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#41
Jayhawk HQ / Re: [Bounty Project Chapter 14...
Last post by ProfesseurRenard - April 09, 2026, 12:44:44 AM
14-05 - I don't think Admaria likes her very much

"Off-of-body experience", that's a good one! Mind if I borrow it sometime?

Also, Fairwater's eldest prince seems quite a handsome lad.
#42
Tower of Art / Pax Draconica 2 - Chapter 24 (...
Last post by Tapewolf - April 08, 2026, 06:35:13 AM
Chapter 24 - Close Encounter of the Third Kind

"Well?" Fardon said.  They had landed at the top of the gorge, and the dragon-knight had passed around a large telescope from his neck-satchel.

"You may be right," Terry said, staring at the ominous-looking concrete structure.  It had the air of a military bunker, and clearly bored deep into the side of the gorge.  "This isn't on the books.  I shall have to go down there and make enquiries."

"You can't seriously expect to waltz up to a secret military base and demand they let you in...?"

"I am the fucking Overlord!"  Terry scowled.  "If someone has been building things like this behind my back, I'll have their head!  Embezzling from the crown is a big no-no, and taken to this extreme merits a harsh punishment indeed."

"I wish I had my usual armour," Fardon sighed.  "Though they might have something that could penetrate even that."

Fardon took the telescope back and pondered.  "Oh shit," he said.  "A patrol just came out."

"...And?"

"They're Hunters," Fardon said.

Terry fell silent.

"We should probably back away a little," Mermul said.  "If they're really Hunters, they'll not take kindly to three dragons watching them."

"Agreed," Terry said, as they edged somewhere hopefully out of sight.  "I don't know if this is better or worse.  At least it means my underlings haven't been plotting behind my back.  But... Urgh.  I'm going to have words with Lady Silver."

There was a copse nearby, and they scuttled towards that, the treeline hiding most of their bodies, but allowing their heads to observe things more discreetly.

"Ohhh," Fardon said, peering through the telescope.  "That's not good."

"What now...?"

"I just saw Lady Silver," Fardon said quietly.  "A jeep pulled up, and she got out of it.  I'm sure it was her... And she said something about visiting the Northwest of your realm, did she not...?  This is what she wanted to visit, or I'm a human!"

"Why, that traitorous little wench!"  Terry snarled.  "I warned her..."

"Wait," Fardon said.  "The body language is all wrong... What the fuck?!  Oh gods..."

"What happened?!"  Terry demanded, reaching out as if to seize the telescope himself.

"They shot her!"  Fardon sounded appalled, and handed the device to Terry.  A faint boom reached them, the sound of a gunshot from far away.  "They murdered her!"

"No!"  Terry wailed, focusing on the dead snow leopard as the soldiers dragged her body aside and began inspecting her vehicle.  "Not again!  Not another murdered envoy!"

"Do you still want to go down there and demand answers...?"  Fardon asked.  "Keep in mind that if they kill the overlord of the realm, this will become Hunter territory by right of conquest."

"They will find that much harder to do than they think," Terry hissed.

"I can go there," Mermul said.  "If we can distract them somehow, I can grab the body, or at least start the healing process.  I could strafe her with my breath..."

"But they'll kill you!"  Terry whimpered.

"Worst case, I should revive," Mermul said.  "Though if you can arrange some kind of distraction, hopefully I can get in and out before they can react."

"Unless they have heat-seeking missiles," Fardon said, staring again through the telescope.  "I can't see anything like that, but I wouldn't rule it out.  Maybe they don't, if this is supposed to be top-secret.  A dragon death-zone would be a bit of a give-away..."

At that point, they heard the roar of a jet engine once more.  The Hunter guards looked up, saw the intruder and ran back inside, leaving Lady Silver sprawled dead on the ground.

"There they are again!"  Fardon said, watching through the telescope.  "There's your distraction.  Go, Mermul!  Go!"

Terry craned his neck to watch Mermul, but then glanced upwards as the sound of the engine grew louder and louder.  Suddenly, it cut out completely, and the intruder glided, turned and landed on the top of the gorge.

