With Durkon low on spells, he resorts to melee attacks on Malack, even though he knows that sort of attack cannot ultimately destroy a vampire. Malack responds with an unexpected grappling attack that Durkon can't resist. Malack reveals he planted a "back door" in the spell Durkon was researching, allowing him to go in for the kill.
Cast
Transcript
- Panel 1
Durkon strikes Malack with his hammer again.
Durkon: If'n I cannae beat ye wit spells, I'll just smash yer fanged face in til yer a puff o' smoke!!
Malack: You cannot destroy me that way, Durkon!
Durkon: Aye, but I can send ye back ta yer coffin. Good enuff!
- Panel 2
Malack: If you wish to end this with crass physical violence, I will oblige.
Malack: Divine Power!
- Panel 3
Durkon sings and misses, while Malack moves around him, "woosh!". The tip of Malack's tail coils around Durkon's neck.
- Panel 4
Malack's surprisingly long and prehensile tail coils around Durkon's body.
Durkon: Och! Get off, ye—
Malack: Tarquin has also taught me a variety of exotic holding techniques. Undignified, to be sure, but you will not escape.
- Panel 5
Malack clearly has no legs, and his entire snake-like body is coiled around Durkon, like a constrictor snake.
Durkon: Aye, alright. Ye got me wrapped up good. But what're ye gonna do now, Malack?
Durkon: Neither one o' us can cast spells grapplin, an' thanks ta me Death Ward, yer dreaded vampire bite's little more'n a tickle.
Malack: You are correct about your ward. The fruit of our joint labor is quite a powerful spell.
Malack: Normally, I would simply hold you until it expired, but the proximity of your allies makes that infeasible.
Malack: But let me ask you a philosophical question:
- Panel 6
Malack: What sort of man would help someone he just met develop a means to shield a large group of people from himself?
- Panel 7
Malack: At least, without sneaking in a back door, just in case?
- Panel 8
Malack: "Xxzerkqei."
Durkon: Och! Me spell! Ye dismissed it?!? How—
Malack: My aid is mine to give—or withdraw—as I see fit.
- Panel 9
Malack: Now, let's see if we can't reach some sort of compromise after all.
Malack bites Durkon's neck; blood sprays and black energy surrounds the pair.
D&D Context
- Divine Power is a 4th level spell which imbues the caster with strength, giving him an attack bonus equal to the caster's level (12, for Malack), +6 strength, and +1hp/level for a duration of 1 round/level.
Trivia
- In this comic, Malack reveals that he has no legs. This means he is not a lizardfolk (like Gannji, for example) as would be assumed. Malack is possibly a Yuan-ti. Yuan-ti were first published in the 1981 1st edition adventure module, Dwellers of the Forbidden City, and subsequently in the 1983 1st edition Monster Manual II. As they were never released as part as the SRD, name-dropping them in the comic, especially when selling the collected volume, would risk drawing the ire of the Wizards of the Coast legal department.
- Malack revealed that when he was helping Durkon research Mass Death Ward, he inserted a back door, to dismiss the effect. The key word, "Xxzerkqei", might be pronounced, "Is this your key"?