All Comments on 'A Dragon's Tale Ch. 44'

I just want to know when selene's gonna stop being so stubborn 😂

As always, really good :)

I didn't really expect to find christian apologetics about slavery in a fantasy story, but since Illuminar and his book are heavily inspired by Jahwe/El and the bible i should have seen something like this coming. It does however mae me feel pretty uncomfortable while reading this chapter, especially since i am quite familiar with biblical slavery, which includes indentured servitude similar to the system described in this chapter but also a system of chattel slavery. I am not really sure if i want to continue reading this story at this point, because i don't want to read a story condoning slavery in any of its forms even the less awful ones, so i do hope this gets adressed at some point.

Great Chapter, I hate how long it is between the chapters but they are well written and enjoyable so perfectly understandable. Keep up the good work

Ah yes! Very good!

"If it isn't right, it isn't the end" - thus sprach the angel Gabriella.

But surely that message was for Sarah and not us poor readers.

Thankyou dear author for another brilliant entry with another cruel cliffhanger.

"If it isn't right, it isn't the end" - thus sprach the angel Gabriella.

But surely that message was for Sarah and not us poor readers.

Thankyou dear author for another brilliant entry with another cruel cliffhanger.

A pleasant surprise to find a new chapter. Thanks.

Aaaaaaaa. About midway through page 5? I had the thought when any girl was taking Thor for his walk, that Seline had telepath’s with Thor that first dream, but at about the time of the interrogation starting, it clicked, SmithBond is her fucking Brother isn’t he? He has to be, went missing when he was 4, most likely to the Ten Kingdoms, somehow came back magic touched and then look who he runs into years later, His gods forsaken sister, WHO WAS HUNTING A DRAGON MAN. I’m right aren’t I? Cmon I have to be. Nothing else would make sense. He wants her to figure it out for herself. That’s why he used the alias. He probably loved James Bond as a kid because James Bond to a 4 year old was kickass before D.C. took the role.

Also, the word you’re looking for isn’t Slavery. Not entirely, before the whole shitshow that was early American life, Slavery was Indentured Servitude. You had 7 years of “slavery” in which you were paid a wage that you would receive at the end of your service and some places had 40 acres of land and a mule to work it so you could get in on the I think it was tobacco farming initially. Unless it was grain. Cotton was like 4th on the list of shit people farmed initially, it’s just 400 odd years later people are trying to push a narrative that’s not true. The servants were treated pretty well for the most part until the laws changed and Indentured Servitude was banned to make it slavery. All those perks gone.

@Anonymous About slavery, note also historical context. If ADT was placed on Earth, it would be different if the story were placed to era when slavery was common, or if placed to late 19th century where it was a ridiculous remnant of harsh times without having place for it in modern civilization. It just happened in some places and times.

Cancel culture like removing Mark Twain books from libraries does not serve anybody, it is just attempt to wipe out the history. The Orwell''s novel 1984 shows how this wiping out should be done properly.

Please, never stop writing!

This is the absolute best!

EK

It is going to be a long month waiting for the next installment. Thank you for sharing. 5 stars as usual.

Argh… the chapter isn’t in the story section but it’s been listed as a whole new story outside the original story heading. Make sense?

First time I’ve rated a chapter of this series 1/5 stars. Absolutely baffling choices made by the author in this one.

Look, I can get over the Narnia-esque pseudo-Christianity tangents in between the action and character moments that are what I love about this series. I’m an American from the South/Bible belt; I can look past the religiosity and it doesn’t really bother me. It’s like background noise down here. Same goes for the random political comments that get thrown in occasionally.

But it is beyond my comprehension how you thought that “Slavery but it’s a good thing here!” was in any way a sane decision to include in this series. Yes, you did it to lead into Selene’s sex slave fantasies. But there were a million other ways you could have introduced that idea that would have been far more tasteful than going into a prolonged discussion about happy slaves, “good” owners, and the “correct” way to treat your slaves. A discussion straight out of the early American 1800’s, right at home on a plantation front porch. And you even make Selene’s completely correct outrage towards the topic of slavery treated as unreasonable and intolerant, and even have Ketura make a “you know you want it” joke to her. Also worth noting that Selene, a character with heritage from a country (Brazil) that suffered through real world slavery, towards both indigenous and African populations, is both the butt of a slavery joke and fantasizes about being a slave. Independent of this chapter, that wasn’t an issue. Now it is.

