He’s time and time again shown himself to be the most competant of them all. It’s only been his ego that got in the way, and now that he’s let go of that he’s gonna be awesome.
No, no. He’s not being rude (and even if he is, he’s right in an unintended way). Best is shit. A Shit Elf, that is. It’s been established (I forget when, it’s in the comic somewhere.)
Way back when he was first introduced, as I recall. Right after a brief narrative monologue about Elves. Or somewhere along those lines, if I am not mistaken.
The way he put it, the word “antithesis” is used in conjunction between gold & silence. “Contrary” was used in conjunction with “popular belief.” My statement still stands in truth.
;)
I sincerely hope this ends with Frigg smacking him one for being a moron before encouraging him (in her usual crude way) to join them and put an end to Taro’s madness.
Look Ardiac is the only one (probably) that knows that Taro pizzined his old man. I was supprised he was loal this long. I expect that the Centurion and the Frigg are gonna doubleteam the all destroying Cyclops. I just hope that our favorite berzerker can avoid swllowing one of them Spitfire truck faces this time around.
Byron walks over to the Spitfire truck, bends down to pick it up and examines the face of it.
Byron: The weight of such a burden… … It must be mine, for there is no other to–
Ardaic: Byron! You hold a grim destiny in your hands, brother … but it is not your own.
Byron: Ardaic… By all that is holy…
Ardaic: The machine’s flame… sealed my fate… The world of the living can no longer comfort me.
Place the demon in my mouth, Byron. Forevermore – I will be the jailor of the damned.
Byron: NO, old friend… I cannot…
Ardaic: DO IT BYRON! You and these brave heroes have your own destinies to fulfill. This last act of service… is mine.
Until a few expansions later, anyway, when he comes back to help reforge his amulet for the final war against HR’s cultists. Super pandering on Hurricane’s part, there.
I thought there would be more of a transformation from Silver Centurion to Ardaic, but nope. He just takes off his helmet and his eyes turn from blue to brown.
Lenses built into the helm?
Silver Centurion’s secret “Silver Sight” sees the safety of his city’s citizens sabotaged. Still he stood spitefully silent, surmising to strike the snakes that stand against him. But as the Savage Sister’s salty speeches sizzled, her single-minded strength showed a sobering sign that the Silver Centurion’s service wasn’t suitable for the city’s scandalous, sophomoric sovereign. Swallowing his substantial pride, the Silver Centurion signals a cessation of this superfluous struggle.
Ardaic… You are an idiot. Seriously, I would have thought that seeing Taro kill his own family would have been the red flag that your government is screwed up.
Turning public opinion against the guild is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, especially when it was apparently a push towards getting more people into military service (doubly especially since Ardaic is, of course, biased towards them). Note that the Heads did NOT sabotage the guild (as far as he’s aware), they just waited for the guild’s first big failure.
He may not know anything about the assassin that went after Syr.
He definitely doesn’t know about the deal with the cultists.
Taro killing his own father is a sign that Taro is screwed up, and in urgent need of removal; however, Taro pointed out that Ardaic trying to move against him at that juncture would backfire no matter how it played out. He also pointed out that the country was still at war with the “Savages” – not a good time to be committing regicide. He probably thought the Heads could work with Taro for the time being, and focus on ousting him after the end of the war.
Oh, there were definitely red flags, and I know he noted them. The question is whether he believes those issues are fixable, or even just tolerable. Especially when there’s no clear alternate path, besides joining the “Savages” – which, by the way, he has every reason to believe WILL commit genocide. Does he know there’s a new Warchief? Does he know of the new Warchief’s willingness to live and let live if the humans will just fuck off already? Does he know the dwarves ALSO went through a leadership change? Does he suspect the wood elves have gone back to hating humans? Some of these questions got a partial answer when he saw humans amongst their ranks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone will be showing mercy to the Gastonian soldiers and civilians.
