Annotated 30-21
By now, it was familiar for Phil and me to haggle over the length of fight scenes, but in retrospect, this was about as packed as we could get it. Auraugu needed some kind of win in this chapter to balance out the spankings he gets for most of it (and he’s got one more coming up).
Yet Ardaic had to acquit himself honorably, especially given what’s at stake for him, not just to keep the action-adventure thrills coming but also to follow through on that character stuff I mentioned last time we saw him. With the Centurion elsewhere, he doesn’t really have a chance, but at least he buys a little time.
Panel 5 may be a slight concession from Auraugu, who generally does not scruple about attacking the weak and wounded as long as the deaths he dispenses are mercifully quick. This strikes me as a justifiable tactic when the targets are so crucial to the war effort (as Goblaurence mentioned, killing Syr’Nj would be a tremendous morale-booster, and surely killing Ardaic has military value), but Auraugu’s outsize notions of honor make it a bit more of a wrinkle in his philosophy.
It’s true that the fuzzy peoples might not include “attacking a hospital” in the songs of their hero’s inspiring exploits. But even to someone like Auraugu, what Gastonia would do to the Rebellion’s lands outweighs any apparent dishonor in such tactics (…doesn’t it?).
…is that elf on the left side of panel one wearing a gigantic diaper that blooms out to a garlic clove behind him?
A sky elf war-diaper, yes.
Doubles as a parachute, but is still kinda like cape, so I’m thinking at least one of them somewhere got caught on one of those propellers and once again proved Edna’s words of wisdom true: “No capes!”
It is interesting how Auraugu talks about saving ‘the fuzzy people from villainous monsters’ because if the situation was reversed, Ardaic would have no problem doing the same to wounded Gnolls for similar reasons. It’s brutal self serving justification that doesn’t get mentioned much in fantasy setting that prefer clean cut alignment chart.
Fun fact: Carnivorous mammals are divided into two groups, with the great cats and other cat-like animals in the first group, and wolves, bears and other dog-like animals in the other group. Guess what group hyenas belong to? Not the dogs.
– https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feliformia
So the power of the Silver Centurion can’t be split between two wielders in the same way Captain Marvel shared the power of Shazam with Captain Marvel Jr?
It’s a medallion, innit?
Slightly related: why do the Japanese love the German Suplex so much? It’s pretty much every grappler-type’s finishing move. Even school-age girls will do it from time to time in anime.
Today, in “Shower Thoughts”!