appointed time. He had to prepare himself.

Taking out the pouch the mage gave him, he

shook the crystalized potion into his hand and

put the contents into his mouth. As instructed, he

waited until he tasted metal and then swallowed.

The mage guaranteed him it would work. It had to,

he had been a pawn of the deamon for too long. This

should protect him when the dread Cra’chow

Tsunambee, a shape shifter, used its charming spells

on him again.

And there it came.

This time in the form of a green dragon. It sailed

through the air like the gulls he’d seen while at sea.

As it landed near him, Dallenger could almost swear

an oath that he saw it smile at him. “A-ah!

Daahallengeer!

Prompt as usual.” It said as it winged to

the ground.

“Have I a choice?” Dallenger replied.

Cra’chow hesitated just a moment and replied, “Ah,

no. You do not my friend. Sha-hall we begin?” Which

ment Dallenger had to submit to Cra’chow’s charm

breath. One of the natural powers of a shape shifting

Tsunambee.

Dallenger approached the dragon and inhaled as it

exhaled an invisible cloud of natural charm potion.

Dallenger thought to himself, “This had better work.

The town’s depending on me. And not only that, if I

fail, what horrible fate awaits me at the hands of this

deamon.” A moment of light headedness and as his

eyes opened and focused, he was staring straight

into the snout of Cra’chow.

“Ah-h, my friend, whaa news you bring me tohooday?”

It breathed out.

Dallenger had never noticed before how hideous a

green dragon’s nostrils were. He could see at least a

finger length into the snout. Bumpy and moist, little

thick hairs atop each bump. He realized in that second

he wasn’t under Cra’chow’s power! He quickly

recovered and said, “Ah, Supreme Cra’chow, there is

talk of a wizard gathering in town very soon. Secret, of

course, but one of which I shall learn where, never

fear.”

Magic was Cra’chow’s weakness. He could never

amass enough. It fed off its power. The more it had the

stronger it got. “M-m-m. Maybe I should accompany

you into town and ‘make friends’ with a wizard or two?

M-m-m? Hee-Hee, m-m-m...”

Interrupting its thoughts, Dallenger said, “A green

dragon will be noticable, yes?”

“M-m-m? Oh, yes, quite . I think I-I shall go as an elf

high-priest, no? Yes!” In its confidence of Dallenger as

a lacky, it began to transform in front of him. It

stopped walking and its snout and wings began to

shrink. Dallenger noticed that the body itself began to

grow smaller. He could see Cra’chow’s eyes transfixed

on a far away point, and decided he should strike now!

As the shapeshifter continued to morph, Dallenger

drew his hip daggers and decided to strike Cra’chow in

its shortening, vunerable, fleshy neck. Quickly, he

readied his arms over the back of the neck and struck

both daggers in at the same time!

“Ca-a-ack!!” It choked and spasmed and struck out

forward with an ever diminishing dragon-like claw. It

was like holding the reins of a bucking horse!