2.2.32
on August 14, 2024
at 3:00 am
does it still count as hubris if the reason you think of yourself as the ultimate power is because you don’t believe anyone else can save you? asking for a very well-adjusted friend
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
Cue light paladin next page
Do not pay attention to panel 6, nothing important is happening there
Well, if the first thing the paladin hears is him yelling “Can you save me from the Dragon?!” then he might not come in sword-first…
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: succeeded his concentration check on the massive spell, failed the wisdom save to resist the urge to Tantrum
Image source: alone
Tumblr text: angy
Twitter text: what was that about trust
Twitter Text: what was that about trust
“We can’t be that far from the Archipelago,” Kendal says, glancing backwards. “Maybe we should stop there. Fix the sail, recharge the lacrimas and–”
“Don’t be ridiculous!” Erin snaps at him. “You’d rather pick a fight with a volcano than trust me to do my job?!”
“This isn’t your job,” Kendal tells him, a hint of frustration showing on his face. “We’re allies in this journey, not burdens for you to carry. You’re hurting yourself trying to do everything alone.”
“I HAVE to do everything alone!” Erin bursts out. “No one can match me! No one can help in any way that matters! It always comes back to me to carry the weight, and if I fall, nobody can catch me!” As he shouts, the others stare at him, frozen. “Gods and legends want to help me? Can any of you part the clouds? Still the seas?!” Above the ship, the streak of light bolts down, heading towards the deck of the ship.
“Can any of you save me from The Dragon?!” Erin screams.
…oh poor erin… you need a vacation…
I agree with like most of the people here, the Champion will show up next page and say something along the lines of “They can’t, but I can.
Also, thank you Zer0W0lf for telling me how to do the italics, it’s been so helpful
That was Evil Tree, back on Page 26 of this chapter.
Oh, well then thank you Evil Tree
Must’ve read it wrong
Oh, and also, I love Erin’s eyes in panel 1, they look like a cat’s when you shine a light in their eyes
Lastly, I’m thinking this is a sort of sleep-deprived rant that Erin would never do if he was getting enough rest. You can see the lines under his eyes, and we know he’s probably reluctant to sleep because he doesn’t want the Dragon to get loose.
I mean, he probably would’ve gone on this rant anyway, but I think he might also not be thinking too clearly because of a lack of sleep.
Idk just a theory!
oh no my poor baby don’t be sad :((((
He’s so scared. Erin looks absolutely terrified here. I guess the Dragon is finally catching up to him emotionally.
I am loving these glow effects, the lighting and shading coming from all directions is really nice and frames Erins face very well.
ohh tess in panel 5…
Tess is about done with Erins shit
I don’t know their relative ages, but Tess is exuding Older Sibling Energy with how annoyed she is about another stupid tantrum.
Tess is ready to mug erin for his own good
Please tell me she decks him.
I had the exact same reaction….
The Dragon seems to act, and tough talk, like maybe they can.
See Erin gets an exception because he’s the one with the greatest ability to deeply understand and conclusively overcome his own internal struggles. Oh wait that’s how all internal struggles work–
Please, Falst, do what you do best and smack some sense into this dense egotistical idiot before he gets you all killed.
Gets them killed? He is currently preventing them all from dying! If he did smack him, they would most likely capsize and/or get barraged by fiery rocks, sinking their ship.
If Falst smacks him now *that* will get them killed. Erin’s concentration will snap, the heavy seas and wind will sweep them away–maybe just as what’s coming hits.
Well, they do have plot armor so they’d be rescued by mermaids or such….
Falst is doing the smart thing and using the temporary moment to 1) get a heading, and 2) get the heck out of the storm. As for the heading, Kendal is right. The local gods will seek them out anyways, because Kendal.
*Michael approaches*
“Nobody can help me in a way that matters” what a fucking line. That hits hard.
I wonder if the white haired paladin (who I’m assuming is swooping down to the ship) can hear all this. If so it would a very dramatic cue for him to land on and directly respond to the question.
I dont only predict it, I expect it. (Fingers crossed. That would be so wonderfully dramatic)
TL;DR: Guys I swear it’s not hubris, it’s just that I can’t rely on anyone else. Different things, promise.
“I HAVE to do everything alone!” Screams the man who, so far in this story, has not done one single thing alone without it blowing up in his face either metaphorically or literally.
Erin: Can you save me from The Dragon?
Light Paladin: Maybe not, but I can!
Erin and the rest: Who are you?!
The plot is coming at them like a nuke dropping at terminal velocity
I… feel very bad for Erin.
I cannot wait for him to meet that paladin though!
