. “Ah,” The Light Dragon says as the fire blasts through the air, enveloping the Champion and launching him away from the ship.
. Kendal plummets through the air, trailing blue fire. He hits the deck, cracking the wood and blasting Dainix away from him with the force of his landing.
. “Sleep, then, my Champion,” the Light Dragon murmurs as the Champion falls away, a comet streaking towards the ocean. “The fight will always be waiting.”
. Kendal lies unconscious on the deck, bits of flame still blazing around him.
No Kendal not another coma noooooo
It probably won’t be but KENDAL
Okay, well, at least the Champion’s gone. They have a lot more problems to worry about now though…
Such as, are those spires of rock in the last panel? Or the spines on the sea monster’s back?
So, the Light Dragon probably recognized the starfire, or at least realized “oh these guys are more powerful than I thought, we need to be more prepared next time.”
Upon being forced to read this page, my browser decided that it would be really funny to stop loading midway through the final panel, forcing me to wait half a goddamned minute to see what the boat was showing. On a more wholesome note, Dainix moved away from Kendal! That’s a good sign.
I am concerned that the sheer speed and force of Kendal’s descent might have simply blown Dainix aside, as opposed to him getting out of the way on purpose. But if you’re right, and Dainix had enough awareness to get out of Kendal’s way, that is a hopeful sign. We shall see…
The explosion from the beam clash knocked out both LD’s Champion and Vash. Presumably, LD is guiding her Champion’s fall so he’ll land somewhere safe enough for him to get some shut-eye. No such luck for Vash, who slammed into the deck of the ship. I’m not certain if the impact pushed Dainix’s flames to the sides or if he purposefully got them out of the way; hopefully the latter and he can calm down soon now that this fight is over and maybe they’ll get to the volcanic islands before the ship capsizes.
Kendal be like “I’m fine with burning people alive but stabbing is where I draw the line.”
The Lady be like “Time is running out but don’t worry, we’ve always got more.”
Is that the volcano in the background or the seamonster?
After a bit of stewing, what I think is happening on the Lady’s side is that the recognized the starfire for what it is (“Ah.”), and realized Kendal isn’t something the void dragon or Erin could have possibly created, and therefore someone who isn’t on the Dragon’s side. Therefore the situation changed from “VD might achieve his goal at any moment” to “These people could realistically slow him down while my Champion prepares to kill him properly.”
Kendal: “If I only attack him in ways where he flies offscreen, then we never actually SEE the body, which means he’s definitely still alive and my attack was nonlethal.”
From what she’s seen it definitely looks like Void Dragon has a god in his side. I have a feeling that next time will be more planned and be a full on crusade on Erin.
Lucy keeps saying there is always time and that the fight will go on and such. Does she know Walter was making his way into the caves on day 2? Or that was even his plan?
No, she doesnt, considering How that entrance to the caves was inside the área of the storm then she probably doesnt even know that there was a entrance to the caves there
And in a single blow, the number of unconscious/incapacitated characters doubles! I’m guessing Kendal’s going to be the first to recover, then Dainix, then Erin.
Tess seemed pretty adamant about Erin being out cold. How many times has he done that (or similar) before? Is this the worst case of over-taxing? I doubt it. What drove him to before? He’s pretty self-destructive/careless with his own well-being, so I doubt it takes *much*.
Well, that’s one problem dealt with! Sort of. Repelled for now, at least. Now we just have…
– Erin unconscious and badly injured
– Kendal unconscious and badly injured
– Dainix out of control in Crucible form
– The ship damaged and on fire, capsizing likely imminent
– The storm: pouring rain, risk of lightning, risk of more ammo from Rakhn?
And coming up:
– That sea monster Alinua perceived; not encountered yet, but coming soon?
– The Collector; she’s on her way, unclear how much longer it’ll take for her to catch up
They can eat this problem elephant bite by bite, right? Somehow? Hopefully? Uh…
that leaves half the gang still in commission!! and those guys (assuming the bubble spell protected them from the fire and kendals landing) are in good shape
ig first priority is to heal erin and kendal? then see if dainix calms down, and if the ship holds up. there was a panel earlier of tess on a life boat i think, so theyll still have some sailing vessel if the main ship is downed. then they gotta find somewhere safe to settle to avoid the “coming up” problems… and the storm. augh. no rest for the mcs
“The fight will always be waiting?” Doesn’t that sort of contradict the Paladin’s motives for attacking in the first place, that the Void Dragon is on a quest to destroy the world?
