Comic for September 28, 2017: Go for the Eyes, Nibs!

[CrRAR]

You know you guys, the more we talk about Carver's gruesome demise the more I'm reminded of how Natani and Zen came to join the ranks of our hapless heroes. As aggressors, not much unlike despicable Carver here. Hell, Zen was stabbed through the chest and now he's fighting in league with very close friends of his very attacker and he knows it.

Where I'm going with this is, maybe Carver has a soft, sad story and was goaded into being despicable by Clovis. Clovis does hate foxes, perhaps he gained leverage over this poor sap by endangering his family or some other shady way and forced him into blind allegiance. Maybe having an eye gouged out will break him only to spill a warm and fuzzy story.

After all, they do say that the eyes are windows to the soul.

Also, the way Carver talks about taking Raine to Clovis "gift-wrapped" is creepy. REALLY creepy. Given how that snippet from Dragon Masquerade implies how Clovis treats women... The less said the better.

Yyyyeah, I was gonna comment on this too. Before now was it even mentioned that Raine was a target? What would Clovis' plan be? An eternity as his "wife". If he's still a lady that whole arrangement could get...confusing. lol

I don't think Raine was originally intended as a target at all. I think Carver's musings here fairly clearly imply that Raine's presence and abilities were not known or expected in advance and that he's considering capturing her as well simply as a target of opportunity - an unexpected curiosity that fell into his lap in the process of going after his primary target. Of course, given Clovis' character and what we know of the practices of his guild (and Carver's obvious sharing of Clovis' disdain towards women reinforces that), we can likely assume that Raine's potential experiences as their captive wouldn't exactly be pleasant, but I doubt Clovis has any *particular* plan in mind for her in advance.

Elaborating on this, we do know that Clovis favors his wolf lineage much more so than the fox half...so it could be a ploy to be the wolfiest fox-wolf that ever wolfed wolf (I don't know what I just said there, let's move on). That said, Raine naturally has quite the surprise should she end up delivered "gift-wrapped" for the Wolfiest Fox-Wolf King Supreme!

Muahahaha

But that really does make her quite a different squirrel... She figured out her friends were in trouble and who was responsible. Considering she shouldn't be able to understand speech much less read a complex situation like this...

Life Nature... uhh... finds a way.

[MuonNeutrino]

(quote pyramid snipped)

I suppose it just makes her even more awesome, if she's powerful enough that a magical suppressor acts, not as its name would suggest, but instead as a stabilizer.

Well, it's worth noting that even when she was wearing the suppressor, she still managed to teleport group B away from the wolves. Only a few meters, perhaps, but teleportation is still pretty impressive for a completely untrained mage under the influence of a magic suppressor. In other words, the suppressor can nullify Natani and Zen's link, and is potent enough that it can interfere with the beefy wand-powered magic barrier, but Raine is powerful enough that she can burn through it. So yeah, she's got some serious magical potential. Give her a few years of training and I'd bet she'd be second only to Trace in power, assuming she can gain enough control over her shapeshifting ability to stay in human form so as to avoid needing mana crystals all the time.

[AegisWolf]

Interesting note: Carver's illusion seems to be slipping a bit here. We can clearly see the claws on his hands in panels 2 and 8, but in previous strips (e.g. 982 or 984) his hands look fully human. Perhaps the proximity to the magic suppressor is having some effect, or maybe he's just getting distracted.

Also, the way Carver talks about taking Raine to Clovis "gift-wrapped" is creepy. REALLY creepy. Given how that snippet from Dragon Masquerade implies how Clovis treats women... The less said the better.

Yyyyeah, I was gonna comment on this too. Before now was it even mentioned that Raine was a target? What would Clovis' plan be? An eternity as his "wife". If he's still a lady that whole arrangement could get...confusing. lol

I don't think Raine was originally intended as a target at all. I think Carver's musings here fairly clearly imply that Raine's presence and abilities were not known or expected in advance and that he's considering capturing her as well simply as a target of opportunity - an unexpected curiosity that fell into his lap in the process of going after his primary target. Of course, given Clovis' character and what we know of the practices of his guild (and Carver's obvious sharing of Clovis' disdain towards women reinforces that), we can likely assume that Raine's potential experiences as their captive wouldn't exactly be pleasant, but I doubt Clovis has any *particular* plan in mind for her in advance.

