Blast him, Bactine! Blast him! And then, through the sheer strength of your love for Sangwine, don't faint after blasting Fang, but manage to retain enough composure to heal Sangwine. Then you can faint because you will most likely have knocked Fang off of the balcony. If that doesn't kill him, it will at least buy time! (my advice to Bactine) Oh, try to not knock Zedwig off the balcony while your at it.

(Advice to Zedwig) RESIST! You can do it! Take the earing off! The shock of that much resistance from you will buy Bactine the needed time. After that, then if can be figured out what to do with Fang (like push him off the side!).

Zedwig pushing Fangline off the side seems to anticlimactic to me. >_> All I can imagine is Fang screaming like a little girl while rag doll physics make him look silly. O_o

I want to know what's happening to Al'bert. T-T

Ok... I am officially dying for the next installment. *nurses taking her blood pressure and pulse and wheeling her into the O.R. even as she types!*

Colby's writing is so very refreshing, that I feel a little sheepish making predictions, but my current theory, based on what the fortune teller told her, is that Bactine will make a lunge to connect with Sangwine and will have enough time to pull his injury into herswelf, but not the time or presence of mind with Fang yanking her around to heal herself afterwards and will die. The healed Sang will now have the incentive he needs, based on what TEITNL said, to really fight Fang for the throne so that he can become king and use the boosted powers over the illusion that is life and death to save Bactine.

Of course that doesn't answer what Sang saw in the hallway about Xylic (I'm assuming Aunt Ellinya is the "Lin" of Xylic's dad's letters, and that he is Sang's cousin, but that too could be wrong. Waht was on that painting? Inquiring minds want to know!) It also doesn't answer what will become of zombie Zedwig. Poor Zed, he got his hopes up and let his guard down I guess, and therefore wasn't prepared to resist Fang. He looks like a dishrag.... (a very pretty dishrag, but still)

Alternately I suppose Fang will make a deal with Bactine that he'll let her heal his worthless brother if she will just heal his mage here first, knowing that it will kill her. If she survives it (because Bactine is naturally talented uber healer even if she's a bit light on theory) she'll heal Sang, but not have enough left in her to heal herself. Rinse and repeat with above.

These are only theories though. Colby always manages to surprise me.

Too bad Bactine can't consult Calvexia the Bog Witch now.

This would be a good time too for us for Mabel to suddenly burst on the scene and kick Fang's butt. Because you know Mabel could do it.
That's what Xylic was always trying to tell everyone.
Yeah. You know it.

*rofl*

Oh man.... can I rewrite everything now? AWESOME.

No rewrite, keep going forward!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm just a little hooked, really. Only a little...

Ahhhh! Brilliant!

History Lesson: Current guns are much more likely to be leathal. Current bullet's "muchroom" and have a longer path through the body and frequently lodge in the body(aka more damage). The old ones, like Fang's, tended to go right through, and sometimes did less damage than an arrow (thanks to those barbs). So at point blank range that bullet should have gone through. People can survive that...if the bleeding is stopped.

Wow. That sounded very cool and knowledge-y. (I wish I could impress people with cool and knowledge-y paragraphs) But there's just one thing.....these are FANTASY early guns. Who knows what they work like?

True, but he'd be much better off if Bactine healed him, he could get an infection and die from that just as easily as he might die of blood loss. Or the bullet might have lodged against bone, in which case it would have to be removed (painfully and most likely messily).

My theory is that Xylic is the first son of the kingdom, but illegitimate. Not Fang, not Sangwine. What that guy in the tall tower said about kings having special powers granted them refers to Xylic's special king power. ^_^ Just a crazy theory. I mean, Xylic's father told him to never give up his identity -what if there was a much more serious reason? Just an idea...

I think Colby stated their ages once someplace, and Xylif was younger than Sang....

PLease tell me (Or better yet, show us! ) that she's going to go ballistic mage on his arse and send him flying over the balcony with a shove? I'm thinking something along the lines of what she did to the door...

You know, it would be an interesting thing, but if she were going to do that, I would have thought she'd do it already.

Also, I don't think it works that way. She can do it intentionally, and the only times she's done it before, Albert was imposing on her personal space sexually (well, as sexual as heavy implication and a grope can be anyway).

Didn't she say once that she had to feel enraged and threatened (and something else that meant the same as one of the others?) Right now she looks more desperate and despairing. Not to say that it couldn't happen... but this doesn't look like the same mindframe that sparked it before to me.

She CAN'T do it intentionally I mean. As she and Al'bert established.

Right, but I don't think it will take much more at this point to push her over the edge to enraged, and it's difficult to not feel threatened in her present circumstances. So, fingers crossed....

