Astra Completes Half a Barrel Roll

Astra Dragon dips a wing and starts to rotate as she telepathically speaks to Fred. "See, Sir Fred, I am indeed Astra the Princess of Aquilaria, and I need your help ...." To her horror, she feels herself stalling. She tries to right herself, but is helpless. All that she can do is to extend her wings and tail and hope to soften the blow of the fall. Fortunately, she crashes to the ground tail first, and avoids falling on her head. Astra bellows with pain, and a plume of flame involuntarily shoots from her mouth. She feels herself growing woozy, and lies there helpless.

"Well done, Checkers. We have beat the evil dragon at its own game. Hurry and hew off its head before it awakens!"

"Don't do it, Fred! She really is a princess."

Fred is shocked by her response. What about the test of the barrel roll? The Death of Belboz? Killing the dragon on general principle? Has the dragon worked some sort of charm on Checkers in a desparate bid to save its own life? Or did Checkers know something that he did not know?

1. Fred takes decisive action and hobbles to strike the final blow.
2. Risking a chance to kill a dragon, Fred asks Checkers to explain.

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