I agree, Raine's definitely simply an unforeseen opportunity to Carver, but I don't know if that heralds a better, or worse fate should Carver prevail, with Clovis being interested in her power rather than her looks. I mean, lab rat or concubine isn't a great set of choices.

[Warrl]

Don't forget...

Raine's mother was Grand Templar, which presumably means a powerful mage.

Her father was a wolf who could do Perfect Transformation, a spell difficult for even powerful mages, and then hide his origin from Templars even while living among them, studying magic, and becoming confidant and lover to the Grand Templar (or someone who would later become Grand Templar). So, also a powerful mage.

If magical ability is even vaguely hereditary, then Raine really ought to have a lot of potential.

(Unfortunately, her training is approximately nonexistent. Mom should be scolded for that.)

[MuonNeutrino]

I agree, Raine's definitely simply an unforeseen opportunity to Carver, but I don't know if that heralds a better, or worse fate should Carver prevail, with Clovis being interested in her power rather than her looks. I mean, lab rat or concubine isn't a great set of choices.

I don't think Clovis would necessarily restrict himself to *just* one or the other of those.

Don't forget how the slave collars work. The comic has barely touched on how horrible those things are, but they're basically nothing short of forced brainwashing. They'd certainly be quite effective for controlling slaves, as it doesn't seem that a slave wearing one can even *want* to escape, but they pretty much destroy selfhood. In a twisted sort of way someone wearing one of those kinda *almost* isn't even a person anymore, in the sense of being an independent sapient being, given that they don't really have free will or are in control of their own mind anymore.

I think Clovis would thoroughly enjoy taking strong females like Raine or Natani and reducing them to nothing more than brainwashed slaves using things like those control spells. It'd be exactly the sort of thing he'd get a kick out of; from what we've seen if he did get collars on them they really would do whatever he wanted, so it'd be breaking them into exactly what he *wants* all women to be - weak, submissive, subservient. And especially if he does have his original body back now, I could totally see him taking advantage of them (or having them taken advantage of by others, or both) in a more personal sense in addition to whatever mundane or arcane utility he could get out of them. With the collars he could get away with making more extensive use of them as slaves like that; after all, it's not like he'd have to worry about keeping them locked up in a dungeon somewhere to prevent them from trying to escape.

[AegisWolf]

I agree, Raine's definitely simply an unforeseen opportunity to Carver, but I don't know if that heralds a better, or worse fate should Carver prevail, with Clovis being interested in her power rather than her looks. I mean, lab rat or concubine isn't a great set of choices.

I don't think Clovis would necessarily restrict himself to *just* one or the other of those.

Don't forget how the slave collars work. The comic has barely touched on how horrible those things are, but they're basically nothing short of forced brainwashing. They'd certainly be quite effective for controlling slaves, as it doesn't seem that a slave wearing one can even *want* to escape, but they pretty much destroy selfhood. In a twisted sort of way someone wearing one of those kinda *almost* isn't even a person anymore, in the sense of being an independent sapient being, given that they don't really have free will or are in control of their own mind anymore.

I think Clovis would thoroughly enjoy taking strong females like Raine or Natani and reducing them to nothing more than brainwashed slaves using things like those control spells. It'd be exactly the sort of thing he'd get a kick out of; from what we've seen if he did get collars on them they really would do whatever he wanted, so it'd be breaking them into exactly what he *wants* all women to be - weak, submissive, subservient. And especially if he does have his original body back now, I could totally see him taking advantage of them (or having them taken advantage of by others, or both) in a more personal sense in addition to whatever mundane or arcane utility he could get out of them. With the collars he could get away with making more extensive use of them as slaves like that; after all, it's not like he'd have to worry about keeping them locked up in a dungeon somewhere to prevent them from trying to escape.

Clovis could get up to some extreme nastiness with the collars. Bugger probably wouldn't even leave it on permamently, simply so his victim would realize what he'd forced them to do, or had done to them.

