2.4.16
on March 24, 2025
at 3:00 am
wait. is this the first time I’ve let two mages have a pure magic-fight? no dragon powers or gods or anything?? in a high-magic fantasy story?!
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
wait. is this the first time I’ve let two mages have a pure magic-fight? no dragon powers or gods or anything?? in a high-magic fantasy story?!
For mobile readers.
I won’t tell you what the alt-text says.
Read it yourself.
Just hold your finger on the image until a window pops up. The alt-text is at the top.
If the text is too long, just click on it and you’ll be able to read the whole thing.
My mission here is done.
Doesn’t work. At least not on my iphone.
if that doesn’t work for you: press and hold on the image until the menu appears, then press “Show Text”. The file name is the alt-text!
That does not work either for me. I don’t have a “show text” option at all.
Not sure if this depends on which browser one uses or something else (I use firefox).
Thankfully, Zer0W0lf got our backs.
Doesn’t work on Neither of tese work on Firefox.
Woah, is that function new?
Doesn’t work. Never has. Stop trying.
Here’s what I get:
The page URL
Open link in new tab
Open link in private tab
Copy link
Download link
Share link
Share image
Open image in new tab
Copy image
Save image
Copy image location
No thanks to you, but many thanks to Zer0 W0lf for being a saint to this community
When I press show text, it just takes me to another page with the comic in fullscreen. Doesn’t work.
That used to work for me—I always wondered which platforms couldn’t access it—until suddenly it just started displaying the image url instead, and there was no way for me to access the alt text. (I use Chrome on iOS.) I’ve been very grateful for the top comments the past few months!!
Yeah doesn’t work for me either; I use safari
Tried it. Doesn’t work on Safari. Which browser do you use? Did you verify it still works today?
Everything about this comment, from the name to what it says, is just an insult to why zero wolf and others post the alt-texts. I hope we don’t see this again.
You seem to be antagonizing people for no discernable reason. What about someone sharing alt-text to make it more accessible bothers you so?
I’m sorry my comment sounds mean. I just wanted to share a thing I found, that I felt could help people. I guess I overcommitted to the bit and misread the situation.
Apology much appreciated! I’ve done worse, and doubled down…
This only works on Google chrome. Not Safari, not Firefox. Just Chrome.
No, I’m on Safari and it works just fine for me.
Holding the screen opens a preview of the webpage and an actions menu. For me the options are:
Open
Open in New Tab
Download Linked File
Add to Reading list
Save to Photos
Copy
Share…
Copy Subject
Show Text
“Show Text” opens the comic page in fullscreen. Tap the image, and the text appears at the top.
I don’t use Chrome anymore but I do miss this function.
I’ll tell them since you won’t
Alt Text: this blade is getting more sides by the minute
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: this blade is getting more sides by the minute
Image source: me
Very appreciative!
. “Yeah,” Tess growls, electricity sparking around her outstretched hand. “Only this time, he’ll actually want to thank me.”
. “He wants a great many things,” the Void Dragon says, grinning as the lightning speeds towards him. “Freedom. Power.” He whips his hand back, flinging the lightning into the wall. “Freedom from those with power over him.” The Dragon raises a hand, glowing silver with Stone. “And at the other edge of that blade, what does he find?”
. Tess tenses as a circle of stone around her breaks free from the ceiling, eyes widening. “Isolation.” The Dragon yanks his hand down, smashing the circle of rock — and Tess — against the floor. “And me,” the Void Dragon says, eyes gleaming, a grin still on his face.
Aaaaah TESS!! I mean she has metal skin she’ll probably be fine…
V.D. just looking more and more unhinged (…okay and kinda good) as the fight progresses
Ooooooooohhh I just can’t his SPEECH
I think I did a pretty good job at writing this page, I wanted to try and get the emotion right
this was my favorite one yet! great job <3
I thought you did great with your narration.
Picky point though: What can’t you VD speech (or Walter, to some disdainful commentators)?
But try not to get hung up small errors. Enjoy your successes and try not agonize over small points. We exist in time which means progress is always waiting in the future for us until the ends of our days and I believe even beyond.
