"Wait a minute!" Mike stared at the young-looking Wiaard. "I thought you were kidding. I was just going along with the boy as part of a game! I don't want to be a horse!"
The young man on his back jumped off and moved over by the Wizard, looking upset. "But you said you would! Please! It's not forever, and I gotta have a war horse to get my chance at being grown up again."
The Wizard rasied his hand. "You don't want a mount who is unwilling. But maybe our friend Mike here can be convinced to offer his services voluntarily?"
"I don't..." Mike blnked. "How do you know my name?"
The Wizard smiled. "I know a lot about you. I know this is not your world, and that you are a youth much like Aaron in what you consider reality. This is just a very intense game, a chance to try something different, correct?"
"Well, yeah, I guess." Mike frowned, wondering where this was leading.
"Being a centaur is different, but a lot of what you do is pretty much the same as being human. You just have a couple of extra limbs. If you become a warhorse, you can experience life as a completely different creature. No ties to being human at all. And I would make you a highly sought-afer stallion, with many mares to cover. You would eat, sleep, run, mount mares, and of course, carry our young knight here on his quests. No responsibilities, no worries. I guarantee you will be happy, and when Aaron is finished with his questing, you will be able to choose anything you want to be as your reward. And I can make changes that go back to your home world."
Aaron nodded. "I'd take real good care of you. Please help me!"
Mike thought hard about this. Being a horse would definately be different. And if this was the Wizard they needed to contact, helping him out would be the smart thing to do. But did he want to be an animal?