Belkar meets his arena-opponent-to-be, a self-righteous avenger type, and reminisces about his lost lead sheet. But Niu and Thanh are still putting the lead sheet to good use.
Cast
- Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶
- Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶
- Ian Starshine ◀ ▶
- Ho Thanh ◀ ▶
- Niu ◀ ▶
- Geoff ◀ ▶
- Evisceratus ◀ ▶
- Clipboard Guard ◀ ▶
- A Hobgoblin Cleric
- A Hobgoblin Soldier
Transcript
- Panel 1
Roy, Belkar, and Elan are watching the events of in the arena from the hypogeum.
Belkar: Oooo, sucks to go first, I guess.
Roy: What I don't get is how they trained a huge dinosaur to Move Silently like that.
Belkar: Well, you fighters don't get Listen as a skill, right?
Roy: Huh?
Belkar: Exactly.
Ian: See? I told you! Look, he's sitting right next to that tyrant. I knew he was up to no good.
Geoff: Yeah, you were right to stay where you are, Ian.
- Panel 2
Belkar: Yeah, I can't believe our fearless leader Haley is getting sucked in by that obvious spy!
Roy: Belkar, what are you doing?
Belkar: If he's mad at Elan, maybe he'll warm up to me.
Ian: Fat chance, Fuzzfoot.
- Panel 3
Ian: You forget, I saw you stealing bread from all the other inmates.
Belkar: I thought you CG types were into the whole Robin Hood thing.
Ian: Yeah, so what?
Belkar: I was stealing from the nutrient-rich and giving to the amusement-poor.
- Panel 4
Ian: Pah! I've seen your type. You just want to take, take, take, just like Tarquin, or Bozzok.
Belkar: Hey! Don't compare me to that loser. He single-handedly redefines the term, "thieves' tool."
- Panel 5
Geoff: You've met him? Did he... send you?
Belkar: What? No!
Belkar: Your niece and me, we kicked his ass good a few weeks back.
Geoff: Really?? Then...Bozzok's dead?
- Panel 6
Belkar: Nah. We just roughed him up a bit.
Geoff: ...Oh. I see.
Belkar: And we would've gotten away with it, too, if it hadn't been for that meddling fairy.
- Panel 7
Ian: Hrmph. Well, don't think it earns you any points in my book.
Clipboard Guard: Belkar Bitterleaf?
Belkar: Yo.
Guard: You're up next.
- Panel 8
Belkar: Awesome. Who do I get to fight?
Clipboard Guard: This guy.
Eviceratus: It's about time someone brought you to justice for your vile behavior.
- Panel 9
Belkar: Cool. I don't suppose you could shout "Smite Evil" when you attack? Just for fun?
Eviceratus: What? No.
- Panel 10
Belkar: Ah, it's just as well. I have no idea where my lead sheet has gotten to, anyway.
- Panel 11
Cut to Azure City
Hobgoblin Soldier: Do you hear something?
Hobgoblin Cleric: Detect Good!
Niu holds up Belkar's Lead Sheet to protect herself and Than from being detected.
Niu (whispering): Stop oppressing my culture, you ethnocentric bitch!
D&D Referrences
- Move Silently is a skill that allows the user to walk or otherwise move without making noise. It is opposed by a Listen Check. The listen skill is a class skill for several classes including rogues like Ian, but for fighters like Roy it is a cross-class skill which costs double to improve, thus they are unlikely to have this skill.
Trivia
- The title is a pun on the two homographs: lead, the metal, and the verb to lead, meaning to guide.
- This is the Lead Sheet's first appearance since #281, Get the Lead Out. Niu's comment to the hobgoblin cleric is identical to Belkar's in the last panel of #202, Scanning....
- Ian's comment in Panel 3 refers to Belkar's actions in #744, A Tale of Two Suppers.
- Geoff's comments in Panel 5 & 6 foreshadow his connection to Bozzok revealed in #942, But He Probably Has a Halberd Now.
- Belkar's line in Panel 6 is a reference to the famous Scooby Doo line "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for you meddling kids!"