It’s possible that she realised something about Kendal and Starfire in that first panel which caused her to retreat. Or maybe she just realises that her Champion is too exhausted to continue. Either way, she’s taking the risk that VD hasn’t destroyed the world yet, so there must be something keeping him in check. She knows that VD plays the long game, same as Erin, and she’s gambling that they have time to recover before striking again.
No, not at all. This is the classic Paladin ethos at work: there will always be evil in the world, and therefore there must always be Paladins to smite it and send it back to the shadows from whence it came. Or, in this particular case, the Void Dragon will ALWAYS be on some sort of quest to destroy the world, and therefore the servants of the Light Dragon must destroy everything with even the slightest trace of his power wherever they see it.
While Michael originally thought that Erin was under V.D.’s direct control when he attacked the boat, but on page 2.3.6, Erin actually DOES convince him otherwise…but it doesn’t make a WHIT of difference. Our lovely Paladin wants to destroy the Void Dragon’s Vessel as soon as possible, and whether that’s now or later, whether Erin’s in control of his body or not at the time, he will do it with the exact same level of passion and urgency.
A ship-killer storm.
A burning boat in the middle of the ocean.
One friend who is currently literally made of anxiety fire.
One friend who is fully unconscious.
One friend who is on fire (but not made of fire) and may or may not be unconscious.
One cult-leader (co-cult leaders? Cult-leader possessed prophet?) already encountered.
One mad god-killer hot on our heels.
And mysteriously big scaly things hanging around somewhere.
I swear every page that the boat is FINALLY going to sink. Surely Dainix on fire will melt it! Surely the Paladin beam will neatly slice it in half! Surely Kendal slamming into it a terminal velocity will finally puncture the hull! And yet it still is limping along! kudos to Tarren ig for managing to at least protagonist-proof it enough for the journey thus far, excited to see how the boat doesn’t get capsized next
There once was a super-powered spar
Where each fighter became a shooting star.
They fell through the night
Burning quite bright
And landed with the force of a car.
Awaken from a quiet sleep
Hear the whispering of the wind.
Awaken as the silence grows
In the solitude of the night
Darkness spreads throughout the land,
And your weary eyes open silently
Sunsets have forsaken all
The most far off horizons.
Nightmares come when shadows grow,
Eyes close and heartbeats slow
team rocket blasting off againnnnnnn!
For mobile folk:
Alt text: *distantly* MY CABBAGES
Image source: waiting
tumblr text: mission complete!
Twitter/bluesky text: that’s MY breath weapon and I said NO BACKSIES
. “Ah,” The Light Dragon says as the fire blasts through the air, enveloping the Champion and launching him away from the ship.
. Kendal plummets through the air, trailing blue fire. He hits the deck, cracking the wood and blasting Dainix away from him with the force of his landing.
. “Sleep, then, my Champion,” the Light Dragon murmurs as the Champion falls away, a comet streaking towards the ocean. “The fight will always be waiting.”
. Kendal lies unconscious on the deck, bits of flame still blazing around him.
No Kendal not another coma noooooo
It probably won’t be but KENDAL
Okay, well, at least the Champion’s gone. They have a lot more problems to worry about now though…
Such as, are those spires of rock in the last panel? Or the spines on the sea monster’s back?
So, the Light Dragon probably recognized the starfire, or at least realized “oh these guys are more powerful than I thought, we need to be more prepared next time.”
Twitter/Bluesky text: that’s MY breath weapon and I said NO BACKSIES
Upon being forced to read this page, my browser decided that it would be really funny to stop loading midway through the final panel, forcing me to wait half a goddamned minute to see what the boat was showing. On a more wholesome note, Dainix moved away from Kendal! That’s a good sign.
I am concerned that the sheer speed and force of Kendal’s descent might have simply blown Dainix aside, as opposed to him getting out of the way on purpose. But if you’re right, and Dainix had enough awareness to get out of Kendal’s way, that is a hopeful sign. We shall see…
Oh no I don’t get what just happened but I know it’s real bad
Pyrrhic victory.
