: disappointing
Oooooooh, pretty
“You picked the wrong mage to [mess with]” Vol.2, now with 100% more water!
Who knew Erin could be this awesome when Alinua can’t overshadow him tenfold?
Orchestral remixes are always fun 😀
indeed
Is this the first use of water magic in the comic? I don’t remember seeing it anywhere else.
Erin has very pointy ears…
TL;DR: See privilege kid, I don’t care about the rules. I’m a filthy capitalist *gives Mr. Hubris enough time to use a simple stage trick to make a getaway*
Finally, we get to see water magic! Such a cool debut!
The ignoble truth come out– does Shrike is dead?
Uh, Shrike? Erin just finished pinning all your people to the wall with no apparent effort whatsoever. Then there’s the girl who remodeled a street with vines, the lightning metal caste who could probably bench at least half your crew, and the Ferrin who survived free-falling off a mountain.
Are…are you sure you’re making good life choices right now?
I mean, you can be forgiven for not knowing that Tess has a hobby of punching dragons. But still.
Its a good thing Erin is a nice guy. Else we might have had “Mustang vs Envy boiling water in the body” situation.
erins about to open a barrel of liquid whoop’ass
WATER MAGIC! I literally said two pages ago I wanted to see some water magic and my prayers were answered! And Erin looks so cool while using it! I just hope that they have a cohesive escape plan.
It seems likely that they’re going to get away, which is a relief. Erin’s probably going to give them a lecture about getting in trouble with foreign cities and have a reunion with Tess. Exciting stuff! It’s interesting to see Shrike playing the system, since that seems to be her whole thing, and it’s not surprising she’d try to trick the Arenamaster like this. “I didn’t know they were involved with a foreign party when I brought them in, so I guess I can keep the money you gave me”. I’m excited to see her reaction to getting elemental-magus’ed. Who knows, maybe she’ll get a lecture from Trusk. Lectures all around.
And with that amazing display, we have now seen Erin use every element. (Except light, but that’s only available to the paladins.)
A steam explosion in an alleyway? To fight a corrupt system, no less? Erin’s giving off some real Isaac the Freezer (from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood) vibes here (though without the murder, of course).
Evil Tree:
I was about to point out Lady Ilia’s expository flashback in chapter 7, where we see The Collector destroy an iceberg from afar, but then I remembered that that was just her special brand of life magic; so unless Ilia was using water magic to make little figurines of Jiya the Crimson and Erebas, The Nightmare Queen, yeah, this is the first time we’ve seen it used. It’s certainly the first time we’ve seen it used in a combative context; though given that Kendal’s collection of weird and exceptional friends will need to cross the ocean to get to Helm, I expect we’ll be seeing more water magic fights before too long.
Welp, I said I wanted to see some Water magic, and got my wish in the coolest goddamn way possible.
Love me some Erin action. You go, boy, show her who’s boss! <3
GODS Erin is so epic.
I love the little detail of his hands behind his back, then activating the Tattoos of Glowiness where they can’t see him.
Also, many nice comments.
So:
Welcome back, HelloHaiku (We all missed you)
Jorlem, looking back at that panel after reading your comment actually made me burst out laughing.
guildsbounty, I have to agree. Even not knowing the full extent of their power, she had to understand this could go badly. Hubris, though, I guess.
FINALLY, WATER MAGIC! I’ve been waiting for it for a while, and it seems like I’m not the only one. Neat. Also, RED! That barrel was the smallest detail, and great gods it worked beautifully! AND THE LAST PANEL! Anyways, enough gushing, it’s time for a PASTRIVIA about one of the funniest moments in the comic.
How long did Kendal go without sleeping?
A. A sindahlan?
B. A sef and a half?
C. Half a sef?
D. Half a sindahlan?
The Mythologeek: an orchestral remix would fit, but a remix of what?
A cold shower to cool down the greed-driven <3
Love how composed Erin is in this situation. Now I wonder, when this Shrike-situation is over, will he be all giddly about his heroics or will he keep his seriousness given he's not fond of "huntery".
Also, the last panel is badass! Fortunately, we have the void dragon so we can hope for a late game boss fight with a lot of this kind of badassery ^^
That is so COOL! That mist effect is incredible! And this time on Aurora, Erin gets to follow up his awesome entrance by continuing to be awesome. I love when he gets upstaged by everyone else in the cast, but I also adore seeing him in his element(al magus mode)!
God Erin is so absolutely my favorite character. He is just the right mix of Haughty high society asshole while still being a genuinely good person. And he is very confident in his own ability but its for VERY good reason as he IS the very powerful elemental magus.
omg … OMG … OMG!! Water magic and Erin getting a chance to BE the hero! I love this so much.
Erin being this cool hits me right in the heart. Making a reference: It’s like how in Final Fantasy X I fought my way through that dang blitzball, restarting – playing it over & again until I was able to win that game. It was my only way to justify that Tidus was worth his braggadocio by earning that win & the Crystal Cup.
