The Wanderer spread his arms and look up as the sky darkened. Thunder boomed as he began chanting in an ancient, alien language. Karyn turned and tried to run but found herself completely immobile. Lightning seemed to strike in the midst of the trio, blinding them. When the flash subsided, Karyn found herself again mobile, and began to frantically examine herself to see what had changed.
Nothing. She even still had the blonde hair and breasts from yesterday's wish.
"But I thought you were going to change me somehow?" She asked, bewildered and relieved, but still somewhat suspicious.
"Ha! Made you look!" The Wanderer laughed.
"No. I don't buy this. What's the catch?"
The Wanderer smiled again. "Smart girl." There was a small flash at Jon's feet where he was standing silently. An odd device roughly the size and shape of a notebook had appeared there. Oddly, it was white with irregular black spots, like the stereotypical holstein cow. It even felt sort of furry when he picked it up.
"What is this?" Jon asked, finding he had a mouth again. There was a screen in the middle of the device, featuring a clear bar much like the loading bar in a computer game, and under that the words "Genotype: 100% Human Phenotype: Homo sapiens sp.". Oh no... Jon thought, beginning to understand.
"Just a little present for my unchanged observer. That device is an indicator of your enhanced friend here's humanity. The bar on the top will fill more and more the more bovine she becomes. You wanted some more impressive udders? You got them. When it's full, the change becomes permanent somewhere around the point where she's unmistakably part cow and utterly unable to function as a human again, but just human enough to be a reminder of what she's lost." The Wanderer's tone was mild, like a professor giving a lecture. "Believe it or not, there are people out there that would pay me to do this." He said wryly.
"What?!" Jon and Karyn exclaimed simultaneously.
"Now now, this wouldn't be a game if you didn't have a possibility of winning, would it? If you manage to catch me before the bar is full, I'll reverse everything and take the stone with me to terrorize another universe. You'll never have to see me again. If you lose, then not only is this permanent, but I'll be staying for awhile."
"Please, please don't do this." Karyn was white with fear. Jon put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her.
"Better people than you have begged from me, sister. No dice."
"Wait, how are we supposed to catch you? With that stone you can do pretty much anything." Jon asked.
"Oh it'll be very easy, since I won't be moving at all. I'll go somewhere and stay put. All you have to do is find out where I've gone. Sort of like that Carmen Sandiego thing." The Wanderer explained.
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Karyn asked.
"I'll give you a few helpful hints and even a bit of...magical aid every once in awhile. But on terms entirely up to me. This is nonnegotiable, it is my game, after all. Now I think I'll give you a day or so to experience the changes with no pressure. Have fun. I'll be seeing you again, really, really soon." And with one last smile, the Wanderer vanished.
