03/13/09 [DMFA #980] - K'Pow!

[Corgatha Taldorthar]

Kind of interesting that when Dan was knocked off his feet his tentacles reverted to their ordinary wing form. It seems to imply that some sort fo concentration is necessary for a 'Cubi to maintain a shapeshift, and that it doesn't hold until they decide to shift to something else.

[joshofspam]

Ding Ding Ding Ding KNOCK OUT.

So does this mean Dan is going to just let her lay on the ground while turning his attention to DP or is he going to finish her?

You know Regina is quite the child. Here she was running terrified of Dan and when she revives DP she leaves herself open by standing by his side instead of standing behind him. Maybe if she survives this she'll be more observant of people she has to get help with. If she survives that is.  BWAHAHAHA

[Starcat5]

Boom! Headshot! 

[FreeFull]

The fact that shapeshifting requires concentration already known from when Abel told Dan how to conceal his headwings. The basic function of wing tentacles is subconscious but anything more requires conscious control.
Regina is not a full-fledged demon yet, Dan certainly is a full-fledged adventurer.
I bet the next comic will consist of Dan and Regina fighting while Kria, Lorenda and Aliph are watching. Then Aliph will ask why Dan is fighting Regina and not him, and Kria will say "Damned if I know."

[Mao]

Regina is not a full-fledged demon yet, Dan certainly is a full-fledged adventurer.

I'm curious.. where does the concept of full-fledged come from?  I was sure it was a race thing and there's no mention of them growing into powers or anything like that.

[ishidan]

Heh.  That's not a mid-dialogue strike.  DP finished his sentence.
No, this was brilliant.  DP was expecting the strike to be at HIM (strike at MY home), and Regina thought she was well protected by being behind DP (crossarmed smirking in center panel).

But Dan never was aiming for DP.  He might remember the Hannah scene in a second...but for now, his wrath is for Regina.  So DP was surprised to see the punch intentionally miss him (and possibly impressed by its speed and power), and Regina was surprised to get sucker punched right out from behind her protector.

[joshofspam]

Regina is not a full-fledged demon yet, Dan certainly is a full-fledged adventurer.

I'm curious.. where does the concept of full-fledged come from?  I was sure it was a race thing and there's no mention of them growing into powers or anything like that.

True enough. But it isn't specific that they have all their powers either.

Most demons have lightning fast reflexes and the ability to turn their skin razor sharp and diamond hard. Kind of sounds like not all demons are as pumped up as DP and Kria.

Because of that I wonder if the demons that aren't included in the most category are the the children or an especially weak demon.

One way I interpreted this, was a demon starts out with the ability to first harden the teeth and claws and as they get older their capable of hardening the rest of their bodies. Thus making the children the ones that are out of the majority.    

[Tapewolf]

I'm curious.. where does the concept of full-fledged come from?  I was sure it was a race thing and there's no mention of them growing into powers or anything like that.

Lorenda got her wings late.  This seems to be not uncommon, from the reaction of the shop steward.  I'm sure Amber made a post about some kind of hybrid suddenly switching to a full demon when they came of age, but I cannot find it at the moment.

[Terrion]

Aliph, while possibly still recovering from his recent resurection, is primed and ready to fight, even though he probably didn't know ahead of time exactly who he was going to be fighting other than a brief description (if any) ala Regina-vision. What he wasn't expecting was for the fight to not involve him.

I fully expect him to remain shocked and/or bemused once he recognizes Dan and realizes that he's apparently not the main target for once.

Aliph: "So... Am I to assume that you aren't actually here to prevent my resurection, Daniel Ti'Fiona?"

Dan: "That. Can. Wait!" The gratuitous pummeling of Regina continues...

Aliph: "Oh my... Kria? Lorenda? Would either of you know what's going on?"

Kria: "Not a clue, brother dear, but it does seem rather... interesting..." leers at Dan's back as he lays into her niece.

Lorenda: "Mooooooom!"


* * *

In any event, Dan's recently activated cubi heratage is almost irrelivent to the fact that he's a former professional adventurer who has come out of retirement. He actually lacks two of the main weaknesses that are the downfall of many cubi: the arrogant belief in their own superiority and their usual lack of actual combat skills. Dan knew how to fight demons, diamond hard skin or otherwise, before his powers grew in! Also, while Dan isn't the best strategic thinker around (although he's hardly bad at it), he is very much a tactical fighter.

Case in Point: Regina may or may not have diamond hard skin at the moment. Edged and piercing attacks might not have much of an effect, but a tough hide doesn't actually provide much protection from a blunt trauma concussion. Sure, Dan has a tough head, but he's had both experiance and training (advertant or otherwise) in dealing with such. Regina hasn't.

It's doubtful, even now, that Dan is actually unarmed (wing tendrils aside). Considering that his sister, Alexsi, can summon her hammer, Dan may actually have a sword set up in the same manner. And even not, he's probably quite handy with improvised weapons. In any event, the wing tendrils are just a part of his potential arsenal, not the whole of it.

