. “Well, time’s a-wasting!” Caliban says. “You’ll find Rakhn’s temple on the northern face of the slope, just under the caldera. Best of luck!”
. “Wait–!” Falst cries, lunging towards them as their incarnation dissolves. “Wait…” he falters, standing still for a moment as the last bit of orange light dissolves in the air.
. “They can’t be serious,” Falst says.
. “Come on,” Kendal says, turning to walk up the volcano.
. “No — hey!” Falst cries. “You’re not buying into this plan?!”
. “I don’t trust Caliban, but we have to save Dainix.”
. “I have to save Dainix! I barely took a hit in that fight, and — more importantly — you blew yourself up! You can barely stand, let alone hike up a damn mountain and fight a god!”
. “I might not have to fight,” Kendal says. “Rakhn is volatile, but as I understand it, he mostly just hates being bored. I only need to keep his attention long enough that he won’t feel you break off a piece of his heart.”
. “This is sounding suspiciously close to your plan with Tynan,” Falst says, ducking under Kendal’s arm to help support him.
. “It’s slightly better. I don’t actually have to beat him.”
. “Right, because THAT was the problem,” Falst grumbles. “And you know the worst part?” he asks, glancing down at Caliban’s scarf wrapped around his neck. “I can’t shake the feeling they were a little too prepared for this.”
Alright so, I just did some Math
The first arc took about 4.5 years to complete. There are about 6 arcs left. That’s a little less (b/c we’ve already started this arc) than 27 years till this thing is finished.
I will be FORTY YEARS OLD by the time this comic is complete.
Well… I guess at least this’ll be one thing I can always count to be here (Except when Red’s taking Health Breaks ofc)
I’m seriously hoping it becomes a permanent part of his character design. The light blue complements his eyes really well, a scarf fits Falst’s personality better than a full cape, and from a narrative standpoint, giving Falst an item that makes him resistant to fire when his boyf- BEST friend/foil is a fire guy is symmetrical in a way that’s satisfying
This feels like a moment where we get a cutaway to someone else, either the Ruunaster siblings in their cave, Alinua in the sea, or Tahrian and Caliban following up on Falst’s intuition at the end there.
“I can’t shake the feeling they were a little too prepared for this”
Hard cut to Caliban freaking out over how much shit has went sideways and how that plan is stupid but it was the only thing they could think of on the spur of the moment
To be fair, Falst locked himself into this quest the moment he held Meridia’s Demonheart.
They’ve outlined a plan but I wouldn’t say they’ve explained it, least of all to the reader; they don’t have enough knowledge of Rakhn’s temple or his current temperament to form a complex plan anyway. More like a strategy with the finer details to be improvised.
I’m more concerned about Falst’s insistence he needs to save Dainix alone; that could just be concern for Kendal, or it could be loathing at himself for not doing more to help Dainix and the others on the ship.
Kendal recounting the events of the comic could be enough to distract and entertain Rakhn, if he’s in the mood for a story. However, I think he will want something more tangible. A spar with Kendal to see the demigod’s talent? Seeking out Erin after his display of power on the ocean? Demanding Kendal to bring Vash out like he did during the Tynan fight?
The complications Falst could encounter should be interesting too, especially in the temple environment. Indiana Jones-style traps and trials? Ignan or Rakhn-Sentinel guards? Lava wyrm sleeping around the Fireseed?
I’m with Falst, this has all slotted together a little too well, especially the convenient scarf. Was their stranding on Rakhn planned by Caliban and Tahraim? But how? Could Tahraim have had some influence on Tarren when they were modifying the boat for Helm? Or did they think the gang would stop here anyway when Dainix began cracking?
I’m actually fairly confident these two will pull things off well. My concern is that a third party might interfere, even with good intentions, and provoke Rakhn into a real conflict. Heists always go according to plan until there’s UNFORESEEN DRAMA.
My current prediction is that Rakhn will be interested in Starfire. Caliban seems to know about it, so there’s a good chance other gods do as well, and why wouldn’t a bored volcano god be interested in the only thing hotter or more volatile then himself? I worry that while Kendal shows off his sick tricks, someone with a habit of punching above her weight class might misinterpret the light show as a real fight and throw hands at Rakhn to help out her friends. Sound like anyone we know?
