You know, after Rabies you'd think he'd be used to this.

Poor Cale.

Well if they stuck as many swords in Cale as they did Richard I doubt even Rabies could prepare him for that ... and how do you guys reply so fast?????????

*gasps* What are they doing to him in there? Fangirls unite! We have to save our favorite blonde!

And is it just me, or does Richard actually look worried in the last panel?

I chuckled when Richard said "Apart from the waterboarding, just fine," and the subsequent image...


Congrats to Shomer for including political commentary!

i am sure its only few dozen flesh wounds, he will be fine.... i hope, well maybe not.... who am i kidding there going to feed whats left of cale to sooba.


Lets play" who is next in the torture merrigoround"


i say pella

Cale had a vader moment, "Nooooooooo." lol.

Pella's so clueless she seems an unlikely candidate. I'd say Krunch, and I think they're more likely to try to solicit the ladies for...

Er, other activities.


DO NOT WANT

Once Richard realizes that elves do in fact feel pain, I can just see him going, "Oh screw this! Nobody tortures the she-elf but me!" He will then casually free himself from the shackles, fwoom the torturers and free Cale.

*dies laughing*WHY YES!!!XDDD
Fangirls are the worst thing ever,closely followed
by torture.So fangirls+torture=DO NOT WANT.
The only difference:
Normal torture's physical,fangirls?...mental.
*headdesk*

What's going on with panel 1 anyways?I don't
get the scene...

you may be right... but i think benny wont be touched due to you know who wants her. after all these are his guys that he reigns over.

so it might be krunch... but with HOW many hate pella it may be away to get her out of the storyline if they torture her and she dies..

Nah, he just seems really confused as to why noones answering his question. It is a valid question, you know. How's he supposed to keep track of every race that may or may not feel pain? Seriously.


Though it poses an interesting question. In panel 2, Richard's comment about having some room by his calf indicates he can, indeed, feel, although its obvious he doesn't feel pain. So what does he feel? That slight pressure like when you get a Novocaine shot? Pleasure? Does it tickle?

I can't tell if the torture guy looks pleased or freaked out, though.

There are a number of things I have in my mind as to what they might be doing to Cale, but God, oh dear God, please, please please please, show me a sign and tell me that castration is not one of those things!
For one thing, Cale will REALLY be a woman, then again, it might be a good thing since it'll clear up future confusions
On the other hand, fangirls will be sad, VERY sad, and will probably torture an effigy in my name for bringing up the thought.
Oh well, better than actually attempting to turn Cale into a woman. (Can they actually do that?)

Poor Cale! I don't know what they're doing to him, but it must be pretty awful to make him scream like that. I want to go and rescue him.

I wish they'd taken Pella instead!

Hate to be a stickler here.. but why aren't Richard's clothes torn?

Hey, maybe they're going to have to draw Cale with scars now. I can see the future posts now.. 'hey, you forget Cale's shoulder scar in panel two!'

Comics physics. Don't question it.

Lack of huevos does not a woman make. We have "assets" of our own.

Besides, even if Cale loses his crown jewels, I'm sure Richard could find him some replacement cajones. And he'll even have a large variety to choose from!!

comic physics = cartoon physics = no physics

anything is possible, dont even worry about it ^.^

i hope Cale is gonna be ok...

and still no one has explained to me why they hate Pella so much

There's a separate thread that goes very much in depth on that particular subject.

Check the "Pella" thread. There are plenty of reasons given, both logical and otherwise.

I'm also pretty worried about Cale. He's been injured plenty of times without screaming. It kinda scares me to think what they must be doing to him. I doubt Benny can heal him this time with her hands bound.

There's also the chance that it's not Cale screaming, but the soldiers and guards. It's harder to tell if you can't actually hear the voice screaming.

I never even thought of that possibility! That would be much nicer...

It's a very probable situation, but for now I assume we should be assuming that that is, indeed, Cale screaming in horrible pain in the background.

OUCH.

I can't shake the feeling that Cale is getting turned into The Woobie.

Thankfully, they have Benny, who can heal anyone from practically anything, including being burned to ash. Although on the other hand that means Sohmer and Lar don't have to "hold back" in regard to what they can have their NPCs cut off of poor Cale, without making him a cripple forever. Now, emotional torture-induced trauma, on the other hand... Ah, screw that, the group better break out of that dungeon quickly.

