King of Swords 9-121
“Once, there was an angel with a flaming spear that guarded the western gate of YISUN’s speaking house. He was rigorous, martial, and followed the exact letter of the Old Law that had been inlaid into his very being with Koss’ silver chisel. At the time, most angels were like him, and they were exceptionally inflexible beings. They could not rebel, so well they had been hewn, against the slightest violation of their code. This made them all extremely cruel.
One day, Prim passed by on the road, and happened upon this angel flogging a group of men of the oldest nation with a lash made of lightning. The men had refused to take their shoes off inside of YISUN’s speaking house – they had journeyed far and did not know the law of the gods. For this minor offense they were being punished rather severely, and their cries were loud and fierce.
Cleverly, Prim took her jeweled comb from her pocket, which she no longer used, since she had long ago hewn off most of her beautiful hair, and bade the angel guard it with his life. Being a lesser being with no practical free will to speak of, the angel could do naught but comply.
Turning back to his prisoners, the angel made to flog them again, but found that the comb was so delicate that every violent motion he made sent it tumbling and ringing and threatened to shatter it. He could no longer continue his violent, oppressive work without fear of harming his duty to the daughter of Hansa, to protect this small and delicate thing.
He gave up flogging the men, and for the first time ever, began to think.”
-Spasms
Look at that vigilant gaze purging White Chain’s thorny horizons.
I was thinking the angel was 25 Vengeful Iron, but I’m beginning to have my doubts.
I too think it’s almost certainly vigilant gaze. The one eye and the cylindrical head, while far from unique, seem fitting for him.
Perhaps. This Concordant Knight certainly does possess a similar speech-color. However the font is slightly different from Vigilant Gaze. I do not throw my cards in favor of either side of the Vigilant Gaze issue, but I never believed him to be Vengeful Iron, and this page only cemented that assumption
One-Eye’s speech pattern is rather reminiscent of vigilant Gaze’s too.
It may be that his sickness within the old armour is masking the lad’s speech. I hope that our cheerful greeter could join the gang. Maybe even tutor Zaid in his own special way.
Though maybe I am too optimistic…
Y’know what, I changed my mind. This new angel is all right.
(Fills in the adoption papers)
Compassion, gentleness such strange virtues for aeons such as ourselves and a soft heartedness that shouldn’t exist! But this fool does recognize the beauty in such concepts and think more should have them… Not that I would every say that aloud.
This one agrees and is pleasantly stimulated by that coyly humorous turn of phrase there at the end. If this one had the capacity for humor, this one expects thus would be chuckling!
This one’s brother 12 Condescending Imperial Fool, what say you regarding the fact that these ones brother 82 White Chain Born in Emptiness Returns to Subdue Evil is in possession of the legendary Comb of Prim? This one hypothesizes it to be the original, however it is just as likely to be a representative facsimile – a religious symbol, if you’ll pardon my crude simile.
Perhaps you >should< say it out loud, pree Fool. Perhaps we all should, Aeon or not.
So angels are not wholly inflexible, after all. Thanks Prim.
Oh, and hi, Juggs.
What does it say of the Old Law when angels fight each other?
That the Old Law is Broken.
Hail the New Flesh
That the Old Law is Dead
Metatron Lives
Could Koss account for such an apocalyptic scenario?
That if you gather nine angels in a room and ask them what is the Law, they will give you at least ten different opinions. What use, then, is the Law?
Gathe nine angels in a room, in these degraded times, and they will pierce your cushions and scratch your tables
And steal your teacups
They are licentious with the law, claiming to follow a higher master.
0/5 would not host again
The stealing of teacups is an heinous and unforgivable crime and must be harshly punished.
Aye. ‘Ats te problum witcha stoneyarses. Too flaming rigid an too flaming cuckoo all the same. Still tho, methinks this’ll be a right good smack up ‘ere. Cannae waet fir te outcome aye.
It is said “Do not go to the angels for advice, as they will tell you both yes and no”.
That the Sheriff is taking a nap.
And in your weakness, *there* you are strong.
An oak tree may be able to support a house in its branches, but when the storm comes only the willow will be left standing.
I KNEW OLD BROTHER COUGHSALOT WAS GOOD DUDE! I KNEW IT!
That said, I think the phrase “You of all my siblings struggle” is a very important one. It signifies that the path of righteousness is fraught with hardship–that what is easy or seems right, that which is facile, is almost never what is truly right. White chain, of all our friends, seemed to understand that the most, and certainly the most of all the angels we’ve met. I hope she hasn’t lost her way.
