1.18.8
on August 12, 2022
at 3:00 am
okay I lied again, THIS is the part of the battle I nicknamed “the kaiju fight”
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
okay I lied again, THIS is the part of the battle I nicknamed “the kaiju fight”
Oh, the collector’s not gonna like this at all!!
Vash is back in the saddle again!
(Kudos to anyone who got that reference)
yo ‘sup bro?
stick the landing
fight off the Lolittas
now I get to “enjoy” being
BROADWAY.
Different OFF BROADWAY where I see this cat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Slater
pump the volume up?
dude I got bad news about “knows” go to 11
For those viewing this on mobile.
Alt-text is “VASH cuts into the fray!”
Image source is “thank.”
How does one view the image source?
Wait is that IS THAT….
I’m not sure why but I get the feeling that this is temporary. Just long enough to defeat Tynan but the collector’s trap will suck him back in before too long.
Vash? Is that you?
What’s this? Vash is back!
And he’s missed the smell of rain.
Dodges lightning beam
“Thank you, Tynan.” Divine Vash says,
In his sturdy body again.
As he leaps past Tynan’s lightning blast he adds,
“I’ve missed the smell of rain.”
And I’d just like to add, what? WHAT? AAAAH!!
Vash?! Thank god! But what about Kandel? And the collector?
Okay, this straight up isn’t going to last: no way Red just erased her protagonist from existence for the sake of a cool fight. So my question: is Vash actually free? Because if so, I have straight up no idea where the story is going to go from here.
Are all these parts just nicknamed “the kaiju fight”?
Wait fucking what? Did he escape for real? Or is this some temporary thing?
I love the expression on Tynans dragon face. This is just perfect!
Also I’m not sure about Vash’s happy face. Shouldn’t he be more concerned about Kendal?
But wow, am I excited for the Kaiju fight 🙂
The blade ascends, he says: “Thank you, Tynan.
I’ve missed the smell of rain.” Is that Vash, the man?
OHHHHHHH so that’s what’s going on – I can think of nicer ways to send your soul into the sword (or just link it maybe?) but I guess stabbing works
1-12-7 and 1-17-17 are relevant pages if anyone else wants to do an archive binge
I now have additional questions: where is Kendal now? Does he have to get stabbed again to switch back? And will the Collector notice?
“damn bro, your dramatic, meticulously-crafted arena feels really good on my *RIPPLING PECS*”
Also, shoutout to Tynan doing his best ‘cat-with-flower-on-head’ impression in panel 4. Flashbacks must be kicking in already, especially as Kendal seems to have “rewoven his incarnation before his very eyes” panel 2
Vash, as thrilled as I am to see you again, you better be bringing our boy Kendal back soon!
It’s turtl- kaiju fights all the way down.
SO. MUCH. KAIJU.
I checked just to be sure, and the two biggest hints in 17-17 towards this plot twist are the two smallest bubbles.
Pretty sure Red qualifies as a charismaniac now
“I’ve missed the smell of rain” turns out to be a surprisingly badass one-liner
At this point, I think you just called the entirety of the fight “the kaiju fight”
I was sure this was going into inuyasha territory
Kaiju after Kaiju after Kaiju this fight
We’re buuurning chaos in the wiiiiiiiiiiiiiind~
Drifting in the ocean all al-ooooone….!
*sick guitar riff as Vash leaps 30 feet into the air from a seated position*
So, let’s see if I’ve got this right.
Vash made the sword into a part of himself, giving it a piece of his soul in the process.
Vash incarnates in that steel-reinforced body, but his soul was pulled out of it by the collector.
Kendal was what filled the hole left by the absense of Vash’s soul and became the golden-haired powerhouse we’ve been following here.
The soul-piece in Vash’s sword just came in and (bolstered? replaced? took over the wheel for?) Kendal for a powerboost in the fight. I wonder what’s got green so worried there.
“You got the touch
You got the powe~r
YEAH!”
Normally with a character like Vash showing up you’d get a snarky line like ‘nice to see you again’ (or something more creative). But the simple smile and “I’ve missed the smell of rain” is so much better. It reminds me of the end of Ransom waking up at the end of Out of the Silent Planet.
Also, Vash’s glowing eyes here, compared to his somewhat weird-looking eyes in chapter 1, really show how Red’s drawing has improved.
Also, this is epic.
Ok, first: Alinua is _definitely_ gonna either murder Kendal when he comes back, or slap Vash upside the head so hard the ghosts of his city sit up and take notice if she doesn’t get him back.
