Scott Coulson stood back, his hat pulled low to hide his face as he watched the gorgeous blonde woman leave the office building. He’d been there, watching her every night for the last week, making sure that he knew her routine, and more importantly, building his courage to act.
Bethany Taylor was an impressive woman, one who was gifted in nearly every way possible. Physically, she was nothing short of stunning, with long legs, a slender waist, and a pair of perfectly shaped breasts. She always dressed to showcase her appearance, usually in a sexy yet professional outfit. At least, that was how she’d always been dressed when Scott saw her.
Her mind was nearly as sharp as she was attractive, which most would consider to be quite an accomplishment. Bethany had an ivy league education, which she was quite proud of, and she was adept at spotting opportunities and taking full advantage of them. However, her most dangerous trait was that she was ambitious, and completely ruthless when it came to getting what she wanted.
Scott’s eyes narrowed as he watched Bethany strut through the parking lot as though she owned it, moving with the same easy grace and confidence that she always had. This was it, the opportunity to act, before she got into her car and drove away the same way that she had every other night that week.
“Not tonight,” Scott muttered, deciding that he was finally ready to act.
With his mind made up, Scott reached for the amulet that hung around his neck. It was a flat bronze disk about four inches across, with an image of scales etched in the center. Small clear gemstones were embedded all around the outside of the disk, twenty of them in total.
“Bethany Taylor,” Scott stated as he concentrated on his goal and activated the magic of the amulet.
The amulet grew warm in Scott’s hand, then some of the gemstones began to glow with a faint green light. Nine of them were glowing. It was just like Scott had been told. The amulet now linked him and Bethany.
“It works,” he whispered. At least, this part seemed to work, and he could only hope that the rest would as well.
Scott took a deep breath, feeling nervous yet excited at the same time. Then, he stepped forward and walked towards Bethany.
“Bethany,” Scott said to get her attention.
Bethany snapped around and stared at him, her eyes immediately showing recognition. “Scott,” she said with a faint sneer. “There’s a restraining order…” Then, she smirked and added, “In fact, I believe there’s a warrant out for your arrest too…”
Without a moment of hesitation, Bethany pulled out her cell phone and called the police. At least, she tried to. There was no signal. No response.
Scott let out a sigh of relief, thankful that this part had proven to be accurate too. And if this part was true, then the amulet would also protect their confrontation in other ways. Specifically, neither of them should show up on any cameras and nobody else should pay any attention to them. The amulet would prevent any outside interference, including any witnesses.
“That isn’t going to work,” Scott said, feeling encouraged and emboldened.
Bethany’s eyes narrowed slightly. “You’re using a jammer.”
Scott didn’t bother to correct her. She turned to run, only to find that she couldn’t take more than a single step before she couldn’t go any further.
“What is this?” Bethany demanded, clearly confused about why she couldn’t simply run away.
“You ruined my life,” Scott accused. “You took EVERYTHING from me.”
“You’re deranged,” Bethany told him in a smug tone. “A crazed lunatic who is going to spend the rest of his miserable little life in prison.”
Scott just stared at Bethany, remembering the first time he’d ever seen her. She had just joined his company and had been assigned to his department as one of his new subordinates. He’d immediately seen her talent, though he’d been blind to just how ruthless she could be.
“You framed me for embezzlement,” Scott grimly reminded her. “You destroyed my career so you could take my position. And then, when I found someone who was willing to entertain my innocence and help me look for proof…you had Rachael accuse me of…assault.”
“That’s quite the conspiracy theory,” Bethany said. “Too bad you don’t have any evidence of these wild claims.”
Scott clenched his fist at her smug denial, knowing quite well that there was no evidence. At least, not anymore. Bethany was very good at covering her tracks.
“Everyone turned on me,” Scott hissed. “Everyone believed your lies. My wife. My family. I lost EVERYTHING.”
“That really sounds like a you problem,” Bethany responded, trying to leave again but finding that she could only take a single step.
