I would have expected Zaid to be a trainee in Ki-Rata at this point. White belt equivalent, but still…
He seems not to have changed since we saw him before the time skip.
But yeah: Running into your ex, e.g. at the mall, and you are covered in scars and tatoo’s and are in questionable company, while he/she looks proper to a tee, all dressed up and fancy, in the presence of high-up person.
Just the worst.
Odds are that Zaid is actually am Gog Agog worm-clone. Gog Zaid? Gaid? Zog?
Why? Because Goggy wanted to show ole one-finger-death-punch that she can play him for a fool right under his nose.
Why would Solomon David train Zaid in Ki-Rata? He hasn’t trained any of his own sons; why would he train a stranger? Solomon wants Zaid to be a cooperative prisoner, so he treats him well, but he wouldn’t give him tools that he could use to escape (like maps, keys, or weapons. Or badass martial arts training).
Heck, he thinks Zaid is the chosen heir of Zoss, and he specifically does not want anything like the reign of Zoss to return.
It’s less about him being useless and more that this REALLY isn’t his story.
Either that or it’s Abbadon deconstructing the old trope of the Princess who exists only to motivate the hero to go rescue them.
I mean, it’s cliche these days since so many stories defy that trope. But I sure notice it a lot more now that the princess motivating the rescue is a guy then I did while watching old disney cartoons.
Honestly though, White Chain, what can you really plan in this case though?
The merch is directly under one of the users of the most deadly qigong BS in the entire multiverse, and you’re on his planet, surrounded by enemies and also wanted dead or alive. Winning the tournament is pretty much your only choice even if it’s dumb.
Planning is the violence that rends chaos and uncertainty asunder. All plans take place in the future. The future is under the purview of UN lord of all that is not. Those who wrestle a piece of the chaotic mass of pure potential that is the future unto the present form of their choosing with a plan are not far from the path of royalty.
1.5% is not too shabby for a daily movement of AGOG as it is an extremely widely held share, though in this case the sister stock would have been a better choice. Consult with your friendly stock market advisor, Gog-Agog, for more information about investment opportunities in Throne and beyond.
It is *always* shares with GOG and AGOG, of course. The Worm shares with all.
Before White Chain is seen by the readers to bring it up. There have presumably been other rest periods between fights with which to… encourage restraint.
Part of me wants to believe that this is a calculated move to bring Alison into the light.
The other part wants me to believe that Gog-Agog had a hand in this to make Alison fight harder.
Take a gander at the guy (I think) in the lower right of panel 1, standing next to Chtulhu. The one with three floating plates where his noggin should be. I hearby dub thee: Disk Head!
Oh Abbadon, how I love these Star-Wars-Cantina scenes.
Oh my, GNN, ’tis friggin’ miraculous! %D And it’s strangely convenient that subs are in your plain English, not in Universal Metacinstant. Your pal Gog Agog is reaching for audience right through the fourth wall!
And I totally adore all these new breeds of servants.
Though, actually, I expected that for the contest time we will temporaly leave Allison and have another chapter, presumably devoted to Cio and, I guess, Preem Nand. He was supposed to reappear in the 4th book, I remember that.
I gotta say, that slouch in the second panel, that’s a quality slouch. Makes me wanna draw, just looks natural, and emotive. Really been enjoying the art lately.
Anybody else notice White Chain looking more masculine, like their face has hardened and drawn out. Wonder if it’s intentional, or maybe just smoother lines.
Because of anti monopoly laws Gog-Agog corporation was plit in Gog and Agog. Now they compete under watchful eye of independent Gog-Agog committee. Which absolutely , 100% , guarantees no collaboration between Gog Co. and Agog Ltd. Yes. You can trust your pals , at Gog-Agog committee.
Well, Solomon David did see Allison was there; perhaps he’s brought out Zaid to motivate her? He wants to know more about Zoss’ plans with them; I doubt he realizes SHE’s the chosen heir.
Like somebody mentioned, I would love it if it turned out SD has been training him in Ki Rata all this time, though I don’t really see WHY he would do so; especially after what happened to his own teachers…
Poor Zaid: he still looks very unhappy; the past year apparently wasn’t nearly as good for him as it was for Allison and her friends and maybe for that same reason: Allison was among friends, and I doubt Zaid’s position as the protegee/prisoner of SD has allowed him to make any friends.
