#840: "Robbery and some murder."
 

Just a simple little extortion, turned robbery, turned mass murder.

Seems to me like their typical ruthlessness is getting even more out of hand as of late...

Earlier in the series they were likely to crack on the people and clean the place out, now they've got a full-fledged murder rampage thing. (those other rampages usually had provocation, this one didn't.)

Also, Fighter has recently been voicing some concern that the group isn't exactly upholding the credos of honor and justice(This is the third time I think he's spoken up?), and the others have predictably blown him off. Might this be the beginning of a rift forming in the Light Warrior team?

Man, BM can run fast, and has some good hearing, when he wants to.

<3
Evil.

I'll agree here. Thief and BM are good for extorting and murder'n, but RM going along with this?

What happened that all of a sudden the crossdressing paragon of questionable intellect is now just as evil as BM? It seems to not belong at all.

Thief ignoring the others is on par, BM just wantonly killing is on spot, but RM getting his hands dirty like this seems not right. Usually there is a pretension that BM or Thief persuade him to get involved for some contorted reason.

After all RM has never shown any interest to kill or rob before (He usually desires something explicit). Why this turn?

I love how as USUAL RM is the most moral of the them, at least not dirtying his hands personally. He is seen holding his weapon, having bested the people with BM, but doesn't kill them, he just watches as BM goes a'murdering.

I'm guessing it has something to do with those two magic words: Quest Experience.

Think about it, though, RM is simultaneously the most moral of the group and the most disconnected from reality. Personally, I think his morality is just a means to an end (alignment bonus, anyone?) He'd probably kill anyone you told him to if he believed he'd get a +1 armor bonus out of it.

Thank God that in this day and Age Brian has not shyed away from writing senseless violence in his comic.

A very funny one.

I absolutely love the distance-effect you used to make BM and RM in the far background. Looks absolutely perfect. I have a hard as hell time with that in RID.

Sprites might be easier to work with, though, but I think it's just experience in the field.

So Black Mage can make a guy's head explode with one "slice"?

That's one hell of a stab. He really spreads the blood around for someone with weak little mage arms.

I love it when RM stands in that pose not moving at all.
Thief could get money faster by robbing instead of "protecting" though.

Theifs talents would be wasted on mass murder, and he couldn't resist the irony of getting charity from a bank.

This is a really funny one, sensless killing ftw!

Well... he IS a mime. Maybe he's just mimicking their actions?

If Red Mage is anything like the greatest Mime of all time, Gogo, then his mimickry extends beyond simple physical actions, and into copying the ideaologies and methods of those around him...

Of course this is red mage. Maybe they just told him an item of ultimate power was hidden inside the chests of the townsfolk... a plumed hat that give +8 to charisma instead of just +1

what do you mean no provocation? they had money and diddnt give it to them! and Rm is just copying bm again:ninja:

I'm surprised RM is even condoning this. He's currently the purest, most compassionate, least violent character in the series, WM included. Oh, if she could see the destruction they're hailing down on those they have (sort of) sworn to protect!

Come to think of it, as explicit as she wasn't able to be about what she was going to do to BM with her hammer (although she certainly got the point across), I don't think even that would cover what she'd do to them if she found out. (:<

Nah, RM was probably just told it was a special quest to get some nice items and money, and there would be plenty of XP involved. It isn't very difficult to trick him.

no more Deborah though :( It would have been funnier to me to have RM doing this while still in a dress.

That made me " XD "!


But then SWB would have to make extra sprites to cover Deborah's fighting style. Of course, there's always the little tidbit from Sarah, but that was only the victory pose.

Have you been paying attention?

Violence and bad deeds are fairly crucial to the humour of this comic, so I'm a little bewildered that you could have read the series without realizing this.

To be fair, Theif likes stealing from people and Black Mage likes mass murder.

Combine their goals with RM's desire for more twinkin' out and you more or less have a homicidal group of Light Warriors.

'Cept Fighter, but keep in mind he's way over there.

Whee, another brilliant blood splash. Brian has heard my prayers. C:

Yeah, I'm sure RM just decided to surreptitiously switch his alignment over to chaotic neutral when nobody was looking.

NOTICE:

Son of Darko's Spamorama and related postings moved where it belongs.

Let's not have any of that in here again, 'kay?

.....I feel so LIKED AND RESPECTED now....

anyways, sorry for the miniflame (if you can call it that)

back on topic:

I wouldn't be surprised if the team, as the new guard, invoke the following laws:

1. theft is legal and encouraged

2. murder is legal and considered SAINTLY

3. all murders must be EXCEEDINGLY brutal and horrific, or else the murder will be condemned as a "waste of good murderin' power"

4. If you dont like these new laws, GTFO OR STFU

violaters will be HADOKENED!

