As the Order of the Stick sets sail for the Western Continent, Blackwing reveals what he saw in the rift.
Cast
- The Order of the Stick
- Mr. Scruffy ◀ ▶
- Blackwing ◀ ▶
- Hinjo ◀ ▶
- O-Chul ◀ ▶
- Lien ◀ ▶
- Daigo Da- ◀
- Kazumi Kato (pregnant) ◀
- Razor ◀ ▶
- Hinjo's Fastest Ship's Crew
- Two Azurite Soldiers
Transcript
- Panel 1, Page 1
On shore next to Hinjo's fastest ship. Haley finishes dismissing Celia. Lien summons Razor.
- Panel 2, Page 1
Lien: Hey, boy, you ready for a long swim?
O-Chul: Sharks.
O-Chul: Why did it have to be sharks?
- Panel 3, Page 1
Lien and O-Chul ride off on Razor.
- Panel 4, Page 1
Onboard the ship. Roy is writing down a battle strategy.
Roy: Durkon, do you have a spell that protects against negative energy effects.
Durkon: Aye... but it'll only aff'ct one o' us atta time.
- Panel 5, Page 1
Durkon: Tho mebbe I c'n research a mass version o' it...
Roy: Great. So if you cast that before the battle, and I charge in on the first round...
- Panel 6, Page 1
Pan right, Haley and Elan are resting against the side of the ship
Roy: No, wait... Belkar charges, then I move and ready an attack to disrupt...
Haley: You're sure you're not mad at me?
Elan: I think so. Just as long as you're sure that she was really, REALLY bad.
- Panel 7, Page 1
Pan further right. Belkar is napping on the bench, snoring loudly, drool dripping from his mouth, Mr, Scruffy is curled up beside him.
Haley: If it makes you feel any better, I once saw Crystal head-butt an elderly gnome woman into a coma...
Elan: It does, actually. Thanks.
Belkar: Grkzzzzzz....
- Panel 8, Page 1
Blackwing pops into existence.
- Panel 9, Page 1
Vaarsuvius: I...
Vaarsuvius: Thank you. For what you tried to do back there.
- Panel 10, Page 1
Vaarsuvius: I have not always been the most considerate master. Or teammate. Or mate, for that matter.
Vaarsuvius: I appreciate the fact that, when the fate of the world potentially rested upon our actions, you were able to look past my previous mistreatment of you.
Vaarsuvius: As I have recently begun to learn, that fact that you did not succeed does not diminish the nobility of your effort.
- Panel 11, Page 1
Blackwing: You're welcome.
- Panel 1, Page 2
Vaarsuvius: I thought you informed me some years ago that you considered speaking in Common to be demeaning?
Blackwing: No, I said speaking to YOU in Common was demeaning. Try to not remind me why.
- Panel 2, Page 2
Vaarsuvius: Then tell me, please... what is it that you witnessed within the rift? What mysteries does a tear in the substance of reality hold that mesmerized you so?
Blackwing: I don't even know where to begin...
- Panel 3, Page 2
Blackwing: It was—
Blackwing: —strange.
- Panel 4, Page 2
Flashback. Looking through the rift, Blackwing sees another world.
- Panel 1, Page 3
Vaarsuvius: A planet? Within the planet?
Vaarsuvius: I do not understand.
Blackwing: That's pretty much what I said, yeah.
- Panel 2, Page 3
Vaarsuvius: Perhaps...
Vaarsuvius: Perhaps we do not know everything we ought to regarding the task which we are undertaking.
- Panel 3, Page 3
They sit in silence.
- Panel 4, Page 3
Zoom out on the boat, the rest of the Order sits on deck.
- Panel 5, Page 3
Zoom out further, showing the crew working the sails
- Panel 6, Page 3
Zoom our further, showing the boat sailing towards the Western Continent in the distance.
- Panel 7, Page 3
The Order of the Stick
will return August 31st.
Trivia
- O-Chul's line in panel 2 is a reference to Indiana Jones, who has a fear of snakes and says "why did it have to be snakes" in the 1981 film Raiders of the Lost Ark, as well as similar lines in Temple of Doom and The Last Crusade. The line is adapted to O-Chul's experience with the Acid-borne Shark in #542, In Azure City, Shark Jumps You!.
- In Panel 5, Page 1, Durkon begins planning to create Mass Death Ward, the spell he researches with the help of Malack and completes in #750.
- The last time there was a panel notifying readers of the date of the next strip was At the End of the Day, the final strip of War and XPs. In both cases the hiatus was due to Rich's chronic illness. Similarly, this comic is the final comic of Don't Split The Party.
- This is the first time we see Blackwing speaking Common. Vaarsuvius reveals that Blackwing chooses not to speak Common in #155.
- This comic marks the beginning of Vaarsuvius' new attitude towards Blackwing, and Blackwing begins to make many more appearances as Vaarsuvius no longer pops him into existence when needed, rather keeping him around at all times.
- This is the only appearance of Hinjo's Fastest Ship's Crew in the web comic. They appear three more times in the bonus material.
- This is the final appearance of Daigo Da- and Kazumi Kato thus far in the comics. They did not appear in Blood Runs in the Family. Daigo and Kazumi first appeared as nameless soldiers, indistinguishable from the thousands of other soldiers in the Battle of Azure City. However, they soon made their distinction clear. At their wedding aboard Hinjo's junk, Hinjo elevated them to the status of nobles. Daigo has appeared thirty-six times and Kazumi has appeared 26 times. They both first appear in #455.
- The final panel was a parody on the the old James Bond movies which would say "James Bond will return in—." The JB movie The Man With The Golden Gun had a final scene with a junk sailing off and "James Bond will return in The Spy Who Loved Me."