Dryad (Chapter 33)
Now that the Red Dragon has been slain, the monsters of the Fifth Level return to reclaim their domain. And the first monsters that the Touden Party encounters are a group of dryad flowers. Once the weeds have been wacked, Marcille decides to train Laios in magic.
Cockatrice (Chapter 34)
Laois continues to learn healing magic under Marcille's instruction. But he's soon forced to speed up his training after a surprise attack from a cockatrice leaves Marcille petrified.
"Dryad" contains the following tropes:
Jack-o-lantern pottage, sautéed dryad flower bud with melted cheese
- Bathos: After spotting one of the Mage's wyverns flying above, the party members hide themselves while Chilchuck does an Egyptian pose directly on the wall he was climbing.
- Brain Bleach: Chilchuck screams in terror when he realizes that Senshi is giving him The Talk.
- Comically Missing the Point: Chilchuck lashes out as Senshi for treating him like a child and how he covered his eyes when they first saw the dryads mating. Senshi misinterprets his anger as him "coming of age" and how he's ready to discuss the magic of copulation.
- Continuity Nod: While harvesting mandrakes, Chilchuck mentions to Marcille that they don't have any dogs to pick out the cursed plants.
- Dude, Not Funny!: Chilchuck doesn't find Marcille looking for a time travel spell so she can get out of eating dryad fruit as amusing.
- Handicapped Badass:
- Senshi and Laios are heavily weakened by the dryad's pollen. Even Chilchuck ends up affected after taking a direct blow.
- Marcille's staff is shown to have snapped in two meaning that she can't perform her usual spells unless it's fixed.
- Here We Go Again!: Chilchuck points how that Laois is getting another crazy idea while infodumping about dryads.
- It's All My Fault: Senshi blames himself for not providing a healthy meal to Marcille and Chilchuck which explains their recent fatigue.
- Mobile Maze: While navigating the unexpected stone maze, Marcille deduces that the Mad Mage is modifying the dungeon system to keep them from interfering with his agenda.
- Our Nymphs Are Different: The group encounter a trio of dryad flowers who resemble beautiful nature girls but emit a potent pollen that gives their opponents hay fever. The fruits of the dryad plants look like pumpkins with human faces.
- Tempting Fate: Marcille comments that she's starting to be less picky about what she eats and has thoughts on whether certain flowers have human faces or not. Then Laios reveals the dryad's fruit which resemble pumpkins with human faces. You can tell how excited she is about eating them.
- The Talk: Still thinking he's a child, Senshi tries to explain "the birds and the bees" to Chilchuck.
- Unlocking the Talent: Realizing how dangerous fighting the Mad Mage will be, Marcille insists that Laios learn healing and abjuration magic so they can have a back-up mage. She even brings up how Falin taught Laios some of the basics of magic beforehand.
"Cockatrice" contains the following tropes:
Hock style pickled cockatrice, dryad bud saurkraut
- Ambiguous Situation: What was it that cured Marcille of her petrification? Was it Laios saying the healing spell? Chilchuck's vegetable? Or Senshi preparing the cockatrice meat under her?
- And I Must Scream: The ghosts who are tethered to the Fifth Level beg Laios to kill them as the Mad Mage's magic has kept them from moving on.
- Basilisk and Cockatrice: This time the party encounters a cockatrice who can turn any unfortunate soul into stone with a single bite. It's explicitly pointed out that it is much larger than the Basilisk they faced above.
- Continuity Nod: Senshi has Marcille distract the cockatrice using the same tactic Laios used when fighting the basilisk.
- Curse Cut Short: Marcille can only call Laios a "little-" before being turned to stone.
- Didn't Think This Through: Marcille forgot that first time magic users may experience incredible mana sickness, which is what happens to Laios after he uses a simple healing spell on Marcille.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: Marcille, Chilchuck and Senshi share a small laugh on how they narrowly avoided being stuck by the changing dungeon. They stop when the platform they jumped from is housing a cockatrice.
- Fantastic Racism: Chilchuck sarcastically informs Marcille that any time a half-foot has tried to practice black magic, or magic in general, they end up being abducted by elves and are never seen again.
- Freeze-Frame Bonus: While trying to move a petrified Marcille, Laios comments that the eyelashes of her left eye broke off. When she returns to normal, she is shown still missing said eyelashes.
- Funny Background Event: As Chilchuck and Senshi wonder how to use the former's mystery herb, Laios is on the table behind them passed out from mana sickness.
- Imagine Spot: Marcille briefly imagines her doing a pitiable war-cry which will lead to her being bitten by the snake head.
- Kick the Dog: Chilchuck makes a chilled suggestion on how Laios should chuck learning magic in favor of learning basic social skills and character judgement.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Marcille worries that she can't make herself bigger to the cockatrice the same way how Laios distracted the Basilisk. Instead, she distracts it with a dramatic pose and what appears to be explosions. Even Chilchuck and Senshi noticed before they made their move on the creature.
- Mood Whiplash:
- While Laios is reacting in comical pain from mana sickness, the audience hears of ghosts begging to be put out of their misery.
- The ending has Marcille being upset over how much trouble she caused her friends because of her petrification. But when she tries to apologize, her expression softens and she decides to tell them something much more important.
Marcille: Don't ever use people as a human pickling weight. - Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Realizing that she can't do the same war-cry that Laios did, Marcille decides to do her own maneuver using explosion magic. While it does distract the cockatrice long enough for Senshi to attack, it ultimately leads to her getting bitten and turned to stone.
- Oh, Crap!: Senshi isn't very thrilled to have to be healed for Laios' training.
- Poor Communication Kills: Shortly after Marcille is bit by the cockatrice, Laios tells her to drop her pants and curl into position at a wall. He reveals that this is the best position before she is inevitably turned to stone, but she furiously snaps to a more awkward position before it finally takes effect. Laios is more worried now since the one he guided her to do was meant to keep her well balanced so she doesn't risk falling over and break until she's back to normal; a crucial thing he left out.
- Seen It All: Chilchuck mentions how he's seen other parties tear each other apart because of personal disagreements and emotional problems.
- Taken for Granite: This ends up happening to Marcille after she's bitten by the cockatrice.
- Thanks for the Mammary: Laios places his hands on Senshi's chest to start the healing process. Neither Senshi nor Laios are comfortable with the magic's hands-on approach.Senshi (while covering his knockers): Did it have to be there?
- Time Skip: Several days pass as Laios trains himself to use healing magic while Chilchuck looks for medicinal herbs to cure Marcille.
- We ARE Struggling Together: Discussed. Chilchuck points out that a lot of parties fall apart because of personal squabbles, arguments and falling in and out of love with one another.
- What the Hell, Hero?: After returning to normal, Marcille notices how she was being used to pickle or ferment the food for around a week. She tells them not to do it again.
- You Can Run, but You Can't Hide: The cockatrice's snake head has heat-seeking vision, meaning that it can find the Touden Party no matter where they hide in the Fifth Level.
- You Fool!: Chilchuck calls Marcille an idiot for being bitten by the cockatrice.
So it goes with dungeon food. Delicious in dungeon.