Second: Vash’s smile in panel 2 is *killing* me h e l p. Just- this man is saying the world again for the first time in (days? Weeks?) and I’m very happy for him. Tynan is _so_ screwed!
If you look at the cover for chapter 16, Downburst, you actually see two shadows, one that is Kendal, and another that is Vash. Vash is holding his sword in such a way that it pierces shadow-Kendal’s gut. Neat
nah i can’t—i just noticed that Vash still has the cut in his abdomen in panel 2 and it looks like a weird stomach mouth
also, i was NOT expecting this deus ex machina (is it still a deus ex machina if one of the protagonists actively becomes the god?)
Wait if he could do that the whole time why didn’t he do it earlier? Is it a temporary channeling?
@veggiesnake I think this is more of a Chekovs Gun than a Deus Ex Machina. A Deus Ex Machina is a plot-development that comes out of nowhere to save the heroes (or get them into trouble when the writer wants) without being sufficiently set up. Essentially the hand of the author forcing the plot.
A Chekovs Gun is a plot-development that was set up beforehand for the specific payoff, in this case the various comments of different characters about the nature of Kendals existence, which was referenced in 17-17 as a reminder.
I dont think this will be permanent though. It has been established that gods can only venture so far from their domain before their essence dissipates and since Vash doesnt even HAVE a domain anymore, he will probably need to return to the collector soon. Or the collector will step in to force Vash back.
OKAY THANK GOODNESS, KENDAL’S FINE. I have no idea what’s going on here (how did Vash come in? Was it him or Kendal who busted out the starfire? And more importantly, did the stabbening actually happen, or did Vash interfere?), but DAMN IT IS SO FREAKING COOL AAAAA
In other news, I love Tynan’s face in panel 4, he looks like a cat trying to avoid getting his nose booped. It’s great.
I like to think that Kendal has a noticeably different voice from Vash and that it’s not just the eyes-glow that indicates that it’s Vash and not Kendal.
The Vash is back Tynan chompin’ at his feet Vash’s our hero the Vash just can’t be beat!
Meanwhile, in The Collector’s cavern: Kendal is just there, floating in a clear bubble. Thankfully, The Collector went out to get lunch or something.
At this point the whole comic should just be renamed ‘kaiju fight’.
It was at this moment, Tynan knew he fucked up.
So we know that Kendal can establish a connection with Vash while sleeping. It looks like Kendal was able to reestablish that connection by dying…? Temporarily? Or maybe adding the star metal to his body was enough to invite Vash in for a bit.
The chapter cover is making a lot more sense right now
rip kendal’s shirt.
There once was a god named Vash
Who appeared from a rather large gash
Made by his sword.
To fight the storm-lord,
He pulled off an epic party crash!
When Vash opened his eyes, I had to actually bite my tongue to keep from screaming. Talk about an “OH YEAH!” moment.
HMMMMMM
I am so full of hope that Kendall comes back, because I don’t want to accept any other alternative, and that would intensely twist the Collector plot line if he didn’t. Will this come in as some sort of avatar state thing perhaps?
I was thinking about the Collector and Vash having a lot of conversations, and I wonder if the Collector and Vash might have an understanding at least, if not more?
If Vash is with Kendal I do not think he is still in the clear bubble, did Kendal just complete his quest?
Lot going on, my question of the day is if the Collector knew about the team “floof’s” plan to help Erin; would she want to help, see that goal as compatible with hers?
At the least I imagine she could answer a lot of questions for them.
…I have to admit, I did not see that one coming. Though for some reason i really feel like I should have…
Either way, the fallout from this incident is going to be interesting.
Tynan’s offended-cat look is amazing. Just sayin’.
To The Registrar:
I think that that might be indicating that this is only a sliver of Vash/his power/a temporary thing, but I’m not 100% sure. I’d have to go back and check to see what the other gods’ eyes look like–I can’t remember how many of the others, if any, had the same or similar effect going on. It could also be indicative of how much they’re “showing off”–I’m pretty sure that Tahraim had the same sort of eyes as Vash!Kendal does now, and he seemed more the sort to not really advertise his presence.
What strikes me as interesting about this page is the sword’s jewel in the first panel; how the glow has changed. It makes the sword look like a Honedge–which is neat, but that’s not what makes it interesting. If it’s been glowing the whole time because Vash hid a piece of himself in there, does that make that sliver of light Kendal’s soul? Is that how he came to be–his nascent soul forced out of his “body”, purposefully or not, so that Vash’s essence could fit inside instead?