Erin doesn’t get a lot of chances to show off, but when he does, it’s most certainly a sight be be seen.
alt text: *”I need a hero”, orchestral remix”
Guildsbounty:
Don’t mind me I’m just trying not to laugh out loud in class and embarrass myself. (I think I’ve already embarrassed myself though before this)
Humanoid clay:
Ummmm…. B?
Hello Haiku:
YAAYYY you’re back!! It’s great to see you again!!
Disasterous Goth:
Lol, you’re right!! He never will…
Commentor #20461 :
Yeah, mine too. If I said half the things I thought in my head out loud, I would probably be executed for being utterly crazy and dangerous…
Somebody:
I’m so glad you have those people in your life! And I agree. It is REALLY hard sometimes to believe that people like your writing. But I’m really glad that you have those friends who believe in you! (And as hard as it is to trust, sometimes you gotta trust that they accept and actually like your writing (which is f-ing hard, believe me, but really worth it in the end))
Welcome back, @Hello Haiku! Glad you’re alright ?
@Humanoid Clay the “remix” is probably a reference to the alt text, which I only just posted (sorry, I’ve been oversleeping…)
I will also join the chorus of people excited to see Erin use water magic. Incidentally, it’s also a good strategic choice to minimize collateral damage: sure, water *can* cause problems, but it’s not nearly as destructive as the options the rest of the team have at their disposal…
Erin Ex Machina
@Hollow IDK if anyone else saw “Huntik”, but Erin reminds me of Sophie Casterwill in that regard (IIRC, her TV Tropes page describes her as “a rich snob, but a heroic rich snob”)
“I can do this with one, ah, tattoo behind my back.” I love frame four, where Erin is making efforts to make it look easy. Also–yay, water magic! I’d’ve expected Erin pulling water out of the air (dewpoint) in Ignan desert, but combat water? Heck yeah! I bet Erin has to touch the tattoos on his arms because he funnels Too much power. Without the tats he has zero control, while a less powerful mage might not even need them. [Did the soul healers help him gain control, or rip open channels of raw power? Or was Tess taken to the soul healers to help her find her spark? I’m wondering whether her scar comes from normal wear and tear whe chosen by the sky, or was there a botched attempt (from Erin? Erin’s father?) to spark her?]
Shrike is true to form. She’s never had respect for the law anywhere in the comic–and those are three juicy bounties. No doubt she assumed, because that’s all she’d seen, that Erin was a stone mage like herself and that she could take him. No doubt there are Emissaries and there are Emissaries: no doubt they have power in their domains, but a diplomatic Emissary (who handles negotiations between entire cities) might have a higher status than a simple protocol Emissary (who’d simply see to the behavior and treatment of visitors), and an agricultural Emissary might not have much influence if they’re from a city that relies mostly on fishing.
Meanwhile, Erin has a double scoop of privilege: he’s the Elemental Magus, and he’s the son of Asera’s diplomatic Emissary.
He’s never tried to look cool while performing his magic before. He’s always been more pragmatic, matter-of-fact, if delighted in his own power (a check mark in the “developed these powers later” box, btw, or he’d take them more for granted, the way Kendal takes his ability to jump 40 feet for granted b/c he’s always been able to do that). Erin’s going for Shock and Awe with Shrike. It might not be working on her (much) but I bet it’s working on her men. I lay 50/50 odds that they say eff this, Shrike doesn’t share enough of the bounty to make it worth it.
We haven’t seen Erin fully use the extent of his powers, I’m excited for what he’s going to do here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjDb0H8uSw4
Hollow,
I couldn’t agree more. Erin became my favorite character back in the Storm when he told them to run instead of demanding their help (despite the risk to themselves). That told me everything I needed to know about him. His hubris and attitude (which is privilege but also has a whiff of fragility) has just been icing on the cupcake. Loved the moment when he dropped everything to rescue Tess in particular. With the others he would’ve whined, but since it was Tess? He went all business.
I tend to forget how Wildly More Powerful than the average mage our dear elemental magus is lol
Badass Erin, you love to see it! Last panel is so so so cool!
@Jeems, that’s understandable, since Erin traveling with the former vessel of a god and the chosen vessel of Life itself, our perspective gets tilted. Nice to have the reminder of what regular mages can do.
woah there was just some post about how we hadn’t seen erin use water magic yet!
I’m very happy Erin gets to show off.
I’m waiting for a mutiny on the hunters’ side of things. as Guildsbounty pointed out, they’ve seen that the floof squad can do. I really want to see them abandon Shrike. Sorta doubt that’ll happen though.
Icarusancalion:
You forgot he’s also traveling with one very sassy cat who has excellent fall damage. (Aka Falst. Also, hope I spelled your name right, I’m very sorry if I didn’t.)
Hi, @Hiii, yes, let’s not neglect Falst! (No worries on the spelling of my name; it’s an old HP and LOTR fandom name. You can shorten it to Icarus. Much better than my LOTR books forum name: Marileangorifurnimaluim, lol. Friends decided it was Entish.)
@Sig Figs, it sounds like Shrike’s team is a group of mercenaries, on equal enough terms that they can probably just stand there and tell her NOPE, the mage is your problem.