I know you people think I’m this serious art critic but I’m just a silly little goose trying to make ends meet, I’m in the gutter y’all, I was just trying to be a little funny, a little whimsical, and once again I’ve been foiled by strangers on the internet. cut me a break it’s been a long weekend and not in the bank holiday sense
Falst out here throwing shade at Kendal for his self-sacrificing nonsense when literally two seconds ago he was advocating for himself to do literally the same exact thing for exceedingly similar reasons to Kendal (guilt *cough*cough*) will be endlessly amusing to me.
The lack of self-awareness and the sheer hypocricy is so striking. Everyone in the floof squad is so smart in so many ways, but so insanely dumb when it comes to themselves, it’s incredible.
Except Tess. For now at least, she seems to have most things figured out.
Gotta wonder what’s happening with everyone else though… I’m honestly kinda scared to see what happened to Alinua…
To be fair, Kendal and Falst are more concerned with the immediate threat of Dainix Actually Dying, and alinua presumably isn’t in any danger (for now). Maybe we’ll get a cut to Tess dragging her into the little cave she set Erin up in? or a worse option i haven’t thought of. Who can say really.
Don’t forget Primordial Life is looking out for Alinua and Alinua though a hermit for most of her Chimeric life has a talent for making allies in strange places. So while I expect she has perils to deal with Alinua is not as helpless as she sometimes feels. As she told Falst in the city of Zuurith she no longer just hides and cowers in fear ever since she has met Kendal.
i dont think she is functionally immortal yet tho, we’ve seen alinua almost bleed out on the floor during the jolon arc while the collector doesnt even have blood anymore, she doesnt need it, she certainly can become in the future but i dont think she is quite yet
Oh, Kendal was definitely thinking of (and, possibly, prematurely grieving) Alinua earlier, but he does not know what became of her or what he can do about it, only that she protected him while remaining exposed in that leviathan attack. Meanwhile, Falst and Dainix(‘s heart) are right in front of him, Dainix is in danger of dying imminently, and they have a clear path forward to prevent that from happening. I’m willing to bet he’s utterly heartbroken about Alinua and both physically and mentally at the end of his rope, but he’s doing what he can to save the friends he can reach.
I do want to know what happened to Alinua, too. I am worried about her. 🙁
Kendal and Falst are those two idiots that won’t let anyone die for them but will off themselves in a heartbeat if it meant protecting others. My DND character Rynna is like this and everyone would like her to please stop lol.
Do they need a fire seed specifically, or just a whole lot of fire? Because I feel like the GOD OF FIRE who just left could have provided the latter if they wanted…
Don’t mean to um actually you, but Caliban is the gods of ignans, not fire. Ignans are a hot weather/heat resistant race/species, but not actually anything to do with fire. I think the only ‘God of fire’ is primordial Fire, with a capital F. Even Tahraim couldn’t help in this instance, being the god of the forge, not of fire.
Considering he can compose a body at will using fire that is definitely not starfire and is clearly going to be aligned with Ignans, I still have doubts that the mission is truly necessary and not just a bluff to get some mortals/semimortals to do dirty work for him. I suspect Caliban can make a LOT of fire, and concentrate it well, and that it would definitely be the kind needed. Would it cost more than Caliban wants to spend, in light of his many schemes (irons in the fire, one might say)? Sure. But COULD he do it? I’m inclined toward a definite “maybe.”
As above, Caliban is an Ethnic God; a God of People, not Fire. They may be able to construct an incarnation using the Primordial Elements, but I don’t believe Gods have any real power over the elements, at least not in the same way Mages do. Besides, it’s not possible for us to know how truthful Caliban is being at this stage, so if they say Dainix needs a Fireseed, then I have to assume that’s true.
