Chapter 2: Page 63
This week, interrupted musings! It was definitely fighting that Quinlan heard, and now its source has smashed right into their room! Looks like it could be a long night (or a short one, depending on how this goes).
 In the original thumbnail for this page (not the one seen above), we actually showed more of the action than we do currently. This was one of those situations where we have to be careful about the always-present balancing act of Beyond the Western Deep where we like to make sure each page feels strong enough on its own to be up on the website for an entire week, and also that it fits nicely with a page-by-page flow when you’re flipping through it in book form or perusing the archives. It didn’t take us that long to see the merits in ending this page in a different spot, and instead letting the first couple panels of buildup breathe appropriately.
Oh, also, bonus points to the reader who knows who this door-kicking Ermehn is :)
This week, we’ve got another awesome piece of guest art from longtime reader Sawyer Ruzzin! We’ve seen Sawyer’s work on the site before, and it’s my pleasure to be able to share a brand new piece that was just sent last week: Kenosh, in his “returning from the North” garb!
I’ve always loved Sawyer’s sketchy style — everything looks raw and energetic, and the pose here reminds me a bit of Kain (no relation!) from Final Fantasy IV. That’s never a bad thing! Thanks for sending this wonderful piece, Sawyer! Hope to see more work from you again in the future!
I KNEW this would happen! Now they’re going to get captured!
Unless they try to fight their way out XD
Oh my Tesque, It’s that guy with the scarred eye!
Run Away! Run Away! Run Away!
Indeed it does look like the mystery Ermehn is the “scarred eye dude.” Hope he doesn’t die…
Raise you one, Veigue: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vB4G5hzDqeE
I see Ol’ One Eye’s companions, obviously wary of being dripped on, kept thier hoods up. Quite right, there’s no point in getting any wetter than you already are.
I guess you could say the Ermehn made a
smashing entrance.
lol yeah, literally EVERTYTHING about his posture just screams “I am here to kick ass or die trying”
Someone’s allll out of bubble gum.
It looks like the door couldn’t HANDLE it, although it was OPEN to suggestions.
It hinged on making a different decision.
In the end, it was shown that while the door swung first, it was framed for the death of its opponent in the fight.
Before long, it found itself keyholed right into a real jamb.
Darn, I was hoping that it would be one of the Sratha-Din.
Does anyone know if “Scarred-Eye Ermehn” has an actual name?
Either he dies too quickly for us to find out or we’ll find out in the next few pages.
And so it begins.
I love that shot of Quin looking out the cell window.
All the pages are beautiful but I can see so many little details in this one- like the light reflecting off the metal bars, the wall shadow in the distance on panel two, that water and reflection of the metal on the sword and the water droplets that fly off him when he kicks the door…. wow.
Good thing you got that armor on in time. (Wait Dakkan has the leather, but all Quinlan seems to have is cloth- is he even protected at all?)
Hey Kenosh, leavin’ accomplished exactly nothing because there’s at least three Ermehn and two Sunsgrovian beebs, one of whom has a crippling fear of blood. (Which Quinlan and Kenosh may not even know about) Course if they hate your guts then maybe your presence wouldn’t be a plus. I suppose Kenosh showing up last minute (again) is possible but I’m not counting on it.
And next page we get to see the Ermehn reaction to the Sungrovian presence in Deltrada. It’s probably going to be along the lines of “Canid Ally RAWR”… unless you cut away to some other part of the action in which case there will be much screaming of frustration.
Ohoho it’s the one-eyed Ermehn. Hello there!
I love the way you develop Dakkan and Kenosh’s relationship. Things between them aren’t easy, but they still love each other. It would be such a shame if one of them were to die, especially before anything got worked out between them.
(no I don’t trust either of you :I)
Good to have you back, Shield!
I agree that Quin and Dak are probably going to have some explaining to do to these fine Ermehn fellows if they want to survive and escape.
Ha, good to be back. I keep meaning to go back and comment on the pages I missed but I’ll do my best not to miss a page again.
If they have time to explain. Considering Alex’s commentary, I’m guessing there’s not going to be a “double-take ur not Canid” moment, and that it goes right into the action. Their best bet for survival after they take care of these guys is to barricade the door but they’ll probably head out and join the madness. (if injuries are mild)
My favorite thing about this page? All of Quin in that last panel. Especially that tail. Oh my, that tail. Cats would be envious.
That water dripping off the Ermehn is an excellent touch. It really helps the attackers look so much more experienced and, dare I say, weathered than Dak and Quin all snug and dry and inexperienced.
Things are coming along nicely, I’d say.
COME ON MY SONS!!!!!
PUNCH THOSE GUYS RIGHT IN THIER MOOK FACES, YEAAAAH!!!!!
Your comment made me laugh harder than it should’ve; thanks for that. RIGHT IN THEIR MOOK FACES, GUYS, RIGHT IN THEIR MOOK FACES.
“Oh, man, you won’t believe the week I’ve had!
I was jumping from tree to tree on my way to see the king, who sat upon his wooden throne built within a huge oak, when I found out that I was to acompanny my best friend, the talking otter, and his father to the lands of the wolf-people to discuss a peace the negociation.
After defeating my old rival in a jumping karate duel and going to the local bar to drink tutti-frutti booze, we embarked on our journey and barely managed to survive the attack of a literal cat burglar and his acomplises.
