The two youths made love, at first fiercely as Mika felt the sexuality that had long been stifled by endless hours of study and his master's hostile attitude reborn. He could barely contain the power of Luka's magnificent body, swept away by the raw, dominating passion of the barbarian. Then slowly, as Mika taught Luka the more subtle pleasures of manhood. Exhausted, the two collapsed into each other's arms. "I love being male" Luka whispered into his lover's ear.
At that moment, Mika realized the sensation he had felt on lowering himself into the pool, and cursed himself for being so blinded by lust as to fail to take the elementary precaution of checking the water for magical properties. A brief probe confirmed his fears.
"Uh, it's a good thing you like it" he answered. "Cause this pool is permanency water."
"Permanency water?" asked Luka.
"Means that after bathing in it, you can't be transformed. You can grow old like anyone else, but your body can't be transformed magically. Our bodies, that is."
Luka stood up and raised his hands to the heavens. "Praised be the gods" he stated. "Goodbye Jayrene."
Esmeralda smirked. She had decided that the way to overcome the annoying invaders was to separate them and work transformations that would leave them harmless. The pig thing, she had to acknowledge, had not been a good idea. But chickens might do it. She didn't know who the second man was, but the first was that annoying magician, and he seemed to be naked, which meant that after turning him, she could recover the stone he had been using. Then all she would need to do is find another greedy fool like the innkeeper, and she'd be back in business.
The wizard first, then get the strange barbarian while he was too stunned to react. Esmeralda cast the spell.
The two men's heads turned towards her, too late she smirked. The pool in which they were bathing gave off a strange glow, and Esmeralda felt a disturbance in the link she maintained to her spell. Almost as if it was bouncing back, oh no, oh no, cluck, cluck.
The barbarian moving like lightning scooped up the chicken who had formerly been a witch and carried back to the pool. He exchanged a quick glance with Mika, who nodded, and the chicken received its baptism in permanency water. Esmeralda was exactly as mad as a wet hen, which is exactly what she was.
Luka placed the angry chicken on the ground and smiled. "I won't eat her--it's not good to eat things that used to be people--but I'm sure she'll make a fine meal for one of the local foxes."
Esmeralda started pecking the ground. Cluck.
"C'mon" said Mika. "I doubt if the innkeeper knew about this place, otherwise he would have used it on you" Luka shuddered. "But we need to go back and take care of the people in the stables." He was getting dressed. Luka joined him.
"We better take the chicken with us." Mika said. "I really don't want that witch on her own, even if she is a chicken."
They looked around. Esmeralda was gone.