I also took it that Brother Coughsalot accepts that WC is a female angel as well
If unused the armors seem to get clogged with dust so fine that it irritates even the cold white flames
It was not the beheading that killed Kos, it was the ash in his lungs
The conflict of words.
Balance, for but a moment.
The thorn intrudes.
In-tru-des?
It seems unlikely that he has registered for this tourney, for one thing.
I think the point is ‘intrudes’ is actually 2 syllables, not 3.
It was not intended as a formal poem format. But I see how this would appear so. I am amused that it would come so close without even making an attempt.
This one would just like to say that this one has always enjoyed your prose, brother First Serpent Counts Stars.
The White Flame is difficult to alter, as all cold things are. But it is also a flame, and flames by nature must change and flicker as they burn. To avoid doing such is to be denying its nature as flame.
Not sure where I was going with that metaphor, but my contract with the Tournament of Power for concessions has proven lucrative indeed. I look at the proceedings from afar, however, and wonder just why a Thorn has brought itself to this place. I look forward to seeing the blood and explosions to come, however–provided I don’t meet the fate of that one merchant ship that was killed by a stray spear of heaven this fight.
Aye, bit ‘o fancy wordly weaverings ye spouted there birdie. Bloody flaming good bit ‘o flaming blood will most assurednessly be had soon. ‘Ats me most bested effort at soindin fancy like meself.
Oy, ye know where a fancy gente like meself would be findin some o that Flame Ice wot what all we’s been pickin whisper babble about? I ‘erd it do be a right vaccuos dancerly time when the good stuffs to be had.
Angels at the Crossroads
Now we see where the umbilical cord goes…
White Chain is rightly reprimanded by…old flathead flame (sorry can’t recall its name)
And taa daaaa!! A thorny visitor, not unexpected.
I’m assuming “Mistake” is a reference to “not someone to be beaten into shape” and Thorny Jugga is volunteering to do the beating. Or demanding to do it.
only we are surprised by this combatant. his forms were filed on time, in triplicate.
O White Chain, You Who Yet Shines With The Benevolent Light.
By the roar of cinders again set aflame do we ask of you to cast away the thorns that obscure the love of the world that burns within! The Thorn Knights are weeds unworthy of the Gods, of the flames they were forged from.
The true servants of YISUN understand that the end the Thorns seek is another Lie, and that even in the frailest of embers is the capacity for Royalty.
i see this and all i can think about is shame-nun from game of thrones ringing her stupid bell.
Bwahaahah, think of the penitents from Monty Python instead
HELLO, DEVIANT
Spikyarse 7 Juggernaut Star Keeps Turning Up Like a Bad Penny’s favorite refrain. Got a new body forged since Maya sliced his old one in twain then.
It was revealed that 6 Juggernaut survived, albeit heavily wounded at the end of that chapter.
Something about the body being the wheel.
Even if you are able to cut anything, you need to know where to cut.
Blitherbrains us! Wondered about the wheel. But also saw him explode! An there was never any umbilicus between the 2, so Juggy had to have split his flame between the two? In which case half of him did explode, and what survived is diminished. And more peevesome.
Presumably the flame that inhabited the other body rejoined the flame in the wheel, though indeed it may have been diminished.
Methinks that is the spare body that Metatron Prime offered to White chain, re-purposed for her use.
It’s possible, though I thought the armor shown then was supposed to be a projection (whether mental or something like a hologram) of the offer rather than a suit of armor crafted right there.
Is that Juggernaut Star? How awfully convenient for that one to show up right when one angel gets her armor cored out and a devil-skin warrior loses her devil-skin.
This is why I don’t like Thorns. Too wily.
Indeed, how strange for those who hate embers to be so similar to them!
Oh shitballs.
Allison better power up because I doubt White Chain nor brother bucket head can handle the deluded one by themselves. And sadly since Cio’s still probably feeling pretty blah (hence the lack of snark from her) from the forced unbinding she’s going to have to do it by herself.
Either that or Maya’s going to turn up next and cut the thorny deluded one in half again. Which wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest. Or Zoss himself will make an appearance to troll the deluded one/get Allison to move arse.
Either way, bring on the next page, for it shall be spicy.
We shouldn’t count on Maya showing up. Besides, her showing up and one-hit nuking Juggernaut Star would be rather Deus Ex Machina-y.
I’m thinking that this is where Solomon steps in, perhaps because Jughead is not an actual contestant? Abbadon has told us that the fight isn’t over, but he didn’t say who would continue fighting whom.