On the one hand it’s perfectly fair to point out that some part of my suspicion is based not in what we’ve seen in the text but rather in supposition and, even less rationally, other media’s definitions of words (assumptions of what a god can do based on their being “a god,” for instance). On the other, Caliban’s being sus. While it’s clear that much of what he has to say is true (the explanation of how Dainix’s soul works for the meta reason that it’d be bad storytelling for Red to deliver false worldbuilding so intricately, and the admission that Dainix is important because that yields ground – if it weren’t true someone wouldn’t say it because they’d be giving up more than they got for the lie) there’s almost definitely something hinky about this mission. There’s a lie or omission SOMEWHERE, and I get the impression that both of our boys know it (though they too don’t know what it is).
Oh, I ABSOLUTELY agree that there’s a catch here. I don’t think Caliban is lying about the process of reviving Dainix; as you say, false worldbuilding presented in the same way as prior TRUE worldbuilding is inconsistent on the writer’s part. But there’s something going on here, and I’m pretty sure it’s got something to do with WHY Caliban is so interested in Dainix. That’s the only question he really dodged, and he steered clear of why he was in Zuurith as well, despite noting that Falst’s ability to identify him would be “a problem”.
This plan to distract Rakhn is sorta giving me Gandalf talks to Beorn vibes, I’m wondering if he’ll just recount his adventure to him and then halfway through Rakhn will figure out somethings up. I can’t help but think Rakhn will be less accommodating though.
Unable to argue with Caliban any further, and with no alternative, I’m surprised Falst is objecting to this plan at all instead of rushing headlong into danger like he normally does. This makes part of me suspect Red is about to pull a trope subversion on us and this plan is actually going to go flawlessly (which would be hilarious), but the Consequences of the plan are going to be the tricky part
Shot in the dark? A regular fire of medium size woulda worked just fine, our deity just wants an easy in for some superpower juice to his ‘crucible’, and this is a way to convince them to take on a task they would otherwise deem too risky and out of the way.
I like the bird’s eye angle of panel six reminding the audience that Falst and Kendal are NOT as alone as they feel despite their isolation they see around them.
So are they just not going to talk about what happened to Alinua, Tess or Eren? Falst definitely knows about Tess and Eren, at least, but I don’t think Kendal does. And both should definitely be worried about Alinua.
Rakhn is sounding more and more like a grumpy middle-age man drinking away the time between football games during which he becomes excessively animated
It would make for such a funny twist of everyone’s expectations if Kendal and Rakhn actually end up just, like, having an interesting conversation because Rakhn has heard about the demigod and wants all the details of what he’s doing about the Collector.
After all, at this point Kendal has interacted with six gods, three of whom were perfectly reasonable and pleasant, (Ilia, Gleicann, and Argist), and one who’s being helpful, if also cryptic and a bit of a dick. Even of the two antagonistic gods, only ONE of them actually tried to kill him. Overall I think Kendal has decent odds!
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: looking a gift god in the mouth I see
Image source: plan
Bluesky text: have fun storming the castle!
Tumblr text: We’re going on a killer quest!
. “Well, time’s a-wasting!” Caliban says. “You’ll find Rakhn’s temple on the northern face of the slope, just under the caldera. Best of luck!”
. “Wait–!” Falst cries, lunging towards them as their incarnation dissolves. “Wait…” he falters, standing still for a moment as the last bit of orange light dissolves in the air.
. “They can’t be serious,” Falst says.
. “Come on,” Kendal says, turning to walk up the volcano.
. “No — hey!” Falst cries. “You’re not buying into this plan?!”
. “I don’t trust Caliban, but we have to save Dainix.”
. “I have to save Dainix! I barely took a hit in that fight, and — more importantly — you blew yourself up! You can barely stand, let alone hike up a damn mountain and fight a god!”
. “I might not have to fight,” Kendal says. “Rakhn is volatile, but as I understand it, he mostly just hates being bored. I only need to keep his attention long enough that he won’t feel you break off a piece of his heart.”
. “This is sounding suspiciously close to your plan with Tynan,” Falst says, ducking under Kendal’s arm to help support him.
. “It’s slightly better. I don’t actually have to beat him.”
. “Right, because THAT was the problem,” Falst grumbles. “And you know the worst part?” he asks, glancing down at Caliban’s scarf wrapped around his neck. “I can’t shake the feeling they were a little too prepared for this.”