I wonder though... assuming they do manage to break out, will characters like Benny, Krunch and Richard even bother with rescuing the goody-two-shoes elf who incompetently led them into this trap? It's not like this is a group of "good" characters. Cale's best chance for rescue are probably Krunch and Pella, as they both seem to be "lawful" (in terms of D&D alignments) and resonably loyal; but most importantly, Krunch may know more about the prophecies in regard to Cale than he has let on, and Pella works for the Archmage and Dragon leader who still have plans for Cale.

Well, I doubt that we will see each and every character tortured... at least I hope we won't. LFG is still a reasonably "light" comic that tries to keep even Richard's mass slaughters surreal and funny. With Richard, you can make the torture look amusing, since Richard is like a cartoon character and can't be killed and doesn't feel pain, but he can still serve as demonstration that the other characters are at risk. Cale was the logical choice for second victim, by elimination... showing or even merely implying the torture of a female character takes things to a much darker place than torturing a male, since in our culture, you can play violence against a fictional male character for laughs, but violence against a woman violates certain cultural norms, because women are victims of male violence far more often than the other way around, and showing men torturing or raping a woman would make it far too "real" for a lighthearted comic.

Similarly, if Sohmer and Lar actually take the story so far into the Dark Wood that Krunch is next, things will get darker, too. Because Krunch is a far more serious character than Cale. Cale has previously being killed, poked, prodded, his masculinity made fun of, put into gnome attire for laughs, etc. Cale is a natural choice for hurt/comfort fanfic. If Krunch were to be tortured and broken and humiliated, it would have a far greater emotional impact, at least for me.

On the other hand, I hope we will get to see actual interaction of our characters with the officers of the fort, not just with some nameless guards, and this could be the chance for some very interesting scenes both for Cale and Krunch. Surely Krunch wants to know what happened to the minotaur tribes that used to live in this area. The reaction of the commanding officer to Krunch's presence will be interesting to see, as his reaction to Cale, because in all likelihood the commander guy will assume that Cale is a noble Vulii elf (the way he dresses himself he doesn't look like a brigand). If the ruling class of Legarion is comprised of Vulii elves, the commander might wonder why on earth an elf attacks this fort. It all depends on if this was an actual trap, laid by Aelloon and Tah'Vraay, or if this fortress just happens to be very well defended. Perhaps they were expecting an attack from minotaur tribes, and our group was unlucky to blunder in through the front gate?



I picture it more like Luke Skywalker's scream after hearing Vader's "I'm your father, and I haven't payed alimony in 20 years, nya-nya!"

Yay! Tis my b-day today
On a slightly more relevant subject, Cale will definitely feel no mercy towards the empire after this little fiasco

Yeah, it's probably Cale. The reat of the group does seem to be reacting as if they recognize the voice.

But I like your theory better...

Right now, there're drunk college kids screaming right outside my dorm... assumably in pain. What nice coinkidink
I'm also assuming that Pella has an idea or two as to what's "SUPPOSED" to happen for the "rightful" future to take place. Everything is a necessity
In other news, what does it mean that Cale would still have a "variety" to choose from even if he IS castrated?
Oh wait... nevermind, I think I figured out.

As far as the "Pella" hate, eh... not necessary. Torture won't do much to her, she looks like a tough one. I have a feeling that she's not the kind that likes to be tied down seeing that she's the only one not being chained. Hm.. as opposed to being tortured, I think she'll more likely beat the shit out of the guards. She is quite cunning. I'm more worried for Gid. She has her "shaky" moments in the early part of the story, and it looks like she's been through lots of horrible, horrible things, and if the tortures are done to her, she might suffer some kind of mental breakdown. But then, we might get a glimpse of her past and have an arc dedicated to her personal flashback, probably narrated by Krunch... *here's to hoping... crosses fingers*

I take it maybe you missed Richard wearing someones severed head as a hat, and their skin as a disguise? This is still pretty much a dark comic. Not JtHM dark, but dark nonetheless.

Oh, man, for a few moments there I'd completely forgotten about Benny's supreme healing powers! You're right, Cale might still be carrying around emotional scars, but Benny might be able to help spare him any physical ones. *whew!*



The idea of Krunch being tortured makes me very sad! He's such a strong figure, I'd hate to see him being demeaned like that.