In any event, going for the knockout of the lesser (but emotionally higher priority) target is tactically sound. If Aliph stays out of it, the beeting will continue until something else interupts it (or Regina dies). If Aliph attacks, then Dan doesn't have an unpredictable amature to worry about for at least a few moments, and he can afford to focus on the greater actual threat.

Also, Regina most likely resurected her uncle under less than prime conditions (Kria would have already have raised him if all the conditions where optimal). This could lead to any number of complications. His change in voice may even be a symptom of such...

* * *

And yes, that is quite a reach Dan has with his tendrals! I'd say at least twenty fet or so... 

Regina is not a full-fledged demon yet, Dan certainly is a full-fledged adventurer.

I'm curious.. where does the concept of full-fledged come from?  I was sure it was a race thing and there's no mention of them growing into powers or anything like that.

Full fledged ADVENTURER, not full fledged cubi. Dan has experience combating demons from before his cubi heritage activated. As I stated above, at the moment, his cubi powers are practically irrelivant to either him or Aliph. They aeren't what makes him dangerous - his training and experience are what makes him dangerous! Remember, Dan retired from a proffesion in which most practitioners never reach retirement age, which means that he was a very successful (and therefore very skilled) adventurer. And an adventueres job is to combat creatures, demons included.

Regina isn't a full fledged anything, yet. In fact, at the moment, she's probably not even fully conscious... 

Race doesn't actually come into it at this point between those two.

[DarkAudit]

Well said. Another option is that Dan may not even notice DP is *there* until Aliph stops Dan in mid-pummel with an "A-HEM. Remember me? The guy you're here to vanquish?"

Worst case scenario is he ticks off everyone and is faced with a 4-on-one fight. 

[FreeFull]

Worst case scenario is that the world explodes and everybody but Fae and mows die.
On a more serious note, I can't think of a reason why Kria and Lorenda would attack Dan.

[ChaoSynergy]

Multiple resurrections causing one to lose part of themself/bring something back from beyond the grave?

Why does this sound so familiar...


(http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Ruby for the uninformed)

[Seth C Triggs]

I thoroughly enjoy Regina getting owned like that. She's a jerk.

That's all.

-Seth

[Ted Schiller]

This week is going to eat my face.

Evidently, Mrs. Williams personally posed for Regina's part of this strip.

With regards,
Ted

[Nerikull]

Muahahh! Regina gets owned, Aliph is a rather buff demon...and did anyone notice that Regina is wearing an ANGRY AMBER T-shirt?

[Michael Chandra]

did anyone notice that Regina is wearing an ANGRY AMBER T-shirt?

Amber's a redhead with big animal ears and fur now? Why didn't anyone tell me?!

[MT Hazard]

I'm guessing the ritual was fairly simple (or nearly finished) Maybe it's just a giant red button marked 'Resurrect Reoccurring Villain - Warning! Pressing this may leading to drama and monologuing'

[Draken]

Amber's a redhead with big animal ears and fur now? Why didn't anyone tell me?!

It was in the memo.  Or the meme.  I forget which.  Either way, it musta missed you.


So, Aliph is up and going, the fusion theory is nixed, Regina gets her tail whupped in 3 panels flat, DP looks like he got dissed (hey, he WASN'T hit like he was expecting afterall), and a lot of forum mass guessing ensues.  

$5 on Dan ignoring DP for a while!

[Atharyn]

Just a few things to consider..

1: The source of Dan's power, as defined by Dr. Ink-
http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_528.php

2: What happened the last time Dan and Dark Pegasus fought-
http://www.missmab.com/Comics/Vol_157.php

3: We have also been told that Cubi who generate "heads" on their wings belong to more powerful clans..
(Sorry, can't find the appropriate link.)

4: So far, every time Dark Pegasus and Dan have met, Dan has been a regular mortal.  He's never shown any signs of being a Cubi.

5: We've been told that Cubi normally have to feed off others.  Under specific circumstances, though, they can generate their own power.  (Reference - point 1.)

Considering that Dark Pegasus knows points two and three.  Point four probably comes as a bit of a shock to the demon lord, but what can you do?  I've got two predictions for this.  First, Dark Pegasus is at least going to consider getting the hell out of the area until he learns what is going on.  Second, Dan's power is going to be "surging" until the fight resolves - as long as he is fighting Dark Pegasus and / or Regina he will be generating his own power at fairly high levels.

This is going to be a fun fight to read!

[kazzellin]

If demons can harden their skin to diamond toughness, it's no wonder they can be killed with relative ease!

*sigh* Before we go further with this "diamond toughness" thought, I'd like to clarify something, if I may?

Diamonds are hard. They are *not* tough. If you want a tough stone, then you're looking for jade.

When a diamond is in it's raw form, it's an octahedron - basically, a d8. To get the typical round, sparkly form, that d8 is turned into 2 d4s. Typically, with a chisel-shaped tool, a vise (to hold the stone) and a mallet. Yes, they're hard, you can scratch glass with them, and in powder form are used for coating on a lot of industrial cutting tools - but the very existence of said powder form proves my point. A diamond has four-way perfect cleavage. This basically means there are four directions from which you can hit a diamond and have it either cleave in half, or shatter. It also means that if you're not careful when faceting said d4 shapes, you can hit just the right angle to chip or shatter the stone instead of add a facet - which means it either gets trashed/used for industrial stuff, or you try to make a smaller stone out of the larger one, though the value will drop like a rock. This is one of the reasons why diamonds are so fardling expensive, and why you can go from having a lovely, eye-perfect diamond ring to having a huge chip in your stone just by hitting your hand on something. Happens a lot in car accidents, actually.

