Book 2 – Page 54

[balder]

New One is up.

[Renter]

Ohh Jack, you so evil...

[davidbrawley]

Now what is Don up to I wonder?

And how soon before we get to see Parson doing the mad dash across the Magic Kingdom?!?

[Zeku]

Wanda and Jack seem to have that "we've won so we can stop thinking now" air about them.

Don's probably leaving to talk to Jetstone, (the thinkamancer is with him) but I'm a little curious why Caesar is so interested in the affairs at the enemy city that he's setting up a larger mockup. It's still never been explained why Don was so interested in making Jillian start her own side, so I get the feeling something big is happening here.

[ryanroyce]

Now what is Don up to I wonder?

And how soon before we get to see Parson doing the mad dash across the Magic Kingdom?!?

To talk to Slately, I expect.

I love the look on Jack's face when he threatens the tower, too. Wicked cool.

Looks like Antium got his arm back after all.

[oslecamo2]

You know, having private talks behind your chief warlord's back when there's a major crisis going on surely won't score any extra loylaty points for Don.

Hmm, I wonder if they can burn down the tower before the Slatley escapes.

[grass monkey]

Awesome update. I love the look exchanged between Wanda & Sylvia. Looks like the Duke grew back his arm via decryption. I thought they might be able to bring down the tower via siege...would be quite a sight, especially with Xin drawing it!

[thorne]

I'm under the impression that Jack, despite having thought up the idea, is shocked, actually, that Wanda is basically claiming higher rank than Parson (in panel 7). Wanda is about to deviate from Parson's orders, deliberately. I think this is a subtle representation of a major turning point. Great update!

[Sixty]

Jack seems to have a very surprised look in panel 7. Is it because Sylvia seemed to butt in or because Wanda agreed with his plan or because of the "You have MY orders" line?

[kaylasdad99]

You know, having private talks behind your chief warlord's back when there's a major crisis going on surely won't score any extra loylaty points for Don.

Hmm, I wonder if they can burn down the tower before the Slatley escapes.

Burn? Erfwiki suggests that the purple attack is sonic in nature...

Of some interest is that apparently, Caesar and Tramennis have exactly opposite ideas as to the wisdom/need to rush the Atrium. I wonder if outside-the-box Tramennis is righter than conventional-approach Caesar.

[goodmorning]

I think you're right on the astonishment, Thorne. Wanda is deviating from the plan that just saved them, and that kind of surprises him. I wonder why Parson 1) didn't order it and 2) didn't forbid it. Either he hadn't considered it or he thinks it is unimportant. Also, Trammennis didn't seem to consider it much either, but he still made the right call to get Slately out. As for the plan itself, do they really have the forces to both take the Portal Room AND leave the seige in the Atrium? I'm afraid the seige will get croaked... and that may definitely screw with Parson's plan, whatever it is.

Oh, again I think the Jetpack may save the day. How do you escape a toppling tower? Via JETPACK!

I have been loving Xin's artwork throughout this book. I got a little wierded out by the eyes at one point, but that just took a little adjusting to. Now I think this is one of the best drawn comics I read. Well done!

[Vorteks]

I'm guessing Slately is going to call Jillian and say "get back there RIGHT NOW!".

[badninja]

Why do I think that Don King knows what is going to happen? Ceaser is thinking to much like a regular Chief Warlord and he is about to have his eyes opened in full detail when the actual plan happens. Jack has spent a little to much time with parson because this is something he would do and since no one else is even thinking it, except maby Charlie, it just may work. The last volume ended around the King World spell and there is still some more volumes to go this battle is far from over and we have a major twist coming, Stately surviving, an achron army showing up (hinted at earlier), Jillian returning, or something else? Rob an Xin have hit a home run with this page now what will happen next?

[Atomic]

Blarg. Stupid, Wanda. Just plain stupid.

Not only is she splitting up her forces, but she's depriving the Decrypted units of their bonus, as well. This isn't gonna bode well for her... She needs to make it all the way to Parson and back before the forces of Jetstone march upon her army. Thankfully, she should have a chance to get back while Slately makes that call... Attempts to make a call, at least.

It'd be a hilarious turn of events if the Transylvito-coup happened immediately before (or during, just for lulz?) the Thinkagram... Imagine the look on Slately's face when he connects with Bunny and sees Caesar instead of Don. The 'O SNAP'-Orly would need to be sitting on Slately's shoulder, of course.

Hmm, I wonder if they can burn down the tower before the Slatley escapes.

Burn? Erfwiki suggests that the purple attack is sonic in nature...

Based off of Stanley's flashback (and the fact that Purple Dwagons are, indeed, considered siege), it's safe to assume that the purples deal Sonic damage. It's considered speculation on the wiki because we can't be certain how reliable Stanley (or anyone else? Haha) is at narrating. ... But oslecamo2 was quoting the terminology used, by Parson, at the beginning of the book... Of course, that's gonna get messed up because of Wanda

[odoflood]

Well, Wanda can't[i][/i] take the dwagons into the dungeon sub-zone; they're too big. So they've got to stay in the atrium. And, as Jack has pointed out (Jack's many simulations with Parson have likely made him into a formidable strategist), the purples can possibly win the battle by themselves at this point. So you might as well use them rather than have them just stand around and look cool (and they do look cool).

