Exiern
What Are You Willing To Fight For?
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What Are You Willing To Fight For?
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Written by Scott T. Hicken with art by Studio Katsumi, the comic updates Mondays.
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damn, so you can choose people who would not want to help you.
That’s an even bigger douche move. Much applause.
For this, methinks that Tiff will get to kill him after the duet. Olivia might have been a bit too righteously indignant with Peonie, but she doesn’t deserve this kind of end.
Wait, this doesn’t seem fair in the least. Picking someone who’s against you, that’s just f!!!!!g messed up. I mean now they’d have to kill a friend to win.
I wonder if his -personally cast- ball goes pop harmlessly if his head gets lopped off by Typhan-Knee right after this?
Or was Olivia a plant?
He didn’t pick Typhan-Knee, bUT by picking Olivia the result is more ore less the same.
Though part of it probably because Olivia was Teresa’s first choice. Plus, either way someone close to Teresa dies now.
This will probably where we see Olivia air out her grievances with Peonie though.
This situation is just getting way to writer-y, by which I mean it’s a situation that is only remotely possible because the writer wants it to be and not because it makes any sense. Why would a duel of honor, that is presumably to the death, allow you to force anyone to fight for you? For that matter, why would it be allowed for just anyone to jump in and force themselves on you as their champion without you deliberately choosing them? There’s no way the outcome of a fight this obviously flawed would be taken seriously by any sort of judicial system.
@Light Very good point. Judicial combat throughout history was STRICTLY regulated, so the idea that Peonie can jump in and name herself champion against Theresa’s wishes, or that an unwilling person can be named champion against THEIR will seriously strains the suspension of disbelief.
And he goes to prove his guilt. He doesn’t choose one of his followers, he chooses one of the followers of his accuser. If it wasn’t for freaking magic, there’s no way this could possibly be legal or just.
@Sasky, every shame-fame culture in history included some form of ritual combat for deciding wrong-doing. In all of those cultures, the intelligentsia eventually come to realize that winning a combat does not prove virtue; therefore, anyone who insists upon judgment by combat is essentially admitting that they have no defense, which frequently equates to being guilty. Sadly, those judgments by combat remain on the books long after they’re deemed an admission of guilt. Coriander is guilty, so he figures he has no recourse but trial by combat.
As for the matter of whether this is a fight to the death—you try piercing a 10 cm orb attached to your opponent’s breastbone without piercing your opponent’s heart. Sure, it’s possible—if your opponent cooperates. Not so much if you’re both vying to pierce one another’s orbs.
When did they ever say this was to the death? It was only stated that the orb had to be pierced by a sword. The orb is outside their body so a sword wouldn’t have to pierce the person. The fact that it’s called “Skillful Blades” leads me to believe that the point is not to kill but to NOT kill. You have to be skillful enough to pierce the orb without going too far and killing the ‘champion’.
Okay, WHO makes the rules for this kind of duels?
One thing is that Peonie could force herself in an take the place of a champion, at least she’ll fight for the one she supports…
But that you can actually force someone opposing you to fight FOR you? What prevents him from chosing Niels? Bohr? The King?
Peonie needs to borrow Typh’s sword. You know, the fancy one that can cut someone out of their armor without scratching them.
@Ambaryerno
Perhaps that’s one of the reasons it hasn’t been practiced in >100yrs. Because the orb forces someone to fight and the caster has some say in their skill (“purity of the song” back a couple comics), it’d probably make a fairly good assassination tool.
It was also mentioned that even calling for this method is essentially admitting guilt. That seems to me that it really isn’t honorable at all, but ended up being used primarily as a last-ditch effort by someone to save their own hide.
This my be his only way out of this situation. Peonie put him in a catch 22. A duel like this must have rules, and selecting the opposition is surely breaking them. Perhaps if both sides disagree on the selected champions ( like this case ) then they can start over.
Ah, but Olivia is the hand of the queen! If killing Peonie would get the superior of the fighter in trouble, then Olivia is the only person that would get Theresa into trouble if she wins.