Removing the magic suppressor from Zen would restore the link, and Clovis could probably blackmail/torture Natani indirectly through it, maybe even going so far as to use him to spy on group A, especially now that they're aware of him, though Reni might be the antidote for that. Raine might even bear some of Clovis's ire, being captured alongside Zen, though Clovis might figure out there's not a whole lot of love lost there. Like as not, he'd simply use her as a slave-weapon. Thanks to Nora, he's in less of a position to take advantage of her otherwise, and I don't think he'd appreciate attempting to do so vicariously, as that, too, would serve to emphasize what he's lost.

Assuming Clovis hasn't somehow regained his original body. Whence does that possibility arise? I'd think the Templar would be hard-pressed to overturn Nora's magic, especially Trace-less as they are. If Clovis has his body back, Raine could really be in a bad situation. I don't think Tom's this dark, but if Carver turns Nibbly into so much pink mist and spare fuzz in the next comic, I will have been proven wrong.

We're rooting for you, you little diresquirrel, their lives are in your capable paws. May your claws and teeth strike swift and true!

[ZeroJinKui]

nibbly to the rescue, yay!

now claw his eyes out!

Assuming Clovis hasn't somehow regained his original body. From whence does that possibility arise?

ehh, i have to say something... it's just "whence".

people do this too often... saying "from whence" is redundant, because "whence" by itself means "from where".

it's like saying "ATM machine", or "RPG game".

sorry, just had to point that out.

[Zobot]

All in favor of formally recognising Sythe as a DnD ranger and Nibs as his animal companion?

Aye!

[NuclearBird]

All in favor of formally recognising Sythe as a DnD ranger and Nibs as his animal companion?

Aye!

Aye!

[MuonNeutrino]

Removing the magic suppressor from Zen would restore the link, and Clovis could probably blackmail/torture Natani indirectly through it, maybe even going so far as to use him to spy on group A, especially now that they're aware of him, though Reni might be the antidote for that. Raine might even bear some of Clovis's ire, being captured alongside Zen, though Clovis might figure out there's not a whole lot of love lost there. Like as not, he'd simply use her as a slave-weapon. Thanks to Nora, he's in less of a position to take advantage of her otherwise, and I don't think he'd appreciate attempting to do so vicariously, as that, too, would serve to emphasize what he's lost.

Assuming Clovis hasn't somehow regained his original body. Whence does that possibility arise? I'd think the Templar would be hard-pressed to overturn Nora's magic, especially Trace-less as they are. If Clovis has his body back, Raine could really be in a bad situation. I don't think Tom's this dark, but if Carver turns Nibbly into so much pink mist and spare fuzz in the next comic, I will have been proven wrong.

Well, as far as we know Clovis doesn't have any particular reason for *personal* animosity against Raine, so if he is still under the effects of Nora's transformation then I could indeed see him just wanting to enslave her for her magic. Of course he wouldn't shed a tear at the thought of her being taken advantage of, but he strikes me as the possessive type, so I doubt he'd want anyone else playing with his toys. Natani, though... in *that* case I think Clovis would have someone else do the job, if he's still incapable. It wouldn't be about his own pleasure, in that case - it would be about revenge, about inflicting pain and anguish on those he hates and blames for his misfortunes, because he knows that that would be *exactly* the worst possible torture for Natani (and indirectly, Zen). He'd probably still wish he could do it himself, but it'd be a decidedly secondary concern.

As for the notion that Clovis might have regained his original body, it basically comes from here. It's *complete* speculation, of course, but what might that amulet be, that contains some sort of magic that required weeks of effort from a team of the templar's best mages, and that Clovis was willing to go to such effort to obtain? It doesn't seem to me to be much of a stretch to postulate that it's enchanted to reverse his transformation. If *anyone* would be able to weave magic that could counter Nora's spell it'd be the templar, and weeks of effort from a team of top mages sounds about right for humans trying to undo the handiwork of a dragon. And it would certainly explain why Clovis would be eager to get his hands on it. Of course, it's entirely possible that Tom is throwing out a red herring and the amulet is actually something else entirely, but it seems a not implausible speculation to me.

