Qarr interrupts Therkla and reveals her assignment to kill Elan, but Therkla changes sides just before Hinjo, Durkon and Lien reveal they have been there all along.
Cast
- Elan ◀ ▶
- Durkon Thundershield (as bush) ◀ ▶
- Hinjo (as tree) ◀ ▶
- Lien (as tree) ◀ ▶
- Qarr ◀ ▶
- Therkla ◀ ▶
- Veiled Soldier ◀ ▶
Transcript
- Panel 1
Therkla throws her shuriken and hits Qarr, "schluckt!" Elan closes his eyes thinking she was attacking him.
Qarr: Aaahh!!
Elan: Aaaah!!
- Panel 2
Qarr: What are you doing?!? I set you up for the perfect flank!
Therkla: You stay away from him, Qarr! Don't you touch him!
- Panel 3
Qarr: What? Listen, I don't pretend to understand all those squishy little hormones running around in you bastardized half-breed blood, but he just shut you down hard.
Qarr: Face it, Underbite, your crush is officially of the unrequited variety.
- Panel 4
Qarr: So can we please all get on the same page here and complete our mission to kill him?
Qarr: I mean, let's hurry this up. I'm missing the Olympics.
Elan: Kill me?
- Panel 5
Therkla: What? No, Elan, it's not like that! I was—
Qarr: Ordered by our master to lure you here alone and kill you, so that we can assassinate Hinjo without your interference.
- Panel 6
Elan: Don't worry, Therkla. I've been through a scene exactly like this before. I know he's lying to try to turn me against you.
Elan: You won't succeed, imp! You're not nearly as important an antagonist as my brother was!
Elan: I bet your team doesn't even have a real name!
- Panel 7
Therkla: Actually, it's completely true.
Elan: Huh?
Therkla: Our master DID order us to lure you here and kill you. I was just hoping... I was hoping you could be my boyfriend instead.
- Panel 8
Elan: You know...just 'cause I can't be your boyfriend doesn't mean you have to kill me.
Therkla: ...
Therkla: It doesn't?
- Panel 9
Elan: I'm sure Hinjo could find a job for the amazing Ninja Girl.
Therkla: In that case, Qarr, I quit!
Qarr: You treacherous little bitch, I will—
Therkla's shuriken misses Qarr, "whiff!" and hits a tree, "schluckt!"
Veiled Soldier: Oww!
- Panel 10
Therkla: Did that tree...
Qarr: ...just say, "Oww"?
Veiled Soldier: Crap.
- Panel 11
Hinjo: OK, everyone freeze! Drop your weapons and put your hands in the air.
Lien: Make one false move, imp, and I will smite you so hard you'll see little demonic birds.
Elan: Oh man! Durkon is right! The trees ARE after us!!
Durkon: See? Tha's wha I been tryin' ta say all along!
Trivia
- The Games of the XXIX Olympiad in Beijing, China, began on August 8th, 2008, three days prior to the publishing of this strip. Michael Phelps had already won his gold medal on August 9th, and a second on the 10h, and his third the day it was published. He would win 8 gold medals in total, an all-time record.
- Nale tried to convince Elan that Haley had been secretly plotting against him for months in #393, Truth. He was nearly successful, but Haley was able to break through her speech problem to deliver the truth to Elan.
- The plan to disguise themselves as trees plays right into Durkon's deep-seated fear of trees, as first revealed in #150.