# 576: "Hey, better him than us."

[Kurosen]

Thief is set up to be un-trumpable, so it's always fun to see him, well, ganked like this.

And who, oh who, could that off-panel voice belong to? Hmmmmmmmmmm? Well, it's pretty damned obvious, but gimme a break. Not everything is supposed to come out of nowhere. ;P

[Skyshot]

My exact thoughts were "there's Berserker." Good to see the old chap come back.

And I agree, it's great to see Thief get owned.

[Carnivore]

Aw, poor Thief. I knew he was gonna get his ass whupped... I think he needs a hug.... And a blood transfusion. Oh, he better get sweet revenge. Again!
<3 :thief:

[Tyrion]

Awesome.

I mean, for the past 500 comics I've been waiting for Thief to eat his just desserts...and every time that he's come close it never happend. But now...when he came close to being right...

Oh god.

[CallmePrismatic]

Is the hobo dragon's comment one of the catchphrases of Foul Ol' Ron from Discworld or just general hobo chatter?
Also, is that little heap Thief with the rat over his head or the dwarf?

[pendejochy]

I'm a little confuse at the end part. So....
Rat bezerker goes...bezerk....
Theif finally gets what he deserves (offscreen)...
We see the bezerkers mangledbody next to the sign....
"What ho!"

So, Bezerker beat up the rat hobo and thief, threw the rat hobo to the the sign, then said "What ho?"

i liked the hobo dragon by the way. The gov'ment too ma'teffs!

[Swiftbow]

I don't think the dire rat hobo is mangled, he appears to be chewing on Thief.

[ElfLad]

And if you look right next to Fighter's elbow, you can see Theif's hand grasping at the air.

Berserker appears to have returned. Yay.

[Archbio]

Thief gets mauled and Berserker returns?

Is this my birthday or a beautiful dream?

[Nakor]

GLEE! The rat was a rat AND Berzerker's* back! XD I don't know why I'm so happy about that, but I am. Thief getting mangled was up there too. Therefore, GLEE!

*I'm aware it's spelled with an s. I've always thought it deserved a z though.

[MetalPsycho]

Ho. Le. Crap.

Thief got owned like a small weak thing. Though he has had bad luck with berserker dwarves before. Remember the axe in his head. Yup, the Elven/Dwarf war ain't ending ANY time soon.

I was kinda hoping this would happen. I love Thief, but sometimes he does diserve a little non-godly get-out-of-every-situation payback.

Something tells me Black Mage is now a happy little school girl on the inside.

Ben wondering about Berserker. Hope him and Rogue didn't start seening eye to eye again, because that means trouble.

[Kurosen]

So, Bezerker beat up the rat hobo and thief, threw the rat hobo to the the sign, then said "What ho?"

Berserker is the rat-hobo. He is standing/squatting on what's left of Thief and splattered with the poor guy's blood which also happens to be all over the sign. It was messy. And a reference to the last (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040703) time (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040706) these guys met.

[pendejochy]

Berserker is the rat-hobo. He is standing/squatting on what's left of Thief and splattered with the poor guy's blood which also happens to be all over the sign. It was messy. And a reference to the last time these guys met.

So, he is standing on thief, and say "what, ho" off sceeen. So, they should both be off screen, right? Then, who is that guy next to the sign? Is it Bezerker's rat costome? He took it off and it wound up by the sigh? (Sorry if this is geting annoying)

[Kurosen]

Maybe the text bubble from off screen is coming from off screen because the person talking isn't in the panel...

[Klyco]

Wow! Its been a year. Who knows what happened between them after all that time. Unless its Berserkers half rat/ half dwarf cousin. So, wheres the monocle?

[Skyshot]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh. Ranger is the one who says stuff like "what ho." Berserker can't conceive of speaking a word under four syllables.

[pdgeorge]

Question about the dragon...

who is he? (look at the picutre of the hobo dragon... the red dragon)
I used to play outwar, some crappy text bassed game, and that dragon's pic was used in there raids.

I know they didnt draw the pic, cause that whole game sort of sucks... sort of REALLY sucks.

so what i wanted to know, is where that picture is from if ne1 knows

I am beplexed about this! BEPLEXED I SAY!

