Roy, Belkar, and Blackwing meet up, exchange status updates, and decide to rescue Ian and Geoff and head over to the palace. Just then, Tarquin arrives on the scene with a squad of guards—and with congratulations to Roy on a "totally badass" fight.
Cast
- Roy Greenhilt ◀ ▶
- Belkar Bitterleaf ◀ ▶
- Blackwing ◀ ▶
- Mr. Scruffy ◀ ▶
- Tarquin ◀ ▶
- Clipboard Guard ◀
- Three Empire of Blood Soldiers
Transcript
- Panel 1
Roy finds Belkar in the arcade. Belkar has shed his sandals and changed into his normal attire.
Roy: Hey.
Belkar: Hey.
Belkar: Your stuff's in the pile.
- Panel 2
Roy dons his armor.
Belkar: So, I can't help but notice we're fresh out of Linear Guild stooges to whomp on.
Roy: Yeah, I don't really know what's going on.
- Panel 3
Roy buckles his girdle.
Roy: I saw V battling that dark elf in the sky earlier, but he was just being dragged off in chains
Roy: So I fully expected to get out here and see the whole gang posing victoriously while Nale and Co. were tied up again.
Roy: I guess the question is, where is Vaarsuvius now if not out here?
- Panel 4
Blackwing: Banished to another plane. Also, Elan took Haley to the palace to warn Durkon.
Belkar: Who said that??
Roy: That bird. I think it's the one that's been on V's shoulder these past two weeks.
- Panel 5
Belkar: It can talk?!?
Roy: No, probably not. I think it's some sort of magical message that was triggered when I asked where V was, like a Magic Mouth spell.
Roy: Those were V's words, just coming out of the bird's beak.
- Panel 6
Blackwing: You are both ignorant cretins.
Roy: See?
Belkar: Yeah, I guess you're right.
- Panel 7
Roy slings the Greenhilt Sword over his shoulder.
Belkar: So, where are we headed now, anyway?
Roy: The palace, I guess.
Roy: Whatever Nale's half-baked plans are, we need to make sure they don't interfere with our own half-baked plans.
- Panel 8
Roy: Now come on, we need to get Haley's dad and uncle and slip out of here before they realize that I'm not under that rubble.
Roy: The last thing I want is to be spotted by—
- Panel 9
Roy: —him. Crap.
Tarquin: Surely, you didn't think you would be able to just walk out of here after wrecking my arena—
- Panel 10
Tarquin: —at least, not before I got the chance to tell you how totally badass that fight was!
Soldier #1: Fight of the year, no question!
Soldier #2: Someone get this man a healing potion!
Clipboard Guard: Can I have your autograph?
Belkar: Oh, come on! He only won because he didn't die first!
Belkar: Anyone can do that!
D&D Context
- Magic Mouth is a 2nd level spell that allows the caster to leave a message programmed in a magical mouth that appears on a wall, or a statue or the like.
Trivia
- In this strip, Roy and Belkar again turn on its head the running gag that Vaarsuvius used to forget Blackwing's name and even his existence, a twist on the gag introduced in #674. Since repenting of their sins during the soul splice, V promised to always have Blackwing around, so now that V remembers Blackwing, the others suddenly don't.
- Roy's theory of Blackwing being a simple bird acting as messenger for Vaarsuvius through magic is actually reminiscent of Vaarsuvius' Greater Animal Messenger, a spell of the elf's own making.
- This is the final appearance of Clipboard Guard, who managed the gladiatorial match-ups. He first appeared in #777, Under the Arena.