Trace Sparing Laura

Thanks.

Trollman906

It makes me want to see Tom draw a battle scene between the Templar in the keidran

Onyx Dragon 388

Very true

Onyx Dragon 388

The monsters we have to become sometimes take more control than we would’ve liked

Onyx Dragon 388

Yeah it’s a good line.

Onyx Dragon 388

He might have lost the legs after being impaled? Maybe?

Onyx Dragon 388

Damn, that's gore ! One of the wolf was cut in half before being impaled O_O

Kaija

I think another thing to point out is that Trace wasn't an upstanding benevolent individual to begin with. He is powerful, was very corrupt and the fact that he showed mercy at all is something. He is wrath and pride.

Mīonikoī

And regarding whether or not this gets colored, yeah it can be taxing drawing such quantities of awfulness but do keep in mind that Tom himself, not the suggestion's creator, was responsible for details like the severed and impaled wolf in the background. If he'll put in details like that on his own, he's likely up for coloring this one assuming it gets the votes necessary.

Jeebüüs

Appreciate it. I rarely ever write stuff like that but this is a pretty impactful scene to me. As such I figured I'd try something more than just observations and humor.

Jeebüüs

It was an amazing scene, a little dark, but I love seeing this, I would like more of this from you

YourMagnet_adult_version

It is a good story, I'll admit, but I highly doubt Tom would colorize this one even if it proved popular. Doing artwork like this? It can take a toll on you.

RivCA

alright but then he could've made those slave traders into slaves themselves so they would know what it feels like to be a slave but it also comes from someone who hasn't be struck with the immense grief he has experienced

silver dragonia

Whooo-who! Anakin Skywalker lives! https://youtu.be/inF5uGhByBs

Charles Dyer

Haven’t read a story like that in a while. Good job mate

Onyx Dragon 388

I feel that kagato

Onyx Dragon 388

Doom guy?

Onyx Dragon 388

A grief a powerful it gives people the will to do things like this. B the wolves he killed were slave traders, so they weren’t the most upstanding people in the world. Not saying they deserved that but they were not the best people

Onyx Dragon 388

For a while at least.

Onyx Dragon 388

yeah looks like it but how could be this destructive over one person whoever it may be to alot of innocent? i haven't experienced his loss so i can't truely say how or why he feels like this

silver dragonia

Grief. Truly. No monster more destructive was born than vengeance by grief.

Mīonikoī

this is so horrorifying to look at with what old trace were mentally capable of compared to the trace we know why would he do horrorific thing against many innocent people just for one killer?

silver dragonia

Maybe Trace seeing a trembling young Laura was enough to at least get through his grief and hatred.

KaiserDunk

Ooo this one begs to be colored. You out did yourself in this one Tom!

K_D Lawrence

This is a dark piece, but really well done... A glimpse of just how fearsome the Old Trace used to be

Roarschach

Amidst all that carnage and suffering is that one sliver where he sees her eyes again, and he pauses his slaughter to look into them and remember all that he had looked forward to with her and his child.

The Sexy Beast

“You…You….remind…….me.of……her.”

Trollman906

Someone needs to suggest that for a further sketch round >_> (would do it myself but money is too tight lately for subscriptions x.x)