More importantly, is he okay–what sort of effect is this going to have on him? Is he even aware of what’s going on, or has he been put in some sort of deep stasis or slumber?
–K
QotD:
You’re hosting the Floof Squad for lunch and have the opportunity to introduce them to a dish that doesn’t exist in Aurora. What do you make? (Assume dietary restrictions don’t apply, because fantasy world, and we’ve never seen any come up yet, anyway.)
(For example–I’d make tiramisu!)
OH. I didn’t know this could happen… As much as I’m excited to see Vash kick some ass, I really hope that this is a temporary effect. Kendal had better be okay! (Perhaps this could end up being a situation somewhat similar to Life and Alinua, where Vash and Kendal occasionally swap out? Or is this a one-time thing, where Vash has a time limit inside what is now Kendal’s body before he’s schlormped back into Stone’s third heart?)
Am I the only one who thinks Tynan’s face looks adorable in panel four? I am? Okay…
Moss:
Red has said on Tumblr before that Vash and Kendal have the same voice, but different mannerisms and ways of speaking, so they can still be distinguished from each other. (Plus I imagine Vash would have a slightly more reverberant voice due to his divine nature.) To clarify, think of it as the same voice actor doing the same voice, but with different acting styles.
Red, why did you make Tynan CUTE in the fourth panel?
“I think I need the sword to connect with him.”
“If the weapon is going to be yours, every part of it must be yours as well.”
“I never thought you’d take my advice so literally. But integrating the metal into your body was an inspired move!”
“You of all people should know there’s no one right way to do anything.”
Kendal can connect to Vash with the sword.
Kendal has now not just named himself after the sword, he made it fully part of himself.
So Kendal no longer needs the sword to proxy connect to Vash. He can connect through himself.
Sb needs to make Tynan’s face in the fourth panel a reaction image.
Yeah, what I scrolled down to say, totally worth the liberties she might have had to take with dragon physiology in order to get there
@Squarecross yeah, i guess my joke was mostly about the “sudden appearance of a god to help the heroes” side of deus ex machinas, but it doesn’t extend further. this has been… well, not foreshadowed exactly, but we have always known that Kendal The Person has a strange connection to Vash and Kendal The Sword.
and i do love a Chekov’s Gun, but i wouldn’t say this is that. Chekov’s Gun is a principle that applies more universally in that every written element of the story must be foreshadowing for payoff later, and not only that foreshadowing and payoff are used. i wouldn’t say that Red is foreshadowing everything in her comic, nor do i expect her to since that’s so much extra detail for one person to manage
Even in panel 5 he looks panicked. That lightning breath was absolutely an act of desperation, entirely an “oh fuck” response cause he knows he’s screwed here.
@Squarecross — OR we have a new direction to the plot, where Vash can’t return (the stabbing isn’t a two-way revolving door) and the FLOOF squad plus Floofy Vash has to find Kendal, who’s now the prisoner of The Collector. And it’s worse that she has Kendal to experiment on, because his soul is “unique.” Aaauugh, the angst, knowing their friend is trapped.
But in the meantime, I’m getting out the popcorn to watch Vash totally thrash Tynan. Again.
@athroughzdude no one knew that kendal could do this, least of all vash. also, the way he “did” it involved stabbing himself with his sword, which is not something people usually do. to be honest, i wasn’t even sure what stabbing himself with his sword was going to do, other than get the starmetal back into his body in an attempt to activate it. who expects this sort of thing to re-awaken the stolen soul of a god? those are probably some contributing factors as to why he didn’t do this before. it’s just a completely out of left field plan to begin with.
As a UK guy currently experiencing a drought, I too miss the rain.
I wonder how Zuurith is taking all this. Tynan destroys his incarnation and sets out destroying his city, Caliban and Tahraim plotted behind his back to free a high-profile prisoner then proceed to insult him, an absurdly powerful life mage wreaks his prison while freeing the prisoners, and now the day is going to be saved by his sworn enemy while his entire city watches. If he knew about the V.D. drama he’d probably de-incarnate out of sheer rage.
Vash’s body language, particularly his posed sitting in panel 2 and graceful flight pose in panel 5, look starkly different to Kendal’s more simple but effective style. More differences between the two or just Vash relishing a body for the first time in weeks?
I think this will be a temporary thing; if such a changeover was permanent Vash might have told Kendal to do it shortly after he came into existence. It does, however, seem like a risky move; if the Collector finds out she might dig deeper, word of what happened in Zuurith could reach her, then the whole gang could be targeted for their unique souls.