I… feel very bad for Erin.
I cannot wait for him to meet that paladin though!
“Did I hear ‘Dragon’? Where?”
-whoever is making that contrail of light
Yes, Erin, have to do everything alone. Just like you escaped when the Dragon took you into the Singing Caves alone, and you handled Doctor Jolon alone, and Tynan, and the gloop. Right?
But I’m betting that little streak of bright light is going to make everything better!
I don’t think it’s that.
I think he’s projecting his control of the storm to his control of the dragon—a volatile destructive force of nature that he alone has the power to contain, and if he wavers for even a moment it will consume him and his friends.
He’s terrified of the dragon and what it will do once it’s free. He hears Alinua screaming in agony, remembers Falst succumbing void corruption. He needs this to work because if he truly looses control he doesn’t think the group will be enough to stop him, at least not before he kills some of them.
that’s rough buddy
…Erin seems to have momentarily forgotten that Kendal and Alinua saved him when the Storm died and retrieved him from the Singing Caves, that Dainix went toe-to-toe with his dragon in the Tynan fight, and that collectively, they are already helping him by keeping the Void Dragon in check. Oh boy…
Kendal is correct, and I appreciate his outward calm and levelheaded suggestion a lot.
Tess looks understandably upset, probably a mix of anger and hurt…
…and the others are staring at Erin like “O.O wut” and honestly so am I, because wow.
Kendal has the advantage of containing Legions of mortals within his own soul and also having already therapied his way out of his internal problems. Also, the screaming has stopped, which means he can think clearly and wisely now.
Part of it’s that, sure, but he strikes me as someone who, by his nature, has always been a quieter and more composed sort. (Not to say he’s never stressed or expressive or emotional.)
Addendum: also, while Kendal did get the therapy and that certainly helps, there are still other ways he could grow, and I wouldn’t say the situation’s stopped. Erin is buying them a moment of calm at the price of his health. That situation’s gonna be situationing again any minute.
Sorry, misread… screaming?
I think they mean the gang who was just screaming at being tossed around the ship and/or Falst and Erin shouting?
Nope, I’m talking about the citizens of Vash screaming at the very beginning of the comic and only stopping when they realized someone was still around to hear and remember them. I don’t think it was ever confirmed by Red, but when Kendal had his Therapy Coma, no one was screaming anymore.
Huh. I was under the impression that Kendal only heard the screaming when he was actually near the ruins of Vash, and the souls were quiet and indistinct otherwise, until he pulled them back into a coherent form in his dream. So I don’t think Kendal’s been constantly plagued by screaming prior to the ghost therapy. (See 2.1…15…? when he’s talking to Alinua.)
Erin, faced with his actions, declares to their faces
His sad logic of solitude, as a tear his face traces
Divine- forged Kendal suggests stopping
At the Archipelago,
To recharge the lacrimas and fix the sail,
Before onwards they go.
“Ridiculous! You’d rather pick a fight with a volcano,
Than trust me to do my job?!”
Erin yells at him, his arms outstretched,
As his glowing eyes throb.
“This isn’t your job. We’re your allies in this journey,
Not burdens for you to carry.
You’re hurting yourself trying to do everything alone,”
Says Kendal, managing not to sound angry.
“I HAVE to do everything alone, Erin cries,
Still channeling. “No one can match me!
Nobody can helpe in a way that matters!
And if I fall, nobody can catch me!”
“Gods and legends want to help me?” he rages.
A whit light from above them streams.
“Can any of you part the clouds? Still the seas?!
Can you save me from The Dragon?!” he screams.
Friday we’re getting the champion again after four years so that’s gonna be fun
Kendal failed his persuasion check lol
oh buddy’s got some kind of symptom complex
On the plus side, this may turn out to be a very well-timed rant, presuming Mr Light up there could hear him.
“What’s this? The shadow-dragon-infected mage knows he needs saving? Well, maybe we won’t have to do this the hard way after all.”
Now, what are the chances that ms. collector shows up sometime during this?
Eh, I think she’ll wait to appear until they make it to Helm/Rahkn’s island. Being a Life mage, the ocean doesn’t seem like her thing.
Erin: Can-! … Can … can anyone else hear boss music?
Yeah, good idea Kendal, but Erin has a point; the time to be stopping at earlier non-volcanic islands has come and gone. Shame really, I kinda liked the though of the gang having to do Archipelago side-quests on their way to Helm. Then again, depending on how this plays out, maybe some of that could still be possible.
