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An Interview with a Dragon - Part V: The Story of Bertrand

VR: Can you remember any specific examples of a dragon being summoned by a wizard?

AD: Well, one fine young lad of ours, Bertrand, was flying from London to Cambridge one day, and a portal opened right in front of him. He didn't see it in time to dodge it, and so, he was summoned. A black magician named "Damien" wanted Bertrand to stop another wizard, "Julian," from trying to thwart his black magic.

When Bertrand was teleported to Damien's lair, he was placed behind a force field, which Damien would only let down after he agreed to the task in question. "I want you to put an end to Julian's magic once and for all," barked the little old man. "I want you to kill him."

Bertrand, trying to buy himself time to think of what to do, said to the wizard, "Killing him and putting an end to his magic sounds like two distinct tasks, and I'm only bound to do one. What exactly is it that you want me to do? Kill him or stop him from using magic?"

"I want you to kill my arch nemesis Julian!" said Damien.

"OK. So you're saying that you never want to see him alive again. So long as you live, you never want to have to see Julian alive again. Is this correct?"

"Yes! I want you to see to it that I never have to see him alive again."

"Is this what you wish for?" asked Bertrand.

"Yes, this is what I want," Replied Damien.

The clever dragon Bertrand let out a convincing sigh. "OK. I guess I have to do it. I will see to it that you never see Julian alive again." And with that, Bertrand was off to Julian's lair, before Damien could question what he meant in the alleged agreement.

Julian was surprised at Bertrand's arrival, but Bertrand told him why he was there, and explained the whole scenario. "Your arch nemesis Damien summoned me, and now he wants me to kill you. I didn't agree to do that, but I did agree that I would see to it that he never sees you alive again. So keep a low profile, OK?"

"OK, sure. But what about when he is using black magic? How am I supposed to thwart his evil spells, and keep a low profile? This is impossible."

"True, true. How about this: I'll use my magic to make you invisible for the rest of your life. That way, he will never see you alive again, because he won't see you at all. That way, you have the advantage of permanent stealth, and I'm off the hook."

VR