None of this, of course, is helped with the introduction of the nymphs, an incel’s wet dream of what they want every woman to be like. I liked that this story had incredibly well-developed, three dimensional female characters with their own motivations and personalities. Sure as hell beats the usually characterization of harem love interests on this website. But the entire explanation of how the nymphs function flies in the face of everything that has been created and built up regarding the treatment of women in this story world.

I really hope this is not a sign of things to come with this series. And I’m not typing all of this to be mean or be a hater. I’ve greatly enjoyed this series, right from the first chapter. I would hate for this story to lose its way and become some generic male power fantasy, with extremely problematic tropes, concepts, and absolutely random political and religious discussions shoehorned in.

Just a really disappointing chapter.

Excellant tale!

Yep. The book of light does not allow slavery. The BOL allows for indentured servitude, very very different. You should really get that type of nomenclature correct before writing about and then continually harping on something so emotional and raw as slavery.

Basically you have written pages about how slavery is great and then had a slave say it’s great (yeah right….) and then provided a convenient explanation as to why it’s a good thing and it’s all about saving the slave and it’s in the slaves best interest and so on. JUST LIKE THE NORTH AMERICAN SOUTH DID, before the war during the war and after the war.

So instead if you used the correct term as in the real term, these terms are defined long used things, then people would understand, as in the readers and the characters I suppose. I hate when people, real people, take real established well used words and then change what they mean just to suit themselves. Such as, Que the haters, ‘male and female’ those words mean something and are defined medical terms. Whereas man can mean the human race as a whole or just a man, same with woman, they aren’t medical terms that have precise meanings so can be massaged a bit on their meaning.

And what you wrote about slavery and indentured servitude are very very different. Slaves are owned and will always be slaves and their children are automatically slaves and indentured servants are basically contracted. Slaves must do everything, have no say and no rights to anything even safety or food while indentured servants have a contract with terms and conditions as well as rights and end dates etc set that must be adhered to.

So as I’ve said before ‘death from above’ and speed and altitude are life and anything else is death.

Ethan has to start fighting like it’s for real. He might want to let everybody go all the time and he mightn’t want to kill anyone either. However when the enemy decides it a death match then it’s a fucking death match. Letting soldiers go when first world military consensus is that following orders isn’t a valid excuse NO MATTER WHAT then on a bum fuck two bit hick world the same applies.

So if Ethan was serious in battle and survival then the Argos would be camouflaged. Something like a soft light blueish grey for the undersides and a drab olive green for the top sides or a disrupted camouflage pattern on top even better. Then he would have anti material weapons such as massive deck mounted crossbows and metal grenades.

Then right now they could depart and climb climb climb straight up. The winds are stronger up higher and not just by a little bit either. Then turn on your enemy and drop the metal grenades on their deck. There’s 50 people per ship and they are readying for battle so they are on deck. The grenades would shred massed infantry. If armoured then legs and feet and hands and over pressure wounds and deafness will still fuck them up. Drop several metal grenades as close as possible to the masts and try and take some down or damage them to the point that full sail would break them. All the while firing fireballs at the flammable canvas sails.

Ballistic weapons don't work well at all when fired up. The stealer the angle the worse it is and the slower the projectile the worse it is and the heavier the projectile the worse it is. Have all three and you’ve just won the combat ineffective lottery. Gravity is a real bitch. When fired horizontally the weapon velocity isn’t effected by gravity but only wind resistance. When fired upwards you have the exact same wind resistance plus gravity now pulls you down AGAINST your velocity. Also gravity doesn’t decrease as velocity decreases unlike wind resistance.

So what that all means is big heavy arrows which is every arrow in existence are useless when fired upwards, while arrows fired downwards are way way better than normal as they are now powered by gravity as well as the bow.

