So borbs hit Tess in the head too; she truly is Erin’s sister.
As rushed and desperate as that plan might be it could work. The narrow alleyway means the hunters can only effectively attack one at a time and projectiles can’t affect Tess who’ll block one end. It would be close but still possible to escape. Where they go after that would be another matter, I bet Shrike could follow them up to the rooftops.
Fortunately it looks like Erin has saved the day just in time. Either that’s a borb with a message for Tess and/or Shrike to explain the privilege bonus or a borb Erin was following to find them and a very winded and panting mage will be showing up on Wednesday.
Yes, the hunter’s haven’t attacked allowing them to talk freely but think about it. Their prey is surrounded so they’re not going anywhere, the alley is narrow so a miss-fired arrow or too-wide sword slash could do more harm than good and if they do make a last stand they can also slap a resisting arrest charge on them. It makes sense to take their time.
Notice how Shrike had her crossbow pointed at them at first then had it raised in the final panel, with a wide eyed expression no less? The fact someone is contacting Tess seems to have taken her by surprise and she might even be in a listening mood.
Here’s my predictions. Either:
1) Erin’s going to catch up to them and they’ll be protected by him and his bureaucracy so these bounty hunters can’t do anything to them
– OR –
2) They’re actually going to get captured by Shrike and end up in the arena which will allow them to meet up with Kendal and maybe bust him out
I think the latter would be most efficient from Red’s perspective to get everyone back together, but the former seems more likely to me. Erin has made a bit of a sacrifice to help Tess with dropping his search for info on VD and having the gang be captured would make that pointless, and I don’t think Red would be the kind of person to let Shrike ultimately win, even if it’s just in the petty satisfaction that she considers herself to have won. I’m not sure though, cause having Erin swoop in as a deus ex machina also seems kind of cheap and makes this whole subplot with Shrike pointless. I realize this is a bit meta, but my point still stands.
I was right to evil laugh last update hehehe. Now once Erin gets here they can all get arrested which will lead them to Kendal or the more likely option which is some more diplomacy or the “kinda impossible but would be really cool in my head” fight between Shrike and Gang. Overall…Kendal should really savor his philosophical time before things go even more kaput.
Remember when Erin said that it would be a major diplomatic incident if someone under his protection did some crime? Well, wouldn’t now be a great time for the crime gang’s connection to him to be exposed by, say, and unsuspecting messenger birb?
I realized about a day ago that Erin sending a response birb wasn’t necessarily about the response- the messages know where to find the person, so to catch up with Tess, Falst, and Alinua, Erin just has to follow the message. Which means he’s probably almost there! This’ll be fun:)
You better be right behind that birb Erin because it’s getting pretty dire.
I really love how Tess stopped the arrow from getting Falst because getting shot twice in one day would be really sucky for him and also how she tried to do the whole “You can take me if you leave them alone”. This is one of the few times she’s been fully serious and I think the situation certainly warrants it. I mean, the amount of claustrophobia that could be induced by this page is making me nervous and I’m not even in that alley.
My prediction for Wednesday is the message playing, Alinua being like “Wait, your last name is Ruunaser?” and then Erin enters stage left.
Erintervention! I look forward to Shrike finding out just who she’s dealing with, and being either completely gobsmacked or completely unimpressed. (Considering Erin’s diplomatic track record so far, I’m leaning towards the latter.)
As long as it doesn’t start a war, I absolutely don’t mind if Erin causes a minor diplomatic incident to get the crime trio out of trouble; Galen and Asera wouldn’t like their relationship with Zuurith being soured, seeing as how they apparently don’t care who they’re friends with, but Erin is morally in the right by doing this.
Evil Tree:
Shrike is surprised that someone is contacting Tess because Erin’s message spell here has taken the same shape as the spells from the guards’ lacrimas; yes, that’s probably the default shape of all message spells, but in this city, those spells are most likely to come from the police, so an apparent officer contacting her like this would be surprising… either that, or Shrike just realized that someone else is in cahoots with the crime trio, and she wants to hear all about this juicy lead.