When we finally arrived at werewolf fortress, their leader didn’t like what we had to say and locked us in a tower.
Later that night, we heard an alarm and my friend’s father went to investigate. Moments later, a one-eyed weasel in a kilt and his two hooded ferret assassin escorts stormed through the door and that’s when things started to get wierd.”
…I’d pay cash money to see that.
*A wild Crim appears*
Sooo our illustrious reader finally decides to make an appearance!
Well things certainly escalated quickly! Honestly rather surprised the Ermehn got there so quickly! I guess they really did have a well thought out plan to be able to infiltrate so fast!
Tap the Canid guards on the shoulder and run the other way.
When that fails, sacrifice a sword by throwing it into the treeline and yelling “Fetch!”
Then ask them “who’s a good boy?” And the Canids are yours!
I feel you may be overestimating their domestication and good temperament levels just a little.
Nah, you see the Canids are just super uptight because no one tries scratching behind the ears and giving belly rubs! Heck, just chucking a ball will probably send an entire pack running after it!
This is why the Canid will continue to be the dominant military force in Dunia until the grenade is invented, at which point they will fall like cordwood before the armies of the other kingdoms.
Unless of course //they// invent the grenade
The Canid military council banned their use as a “cruel and incanine weapon”.
I dunno- Canid seem to be like “Crueler the better”
Maybe . . . but when it’s a specific type of cruelty that targets them and only them?
Since when are grenades only effective against Canid? (If I grossly misunderstood the post I’m sorry)
Grenades would be equally effective against any of the races on Dunia on an objective basis.
However, Canid squads of infantry would be the only army whose soldiers would dive for a grenade thrown into their midst in an attempt to “fetch” it. All others would dive away from the grenade and for cover, which would greatly reduce overall casualties.
So goes the joke I am trying to make by juxtaposing stereotypical dog behavior on the mighty Canid army.
Of course simple bones thrown at them could be an effective way to divert them as well. Perhaps the Ermehn could get rolled up newspapers and smack them on the nose while shouting “Bad dog!” if they get too naughty
If they get that Felis bandit to agree to be a distraction, they could sneak in while they’re all chasing said Felis.
Somewhere in the distance, Clovis perked up at that last sentence, stood up behind his desk, and breathed out “…I sense we are being mocked.”
Yet the fact that you are unable to deny these allegations indicates that they… are true.
QED.
Hm. A question that may or may not be absolutely ridiculous just came to mind- have Quin and Dak ever actually seen an Ermehn before? In the flesh, that is, not pictures in books. ‘Cause if not, then this is probably an even scarier situation for them.
“Oh, Tesque, what are they?!”
By the way, loving the expressions, especially Quin’s in the last panel. His face reminds me of Martin Freeman’s “oh crap” expression; basically blank, but still says so much. :D Like these:
http://tinypic.com/r/vicegp/8
http://tinypic.com/r/jzvd47/8
They have indeed seen Ermehn before, though never under positive circumstances. So that’s probably just as scary (if not scarier :)
To clarify, this isn’t something yet established in the comic’s fiction, but I’ve written one or two prose stories in the past that would have the pair running across Ermehn in various capacities. These aren’t technically canon (even if I wrote them), but I do believe that in their jobs in their respective armies, they’ve seen at least one Ermehn between the two of them :)
Will we ever get to see these stories nonetheless?
Perhaps someday! One of them is in better shape than the others, but like any prose I’ve written more than a year or two ago, I have a hard time looking at it these days without cringing ;)
Writing non-cringeworthy stories is challenging, but very rewarding when completed. The real secret is editing, which is what I have a problem with working on. I want it all to read perfectly the first time.
That said, a few years is plenty of time to be able to look back on past work with a new, critical eye and make needed adjustments.
‘Course, if you’re me, you come back to your budding novel, read it, and say, “God, what was I THINKING?”, while immediately drawing up a new story plan that keeps nothing but a couple characters and a couple of plot points while significantly altering the story’s course and most of the details of the setting.
So hang in there, Alex. Do whatever you please and if you decide to share your stories, we’ll be happy to read them. After all, who could turn down more BWD?
I feel both of ya. Going through editing the rough draft of a project right now and…. urgh.
I don’t see it as torture–I understand its importance in the writing process–I just can’t do it without leaving a time gap between the writing and editing..
It’s less that editing is torture and more that looking at what you once wrote and realizing you have make that good is torture, albeit one that’s satisfying at the end.
I find editing to be fun when I can take my time about it. Of course, editing short pieces is completely different from fixing internal consistencies and rewriting scenes in a long piece so in a few weeks/months/hopefully not years I can properly weigh in on this topic.
For me, editing is taking the material and crafting something out of it. The RD is your entire inventory, and the edit is making it into something pretty.
*Agreed Fourth, I need a gap between writing and editing
Right now I’m editing my lab notebook. I know that I’m not really supposed to do that….but right now it is just a total mess.
And there were the two Ermehn bandits from the beginning of this chapter.
That’s not a very good way to open doors…usually the latch area is the worst spot because there’s a deadbolt and the surrounding area is reinforced.
It looks like Quinlan and Dakkan are going to follow in Kenosh’s footsteps.