As I said death from above and use fire either mage fire or clay pots filled with tar with a grenade at the centre and drop that… open deck ships, timber everything, mages don’t seem to be armoured and drop more than one at a time to try and cover the deck in fire all at once. Maybe take the mages out or at,east injured so they can’t put the fires out. Also take out the wheel house on deck and the fire may even naturally spread to the sails . It’s not hard.

Yeah it’s not hard. Ethan has to get with the program…. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FAIR FIGHT, AND YOUR ONLY IN IT TO WIN IT.

100 armed combatants including 6 mages all to arrest 10 people half of whom ant fight at all…. Yeah right, it’s a kill squad with numbers such that there are no mistakes, like leaving anyone alive.

Great story.

This episode, i was thinking the whole time, they must have another definition of slavery.

Agree with needing to think in three dimensions in these fights. Finally Ethan provided death from above. I think there is much more he could do coming out of the sun from above an airship with his returning javelin and lightning and stay safe even from a mage. A first strike from the sun of lighting could wreak some havok, and just fly off.

Clearly he needs to welcome the Ivarians to the party by flying them into or over the orc camp. Then we will see where allegiances really lay for everyone. But I tend to picture a nice welcome to the party statement.

Hi everyone!

So many interesting comments here! I'm not going to step into the slavery/indentured servitude debate, y'all do y'all!

@Jackspeed and the ruthless "death from above" part: you are completely correct on what Ethan should do if he intended to win that fight alone. There are however two questions: should he and could he?

Most of your tactics and equipments are already available to the Argo crew, except for the heavy balistae and camouflage. It seems like they could pull out the kind of fight you've envisioned, if they can get high enough, and either surprise their enemies or outrace them to altitude.

I have no clues on whether the dirigibles of the 7 Kingdoms can reach the superior airstream strata at all, nor on the ability of people to breathe and stand on deck at this altitude, nor on the effects of high winds on an Argo class vessel. So it might not be practically feasible or it might be dangerous for the ship and its crew. I'd rather, if it plays at all, that it be the "dangerous forbidden technique" kind of why they haven't tried it before.

If the advantages of altitude are that high, it's highly likely that every military captain worth his salt fully knows it and is prepared for an altitude race as soon as the enemy is in sight. I dislike the trope where the heroes find out something pretty obvious and OP in a domain they're newbies at when the opponents with decades of experience don't use the obvious hack.

But maybe the enemy knows that altitude is power but can't get as high as the Argo because their vessels are bigger and more loaded. That would make sense, and that would mean they're still confident that numbers can trump tactical advantage if they engage.

So, as far as the possibility, the best option for me, story wise, would be that it be technically possible, but dangerous to the ship and its crew to take the high ground, and that the other airships know the advantages but aren't able or willing to go as high.

No, on the should they part, I have 2 objections that come to mind. The first one is linked to the "equivalent exchange" sort of magic of the setting. Set a ship on fire, and suddenly, the mages aboard that ship have a lot of fire to play with and throw right back at you, while extinguishing the ship at the same time. I'm not saying the Argo crew shouldn't do it, I see it more as a "oh crap!" moment for the party, and a subsequent mage hunt before taking out the next target.

The second objection lies on the political situation. There are enemies in the front (the airships), enemies in the back (the orcs), and the Argo in the middle. It could be smart to lure the airships into orc territory for them to fight against one another, and the Argo to only join the fray when both are weakened.

So, to sum up, I'm all for a "death from above" strategy, especially if it creates dramatic tension by being dangerous or difficult or both, and even more if it's used wisely against both orcs and Ivernians at the same time.

Very good as always and as always looking to then next chapter. I have also say your doing a wonderful job with sex and story plot balance. Your making a great story with smut where and when it should be. Sex is part of the story not the whole thing great job.

I think many of your readers are overreacting a bit on the slavery topic. Writing a story where indentured servitude is the norm, but it is called slavery, is totally fine. Having Selene turned on by the idea of being a slave, or being controlled is also fine, I know girls like that. It isn't uncommon. People need to chill out and read the story for what it is, erotic entertainment.

People need to not read it for what it isn't, an argument for slavery. Good job, I look forward to next month. 5 stars.