Our guys… won? But they’re in tatters. I wouldn’t be surprised if the boat starts sinking next.
Indeed. There’s still the problem of Dainix, mad with fear and rage and maybe not able to calm down on a burning boat.
The explosion from the beam clash knocked out both LD’s Champion and Vash. Presumably, LD is guiding her Champion’s fall so he’ll land somewhere safe enough for him to get some shut-eye. No such luck for Vash, who slammed into the deck of the ship. I’m not certain if the impact pushed Dainix’s flames to the sides or if he purposefully got them out of the way; hopefully the latter and he can calm down soon now that this fight is over and maybe they’ll get to the volcanic islands before the ship capsizes.
Vash is still being tortured in a cave. That’s Kendal
Don’t forget our undisclosed underwater friend
Kendal be like “I’m fine with burning people alive but stabbing is where I draw the line.”
The Lady be like “Time is running out but don’t worry, we’ve always got more.”
Is that the volcano in the background or the seamonster?
After a bit of stewing, what I think is happening on the Lady’s side is that the recognized the starfire for what it is (“Ah.”), and realized Kendal isn’t something the void dragon or Erin could have possibly created, and therefore someone who isn’t on the Dragon’s side. Therefore the situation changed from “VD might achieve his goal at any moment” to “These people could realistically slow him down while my Champion prepares to kill him properly.”
He is just sleeping
I think she’s realizing that the champion is about to be severely injured in this explosion and telling him to rest in the aftermath.
I think it’s the volcano because it goes up too much to be something in the water. Also the sea monster was glowing green.
I think it’s what’s left of the upper deck of the _Tarren’s Masterpiece._
Kendal: “If I only attack him in ways where he flies offscreen, then we never actually SEE the body, which means he’s definitely still alive and my attack was nonlethal.”
Look! I can see his parachute, he’s ok!
That’s certainly an interesting way to invoke that trope, hahaha
I would like to note that it was “Ah.” not “Ah!”
Lady White Dragon recognized the star fire. Now, what she is going to *DO* about it I do not know, but she seems less eager to tackle the party here.
From what she’s seen it definitely looks like Void Dragon has a god in his side. I have a feeling that next time will be more planned and be a full on crusade on Erin.
Lucy keeps saying there is always time and that the fight will go on and such. Does she know Walter was making his way into the caves on day 2? Or that was even his plan?
No, she doesnt, considering How that entrance to the caves was inside the área of the storm then she probably doesnt even know that there was a entrance to the caves there
And in a single blow, the number of unconscious/incapacitated characters doubles! I’m guessing Kendal’s going to be the first to recover, then Dainix, then Erin.
Tess seemed pretty adamant about Erin being out cold. How many times has he done that (or similar) before? Is this the worst case of over-taxing? I doubt it. What drove him to before? He’s pretty self-destructive/careless with his own well-being, so I doubt it takes *much*.
I know it’s fate is sealed but the boat is holding up surprisingly well.
DRAMATIC FINISH!!!
I hope he has better luck sleeping than I’ve been having lately 🙁
Same
Quick! Go for the coup de grace while he’s unconscious!
… hello?
… Oh. You’re unconscious too. Alr, sleep well then.
[HOME RUN BAT NOISE] A NEWWWWWW RECORD!
Awesome job, Kendal. Also, oh no, Kendal D:
Well, that’s one problem dealt with! Sort of. Repelled for now, at least. Now we just have…
– Erin unconscious and badly injured
– Kendal unconscious and badly injured
– Dainix out of control in Crucible form
– The ship damaged and on fire, capsizing likely imminent
– The storm: pouring rain, risk of lightning, risk of more ammo from Rakhn?
And coming up:
– That sea monster Alinua perceived; not encountered yet, but coming soon?