Erin has already showed that his skill in magic is greater, so I theorize that Shrike has more soulcrystal cuffs to use on them.
To add to my previous comment, look at what Shrikes holding in the second panel…
HECK YES, YOU GO ERIN!! WOOHOO! He finally gets a Badass Entrance to himself, AND the option to continue it, and of course he NAILS both. That last panel is GLORIOUS!
Shrike, you just chose the option that leads to the most havoc possible, and I am LITERALLY so hyped- none of the Floof Gang are going to hold back anymore, and there’s nothing currently in their way from doing so.
Looks like Shrike has another anti-magic cuff in her hands, but unless she has multiple, that’s not going to stop any of them for long. This paid off so well-
Well, with the addition of the last couple pages, Erin has jumped straight to my favorite character!
Gee, it’s like tangling with the most powerful non-deity magic user on the PLANET (as far as we know) is a bad idea ™.
FINALLY water magic!! I’ve been waiting to see what it looks like, it seems like they have to manipulate water around them, as apposed to simply conjuring water. Cool. Now all that’s left is sky magic!
oof, past self was a bit slow, we’ve been using sky magic this whole Zuurith arc
im starting to call this the “i need a hero” arc in my head tbh
did shrike really think erin wouldn’t predict her response and have a plan set up
COCA COLA ESPUMA
I went back to find the rain barrel (11.15.8). Very happy you didn’t put it impossibly far away.
WHOA that looks awesome! Erin’s expression in the last panel is amazing!!
Humanoid Clay: 1, your username is epic, and 2, I’m pretty sure it’s B, a sef and a half.
Shrike, what were you doing with your braincell today? Erin *told* you who he was and you *still* picked this fight?
so you could say that Erin was *dissapointed but not surprised*
sorry, okey, I had the need to do it
@Humanoid Clay
a sef and a half
@Zer0 W0lf & Hiii, to keep things consistent, yes, the answer to Monday’s Pastrivia was C. Congrats!
@Hermit Thrush, I watched Huntik, but I can’t remember any of the characters except Dante and the little gargoyle that followed them around, and even then only barely. Curse you, selective memory!
@Vengeful Puffin, thank you, your username is very cool as well :-).
You know that guy that just incapacitated our entire team with a wave?
Yes, get him to sell into slavery. I have the best plans.
I love looking at the second panel, and then the last panel, without looking at any others. It’s great
@Humanoid Clay
I’m going with D just because I have a gut feeling that it was longer than a sef and a half.
@Leapyeargirl96 thank you for enriching my life with that hack
I’m loving the undercurrent in the comments calling Shrike out for being singlemindedly stupid. Really shows how easily greed can blind someone to the point of self-sabotage.
CJ The Bard:
At that point, Kendal had only been alive for a sef and a half, and not counting injury-induced blackouts, he hadn’t slept at all in that time.
Rev_Ursus:
Well, his unmatched versatility obviously puts him very near the top spot, and his raw channeling capacity seems above average, but I’m discounting his unique access to void magic (because he gets possessed whenever he uses it), so under normal circumstances, Alinua and The Collector have him beat on sheer power. With void magic, though, he is the most powerful mortal mage, or as he put it, “the single-deadliest being on the planet.”
icarusancalion:
Tess got struck by literal, whole-ass lightning. That definitely leaves scars, metal skin or otherwise.
Can we all appreciate how much effort Red put into that last panel? Erin is completely shaded despite the fact tha he’s heavily obscured by the fog and GODDAMN RED YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO TRY SO HARD YET YOU DID AND I LOVE IT.
Hopefully, right about now is when Shrike realizes she’s outclassed.
I think they might use the mist as a distraction to escape.
Finally some water!
so i was going to say, “sure, the magic is cool but the REAL devastating blows are the verbal sparring’ (bc seriously, Erin vs. Shrike have had like four fight-ending epic speeches but refuse to back down or be intimidated)… and then Erin does THAT
(definitely getting the ‘Erin would make a fantastic villain…’ vibes here with that EYEGLOW it looks AWESOME)
looking awfully like a villain in that last panel Erin
icarusancalion — I’m pretty sure they are sealing tattoos/runes. They prevent too much elemental magic from entering him and greatly reduce the chance of elemental corruption, but he must touch them to allow the ambient energy to enter him, and touch them again to close the gate.
Just went back to .8 to find the rain barrel. Perfect.
The alt text these last few pages had me cracking up, 10/10
Erin is growing on me again, which means sometime in the next 10 pages he’ll do something incredibly stupid
It’s been a hot minute since Erin’s gotten to be a badass. Glad to see he spent his “Dope Ass Protag” points well
dominating with magic while having his arms behind his back, now that’s badass
the elemental mages were all just chilling unit erin became the elemental mages and became the collect mf ever to exist
until not unit and coolest not collect
He finally got to show off after being quite useless for the last couple fights, yay
I can taste that last panel
omg yEs chekov’s rainbarrel is amazing
These last 3 chapters have gone
We’re so back
It’s so over
WE’RE SO FUCKING BACK