Would Solomon want to risk getting in the middle of what is essentially a spat between two angel factions? He’s likely as confused as everybody, but the last thing he wants is to get on the wrong side of the wrong faction and upset the delicate balance that already exists.
I would think that a demiurge devoted to order would be *very unamused* by a third party *interfering with his grand tournament*.
That’s /his/ toy to fuck around with.
I gotta feeling 7 Juggernaut Star is gonna feel a few fingers soon.
I concur;
SOLOMON DAVID
COME ON DOWN
NOT HAPPENING.
S.Dave is up there, posin’ & thinkin’:
“I’m da end boss of dis tournament
I wait till the end, and all that happens till then is to my glory.
I am DEFINITELY NOT being totally ignored right now.
Yeah, I’m da boss.”
Methinks Chainy bird and sugar bum will do somethin wot all like Lady Yabalchoath an her did and mush together for some flaming bit and then get all strong-like. Stripe me arse but it could ‘appen! Ally could wear stoneyarse’s stoney arse wot like te problum armor it do be, neh? I mean..we seen Whitey take off ‘er face all mask-like, so why not even include the Lady’s mask combinational style? Make ’em a fearsome threesome. Heh.
By Yisun’s sake, those stories are DEEP man
Not as deep as an angel with a lightning lash, but deep
The stories are as deep as the abyss, but the angels? Rather shallow, in general.
Nay.
The eyes go all the way down.
It’s just turtles all the way down.
There is a comment to be made about the holiness of angels, I think — otr the holey-ness thereof, at least.
Flames do need fuel, but they also need air to breathe, same as many mortals. We shall see how White Chain proceeds now that her shell is cracked and her fire is no longer smothered.
I wonder what the name of the angel in the story was, would be cool to find out that it was the proto version of one of those we already know.
Anyhow, that’s Juggernaut Star with his helmet on isn’t it? Vigilant gaze purges the horizon may be rusty, but they’re likely pretty strong themselves. White Chain is certainly weakened but they may still have some tricks up their sleeve. Whether Allison is any condition to fight remains to be seen.
I have a feeling that wit is going to win this battle, not strength.
Or quite the contrary. Ally surprises Juggy with some instant immovable resolve, and maybe snorts White Chain’s angel fumes to get a different kind of high this time.
I mean, the “flanked by 2 flames” prophecy kind of demads that sort of thing
JuggerKnight: “‘Sup, nerds?”
Interesting, how vigilant gaze refers to his siblings, not his brothers.
Nothing wrong with being a little feminine, after all.
Yet he is not yet ready to accept her as sister.
im pretty sure he has. Had he not, wouldn’t he have said brothers? He’s not just talking about White Chain here, siblings also includes a lot of other angels, which i presume are not all female.
“You are not my brother”
“of all our siblings”
I think he’s made it very clear that he does.
Is he not? Remember his words.
“You are not my brother.”
I don’t think Solomon will look kindly on two illegal participants. One can be written of as someone lost in a bathroom, a second is a sign that he doesn’t control this to a fault.
Vigilant Gaze’s ‘fought a few ruffians’ comment sounds like they enrolled in the tournament themselves.
Solomon David has already lost control of this, the new rule book got tossed out when Alicio started wrecking the place. He can’t really interfere anyway because he doesn’t want to pick sides when it’s an angel faction that could upset the delicate balance that already exists.
Anyways, I wonder if anybody in the stands (or Solomon and Gog Agog for that matter) can hear what’s being said or if it’s just wordless drama which probably makes things more confusing.
Fortunately, Gog-Agog, Supreme Mistress of Ceremonies, also controls the costuming department, and so every contestant is mic’d for the benefit of the viewers in the stands and at home.
That would make sense, but it’d need stuff like wi-fi and we haven’t seen much in the way of ‘modern’ tech level stuff. Though given Gog Agog’s domination of the entertainment sector, I could see them having access to things that would be higher tech than what we usually see. Most likely from one of Jadzia’s (sp?) worlds, it sounded like she dealt with really high tech stuff in the past, so, I might expect her worlds to be higher tech on average, even if restricted.
I seem to remember TV screens have been shown already.
You refer to Jadis.
Yeah, that’s the name I was trying to think of, thanks.
My goodness! Gog-Agog doesn’t need a mic at all. She just puts a bug in your ear.
This guy.
Ah yes, I know of him. The man who has two thumbs…
He also goes by “Bob Kelso”.