@Kreuz I was going to make this reference but work happened, nice work beating me to it.
Prediction for next week: Rather than Vash soloing Tynan maybe the rest of the gang plays roles in his downfall too. Dainix could scorch his body, Alinua bind him now that she’s more or less finished healing, maybe the Ruunasers joining too, then Vash seals the final blow.
Also to add: I did not see this coming. I can see how this happened and how it would be possible, but I was expecting Kendal to activate the soulfire on his own accord to fight Tynan. An unexpected plot twist, but one that didn’t come out of nowhere, great job Red.
Now that I think about it, this might make more gods wary of Kendal. If Vash can now appear in their domains via this technique that presents a great security risk, or maybe other gods might try and replicate this phenomenon. Make their own Kendals, send them into enemy territory, and perform devastating attacks. Kendal’s starmetal physiology better be unique/hard to replicate or else the godly conflicts of Aurora could get a lot messier.
To Skye:
I’d make Baked Alaska or something like that. Something that needs modern tech to be made.
Tynan in the 4th panel looks like an upset cat
Falst: Anyone *else* want to reveal that they can channel a powerful entity?
June channeling Light Dragon: HI THERE
Falst: I WAS JOKING!
@Skye I’d probably break out the family recipe for meshay (steamed grape leaves stuffed with lamb, rice, and cinnamon).
The art is so damn beautiful! Also – OMG Kendal! You broke the suit! [The term my friends & I use to indicate a cut or damage to one’s body.]
Also also, Tynan looks both so cute & panicked there.
I’m getting dizzy from all the plot twists since Tynon showed up. (Well, when Tess notices Tynon in the clouds above the city…)
@Squarecross Thank you for your insight, Wonderfully explained!
@veggiesnake I think the foreshadowing for Vash’s appearance has been subtle. It seems to me Kendal’s eyes and the gem in his sword had gone from pale blue to a brighter blue as the fight goes on (see the last panel of the prior page) or at least that’s my perception. But perhaps I am giving Red too much credit and you are correct veggiesnake. Color in a matter of perception which has cultural as well as biological variables.
oh. my. gods.
Welcome back Vash. I hope you have fun until the Collector grounds you again. Great way to bring that plotline forward again, as she is definitely going to notice this. Also, that’s a majestic backflip. Showing off a bit, Vash?
As for what happened to Kendal, I think he’s in Kendal.
My guess? Kendal is still in the Sword / Arm. Also the scared/startled dragon look is especially great.
…I actually don’t hope this is Vash. I’d prefer it remain “just” Kendal, but perhaps with more clear memories of “his past.”
stop lying Red, this entire fight has been nicknamed “Kaiju fight”
GOD AND VESSAL REUNITED!!! I KNEW IT!!!
Tynan’s face in panel 4 lmao. Poor boi looks so stressed and confused.
I am so ready for this fight, it’s kind of funny to think that if this were a TV show or even publishing all the pages at once then the majority of the comments here would merely be fleeting thoughts but instead, we all get a chance to process those thoughts and talk about them, it’s like if you paused an Avengers movie in the middle of a fight scene and everybody just started theorizing XD
@Skye, oh for dessert I’m making Boston cream pie, but for the actual meal I’m not sure, maybe my family’s burger recipe
Well now THIS I mostly did not see coming.
This battle has more twists and turns than an American multi-level stack highway junction, I love it!
The domino stack meme except each domino is just labelled ‘kaiju fight’
Just admit you named this entire segment with Tynan “kaiju fight” and call it a day
…
……
…….
……..SQUUUUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Anyone else go back and forth this entire fight just to admire the art and the writing and the twists and turns? I cannot get enough <3
I will admit, I did not expect to see a look like that on the face of a big scary dragon. I thought such a thing would only ever be seen in Dragon Tales.
@Skye, depends on if and how much advanced notice I got. If I got a lot (like, day before at least) lasagna with garlic bread. If it was same day, then like leapyeargirl96 my family has a burger recipe. If I didn’t get any then I’m ordering pizza and baking a quick after battle triple chocolate cake. (From The Book of Enchantments by Patricia C. Wrede.)
Self-inflicted disembowelment causes divine-dad possession. Who knew.
@Hermit Thrush, thank you
I am confused by also very excited
How many “this is the part I call the kaiju fight” is there?