[Mikaga]

Damn guys. I visit these forums on and off and I recall seeing a fair few of you back in the Ranger / Berzerker arc. How is it that you didn't pin "Someone saying 'What ho' around Berzerker" as Ranger?!

More importantly though, hearing more from Ranger and Berzerker may mean we finally get an appearance (not just a reference) of my favourite 8-Bit Theater character - Cleric.

[RagetheWarrior]

I liked the liberal application of bloody splatter at the end. That made it for me.

[Meister]

Is the hobo dragon's comment one of the catchphrases of Foul Ol' Ron from Discworld or just general hobo chatter?
More VG Cats than Discworld, I believe.

[Kurosen]

Yeah, that's definitely Dr. Hobo-Dragon. As for the pic, I remember seeing it on anthology of short stories involving dragons in the Dragonlance setting.

God, I'm a dork.

[Quirriff`]

Yay, Beserker!

[Trixbeat]

Either Thief doesn't remember his last encounter with Berzerker, or doesn't recognise him, or thinks he'll be different. Hmm, elves aren't as intelligent as I thought. Not against dwarves, anyway.

[pdgeorge]

if you look at it
berserker had a helmet
thats a dire rat
it has a rat head on its head....


the what ho thing, maybe they are rescued by that ranger guy (MAYBE) I personally wouldnt bet that, cause soo many characters are left int he dark and forgetting, heck the dark warriors are forgotten now pretty much

[RichThiefsAlmanac]

Nooooooo!

Thief wasn't actually thinking of giving him any change I hope :(

[Sky Warrior Bob]

if you look at it
berserker had a helmet
thats a dire rat
it has a rat head on its head....

If you play FF games, you'd know that most Beserker class characters wear the skins of the animals that they've killed. Thus, Beserker's new duds must've come from an animal he's killed.

Admittedly, I fail to see the alure of running around in the stanky rotting carcass of a giant rat, but to each his own, I guess.

SWK

[Invisible Queen]

It's like Fight Club quoting Forrest Gump; comics drawing on comics blurs the edge between fiction and reality. I like it. :D

So who'd win in a fight between Dr Hobo and Bahamut?

[Stephian]

Yeah, that's definitely Dr. Hobo-Dragon. As for the pic, I remember seeing it on anthology of short stories involving dragons in the Dragonlance setting.

God, I'm a dork.

Not quite Dragonlance, blasphemer! This is pure Realmslore. The dragon is Mistinarperadnacles Hai Draco, or Mist for friends, who appears in the cycle of the Moonshae novels in the Forgotten Realms. That picture of her is also found in the "Villains' Lorebook" (ISBN 0-7859-1235-7, if you are interested)

[ElfLad]

So that's an offscreen RANGER in the final panel. I suppose the "I say" threw me off. "What ho" may be Ranger, but "I say" is about 99% Berserker territory.

[Loyal]

My exact thoughts were "there's Berserker." Good to see the old chap come back.That's what I was thinking too. The other guy COULDN'T be Berserker...

[shiney]

Man, Brian, Stephian so out-dorked you that you may as well call your life a sham and go become a pro athlete.

[Great Cartoonist]

I always thought they had to get the rat's tail from some old castle on some other continent. Didn't think the rat's tail would come to them.
Or maybe...?
Nah.
This isn't the first time Thief got owned, nor is it the second or the third. Remember when the Giant stepped on him, or when Matoya frogged him?

[Nucleus]

So that's an offscreen RANGER in the final panel. I suppose the "I say" threw me off. "What ho" may be Ranger, but "I say" is about 99% Berserker territory. That is exactly what confused me, too.

[MFD]

If you play FF games, you'd know that most Beserker class characters wear the skins of the animals that they've killed. Thus, Beserker's new duds must've come from an animal he's killed.

Perhaps a DIRE RAT, eh?

[Slackbot]

There is something about seeing Thief get completely clobbered that makes my heart click its heels and sing a happy little song.

Of course, he'll soon turn the situation to his advantage somehow, but in the meantime his pain is my joy.

[Red Fighter 1073]

ive never had the chance to comment on it, but awesome job on the fading text thingy that thief was saying!

i atleast think that it really IS a dwarf because it got insulted by thief's comments.

also, i very easily see thief getting up perfectly fine in one of the next few comics...