– The Collector; she’s on her way, unclear how much longer it’ll take for her to catch up
They can eat this problem elephant bite by bite, right? Somehow? Hopefully? Uh…
that leaves half the gang still in commission!! and those guys (assuming the bubble spell protected them from the fire and kendals landing) are in good shape
ig first priority is to heal erin and kendal? then see if dainix calms down, and if the ship holds up. there was a panel earlier of tess on a life boat i think, so theyll still have some sailing vessel if the main ship is downed. then they gotta find somewhere safe to settle to avoid the “coming up” problems… and the storm. augh. no rest for the mcs
Tess was sitting on an outrigger I think, so unfortunately I don’t think lifeboats were one of those safety features Erin asked for
“The fight will always be waiting?” Doesn’t that sort of contradict the Paladin’s motives for attacking in the first place, that the Void Dragon is on a quest to destroy the world?
It’s possible that she realised something about Kendal and Starfire in that first panel which caused her to retreat. Or maybe she just realises that her Champion is too exhausted to continue. Either way, she’s taking the risk that VD hasn’t destroyed the world yet, so there must be something keeping him in check. She knows that VD plays the long game, same as Erin, and she’s gambling that they have time to recover before striking again.
No, not at all. This is the classic Paladin ethos at work: there will always be evil in the world, and therefore there must always be Paladins to smite it and send it back to the shadows from whence it came. Or, in this particular case, the Void Dragon will ALWAYS be on some sort of quest to destroy the world, and therefore the servants of the Light Dragon must destroy everything with even the slightest trace of his power wherever they see it.
While Michael originally thought that Erin was under V.D.’s direct control when he attacked the boat, but on page 2.3.6, Erin actually DOES convince him otherwise…but it doesn’t make a WHIT of difference. Our lovely Paladin wants to destroy the Void Dragon’s Vessel as soon as possible, and whether that’s now or later, whether Erin’s in control of his body or not at the time, he will do it with the exact same level of passion and urgency.
Aurora Question #26: Whose arc has been your favourite so far?
The Falst/Dainix one in the caves. I have a soft spot for characters slowly learning to trust.
Falst 🙂
Kendal, for reasons I don’t understand
Kendal’s. A person slowly figuring out who they are beyond the bounds of the role of weapon.
I love them all, but I think, if I had to pick, possibly Alinua?
Erin.
i hope kendal is buying these shirts in bulk, this has got to be a strain on the team’s finances at this point
A ship-killer storm.
A burning boat in the middle of the ocean.
One friend who is currently literally made of anxiety fire.
One friend who is fully unconscious.
One friend who is on fire (but not made of fire) and may or may not be unconscious.
One cult-leader (co-cult leaders? Cult-leader possessed prophet?) already encountered.
One mad god-killer hot on our heels.
And mysteriously big scaly things hanging around somewhere.
So far this roadtrip is going great!
Ah?
Choo!
Gesundheit!
Kendal turned into a shooting star 🙂
I swear every page that the boat is FINALLY going to sink. Surely Dainix on fire will melt it! Surely the Paladin beam will neatly slice it in half! Surely Kendal slamming into it a terminal velocity will finally puncture the hull! And yet it still is limping along! kudos to Tarren ig for managing to at least protagonist-proof it enough for the journey thus far, excited to see how the boat doesn’t get capsized next
At this point I feel like it’s less terrans doing and more so that the boat is holding itself together. Maybe it gained sapience somehow.
He asked ERIN to test it. That means he has a LOT of faith in this thing XD
There once was a super-powered spar
Where each fighter became a shooting star.
They fell through the night
Burning quite bright
And landed with the force of a car.
The fighters are hurled apart by the burst
Brave Kendal falls like a drip
Of burning blue that hits the deck
Of the already blazing ship.
The Lady says “Sleep, then, my Champion.
The fight will always be waiting.”
Away through the sky he falls like a comet,
That fight for now abating.
TL;DR: Away we go! Oh, never mind the burning boat.
…”Alright, we’ll call it a draw.”
As we unfortunately must
“Oh I see! Running away?!”
Dude, my bro, man…. Other male oriented slang…. This comic is amazing 🤩!!!
So ends the fight, as a streak in the sky
Over fallen Kendal the Champion does fly
Awaken from a quiet sleep
Hear the whispering of the wind.
Awaken as the silence grows
In the solitude of the night
Darkness spreads throughout the land,
And your weary eyes open silently
Sunsets have forsaken all
The most far off horizons.
Nightmares come when shadows grow,
Eyes close and heartbeats slow
Oh, I get it.
Michael’s gonna be a party member.