What's the glowy yellow thing in the fourth-ish panel? In front of Zed's eye and in front of Fang's ear? Looks suspicious to meeeee.

That's Fang's earring glowing as he controls Zedwig. I think...

I think that's the consenus we have come to...

All will be revealed in due time. *wise nod* Though due time is still way too far in the future!

Ah! *flail* So _that's_ how you did this! Wow! So poor Sangwine's going to bleed to death? You're so cruel to your readers, keeping us in suspense like this.
*chews fist waiting for the next page*

No.

No.

It would be perfect if Al'bert steps in now...or Hope. Or Xylic. *bites nails*

I predict Bactine's going to get very very mad and we all know what happens then...

aaaaahhh!!!! NO!!!!

...Should I be concerned that this actually is not a surprise to me? Of course, I'm all like "NOOOOOOOO, Sangwine!" but I so knew it was coming. Even the keeping Bactine from healing Sangwine. Really. I'm getting all 'ouch' and my sympathy feelings of chills and stuff, but I so knew it was coming. T.T

F***. This is amazing and TERRIBLE all at the same time! The sword dropping from his fingers, the glassy look of a person going into shock (Sangwine! Noooo!), poor, horrified Zedwig, freaked out Bactine, and pure evil just dripping out of the oh-so-composed Fangline... it's just perfect. Amazing.

HOLY #&^$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

RESIST ZEDWIG!! RESSIIISSSTT!!! Fangline has basically killed him...poor dude....

Bactine is going to die, how could you??? Excuse me while I go sob...

No! My happy ending! How can Zedwig and Fangline live happily ever after if Sangwine dies!?

NOOOOOOOO! Fang is so evil! He can't stop Bactine from healing Sangwine. That would be wrong. And if anything happens to either of them I will cry! There Fang - put that into your pipe and smoke it.

No offense, but I don't see how right and wrong has ever stopped Fangline before. :-P

I mean wrong as in an against-the-laws-of-the-universe kinda wrong.

YES!

I love you Fang! Hail the Emperor!

Why is this called Fang the Merciless? It should be Fang the Awesome!

Also, what's up with Al'bert? I don't care about Bactine or Sangwine, I want me Fromage! ;P (no, kidding, seriously. I'd die if I didn't get to know what's next)

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

You'd think Bactine would be angry enough to send Fangline flying through the air like she did to Al'bert...but I guess her concern for Sangwine is overshadowing that.

Is it just me, or does Zedwig look like his soul has been detached from his body? So zombie-ish. O_O

Seeing the sketch beforehand kept me from pulling my hair out, Colby, but the sheer magnitude only hit me when I saw it in all its glorious color. :-D Magnificent! *claps*

Yes! That's what she'll do! Send Fang flying. Off the balcony. Mwhahahahahahahahaha!

I'm personally plumping for that too! ^_^

ai-YA! NOOOOOOOOOO sanguine cannot die! zedwing!!! DO something!!!!!

He shot Sangwine in the gut? That's just brutal.
Nice page.

Brutak yes but lucky for Sangwine this wound will take time to kill him. Zedwig risk to be healed and there will still have time for Sangwine to be rescued. Maybe not by Bactine but the other are in their way.

AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, I can't think of anything else right now, except isn't it about time Zedwig ripped out that stinkin' earring and *acted*??

And of course the whole page is brilliant. Brilliantly evilly brilliant. When's the next up? Whaddaya mean not yet??

AAAAAHHH!!!! NO! Bad. Bad bad bad. Very bad. *hyperventilates* Sangwine CANNOT die. And neither can Bactine!

By the way,
The last panel is absolutely amazing. I adore the perspective on it!

Don't die!!!!

Oh, it's just going to be a tragedy...Bactine is in trouble...

Distant?
As though he were just reciting a dossier..
I absolutely love Fang's expressions in the entire page, but especially so after he pulls away from Zedwig. A very smug "Oh, I win." look. But Zedwig when Fangline - ho boy, I LOVE it!
You really can feel the shock from Bactine and Sangwine though. There's some serious emotional counter-acting, ja xD
I like how you don't see Sangwine much of all after the shot.. I really do like that.

*claps insanely* Brilliance - genius - all around Colby!!!

AUGH! (so there is some merit in sitting pressing the refresh button until your fingers hurt). This page is so beautiful! Poor Sangwine! Poor Zedwig! Fang looks so EVIL and composed.

....

*dies*

I imagine my face looks a lot like my avatar thingy right now...

Notice how Fang says "the prince"? Not "my brother", or "Sangwine"? That strikes me as telling something about him. He really is being very cool and... well... debonaire (if that's the right word) about all this...

....Wow.
My brain cannot process anything better quite yet.
Just.. wow. The extra time = amazing.. brilliant.