Level 12: #5
Chapter: Level 12 — Post-Mortem
Rusty & Co.
Monstrous Misadventures! Updated every Wednesday at noon, EST.
Follow Rusty & Co.!
BOOKMARK
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
Click "Tag Page" to bookmark a page. When you return to the site, click "Goto Tag" to continue where you left off.
I just noticed that Oozanka is not yet listed on the Cast Page.
I think this is another instance of vile discrimination against oozes. It is not as bad, though, as calling politicians “slime” – which is clearly perpetuating outdated, derogatory views of slime, who, in reality, would never stoop to the depths of immorality that is normal in politics.
There’s usually a lag for humanoids and even humans, too.
Well, she is…
(subtle pause with side glance)
… ‘Supporting Cast’.
YEEEEAAAAHHHH!!!!!
You know what they say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
…That said, I think putting the Duke in traction would be safer in this case.
Given what a coward he is, injuring him ahead of time takes away leverage that could be used to interrogate him. Promising not to hurt him if he complies and honoring that promise will at least encourage him to continue complying in the future.
Ever play a beat ’em up where you fight a pair of female mooks that use the same sprite but colored differently? Or conversely, a two-player game where the player 1 and 2 characters look almost the same save for differently-colored clothing? This looks sorta like that.
I will never forget how much cooler Mortal Kombat 2 was when Kitana was in silver instead of blue, and Mileena in bright red rather than hot pink. Aside from Raiden, the male characters’ palate swaps were generally unremarkable, but those two ladies were amazing in mirror matches.
Hmmm — admit that she was an imposter all along, or feign that this was something they just tried? Did Roxy and the Princess get their stories straight before the Duke showed, or do we have to hope that Roxy can quickly follow the Princess’s lead?
Come to think of it, his comment about a bard is probably his little way of revealing that he’s penetrated the ruse all the way to her identity.
and it looks like he just failed his perception check to notice the princess
The “Rule of Funny” imposes a severe adjustment on the roll.
Back in level 9, Derek explains that they think their enemies know, and that’s why they haven’t tried assassinating the fake princess:
https://rustyandco.com/comic/level-9-2/
And this strip and the next from level 11 seem to indicate Malevolous knows about the situation, and they know he knows:
https://rustyandco.com/comic/level-11-46/
On the alt-text, the Viscount is a role model about the same way Frostmourne is a paladin sword….
From an Evil point of view, the Viscount is one of the most successful individuals in their world, not only managing to hold a respectable title of nobility and presumably enjoying all the privilege, wealth, and luxury that comes with it but also operating a clandestine agenda without thus far being exposed or impeded. Most Evil inhabitants of Rusty World would quite literally kill to have the Viscount’s position and merits as a scheming yet suave artistocrat.
Well, to be fair, most of the evil inhabitants of Rusty World would literally kill for almost any reason.
Just sayin’
So, how much is our least favorite blackguard going to insult the Princess while unaware she’s right behind him getting angrier and angrier?????? Then he feels a small hand grab his shoulder guard and CRUSH it. “She’s right behind me, isn’t she?”
Come now, this comic has long matured past such on-the-nose developments. I imagine something more like real!Princess interrupting Malevolus during one of his smarmy lines, only for Mal to say with oblivious bliss “Hello, Princess” and then continue his smarming, only to then realize he just spoke to a second Princess. He might then nervously assume it’s another decoy, only to be proven wrong in the most painful, humiliating, and/or entertaining way possible.
After all, though he may have offered the fungicide, the real Princess knows he previously attempted regicide. That’s going to earn him some major dungeon time at the very least. And given what’s going on, most likely some interrogation involving individuals whose names rhyme with “Trusty”, “Gimmick”, and “Tube”.
get Dorilys to ZOT him
“That’s going to earn him some major dungeon time at the very least.”
I doubt it. While Princess doesn’t strike me as the sharpest light bulb in the crayon box, she is highly pragmatic. It wouldn’t take much for one of the super smarty types to explain to her that the enemy you know is best kept close and under observation, and how the utility of feeding him false info is better than removing him from the board.
Besides, Malevolus knows he cannot beat her, even in an unfair fight fight where she’s already been injured and is tired, so they know he won’t move on her directly.
Some have it, some don’t.
Y.T. is still listed as an enemy, and Tarta Moon-Shiner is still listed as an ally. I think it’s safe to say that the list isn’t exactly current.
Everyone is listed as they first appeared, to avoid spoilers for new readers.
Off topic but the Monster Guide led me to look up derro on the Forgotten Realms Wiki and
“The derro were a strange and sadistic race. While clever and stealthy, they were also murderously insane. It was very common for derro to devote themselves to some strange quest, such as collecting only certain types of gemstones or slaying as many members of a particular race as possible. Some derro were assigned specific missions by powerful derro savants, with the possibility that they might even join a company of comrades to fulfill some irrational goal.”
So they’re World of Warcraft PCs?
Heh. They predated WoW by over twenty years, but otherwise…. yeah, basically. And with how they react to direct sunlight, they’re also WoW players…
Boy, is he in for a surprise…