Many miles away in another town, the rest of the Team was finishing up the celebrations of their victory over the evil wizard. It had been a hard battle, and even the dragon had been badly injured, but now all of them were fully healed and ready to go back. The small group gathered in a large and comfortable room that the town had set up for them, surrounded by treasure and weapons.
Christine sighed. "Can't we take a little of the gold and jewels with us? It would mean I don't have to work again for the rest of my life! Joe nodded in agreement. "Yeah! We earned all this!"
Tye shrugged. "I guess I could do that. After all, not everyone is going back."
Llandros, the only member of the party who was actually from this strange world, looked surprised. "Wait, you are leaving the boy?"
Brian blinked as he suddenly remembered the powerful young centaur that had been with the party for only a few minutes before dashing off to find the Wizard. He had been successful, but had not returned. "Mike! We forgot about Mike! We have to go back and get him!"
Tye scowled. "Not gonna happen. I told you all that this was real and there were consequences. Anyway, spending eternity as a kid isn't a bad fate, is it? And I gave him a choice - he is the one who didn't leave when I offered to send him home."
"He wanted to spend the rest of his life shoveling horse shit?" Brian shook his head. "That's hard to believe."
Christine gathered up bags of jewels and gold coins with a grin. "Hey, he gets what he wants, and we get what we want! " Joe followed suit. "Yeah, Tye! Send us back with our loot!" The next instant they were gone.
Tye looked at Brian. "Well? Aren't you gonna take some gold or treasure?"
The elf frowned, "Did Mike really choose to stay?"
"I told you. I offered to send him back home, but he wouldn't leave the stable."
Llandros sighed and shook his head. "He cannot leave. There is a curse tied up in the spell that prevents the victim from being able to escape. I had enough resistance that I could go out every now and then, but even I had to return within an hour. He is stuck as a stable boy forever."
"Can't we do anything to help him?" Brian went over to the Wizard, ignoring Tye. "He sacrificed himself to get you for the Team! And freed you!"
Llandros smiled and reached out to place a hand on Brian's shoulder. "I will go back to try helping him. It is the least I can do."
"Consequences!" Tye said angrily. "He has to suffer the consequences! The rest of you got off easy because of him! "
Brian glared at Tye. "So you are going to make him live a miserable life forever? Because he did something that helped us all out?"
"He'll get used to it. In a few decades he won't remember being anyone or anything but a common stable boy." Tye made a visible effort to control his temper. "Anyway, you want to get home with gold and jewels, right? Get what you want and I'll send you back right now."
Instead of answering, Brian asked Llandros "Would it help if I came with you? I don't want to leave Mike."
The young wizard nodded. "Yes. But there would be risks tampering with such powerful magic. You could end up taking his place, joining him, or possibly end up as one of the beasts he takes care of. I can improve his life without risk. But I will not chance getting stuck back there myself."
"If you don't go now, I'll leave YOU stuck here!" Tye growled.
"If you are so hot to get me back, why not just do it?" Brian as angry now. "Why are you so set on making Mike suffer?"
"If you have not noticed, your wizard likes to make people suffer." Llandros shook his head. "And he cannot send you back against your will. A large part of the magic that brought you here is tied to your own desires. He cannot send you back until you are ready to go."
Tye looked incredulous. "What? You want to risk getting caught up here for good, maybe even end up as some dumb animal, to help that moron Mike? You know he came close to being a warhorse by choice? And you want to give up gold and a safe ride home to 'save' him from a choice he made? Maybe he likes being a stableboy!"
"And maybe he doesn't!" Brian shot back. "It sounds like he doesn't have much of a choice right now. " He turned back to Llandros. "I'm going with you. If there is any way to help Mike, it's worth the risk."
"And I thought Mike was the moron!" Tye sneered. "Go ahead and try being a hero. Odds are your buddy there will turn on you, anyway. Remember, HE is the one who should be the stableboy!"
Brian picked up his backpack and headed for the door without looking back. Llandros nodded to Tye. "It seems that all of your companions are not as shallow as you are. I warn you against doing anything to this elf. We are no longer allies, and this is my world. If you interfere, I will know it and retaliate."
"Fine!" Tye spat. "Have your little adventure! Odds are he'll end up making horse shit for Mike to clean up."
"True." Llandros smiled and looked back at the door that Brian had gone out of. "The prospect of a transformed mount is enticing, but for now, I want to assist the one who helped me. Goodbye, Wizard Tye." He turned and exited, hurrying to catch up to Brian.
Tye stared after him, the Wizard's words bringing a slow smile to his lips. Maybe Brian was in for more 'fun' than he expected. And with a 'pop,' he retuned to his own world.