He got so caught up with the threat of the war that he forgot the most important part of being a soldier – to protect people. Frigg had to risk her life playing baseball with a maginuke before he realized that. Bonus points, it also proved to him that she’s still the same person she was before – willing to step up to the plate to try to protect people. As opposed to a vengeance-driven killer.
Ardaic chose the greater good over honor for many reasons. Gastonia is at war and removing Taro from the throne could create the kind of chaos that would deliver victory into the hands of their enemies and that’s if removal was possible. Taro has enough allies that quite possibly Ardaic would suffer the fate of another who tried to do the honorable thing in removing a boy king who ascended the throne due to treachery, King Joffrey. How did that work out for Eddard Stark? Ardaic is ultimately a good man in the service of a bad cause.
Just remember, you could have twisted Taro’s head off and rolled it down the street like a bowling ball when he murdered his whole family but instead you stood by. Not only that but you helped the little monster consolidate power. Did you think he was going to change from a selfish, power mad freak once he got the power?
“Also, I’m…old. I’m fucking old, man! I just…damn! My back is fucking MURDERING right now and you kids! You can just fucking play whack-a-mole with cosmic cannon fire all day can’t ya? Not me! Fuck that shit! I took a desk job for a REASON!
As the comedian Gallagher would put it: “That’s a trick that God played on everybody. He gives you your youth to learn how to do all sorts of fancy shit. Then you get old & you try it again, just to stumble away saying, ‘Damn. I can’t do that shit no more.'”
Wait, we still haven’t gotten past the whole “the savages are going to slaughter everyone inside the city walls” thing yet, have we? I mean, he has no way of knowing that the adventurers’ restraint extends to armies of other races they don’t control, which have plenty of reason to pursue revenge. Heck, even Penk doesn’t really know his armies will restrain themselves in the heat of passion. This is the kind of revelation you implement before battle, not during it.
Ardaic reminds me of Harky. Both are/were basically good people at heart and served as their civilization’s respective champion, but lacked the ability to adapt and change. Hopefully Ardaic can pull it together and work with Frigg and the rest of them.
Frigg: “*gasp* It’s old Ardaic, the washed up warrior guy!”
Ardaic: “Yep. I would have gotten away with it, too, if not for you meddling kids (especially Taro).”
ESPECIALLY Taro.
Silver’s great, but you can’t beat that gleaming gold standard.
Wait. We’re missing someone.
Where’s the Bronzed Narcissist?
Well Best might fit your analogy, but he’s more golden than bronze.
No, he’s shit.
Hehehehe.
He’s time and time again shown himself to be the most competant of them all. It’s only been his ego that got in the way, and now that he’s let go of that he’s gonna be awesome.
No, no. He’s not being rude (and even if he is, he’s right in an unintended way). Best is shit. A Shit Elf, that is. It’s been established (I forget when, it’s in the comic somewhere.)
Way back when he was first introduced, as I recall. Right after a brief narrative monologue about Elves. Or somewhere along those lines, if I am not mistaken.
They are still in the armoury admiring themselves in a polished bronze mirror.
However, contrary to popular belief, Gold is the very antithesis of Silence.
You got that backwards…Silence IS Golden, not the antithesis of it.
;)
con•tra•ry adj. opposite in nature, direction, or meaning.
The way he put it, the word “antithesis” is used in conjunction between gold & silence. “Contrary” was used in conjunction with “popular belief.” My statement still stands in truth.
;)
Ah, but gold is just an ugly yellow rock in the face of platinum’s purity.
William Jennings Bryan would beg to differ!
Ah, just give me a couple of sets of adamantium claws & I’m good…
I sincerely hope this ends with Frigg smacking him one for being a moron before encouraging him (in her usual crude way) to join them and put an end to Taro’s madness.
Where’s the upvote button?
It’s funny how blind faith can leave you… well, blind.
Just don’t stare too long, or you can get tunnel vision!
Tunnel blindness?
That thing on Frigg’s chest, for generations henceforth and onward, shall be my family crest.