*scans for stuff that would be deemed "agaisnt Regulation"*
all clear :)

I guess a little sarcasm won't kill me.

Nice to see you making the effort.

I sense that Brian is setting up something. I'm pretty lawful good at heart and I really want to see these punks get their butts kicked by something. For the first time since I've read the series I honestly hate the light warriors and want to see them destroyed.

Very refreshing to see a new member actually check the rules and their post to make sure there's no rule-breaking.

Is it just me, or does Black Mage have disturbingly high attack power for a black mage?

Of course, that may be because of all the experience he gets from his killing sprees. How ironic.

Typically, they kill only when they have a reason to. Even Black Mage only kills when people are angering him. Yes, this is a first. But let's see where this is going.

Wow. Some of you guys take this comic waaay too seriously.

You kind of have to be in the same state of mind that lets you not care that Beavis and Butthead are pathetic and always will be, that Kenny is going to die (again), that Dilbert's and Alice's lives will always suck, and etc. You know ... that state of mind that understands that the tone of this comic does not invite you to take it or its characters even a little seriously?

I'm a very moral person who would never consider participating in or condoning the actions the Light Warriors engage in, but that doesn't for a moment stop me from enjoying this comic, any more than it stopped me from laughing out loud when, in Pulp Fiction, Jules killed that man while the other was in the middle of talking and then said, "Oh, I'm sorry. Did I break your concentration?"

In conclusion:

Go, BM, go!

Red Mage is both good and bad. He'd do anything for experience or items, then use a logic fallacy to justify his means; for example, he is killing NPCs, so it is okay.

Killing NPCs is not a logical part of robbery though.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Orestes Go, BM, go!

That sounded so wrong.

Well, RM didn't kill anyone, from what I could see. That was all your not-so-friendly neighborhood BM. And if it's expedient for RM to look the other way, then, well, that's what he'll do. His entire persona is based on metagaming and doing whatever seems like a good idea at the time. Not getting stabbed is usually a good plan of action, last I checked. At most he'll be miffed that they may have killed a potential Quest giver.

I do understand Michael Morris's point, although I'm pretty Neutral at heart, so I cannot even begin to really care. The LWs (especially BM) have always posed a danger to (mostly) themselves and others, but there has been a bit of a transition throughout the comic from them being mostly stupidly misguided to more outright malice. Anyway, I didn't find this particular strip that entertaining (a blood spurt doesn't constitute a punchline to me), but I'm willing to bet this is leading to a decent payoff.

I think that's the POINT of this comic, to show how utterly stupid people can become when they don't really know anything. The light warriors pose a threat to wherever they go... like the time that demon killed an entire town, or when BM burned Dr. Unne and the REAL Light Warriors.

That reminds me, we need another scene with them in.

Wow Thief is like a crime boss. Y'know the guy who says everything in "quotations" and would rather just extort, but isn't against some killing. BM and RM are like his minions. BM is the trigger happy one, while RM is the one who just follows orders.

And then Fighter is the big dumb one who actually has some morals, but can be easily tricked.

Already, we have gone past that time young one. Fighter isn't in #840 by the way.

I brought it up because Fighter is a part of the group not because of this specific comic.

I'm curious--I'm seeing weird random movement in the third and fourth panels of the second-to-last row in the comic, and I don't know what they are!

Is Thief supposed to be glowing, or something?

I don't see any movements... maybe it's just the way the people look contrasted with the background.

I think you're referring to the fact that Thief and the banker go blurry? It's because the camera is focusing deeper in the scene.

Hmm, I'm not seeing it anymore, it was as if something was moving around behind those two panels (specifically, behind Thief's costume and the Half-Moon-like SLICE effect). Maybe I just have a giant brain tumor :D

Personally, I'd like to whole-heartedly agree with Theif's request of charity, after all; they ARE the town guard, constantly putting themselves in harm's way to protect the town's innocent citizens from the constant roving bands of aggro. :D

Actually, Thief is definately the crime boss, but BM seems to be the muscle who really would take over if he could, and RM is the (failed) strategist. Fighter has no clue he joined a gang and is sure that BM is his bestest friend.
and is "aggro" a new word for Light Warriors?

Touche.

But it could be I think, if you allow for the possibility of the REAL Light Warriors stumbling upon our beloved Light Warriors and seeing the wonderful and joyus havok and mayhem they cause.

The Real Light Warriors™ clearly are idiots. And weaklings. So yes, I suspect the Lite Warriors will be protecting (by which I mean "holding hostage") the town (by which I mean "their source of fresh victims") from attack (by which I mean "rescue") by the Real Light Warriors.

haha, Lite Warriors. I like it.
of course, with Thief as contractual leader it could also be the "Light" Warriors. as they "save" the village and "protect" "citizens"