Chapter 17 Page 13

Chapter 17 Page 13 - http://bit.ly/2dzk3Re

The desks in the council chamber can be lowered into the floor on command. This way the throne room can function as either a council chamber, or an auditorium.

Chapter 17 Page 12

Chapter 17 Page 12 - http://bit.ly/2ccOcFk

The jig is up... the beard is a fake! I'm sure some of  you were wondering how he'd get around with that thing... well, wonder no longer. The Crystal Throne is a status symbol much in the way a king's throne is, and the beard is actually a part of the throne in this case. So when there's public forums in the throne room, meetings, etc. he can keep appearances and exude the grandeur the position of Archmage demands. Now you can start wondering something else: how many people know it's a sham?

Chapter 16 Page 01

Chapter 16 Page 01 - http://bit.ly/1R0SSQd

Here we have the first proper appearance of automatons in the comic. Just as a refresher course in case you haven't read the bestiary: automatons are a type of construct, and could be described as a sort of clockwork golem. A crystal core holds the magic that powers the golem and gives it life, and often resides in the automaton's head.

Automatons are preferred over golems for the usage of magic items and to assist wizards in spellcasting, because their forms can be tailored to specific needs and certain spellcasting rituals. In this case, the automatons under Falconus' control aid the usage of his force magic by serving as points on a very large arcane circle.

Chapter 15 Page 35

Chapter 15 Page 35 - http://bit.ly/1OJxYz6

So, the last page of the tumultuous chapter 15 finally came. I'm sad to say how long it took for chapters 14 and 15 to come out... pretty much exactly a year's time. Please look forward to faster updates in the future. The tail end of 2015 alone had at least three updates a week, just like I intended.

Chapter 15 Page 33-34

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Chapter 15 Page 34 - http://bit.ly/1O4GEDO

Writer's Fiat, or how easy it is to believe the events of the story could occur, is a very thin line to walk. My opinion is this: a protagonist's luck could be described as a type of skill, right?

Despite this, please don't expect Caldwell to get through by the skin of his teeth every time. I'll prove this eventually... but for now, just have faith.

Chapter 15 Page 31-32

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Chapter 15 Page 32 - http://bit.ly/1QvDcEv

Sorry for all the double-page commentaries here, but the action is moving fast and there's not a ton to say. By this point I do feel more comfortable with the style change, and I think the readability has improved. I'm starting to add a few shades in here and there, as well as grey tones in the background. Hatching adds to the depth, as well.

Caldwell's traps aren't very advanced at the moment, but I've always been a fan of the ol' "throw your coat to distract them" technique. Most of the time it works every time.

Chapter 15 Page 29-30

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Chapter 15 Page 30 - http://bit.ly/1jRdax4

More alchemy! This time it's a little different than previous. Some might accuse me of pulling this roughshod alchemy conveniently out of my ass, but please have trust that this'll tie in later. I also hope fans enjoy the return of the Alchemic Decoy, personally I love that stupid looking thing. Oh, and in case you forgot, the decoy works by projecting an essence aura similar to that of the caster in order to fool detection spells and senses. Even the crappiest decoy has this power!

Chapter 15 Page 28

Chapter 15 Page 28 - http://bit.ly/1XGLRbr

Finally, Caldwell's determined face! It's popped up before in the comic, but here it's made much more evident.

A quick note on the eyes. My preferred style of eye is to have a white dot in the center. No real reason, I just enjoy the way it looks. Certain characters, such as Bram, have their eyes filled in for stylistic differences. Caldwell, as the main character, is a bit of a special case. I normally draw his eyes as just black with a dot in the middle. However, whenever he feels particularly determined or motivated, I draw them so you can see two rings, one for the outside of the iris and one around the white in the middle. It's a technique I lifted from One Piece, i'm not afraid to say. While I can't accurately say why, but I enjoy the effect it brings. Keep an eye out for these eye related changes during further pages.

Chapter 15 Page 26-27

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Chapter 15 Page 27 - http://bit.ly/1XGLRbr

Once again, it's important to keep in mind that monologues such as this take up a lot of page space, but very little actual time is passing. The killer speaking here is very important, and perceptive readers will be able to piece together the killer's motivation even before it will be later revealed. Some in the comments already have! It's very interesting to me, and encouraging. If people can follow my plot threads and foreshadowing, then that must mean my writing is at least passable. I'm constantly worried about this.

Chapter 15 Page 24-25

Chapter 15 Page 24 - http://bit.ly/1YuS2fs

Chapter 15 Page 25 - http://bit.ly/1PUXx5M

Well, now we've come to the first big "character building" event, though it's a bit crass to call it that. Some people up 'til this point have commented that Caldwell acts unreliably, or that it's hard to get a judge of his character. It's my belief that a main character should be pushed to the limit in order to show how they react under pressure. One of Caldwell's main traits is strong willpower, and I hope this will be apparent given his actions and motivations. There's more, but... well, I don't want to ruin any surprises.