Boobs? Good choice!
Classy.
What were they called again? The Holy Order of the Flipping Bird?
Look Ardiac is the only one (probably) that knows that Taro pizzined his old man. I was supprised he was loal this long. I expect that the Centurion and the Frigg are gonna doubleteam the all destroying Cyclops. I just hope that our favorite berzerker can avoid swllowing one of them Spitfire truck faces this time around.
Byron walks over to the Spitfire truck, bends down to pick it up and examines the face of it.
Byron: The weight of such a burden… … It must be mine, for there is no other to–
Ardaic: Byron! You hold a grim destiny in your hands, brother … but it is not your own.
Byron: Ardaic… By all that is holy…
Ardaic: The machine’s flame… sealed my fate… The world of the living can no longer comfort me.
Place the demon in my mouth, Byron. Forevermore – I will be the jailor of the damned.
Byron: NO, old friend… I cannot…
Ardaic: DO IT BYRON! You and these brave heroes have your own destinies to fulfill. This last act of service… is mine.
Until a few expansions later, anyway, when he comes back to help reforge his amulet for the final war against HR’s cultists. Super pandering on Hurricane’s part, there.
And you wonder whether he’s controlled by the Spitfire truck… but you don’t care, because you are empty… like him.
Nice rework of Tirion and Bolvar’s talk atop Icecrown Citadel after Arthas was killed.
I thought there would be more of a transformation from Silver Centurion to Ardaic, but nope. He just takes off his helmet and his eyes turn from blue to brown.
Lenses built into the helm?
Silver Centurion’s secret “Silver Sight” sees the safety of his city’s citizens sabotaged. Still he stood spitefully silent, surmising to strike the snakes that stand against him. But as the Savage Sister’s salty speeches sizzled, her single-minded strength showed a sobering sign that the Silver Centurion’s service wasn’t suitable for the city’s scandalous, sophomoric sovereign. Swallowing his substantial pride, the Silver Centurion signals a cessation of this superfluous struggle.
The Silver Centurion suit was designed by J.J.Abrams.
That can’t be right.
Unless I missed an update consisting entirely of lensflare.
Oh, there are a lot of lensflares… inside the helm.
Simply spectacular soliloquy, sir. I salute you.
Ardaic… You are an idiot. Seriously, I would have thought that seeing Taro kill his own family would have been the red flag that your government is screwed up.
Honestly, I would have thought the red flag would have been raised even before that.
Depends what he’s thinking.
Turning public opinion against the guild is relatively minor in the grand scheme of things, especially when it was apparently a push towards getting more people into military service (doubly especially since Ardaic is, of course, biased towards them). Note that the Heads did NOT sabotage the guild (as far as he’s aware), they just waited for the guild’s first big failure.
He may not know anything about the assassin that went after Syr.
He definitely doesn’t know about the deal with the cultists.
Taro killing his own father is a sign that Taro is screwed up, and in urgent need of removal; however, Taro pointed out that Ardaic trying to move against him at that juncture would backfire no matter how it played out. He also pointed out that the country was still at war with the “Savages” – not a good time to be committing regicide. He probably thought the Heads could work with Taro for the time being, and focus on ousting him after the end of the war.
Oh, there were definitely red flags, and I know he noted them. The question is whether he believes those issues are fixable, or even just tolerable. Especially when there’s no clear alternate path, besides joining the “Savages” – which, by the way, he has every reason to believe WILL commit genocide. Does he know there’s a new Warchief? Does he know of the new Warchief’s willingness to live and let live if the humans will just fuck off already? Does he know the dwarves ALSO went through a leadership change? Does he suspect the wood elves have gone back to hating humans? Some of these questions got a partial answer when he saw humans amongst their ranks, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that everyone will be showing mercy to the Gastonian soldiers and civilians.
He got so caught up with the threat of the war that he forgot the most important part of being a soldier – to protect people. Frigg had to risk her life playing baseball with a maginuke before he realized that. Bonus points, it also proved to him that she’s still the same person she was before – willing to step up to the plate to try to protect people. As opposed to a vengeance-driven killer.