I’m starting to think Red named this entire battle “the kaiju fight”…
Now, obviously this whole Tynan scene was named “kaijus fight”
But also, yay vash
But also boo kendal is maybe trapped by the collector?
but yay vash
And let’s be real, Tynan_cat is going to become a meme template. Not even a question
Considering that half of the party qualifies at this point, the real kaiju fight was quite literally the friends that they made along the way.
Tynan’s upset face is so cute omg
YOOOOOOOOOOO LETS FUCKING GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Unclassified:
Oh, so I was immediately proven wrong, then twice more by Jaq and Shadow. Glad I’m not the only one who finds that face cute.
Evil Tree:
I didn’t see it coming either. If there are no lingering side effects, and if Vash can pull this off without The Collector noticing, this could be a major boost to Kendal’s capabilities. I noticed that there was no blood when Vash took control, so it looks like Kendal’s body has Vash’s divine focus to heal even more rapidly than before. Perhaps Kendal and the others could even use this connection to gain advice from Vash every now and then.
Is Kendal channeling Vash? Or is this Vash’s memory echo stored in the sword?
Oooh, the expression on his FACE…
@5007, I’m going to go for the former. We all know Kendal has a massive self-sacrifice complex right now, so he wouldn’t be bothered by giving up his own existence to let Vash come back. But I don’t think Vash feels quite the same way. I think that the existence of Kendal’s soul (which Vash described as “unique” in Interstitial) will mean that Vash is eventually going to be forced out within a relatively short period of time, although I think he can deal with Tynan within that time.
Rescuing Vash for good can’t be THAT easy.
Someone make the alt text into a smash bros intro tho
Nice comic to have right before my birthday tomorrow. It’s got a dragon and it’s got lightning and that’s all I really need.
Tynan looks scared… like really scared. What did Kendal do?????
FRICK YA SUCK IT IN YOUR DRAGON FACE!!
LETS GOOOOO VASH IS BACK!
Anyways, this explains why we had a Zuurith reaction shot last page.
No snide remarks. No boasting. No listing of epithets. Just a desperate attack. I think this is the first time this whole arc we’ve seen Tynan genuinely scared.
Okay, we know that Vash is a good guy and Tynan is a bad guy (or at least we’re under these impressions at this point). But, can you imagine the sheer menace that would be exuded by someone stabbing themselves, not suffering any visible wounds, then sitting up (probably moving quite unnaturally), taking a big sniff, and turning to the other party in the scene and saying “Ah… I’ve missed the smell of blood. I must thank you for that.” (Because for a storm god, their rain is as essential as blood is to mortal creatures).
Like… Tynan’s rightfully ****ting bricks right now. He’s just forced Kendal to summon/transform into the creature that haunts his nightmares (Not that Tyanan would ever admit to that, though).
Tynan’s thoughts in panel 4: ALL THE SWEAR WORDS! ALL OF THEM!
I swear I can *hear* the anime guitar riff flowing through the page
Tynan theme music: Wagner opera.
Vash theme music: Jimi Hendrix guitar riff, totally shredding that opera.
(Zuurith theme music: cheesy Souza marching band.)
The expression on Tynan’s face in panel four: flustered. But my favorite description is “cat with a flower on his head.” Hahahah!
Is this entire chapter called The Kaiju Fight?
No thanks for Kendal? Vash, you jerk, go back in your soul-hole.
TL;DR: I recognize that voice and I DO NOT like it.
You aren’t fooling us anymore, Red. The whole battle is the Kaiju Fight.
OK, so, the current count:
One godly warrior.
Two? Elemental vessels.
The vessel of the Void Dragon.
And three gods.
-also a metal gal and a catboy-
Those Zuurith citizens got quite the deal for their coliseum tickets. I suppose their house was included in the price.
Tynan looks cute in the fourth panel
Oh HE’S BACK!
I really hope we get to see Kendal smile like that someday.
Tynan’s concerned/confused face!! xD
This entire comic should just be labelled as “One Big Kaiju Fight” to save time.
Worried Dragon-Tynan face is what I needed!
*BOOM* There goes Chekov’s cannon!
Pretty sure I just heard “The Only Thing They Fear Is You” start playing.
Red I’m starting to suspect that everything after “beeg storm dragon shows up” was part of your kaiju fight
tyan in panel four is somehow adorable
Omg Tynan’s “oh shit” face. XD
> Omg Tynan’s “oh shit” face. XD
ok actually not the wrong page, idk what’s happening halp
[oops commented on the wrong page]
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