Oh, these last two pages have been painful. All of Erin’s insecurities, fears, and desperation bubbling to the surface in the form of lashing out at those trying to help him. For all the gang’s powers, none of them can truly take the place of another; Erin can rely on the others in a fight, or to stop the dragon possessing him, but they can’t take his role away and allow him to relax. The mental strain of holding back the dragon and the danger it poses for sefs on top of his existing issues has reached its boiling point.
Outside of Erin, it’s Tess on panel 5 I’m feeling the most; his words from the last page and his rant here have really gotten to her. Their relationship is far more complex than what Tess implied in Zuurith, and all the comments from Monday have been a great read on the myriad of ways to interpret the meaning behind Erin’s words. (I’m in the @whitewolfos camp btw)
I’ve never seen that expression on her before. Anger at Erin’s words and/or his “I must do everything” complex? Sadness at Erin’s view of her trying to help and/or all the stress he’s opening up about here? Maybe a sense of powerlessness as she knows she can’t help Erin with any of his problems nor does he even want her to help? Probably a combination of these and others.
Not like that downer look is going to last longer than a few panels anyway, because I am in agreement with everyone that that’s Kaiba on his way! (Get it? ‘Cause he’s a guy devoted to a white dragon with blue eyes?)
i love how the two people he’s addressing with this little speech are kendal, who’s thrown himself into danger for his friends multiple times at this point, and tess, his sister who he’s clearly close to…
Ooooo that was either a very good thing or a very bad thing to tell RIGHT as the paladin champion is coming in, depending on which Dragon he interprets that as…
Calling it now: next page, we’ll get a dramatic scene of the Champion answering Erin’s question and then the chapter will end, leaving us to stew for a while.
i mean i’ll give him that nobody else can still the seas but both tess and kendal have parted clouds before
Vash is LITERALLY known for splitting clouds
God, same
Right?!
Someone needs sleep.
Being sleep deprived makes you forget things to the point he cant remember that each of the people he is talking to beat him in a fight. Exept Tess, but she could too.
Yeah, but being beaten in a fight won’t actually achieve anything except stalling for time.
And there we have it. The quiet part said out loud.
Good on you for calling it out, Kendal.
Now hopefully some Light Dragon Paladin can knock some sense into Erin, and have the others help.
Ah, so Erin not only has a giant mountain of insecurity, the insecurity is also rooted on a deep-seated anxiety that no matter what others say, he feels he can’t trust anyone to actually have his back. Either *he* gets *himself* out of this mess, or he dies, because nobody else is going to save him and he doesn’t feel he can rely on anyone else to be there for him. So if he can’t do this, if he can’t “do his job” as he puts it, if he can’t prove that yes, he has things under control (and so has a chance of managing to save himself), he might as well lie down and let the Dragon take over because he’s doomed (and so is the rest of the planet, but that part is usually less motivating on the sheer atavistic fear level).
The fact that his previous angry lash out was about fearing that even Tess, his sister that he clearly does care about, only cares about his wellbeing out of *habit* from when she had no other option was a pretty solid hint there, in retrospect.
You know, in a way, it’s really funny how much Falst and Erin get on each other’s nerves because when it comes to masking serious trust issues about relying on other people they really are wearing the same hat. Just Falst puts on a mask of rugged misanthropy and Erin puts on a mask of hubristic wizardry. I guess if opposites attract, equals repel!
I’ve been thinking this whole arc about one of the first things Erin said to Kendal: “I’m the only one who can be TRUSTED to fix this.” For whatever reason, he certainly doesn’t trust the Academy, he doesn’t seem to trust anyone, regardless of if he cares for them or not.
And the other thing I’ve been thinking is that the person who probably can best reach Erin right now is either Kendal…or Falst. One thing I noticed is that they’re really the only two who haven’t questioned Erin’s abilities: Alinua, Dainix, and Tess have all done so (and not without reason!), but when the air bubble thing came up, Falst said, “You sure can [do all those things]” but that he can’t be everything at *once*.
When I read that Erin quote, my mind immediately went to Falst when he said something like “I’m not stupid enough to TRUST someone with my back.” And yet, he started trusting Dainix in the Caves, so he’s probably the only person who can snap Erin out of this attitude because he’s the only one who’s walked that path.
“Can you save me from The Dragon?!”
Paladin: (superhero lands on the boat) No, but I can 🙂
At current speeds, she might end up landing somewhere beneath the boat. Which would be one way to save Erin—the Void Dragon can’t hurt him if you sink his entire ship!
Next page:
Mysterious voice dramatically says, “No, but I can.” Cut to everyone’s faces, cut to Mr Light Paladin. Leave us to stew for the weekend.