> Like somebody mentioned, I would love it if it turned out SD has been training him in Ki Rata all this time, though I don’t really see WHY he would do so; especially after what happened to his own teachers…
Where his genetic sons have failed, perhaps an adopted one will prove a worthier successor? I could see it. Also a good way to get a lot of practical information about the potential heir’s capabilities, or to poison his training to set up a future victory (“I taught you everything you know, but not everything I know”).
Dave certainly doesn’t seem convinced that Zaid is the successor, either. Earlier he cast doubt on the whole prophecy.
Which makes a certain amount of sense; if he takes that prophecy at face value, nothing he does now is of any significance. There’s comfort in having a worldview where you’re not doomed to failure. And if there’s only a chance it’s true, it’s logical to prioritize the scenario where your actions matter.
Other news? Well I suppose there is some, but this really is the main event in entertainment right now, and the network president (Gog-Agog) and the editor of GNN (Gog-Agog) are in total agreement on this. Other channels are covering other worlds, of course, but the level of sports betting alone on these fights is quite enough to justify the huge coverage. The price of several worlds will change hands/tentacles during the course of the next few days. It has been that way for many Cycles.
I think this might be the first time we’ve seen digital tech anywhere outside Earth, and it looks hella weird and incongruous. I mean, they shifted those massive stone blocks for the arena by *hand*; they have flatscreen monitors but no heavy machinery?
Hrmm… Flatscreens are manufactured off-world, while heavy machinery is banned on this planet (and many others), due to the polluting effects (not to mention fuel requirements). One nice thing? Thorium reactors for providing clean power. The relatively short-lived waste that doesn’t get burned up is, of course, transported off-world for proper disposal. Just another grand example of NIMBY.
I disagree. That seems to be nothing more than a whiny-little-bitch look. Throughout this entire story line, the WLB has not one thing positive said about him. At the very beginning, perhaps, when the two of them were birds of a feather, but the whiny little sorority sister has grown a bit since then and he (I assume) has not.
So, will there eventually be a reconciliation or will there be a realization?
Guy with two holes in his head: oh, _you’ve_ had a tough few fights? My heart bleeds for you, or at least it would if some asshole martial artist hadn’t plucked it out to show it to me.
Hasn’t Cio already taken care of that? Or do you mean ‘virgin’ in the traditional, physical sense? (And how do we know Cio hasn’t taken care of that either?)
It’s not growing very fast then: it’s still not longer than when we saw him first in Salami Dave’s care at the beginning of this chapter; and that was a year ago!
Kind of wonder what Ally was thinking how Zaid would be.
She knew he was a prisoner, but did she think he was kept in a dungeon or fighting for scraps? Seeing him standing like a good boy beside Solomon David may be a bit of a disconnect for her.
Sure he looks miserable, but not exactly like its been a rough time overall for him.
Yet, compared to Allison, it may well have been rough. She was with friends, free to go where she wanted, taking things into her own hands. He was a prisoner, in a golden cage perhaps, but still a prisoner. Also, his unclear position as prisoner/protegee?/potential heir makes it unlikely he’s made any friends, if only because people may not want to risk interfering with SD’s plans. We have NO idea how he has been treated: could be anything from an ignored pet to a favorite son (though when you look at Solomon David’s relationship with his sons, I’m not sure which would be worse. Plus, we’ve seen he was worried about Allison, and it’s unclear if SD has told him anything about her.
Hrmm… Zaid must have learned something from someone, since he was specifically hoping that Allison would rescue him – or at least show up. Does make you wonder what they have been telling him.
It REALLY has been bugging me how even the most basic reference to this guy (who she presumably just met up with for a one night stand) causes her to instantly puppy-dog in desperation.
I get a desire to bring him back to earth or maybe even (wrongfully) feeling guilty he got caught up in this too, and calculating a way to get him out while limiting the risks.
But seriously who the hell is this guy? Why would Allison walk into a friggin’ trap set by a hive-mind worm without checking if it was in fact the only way to save him from danger? Could have asked about Solomon and determined if he is a danger to . Could have followed that up by contacting Solomon. Solomon has looked like a good enough guy this whole time but he COULD end up being a real bastard, but doing some research and optionally reaching out to him could help build an alliance.