Thank you, much appreciated!
tumblr text: negotiations have broken down
in light of the comment thread above this one, i’d like to thank you again for your dutiful alt-text posting— as an apple user who primarily reads this comic on mobile, the alt-text is something i wouldn’t have been able to see without you posting it, so i’m grateful that we’ve got someone to share more of Red’s witty humor with those of us who can’t see it.
Bluesky text: wizard fiiiiiight
Better scramble like an egg ‘fore you get folded like an omlette.
Ironic, that a man who wanted freedom and power ended up getting possessed by a powerful entity that robs him of the control of his own body. Almost as if those two desires are contradictory?
also funny that the being who takes his freedom and power away also got his freedom taken away because he wanted more power.
Tess’ face in the first panel o,o
Voidy wearing Erin like it’s his natural hot look.
Also, Tess and Erin character exposition WHOOO!
The Dragon is showing a suspicious amount of restraint. He’s usually partial to blasting every obstacle with overwhelming amounts of Void energy, so him fighting like Erin would is making me think he’s up to something.
That being said, he’s giving us a great villain speech and being really hot right now, so I’m not complaining
he is partial to blasting every obstacle, tess isn’t a obstacle to him because unlike kendal dainix and alinua she will die to getting hit by void this is just how he acts when he doesnt think he is in danger, he is playing with his food
Maybe he’s fighting like Erin to make Tess more reluctant to hurt him? Or Erin’s feelings are subconciously influencing him, so he doesn’t want to actually kill Tess?
Ooooooh actually what about, he’s fighting like Erin because, if he killed Tess with Void, Erin could put the blame on V.D.. BUT if he fights like Erin and kills Tess, it’ll be harder for Erin to shrug off the guilt about it because it was HIS innate power that did it. So some manipulation tactics by V.D..
I think it’s also the case that when he’s not on the back foot or enraged, he doesn’t tend to use his Void power if he doesn’t have to. I don’t remember the exact post, but I think Red said that there was a possibility that VD depletes his own soul when he uses Void. In this scenario, now that Tess has shown she can dodge his blasts, he probably thinks it’s just more prudent to out-magic her with Erin’s existing powerset
Thank you for making this page deeper for me to ponder!
All of these ideas are so painful. I hate you guys in the best way possible.
There may also be an element of “If I push her too hard too early, she might panic, forget for a split second who I’m possessing, get in one (un)lucky shot and then my elemental magus is dead is dead, which is way worse than me just losing and having to try again next time Erin overexerts himself and the party gets split [3-5 business days at this rate].”
There’s a non-sadism reason that cats play with their food: a hunter can’t afford to lose an eye to a still mostly-healthy mouse with nothing to lose. Safer to wear it down slowly and maybe lose out on one meal.
Maybe the Skirk fight earlier would count? Or does Tess’s punch strategy rule that out? (But if Tess here counts, then Tess there would also count, but there was also Falst, and this is getting confusing)
I do feel like the Void Dragon is holding back. We saw them take down Tynan easily, so their holding back against Tess, I suppose.
Maybe. But Tess seems actually sturdier than the vessels most gods put together.
Also Tynan actively pissed them off by turning into a dragon. Tess electrocuted him a bit, but (a) she’s not going to steal his look (anytime soon, anyway..) and (b) is not actively trying to kill his vessel, just electrocute enough that Erin can regain control.
Dang it Walter – you look like you’re having fun – and looking entirely too cute while doing so!
So if I’m reading the Dragon’s point right, he’s suggesting that Erin’s quest for freedom, power, and freedom from those with power over him will lead him to isolation and the void dragon?
I get isolation, but the being with by far the most power over Erin? Tough sell, VD.
Probably connected to his first attempt at tempting Erin: “You could be the world’s first void mage”, the false hope that Erin might eventually control the dragon’s power. And he might also consider the two goals separately; Erin’s want for freedom will lead to isolation while his want for power will lead to the Dragon.
Glad Voidy has turned things around; it gets kinda boring if everyone easily clowns on him all the time.
Taking advantage of a lonely person by trapping them in a toxic relationship. The Dragon is truly the worst.
(Damn you Voidy, you’re making it very hard to find a funny to begin my comment with)
Still Tess responds to V.D.’s personal taunts with simple, matter-of-fact retorts; makes me wonder whether Erin warned her not only about V.D.’s magical power, but also his deceptive nature. But, not falling for his smack-talk and winning the fight are two very different things. I note with concern he’s still using stone magic in that final panel; is he trying to bury her in the rubble?