VALTRAX BITCHES
How much you guys wanna bet that some of those water droplets he’s holding is his tears
Nah. Erin’s really gotta stop assuming his solutions are the only solutions. He does what HE DOES alone, but that’s one part of the whole.
Kendall does what KENDALL does alone, and he’s been proven to be pretty damn solid at it and has ALSO saved everyone’s lives on occssion. And yes, he’s also had to work through that whole “over eager self-sacrifice” thing. But it was never that he thought the others were unfit.
They’re all doing their thing alone.
OH DEAR HERE COMES MICHAEL
also Erin really is not looking good, I think he should put the sky down before he hurts himself
Kendal: I’m literally friends with the ocean deity, man. Chill.
Oh, my twins, it’s inverse Kendal.
Damn, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Tess so angry. With good reason but ouch
We all know Erin didn’t mean that dragon but I very much want to hear the paladin go “Well? Can you?” upon arrival
Lotta feelings on this page!
– is anyone else mildly impressed that Erin is having a meltdown and still keeping control of the spell?
– Regardless of whether Erin is right, wrong, or somewhere in between, I think this is the first time, at least for Alinua, Dainix, and Falst, that they’re realizing exactly how deep Erin’s terror of the Dragon runs. It’s an open secret, but it’s another thing to see its affect on him. Quite frankly, I thought it would take him a lot longer to admit it out loud; his go-to is simply burying his fear under false confidence and pretending it doesn’t exist.
For what it’s worth, I think what he’s getting at is, nobody can protect him from the Dragon, not really. Dainix and Kendal can combat him, Alinua can make him think twice about showing his face, but for the most part, they can only mitigate the damage, and Erin is afraid, deeply, deeply afraid, of what happens the more time this drags on.
The Dragon almost got Kendal killed in Zuurith. He’s hurt Alinua multiple times. Erin’s already had to negociate with the Dragon to ‘please don’t kill my friends in their sleep, I promise they’re useful’. And the Dragon is very, very clever and very, very patient. In the end, all Erin has to do is make one mistake, relax a little bit, and it’s over: either the Dragon wins, or they’ll have to kill him.
That’s what I take from helping in a way that ‘matters’: nobody can take the burden of constant vigilance from him, or the fear of failing in that particular ‘job’, and it’s starting to break him apart.
I think Erin’s right, they CANT protect him from the void dragon. The dragon doesn’t just disappear when it stops possessing him. It’s in his mind constantly chipping away at his resolve, waiting for a moment of weakness so it can escape. The last two times he was possessed it was on ERIN to snap himself out of it and subdue the dragon. In that, he feels, he is alone. The only one holding the line.
The others can’t stop it from mentally tormenting him, they can’t stop him from being possessed and though some of the group can protect themselves from the void dragon’s power they can’t really fight it without hurting Erin or themselves in the process.
Just a bad time all around.
(Plus I’m pretty sure if Kendal tries to throw starfire at him the dragon would just eat it)
I would actually love to see how that plays out. The Dragon can have a little Starfire. As a treat.
The writing is phenomenal as always, Red… I can feel my heart breaking. Yay!
“The strength of the Ringbearer is failing. In his heart, Frodo begins to understand the quest will claim his life.”
I don’t know about anyone else, but’s something I’ve broadly overlooked in Erin’s character. Before he entered the Storm, he was an arrogant, hubristic fool already laden with childhood and adult trauma. But then (through his own overconfidence) he touched something he shouldn’t have and became immediately possessed by an ancient and evil Dragon-God, which has since claimed to have created his entire world and species before explaining his plan to destroy it all. That’s enough to unravel anyone.
If I was defensive of Erin before, when he was being constantly second-guessed and downright undermined by his ‘friends’ all while he’s actively keeping them alive, I’m going to be absolutely bulletproof from now on. Yes, his plans are terrible, and yes, he treats people like shit sometimes, and no, that’s never acceptable. But it is undeniable that no-one really understands what he’s going through. Even Kendal and Alinua are tied to vaguely benevolent entities. If anyone, Dainix can relate most to Erin’s current situation, but Soulfire isn’t an existential threat to the planet the same way the Void Dragon is.
That’s not to say that the group’s criticisms aren’t valid. Kendal is extremely correct in saying that it isn’t Erin’s job to carry everyone like a burden. But Erin’s equally correct in saying that none of them can save him; they can stall for time while Erin chases leads like the Soulshaper Monks, but only Erin has any idea where to start looking for a real solution. And if, at any point, his vigilance fails and the Dragon takes control, then someone he loves could die (likely, his sister). And the only known way to truly prevent that at this point is to kill Erin.
