Redcloak informs Team Evil that he will use magic to accelerate the search for the Gate, but nearly divulges a bit too much information to Xykon.
Cast[]
Transcript[]
- Panel 1
Redcloak exits the dungeon with Oona and Greyview close behind and a Demon Cockroach just outside the dungeon's door.
Redcloak: Listen up, everyone.
Redcloak: We are officially done pissing around.
Demon-Roach #1: We already covered that. He stopped years ago.
- Panel 2
Redcloak, Oona, and the first Demon-Roach walk up to Xykon, the MitD, and the other Demon-Roach.
Redcloak: We're making zero progress.
Redcloak: Whether that's because of incompetence or because our enemies are moving the goalposts, I don't know and I don't really care.
Redcloak: From now...
- Panel 3
The panel shifts and expands to show the wall with the huge drawing that Xykon made of himself kicking Redcloak in the ass, while laughing.
Redcloak: ...on...
- Panel 4
The panel focuses back on Redcloak, who is putting his hand over his face.
Redcloak: sigh
- Panel 5
Redcloak looks back up at Xykon, who has a Demon-Roach beside him.
Redcloak: From now on we're doing this search my way.
Redcloak: And I don't want to hear that my way is boring and dumb. Too bad! We're not here to have fun.
- Panel 6
Panel focuses on Redcloak and Xykon
Redcloak: You complain when I sweat the details, but then you punish me when those details come back to bite us in the ass.
Xykon: You crossed all the i's and dotted the t's back in Azure City, and we ended up wasting a whole year.
- Panel 7
Panel widens to include the two Demon Roaches.
Redcloak: Then you should be happy that I'm trying to speed up our progress now!
Xykon: I am. I just can't miss an opportunity to throw this in your face.
Demon Roach #1: That's what the paladin said about the metal bar!
Demon Roach #2: Heyoooo!
- Panel 8
The panel shifts over to show the MitD standing beside Redcloak and Xykon.
MitD: So if we're sidestepping the issue of who's fault any delay is—because pointing fingers isn't productive—then what's the new plan?
MitD: I mean, if the marks aren't reliable, we need to start over from scratch. Right?
Redcloak: No. Don't be ridiculous, we have magic.
- Panel 9
The panel focuses on Redcloak.
Redcloak: For starters, Xykon radiates enough pure Evil that he leaves a trail that lingers for days.
Redcloak: I can use a Detect Evil spell to determine which doors he's actually entered, eliminating them from the list.
- Panel 10
The panel widens to include the MitD, who looks concerned, and Xykon again.
MitD: Oh. I didn't think of that.
Redcloak: Obviously. Next, I have a spell—
Xykon: Wait, are you telling me you can track me with a low-level spell? How do you know how to do that?
Redcloak: Uh...
- Panel 11
The panel focuses on Redcloak and Xykon.
Redcloak: Somebody has to be the one to go find you when you wander off like a small child in a general store.
Xykon: You could just follow the trail of corpses like everyone else.
Redcloak: Not when you zombify them! Then they just spread out and make more corpses!
- Panel 12
The panel switches to a flashback as Redcloak remembers when he last used Detect Evil to look for Xykon's presence in his study in Azure City while meeting with the Elder Hobgoblin. Xykon continues to speak in voiceover.
Xykon: (in voice over) Oh yeah, ha ha, good point. That makes sense.
Redcloak: (in flashback) All clear. Xykon hasn't been in here.
Redcloak: (in flashback) Have you made progress copying the talisman?
- Panel 13
The panel widens to include the entire team, with the MitD raising an eyebrow.
Redcloak: Whew.
Xykon: Not going to lie, I was hoping for a bigger reaction on the drawing.
Demon Roach #1: Artistic genius is never recognized during the artist's lifetime.
Demon Roach #2: So then what's the hold up?
D&D Context[]
- Detect Evil can be used to sense the presence of evil. If Xykon's aura persist for several days then he is likely overwhelmingly evil.
Trivia[]
- In panel 1, the Demon-Roach is referring the comments Xykon made in Stew You about his urinary ability.
- In panel 6, Xykon has reversed the usual expression in which attention to detail is compared to remembering the dots and crossmarks needed to finish writing the letters "i" and "t", respectively.
- In panel 7, the Demon-Roach is referring to O-Chul's attack on Redcloak in With a Critical Eye, in which Redcloak lost his right eye.
- The elder hobgoblin seen in Redcloak's memory in panel 12 was the metalsmith whom Redcloak asked to fabricate a facsimile of Xykon's phylactery. His corpse was last seen in Two of a Kind Beats King High, but this flashback predates his first appearance in A Study in Viridian, in which Redcloak found him soon after he had been killed by Tsukiko.