EDIT: oooook, thennn berzerker dwarf then!

(also, come join the ranks and spell berserker with a Z!)

[Izlude]

Actually this makes more sense now.

Bahamut is looking for an "enlightened" warrior to fight the "elven race" and who can kill a "dire rat". In which case Berserker fits the description.

Genious Brian pure genious!

[Trixbeat]

I just wonder, if this happens to Thief after calling Berzerker a hobo, what's gonna happen when Bahamut finds out Thief called him a hobo? I have a feeling that would make them not get a class change.

[shiney]

Them? Thief wasn't with them when they all went below. For all Bahatmut knows they are not affiliated.

[Rhyos]

;_; :thief: I was caught flat-footed! Um...

*random announcer* Is this the end of our belovedly deceitful Thief? Is Bahamut a God, or a Hobo? Who is Black Mage's Father? White Mage in the next Dead or Alive game? Tune in next time, same -bit time, same -bit channel!

[Number 81]

So that's an offscreen RANGER in the final panel. I suppose the "I say" threw me off. "What ho" may be Ranger, but "I say" is about 99% Berserker territory.


"What ho, and well met" (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040701) sounds a lot like "I say, what ho, there?"
Thus, on screen voice = Ranger, and as Brian stated, Rat Hobo = Berserker.

[MetalPsycho]

Oh....crap. Ranger's back. He's going to be maaaaaaad. Though it seems Berserker already payed Thief back for the lieing thing, and maybe for the hobo comment thing too.

I believe there was no true recognization from Thief because elves don't truly see Dwarves as equals, so they just thin that all dwarves are the same, including apearence.

Long answer short: "They all look the same to OH MY GOD IT HURTS!"-Thief

[Number 81]

It was Thief's comment on FILTHY dwarfs that set Berserker off.

[PyrosNine]

That, or this particular Berserker just randomly attacks any and or all elves, much like BM does to innocent pure hearted civilians. All dwarfs are filthy, so that wouldn't neccesarily be offensive to them as a whole.

By the way, was I the only one who noticed it was Dr. Hobo? (The dragon) I mean, "Teh Govahment's com fo mah teef!" and "The Gubbment stoled m'teefs!"

Didn't anyone else think, Hey! VGcats!

It comes to mind, wouldn't it suck if White mage, Ranger, and Berzerker all came to the Island, and they end up getting upgraded instead of our heroes? From what we've seen throughout the comic is that there are in a sense, 12 lightwarriors, from the real ones, to our 'heroes' to Ranger, Berzerker, Whitemage, and Deadish BB.

[Admiral_Kelly]

Me thinks Ranger might not be one piece...

[Klyco]

I thought Bezerker finished him off though when Theif said he burned down Dwarfland? Why are they still together?

[Dalfin]

And don't forget Ranger and Berserker's other companions, Cleric and Rogue! Assuming they've been found by now, the four of -them- might get the class change instead of our four heroes. I mean, it looks like Berserker's already slain the dire rat, if that new helmet is any indication.

What's interesting is, if Ranger and co. -are- the enlightened warriors, and our heroes get the class change instead of them, then that's -two- groups of destined heroes our not-really Light Warriors will have messed up, isn't it?

[PCD]

Ha man, I feel odd. It's fairly surreal watching Thief get his ass handed to him, but it's been a long time coming. Still, the confusion is making it hard to fully appreciate the scene. Darn my love of the klepto.

I got all giggly when I read the 'What ho.' I was pretty sure it was Ranger, then remembered What Fighter said last time, and was reassured. w00t all around! I suppose Ranger somehow talked some sense into Berserker. Or shoved a rat on his head to snap him out of it. But yeah, what are they doing here?

One way or another, it makes me bubbly to see this blast from the semi-past.

[Brian_Link]

So thief gets the crap beaten out of him by beserker
BM gets the crap beaten out of him by WM
But Thief got what was coming to him, as BM so bluntly put it, Elves are Dicks.
But if Cleric and Rogue got back to the Ranger party, I was under the impression they already upgraded.

