FYI: People had been correctly pointing out that the “hyperdrive” branch of the skill tree needed an orb in the first spot, so I’ve added that now. Not retroactively yet, but at any rate, the OCD amongst you can unclench slightly. Also, the center ring wasn’t notated correctly. The “pizza slices” in the absolute middle light up as points are spent in the surrounding ring, and I had forgotten that when she bought the points there when she was on the Alari homeworld. So panel 1 is a fully accurate shot of the skilltree at this point in the comic. Until Sydney spends her new point, anyway.

Maxima is ridiculously (unrealistically) easy going most of the time when it comes to saluting and… I don’t know what it’s called. Military… affectations? All the snapping to attention, needing to ask permission to speak candidly, all that stuff. I’m sure there’s a term for it. She’s so lax that I’m sure some people forget Archon is actually military most of the time, and I have to imagine some readers who were in the military just politely nod and think “Military. Sure.” But I think we can all accept that Sydney, and actually a lot of the team simply wouldn’t thrive in a proper military environment.

I’ve actually considered a scenario where Sydney gets seconded to a proper military unit, like some naval unit needs her for some deep-sea reconnaissance or something. I just don’t think I know enough about military life to make that remotely satisfying to read, and also I don’t think it’d be very funny, because Sydney would probably get in trouble almost immediately and be in tears by the end of the third page.

Presumably, Sydney is actually learning all that saluting, standing at attention, and marching up and down the square. Just, off camera. I’m not sure that stuff would make for the most entertaining pages.

ANYWAY. Every once in a while, Maxima feels the need to remind everyone she is their boss and not to interrupt her the moment she enters a room then burst into laughter.

Twenty laps for Sydney is not the same punishment as twenty laps for Dabbler. Even if Dabbler wasn’t topped with tantric energy, she’s a fit adventurer who has been in her share of running gun battles and “must reach the dark tower before the demon god awakens” situations, etc. Honestly, even 40 laps would barely tax her. Max would need to consider something absurdly boring to actually punish Dabbler.

(Dabbler has summoned a little magical fan to blow cool air on her in that last panel, in case you were wondering what that blue thing was.)


The new vote incentive is up! Some of you got sort of invested in Lapha and Garamm, so her she is testing out her new duds. I don’t know if or when they’ll show up in the comic again, (probably more a question of ‘when’) but we’ll have to see if she got any other options besides the tail. Personally I’d go for retractable, venomous fangs, but presumably if you get those, you also have to get a special upgraded pancreas or liver or something, in case you accidentally bite the inside of your own cheek with your fang.

As usual, there are a few variants over at Patreon, and as is becoming more common, a little follow-on comic.


Double res version will be posted over at Patreon. Feel free to contribute as much as you like!