Terry fanned his wings and hovered imposingly.  The intruder trotted, cantered and finally galloped towards them.

"Who are you?"  Terry demanded menacingly.  "From where do you hail, and what is you purpose in these lands?"

"I could ask the same," the intruder retorted, eyeing Terry with a cocky expression.  He was clearly a frost dragon, but where his feathery wings should have been were the gleaming metal wings of an aircraft and two engines.
His fur was dark blue, with orange stripes dyed in it, and a pale blue-grey belly and throat.  The metal parts of him, wings, fins on the top of his head like ears or horns, were all painted to match his fur colours.  His muzzle, too, was metal on top, and where his face should have been was a black visor, with a glowing orange plasma display depicting two cartoonish eyes, complete with eyebrows.  His mouth formed a cocky grin under the metallic implants or armour covering his snout.

"That's some fancy armour," Fardon remarked as the other two dragons stared at each other coolly.

"Who's this...?"  Mermul asked, dropping Lady Silver's body to the ground.  "Are they the UFO...?  They are, aren't they...?"

"That's what we're trying to find out," Terry growled.  "But they are being very stubborn, and that is not wise."

"Like you can catch me if I decide to leave," the intruder sneered, rolling his electronic eyes.  "And you're clearly not supposed to be here either."

"I am Lord Terror." Terry snapped.  "Sovereign overlord of the realm of Arstrom.  I am asking the questions, intruder.  Who are you?  What are you...?"

The cyborg dragon's eyes widened with horror and he bowed his head low with a look of mortification.

"Oh shit!" he said, appalled.  "A thousand pardons for violating your territory, your lordship!  I am called Jake.  I was sent to investigate this... facility."

"By whom?"  Terry growled.  "And why did you not just ask...?  I could have investigated this ages ago, if I had known it existed."

"I... We... assumed you were in league with the Hunters," Jake grovelled.  "We didn't know you were actually a dragon!  I'm sorry, we didn't know!  Some psycho comes in and kills the king, takes his place... That happens a lot round here, begging your pardon, your lordship!  We thought you were a furre!"

"Understandable," Terry said.  "That is a... colourful... way of describing the lords of Arstrom, but essentially accurate.  And I cannot complain if my disguise is working as it should.  But still... If you know that much, you surely must have known of my plans to welcome dragonkind back to Arstrom?"

"We assumed it was a trap," Jake said sadly.  "To take our bones, to eliminate us one by one.  We were convinced you were in league with the Hunters!  After all, you let them build this... thing here!"

"I did not," Terry said.  "I have been neglecting matters in the North, and that must now end.  And while I have many further questions to put to you, least of all who you represent - I think it is time we got some answers from our pet Hunter."

"That?"  Jake laughed, pointing a paw at the mangled corpse.  "What are you going to do?  Hold a seance...?"

Mermul stood over the dead snow leopard and gasped, drawing in breath.  Then he breathed plasma over the remains.

"..Cremation...?  That makes even less sense... EEP!" he gurgled, as the Hunter gave a choking cry and rolled over.

"...The fuck...?!  How did you..."

"Maybe when you have told us a lot more about yourself and your aims, we can discuss that too," Terry said.

Lady Silver sat up, saw four dragons staring at her and let out a brief scream.

"Quiet!"  Terry hissed.  "We are probably out of earshot of the base, but I don't want to risk it!"

"You... you're..."

"Lord Terror," Terry said toothily.  "Now you know my secret, Hunter.  It is only fair that you reveal yours, given that you have a secret base here.  As you know, that makes things very awkward diplomatically, so I suggest you start talking.  Now."

"They shot me," the snow leopard whimpered.  "It was a kill-shot, it must have been...  How... who..."

"I gave you back your life," Mermul said.  "By the grace of Alkrash.  Clearly He has seen the good in you."

"Saved by dragons," the snow leopard sighed, with a fatalistic laugh.  "Blessed by the Dragon God.  There goes my career..."