Addicted tale

Keep goin

@Jackspeed2u From private conversation with the author on Discord, he did consider using the term "indentured servitude". But, he has realized near nobody from his wider circle of advisors knows the term (and I have not heard it either). He has then decided to stay at the slavery, with description of supposed terms of service from the Book of Light and how the institution of indentured servitude is locally abused and twisted in Ten Kingdoms.

See also https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indentured_servitude

There is interesting info from the article that:

"Between one-half and two-thirds of European immigrants to the American Colonies between the 1630s and the American Revolution came under indentures."

Damn. Now I'm caught up and anxiously awaiting the next chapter.

That was a real good one

Liked Selena getting some talk time in to with through her issues.

Have a good one

Have been loving this story since day 1. You are a totaly gifted writer and makebtge story's chapters easy to read yet very captivating. More we beg of you more. 😉

Tom

Great story!

Without question one of the best stories that deal with characters developing over time, your writing of the entire Argo is spectacular and it’s what really sets this story apart

Frankly though, despite being there for like chapter 3 I honestly don’t care to keep up with the story anymore. I feel like it’s starting to turn into every fantasy anime, and I just don’t want to listen to another justification for even individual slavery. Sarah’s cutaways are more jarring than interesting by this point. I feel like we just went through Selene’s whole disgust-but-she-wants-it thing with Kendra and it’s not better the second time.

Ethan is also just so painfully nothing. Like, other than not feeling good enough and sometimes saying the right thing, his threats are repetitive (intentionally I know) and he seems to just be given everything without having done something of consequence in such a long time.

It’s just frustrating because I honestly love your work, but there’s more driving me away from it than keeping me along for the story. I hope you enjoy finding the ending to this story that you want from it

I understand Ethan is the hero of the story, but there is something that does not make sense. Kendra and her fighting. She is against five soldiers and can only take down one, before Ethan appears and takes them all out........ Yet in the wood elf capital she took down quite a few of the elite soldiers with Lady Arch mage. She has been described as being a better fighter than Ethan, but we are not seeing it since they bonded. It seems to be a normal thing at this point. It seems like each time he bonds with someone they become less. Like Rachel. She is a mage that went one on one with the Necromancer battling wills with him and winning. Fighting will versus will with lady Arch Mage. Now after she bonds she has trouble with taking out soldiers?

I still don't understand that fight. They went into the area armed in case of orc attacks. Yet they didn't bring their shields? To defend against the Orcs that like to use war Bows? Makes no sense at all! For Rachel's part of the fight. When did she go to using air rams instead of fire? I know she used them before, but fire is her attack, the air ram when needed. All it would have took was one line about the recent rain, and mud on the ground prevented her from drawing heat. Obviously not that specific line, but to that point.

Alana left the ship with a sword, but not her bow? She is an expert in the bow and just doesn't grab it when there might be foes around? This is like a marksman walking past his firearm to pick up a stick to fight with. Lets not forget Selene. Two decades of Martial arts experience and can't fight these guys off because her sword isn't effective........ Why have someone with twenty years of martial arts experience that never uses it?

I Guess I'm going to have to skip the fight scenes if Ethan isn't there to save them. The characters had so much potential and have been made useless by the Author.

Alana hasn't served much of a point since the necromancer fight. She is a wood elf with a bow and the author turned her into an enchanter, sex partner for Ethan, and flirt with Rachel. She is not even bringing her bow with her when danger might be around? An archer that chooses a sword?

Don't get me wrong the story is great! I love the personalities of the wives. I think some of them have changed a little too much, but not my story. The problem comes when it comes to usefulness. I agree with the anon that posted a few days before. Its too much like a fantasy Anime. There is no reason the Hero of the story has to be the one to defeat everyone. It would not have hurt the story at all if the wives killed the soldiers and captured one. The women are capable enough to have done so. Having Ethan come to rescue them and so quickly dispatch the troops, is sounding more and more sexist. Like the man has to be the one to do it.

I thought I would keep reading until Sarah became his wife, but I'm not sure if I will make it there.

I had high hopes for this story,

Buddy J.

