Dominic Deegan: Oracle for Hire, Mk. XLIV: Stunt Bro and Hella Jayden

[T-O-E]

^I imagine enough time has passed for his stupid 1 year of being exiled to be over.


Uh oh! Looks like a villain might, might just be doing something!

[random11]

^I imagine enough time has passed for his stupid 1 year of being exiled to be over.

There is no difference between returning from exile, and running away from prison, I don't remember that the punishment was limited in time, and it was taken seriously both by the mayor and by Stunt himself.
At the very least someone should arrest until the mayor officially removes the exile.
Probably better if he get arrested, and temporarily allowed to stay due to his quest.

Uh oh! Looks like a villain might, might just be doing something!

False alarm in 3... 2... 1...

[Trazoi]

It was a one year exile. The harshest punishment Barthis allows.

I've got no idea if one year has passed. It's hard to tell the passing of seasons in the Big White Void.

[random11]

It was a one year exile. The harshest punishment Barthis allows.

I've got no idea if one year has passed. It's hard to tell the passing of seasons in the Big White Void.

Yep, one year it is.

Some events, one full semester or year of teaching, a few weeks of airship travel, and at least a few weeks for Matlak plus fillers, so I guess one year did pass.

[Traab]

Pretty sure that was mookies version of foreshadowing that TIM is close. Next comic will be dom doing his chicken with its head cut off routine as he panics and tries to decide what to do. Sure the smart thing would be to run for the town borders so barthis doesnt turn into a warzone, but im thinking that wont come up. Or it will be too late for that, or something. Also, great, the vast inconceivably huge wealth in the palm of his hand is going to be broken to solve a mystery. Thank god its so valuable that its worthless or else that might cause issues.

[elros]

I think this will be the pacing of the comic:
Wednesday & Thursday: drawn out filler of the villain appearing
Friday: faux cliffhanger with Dominic being threatened by the villain
Next Monday: Immediate fix with all tension being removed from the comic (again)

I still find it unbelievable that this necklace will be the most important object in the entire world, and yet Rillian has sat on it for who-knows-how-long. I don't know if it is possible to have a "Mary Sue McGuffin," but that's what we're in for.

[random11]

I think this will be the pacing of the comic:
Wednesday & Thursday: drawn out filler of the villain appearing
Friday: faux cliffhanger with Dominic being threatened by the villain
Next Monday: Immediate fix with all tension being removed from the comic (again)

I still find it unbelievable that this necklace will be the most important object in the entire world, and yet Rillian has sat on it for who-knows-how-long. I don't know if it is possible to have a "Mary Sue McGuffin," but that's what we're in for.

Maybe we should change the name from "Friday cliffhanger" to "Friday's beam spam"

[Mr. McGician]

Sorry, Mookie. You've already done the eye in the crystal ball routine before. And that ended with Smuggly running away from a Halloween costume. Not feeling the tension here.

[T-O-E]

I wonder what stupid, nonsensical* way Dominic is going to use to defeat the villain this time? Beer goggles? A water gun? Using the Treasure to strangle someone?

*Metal

[mwchase]

So far as whether she's blind... I thought it was assumed from the fact that she had a vision of god.

Which is everyone.

So maybe she didn't see Heaven?

Honestly, this is just kind of a mush. Also, when I checked back in Class Action to confirm the contents of her vision, I noticed that Dom's face just kind of collapsed into lines. I can usually suspend my issues with the art style, but daaaaaaang.

[Veridis Quo]

Welp, finally back from the real world. Last couple of weeks have been real busy so I haven't been able to keep up with many webcomics. Let's see what mookie has been up to...

Ok, so Milov and Jayden were ambushed by the archmage...that seems pretty tense.
Wait.
Why did Snerk pick Nimmel and offer him power?
Why is the Archmage really tiny...and for that matter does size really matter when casting magic? Why is Milov still alive he had half his face blown off just a few panels ago?

...Seriously? Tiny archmage just happens to have a failsafe built into himself to prevent any lasting consequences to occur. Great storytelling Mookie, next you'll tell me that Crazy runtwolf survived having most of her limbs blown clean off.

She did live, way to almost have a decent cliffhanger Mookie. Maybe next time you'll word your sentence in such a way that we don't know what they will say next.

Skipping ahead because this is giving me a small headache...So Stunt brings Dominic the "lost" treasure. Great Dominic is back to railroad the plot.
...
.....
.........
Did Dominic just have a conversation with a prophet. The same prophet that Jayden would have benefitted from speaking with? So let me get this straight. If I go out into the desert and almost die like 3 times only to find the sacred ruins of my faith I meet a really old guy who berates me. But if some shmuck gets handed my prized religious icon he gets instant vision...