Scott could see the worry on her face, though she was doing a good job of trying to hide it. Bethany was the kind of person who never showed weakness…unless it served her purpose.
“You took everything from me,” Scott growled, grabbing hold of the amulet with one hand and feeling the comforting tingle of its power. “So, I’m going to take everything from you.”
Bethany took another step back, a single step before she couldn’t move again. “So,” she stated defiantly. “You want revenge.”
“Revenge,” Scott agreed. “Or justice. You see, you owe me a large karmic debt…nine stones worth…and this amulet lets me collect on it.”
Bethany had taken away everything that Scott had valued. His career. His reputation. His friends and family. Now, he was going to take away everything that was important to her. But he wanted to start small. He wanted to test the amulet before calling on its full power.
“HELP,” Bethany called out to a man who was walking nearby. “I’M BEING ATTACKED!” He just continued on his way, not reacting at all.
Scott ignored Bethany’s cry for help, knowing that it would do no good. Not while he was still confronting her.
“Your hair,” Scott said, deciding that this would be a good test. “I want your hair.”
He felt a tingling in his scalp as his hair suddenly began to grow longer, knocking his hat off in the process. It tickled, especially as it grew past his neck. At the same time, Bethany’s hair was shrinking, pulling back into her head as though years of growth were reversing in seconds.
When it was finished, Scott had vibrant golden-blonde hair that went down past his shoulders. He reached up and felt it, running his fingers through the silky-smooth strands with a sense of awe. Going from thinning hair to THIS… He could barely believe it.
Then Scott looked at Bethany, noting that she hadn’t gone completely bald like he’d expected. Instead, her hair was short, scraggly, and dull looking. The amulet hadn’t taken all of her hair, just most of its length and vibrancy.
“Interesting,” Scott mused, now having a little better idea of how the amulet worked. He looked at the surface and noticed that nine of the gems were still green, though one of them was much duller than before. “So, that didn’t take up a full gem.”
“MY HAIR,” Bethany screamed, grabbing her hair while staring at Scott with a look of shocked horror. “WHAT DID YOU DO?”
“I think that’s obvious,” Scott responded with a chuckle as he ran a hand through his hair again. “You’re paying back what you owe me…whether you want to or not.”
“You can’t do this,” she hissed. “It’s impossible.”
Scott didn’t bother arguing with her since the magic at work did that for him. “You’re so proud of your elite, ivy league education, so I’m taking that…”
A rush of new knowledge flooded into Scott’s mind, leaving him dizzy and confused for several seconds. He staggered, then caught his balance and his senses. Bethany was staggering as well, looking just as stunned at that as he was.
“Did it work?” Scott muttered.
However, a quick mental survey assured him that it did. He now knew things that he hadn’t known before, and he even had a recollection of attending some elite college that he’d never even been to.
Then he looked at the amulet and noticed that two of the green gems had faded back to clear, leaving him with only seven of them remaining. Or, was that six and a half?
“Two gems for that?” he mused, questioning just how expensive that bit of knowledge had been. “Then again, that was years of study and effort, so this might actually be cheap.”
Scott laughed in delight, enjoying how this new knowledge felt in his mind, and at how easily he’d gained it. Of course, he certainly hadn’t been uneducated before, but this was all a very nice addition to what he already knew, and it covered things that he’d never studied before.
Then his eyes narrowed as he looked at Bethany. “I know that you’re quite proud of your fitness. I’ve heard you bragging about how you spend at least an hour in the gym every single day. So, that’s what I’m taking next.”
With those words, Scott felt a tingle run through his body, and as it passed, it felt stronger. Healthier. More energetic. He shifted his body and could feel that his muscle tone had definitely improved while the layer of flab around his waist had vanished. A quick glance at the amulet revealed that this change had cost him a single green gem.
“What did you do to me?” Bethany demanded, now slumping over and looking a little tired.