Alright so, I just did some Math
The first arc took about 4.5 years to complete. There are about 6 arcs left. That’s a little less (b/c we’ve already started this arc) than 27 years till this thing is finished.
I will be FORTY YEARS OLD by the time this comic is complete.
Well… I guess at least this’ll be one thing I can always count to be here (Except when Red’s taking Health Breaks ofc)
…okay, I *think* that still gives me more than a 50% chance of not dying of old age before this finishes.
Omg I’ll be like 44. By that time, if I have kids, they’ll probs be the same age I am now reading this comic
Born too late to explore the world.
Born too early to explore the universe.
Born just in time to read Aurora.
We’re winning.
The scarf looks great on Falst
I’m seriously hoping it becomes a permanent part of his character design. The light blue complements his eyes really well, a scarf fits Falst’s personality better than a full cape, and from a narrative standpoint, giving Falst an item that makes him resistant to fire when his boyf- BEST friend/foil is a fire guy is symmetrical in a way that’s satisfying
Yes!!
i’m sure it’s gonna be fine, a plan explained to the reader never goes wrong
Luckily what they have is not so much a plan as a list of objectives.
This feels like a moment where we get a cutaway to someone else, either the Ruunaster siblings in their cave, Alinua in the sea, or Tahrian and Caliban following up on Falst’s intuition at the end there.
“I can’t shake the feeling they were a little too prepared for this”
Hard cut to Caliban freaking out over how much shit has went sideways and how that plan is stupid but it was the only thing they could think of on the spur of the moment
LOL
Caliban fades out, and though Falst has fears
Kendal has a plan, and the mountain thus nears
The plan in question will undoubtedly go wrong in like 0.3 seconds, and I can’t wait to see how.
Never been here early enough to comment very happy about it! I also will be drawing so much art of Falst in his lil scarf! He’s so silly!
To be fair, Falst locked himself into this quest the moment he held Meridia’s Demonheart.
They’ve outlined a plan but I wouldn’t say they’ve explained it, least of all to the reader; they don’t have enough knowledge of Rakhn’s temple or his current temperament to form a complex plan anyway. More like a strategy with the finer details to be improvised.
I’m more concerned about Falst’s insistence he needs to save Dainix alone; that could just be concern for Kendal, or it could be loathing at himself for not doing more to help Dainix and the others on the ship.
Kendal recounting the events of the comic could be enough to distract and entertain Rakhn, if he’s in the mood for a story. However, I think he will want something more tangible. A spar with Kendal to see the demigod’s talent? Seeking out Erin after his display of power on the ocean? Demanding Kendal to bring Vash out like he did during the Tynan fight?
The complications Falst could encounter should be interesting too, especially in the temple environment. Indiana Jones-style traps and trials? Ignan or Rakhn-Sentinel guards? Lava wyrm sleeping around the Fireseed?
I’m with Falst, this has all slotted together a little too well, especially the convenient scarf. Was their stranding on Rakhn planned by Caliban and Tahraim? But how? Could Tahraim have had some influence on Tarren when they were modifying the boat for Helm? Or did they think the gang would stop here anyway when Dainix began cracking?
Ohhh Caliban like Shakespeare, how has it taken until now to get it!
This reminds me of the Odyssey when Odysseus was given a magic scarf to keep him from drowning and bring him to shore
Falst bringing up some very good points here
Aurora Question #39: Which parts of this plan will go catastrophically wrong?
I’m actually fairly confident these two will pull things off well. My concern is that a third party might interfere, even with good intentions, and provoke Rakhn into a real conflict. Heists always go according to plan until there’s UNFORESEEN DRAMA.
My current prediction is that Rakhn will be interested in Starfire. Caliban seems to know about it, so there’s a good chance other gods do as well, and why wouldn’t a bored volcano god be interested in the only thing hotter or more volatile then himself? I worry that while Kendal shows off his sick tricks, someone with a habit of punching above her weight class might misinterpret the light show as a real fight and throw hands at Rakhn to help out her friends. Sound like anyone we know?