"The base," Terry growled.  "What is it, and what possessed you to build it in my territory?!"

"I don't know," Lady Silver said.

"Bullshit!"  Jake yelled.  "That's a Hunter base!  You're a Hunter, so they say!  Pull the other one!"

"It's not that simple!" the snow leopard snapped.

"The guards at that base blew her head to pulp," Fardon said.  "Clearly there is some kind of internal feud within the Atlantian faction.  I bet she was sent to investigate it too."

"You're saying we're all here to... urgh!" Jake rolled his eyes and fell silent.

"I worry that this was her primary mission," Fardon said slowly.  "That her talk of wanting to retain trade with Arstrom was just a cover."

"She seemed genuinely eager at times," Terry pointed out.  "I don't think it was all subterfuge.  But clearly she has left a lot out," he added, glowering at the Hunter.

"Very well," Lady Silver sighed unhappily.  "I suppose there is no point in holding back.  As I told his lordship some days ago, Hunter society was badly shaken by the discovery that our policies on the Evil One risked triggering the end of the world instead of preventing it.
"As such, a more cautious, moderate faction has taken power.   Our official policy has recently been revised, such that only dragons who pose a definite threat are to be targeted, lest we upset the Devourer.  That does not mean we are looking to ally with dragons, but it has shown us the folly of antagonising them."

"But not everyone is happy about that, are they?"  Mermul sighed.

"Just so.  Some of the hardliners, the anti-dragon fundamentalists, broke away and are pursuing their own agenda.  My main mission here was to broker a trade agreement with Lord Terror, in the hopes that it may become a formal alliance over time.  Though..." she glanced up at the four dragons.  "I really don't know what will happen if his true identity leaks out.  An ally suddenly being revealed as a dragon is liable to upset a lot of people...  But that's not the point."

"I could have a dragon as an 'advisor'," Terry pointed out.  "But do continue,"

"Not a bad idea," the snow leopard admitted.  "Anyway, the point is, with Lord Thurr calming down, we have had a drop in trade as fewer people need protection.  So expanding trade with others realms is something we are definitely interested, and we do need the Narduran trade route.
"My other key objective - the secret one - was to covertly investigate the north-west tip of Arstrom to try and locate a secret research facility."

"It's not on your books either...?"  Terry gave her a long, hard gaze.

"I must tell you that it is run by a breakaway group of Hunters who were thought to be developing a potent anti-dragon weapon.  I was to try and find out what they were actually doing, and whether it is likely to jeopardise our other interests."

"Seeing as they murdered you, I'm guessing that it will," Fardon remarked.

"That," Jake said, "Is what we were worried about also.  Thank you for confirming our suspicions."

"Okay," Lady Silver said, looking at her audience with a puzzled air.  "Sir Fardon I met.  Lord Terror claimed to have dragon blood... clearly much more than he let on.  I guess you were shapeshifted...?  I didn't know dragons could maintain such a form for so long!"

"Usually, we can't," Terry admitted.  "It has taken decades of practice and it still has its... drawbacks.  But it is worth it just to wear shiny clothes more easily."

"And the blue-grey one, He's probably Mermul - the hero who somehow forced Lord Thurr to change his tune...?"

"Lord Mermul," Mermul corrected her.

"But who is the metal one...?  And why are they like that...?"

"We still want to know that ourselves, Jake," Terry growled.

"I am with the Brotherhood of the Wing," Jake said.  "That's not to say that sisters are unwelcome, or those of indeterminate gender.  It's just a name and it stuck.  We are a group of dragons looking to better our lot.  Help the downtrodden and the injured.  Make ourselves better."

"I've heard rumours," Terry said.  "A secret society, yes?  I worry that you are dragon supremacists."

"Well," Jake admitted, "We are the superior race.  You can't really argue with that.  But it doesn't mean we can't be friends with the smaller ones."

"Hmmph," Terry looked unimpressed, as did Lady Silver.  "And who are you allied with?  Where, approximately, is your base located?"