“I feel amazing,” Scott told her with a grin. “Especially after months of nonstop stress.” He made a show of stretching his body as he enjoyed how much better he felt. “But I’m not done yet.”
Bethany gulped and took another step back. A single step. It seemed that the amulet wouldn’t let her go more than one step at a time. Of course, he was under no such restriction, but he had no intention of going anywhere just yet.
At this point, Scott had already taken everything that he could without it being too obvious. From this point on, the things that were left to take were awkward…even embarrassing. However, they were also things that Bethany highly valued, which meant that he wanted to take them from her.
“Your breasts,” Scott said, his eyes going to Bethany’s chest. “All the sexy curves that you use to get attention…to manipulate men and get your way. I’m taking them.”
“WHAT?” Bethany blurted out.
Scott gasped as his body began to shift and change. He staggered for a moment, then quickly regained his balance. Then he grabbed his chest, which was swelling beneath his palms, growing larger and larger with every second.
“Good thing I have loose clothes,” Scott said as he felt his hips and ass expanding as well.
His eyes went to Bethany, who was changing in the opposite way. Her impressive breasts were deflating, shrinking more with every passing second. Her hips and ass likewise shrank, causing all of her clothes to become increasingly loose on her body.
The transformation didn’t take long, only about a quarter of a minute, but it felt like it took much longer. Scott continued to hold his growing breasts until they reached their full size, then he tore his hands away as though he’d been burned.
“They’re…sensitive,” he muttered.
Scott stared down at his body, taking in all of the changes. With all those new curves, his body now looked decidedly female. He now possessed an hourglass figure that most men would desire and most women would envy.
He had always wondered what it would be like to be a woman, to have curves like these, but that had only ever been a mild curiosity. Scott had never seriously wanted to be a woman, and he would have been quite happy to avoid looking like this now. However, these were things that Bethany valued, and that alone made them worth taking.
Then Scott looked at Bethany again, pleased to see that she was not only flat-chested, but completely without any curves. She had the figure of a twelve-year-old boy, a fact that obviously shocked and horrified her as she frantically grabbed at her chest and ass.
“Let’s see,” Scott said as he looked at the medallion. “Two gems.” That left him with three and a half left.
Bethany abruptly lunged at Scott, and he’d gotten close enough that she was able to reach him, of just barely. Before he knew it, she’d snatched the amulet off his neck and pulled it tight.
“Now to fix this,” she hissed. “I’m going to make you pay for this…”
“Go ahead,” Scott taunted her.
“I’m taking everything back,” Bethany announced dramatically. Nothing happened.
Bethany stepped back and stared at the amulet in confusion. Instead of four green gems, there were now four red gems.
“The red means that you owe ME a debt,” Scott said as he easily moved forward and snatched the amulet back. As soon it was back in his own hands, those same gems turned green again. “It won’t work for you that way.”
Of course, he didn’t tell her that she could have used it a different way. Bethany wouldn’t be able to take anything from him, but she could give her own traits to him to pay off her karmic debt, as long as they were things that she herself valued on some level. That would have given her much more control over this process, which was something that Scott wanted to avoid.
“It looks like I have a bit more left than I expected,” Scott said as he stepped back, making sure that she couldn’t reach him like that again. “Let’s see…”
Scott stared at Bethany, trying to think of what else of value she might have. He’d already taken her education and nearly all of her feminine charms. Then, he had an idea. It was a bit further than what he’d intended, but there was a certain excitement to the idea as well.
He hesitated for a moment, suddenly wondering if he was going too far, if he was being too cruel. But then, he remembered the way his own brother had kicked his ass, calling him a perverted monster. He remembered the way his own parents had told him to never return. He remembered the way his wife Selena had left with their son Danny, promising that Scott would never see him again. And it was all because of Bethany’s lies and manipulations. With that reminder, he hardened his resolve.
“I’m taking your pussy,” Scott said, delighted to see the shocked look on Bethany’s face. “And everything that goes with it, including your knowledge of how to take care of it.”
