Add Astrid

The Never Ending Quest - Episode 18347

"No, not a wise move at all, Sir Fred. My mind and body are protected from harm or seizure by magic far more powerful than any djinn, you see. That means that you've wasted a wish. And since you had to use one to find me, and since our djinn-in-training is still about, that means that you've used two wishes, and have just one left!"

Fred glanced at Astra, who, since Belboz's back was to her, gave her head a very small shake "no". Since she wasn't able to carry it out, it doesn't count against my three! Fred realized. But he very carefully did not display this to the sorceror - it was information that he could, perhaps, use to his advantage.

"Worse than wasting a wish, though, you have angered me," Belboz continued. "I was more than willing to do my part - help you slay that stupid dragon - for nothing more than possession of the lamp. Now, though, I'll have to punish you in order to speed things along. And don't even think of drawing that sword of yours on me, oh great hero! I can render it - or you - harmless before you so much as get it past the scabbard!" Fred realized this was probably true, but he was nonetheless prepared to act if he could.

"Now, what shall I do to... Hmmm. Oh, I know! What a wonderfully mischevious solution!" He turned to face Fred. "So you wish to see Astra out of the lamp, eh? Well, I do believe I can arrange that!" And before Fred could react, the old wizard made a gesture with his hands.

A thick, purplish fog suddenly sprang up around Fred, shielding him from view of both Belboz and Astra. Astra lept forward to protect her master, but found her way blocked by Belboz's magicks. "Sorry, djinn," Belboz said, "I can't have you interfering."

She whirled to face him. "Release my master, wizard!" she exclaimed, "Or face the consequences!" Without noticing it, her voice had taken on an ominious, booming timber it never held before, and her eyes were now glowing as red as the ruby embedded in her navel and crackling with power.

Belboz only laughed. "Temper, temper, my soon-to-be servant! There's no need to fret over your 'master'. The fog should lift about - now!"

Astra turned - and her mouth fell open in shock.

"Astra? What's the matter - the - what..."

Belboz laughed even harder. "Why so shocked? You wanted to see Astra freed from the lamp, right? Well - now you can!" Between cackles, he pointed at a mirror.

Fred turned to gaze into the mirror, and found his worst fears confirmed. Somehow, the wizard had transformed him into an exact duplicate of Astra, just as she had been before entering the lamp. He stared in awe and shock at the image of what he had become: a gorgeous young woman, tall, athletic, full-breasted - and wearing absolutley nothing.

"Oh, master - uh, mistress! I am so sorry!" Astra - the original Astra said sadly.

"Now," Belboz said, "The way I see it, Astra - I suppose I should call you something else, shouldn't I? Astrid, perhaps. Yes, that'll do. You see, Astrid, you now have only four options. One, you can pass over mastry of the lamp to me, upon which I will restore you to your original form and supply you with the tools you need to defeat the dragon. Two, you can use your third wish to return to normal. Once you do, your business with the lamp is finished, and it will vanish - only I've spelled this cavern to have it reappear in my own hands, making me its new master, and leaving you nothing to defeat the dragon with. Three, you can take the lamp, and set out as you are now to find and defeat the dragon. Of course, you now have no armor or weapons, and even if you manage to somehow locate and recover Astra's original equipment, you'll likely have to use that last wish to get you out of some life or death jam, leaving you in this form forever, and sending her off to await some new master, at some random point in time and space."

Fred - Astrid - attempted to cross her arms, but found them obstructed by her new female anatomy. "You - you mentioned four options!" she said, a bit shakily.

Belboz nodded. "So I did. The fourth course is this: you take Astra's place as the djinn of the lamp. That way, I give her the means to slay the dragon, she is free to go, I have my djinn - you - to observe and measure, and you not only rescue the princess, you gain immortality and immeasurable power."

Astrid thought about it for a moment, then said:

  1. "Very well, wizard - you win. How do I pass ownership to you?"
  2. "I wish I was back in the form of Lord Fred." She smiled smugly, realizing that she still had the remaining wish.
  3. "I believe Astra and I will take our chances, wizard!" And with that, she and Astra turned and exited the way they came in.
  4. "If it will rid both Allaria and Aqualaria of the Dragon and free Astra, then I consent - I will take her plae as slave to the lamp."
  5. "Who is this 'Astrid' you speak of? And just who are *you* to speak so to Astra, Warrior Princess of Aqualaria?!?"
  6. "All I can say is - VELUS!!! NOW!!!!"

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Bill L.

1/22/2002 10:53:19 PM

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