I was so scared of the escalating danger I forgot Erin was heading there! I really hope the Wind Message actually helps. All three are connected to Asera through Erin. This could be a diplomatic disaster! That is if Zuurith actually gives a shit about how he appears to other Gods/Rulers.
Being metal really comes in handy, huh? Arrows like that just bounce off of Tess. Achilles wishes.
Now I don’t know the first thing about this style of art (and art in general) and I can’t draw to save my life, but the angles in these panels are so interesting and so well done, as always!
God, I know Erin’s whole thing is being the party face and he’s good at being diplomatic… but I reeeeeeally want him to go Fully-Realized-Avatar on the bounty hunters.
I’m a little late to comment but oh well, speaking of late I noticed hello haiku hasn’t posted yet (or the comments just haven’t updated properly on my end).
I noticed something else that was off, Trusk isn’t there. Maybe he stayed behind or sum’n?
@Evil Tree
I like the idea of Erin coming to a halt winded behind the line of hunters, but Erin is a frivolous shoob.
He might stop a couple feet away, pant and rest for a sec, and then start strutting towards the hunters holding up his insignia like a cop badge
Also, I implore people to continue answering Hiii’s question from the last page. Only a couple people answered since it was at teh bottom of the comments and I’d like to see more people answer
to answer @hiii’s question from yesterday, Tess does seem like she would be an awesome roommate. But depending on how chatty/outgoing she ends up being, I might do better with Alinua or Kendal because I am very introverted + have an auditory sensitivity which means talking depletes my energy like nobody’s business.
also surprised @HelloHaiku isn’t here; hope they’re doing OK.
I’d make a haiku, but I’m fighting a headache; birb does go “bop!” though.
i mean, people are worried about this will affect Zuurith’s relationship with Asera, but let’s just remember that Tynan is hanging around to drown this entire city, so any diplomatic fallout is probably going to be annihilated anyway
ImuyanMangoCat:
Awww, thanks! That means a lot! I hope HelloHaiku is okay too…
Hermit Thrush:
That’s really interesting. (Personally I’m an extrovert, and I do see Tess as a little more talkative. Though how much of that is me wanting her to be talkative and keep her all to myself, I can’t say) Hope your headache gets better.
Hello Haiku (wherever you are):
We miss you! Hope you’re all right, and you can come back soon to give us your poetic goodness!
So to everyone who did not see my question, the question is: What character from this comic (any character) would you like to live with? (This can be best friends, roommates, or romantic) thanks Book_Cat, Evening Star, LeapYearGirl96, (nice to see you back!), Hermit Thrush and especially ImuyanMangoCat! I really liked seeing your answers, and I feel like I know a little bit more about all of you! (I will try my best to personally respond to each answer, but my comments don’t like loading sometimes, so I might not see your comment as quickly)
ImuyanMangoCat:
Clicking on your link I remember the days when we had no idea about Tess and Erin’s connection. *longing sigh* Good times. (In all seriousness it’s funny to see how much our awareness about the world (comic world) has increased. Your comment about how long you’ve been here has made me curious… Imma go check something real quick.
ImuyanMangoCat:
I joined on October 1st, and my first comment was about how great the comic is and I’m excited for the look on Erin’s face when he learns. Also, for my first comment I spelled my name with five i’s and the next two comments I spelled it with four.
Will diplomacy work? Will Erin justify his spot in the party by finally succeeding at *something*? Will the hunters just laugh in his face and tell him to go complain to Zuurith? Will Tess have to deck some motherfuckers?
If I were Shrike, that borb would mean only one thing: potential lost bounty. I’d move fast to secure my quarry, see if I can get my score before whoever’s sending messages figures out what’s going on. No matter what, if I have them captured, I’ll be in a stronger position. Whoever complains can deal with the city while I’m counting my cash.
Shrike’s going to move fast now. Too fast for a diplomatic argument.