Scott felt a tingling in his groin, right beneath his existing equipment. But more than that, he felt the tingling extending further inside his body, indicating that he was gaining more than just the outer organ. When the changes finished, he reached down his pants and felt the vagina that now rested beneath his cock and balls.
“Damn,” he whispered.
One glance at Bethany saw her grabbing at her own groin, though whether she now possessed a vestigial or was about as anatomically correct as a Barbie doll, he had absolutely no idea, nor did he care enough to find out. What he did know was that she looked almost completely androgynous.
Scott blinked as he considered the new information that settled into his mind, skills related to personal hygiene. Until that moment, he hadn’t even considered that he might acquire Bethany’s periods along with her genitals, but he knew how to deal with them.
Then Scott realized that he also knew the best ways to handle another form of self-care. He knew exactly how to play with his new parts in order to get the most pleasure out of them. The very thought of doing so made him become both hard and wet at the same time.
“How much did that cost?” Scott mused as he looked at the amulet. “Two gems. That actually seems kind of cheap for what I took. I guess I have one and a half left.”
“YOU CAN’T DO THIS,” Bethany shouted as she tried charging at Scott, though she could still only move a single step before being stopped.
“I think I’ve just proven that I can,” Scott responded.
“I’ll tell the truth,” Bethany pleated. “I’ll tell everyone you were set up… Just give me back my body.”
“It’s too late,” Scott told her with a sad shake of his head. “You’ve already destroyed everything.”
Scott took another step back, just to discourage Bethany from making another attempt on the amulet. He looked her over, having already taken nearly that made her a woman. All her curves, and even her womanhood itself. But he could still take more. His eyes went to the amulet and he nodded. One and a half gems more.
“I’m taking your great skin,” Scott announced, staring at Bethany as he said this. “Your beauty and gracefulness. Everything I need to know about looking and moving like a beautiful woman.”
“No,” Bethany cried out.
Another wave of tingling washed over Scott’s body and he could feel the changes, though they were much more subtle than what he’d already undergone. He looked at his arms, noticing that the arm hair was gone and that his skin was now soft and smooth. Further down, his fingernails were now long and perfectly manicured. He had no doubt that at this point, he looked so much like a beautiful woman that no one would ever guess what he really was.
“And what am I?” Scott asked, more out of a vague curiosity than out of shock or horror over what he’d done to himself. “I’m both…man and woman now.”
Scott considered the new knowledge that he’d just gained as well. Fashion. Makeup. How to walk in high heels and move his body to draw attention.
Then he looked to the amulet and was a little surprised to see that one gem still had a little green in it. He would have thought that this last use would have drained everything left, but there was still enough for just a tiny bit more. Maybe one small thing.
“Your voice,” Scott said, deciding that he needed a voice to match his body. There was a faint tingling in his throat, though it came and went in mere seconds.
“You can’t do this to me,” Bethany pleaded, her voice now quiet and raspy. “You’ve taken everything from me.”
“That was the point,” Scott told her, his voice sounding stronger and more melodic, feminine and almost hypnotic. A quick glance at the amulet confirmed that all the gems were clear, with no sign of green remaining. “Your debt has been paid. The scales are balanced.”
Scott didn’t bother saying anything more after that. Instead, he simply turned around and walked away, fully aware of how different his body now moved and felt. This would take a bit to get used to, though the knowledge he’d taken from Bethany would definitely help with that.
Now that Scott had balanced the scales with Bethany, he wasn’t quite sure of what he was going to do now. His old life was dead and gone, destroyed by lies and abandonment. And with the way he looked now, he couldn’t go back to that life anyway, even if it did still exist. Now he would have to start over with a new life. With a new identity. He actually looked forward to doing so.
Of course, there was one last piece of business to take care of before he could move on. The amulet. When it had been given to him, he’d been told that once he was done with it, he would have to pass it on to someone else who’d been wronged…who needed to balance the scales. Now, he needed to find the right person to give it to.
The End