I hated when Taloni got injured (Personally) But it made sense for the story. At some point (Common sense) one of them would get injured more than a few lumps. Of course he picks the healer to make things more difficult. overdone in stories, but I didn't hate it. I do think it might have taken longer to heal her. Seems like drawing it out a little maybe with muttered conversations with Kendra and Rachel. I pretty much knew Taloni was going to be fine, but the emotional struggle of will she wont she, was cut a little too short. It was to pull the arrow, they used magic, She is going to be fine. Seemed rushed to me.

It seems ability shifts from chapter to chapter….. not trying to be rude, but it feels like you’re stretching the story too much. Conversations about the same thing chapter after chapter, ie., “am I good enough?”

Less filler, more plot. Broaden the plot, fine, but les extraneous text. Over all good work though

Putting aside the sickening slavery apologia, the main party accept a lunch invitation moments after a lethal, very public, fight? Just how complacent and unearned do Ethan's achievements have to be? There's no sense of threat or time pressure.

I've been skimming for quite a few chapters - I like the intrigue of the main plot, but its bogged down by uninteresting, one dimensional and repetitive character interactions, and laced with sexism throughout.

Expanding on my sexism point (the god of this world allows patriachal hetero polygamy, enough said), it doesn't escape attention that the darkest skin character has at most a deep Mediterranean tan, and the token mixed race character is repeatedly described as exotic in appearance. Queer sexuality appears to be there purely for the kink value.

Instead of explaining an accent just use a different spelling for the accent. Spell "lard" as "Laird" which is appropriate for a scotch/irish accent. Go look at Scottish Twitter for ideas.

It’s funny, I’ve thought a few times in the last several chapters “the ladies need a tank”. Well, now that MMOs have taken over the term, “controller” may be more accurate.

To the anonymous poster with the long reply on the combat, let’s apply some general d20-ish RPG/CRPG rules here… of the 5 there “at level” they had two ranged and 1 fighter, then they had one complete noncombatant and one “underleveled” fighter. They start the fight “at disadvantage” and at point blank range. You are correct that Alana’s bow is seemingly forgotten but in general one cannot defend yourself with a bow at point blank so she needs a sword out. Rachel has the party’s only crowd control ability and she’s spamming it every round because opening space and stunning everyone is their only chance to live another turn. Besides - damaging magic has significant cast time in this setting and Rachel does not have the time to cast without being interrupted (though I don’t remember what they said about the staff earlier, but if thats the only way she can spam powerful CC then that is another explanation). As for Selene any martial arts she knows is not going to be something intended for fighting someone in heavy armor, in a significantly higher weight class and with a significantly longer reach with whatever swords are in use. So that leaves Kendra to get the attention of everyone that Rachel hasn’t stunned. No shit that fight went poorly!

That said, I do have a major criticism… what happened to Selene’s gun? Just one round would’ve changed that fight. I’m also giving a hefty benefit of the doubt regarding Alana’s bow because it did seem like they forgot she’s an archer? It should’ve been mentioned, even if it makes sense that she couldn’t be effective.

I’m getting annoyed by Selene being little more than a fandom database backup and a way to insert and continue modern arguments into scenarios where you’d expect her to be trying to find out the rules of this world instead of wasting enormous amounts of time arguing about them to people that cannot change them. Then again the author also somehow doesn’t know what an FBI agent is or the process to join. (Hint: she either needs to have a technical background or to be in her 30s)

Anyway tldr: Selene needs to level Paladin.

No self respecting wood elf would pass by HER bow to lift a sword, yes take the sword but also her bow is an extension of her so it would feel wrong to leave it. I get that this was a melee and not favorable for bowmanship , its a short bow i believe so once Rachael did some crowd control she could have started using it .

More importantly way to make the women look week , Kendra took out 70% of Delmars men when ethan was dying from the mages kill spell, yet even when she was given the space she wasnt allowed to be her best by the author , seline was dampened by her new skills fair , Rachael tires far too early alena is borderline usless with a sword and tee was taken out early.

On the subject of Alenas bow why when everone else got nice new shiny toys dis she not get an incredible new bow or why didnnt she get extra dragon leather or scales to improve her bow and enchantments and worse alenas arrows have sucked balls for over 40 chapters but no high end arrows or at least any talk of them ?

Another misogynistic chapter and im a guys guy