"Our regional headquarters is in the mountains bordering Narduran," Jake said.  "It's disputed land.  We do not owe fealty to them or to Arstrom, begging your pardon, your lordship.  That is where I hail from.  The facilities there... improved me.  Made me what I am now."

"I see," Terry said sourly.  "So you also built a secret research base in my realm."

The plane-dragon cringed.  "I... hadn't thought of it like that, your lordship.  I am sorry.  It wasn't my idea!"

"Jake," Sir Fardon said.  "When I was carrying out a census along the Eastern border, I heard persistent rumours of dragon eggs being stolen, both here and in Narduran.  Have you heard of anything like that, may I ask?"

"Oh yeah," Jake looked awkward again.  "That was probably us."
#43
Jayhawk HQ / Re: [Xer 2 Chapter 4]
Last post by Tapewolf - April 08, 2026, 06:26:50 AM
Quote from: Starcat5 on April 08, 2026, 05:01:11 AMI must say that the original panel is nicely "Egyptian" coded, much like the Chozo of Metroid. Sadly, I agree with Tapewolf. Olde Timey art is best saved for "Mysterious Ancients" rather than "Asshole Slaver Ancients".

As I understand it, the creator of the Protogen species is apparently selling socks at Furdu with protogens in that style and UFOs.  Merlin was referencing that, I think - which was definitely cute, but didn't really mesh with the ZOR lore I was trying to portray.
#44
Jayhawk HQ / Re: [Xer 2 Chapter 4]
Last post by Starcat5 - April 08, 2026, 05:01:11 AM
I must say that the original panel is nicely "Egyptian" coded, much like the Chozo of Metroid. Sadly, I agree with Tapewolf. Olde Timey art is best saved for "Mysterious Ancients" rather than "Asshole Slaver Ancients".
#45
DHS Comix / Re: Revenge tour??
Last post by Merlin - April 07, 2026, 08:08:22 AM
i am not very good at keeping secrets u_u
#46
DHS Comix / Re: Revenge tour??
Last post by Anders71 - April 07, 2026, 06:34:09 AM
Quotesecret writers' chat
👀
There's a special chat for writing secrets???
#47
DHS Comix / Re: Revenge tour??
Last post by Merlin - April 07, 2026, 06:11:27 AM
nobody ever calls me out on my terranigma inspired cover backgrounds, this is the second april running i've had one, mwahahaaaaa (last time it was the clocks from the intro. this time it's pandora's box's interior)

i think i wanna change up the scaler design a little tbh i'm not 100% happy with them. but revenge tour's a comic i was talking about previously on the secret writers' chat

the cat design is perfect though i have no notes on that
#48
DHS Comix / Revenge tour??
Last post by Anders71 - April 06, 2026, 10:55:43 PM
They say never read a book by its cover, but I think they're lying to me. I for one can't wait to follow the adventurs of *squints* a scalie chessmaster turned DJ...who comes out of retirement...to defeat the reigning chess champion...who is also a cat...as revenge...for rustling her cattle?

Comics, am I right?

...am I wrong?
#49
Jayhawk HQ / Re: [Xer 2 Chapter 4]
Last post by ProfesseurRenard - April 06, 2026, 10:30:43 PM
04-07 - From minds to mindless

Good to see Quirk was able to get back under control.

Also, for anyone wondering what the originally planned last panel would have looked like, behold: https://pawb.fun/@Tapewolf@meow.social/116355129827459599
#50
DHS Comix / Re: RE 5/4/24 Saturnine Saturn
Last post by Anders71 - April 06, 2026, 06:27:09 AM
Quote from: ProfesseurRenard on April 06, 2026, 01:48:19 AMGuess Tricksters are no more immune to jumping to conclusions than any other mortal in LaRaGa.
It's the jumping and staying that suprises me. Like at this point Saturn has made multiple overtures to people who are tricksters, she's said multiple times that she in some sense identifies with tricksters, and she's clearly trying to repair her relationship with jinx.