- For the other comic titled "Running on Empty", see Running on Empty (168).
UnDurkon uses Belkar to replenish his strength. Malack spares Belkar as a token to his friend. Belkar is released from paralysis and makes to rejoin the party.
Cast
- Belkar Bitterleaf (also dominated) ◀ ▶
- Durkon Thundershield (as vampire) ◀ ▶
- Mr. Scruffy ◀ ▶
- "Durkon" ◀ ▶
- Malack ◀ ▶
Transcript
- Panel 1
Durkon: I HUNGER FOR BLOOD, MASTER!
Malack: Then drink from the halfling. But do not drain his last
drop.
Malack: Also, use your inside voice.
- Panel 2
Malack: You will feel more like yourself once I release you from my thrall—but I worry that doing so now would be…confusing for you.
Malack: And you are vulnerable, as you do not yet have your own sarcophagus to which you may retreat.
Durkon sinks his fangs in to Belkar's face and feeds, "ssllrp! ssllrp! ssllrp!"
- Panel 3
Malack: Once we all return to Bleedingham, I will relinquish my control over you so that we may once again engage as peers.
Malack: Until then, you will help us achieve our goals as my servant.
- Panel 4}
Malack: As for you, halfling…I spare your life and release you from my dominion.
Malack: My final token to the Durkon that was.
Malack: I strongly recommend that you take your cat and your allies and leave here as soon as you can move again.
- Panel 5
Malack: Come, my thrall. Let us find Tarquin so that we may be done with this place.
Malack: I do not care to linger where tragedy visited a friend.
Durkon: Yes, Master.
They leave.
- Panel 6
Mr. Scruffy: meow?
- Panel 7
Mr. Scruffy lays on the floor next to Belkar
- Panel 8
Belkar: GAAAH!!
Mr. Scruffy: mrowr!
- Panel 9
Belkar: Scruffy! Are you—I can't—what just—
Mr. Scruffy: purrrrrrr!
Belkar: How the hell does Durkon get killed and I'm still alive?!?
- Panel 10
Belkar: We gotta tell Roy!
Belkar: Come on, I saw which tunnel Durkon came down, we can—
- Panel 11
Belkar is dizzy from loss of blood. The room tilts.
Belkar: Unnnhhhh…
- Panel 12
He face-plants with a "thunk!"
- Panel 13
Belkar: —crawl. Crawling is still going forward, right? Right.
D&D Context
- Belkar was paralyzed (this time) by Durkon's Hold Person spell. Durkon is 14th level, so the effect lasts 14 rounds. A minimum of 8 rounds have passed since the casting (based on actions taken by Durkon and Malack), meaning he was frozen for at most another 6 rounds. A round in combat is 6 seconds, though once the combat ended the duration of a round is more flexible.
- A vampire's Blood Drain reduces the Constitution of the target in increments of 1d4. Lowering a character's Constitution reduces their maximum HP; if Belkar were drained to 1 Constitution, then he would be taking a -5 x HD penalty to his HP, potentially giving him only the minimum of one hit point per level; essentially, Belkar is reduced to a hit point total on par with a 1st-level character.
Trivia
- It would appear from Durkon's limited dialog that he no longer speaks with an accent now that he is a vampire. This is corroborated by the dialog spoken by Greg during the Godsmoot in the following book.