This fight was a means for Coriander to minimize his losses – but he has now converted it to a way to hurt his enemies, with either outcome.
Coriander can spice tings up by choosing Olivia but can he force her to fight at her full potential? Olivia can play to lose, Coriander loses, his challenge fails.
Thing is though we’re not 100% sure if this is a fighting challenge? It hasn’t been done in 100 years. Does Peonie have a complete grasp on how it works? Suppose it’s just both combatants trying to push swords into each other’s hearts? Coriander then sets up a situation where it is hard for Theresa to fight at her best, which makes much more sense.
Then there’s Tiff, who almost has to have a role in here somewhere. As a northerner, what does she really lose by sheathing her sword in Coriander himself? I doubt the dragon-lady could be convinced to end Coriander’s Cardinal Richelieu wannabe ways, but what is anybody going to do to her if she did?
@Chaucer it’s easy if you have the right sword cough*thenorthwind*cough
@Light: You forget, Teresa pointed out that this wasn’t used by the church of Rem. This is likely the reason why. So it makes perfect sense.
@Khellindros: The orbs are right next to their hearts, piercing it would surely result in death. It’s likely part of the reason why this dual fell out of practice.
The big question is how much control do the puppet masters have on the champions. This could be a vicious fight if His dickheadness keeps to his nature.
Go back to 12/17, Theresa says at the beginning of this that the spell FORCES the CHAMPIONS to fights AT THEIR BEST. AND That the spell cannot be interrupted or both champions perish.
I’m forced to agree with @Light. This makes so little sense it can only happen in written fiction. But I agree with the speculation that the orb can be pierced without the skin behind it being pierced. That would be true blade skill.
well at their best to do *what* exactly?
as been said, is it purely focused on the orb or is it meant to take down the opponent.
and far better question, what does interrupted actually mean in this case? say could two very big palace guards simply hold each of them 10 feet apart count as interrupting it or does it mean interrupting the *spell* itself?
the comic has never been 100% clear on how the spell singing works with on going effects. we know that they can talk while maintaining a spell song, so are they both still actively maintaining the underlying spell song for the duel?
Hmmm…. Typh gives P-Cups North Wind to be her weapon. North Wind rends the orb thingy on Olivia asunder… but only cuts Olivia’s clothes off.
Remember: North Wind will never fail its wielder.
I’ll go ahead and chime in that this makes no sense. If anyone present can be forced to be champion then it reduces the whole thing to a farce. There’s nothing o suggest that he couldn’t have chosen the king himself, and, considering the stakes, he might as well have taken his chance to kill Urtica, his accuser. No reason not to, so why not go for the big guy with blind spite?
Interestingly though… isn’t Peonie’s headband supposed to block mind control? between that and Typh’s sword there may be some interesting solutions…
@Jake I realize that this is a cartoon, but the orbs certainly APPEAR to be salient. If so, it is possible to pierce the spheres without piercing the champion’s flesh.
@Elanora That’s not the Unicorn hair headband she’s wearing. It looks more like a normal circlet signifying her royal status, since Urtica is wearing one just like it.
Regarding Coriander’s choice: this is what you get for explaining how you’re going to beat the system in front of the person who set it up. He still gets to make Listen checks from 3 feet away…. (Thank you Order of the Stick!)
Missed this comic when it first went up, now trying to read it at 1:50 AM on December 31st… and there are no word bubbles. At all. Did… did something happen to the comic? Tried a different browser, made sure Exiern was whitelisted on my adblocker… is this happening for anyone else? I’ve lost part of the plot! *flailflail*
Not just you. The word balloons have disappeared. WTF?
I am investigating.
Okay, if you refresh your page (or clear cookies) the proper version should be back. I have no idea how this could happen, since the original wordless art pages aren’t uploaded here!
habbit habit
habbit, n, a bunny that keeps coming back.
@ScottHicken Ha! I didn’t even realise the lack of speech was NOT intended, the page pretty much works without it! Very well done!!! And thanks for the comment, I would have missed the dialogue otherwise!
You played yourself