Conclusion: Nobody likes what Erin’s saying right now, but it’s actually true. And given that he’s exercising constant mental effort to not only prevent the Dragon destroying the world, but also to prevent the world destroying their ship, I think it’s understandable that he’s more than a little wound-up at these people who don’t seem to take his situation very seriously (or very sympathetically, if I’m honest).
“In the gathering dark, the will of the Ring grows strong. It is close now, so close to achieving its goal.”
Also, Kendal is right. They should stop at the Archipelago; he and Dainix can talk to Rakhn, Alinua can fix the sail, and Tess can defend the ship from volcanic bombs.
This comment just made me realize that the monks might not even be able to help. Erin’s affliction is, after all, a very unique one. Imagine how devastating— to the entire cast, but especially to Erin specifically— it would be if the monks said they didn’t know what to do. That’d probably be enough to send Erin right back over the Despair Event Horizon. Yikes.
That’s sort of what I’m expecting to be honest. This is Erin’s FIRST idea. I think they’ll get some useful information, but they’ll probably be ultimately disappointed.
Frankly, (and don’t read this if you don’t like THEORETICAL SPOILERS) I find it more than a little suspicious that we have two major antagonists: the first one is an expert on souls who loves scooping gods out of people, and the second one is a god who stuck his soul inside a person who know wants that soul thoroughly scooped out. Seems like we could solve one problem with another here.
The void dragon’s soul is still in his body. He’s just using the rune to control Erin… Also I don’t think the Collector has a big enough cage to house the soul of a primordial
I mean the Void Dragon is already in a cage, no need to reinvent the wheel
I get lots of expectation in the comments in 2.2.32 that someone or something is going to show up to next page but Red has shown a pattern of ratcheting up the tension, so my expectation is nothing will be revealed except more dialogue Friday or even Monday. But this is just my guess from my reading of this story (my nerves are not screaming enough to expect release so soon).
Nah, I think He’s going to arrive, drop a SICK one-liner, and leave us on a massive cliff hanger for Monday.
Wow. Well. Okay. OK, Red.
Just bludgeon me to death with all the neuroses I developed from being a “gifted” child in school, except spoken explicitly and out loud, why don’t you. This is fine, not soul-crushing at all, thanks.
Realest comment in all the comic fr
They can’t help with the Dragon, but I don’t think you have to be worrying about those other things. It’s a cloudy day on choppy waters, they happen. Some stuff just happens.
Damn…that hits way too close to home for me. I’m “the guy” for way too much stuff in my social groups/community; I haven’t had time to sit down and watch TV or play a video game in years, unless I’m also concurrently doing something else. Multiple groups and friends constantly demanding my time/help with everything (to the detriment of my own stuff), and there’s not really anyone I can safely offload things to if I want them to be done correctly/on time (that’s not ego/arrogance–I’ve tried to hand things off; I wound up having to pick up the pieces and do more work than it would have been in the first place); the responsibility to keep ALL THE THINGS from falling apart is just a constant weight on my shoulders.
I feel ya, Erin. I feel ya.
I don’t know about the clouds or the seas, but three out of the five people he is talking to DID save him from the dragon. On more than one occasion. Yeah this outburst is going to live in Faslt’s head for a while. he is going to feel even more useless after hearing that from Erin.
also:
“I don’t know about clouds or seas, but I could probably help you with the dragon.” The champion possibly.
Oh, I hope he doesn’t say something like that. I am not sure I’d be ready for that tonal whip lash. Erin is bearing the worst, rawest parts of his soul right now, both metaphorically and literally. To have some white knight try a deus ex machina and be glib. oof.
I mean, it would be funny, but I think that this next page is better than what we were all suggesting.
Ermmmmm no trauma dumping in #general Erin
…someone else might have gotten it wrong…
Erin: Nobody can help me in a way that matters!
Michael, currently descending: -_-
In fairness, he’s handling being plague carrier for an ancient evil dragon being better than I would.
Honestly, I relate to Erin more than I thought I ever could when he was introduced. Not because I’ve ever had to carry that kind of burden or possess self confidence of any sort – but I know that feeling. The feeling of something inside constantly breaking so deeply that you just want to yell, to lash out, to make everyone else understand – at any cost to their feelings – why this is how things have to be.
I love Tess’ look and attitude and everything in that lower left panel <3
To answer the question, yes! Still hubris 😛
Read that last line in the voice of Dennis from the SpongeBob movie.
O noe he sad
“If I fall, no one can catch me”
Nobody remind him that the last three times he fell the same two people caught him
Erin is so me in school projects
The self-imposed Atlas status.
Been there. Nota pleasant place to be.