Ian and Geoff escape Tarquin. Haley is made flesh again. Elan and Tarquin try to figure out what it is that Nale is after.
Cast[]
- The Order of the Stick
- Tarquin ◀ ▶
- Kilkil ◀ ▶
- Ian Starshine ◀ ▶
- Geoff ◀ ▶
- The Brontosaurus Express ◀
Transcript[]
- Panel 1
Tarquin and company stand on the howdah of the Brontosaurus Express.
Tarquin: Kilkil, we’re almost to the palace. Fly ahead and gather your main files on these men.
Kilkil: Yes, general.
Tarquin: As for you two—
- Panel 2
Tarquin: …Where did they go?
Roy: Who?
Tarquin: The men you asked me to release!
Roy: Beats me. They were just here a moment ago.
Belkar: What men? I didn’t see a thing.
- Panel 3
Cut to Ian and Geoff jumping from the brontosaurus.
Ian Starshine: Heh heh, the old “Batman Exit” oughta leave an impression on the bastard…
Geoff: Uh…we should probably head to Ivy’s house.
Ian: No, they’ll be looking for us there.
- Panel 4
Geoff: No one will be looking for us, Ian! We have signed amnesty papers!
Ian: And if you think that’s good for anything but wiping your ass, you don’t understand Tarquin at all. Now quit whining and try to keep up—I know a place.
- Panel 5
Cut to the Palace of Blood balcony at Bleedingham. Durkin is restoring the petrified Haley.
Durkon: Break Enchantment! Thar ye go, lass.
Haley: —now.
Elan: Haley! You’re safe! Hooray!
Haley: But…what happened with the Linear Guild? And why are we at the palace?
- Panel 6
Haley: Wait—is this one of those times when you’ll fill me in later?
Elan: It’s better to use exposition to cover stuff no one saw. Like those Restoration spells Durkon cast on him and me.
- Panel 7
Tarquin: Elan! Are you safe? The guards told me about Nale when our dinosaur docked.
Elan: See? That probably saved three panels right there.
- Panel 8
Tarquin: Don’t worry, Elan. My men will find him. What makes me curious, though, is why he would risk attacking you right under my nose.
Elan: I don’t know either, Dad. Though he did say something about throwing it together at the last minute.
- Panel 9
Elan: In fact, he accused me of coming here just to fight him!
Tarquin: Huh…
Roy: Is it possible that this man came here independently, because he was looking for someone? Someone that you might also be looking for?
- Panel 10
Haley: *gasp!* Elan! That gladiator I’ve never met before is right! What if Nale knows that your dad knows Girard??
Elan: Oh man! Dad, we can’t let Nale find him before we do! I know we still owe you one more night, but—
Tarquin: I understand. If it will help you thwart whatever Nale is planning, I’ll happily tell you everything I know about that Draketooth.
Tarquin: The first thing you need to know is—
- Panel 11
Elan: Dad, WAIT!
- Panel 12
Elan: Don’t you want to take a dramatic pause first?
Tarquin: Ha! Good catch, son. I almost launched right into it there.
Tarquin: What was I thinking?
D&D Context[]
- Break Enchantment is a 5th level spell that frees victims from enchantments, transmutations (such as flesh to stone), and curses.
- Restoration is a 4th level spell that dispels negative levels. Durkon and Elan took negative levels from Nale's Enervation wand, and Sabine's Energy Drain
Trivia[]
- Haley is returned to flesh after having been petrified in #789. She finishes her sentence from that strip, which was, "It means that we should get ourselves ready to fight, because if Nale is planning on catching us off-guard, the best time to do so is right—[now.]"
- This is the second and final appearance of the Brontosaurus Express from the previous strip.