I do not expect Allison to be perfectly rational at all times. I do expect her council to give good advice and know a thing or two about her potential enemies.
Since the time skip, it has felt like the ‘bad decisions because BOY’ arc instead of a ‘TOURNAMENT ARC’. I hope I am wrong and this is explained well. But for now, I just have not been feeling the ACHIEVE HEAVEN THROUGH VIOLENCE that really hooked me in this comic.
at this point, Zaid is basically just an excuse Allison gives herself because she doesnt want to think she’s actually doing all this because she’s this hard in the paint already and cant go back now, and clings to the looooong dead hope that if she gets Zaid back to her world maybe everything will go back to normal from there.
But she hated her life, so normal is not something she would even want. And she has a new life (for over a year) with a cast of interesting people that has been at least mildly more fulfilling than what her old life was.
The thing like the drinking contest felt like taking lessons from her old life and applying them and learning that she always has some feature that is exceptional if she can find the way to use it, and that suffering can be turned into a strength. She was always a ascared girl thrust into a crazy situation and trying to make the best of it when something was so overtly wrong that she just tried to make a change. Seeing where her morality lies and how some things are just unacceptable to her to the point of basically starting a war over it was awesome! (oh you have a tree monster that eats people and you are SAD about it. yeah no kamehameha)
But now? I feel almost no emotional attachment to this current stage of Allison. She feels equally likely to cry in a puddle, or shoot off into space. What even are her motivations at this point? How did a year of focus on study and strength to face a coming challenge end with her more waffling than before?
And next page, she sees that Zaid is fine…. bored, pissed, but fine. But that makes her flip out and run to look at a building because somehow not listening to good advice makes her a hero? What are you doing allison? How have you regressed as a character from your starting point?
Pensive Exultation Regarding Astonishing Revelation of Self
And it burns, burns, burns
the Ring of Power
I wend down, down, down
and the flames went higher ♪
Gosh, I always hate it when I run into my ex in public
Especially when he looks super fly and I look like I’ve been beaten up by several aliens.
I would have expected Zaid to be a trainee in Ki-Rata at this point. White belt equivalent, but still…
He seems not to have changed since we saw him before the time skip.
But yeah: Running into your ex, e.g. at the mall, and you are covered in scars and tatoo’s and are in questionable company, while he/she looks proper to a tee, all dressed up and fancy, in the presence of high-up person.
Just the worst.
Odds are that Zaid is actually am Gog Agog worm-clone. Gog Zaid? Gaid? Zog?
Why? Because Goggy wanted to show ole one-finger-death-punch that she can play him for a fool right under his nose.
Why would Solomon David train Zaid in Ki-Rata? He hasn’t trained any of his own sons; why would he train a stranger? Solomon wants Zaid to be a cooperative prisoner, so he treats him well, but he wouldn’t give him tools that he could use to escape (like maps, keys, or weapons. Or badass martial arts training).
Heck, he thinks Zaid is the chosen heir of Zoss, and he specifically does not want anything like the reign of Zoss to return.
If Zaid had been instructed in Ki-Rata I doubt that he would look like a teenager whose stash of Playboys have just discovered by his mother.
“I would have expected Zaid to be a trainee in Ki-Rata at this point.”
I like the idea that he is still pretty useless.
It’s less about him being useless and more that this REALLY isn’t his story.
Either that or it’s Abbadon deconstructing the old trope of the Princess who exists only to motivate the hero to go rescue them.
I mean, it’s cliche these days since so many stories defy that trope. But I sure notice it a lot more now that the princess motivating the rescue is a guy then I did while watching old disney cartoons.
I hate it when I see my ex in a hostage video
Is it even appropriate to call him an ex in the circumstances that separated them? …Do we need a new word for that? Let’s ask one of the gogs.
The term you are looking for is “pre-scheduled booty call”
Let it be Prex then.
Allison: “OH! Did they put my boyfriend into an anime??!?”
Honestly though, White Chain, what can you really plan in this case though?
The merch is directly under one of the users of the most deadly qigong BS in the entire multiverse, and you’re on his planet, surrounded by enemies and also wanted dead or alive. Winning the tournament is pretty much your only choice even if it’s dumb.