Jade, on the other paw, isn't very hard - those cool Chinese carvings many museums have are proof of this. And for a sample of their toughness, how often do you suppose those rather intricately detailed pieces have been dropped? (Please note that I am by no means suggesting you try dropping your jade pieces and seeing what happens, though.)

Granted, Dan slicing DP across the midriff in their last encounter would follow that "perfect cleavage" thing. Except he wasn't cut in two, just gutted. Oh well. *shrug*

That being said, I am very much in agreement over the method Dan used to wipe that smug grin off Regina's face.

[MT Hazard]

3: We have also been told that Cubi who generate "heads" on their wings belong to more powerful clans..
(Sorry, can't find the appropriate link.)

"Quirks/Fun Facts: Dan's new wing tentacles have draconic heads. While unknown to Dan, this is actually a clan trait and if Dan had paid any attention, he would discover that he is from a rather high and powerful clan."

Source:http://www.missmab.com/Cast/dan.php

Is this what you are thinking of?

[Atharyn]

Exactly.  Thanks!

[Raskahn]

Sure, DP may be "Less himself" every time he's resurrected.
But, he's gaining looks. evil looks that compell you to keep watching...

[Tipod]

I know it's been said like half a dozen times but I love how self-satisfied Reg looks until she gets smacked

[Redeyessoul]

A lot of curious plans in the works.  Mab wanting Jerras to finish whatever he's doing in his lab.

A common theme of interest in the continuation of the species and the acquiring of awesome power.  i think all will have something to do with the nature of purity, quantity, and power of the soul of whatever creature we happen to be talking about.


EDIT: K-Pow Take that you prissy little teenager of a demon

[Hellcat]

Anyone think this may be a plot by destania to turn her son in to a cold creature like her and she was just faking being nice?

[Shadowcatcher]

Anyone think this may be a plot by destania to turn her son in to a cold creature like her and she was just faking being nice?

I guess it's possible, but I don't think it's likely.   Remember she said that her old life ended "by these little hands". 

[Cvstos]

Anyone think this may be a plot by destania to turn her son in to a cold creature like her and she was just faking being nice?

That would be quite the Xanatos Gambit - there's very little certainty of just sending him there accomplishing that considering he is an adventurer and has slain DP before and he's not that cold already.

[inuhanyo]

Amber's a redhead with big animal ears and fur now? Why didn't anyone tell me?!

It was in the memo.  Or the meme.  I forget which.  Either way, it musta missed you.


So, Aliph is up and going, the fusion theory is nixed, Regina gets her tail whupped in 3 panels flat, DP looks like he got dissed (hey, he WASN'T hit like he was expecting afterall), and a lot of forum mass guessing ensues. 

$5 on Dan ignoring DP for a while!

I'm tempted to take that bet.   I think Dan swatted Regina to keep her from getting away or interfering in his confrontation with DP.   Six years ago, it might have been an even fight between Dan and Regina, but Dan has taken levels in Adventurer since then, and started developing Cubi powers.  Regina, however, doesn't seem to have grown much.  She's not a serious threat to him (to others, yes).  Aliph, on the other hand, is dangerous and must be dealt with first.  Then he can come back to Regina.

Like I said on the previous strip's thread, Dan vs DP is professional.  I expect a little bit of dialog before they start their next death match.  So we'll have a chance to see what it is DP doesn't know.

As Tapewolf pointed out, DP probably has reason to believe he killed Dan last time. And Regina hasn't used Dan's name even in her thoughts, so it's very unlikely she used it in briefing DP.  So when DP hears Dan, or gets close enough to recognize him, we should her a line like "Ti'Fiona?!  I thought I killed you!"

[inuhanyo]

Anyone think this may be a plot by destania to turn her son in to a cold creature like her and she was just faking being nice?

That would be quite the Xanatos Gambit - there's very little certainty of just sending him there accomplishing that considering he is an adventurer and has slain DP before and he's not that cold already.

Yeah, Dan's job as adventurer involved, on occasion, killing Creatures.  Yes, he's a nice guy.  Who is a principled killer.  A warrior.  An adventurer.  The anti-preditor, the guard dog to the wolf.  The antithesis of the predatory Creatures.  Kill an enemy Creature?  Been there, done that already.  Multiple times.

Dan has killed Aliph twice already.  Killing him a third time wouldn't necessarily have pushed Dan into using his Cubi powers, it would depend on circumstances.

Regina, on the other hand, well she made it personal six years ago so Dan has sworn to destroy her.  That prompted him to cut lose, to go the full Cubi as it were.  And the original encounter between Dan and Regina would have been after Dee left Lost Lake, it's an open question whether or not she knows anything about it.