“With a habit of punching above her weight class” XD
Given that she’s made of solid metal, I’m not actually sure that’s true
I WAS USING HYPERBOLE OKAY
I know you people think I’m this serious art critic but I’m just a silly little goose trying to make ends meet, I’m in the gutter y’all, I was just trying to be a little funny, a little whimsical, and once again I’ve been foiled by strangers on the internet. cut me a break it’s been a long weekend and not in the bank holiday sense
You never know when a lava kraken will appear.
Falst out here throwing shade at Kendal for his self-sacrificing nonsense when literally two seconds ago he was advocating for himself to do literally the same exact thing for exceedingly similar reasons to Kendal (guilt *cough*cough*) will be endlessly amusing to me.
The lack of self-awareness and the sheer hypocricy is so striking. Everyone in the floof squad is so smart in so many ways, but so insanely dumb when it comes to themselves, it’s incredible.
Except Tess. For now at least, she seems to have most things figured out.
Gotta wonder what’s happening with everyone else though… I’m honestly kinda scared to see what happened to Alinua…
So, no one will even think of Alinua?
they cant really do anything to help alinua now, and dainix’s life is on clock so… first things first
To be fair, Kendal and Falst are more concerned with the immediate threat of Dainix Actually Dying, and alinua presumably isn’t in any danger (for now). Maybe we’ll get a cut to Tess dragging her into the little cave she set Erin up in? or a worse option i haven’t thought of. Who can say really.
Don’t forget Primordial Life is looking out for Alinua and Alinua though a hermit for most of her Chimeric life has a talent for making allies in strange places. So while I expect she has perils to deal with Alinua is not as helpless as she sometimes feels. As she told Falst in the city of Zuurith she no longer just hides and cowers in fear ever since she has met Kendal.
Alinua may or may not be functionally immortal tbf
i dont think she is functionally immortal yet tho, we’ve seen alinua almost bleed out on the floor during the jolon arc while the collector doesnt even have blood anymore, she doesnt need it, she certainly can become in the future but i dont think she is quite yet
True, but it’s worth acknowledging that that was a special circumstance in which she couldn’t use magic even passively
Kendal DID think of Alinua, as seen on 2.4.3. She was the first thing he thought of, before Falst washed ashore.
Oh, Kendal was definitely thinking of (and, possibly, prematurely grieving) Alinua earlier, but he does not know what became of her or what he can do about it, only that she protected him while remaining exposed in that leviathan attack. Meanwhile, Falst and Dainix(‘s heart) are right in front of him, Dainix is in danger of dying imminently, and they have a clear path forward to prevent that from happening. I’m willing to bet he’s utterly heartbroken about Alinua and both physically and mentally at the end of his rope, but he’s doing what he can to save the friends he can reach.
I do want to know what happened to Alinua, too. I am worried about her. 🙁
Kendal and Falst are those two idiots that won’t let anyone die for them but will off themselves in a heartbeat if it meant protecting others. My DND character Rynna is like this and everyone would like her to please stop lol.
Is that pronounced ‘Rye-anna” or Rihanna. Please I am insanely curious.
Do they need a fire seed specifically, or just a whole lot of fire? Because I feel like the GOD OF FIRE who just left could have provided the latter if they wanted…
Don’t mean to um actually you, but Caliban is the gods of ignans, not fire. Ignans are a hot weather/heat resistant race/species, but not actually anything to do with fire. I think the only ‘God of fire’ is primordial Fire, with a capital F. Even Tahraim couldn’t help in this instance, being the god of the forge, not of fire.
Considering he can compose a body at will using fire that is definitely not starfire and is clearly going to be aligned with Ignans, I still have doubts that the mission is truly necessary and not just a bluff to get some mortals/semimortals to do dirty work for him. I suspect Caliban can make a LOT of fire, and concentrate it well, and that it would definitely be the kind needed. Would it cost more than Caliban wants to spend, in light of his many schemes (irons in the fire, one might say)? Sure. But COULD he do it? I’m inclined toward a definite “maybe.”
Caliban uses They/Them pronouns.