Wanda has been ordered by Parson to take the Portal Room, so she more-or-less has to follow that order. Wanda isn't being stupid; she has no choice other than to split her forces. She can't take the dwagons into the dungeon zone, and she is required to enter the dungeon zone. Ergo, the dwagons have to stay topside.

At this point, could you simply hold stack with all leadership bonus and destroy the tower/kill Slately/win? Yes. But Parson either hasn't thought of that, or he's too stuck in his "I won't order people to fight if I'm not willing to fight alongside them" mindset. That's an understandable emotional reaction, but it is, on Parson's part, an exploitable weakness. I would be surprised if Charlie's hirelings don't make a play for Parson while he's in the Magic Kingdom. Hopefully the Thinkamancers interpret Maggie's "Protect" as "Protect parson," rather than "Protect the portal and prevent Parson from using it."

[DoctorJest]

As for the plan itself, do they really have the forces to both take the Portal Room AND leave the seige in the Atrium? I'm afraid the seige will get croaked... and that may definitely screw with Parson's plan, whatever it is.

I doubt the siege units are tunnel-capable anyways, so they'd have to split up no matter what.

[The Xenologist]

the artwork in this update is amazing! it seems to improve with every panel =) im a big fan.
Especially jack's expression when he suggests burning down the tower. pure evil

It looks like we're getting down to the wire now plotwise, parsons got to be coming through the gate very soon. The question is how long will it take wanda to secure the gate room? Im guessing not that long. Parsons got to get into the action soon for his appearance to be relevant at all to the battle. Of course there may be another piece of plot magic coming up, but thats tinfoil hat stuff =P not that it isn't fun to speculate..

Also, looks like we got confirmation of who The King is calling, im curious to see what kind of conversation they have... but at the same time i would rather see the battle progress sooner then later....

Another fantastic update

EDIT: does anyone recognize the robot character from the lower leftmost panel? i dont think we have seen her before...?

[Codex]

shocked, actually, that Wanda is basically claiming higher rank than Parson (in panel 7).

I don't see it that way. IMO, since this is an aspect of the battle plan for which Parson didn't give any orders (for or against), Wanda has free rein. She's not unnecessarily splitting her forces--in the next panel she commits all tunnel-capable forces to taking the Portal Room, which is all she could do anyway on that front. As for the remaining forces, it's the commander-on-the-ground's prerogative to exercise initiative and attack targets of opportunity.

Edit: Beaten to the punch by odoflood. And for this I created a new account and made my first forum post?

[kagato23]

Edit: Beaten to the punch by odoflood. And for this I created a new account and made my first forum post?

Your done now though! You can post with the rest of us, and get into deep discussion and/or silly debates! Welcome!

This is a good update. Though I do see something happening now that I hadn't considered before. It makes sense that you wouldn't necessarily have to go through the tower to get to the dungeon, but you still have to divide your forces.

Jack's plan is actually a good one, dragon's can't go down anyway, might as well use them. Even if the kings not in there, if the tower goes down, the units up top have been preserved. it's that or sit around, so there's no reason NOT to attack the tower.

Except for the one, though I think it might have happened anyway: Trem's going in. He already has superior numbers and leadership: If he peeks in and sees that the croakamancer is gone, then he's stupid NOT to attack the garrison. Kill everything in there, so GK doesn't have it anymore. And with no Wanda in sight, he can make sure there's no bodies left on either side for her to use. Her Heavy's are then gone, which makes the odds of a rush on everything else better for multiple ways: he could split his forces and attack from the "back way" and the direct route via the tower at the same time, end it in the dungeon. Or at least make a clean break for it right out the front door.

Of course, either way this could well mean that we are at last going to see the last stand of everybody's favorite redhead. But it serves her right, being all rude and pushing jack like that (It looks to me like she quite literally shouldered her way into the conversation).

Amidst all this though? What I'd really like to see is a text update for Ossamer in all this, see what he's thinking. The slab of beef has been surprisingly compelling since he died.

Edit: additional thought: If I had a outspoken subordinate who was also quite persuasive who had said before that things would go bad, and now things were in fact going bad, I'm not so sure I'd leave him unobserved in a room full of important folks right at this moment. Don perhaps should have taken/made this call in the room: Talking softly, maybe behind the throne, but certainly not completely out of earshot.

[I<3ChocolateMilk]

Wanda has been ordered by Parson to take the Portal Room, so she more-or-less has to follow that order.

I've seen speculation in several threads how Parson's order for Wanda to stay alive no matter what could lead to her interpreting that order as, "Switch sides to Charlescom" or whatever.

As a GK unit, in whatever sense of Loyalty, Wanda is under the effects of Erfworld Law 1: Obey your superiors or be disbanded.

By taking the tower and the king Wanda ensures that the portal room is taken, thereby satisfying the orders Parson gave her as well as ensuring that she can curbstomp all Jetstone units within the city space.
After the tower falls they have nothing but winning options, and she can thereby either swell her own Decrypted ranks because all Jetstone units would be easy pickings, or allow Parson or Stanley to decide on those units' fates. The point is that taking the king means minimal losses for GK and maximum losses for JS.

Wanda may see this tactic as her own agenda being followed, but technically she would be absolutely fulfilling Parson's orders, if not exactly to the letter.

Is it Charlie's turn next?