I wouldn't be surprised if Sohlar decide to make the story much darker than it used to be. I've known some comics that turned out to be pretty dark and gory and gothic toward the climax of the plot despite it having a much more lighthearted beginning that would lead you to believe that it's intended for kids at first.

The joke (?) Krunch made about Benny being sold to slavery makes me think that Benny is next.

Cale has been my Woobie for a long time. Tavor too, but for different reasons.



Except that Benny is bound at the wrists. It might be a while before she gets the opportunity to heal Cale.



Oh crap, Tobi. Don't give me any ideas! I already went there with Tavor. >_< Must..resist..creative urges.

...
...

*sighs and opens Microsoft Word*

I'm actually rather convinced it isn't Cale getting tortured. I'm expecting some kind of 'funny, I've never heard his voice sound like that' comment in the next page. My theory is that he managed to break free and now... eh, *the tables have turned*, no pun intended. XD He WAS trying to interrogate that officer for information, after all, and since the more peaceful/pathetic approach didn't work, it'd make sense he'd try something more extreme. It would also make sense as yet another step on the stairs of questionable moral choices to make Cale a reasonable candidate for a king.

It'll be a loooong way to go before that happens

Ohhhh yes. T_T

Still, concerning questionable moral choices... with the company he keeps, he learns from the best, right?

Makes me wonder who will stay with him all the way to his ascension to the throne...

*groan* Oh God, now I can see some horrible "(Re)grow some balls already, Cale!" jokes coming on...

In other news, it looks like now we know the name of the torturer? Richard talks about giving gratuity (for a job well done? his humour is indeed strange), and tells the guards he wants to be sure it [the money] gets to "Landor".


Remember the scenes from Babylon 5's season 4, when G'kar was prisoner at the Centauri homeworld and the insane Centauri emperor had him tortured in front of Londo Mollari? "I want my scream! Make him scream." Something like that.


Yes, many comics go that route, and it's not always a good decision. Too many writers think that "True Art is Angsty" and you automatically get a better story if you add enough gore and trauma, but sometimes less is more. Don't get me wrong, I like "dark" stories, but... if you make things too dark, I'm afraid we'll hit a point where Richard's antics frankly won't be funny anymore.

Heck, the comic already had scenes of cognitive and moral dissonance between Richard acting out his homicidal tendencies for laughs and getting off scott-free... and everything that happens to the other characters, which has real impacts. We've seen Tah'Vraay cutting fingers off the Vulii marine soldier, we've had Richard burning off half the lion-headed pirate's body (technically fatal), we've had Cale emotionally torturing himself over the decision to kill the kid. It's like a drama colliding frontally with a Bugs Bunny cartoon. Don't need to make that dissonance worse.


It would be interesting if the guards get the shackles off Benny and take her to the commander, and he, underestimating her, tries to intimidate or rape her only to have her punch his lights out... and then grab her staff from his weapon's rack, flee and overpower a guard in the dungeon. We've previously seen Benny do hand-to-hand combat, in the tavern. The idea "pretty girl turns into martial artist and turns the tables on the villains" isn't exactly new anymore, what with all the female action heroes (Xena, Buffy, Kill Bill movies, or the historical Jean d'Arc), in fact I'm pretty sure the TVTropes Wiki has an entry for it but it would be fun to see if BENNY was the one to rescue the others. Because everyone expects Krunch or Richard to save the day.


Oh come on, don't you start on this pet-hypothesis now, too! *rolls eyes* When Rip van Ishmael brought it up, I really hoped no-one would jump on that wagon too. I'm getting a headache here.

Look, try to apply some metatextual analysis here, ok? It's about a way a story flows; especially in a webcomic where the plot and scenes are scripted to follow a per-page structure. Situation: We the audience see a character dragged out of a dungeon to the torture chamber (off-screen). We've previously been treated to a scene of character #1 (Richard) being tortured, or actually the aftermath of the torturer's work. Now character #2 is dragged off, with the implication that he will be brutally tortured too, and we are treated to a reaction shot of the other characters looking uncomfortable while their comrade's screams are ringing in their ears and they can do nothing to help him. And... a situational joke from Richard being oblivious to the implications of Cale's screams, in the last panel, wraps up the page. There. Straightforward.

