You follow Lawson quite a ways outside the village. You don't feel the aches and tiredness of old age, but your unfamiliar form gives you a strange gait and your clothes are itchy. Lawson does not even bother to look back the entire time, as though he could care less if you were still there. You feel more grumpy with each step, wondering what more trouble you were going to land yourself in. Finally, after what seems like hours of tramping down trails past fields, then forest, and finally wilderness, Lawson turns onto a small side path and seemingly walks through some bushes. Remembering the secret path you traversed earlier, you follow him in. As you guessed, it is merely camouflage, and you end up in a fairly large clearing surrounded by woods.
Before you go any further, Lawson turns around and places three shiny pebbles across the path behind you, in front of the fake bushes. Mumbling something faintly, he touches each of the pebbles and you see a faint spark from each of them in turn. Apparently finished, Lawson continues down the path, which leads to a rather roomy but strangely-shaped three-story cottage with stone walls and a wooden roof. You are surprised at the size of this construction, as it is seemingly in the middle of nowhere, but it does appear relatively old, as there is ivy growing up the walls. Nevertheless, it is in good condition, with fine glass windows and a large balcony on the third floor. Approaching the door, Lawson again mumbles something and you see him tracing some figures on the door. With a slight creak, it swings open, and you eagerly step up to get inside and relax. However, before you can do so, Lawson reaches inside and then turns, stopping you.
"Fetch water for the bath," he orders, handing you a large pail and indicating the side yard, which you finally notice has a well. At first, you're dumbfounded. After that long trek, you don't even get to relax, but rather are sent off to do menial chores like a real servant! Before you can object, Lawson enters the cottage and closes the door. Cursing Lawson under your breath, you trudge over to the well and begin hauling up water. Entering the house through a side door which Lawson has just opened for you, you glare at him as he points to a room with a cast iron bathtub and a stove with an exhaust that runs under the tub before going out the roof. "Make sure to gather the firewood as well," Lawson demands over his shoulder as he heads back into the cottage. Growling, you continue your task. When you're finally done, you stomp into the cottage to give Lawson a piece of your mind.
Only to find Lawson busily airing out the house, pulling out sheets, and sweeping the floors, having ditched his robes for simpler clothes. From the look of it, he's been working just as hard as you, if not more so. Nothing like the haughty Mage Apprentice you've known so far. Noticing your presence, he lifts his head.
"Go ahead and bathe first, you probably need it more," Lawson says distractedly. Feeling kind of bad now for doubting Lawson, you head to the bath, not arguing since you are glad to be out of the miserable rags. You try to take the medallion off as well, but it will not budge, and you remember Lawson said only he could remove it. You're tempted to ask him, but you don't want to get back into those flea-infested garments. Sighing, you climb into the tub and try to wash your worries away, even though you can't ignore the unfamiliar anatomy you now possess. Finally done, you climb out, only to realize you have no other clothes. Holding a soft cloth you were using as a towel around you, you walk gingerly out of the bathroom and down the hallway.
"Uh...What clothes do I wear?" you ask, spotting Lawson placing a pot on a hook over the fire.
"Here, these should do," he says, leading you upstairs to a room where clothes are laid out on a bed. Although not fancy, they are much better than what you have been wearing so far. "They're fairly traditional servant garments, Master had some left over." At the mention of the word servant, you remember your predicament.
"Do I have to stay in this form? Can't I just be my normal self? There's no one to see me here!" you plead with Lawson. Rather than responding, Lawson motions you over in front of a full-length mirror in the corner of the room and indicates for you to remove your towel. Once you do, he lifts the medallion over your head.
"Go ahead and try to change back," he says flatly, but from the tone of his voice, you suspect it won't be that easy. Nevertheless, you still had to try. Concentrating, you bring up an image of yourself in your mind and close your eyes. You also try to remember the way your body felt originally, and imagine your anatomy shifting back to the way it was. Opening your eyes, you gaze at the mirror hopefully, but soon frown in confusion. Your reflection looks strange, like someone made a doll from a picture of you. Your proportions are slightly off, and the details of your features are missing. "Not bad for a first attempt, you do have some potential," Lawson nods, to your shock, approvingly.
"What do you mean? That looks nothing like me!" you squawk, looking down at yourself. Even your voice is strange, not quite the same pitch.
"Of course it doesn't," Lawson responds easily. "You have no idea what you are doing. Still, being able to shift that much on pure instinct is admirable." Lawson turns and goes over to a shelf, then pulls out a yellowed book, opening it. Walking over to you, he shows you the page, which has a detailed sketch of the human skeletal and muscular systems, nearly what you would expect to see in your biology textbook, except obviously drawn by hand. "You don't know the difference in pelvic size between a male and a female. You didn't bother to consider the way the change in skeletal structure of the face affects the shape of the muscles above. Even your organ placement is haphazard." Suddenly, Lawson reaches out and points at your brand, and without warning, you are staring at your original appearance in the mirror, as perfect as it was your last day on Earth. Overjoyed, you look down to confirm, only to remember you are still completely naked. Flustered, you clumsily try to cover your chest with your hands, while Lawson pays no attention to your discomfiture.
"H-how did you do that?" You still manage to ask, your face red.
"The same any master would to their familiar, I infused your body with magic and altered your anatomy," Lawson replies evenly, turning and putting the book away. "As we are Linked, once you understand how it works, you should be able to do it yourself naturally, without a spell from me, which will save me some energy. We just have to cram as much anatomical study into you as we can in the short time we have, and once you can access my memories..." Lawson trails off as he mutters. Well, you may have escaped a test by ending up in this world, but studying, nope. Lawson turns back and looks you over, not paying attention to your embarrassment.
"We'll have to decide what form you're going to be in for now, if you don't want to be the old man. If you're not him, you can't be completely human just in case we get an unexpected guest, even though the wards should keep most people out," Lawson explains. You frown, but then ponder exactly what form you should take, because you don't want Lawson to shift you into something you can't stand, like the old man.
"Look," you begin. "For now, can't you just let me ..."