Casting Vote

The impulse that the "new" Fred had felt to embrace Exotica promptly vanished. "All right," he snapped. "Be like that."

The "original" Fred felt that he ought to intervene before things could degenerate into a shouting match. "Will you help us to kill the Dragon?" he asked his counterpart. "Our chances will be much enhanced if you will join us."

"Of course. After all, that's why I came to these caves in the first place."

"Good," Exotica said. "Once we have killed the Dragon, his magicks that prevent anyone from leaving should disappear. [172] We'll be able to rescue Astra and the others that the Dragon has enslaved and then get out of here."

"Astra?" the new Fred queried. "Who's she?"

"Princess Astra of Aqualaria," original Fred explained. "I met her soon after I entered the caverns. She was chained up. But for some reason, my sword wouldn't cut through her chains, even though it cut through Princess Exotica's without any trouble."

"Let's not waste any more time," new Fred said. "We have a dragon to kill. Lead me to it."

"There's a slight problem with that," Exotica said. "We seem to be lost. We were attempting to retrace our steps when we came to this door, which wasn't there before." She indicated the door through which new Fred had emerged.

"Why were you retracing your steps?"

"There was a pool blocking our way. It only seemed to be a foot or two deep, but Fred - that's 'my' Fred - didn't like the look of it for some reason, and didn't want us to cross it."

"So you wanted to go on, but Fred decided that you'd turn back," new Fred said. "I suppose that I have the casting vote now...

1. "We'll never get anywhere if we allow ourselves to be spooked by pools of water."
2. "I'm with my double on this one. You can't be too careful."

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