Assuming that the umarmed Cale suddenly overpowers the the guards, offscreen, and instead of screaming "Alarm!" or yelling for backup we hear "Oh gods!" and "Nooooo!" just doesn't fit. It would invalidate the Richard-joke ("Can elves feel pain? Hello? Will anyone tell me?", *cue Cale's screams of pain*) but most importantly, it would suddenly throw a curveball in the last two panels. Yes, you can do that, if you go for a dramatic reveal in a final panel of a page, such as Richard suddenly bursting in and icing Tavor and delivering the punchline "No-one puts Richard in a corner." But in those cases, whatever dramatic surprise happens, it happens onscreen., not offscreen. Things that happen offscreen are usually things which the authors do not want to show too explicitely but which are nevertheless heavily implied. Like, you know, Han Solo getting tortured by Vader in Cloud City. The camera cuts away just as he is being lowered towards the implements, and we hear his screams resounding down the hallway, and then we see him being dragged back into the cell. Come on, what do you think happened? Maybe Vader screamed because a guard had dropped a hot mocca latte into his lap??

Nice Wall O' Text.

Personally I think everyone tries to dissect the comic too much, read into it too much, or otherwise just get a bit too wrapped up in their own ideas of "What Is To Come" to remember that this is a comic, and if the writer wants Cale to overpower the guards in the next comic, then Cale will do so.
And, this being a comic, said writer needs no other reason than "if it'll be funny (or badass, or make the readers ponder, or contain witty repartee) I'll write it into the next page".

As Sohmer's sig says:

"Because I can."

You are sooooo worried about Cale...
Maybe they are not torturing him, maybe they are torturing a little critter in front of him

Ah, it's probably not that bad... This is probably what the torturer's thinking:
"Ah, we have another elf, let's pull out a feather."

No-one forces you to read it.

And I can never get remarks like that ("wall of text"). It always sounds like "if it's more than two lines, I can't be bothered". Do people only come to message boards to read their own drivel?


Yes well, we know that. We're not completely stupid, thank you.


Isn't that the point? It makes no sense, storywise, for Cale to overpower the guards and escape the torture. Otherwise all the foreshadowing, the Richard-joke, would be wasted.



I like the way you guys think!

...perhaps they've strapped him to a chair and are reading Richard/Cale slash fanfiction to him. Illustrated fanfiction. Clockwork Orange, anyone?

Mmmmmmmmm.....

One thing that's bothering me though... After Richard is stabbed in many interesting ways, should'nt his green grime run out of him at the time? Or has Benny improved her healing ability: "Healing by looking at someone."

The torturer brought his sewing kit and did some cross-stitching? Or crochet.

We're of course overlooking the most obvious candidate for upcoming kickassery: Richard's bunnymount. It will turn into a Vorpalbunny and slaughter every legionnaire in the fortress!
*pictures a determined-looking fellbunny with a bandana and bandoleer of tiny knives and holding a tiny AK-47*
Next on FORTRESS: THE ESCAPE The Movie:
"Silflay hraka, buggers!" *rat-tat-tat-tat*

Oh, man, that was when he lost his eye, wasn't it? I cried! If anyone did that to Krunch I'd cry even more.

I'm very happy to see the Downer icon back, btw.

"What's this? Oh it's just a little bunn...........AAAAAAAAAAAAAUGH!"
"GOOD GOD! IT JUST RIPPED OUT HIS THROAT!"
Rich- *fake crying* "That's my boy"

OH DID I LOL HARD ON THIS ONE!

*sigh* Benny is pure class. Chained to a wall, and she's still able to use her sexy-hip-stance.

In the last panel, I can't tell if Benny and Krunch are staring at Richard, or "talking with their eyes". I kinda suspect the later, and that some unspoken decision has been made.

I loved the stunned look on the torturer's face when Richard told him to try his calf. It'll be interesting to see what happens if they decide to move on to Krunch next.

Reading the previous comic and then this recent one, I can't help but think the comic has turned slightly towards the plot designs of the Sword of Truth novels.

Even though Richard is the mage, I look at Cale being in Richard Rahl's position, and in SoT Richard is frequently hurt or tortured or something. Even being captured and tortured seems to smack of SoT.

Richard, Kahlan, Zed and Gratch = Cale, Benny, Richard and Krunch

Just seems to me, is all.