Hate it when I run into my ex deep in the pits of hell
Woops, somehow accidentally changed which comment I was replying to midway through typing it on mobile
didn’t stop them from breaking into Yre
it probably hurts to see him looking so fhateful. and miserable.
The key of kings doesn’t respond well to caution.
You don’t reach heaven through planning.
You reach heaven through *violence*.
Planning is the violence that rends chaos and uncertainty asunder. All plans take place in the future. The future is under the purview of UN lord of all that is not. Those who wrestle a piece of the chaotic mass of pure potential that is the future unto the present form of their choosing with a plan are not far from the path of royalty.
Your pal Agog
Lol @ GNN.
Gog is up 2.5% in the stock market!
Why is AGOG only up 1.5%? It’s so hard to find reliable investments after the collapse of the Bank…
… On the other hand, Gog-Agog being up percentages might mean percent growth in wormholders, rather than monetary value.
1.5% is not too shabby for a daily movement of AGOG as it is an extremely widely held share, though in this case the sister stock would have been a better choice. Consult with your friendly stock market advisor, Gog-Agog, for more information about investment opportunities in Throne and beyond.
It is *always* shares with GOG and AGOG, of course. The Worm shares with all.
The Gog-Agog News Network prides itself on integrity in reporting, and worms. All the worms. Never doubt the worm.
Never doubt the worm…
Does the BEAST’s news network ever report that the BEAST’s stock has gone down, I wonder.
Oddly convenient. As if the Beast knew that White Chain was trying to dissuade Al-Ys-Un.
He’s on the TV in the first panel, before White Chain brings it up.
Before White Chain is seen by the readers to bring it up. There have presumably been other rest periods between fights with which to… encourage restraint.
Wow. Weird flex but okay.
“Oh dammit, he’s hot now.”
damn! these wacky aliens got theyselves a regular ol tv!! shits wild!!
Zaid: “I’m having a good time.”
“Your pal Gog Agog’s tournament is going great!”
It sure is!
Gog-Agog’s tournament?? Kinda disrespecting One Punch King there, wormy?
Part of me wants to believe that this is a calculated move to bring Alison into the light.
The other part wants me to believe that Gog-Agog had a hand in this to make Alison fight harder.
Take a gander at the guy (I think) in the lower right of panel 1, standing next to Chtulhu. The one with three floating plates where his noggin should be. I hearby dub thee: Disk Head!
Oh Abbadon, how I love these Star-Wars-Cantina scenes.
I see a guy with some sort of double cheeseburger with bread in the middle for a head.
A perfect prey species, but for their mastery of the Art.
Hrm… Yes, but the Art of the Sandwich is not often lethal. And if you can get in a few good licks, or a bite or two, you’ve got it made. Heh.
We’ll neck-stick-out and trouble-make,
for friends who don’t know we’re awake.
oh, things we do for old times’ sake.
Welp, seems like old man Solomon made his move.
Also, guy on the top right with what looks like a broad round hat. Could that be our newly awakened friend from chapter 3?
Oh my, GNN, ’tis friggin’ miraculous! %D And it’s strangely convenient that subs are in your plain English, not in Universal Metacinstant. Your pal Gog Agog is reaching for audience right through the fourth wall!
And I totally adore all these new breeds of servants.
Though, actually, I expected that for the contest time we will temporaly leave Allison and have another chapter, presumably devoted to Cio and, I guess, Preem Nand. He was supposed to reappear in the 4th book, I remember that.
Or he shows up at the tourney, after seeing the girl his wife ran off with on TV.
I gotta say, that slouch in the second panel, that’s a quality slouch. Makes me wanna draw, just looks natural, and emotive. Really been enjoying the art lately.
Anybody else notice White Chain looking more masculine, like their face has hardened and drawn out. Wonder if it’s intentional, or maybe just smoother lines.
His ash armor has always been kinda androgynous. His flame features are another matter.
And then it dawns on the mighty Al-Yis-Un, “Oh shit! i have a boyfriend!”
That cameraman really likes Zaid.
Who’s that plain guy again? Looks like fries sellsman
Because of anti monopoly laws Gog-Agog corporation was plit in Gog and Agog. Now they compete under watchful eye of independent Gog-Agog committee. Which absolutely , 100% , guarantees no collaboration between Gog Co. and Agog Ltd. Yes. You can trust your pals , at Gog-Agog committee.
