The wizard looked the same, but Mike was definitely older! Still pre-pubescent, dirty and naked, but now he looked to be about the same age as Landros - ten or eleven. Before either of them could speak, the stable door was flung open and a heavyset man in a stained tunic and apron glared at Mike. "Damnation, boy! You want to play games, do it when your work is done!" glanced around the stable and saw the fresh manure that Aaron had left. With a snarl, he grabbed Mike roughly by the arm and threw him on the ground next to the still-steaming pile. "Clean that up! And if I catch you loafing again, I'll beat your arse bloody!" Then he turned his glare on Landros. "And you! Unless you got business in here, clear out! This ain't no playground." He stomped back out, slamming the big door behind him.
Mike and Landros stared after him, then Landros slowly smiled. "He didn't recognize me! I've been mucking stalls here for decades, since his father ran the Inn. He concentrated and muttered something. The next moment he stretched up and out, maturing quickly into a young man in his early twenties. Another wave of his hand and his clothing changed to a richly embroidered dark green robe. "I have my powers back!" Landros looked down at himself, then created a huge polished silver mirror to admire his full reflection. A carved staff almost as tall as he was appeared, and he grasped it happily.
Mike approached the mirror and stared. Where Landros was now a handsome young wizard, Mike had become a filthy, shaggy-haired urchin who no longer looked anything like himself. The matted hair was nearly black, and his eyes were a washed-out blue with no expression, or even intelligence behind them. His ears stuck out like handles, and his teeth were scummy and too big. The reflection bothered him, but the stink of manure drew his attention even more and he grabbed a small rake to clean up Aaron's mess.
By the time he had finished, Landros was standing at the door, now wearing a pointed wizard's hat and carrying a new-looking leather backpack. The wizard shook his head and grinned. "Looks like you got the worst of both curses. Stuck as an ugly, filthy kid and forced to think and act like a stableboy. If you're lucky, you're as dumb as you look and won't think about your life. I'll try to come back and help out when this adventure is over." Then he slipped out the door and left Mike alone.