Mookie never ceased to amaze me. It's like watching a trainwreck in slow motion and then having someone press rewind just when it's about to end.

[Myrdhale]

It was a one year exile. The harshest punishment Barthis allows.

I've got no idea if one year has passed. It's hard to tell the passing of seasons in the Big White Void.

That's a pretty weak punishment for wanton thievery, vandalism and murder.

[Trazoi]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

Well Dominic, you really screwed up. I've seen your and Stunt's capabilities and you have absolutely no chance against an archmage oh you're fooling no-one, yet another deus ex machina is going to render ArchMage #3 impotent just like all the others. Because who needs to write heroes who succeed on their own merits when the author can rewrite the universe on a whim.

[colonelslime]

Archmages are 0:2 right now. Soon it will be 0:3

[Myrdhale]

It really Irks me that the Circle Archmages are evil. They aren't some ancient Kabal bent on world domination, they are a timeless order of Savants and wisemen who have tracended the normal bounds of the world. They are like Budhas, almost, and for no good reason they have all turned evil for some very vague, unspecified cause because the Evil King who does nothing told them to.

I just don't find it a very convincing twist, to suddenly have these creatures Miranda Trusted suddenly turn wicked for no reason whatsoever.

[AgentofOdd]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

Anything that delays Mookie from ruining Stunt and Bumper's reunion is fine, passable, has a silver lining for me.

[Friv]

Archmages are 0:2 right now. Soon it will be 0:3

I feel like I'm missing a Circle archmage, but I can't really be bothered to figure out which one. Manta is over hanging out with Rillian, just kind of chilling, and Eyeballs is dead, and Mantis is over here. Was there a fourth, or was the First Circle archmage the guy Snuggly somehow killed supposedly?

[slayerx]

Archmages are 0:2 right now. Soon it will be 0:3

More like 0:1... the Manta ray didn't succeed but it wasn't killed either...

Though y'know it seems like the page is suggesting that Miranda could be walking into an ambush, possibly by the last archmage... If that's so then that would be a huge planning fail on the part of the villains. Having all 4 archmages ambush Miranda would have been the best way to get rid of her instead of just sending one... getting rid of the deegan's most powerful member should have been their first move when they had the element of surprise on their side, not getting rid of spell wolf or dominic... The necromancer though might also warrant high attention; though he too it would have been best to hit him with all four instead of just one to make certain for a kill.

It really Irks me that the Circle Archmages are evil. They aren't some ancient Kabal bent on world domination, they are a timeless order of Savants and wisemen who have tracended the normal bounds of the world. They are like Budhas, almost, and for no good reason they have all turned evil for some very vague, unspecified cause because the Evil King who does nothing told them to.

I just don't find it a very convincing twist, to suddenly have these creatures Miranda Trusted suddenly turn wicked for no reason whatsoever.

Well you do have to recall that eyeballs seems like he was being controlled or twisted beyond his own will; hence its twisted form while also have a small separate piece trying to kill himself. So no clue what's up with the rest if they are evil...

though if they are all being controlled then it would beg the question how the King did not get to miranda... though i it would be a decent twist if that's what's happening right now

I feel like I'm missing a Circle archmage, but I can't really be bothered to figure out which one. Manta is over hanging out with Rillian, just kind of chilling, and Eyeballs is dead, and Mantis is over here. Was there a fourth, or was the First Circle archmage the guy Snuggly somehow killed supposedly?

Wind elemental, the one who appears as nothing but a floating cloak

[random11]

Sneaky Gate
Future Link

- "Oh no, one of the crystal balls is bugged, so I'd better use something completely different. Something like that crystal ball over there"

- If the "eye in the crystal" heard the conversation, how is using a different crystal ball supposed to help anyway? They are still talking in the same room!

- The only excuse I could think of regarding "why didn't they kill Dominic", is that they want Dominic to lead them to Miranda.
But if they know better than him where she is, and revealed themselves before he could try to contact her, this theory is ruined.

- I'll delete the past battles from my memory, that way I can enjoy at least a few days of temporary tension.

[Veridis Quo]

It really Irks me that the Circle Archmages are evil. They aren't some ancient Kabal bent on world domination, they are a timeless order of Savants and wisemen who have tracended the normal bounds of the world. They are like Budhas, almost, and for no good reason they have all turned evil for some very vague, unspecified cause because the Evil King who does nothing told them to.

I just don't find it a very convincing twist, to suddenly have these creatures Miranda Trusted suddenly turn wicked for no reason whatsoever.