Once Erin shows his face on the lacrima message I bet Shrike will back down, for the same reason the floof gang can’t break Kendal out. Someone working for the city won’t actively attack the friends of an Emissary of Asera (Erin isn’t one, but effectively is treated as one.) Once Shrike realizes what’s at stake, bet she’ll back down for now. (For now)
I find it strange that so many people are speculating about what the message says, since as far as I know we haven’t actually seen Tess, Alinua, and Falst recieve Erin’s message saying he was on his way. I think it could very well just be that message, and its appearance on-panel has some kind of other significance than that Tess simply recieves the message.
@Hiii
Good friends/roommates with Trusk or Tess. 😀
This reminds me of the current dnd campaign I’m in- we just tracked a party member down in a city, trying to get to them before a host of liches did. We did not get there as fast as Erin is about to. Fortunately the liches were just looking for something, and our friend was able to stall for time before we arrived, but it was a really close call and a favorite npc came extremely close to dying
About time!
Erin! Save ’em!
Today’s image source dubs this page: Time.
B O P
Alinua: We don’t have time
Tess: BET
oh boy, message bird is here! let’s see what our gang’s antagonizers think about it
Falst: you, uh, really like swinging those darts around, huh?
(Sorry I’m just want someone to slam Shrike into a wall…)
BORB EX MACHINA
So borbs hit Tess in the head too; she truly is Erin’s sister.
As rushed and desperate as that plan might be it could work. The narrow alleyway means the hunters can only effectively attack one at a time and projectiles can’t affect Tess who’ll block one end. It would be close but still possible to escape. Where they go after that would be another matter, I bet Shrike could follow them up to the rooftops.
Fortunately it looks like Erin has saved the day just in time. Either that’s a borb with a message for Tess and/or Shrike to explain the privilege bonus or a borb Erin was following to find them and a very winded and panting mage will be showing up on Wednesday.
Yes, the hunter’s haven’t attacked allowing them to talk freely but think about it. Their prey is surrounded so they’re not going anywhere, the alley is narrow so a miss-fired arrow or too-wide sword slash could do more harm than good and if they do make a last stand they can also slap a resisting arrest charge on them. It makes sense to take their time.
Notice how Shrike had her crossbow pointed at them at first then had it raised in the final panel, with a wide eyed expression no less? The fact someone is contacting Tess seems to have taken her by surprise and she might even be in a listening mood.
shrike’s face is the last panel is killing me lol
Here’s my predictions. Either:
1) Erin’s going to catch up to them and they’ll be protected by him and his bureaucracy so these bounty hunters can’t do anything to them
– OR –
2) They’re actually going to get captured by Shrike and end up in the arena which will allow them to meet up with Kendal and maybe bust him out
I think the latter would be most efficient from Red’s perspective to get everyone back together, but the former seems more likely to me. Erin has made a bit of a sacrifice to help Tess with dropping his search for info on VD and having the gang be captured would make that pointless, and I don’t think Red would be the kind of person to let Shrike ultimately win, even if it’s just in the petty satisfaction that she considers herself to have won. I’m not sure though, cause having Erin swoop in as a deus ex machina also seems kind of cheap and makes this whole subplot with Shrike pointless. I realize this is a bit meta, but my point still stands.
Would ya look at that, Sicktats McHubris is here!
Are you ready to go against Mr. Privilege, Shrike?
I really hope for a Shrike/Erin encounter! It would be a charming mix of formality and everyone hating each other’s guts
Erin save them !
Erin incoming!! Our hero!!
Erin Save “em
The anticipation! Ahhhh!
Cut to Erin on the rooftop: “Did someone say ‘diplomatic immunity?’ Oh right, I did right now.”
Right on time.
Hay Erin’s coming, What took him so long!
“Can you give me just a moment? I’ve got to take this call. It’s important. So sorry.”
I see a dramatic entrance in our future
boink
Erin is getting arrested!
“Hi, we’ve been trying to reach you about your car’s extended warranty”
this is a bop, not gonna lie
Oops, a little late to the party but that’s okay.
