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in: Comics, Uses Harm, Uses Halfling Rage Jumping Attack, Battle of Odin's Hall

Better Days

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Durkon shows the vampire what it means to have all his memories while Belkar launches a counterattack.

Cast[]

Transcript[]

[Transcriber's note: the strip alternates between panels occurring inside Durkon's head with dialog between Durkon and "Durkon", and panels occurring in the church of Odin's banquet hall, with dialog by the other vampires, Mr. Scruffy, and Belkar.]

Panel 1, Page 1

"Durkon": This... I don't...understand. This doesn't make sense!
Durkon: ...
"Durkon": Don't give me the silent treatment! The battle is over, your side lost, now explain this!

Panel 2, Page 1

Vampire with Long Hair: Hello? Boss? You in there?
Vampire Dwarf with Blue Curly Hair: What's going on?

Panel 3, Page 1

Mr Scruffy is on top of Belkar, pawing at him softly.
Vampire with Long Hair: Dunno. Maybe he's meditating or something?
Mr. Scruffy: mrrrrew.
Vampire with Long Hair: I'm just glad he didn't space out like this during the fight.

Panel 4, Page 1

Durkon: Thar's na much ta explain. Ye told me b'fore tha ye are who ye are on tha worst day o' yer life.
Durkon: An' tha's true. Tha's 100% true. But ye know who else ye are?
Durkon: Ye are who ye are on tha next day.

Panel 5, Page 1

Mr Scruffy brushes Belkar's Protection from Evil.
Mr. Scruffy: mrrrrrrrrrrrew.

Panel 6, Page 1

Durkon: Tha day ye wake up an' haf ta decide: are ye gonna make this tha new worst day o' yer life, or na?
Durkon: An' ye are who ye are tha day after tha, which can also be yer new worst...or na.

Panel 7, Page 1

Belkar's Protection from Evil erupts, jolting Belkar awake.
Mr. Scruffy: rrawr?!?

Panel 8, Page 1

Durkon: Ye are who ye are on all o' yer days. All o' em. Includin' tha worst an' tha best.
Durkon: Ev'ry single one counts. All the way ta tha end.

Panel 9, Page 1

Belkar rises, stake in one hand, reaching for his dagger with the other. His face is a rictus of fury.
Mr. Scruffy: meoww! meoww! meoww!

Panel 10, Page 1

Vampire with Long Hair: Look, I get it—babies are cute. But you really gotta focus here, Boss.

Panel 11, Page 1

Belkar leaps on to the back of the Vampire with Long Hair, driving his dagger into her.
Belkar: RAAAARRRRGH!!!!
Vampire with Long Hair: Ahhhhhh!

Panel 1, Page 2

Durkon: An' when ye haf a new worst day, ye can get stuck thar, lookin' back on it and worryin'.
Durkon: An' tha's normal.
Durkon: But sooner or later, ye gotta take all tha pain an' do sumthin' wit it. Try ta make sumthin' better outta it.

Panel 2, Page 2

Belkar jams his dagger into the vampire's throat.
Vampire with Long Hair: Har—
Vampire with Long Hair: *lllrgh!*

Panel 3, Page 2

Belkar decapitates the vampire from behind, "KRYLLTCH!"

Panel 4, Page 2

"Durkon": What does this have to do with—
Durkon: My mother turned tha worst thing tha could ev'r happen ta anyone inta tha best thing tha could happen ta anyone.
Durkon: Ta five anyones.

Panel 5, Page 2

Durkon: An' I turned tha worst thing ta happen ta me inta savin' tha world from people like ye.

Panel 6, Page 2

Belkar furiously points his dagger at "Durkon" while the Vampire Dwarf with Curly Hair flees the hall.
Belkar: You.
Belkar: YOU!

Panel 7, Page 2

"Durkon": But why... why do I feel this way? On the inside? Like I'm... twisting up?
"Durkon": Why do I feel anything at all?? I don't unnerstand!

Panel 8, Page 2

Durkon: Ye cannae help it.
Durkon: Ye were still made to fit inta me heart, an' this moment is wha me heart is built around.
Durkon: Yer feelin' tha rawest, most dificult feelin' I ev'r had ta face.

Panel 9, Page 2

Belkar springs at Durkon
Belkar: How dare you make me think about things, Durkon!

Panel 10, Page 2

Durkon: Only tha thing is, I ain't ne'er showed ye all tha time it took me ta learn how ta process sumthin' like tha.
Durkon: Yer gettin' all o' tha emotions, but wit none o' tha experience dealin' wit 'em.
Durkon: Exactly wha our Ma were afraid would happen if'n we learned tha story too young.

Panel 11, Page 2

Belkar plunges his dagger futilely into the Anti-Life Shell.
Belkar: How could you not think about how your selflessness would affect ME?!?