As above, Caliban is an Ethnic God; a God of People, not Fire. They may be able to construct an incarnation using the Primordial Elements, but I don’t believe Gods have any real power over the elements, at least not in the same way Mages do. Besides, it’s not possible for us to know how truthful Caliban is being at this stage, so if they say Dainix needs a Fireseed, then I have to assume that’s true.
caliban uses all pronouns its on the character page
Oh, fair enough.
On the one hand it’s perfectly fair to point out that some part of my suspicion is based not in what we’ve seen in the text but rather in supposition and, even less rationally, other media’s definitions of words (assumptions of what a god can do based on their being “a god,” for instance). On the other, Caliban’s being sus. While it’s clear that much of what he has to say is true (the explanation of how Dainix’s soul works for the meta reason that it’d be bad storytelling for Red to deliver false worldbuilding so intricately, and the admission that Dainix is important because that yields ground – if it weren’t true someone wouldn’t say it because they’d be giving up more than they got for the lie) there’s almost definitely something hinky about this mission. There’s a lie or omission SOMEWHERE, and I get the impression that both of our boys know it (though they too don’t know what it is).
Oh, I ABSOLUTELY agree that there’s a catch here. I don’t think Caliban is lying about the process of reviving Dainix; as you say, false worldbuilding presented in the same way as prior TRUE worldbuilding is inconsistent on the writer’s part. But there’s something going on here, and I’m pretty sure it’s got something to do with WHY Caliban is so interested in Dainix. That’s the only question he really dodged, and he steered clear of why he was in Zuurith as well, despite noting that Falst’s ability to identify him would be “a problem”.
This plan to distract Rakhn is sorta giving me Gandalf talks to Beorn vibes, I’m wondering if he’ll just recount his adventure to him and then halfway through Rakhn will figure out somethings up. I can’t help but think Rakhn will be less accommodating though.
Unable to argue with Caliban any further, and with no alternative, I’m surprised Falst is objecting to this plan at all instead of rushing headlong into danger like he normally does. This makes part of me suspect Red is about to pull a trope subversion on us and this plan is actually going to go flawlessly (which would be hilarious), but the Consequences of the plan are going to be the tricky part
Shot in the dark? A regular fire of medium size woulda worked just fine, our deity just wants an easy in for some superpower juice to his ‘crucible’, and this is a way to convince them to take on a task they would otherwise deem too risky and out of the way.
Hmm I guess this is why you never split the party. A tank really needs a healer around for optimal function.
I like the bird’s eye angle of panel six reminding the audience that Falst and Kendal are NOT as alone as they feel despite their isolation they see around them.
falst being so distraught over dainix is ruining me he seems so much more frazzled than usual bc of this 😭 he really cares about him
TL;DR: “The plan is, I self-sacrifice.”
“That’s the same plan you always have!”
“you can’t sacrifice yourself for dainix, that’s MY job!!!”
So are they just not going to talk about what happened to Alinua, Tess or Eren? Falst definitely knows about Tess and Eren, at least, but I don’t think Kendal does. And both should definitely be worried about Alinua.
Yeah Caliben is 100% planning something
Rakhn is sounding more and more like a grumpy middle-age man drinking away the time between football games during which he becomes excessively animated
Falst sharpening his claws on the fourth wall
pretty scarf boi :3
I read panel 7 and started hearing Janice Joplin in my head. “Take another little piece of my heart now baby!”
It would make for such a funny twist of everyone’s expectations if Kendal and Rakhn actually end up just, like, having an interesting conversation because Rakhn has heard about the demigod and wants all the details of what he’s doing about the Collector.
After all, at this point Kendal has interacted with six gods, three of whom were perfectly reasonable and pleasant, (Ilia, Gleicann, and Argist), and one who’s being helpful, if also cryptic and a bit of a dick. Even of the two antagonistic gods, only ONE of them actually tried to kill him. Overall I think Kendal has decent odds!
I do like the idea that Rakhn will heal Kendal and then immediately start boxing him.
chaotic neutral forge god is a very cool concept
the last panel makes me think caliban wanted the fireseed in the first place and planned for this.