*reassuring honking*
Well, Solomon David did see Allison was there; perhaps he’s brought out Zaid to motivate her? He wants to know more about Zoss’ plans with them; I doubt he realizes SHE’s the chosen heir.
Like somebody mentioned, I would love it if it turned out SD has been training him in Ki Rata all this time, though I don’t really see WHY he would do so; especially after what happened to his own teachers…
Poor Zaid: he still looks very unhappy; the past year apparently wasn’t nearly as good for him as it was for Allison and her friends and maybe for that same reason: Allison was among friends, and I doubt Zaid’s position as the protegee/prisoner of SD has allowed him to make any friends.
> Like somebody mentioned, I would love it if it turned out SD has been training him in Ki Rata all this time, though I don’t really see WHY he would do so; especially after what happened to his own teachers…
Where his genetic sons have failed, perhaps an adopted one will prove a worthier successor? I could see it. Also a good way to get a lot of practical information about the potential heir’s capabilities, or to poison his training to set up a future victory (“I taught you everything you know, but not everything I know”).
Dave certainly doesn’t seem convinced that Zaid is the successor, either. Earlier he cast doubt on the whole prophecy.
Which makes a certain amount of sense; if he takes that prophecy at face value, nothing he does now is of any significance. There’s comfort in having a worldview where you’re not doomed to failure. And if there’s only a chance it’s true, it’s logical to prioritize the scenario where your actions matter.
How civilized, a flatscreen monitor.
I wonder if they have electrical plant , electrical plant powered by demons or all electronics powered by demons directly ..
Hrmm… While devil-drive engines are fairly common on many worlds, Thorium plants are the power of choice on the more pristine examples.
What other news does Gnn do?
Other news? Well I suppose there is some, but this really is the main event in entertainment right now, and the network president (Gog-Agog) and the editor of GNN (Gog-Agog) are in total agreement on this. Other channels are covering other worlds, of course, but the level of sports betting alone on these fights is quite enough to justify the huge coverage. The price of several worlds will change hands/tentacles during the course of the next few days. It has been that way for many Cycles.
Glad to see AC⚡️DC stocks are up 15%
No , it reads as Alternating Gog / Direct Gog. Or AG/DG . Which is also popular band , i believe.
*honks*
I think this might be the first time we’ve seen digital tech anywhere outside Earth, and it looks hella weird and incongruous. I mean, they shifted those massive stone blocks for the arena by *hand*; they have flatscreen monitors but no heavy machinery?
This flat screen television brought to you by Gog-Agog
handblock is traditional
Hrmm… Flatscreens are manufactured off-world, while heavy machinery is banned on this planet (and many others), due to the polluting effects (not to mention fuel requirements). One nice thing? Thorium reactors for providing clean power. The relatively short-lived waste that doesn’t get burned up is, of course, transported off-world for proper disposal. Just another grand example of NIMBY.
The flatscreens are probably manufactured by Gogcorp. She is, after all, the goddess of slick bullshit.
Hrmm… Gogle. For all your data-tracking needs?
I finally get what she saw in him. Look at those eyes. Smoldering.
I disagree. That seems to be nothing more than a whiny-little-bitch look. Throughout this entire story line, the WLB has not one thing positive said about him. At the very beginning, perhaps, when the two of them were birds of a feather, but the whiny little sorority sister has grown a bit since then and he (I assume) has not.
So, will there eventually be a reconciliation or will there be a realization?
Change of plans it seems. Time to either steel thine resolve or run away.
Guy with two holes in his head: oh, _you’ve_ had a tough few fights? My heart bleeds for you, or at least it would if some asshole martial artist hadn’t plucked it out to show it to me.
Come on Ally! Reach deep into your guts and pull out that fire!
Just a reminder that the fate of universes is a mere detail. Allison’s prime motivation is not to die a virgin.
Hasn’t Cio already taken care of that? Or do you mean ‘virgin’ in the traditional, physical sense? (And how do we know Cio hasn’t taken care of that either?)
All is not well with Zaid. Look at that downturned mouth and those haunted eyes. Being Salami Dave’s pet must be wearying to the soul.