I was right to evil laugh last update hehehe. Now once Erin gets here they can all get arrested which will lead them to Kendal or the more likely option which is some more diplomacy or the “kinda impossible but would be really cool in my head” fight between Shrike and Gang. Overall…Kendal should really savor his philosophical time before things go even more kaput.
Remember when Erin said that it would be a major diplomatic incident if someone under his protection did some crime? Well, wouldn’t now be a great time for the crime gang’s connection to him to be exposed by, say, and unsuspecting messenger birb?
Erin ex Machina?
I realized about a day ago that Erin sending a response birb wasn’t necessarily about the response- the messages know where to find the person, so to catch up with Tess, Falst, and Alinua, Erin just has to follow the message. Which means he’s probably almost there! This’ll be fun:)
You better be right behind that birb Erin because it’s getting pretty dire.
I really love how Tess stopped the arrow from getting Falst because getting shot twice in one day would be really sucky for him and also how she tried to do the whole “You can take me if you leave them alone”. This is one of the few times she’s been fully serious and I think the situation certainly warrants it. I mean, the amount of claustrophobia that could be induced by this page is making me nervous and I’m not even in that alley.
My prediction for Wednesday is the message playing, Alinua being like “Wait, your last name is Ruunaser?” and then Erin enters stage left.
Erintervention! I look forward to Shrike finding out just who she’s dealing with, and being either completely gobsmacked or completely unimpressed. (Considering Erin’s diplomatic track record so far, I’m leaning towards the latter.)
As long as it doesn’t start a war, I absolutely don’t mind if Erin causes a minor diplomatic incident to get the crime trio out of trouble; Galen and Asera wouldn’t like their relationship with Zuurith being soured, seeing as how they apparently don’t care who they’re friends with, but Erin is morally in the right by doing this.
Evil Tree:
Shrike is surprised that someone is contacting Tess because Erin’s message spell here has taken the same shape as the spells from the guards’ lacrimas; yes, that’s probably the default shape of all message spells, but in this city, those spells are most likely to come from the police, so an apparent officer contacting her like this would be surprising… either that, or Shrike just realized that someone else is in cahoots with the crime trio, and she wants to hear all about this juicy lead.
We’ve tried to reach you about your car’s extended warranty
Red, your expressions are always a treat
I was so scared of the escalating danger I forgot Erin was heading there! I really hope the Wind Message actually helps. All three are connected to Asera through Erin. This could be a diplomatic disaster! That is if Zuurith actually gives a shit about how he appears to other Gods/Rulers.
@Rayvee Whazzat mean?
40, 76, – 749
alt text: “bop!”
Being metal really comes in handy, huh? Arrows like that just bounce off of Tess. Achilles wishes.
Now I don’t know the first thing about this style of art (and art in general) and I can’t draw to save my life, but the angles in these panels are so interesting and so well done, as always!
“One moment, gotta take this.”
Tess in five seconds @ the bounty hunter trying to catch her and rope her into a blood sport: hang on, I gotta take this call.
God, I know Erin’s whole thing is being the party face and he’s good at being diplomatic… but I reeeeeeally want him to go Fully-Realized-Avatar on the bounty hunters.
bop pog
I’m a little late to comment but oh well, speaking of late I noticed hello haiku hasn’t posted yet (or the comments just haven’t updated properly on my end).
I noticed something else that was off, Trusk isn’t there. Maybe he stayed behind or sum’n?
@Evil Tree
I like the idea of Erin coming to a halt winded behind the line of hunters, but Erin is a frivolous shoob.
He might stop a couple feet away, pant and rest for a sec, and then start strutting towards the hunters holding up his insignia like a cop badge
Also, I implore people to continue answering Hiii’s question from the last page. Only a couple people answered since it was at teh bottom of the comments and I’d like to see more people answer
The runaaser’s are always getting bopped, and I must say that I’m highly enjoying it.
TL;DR: We’re cornered! What will we do???
Bird message: BOP
Everyone: *surprise*
@ImuyanMangoCat
to answer @hiii’s question from yesterday, Tess does seem like she would be an awesome roommate. But depending on how chatty/outgoing she ends up being, I might do better with Alinua or Kendal because I am very introverted + have an auditory sensitivity which means talking depletes my energy like nobody’s business.
also surprised @HelloHaiku isn’t here; hope they’re doing OK.