Panel 12, Page 2

Durkon: But...I still haf all those memories. Mebbe ye want 'em now?
Durkon: Do ye want tha memories tha'll help how yer feelin'?
"Durkon": ...Yes...

Panel 1, Page 3

Durkon: TAKE 'EM ALL!
Durkon: B'cause it took me whole life ta unnerstand tha moment—an' I still have mixed feelin's aboot it some days!
 Durkon: So take ev'ry mometn o' happiness! Ev'ry moment o' peace an' belongin' an' contentment!
Durkon: Ev'ry moment spent wit family who loved me, a family who wouldnae ev'n exist witout her pain!
Durkon projects a web of memories the various scenes depict his life with his family. Clockwise from the top left:
Young Durkon exits the temple of Thor with Hoskin while Sigdi speaks with the Priestess of Thor who raised her friends. She is older now.
Durkon presides over Hoskin's wedding as he promised he would.
Young Durkon and Sigdi sit by a fire.
Durkon trains in combat against a tree under the tutelage of Kandro.
Sigdi reads a bedtime story to young Durkon.
Young Durkon and Logann have a snowball fight with Thirden.
Durkon is with Logann's father and sister.
Shirra, Hoskin, and Kandro stand around Sigdi's bed. Sigdi holds an infant Durkon.
Durkon learns mining from Hoskin.
Young Durkon walks above ground with Kandro, who holds an axe.
Logann's mother teaches Logann and young Durkon to read.
Hoskin shows baby Durkon and Sigdi a gold nugget.
Hoskin reprimands young Durkon.
Young Durkon and Logann swim in an underground grotto
Sigdi holds a newborn Durkon while Shirra and Hoskin stand by her bed.
Young Durkon rides piggyback on Kandro above ground.
Durkon stands with Janna.
Baby Durkon is with Kandro.
Durkon and Logann are drunk together with several mugs in front of them.
Young Durkon looks at the stars with Shirra, Shirra's husband, and a cleric of Thor.
Shirra's twins ride piggyback on Durkon.
Young Durkon eats a meal with Sigdi and Kandro.
Logann's mother holds baby Durkon who cries while Sigdi kisses him.
Young Durkon and Thirden get ice cream.
Young Durkon is with Logann and Logann's mother.
Thirden covers his ears while Durkon attempts to play a saxophone.
Shirra and baby Durkon play with a ball.
Kandro's dog climbs on Durkon while Kandro laughs.
Durkon and Sigdi walk together.
The remaining memories are too small to make out or are obscured by Durkon or his restraints.
"Durkon" is overwhelmed by the onslaught of memories.

Panel 2, Page 3

Durkon: But be careful.
Durkon: B'cause ye know wha ye are if'n ye haf me body an' all me joys an' sorrows?

Panel 3, Page 3

Durkon and "Durkon" (together): Yer me.

D&D Context[]

  • Mr. Scruffy activated Belkar's cloak clasp which he bought in Tinkertown and has a Protection from Evil power. This cancels the vampire's domination ability.
  • Belkar was unconscious from taking nonlethal damage from Roy. It's not clear how, in game terms, he was able to heal some of that damage and regain consciousness. One possibility is that when freed of the domination, his barbarian rage ability kicked in and granted him enough hit points to regain consciousness.
  • Ponchula was apparently trying to cast Harm, the 6th level negative energy attack spell, which would have dealt a minimum of 110 hit points of damage, had Belkar not disrupted the spell with his attack.
  • Durkon's memories in page 3, panel 1 are presented within a web-like framework. The 1984 AD&D (1st edition) module When a Star Falls featured a unique monster called a memory web, which fed on the memories of its victims, and released them all at once when killed. This panel might be an homage to that classic module.
  • Rich Burlew opined on his forums that the case of a vampire's host spirit overcoming the vampire through selective use of his memories is an exceedingly rare event, that maybe has happened to one or two vampires before in history. In his post he put it in D&D game terms, "Durkon is a high-Wisdom, high-Will-save character who possesses an unimpeachable Lawful Good alignment. That makes him unique. He may, in fact, be literally the single strongest willpower character who has ever been vampirized, ever."

Trivia[]

  • "Durkon"'s second to last word before turning into Durkon was "unnerstand". This may be a typo, or "Durkon" using Durkon's accent because he is turning into him.
  • This is the final appearance of The Creed of the Stone Vampire with Long Hair (aka "Ponchula"), first appearing in #1017. She appeared in twenty-three strips. Her host accepted her vampire spirit and they planned to do messy evil things together.
  • This is the final appearance of the Priestess of Thor who raised the five miners from the dead. She first appeared in #1128, "Raising a Family".
  • This is the latest appearance of Durkon's Aunt, mother to Logann, and close friend and "aunt" to Durkon. She first appeared in #958. Alone among those raised from the dead with Sigdi's treasure, she has not been named in the comic.

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