The Wanderer spread his arms and looked 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.
"But I thought you were going to change me somehow?" She asked, bewildered and relieved.
The Wanderer pouted. "Hey, give the magic a chance to work. Who do you think I am, David Blaine?"
Sure enough, Karyn began feeling a tingling sensation in her chest as her breasts ... shrank and returned to their original size. The relief on her back was immediate and soothing. Further examination revealed that her hair had returned to its original length and color.
"Wow. Thanks ... I guess." She said, relieved that her previous wish had been reversed, but still suspicious. "How did you do that? Wishes can't be reversed."
"For you? No. But those limitations only apply to pedestrian users of the stone. I can draw it's power directly to do ... well, more or less whatever I want."
"Okay then, 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, it was a conspicuous bright yellow that seemed to somehow simultaneously glow and give off no light at all.
"What is this?" Jon asked, finding he had a mouth again. There was a bright pink 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 "Overall Personality: Nerdy Girl Next Door". Oh no Jon thought, beginning to understand.
"Just a little present for my unchanged observer. That device is an indicator of what I like to call you're formerly enhanced friend here's "bitch level". The bar on the top will fill more and more the closer she comes to being the type of bitch that she envied in that Sarah girl. When it's full, the changes become permanent somewhere around the point when she's even a bigger bitch than that Sarah girl." The Wanderer's tone was mild, like a professor giving a lecture. "I'm not sure you two would quite get along as well as you do now," he said with a slight grin.
"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 to 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 a while. But on terms entirely up to me. This is non-negotiable. 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.
