Brian went back into the stable and came back with some brushes and jars, moving with the full knowledge of someone who had grown up here. He realized he had Dar's knowledge and abilities from almost two decades as the Wizard's stable boy. This was really strange combined with Brian's actual past and memories. When he looked at Mike, part of him knew the centaur was actually the boy who'd been his friend since they were little kids. Yet he also saw a centaur who was already partially changed into a Shire stallion, and the potential of making him into a magnificent horse.
He thought about Mike's question before answering. "It's really up to you. I can remove most of the added horse and you can be a normal-looking centaur again. Or I can take you all the way into being a stallion. I can even make you a mare, or a foal." Brian grinned. "Heck, I can put you in a mare's womb as an unborn colt or filly!" It was an incredible feeling knowing he had that power, even if it all stemmed from the Wizard's magic.
"But I'd be an animal, right?" Mike frowned slightly at Brian. "You were pretty upset about me heading that way before. Why the sudden change of heart?"
Brian shrugged. "When Llandros changed me into Dar, he gave me all the kid's memories. Maybe some of Dar's attitudes, but I think I am still mostly me. Anyway, I know how things work in this world way better than I did before. Being a centaur is a lot more dangerous than being a horse, or a human. You are the biggest target most of the time, and adventuring in any kind of closed-in place could be tricky. If you get seriously injured, odds are your party would have to leave you behind because you are just too dammed big and heavy to drag. If you stay out in the open it's better, and if you wanted to skip adventuring and do something like farming or heavy labor, you would be mostly OK."
"So being a centaur makes me a bad risk as an adventurer." Mike sighed. "So what about being a horse? Wouldn't that be as bad or worse?"
"Depends on what you do." Brian patted Mike's side. "You are on your way to becoming a really beautiful war horse. A black Shire stallion. That's due to the magic, though you were already draft-horse based. Llandros set the breed within his spells on purpose. A Shire is sort of the Rolls-Royce of horses - the expensive ride that only rich people usually can afford. Most anyone that might attack a group of adventurers will almost always do what they can to spare any horses, because they are worth a lot here. A war horse like the one I could turn you into would be better than gold or rubies. And anyone who could afford you would have magic to keep you young and healthy for a very long time. That mare you mounted in the pasture? She's at least 30 years old in real time, but she's physically just about 10 years old."
Mike thought that over, then asked "What if I stay like I am?"
"Harder to say." Brian leaned against the stall wall. "You are more susceptible to equine magic now, and Llandros is not the only mage around who has centaur to horse spells. Not to mention direct magical attacks to turn you full animal. But that isn't common, so you have a decent chance of staying like that. But you played around and aren't a true centaur any more. That will cause trouble if you try to join up with a centaur herd. Maybe not too bad, but you'll never really fit in. Besides, Tye seems to have it in for us all, for whatever reason. He set you up for the Wizard's pasture on purpose. I sure as Hell do not trust him any more. That's why I chose to become a stable boy. I wasn't planning on ending up as Dar, but I'm not complaining."
Mike sighed and twisted round to look at himself. "Adventuring was fun when it was just die rolls and imagination. But I sure don't want to have to fight and kill for real. Still, being a full Shire would be pretty limiting." Then he grinned. "Though the mares are nice. And I could even start all over with a new life, experience being born as a horse?"
"Yep." Brian grinned. "Which would be a great way to hide from Tye, too."
Mike furrowed his brow, thinking hard. He wasn't sure he completely believed all this was real - any minute he might wake up in bed and marvel at the fantastic dream he had just had. But there was too much detail, too much sensation. He'd always been fascinated with the idea of transformation. To be fair, Tye might have been trying to do him a favor sending him to the wizard's pasture. Finally, he made up his mind. "This is probably real, and whatever I decide will affect the rest of my life. These are all choices I'd never have had back in our world, and the more I think about it, all of them are better than living a normal boring life back there. What the Hell? I want to..."