But really looking at Mookie's world you'll realize just how few people actually populate it. Aside from the Archmages how many other potential threats still exist? Jacob is off doing necromatic things, the King is being cryptic in his castle, and the beast is with the king. I think even Mookie realizes that adding any new villians this late in the game would be stupid but he insists on having some kind of threat to the cast.

With nobody else on hand he's just cutting away what is already there, so now we have "evil mind controlled" archmages.

[Trazoi]

- The only excuse I could think of regarding "why didn't they kill Dominic", is that they want Dominic to lead them to Miranda.
But if they know better than him where she is, and revealed themselves before he could try to contact her, this theory is ruined.

The other plausible out is that Mantis Mage isn't evil and is coming to help Team Deegan. But that doesn't explain why he crushed Dom's cane-ball. Not unless he knows Dadigan is dead and Dom's talking to a wily Terminator T-1000 right now.

I wonder if Mookie will ever realise that having half a dozen antagonists with the ability to warp to Dominic and instantly fry him doesn't gel with Dominic being an utter tool who does zip all to operate in secret.

[TheLaughingMan]

*PLOT sent out SPIDER-MAN!*

*SPIDER-MAN uses STALL STORY! It's super effective!*

What do you do?

[DOMINIC uses GIANT BOOT]

*SPIDER-MAN takes 1962 damage!*

*SPIDER-MAN fainted!*

*DOMINIC receives -133 EXP!*

*MOOKIE defeated ACE IDEA PLOT!*

PLOT: I tried my hardest....

*MOOKIE was rewarded with MUCH FACE-PALMING!*

[random11]

The other plausible out is that Mantis Mage isn't evil and is coming to help Team Deegan. But that doesn't explain why he crushed Dom's cane-ball. Not unless he knows Dadigan is dead and Dom's talking to a wily Terminator T-1000 right now.

Maybe mantis is a good guy, but that doesn't explain how come he is still alive considering there were at least two other magi.

If mantis was protecting him, why didn't he just tell Dominic that his mother is in danger a few days/hours ago?
And if he just arrived, then we're back to the original question: How come no one bothered to kill Dominic?

[Trazoi]

If mantis was protecting him, why didn't he just tell Dominic that his mother is in danger a few days/hours ago?

Because Miranda isn't in danger. That's the T-1000 lying.

I think having Mantis Mage being a protector is silly and I don't think Mookie is going to go down that path, but every other possible way to get Dominc out danger at this point is going to be stupider.

And if he just arrived, then we're back to the original question: How come no one bothered to kill Dominic?

Even Stunt should be stabbing him, for old times sake.

[T-O-E]

Oh god, do you remember when Stunt slit Urban Eddie's throat with string? He's going to kill the Archmage with the Treasure.

Well Dominic, you really screwed up. I've seen your and Stunt's capabilities and you have absolutely no chance against an archmage oh you're fooling no-one, yet another deus ex machina is going to render ArchMage #3 impotent just like all the others. Because who needs to write heroes who succeed on their own merits when the author can rewrite the universe on a whim.

Don't forget his brittle bones! As he beats a mortal god to death!

[random11]

Because Miranda isn't in danger. That's the T-1000 lying.

I think having Mantis Mage being a protector is silly and I don't think Mookie is going to go down that path, but every other possible way to get Dominc out danger at this point is going to be stupider.

Why bother lying to him? It's not like they need to lure him out of safety.
They already know where he is, have his phone tapped, and have no problem just appearing there is they wish to.

I'm pretty sure that whatever happens next will be more stupid than anything we dare to guess, and I'll bet it will include some kind of psychic beam/shield.

[Trazoi]

Why bother lying to him? It's not like they need to lure him out of safety.
They already know where he is, have his phone tapped, and have no problem just appearing there is they wish to.

The T-1000 is born through my desire for dead Deegans. More believable for a friendly Mantis Mage is that he crushed the ball because it was bugged by cattlebasters.

I also don't think Mantis Mage is friendly either, which is why an ass-pull is imminent. Mantis Mage is intelligent, magically powerful, and strong enough to crush a crystal ball in one of its six hands. Dominic's thick plot armour is going to be on full display as he weasels his way out of this one.

[T-O-E]

The T-1000 is born through my desire for dead Deegans. More believable for a friendly Mantis Mage is that he crushed the ball because it was bugged by cattlebasters.

I also don't think Mantis Mage is friendly either, which is why an ass-pull is imminent. Mantis Mage is intelligent, magically powerful, and strong enough to crush a crystal ball in one of its six hands. Dominic's thick plot armour is going to be on full display as he weasels his way out of this one.