[Shockwave07]

All in favor of formally recognising Sythe as a DnD ranger and Nibs as his animal companion?

Aye!

Aye!

Aye! And in that line... Go for the eyes Boo! ...Wait wrong fuzzy animal...

[jacobc62]

All in favor of formally recognising Sythe as a DnD ranger and Nibs as his animal companion?

Aye!

I'd say more Pathfinder instead of D&D

[AmigaDragon]

Inb4 deus ex Raine teleport.

Not quite, she explained earlier that without the shackles keeping her in human form, she has the same limitation Keidran have when it comes to magic, i.e she needs crystals.
Though with Nibbly running distraction, now might be a good time to try to get them back on.

...so, she's less magical without the magic suppressor?

Yeah, sounds about right.

The suppressor (since Sythe's fishing attempt, I've only noticed one) reduces her access to magic, preventing the uncontrolled transformation to keidran, while becoming keidran totally blocks her access to personal mana, requiring her to use mana stones to do magic (beyond changing back to human anyway). I'm wondering now, with more time to study and experiment, could someone design a suppressor that only suppresses her transformation? I have a feeling this won't happen because of other events getting in the way. With practice she may gain some measure of control before that.

As for the notion that Clovis might have regained his original body, it basically comes from here. It's *complete* speculation, of course, but what might that amulet be, that contains some sort of magic that required weeks of effort from a team of the templar's best mages, and that Clovis was willing to go to such effort to obtain? It doesn't seem to me to be much of a stretch to postulate that it's enchanted to reverse his transformation. If *anyone* would be able to weave magic that could counter Nora's spell it'd be the templar, and weeks of effort from a team of top mages sounds about right for humans trying to undo the handiwork of a dragon. And it would certainly explain why Clovis would be eager to get his hands on it. Of course, it's entirely possible that Tom is throwing out a red herring and the amulet is actually something else entirely, but it seems a not implausible speculation to me.

I don't think the amulet is something that specific. Going back to TDM, it may just be a flawless mana crystal, able to be recharged countless times without shattering. BTW, is there any difference between different color mana crystals beyond their color? So far we've seen blue and red mana crystals, how many colors do they come in?

[MuonNeutrino]

As for the notion that Clovis might have regained his original body, it basically comes from here. It's *complete* speculation, of course, but what might that amulet be, that contains some sort of magic that required weeks of effort from a team of the templar's best mages, and that Clovis was willing to go to such effort to obtain? It doesn't seem to me to be much of a stretch to postulate that it's enchanted to reverse his transformation. If *anyone* would be able to weave magic that could counter Nora's spell it'd be the templar, and weeks of effort from a team of top mages sounds about right for humans trying to undo the handiwork of a dragon. And it would certainly explain why Clovis would be eager to get his hands on it. Of course, it's entirely possible that Tom is throwing out a red herring and the amulet is actually something else entirely, but it seems a not implausible speculation to me.

I don't think the amulet is something that specific. Going back to TDM, it may just be a flawless mana crystal, able to be recharged countless times without shattering. BTW, is there any difference between different color mana crystals beyond their color? So far we've seen blue and red mana crystals, how many colors do they come in?

I don't think the amulet is generic. In that comic, Braun describes it as a "flawless crystal amulet, enchanted exactly as you asked". In other words, it's not *only* a flawless mana crystal, but one enchanted with some particular complex magic specifically requested by Clovis. There'd be no need to add that extra clause if it were *just* a 'regular' flawless crystal. It does *something* in particular, we just don't know what.

[Darekun]

BTW, is there any difference between different color mana crystals beyond their color? So far we've seen blue and red mana crystals, how many colors do they come in?

Based all the way back on strip 301(25 of Sep of 2006), my guess is it determines what types of magic they can power, or can power safely. Natani's question "Do they contain pure mana?" seems odd offhand; under what circumstances would the vendor answer "no"? But, if magic were divided into types, like D&D's schools, then "pure" may indicate mana that can power any magic. Crystals this color hold mana only for warding, crystals that color hold mana only for divination, but these other crystals can hold pure mana.