Belkar finds Mr. Scruffy and gives the cat a saucerful of healing potion. As the psychopathic halfling tends to the cat's needs, Belkar worries that Mr. Scruffy is actually making him a more sensitive person.
Cast
- Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶
- Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶
- Mr. Scruffy ◀ ▶
- Gannji (as Belkar) ◀ ▶
- Enor (as Mr. Scruffy) ◀ ▶
Transcript
- Panel 1
Belkar: Helllooo? Linear Guild?
Belkar: Come on, where my evil opposites at?
Belkar: I'm fully expecting an ugly boot-shod diplomat for me and a clean-shaven half-giant agnostic for Durkon.
- Panel 2
Belkar finds mister scruffy lying wounded by a quarrel near the pile of Haley's treasure.
Belkar: Mr. Scruffy! There you are, you commoner-killin' machine!
Belkar: How's my favorite—
- Panel 3
Mr. Scruffy: Meow?
Belkar: What the HELL?? Is that a crossbow bolt??
Belkar: Hey! Whoever did this, I'm going to rip out your—
- Panel 4
Belkar looks right. No one is near the colonnade.
Belkar: I mean, I am going to shove my—
- Panel 5
He looks left. No one is near the facade.
Belkar: —and cut off your...
Belkar: ...
- Panel 6
Belkar: How the HELL am I supposed to make myself feel better if there's no one to hurt?!?
- Panel 7
Mr. Scruffy: Mrrow?
Belkar: Huh? Oh, right... I guess I should pull that out, right?
Belkar: I can do that.
- Panel 8
Belkar: And check it out, I think this is Haley's stuff. She won't mind if I take a healing potion.
Belkar: And screw the greedy bitch if she does, am I right?
- Panel 9
Belkar pours a healing potion into a bowl. Mr. Scruffy laps it up, "lap lap lap lap", and is surrounded by a red glow.
- Panel 10
Flashback to the arena. The back of Belkar's shaved head and the bars of the gladiator stable frame the scene on the arena floor of Gannji and Enor being forced to fight each other. Only this time, Belkar sees himself as Gannji and Mr. Scruffy as Enor, their heads superimposed on Gannji and Enor's bodies.
Roy (off-panel): ...It's like watching someone duel their own puppy.
- Panel 11
Belkar: Stupid cat. A ranger is supposed to influence an animal's behavior.
Belkar: You're doing it backwards!
Mr. Scruffy: purrrrrrrrr.
D&D Contest
- Wild Empathy, as mentioned in the title of the comic, is a ranger ability that allows them to influence the opinions of animals, similar to a Diplomacy check.
Trivia
- Belkar proposes alternate "evil opposites" for himself and Durkon much like Roy does in #795. An ugly boot-shod diplomat would be an antonym of a sexy shoeless god of war and Belkar calling himself that is a running gag.
- The flashback is to the scene in #783.