Love, love, love this! Wish I could upvote multiple times. It reminds me of stories like Stardust (there are probably better examples, but I just read it fairly recently and I've only just started getting into fantasy novels), with the tongue-in-cheek tone mixed with an overall groundedness. I think the last line would have hit sooner and harder if this was say, a hundred pages into the tale of our heroes (however long it would take to become familiar with them and their dynamic), but once it sunk in, I think I gasped a little.

Brilliant work. If this was a novel, I would buy it immediately.