-tips fedora-
Ardaic chose the greater good over honor for many reasons. Gastonia is at war and removing Taro from the throne could create the kind of chaos that would deliver victory into the hands of their enemies and that’s if removal was possible. Taro has enough allies that quite possibly Ardaic would suffer the fate of another who tried to do the honorable thing in removing a boy king who ascended the throne due to treachery, King Joffrey. How did that work out for Eddard Stark? Ardaic is ultimately a good man in the service of a bad cause.
Oh shit, he found Frigg’s one weakness.
Genuine regret, and calmly accepting that someone else is right. She can’t stay holy-mad at THAT…..
He took a tip from Lego Joker.
“You can’t fight me, I’ve surrendered!”
Sure she can! Look at the sour look on her face. She’s about to tell him to stfu. With ornamental details.
Omg she looks so bored and annoyed with the dramatic monologue. “Oh noes, my only weakness: death by old age!”
And then Frigg has that moment of clarity when she realizes that Ardiac won’t keep her from going to a tavern…
Just remember, you could have twisted Taro’s head off and rolled it down the street like a bowling ball when he murdered his whole family but instead you stood by. Not only that but you helped the little monster consolidate power. Did you think he was going to change from a selfish, power mad freak once he got the power?
Sorry Ardiac, you get to reap what you sow.
Replace “Taro” with “Trump.”
It still works.
“Also, I’m…old. I’m fucking old, man! I just…damn! My back is fucking MURDERING right now and you kids! You can just fucking play whack-a-mole with cosmic cannon fire all day can’t ya? Not me! Fuck that shit! I took a desk job for a REASON!
*sigh*
I swear man…goddamn kids these days…whew!”
As the comedian Gallagher would put it: “That’s a trick that God played on everybody. He gives you your youth to learn how to do all sorts of fancy shit. Then you get old & you try it again, just to stumble away saying, ‘Damn. I can’t do that shit no more.'”
Wait, you’re quoting Gallagher? I didn’t think anyone was still a fan of his after he dived into the self-worshiping bigotsphere years ago.
That came from some of his earlier work. Haven’t been following his doings for, oh about 15 or 20 years, maybe?
Wait, we still haven’t gotten past the whole “the savages are going to slaughter everyone inside the city walls” thing yet, have we? I mean, he has no way of knowing that the adventurers’ restraint extends to armies of other races they don’t control, which have plenty of reason to pursue revenge. Heck, even Penk doesn’t really know his armies will restrain themselves in the heat of passion. This is the kind of revelation you implement before battle, not during it.
Penk has more than established that he can and will kill people who aren’t in keeping with the Rebellion’s new direction.
About friggin’ time, Ardaic!
Yes! I was right!
Finally, Ardaic. First sensible thing you’ve down in a bunch of chapters.
He sounds like somebody who voted for Trump coming to his senses after seeing the madman he put in power.
Jeez, why you got to bring in all of that binary-political dividing stuff in here? You’re ruining a good story narrative.
Pretty sure the political tones have always been there. Much like Star Trek, the allegory was always there, some people just like to pretend it isn’t.
Remind me again what’s between Nazis and not-Nazis? Even Godwin says they’re Nazis.
Middle Ground Fallacy, bro.
Frigg = Level 9000 Pally
I dunno.. Frigg’s coat of arms seems pretty civilized to me. I mean, you see it EVERYWHERE in our centers of civilisation.
Dont just yield, Ardaic, go clean up your mess!
Ardaic reminds me of Harky. Both are/were basically good people at heart and served as their civilization’s respective champion, but lacked the ability to adapt and change. Hopefully Ardaic can pull it together and work with Frigg and the rest of them.
Kudos to those who called his surrender because of Frigg doing what he should have done.
Love her expression in the last panel – “There is a war going on, you know that right? Are you going to talk all day?”