"It sure is a good job I had that bug spray. The bug spray that killed the archmage. That I used. To kill him."

Rock on

[Mr. McGician]

Given that this is a similar setup to when Smuggly ran away from a Halloween costume, there might be a similar solution. Maybe Dominic will put on a santa suit and Praying Mantis will run away because he cannot comprehend the true meaning of Christmas.

[Traab]

Just as a point of order, yes there is only one other archmage waiting to ambush miranda... if you only count the circle mages. The king could also be there, so could an army of his twisted cattleblasters to work as mooks.

On the other hand, Dom will most likely be saved last second by deus ex mommina, as has happened a few times before. You know, mantis mage has dom beaten and on the ground, despite some surprising secret protective ability the necklace has, and just as the final blow is about to land, he gets obliterated/knocked out from behind by a smudged and clearly recently attacked miranda. We then have a weeks worth of flashbacks to cover exactly what happened to her. How she unleashed the extra power from all her magic items since she got such a huge power boost to win. Maybe even gathered info on what the hell is going on. Since going by noodle, its highly likely that the archmages arent doing this willingly. Im picturing the standard evil rant in the archmage sanctum as king dj finally starts to monologue on what the &^%$&%$ he is planning. Hell, it could even be an interesting scene despite the formulaic setup.

Miranda walks into the archmage sanctum and spots Ara floating quietly in the middle of the main hall.

"Where are the others Ara? I need to let them all know how events have been proceeding."

Miranda walks up to Ara.

"Ara?"

She reaches out to touch him and is taken completely by surprise from a magical blast at point blank range. As she struggles back to her feet groaning in pain and surprise she hears the clicking of footsteps coming from one of the doorways in the hall.

"David! What are YOU doing here?"

"Why my dear replacement, im here to deal with you. I must thank you for arriving when you did. While I have been amusing myself by sending my former comrades here out to kill all of the threats to my power, I must admit to being somewhat bored. Its been far too long since I last got to stretch my magical muscles. Who knows? You may last long enough for your dear son Dominic to be waiting to greet you on the other side."

"What have you done you monster?"

"Oh my dear girl, such insults do not become you. As I already said, I have taken control of the other circle members and sent them out to kill all those who would dare oppose me. Rillian has been buried in the desert, the spellwolf is still alive, but wounded, and the young man with such potential, nimmel, was it? He is gone. Even as we speak, Brintu is heading for that pesky seer son of yours, with orders to kill him. Ah well, enough talking, lets get this over with."

Massive beam spam ensues, with miranda taking the worst of it. She ends up lying on the ground, wounded and exhausted as David gloats.

"Oh dear, and I had such high hopes that as my replacement you would be at least somewhat competent. No matter, goodbye miranda."

He fires another bit of beamspam at her, and miranda has her eureka moment, draining one of her magical items she keeps with her for a boost of power.

"Whats this? Where did that power come from? I will not allow you to stop my plans. (insert actual plot here) will not be stopped by the likes of you or your foolish son! DIE!"

David launches a BIGGER beam spam attack, and miranda drains and reclaims all the power she has placed in her personal artifacts, allowing her to not only block, but reverse the attack. The backlash of which knocks David across the room, and seems to awaken Ara.

"Curse you miranda! I will not be stopped! Not by you, not by your son, NOT BY ANYONE!"

At this stage David teleports away as Ara is no longer under his control and he cant fight them both at this point.

Like I said, its a fairly standard confrontation scene, but it could still be cool. Thats also why I suggested knocking out instead of just killing mantis mage. By freeing Ara it means its possible to break the control david has on the remaining mages. On the other hand, if Ara took part in the fight against david, she could just obliterate him and wound david, forcing the retreat, in which case she has no choice but to kill the rest of the mind controlled circle. Either way, david wins. If the circle mages kill their targets, the main threats are dead. If the archmages get killed, then thats another potential threat removed. if only a few of both sides die, they are still weakened. Even if it had failed utterly, noone got killed, and they joined forces, it does nothing but leave them the same threat they were at the start. Classic xanatos gambit.

I still have my personal theory that manta boy was after rillian and not the necklace. Rillian just wanted to move the necklace so david doesnt stumble over it and get it for whatever reason only the first necromancer and the prophet luana know. It explains why noodle waited so long to attack, he was sent after milov, not jayden and the necklace. The king has somehow taken over the circle archmages and is sending them out to kill any threats against his plans. The necklace isnt currently on his radar. Though I bet that will change soon.