Salami Dave must be training Zaid as an apprentice. Look! He’s already growing the beard to look just like him!
It’s not growing very fast then: it’s still not longer than when we saw him first in Salami Dave’s care at the beginning of this chapter; and that was a year ago!
a good beard can not be rushed
Kind of wonder what Ally was thinking how Zaid would be.
She knew he was a prisoner, but did she think he was kept in a dungeon or fighting for scraps? Seeing him standing like a good boy beside Solomon David may be a bit of a disconnect for her.
Sure he looks miserable, but not exactly like its been a rough time overall for him.
Yet, compared to Allison, it may well have been rough. She was with friends, free to go where she wanted, taking things into her own hands. He was a prisoner, in a golden cage perhaps, but still a prisoner. Also, his unclear position as prisoner/protegee?/potential heir makes it unlikely he’s made any friends, if only because people may not want to risk interfering with SD’s plans. We have NO idea how he has been treated: could be anything from an ignored pet to a favorite son (though when you look at Solomon David’s relationship with his sons, I’m not sure which would be worse. Plus, we’ve seen he was worried about Allison, and it’s unclear if SD has told him anything about her.
Hrmm… Zaid must have learned something from someone, since he was specifically hoping that Allison would rescue him – or at least show up. Does make you wonder what they have been telling him.
Big Mac.
Heart Attack
It REALLY has been bugging me how even the most basic reference to this guy (who she presumably just met up with for a one night stand) causes her to instantly puppy-dog in desperation.
I get a desire to bring him back to earth or maybe even (wrongfully) feeling guilty he got caught up in this too, and calculating a way to get him out while limiting the risks.
But seriously who the hell is this guy? Why would Allison walk into a friggin’ trap set by a hive-mind worm without checking if it was in fact the only way to save him from danger? Could have asked about Solomon and determined if he is a danger to . Could have followed that up by contacting Solomon. Solomon has looked like a good enough guy this whole time but he COULD end up being a real bastard, but doing some research and optionally reaching out to him could help build an alliance.
I do not expect Allison to be perfectly rational at all times. I do expect her council to give good advice and know a thing or two about her potential enemies.
Since the time skip, it has felt like the ‘bad decisions because BOY’ arc instead of a ‘TOURNAMENT ARC’. I hope I am wrong and this is explained well. But for now, I just have not been feeling the ACHIEVE HEAVEN THROUGH VIOLENCE that really hooked me in this comic.
at this point, Zaid is basically just an excuse Allison gives herself because she doesnt want to think she’s actually doing all this because she’s this hard in the paint already and cant go back now, and clings to the looooong dead hope that if she gets Zaid back to her world maybe everything will go back to normal from there.
But she hated her life, so normal is not something she would even want. And she has a new life (for over a year) with a cast of interesting people that has been at least mildly more fulfilling than what her old life was.
The thing like the drinking contest felt like taking lessons from her old life and applying them and learning that she always has some feature that is exceptional if she can find the way to use it, and that suffering can be turned into a strength. She was always a ascared girl thrust into a crazy situation and trying to make the best of it when something was so overtly wrong that she just tried to make a change. Seeing where her morality lies and how some things are just unacceptable to her to the point of basically starting a war over it was awesome! (oh you have a tree monster that eats people and you are SAD about it. yeah no kamehameha)
But now? I feel almost no emotional attachment to this current stage of Allison. She feels equally likely to cry in a puddle, or shoot off into space. What even are her motivations at this point? How did a year of focus on study and strength to face a coming challenge end with her more waffling than before?
And next page, she sees that Zaid is fine…. bored, pissed, but fine. But that makes her flip out and run to look at a building because somehow not listening to good advice makes her a hero? What are you doing allison? How have you regressed as a character from your starting point?
I’m actually more surprised they have televisions there
RVVVH HVVVVN TVVVVH VVVVVVVE
TVVS YVU MVVT RVVVVVVR, YVVVG HVVVVVE
WVVN YVU TVY TO SVVVH TVVVR DVVVS
DVV’T PVVVC
VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV
lol GNN what does the G stand for?
Allison’s all Gog-ely-eyed looking at Zaid, isn’t she?
Looks like Cio helped them decorate this space, what with all the plants cluttered around.