Tales from the Mana Crypt #96 Mounting Okos Panel 1: Kellan, a young man with pointed ears, and shoulder-length grey hair, dressed in a fanciful western shirt and cowboy hat, stands in front of Oko, his father, a mischievous fae man, with a crown of spikes and a poncho of large feathers. The two are in the midst of being shot at with blasts of energy, and Kellan looks panicked while Oko smirks. The two are labelled “Kellan, the Kid” and “Oko, the Ringleader”. Kellan: Dad, we've gotta fly out of here! Oko: Into the sky full of scorpion dragons? Kellan: Well we can't outrun them on the ground! Oko: Luckily your dad is a master shapeshifter! Oko’s arm is seen starting to disappear as he begins shapeshifting. Panel 2: Kellan rides atop an Elk with a crown atop its head – Oko, transformed into a mount for a quick getaway. Blasts of energy sizzle around them as Oko dashes at full speed. Kellan grins. Oko (Telepathically): Hold onto your hat and watch the horns! Kellan: Heh, dad, we're finally working as a team! Oko (Telepathically): That's enough kid, we're not a team. Panel 3: The silhouette of Kellan and Oko is seen galloping across the dunes of the desert. The image of the two of them standing together, emerges from the horizon like a mirage. Oko gives a thumbs up, his hand on Kellan’s shoulder, and two smile and weep tenderly. Oko’s thoughts, off-screen:...We're a family. Panel 4: A shadow of a person in a hoodie with horns can be seen over a series of Magic: the Gathering cards laid on the table. The cards are Oko, the Ringleader, Trained Arynx, and Kellan the Kid. A bit of visible text on Oko’s card calls out that he can transform into other creatures each turn. Shadowed person (Off-Screen): ...So if Oko copies a mount creature, Kellan can saddle him. And now they're playing horsey! Panel 5: Zooming out, we see that the speaker in the previous panel was Vorthos, a woman with long black hair, and a hoodie with curved horns reminiscent of the dragon character Nicol Bolas. For this occasion, she wears a cowboy hat, the horns poking out of its sides. Beside her is Spike, a shorter haired woman, also in a cowboy hat. Vorthos looks like she is holding back tears, while Spike looks on in mild concern. Vorthos: Finally, that elk bastard can be the dad that Kellan always imagined. Spike: I'm happy for you, Vorthos...but when you said you "solved it," this is not what I was expecting.
Published On: March 29, 2024

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