So there you are, watching someone relentlessly mow down anyone unfortunate enough to be a keidran, like yourself. Immolation, blunt force trauma, impalement, dark magic, the list of methods he uses to dispose of those who match his criteria, and of course the fatalities, keeps growing... and growing... until he reaches you. Not that it took very long, you've never witnessed someone end lives so efficiently, so mercilessly, without regard. Not to mention, you didn't make it very far from where you started. You can't decide what's worse. The devastating loss of life you've witnessed... the accompanying sights, sounds, smells, god, the smells... or that soon enough, you'll be joining the rest. You're not sure what you feel, hell, if you can feel anything at this point. Cowering in fear, as you find what can only be death itself grimly hovering over you, staring into your soul. It feels like an eternity passes, yet in all that time you can't quite make out the expression on his bloodied face. Anger, vengeance, rage, disgust, a hint of... grief? And then... he moves... you reflexively force your eyes closed and flinch back as if to at least delay your fate by even as much as a microsecond, and everything, everyone leading up to this moment flashes before your eyes. ... The deafening silence, is ever so slowly overtaken by the roar of flames, the thud and splintering of burning wood, the shattering of glass. Muffled, ever-weakening screaming. Distant footsteps. You raise your head up a bit and peek out one eye. Everything's a smudge, your physical eyes take a moment to refocus after having been clamped shut so hard. You're soon greeted by the same hell on Earth you found yourself in moments ago. And then, the unthinkable. You see him. Beyond the charred wreck of the burnt building they used to keep you locked up in with the others, beyond the impaled, halved remains of yet another statistic. Staring back over his shoulder, and not at all of his terrifyingly awful handiwork, but directly at you. You're not too sure what to do as he stands there, it's as if he's trying to take in a view of someone he's never going to see again. You desperately hold back the instinct to just run away from it all, but common sense tells you that should he change his mind he'd catch you in no time, his magic even sooner than that. But eventually he turns away, head down, and slowly vanishes into the greenery. ••• I'd imagine that's... somewhat along the lines of what was going through Laura's head as all of this transpired. I do not envy her, and honestly question how she didn't show more signs of trauma during the fairly short time we knew her in the comic. Surviving a near death experience at the hands of someone with the capabilities and taste for keidran blood old Trace had, and by pure luck... I don't know if I'd feel blessed or cursed at that point. Anyways, gratz to Nitarius for this absolutely awesome suggestion. I'm pretty much guaranteed to give this one a color vote, it's quite the departure from the usual cuteness and whimsy we see around here. Even without seeing Laura's face you can still feel the flurry of emotions rushing through her head. You can even read Trace like a book, he looks absolutely disgusted, angry, yet... almost like he's reminiscing over Saria as he stares down upon Laura. The carnage is absolutely nuts too, I was worried this would look watered-down like that one sketch where Trace is on a killing spree and Saria is desperately asking him to stop over his shoulder. But uhh... I don't think that ex-wolf in the background skipped leg day willingly. The gore, blood, flames... sheesh.

Jeebüüs

It appears Tom went full berserk on this, and the result is outstanding. Not just because of the phenomenal background, but because of the emotinons you get from it. Trace as the personified evil, created by suffering and hate, being as cold as the 9th circle of hell, while he turned into a medival Anakin Skywalker. And at the same time Laura trembles in fear, crying, and begging him to live. This scene always got me in the comic, and it will stick with me for sure now that it has been combined.

Nitarius

I WAS going to say that this was pretty damn DARK... but on reflection, I'm sure the fires burning means it is pretty well lit. 🤔

AstroChaos

Ok. Now all I can think about is Trace as Sephiroth

Very heavy, and very poignant. I agree, it can be interesting to see something like this every once in a while, a reminder of Trace’s dark height of power, before his metaphorical fall and rebirth to who he is now

Silent Thunder

Getting Sephiroth vibes...

RIP an tear until it is done!

Jackal hellsing

This NEEDS coloring

Kyle Cope

OH MAN!! Tom, you gotta do a different perspective where we see Laura's pleading crying face!

E Ranger

it's just amazing... There is so much amazing scenes that didn't make it into the comic... like that scene of revengeful terrifying Trace. i just love how it makes me feel, emotions it evokes... I can almost feel her terror.

Drazgon

You can see it in his eyes: his left one is filled with unyielding rage while his right one shows sorrow and perhaps pain over what happened to this young vixen. <br> Please keep this one in mind for coloring, thank you.

The Sexy Beast

And to think the last drawing of Trace had him as a female tiger sitting down all silly...these kind of glimpses into Trace's darkest moments really show how dangerous Trace is supposed to be. And how he would have made a Great antagonist had he not been the Protagonist thanks to his little memory trifle..

Spillthefire6

Honestly, kinda forgot about that

wayne sampson