Annotated 30-29
Auraugu understands how important glory is for other people, not just himself. That’s why he and Penk became friends to begin with.
Okay, so:
The maximum altitude for a blimp is generally about 7,000 feet, or 1.3 miles, or 2,133.6 meters. Using the calculator found here and assuming some default values, I’m getting 21.52 seconds for that blimp to hit the ground if it went directly into free fall from that height.
Now, the blimp would not go directly into free fall the instant the missile struck, because it wouldn’t quite go up all at once. Though a safe landing would clearly be impossible and fire would spread quickly, “quickly” is not “instantaneously.” The hydrogen (or “light air” the Gastonians are using, whatever its chemical makeup) would remain in the balloon until it burned or was released, yielding some additional crucial seconds for the escapes seen on this page and the next. Let’s be generous and say the on-board mages might be trying levitation spells too, reacting instinctively before they had time to realize their plight was hopeless.
But no matter how you figure it, Penk is taking a pretty big chance by pausing at the door long enough to make his morale-crushing farewell address. “My god is a fiery god, and he will delay his fire long enough for me to deliver sick burns in his name, amen–AAAAA” SMASH CRUNCH
Careful, Rachel, that’s Scipio’s broken arm you’re pulling at. Think it’s broken below the elbow, so you may be okay, but watch out.
I always thought the fact that his eyes are clenched shut was a rather telling thing about penk. He may be playing his role well, but he’s still green and staring down people as he foretells their doom is still something he can’t quite do yet.
I kind of like to imagine that while he’s got his eyes closed he can’t see that the Peacemakers have actually Peaced out, and nobody heard the last, like, three lines of his speech… XD
No worries, T… when villains or heroes lay down the sick burns, I’m more than happy to apply the time-honored Talking Is A Free Action trope filter.
Talking is a Free Action anyway.
And here I am 4 minutes too late…
Penk comes off a little comic book villainy in the last panel but also tells us he is no longer the reluctant warrior from the beginning of the battle. All the same, Penk is luck no one had a range weapon while he was making that speech.
Sometimes an awesome monologue demands a little risk.
There is always time for a villainous monologue.
Scipio lookin at that falling ship, as if thinking he could take it on…