I’d make a haiku, but I’m fighting a headache; birb does go “bop!” though.
So I went back to check how long I’ve been reading this comic, and turns out I’ve been here since July, neat!
And apparently I put an E at the end of Toxin as my name
https://comicaurora.com/aurora/1-13-18/
i mean, people are worried about this will affect Zuurith’s relationship with Asera, but let’s just remember that Tynan is hanging around to drown this entire city, so any diplomatic fallout is probably going to be annihilated anyway
The borb is back!
Time to see if some Diplomacy works.
ImuyanMangoCat:
Awww, thanks! That means a lot! I hope HelloHaiku is okay too…
Hermit Thrush:
That’s really interesting. (Personally I’m an extrovert, and I do see Tess as a little more talkative. Though how much of that is me wanting her to be talkative and keep her all to myself, I can’t say) Hope your headache gets better.
Hello Haiku (wherever you are):
We miss you! Hope you’re all right, and you can come back soon to give us your poetic goodness!
So to everyone who did not see my question, the question is: What character from this comic (any character) would you like to live with? (This can be best friends, roommates, or romantic) thanks Book_Cat, Evening Star, LeapYearGirl96, (nice to see you back!), Hermit Thrush and especially ImuyanMangoCat! I really liked seeing your answers, and I feel like I know a little bit more about all of you! (I will try my best to personally respond to each answer, but my comments don’t like loading sometimes, so I might not see your comment as quickly)
ImuyanMangoCat:
Clicking on your link I remember the days when we had no idea about Tess and Erin’s connection. *longing sigh* Good times. (In all seriousness it’s funny to see how much our awareness about the world (comic world) has increased. Your comment about how long you’ve been here has made me curious… Imma go check something real quick.
ImuyanMangoCat:
I joined on October 1st, and my first comment was about how great the comic is and I’m excited for the look on Erin’s face when he learns. Also, for my first comment I spelled my name with five i’s and the next two comments I spelled it with four.
Will diplomacy work? Will Erin justify his spot in the party by finally succeeding at *something*? Will the hunters just laugh in his face and tell him to go complain to Zuurith? Will Tess have to deck some motherfuckers?
Fin out next time, in Aurora Z!
My bet on what the message says “Duck!”
If I were Shrike, that borb would mean only one thing: potential lost bounty. I’d move fast to secure my quarry, see if I can get my score before whoever’s sending messages figures out what’s going on. No matter what, if I have them captured, I’ll be in a stronger position. Whoever complains can deal with the city while I’m counting my cash.
Shrike’s going to move fast now. Too fast for a diplomatic argument.
Once Erin shows his face on the lacrima message I bet Shrike will back down, for the same reason the floof gang can’t break Kendal out. Someone working for the city won’t actively attack the friends of an Emissary of Asera (Erin isn’t one, but effectively is treated as one.) Once Shrike realizes what’s at stake, bet she’ll back down for now. (For now)
@Hiii I’d probably live with Erin or Falst. Conversing with either of them seems like it would be interesting.
I find it strange that so many people are speculating about what the message says, since as far as I know we haven’t actually seen Tess, Alinua, and Falst recieve Erin’s message saying he was on his way. I think it could very well just be that message, and its appearance on-panel has some kind of other significance than that Tess simply recieves the message.
I’d also kinda love it if they all get captured now, including erin
@Hiii
Good friends/roommates with Trusk or Tess. 😀
This reminds me of the current dnd campaign I’m in- we just tracked a party member down in a city, trying to get to them before a host of liches did. We did not get there as fast as Erin is about to. Fortunately the liches were just looking for something, and our friend was able to stall for time before we arrived, but it was a really close call and a favorite npc came extremely close to dying
SPANG! goes the arrow
And bop! goes the message bird
Here to buy some time.
TESS HAS BEEN BOPPED BY THE MESSAGE BIRB 😀