Chapter 3: Page 66
She’s okay! Those big ears, though, you know? They can be quite the liability. Quin learned that the hard way in Chapter 2, as you might recall. Still, while dodging a single bolt is impressive (and removing a canid soldier from the equation) it doesn’t remove the other canid and their weapons multifarious from the battle. Mitra and Janik have their work cut out for them.
Apologies for the delayed page, but Rachel is pulling some hardcore double-duty with our upcoming Kickstarter along with these weekly pages. Because days of the week are being dedicated to the Kickstarter, that means pushing these pages back a little bit to accommodate.
But trust us when we say that it’ll be worth it! The Kickstarter has a tentative start date and our pitch video is coming along very well, and our partner is looking at sourcing vendors for our rewards and locking down shipping costs.
One thing that I realized I hadn’t mentioned but might be of some interest to readers is that following our buyback of the Western Deep publishing rights from Action Lab, we’ve created an official limited liability company (called Western Deep, LLC) to better protect the rights going forward. This shouldn’t really affect any of you, but it does put us in a better position to handle the IP and various new projects.
For guest art this week, a fun crossover piece by RM Fung! I’ll let him explain:
“I’ve got a new piece of fanart involving the two Canid generals, Clovis & Tosch. I’ve depicted them mashed up with two other characters from a game called NieR: Automata which came out last year. There are two characters in that game called Adam & Eve, who are brothers just like Clovis & Tosch. (weird, right?) But I’ve decided to show them like this due to the circumstances in both your webcomic’s story & the game’s story that I considered to be similar. I won’t spoil the game for you if you haven’t learned any, if much, about it. But if you do know and understand the background/context, maybe that might put some things in perspective.”
I haven’t actually played much of Nier: Automata, but if anything this is prompting me to do so! Thanks, RM!
Never let it be said that you have to be unarmed as a diplomat? XD
Okay, so the bolt that (kinda) missed Mitra and Janik ended up killing one of the canid? Maybe these guys ARE incompetent. “Circular firing squad,” anyone?
Anyways, great page, and well worth the wait!
Your “circular firing squad” made my day!!!
Wish I could take credit for it, but I stole it from a political commentator describing the early days of the Trump administration.
The euphemism “friendly fire” might be one of the most incongruent phrases in the entire english language.
Yeah, I seriously regret giving that guy a crossbow.
Hooray!
Mitra is alive! Long may it remain so.
As an added bonus Mr Crocodile Smile has fallen victim to some spectacularly embarrassing incompetence. How karmically appropriate. May he die with many regrets.
I promise I won’t harp on about it but the time and effort the creators put into updating a (free!) weekly comic on top of what must be time consuming day jobs (& organising a kickstarter & starting a company!) is really appreciated.
Other observations:
– Mitra, this Swordsjerk and the Very Sleepy Crossbowjerk carry on the tradition of there being heaps of left handed characters in this comic.
– Crossbowjerk has rather neatly excised one of Mitra’s earrings which leads me to believe this might all have been some kind of Davy Crockett-esque trick shot all along: through a tiny ring and into an (Adam’s)apple.
– Janic, looking at the watch she doesn’t have, considers it might be time to leave.
– “You’ll pay for him, broomtail”“. Your tails are also somewhat like brooms, Hypocrite!
I love your nicknames for all the characters. I say we nominate you to be the official side-character namer!
Gosh, I couldn’t deprive everyone else the fun of bit-character namesmanship.
I have a lot of regrets and one of them was giving that idiot a crossbow.
I have died with many regrets.
One of them is giving that idiot a crossbow in the first place.
Nice Twist, even better what i thought. :D
Nice suspense there, realy could tell how you would resolve it – very good job!
Just realised … suspense ain’t over yet -.-
Anyway … awesome work!
Either the Sand Spiders jump in at this point, or Mitra’s going to sacrifice herself to allow Janik time to escape.
… unless Mitra has more skill than we give her credit for.
I think a veteran diplomat like Mitra would have some cool tricks up her sleeve.
Aside from maybe another knife, that is. And Janik doing some sweet Tesque moves if she joins in.
Plus I think she’s going to live through this ambush since I don’t think any Canid has yet found the sharpshooter or the backup shooter on the sandy knoll.
Yeah, and if Crossbowjerk’s aim is consistent, he’ll probably end up taking out the rest of the Canid for her
Well, I guess it’s only fair that fair lady Mitra doesn’t come out without a scratch since that bad ol’ Canid just got a hole in his windpipe. (or jugular?) Well, Clovis’s death could only be “the stab felt across Dunia” if we’re going into historical war references at this point. Here’s hoping everyone in Dunia doesn’t hear that bolt shot next.
My brain is just addled with guesses right now as to how this just happened. Either:
1.) The crossbow-Canid really did miss and hit his superior by accident.
2.) 3rd-party intervention beat crossbow-Canid to it, Sand Spiders or not. (though Mitra still got grazed in the ear, so still a bad shot, I guess)
3.) Crossbow-Canid is on the ladies’ side all along, protecting them by his own choice or on behalf of some other force for good. He paused just long enough for Mitra to dive for Janik before taking his fake (or was it?) shot. (again, precision needs improvement)
Cool fanart, since I love Nier: Automata. I actually know what went on in the game, so I understand the parallels perfectly. I do think Clovis & Tosch would fit well as Adam and Eve respectively, especially Tosch. Clovis, I guess, has a bit of an Adam-like personality. Tosch, while not quite little brother-ish, does illustrate a “my brother’s off limits”-kind of message to his enemies like how Eve did it.
I like #3 – I hadn’t even considered that.
Yeah, it’s possible he’s a mole &/or defector in the Canid army, & the good kind too. That, or just a soldier with standards noticeably higher than the rest of his kin, along with actually having a conscience. Hard to tell since he’s so gruff & hasn’t said a word…yet.
Jacques! Well it seems all worked out in the end. Good for you and Rachel to have your own company now. Perhaps you should talk to david from dreamkeepers at vivid publishing. I believe he and some of his friends have been working on a digital comic distribution service or something or other. Anywho see you all next page!
Wow, awesome twist! Well, these can’t be the brightest canid. Mitria and Janik have a chance!
Not a nice thing to say but that traitorous manipulative Canid got what was coming to him *hmmph*
So happy that Mitra isnt out of the game so I hope she’ll be able to tango with the remaining soldiers with hopefully some assistance : )
also RMFung that Clovis and Tosch is just great!
Yeah, I’m starting to feel like I shouldn’t have given that Canid a crossbow.
hooooooooooooo karma bitch!!
Ooh, pairing a twist that you see coming with a twist that you don’t – that’s a trick I’m familiar with, and you pulled that off rather nicely here! And it makes a lot of sense now, looking back at the previous page; you two clearly put some real thought into this particular sequence.
Mitra and Janik still aren’t out of the woods yet, though – Mitra’s very likely physically outmatched here, after all. One older vulpin with a small dagger against multiple healthy trained canid soldiers with bigger weapons? Here’s hoping Janik can defend herself to some degree and/or outside help comes along soon.
Also, is it me or are the canid fond of tail-based slurs?
(Also also hi, long-time reader, just been lurking mostly.)
YUS I knew Mitra was awesome. But it’s time for the Sand Spiders to show up now
Canid aren’t even remotely a threat. Toddlers could kill these dudes. One guy could probably mow down their entire race without much trouble.
Don’t get killed on us, ambadassador!
To this day, I still wonder how my friend missed the Tamian and shot me in the throat instead.