Yep, this is our first pure mage Vs. mage combat segment, and looks like V.D. is loving it; as far back as 1-7-24 he’s made no secret how he likes commanding the powers of the primordials. Not sure how many other pure mage fights we could get as the other mage antagonists tend to supplement their powers with other means e.g. Shrike with her weapons and boys, the Collector with her Chimeras.
V.D.’s words put a new spin on Erin’s trip into the storm. Did Erin do it for the academic potential of what lay within, to show off and prove he’s worthy of his own power, or to make a name for himself for doing a feat only he could? That may have been his attempt to break out of the Ruunaser family shadow, and stay out; a drive of self-actualisation that unfortunately left him alone and vulnerable to the dragon.
He might be trying to bury her, but it won’t do much against Tess. The worst that move will do is smack her around a bit, her skin won’t even be dented.
As for Erin going into the Storm of Magic, I think it was mainly for wanting to know. Erin is an explorer and a scholar first and foremost. He is also fiercely independent and self-reliant, and hence believes that nobody else can or will help him, see his rant at the end of Arc 2 Ch. 2. See this link for more: https://comicaurora.tumblr.com/post/762734602369597440/do-you-think-the-main-characters-in-auroras
Oh god, I hope Tess is okay
She’s tough enough that I am fairly certain that hitting her with rocks mostly pushes her around while the rocks break. Might bruise her a bit, but she’s basically made out of metal. Especially with the relatively fragile rock on a volcanic island, it might be some form of ‘volcanic glass’ (i.e. not-pretty obsidian) or other brittle material.
Tess, you aren’t going to win against what amounts to “Super-Erin” in a pure mage fight.
I’m sorry, but it’s time to get to punching. Just, you know, try not to break your brother too much in the process.
I have faith in Tess’s ability to improvise.
Did VD just parry a lightning spell with Lightning magic?
skick
call am ambilance
The delayed realisation that Aurora updated on my birthday, huzzah!
Also, holy hell that last panel looks so cool!!
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthday!
Happy birthdayyy
happy birthdayyy
Happy Birthday!
Why does vd look so cunty here. Like he’s kinda serving the evil look
VD: “You could not live with your own failure. Where did that bring you? Back to me.”
in the second panel void dragon is kinda posed like he’s skateboarding and now i really wish i knew photoshop so i could make my vision come to light
I VOLUNTEER!!! (How do you create links for images however so I can share with the class)
Either post it to Tumblr and then send a link to that post, or host it on some public image hosting service (like imgur, filegarden, or … similar) and then right click on the image and select “copy link”.
Why does VD not want to kill Tess?
I think Erin threatened to turn them in to the Paladins if V.D. hurt the Floof Squad. I don’t remember exactly when, but I think it was right after the Tynan fight.
quick erin, if you dont wake up soon the dragon is gonna share all your deeply held secrets with the audience!
TL;DR: A witches’ duel!
Oh man. Is Erin… giving in to the Void Dragon on purpose, for a powerup? I know he has this hangup where he thinks he’s the most powerful being in the universe and no one else can help him, and that boat fight certainly must have bothered him. And he could have reasoned, “hey, I’m strong-willed, I can control the dragon this time. This way I’ll be able to help my friends properly etc etc.”
Definitely worth the wait!!! Thank you!!!
She’ll be fineee
right?
It’s 7 against 1, element wise, good luck Tess!
I think vd isn’t using void that much because it isn’t the correct tool for the job. Void has power and massive destructive potential. But it lacks in versatility. If vd can’t just blast someone like with tess who is highly mobile, tough (for someone without an innate resistance to void), and has guaranteed access to the element suited for stunning him. Using void only is the path to defeat. Also, why vd really lucked out with erin isn’t just the fact that he has access to all 6 primordial magics. It’s that he gains access to erin’s creativity as well. VD lost the first time around because he was fooled, having a creative, canny, and intelligent mage as a vessel would solve the original problems that led vd to being imprisoned in the first place.
AND HERE COMES ALINUA WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!
Shes in the water
Hey Red, not sure if its the poses, or the lighting, or the dialogue. Probably all of the above, but this page really makes VD look /menacing/. Like absolutely terrifying. Good job, as always!