[MetalPsycho]

If Ranger is still in the company of Berserker, that means Ranger must have talked Berserker into not killing him. I'm pretty sure this couldn't be done without SOME bloodshed, so he's probably on crutches right now.

[Mad Jack the Pirate]

Ranger can't upgrade, he's half-elf.

[Mauve Mage]

I wondered if we'd run into those two again. But will Ranger give them the time of day if White Mage isn't around? Probably not, unless it's to beat Red Mage to a pulp for killing Berserker. (Thief is a very good liar.)

[Juron Pilo]

Not quite Dragonlance, blasphemer! This is pure Realmslore. The dragon is Mistinarperadnacles Hai Draco, or Mist for friends, who appears in the cycle of the Moonshae novels in the Forgotten Realms. That picture of her is also found in the "Villains' Lorebook" (ISBN 0-7859-1235-7, if you are interested)

BZZT! Incorrect! It is INDEED on the cover of a Dragonlance short story book. "The Dragons of Krynn". Further, ISBN 0-7859-1235-7 lead me nowhere. You want ISBN 0-7869-1236-7.

The Dragons of Krynn: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1560768304/qid=1121425449/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5837996-7912148?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

The book you wanted: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1560768304/qid=1121425449/sr=8-1/ref=pd_bbs_1/102-5837996-7912148?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

There, now I am the ultimate nerd.

[shiney]

What does it say about someone who registers an account just to say that..?

*shakes head sadly..*

I kid, I kid.

[Juron Pilo]

That I'm bored? That I have too much time on my hands maybe?

Edit: Now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure that I've heard this story about the picture not even being a dragon from Krynn before. Its still ON the book though. Eh, I really didn't like the book much anyways.

[Desmant]

Unless that dragon is Malystrix then its from Krynn. Plus that dragon is too skinny and small to not be from Krynn.

Oh and yea im a Dragonlance fanboy. As for the comic how could people not tell that was ranger in the background? After the dwarf went berserk on Theif's ass you had to know that was Beserker. And who is Beserkers traveling partner? Ranger of course.

[kam_islash]

I have a poster of that dragon on my wall.
The pic is by Paul Jaquays and is called Dragon Mountain.

I thought Ranger was dead....

///

[Meister]

What does it say about someone who registers an account just to say that..?
It says that there are nerds with a bunch of, let's call it "rarely appliable" knowledge on the Nuklear Power Forums. WHO'D HAVE THOUGHT! :p

[Stephian]

BZZT! Incorrect! It is INDEED on the cover of a Dragonlance short story book. "The Dragons of Krynn"
I have a poster of that dragon on my wall.
The pic is by Paul Jaquays and is called Dragon Mountain.
Aww, recycled dragon art! Well, they DO say the Villains' Lorebook sucks, now I just have another reason to add.

This geek challenge is becoming tough. I'll have to start quoting Greenwood treaties on the traditions of facial hair in the Heartlands (I'm not making these up).

[Invisible Queen]

Wouldn't a berseker in rat's skin be called ratserker? :3

[Kima Azure]

No. Unless you mean Berserkers are actually misspellings of Boarserkers.

[Cubes]

Actually, he's got a point. The original berserkers were norse warriors who went into battle wearing bear skin - berserker is a corruption of norse "berserkr", which means, literally, "bear shirt".

[Admiral_Kelly]

"Bear" as in naked; they would go into battle without armour on their torsos.

[Skyshot]

I've heard it was "bear sark" from places probably as reliable as where everyone else gets their facts.

And for crying out loud! Bare! It reminds me of this (http://www.nuklearpower.com/daily.php?date=040722)!

[Archbio]

All of the above?

Berserkers (or Berserks) were Norse warriors who had sworn allegiance to the sky god Odin and worked themselves into murderous fury before a battle. The term berserker comes from Norse "berserkr", meaning literally "bear shirt" or "bare shirt", but alluding either to wearing the "clothes" of a bear, i.e. to be bear-like in rage and strength, usually in battle, or to the habit of berserkers going into battle unarmored.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berserker

[Invisible Queen]

Wikipedia doesn't know everything. In school I learned the "bear's clothing" would just as often be physical as metaphorical. And the norse words for "bear" and "bare" doesn't sound alike, in my experience as swede.