Now a filthy pre-pubescent human peasant boy, Brian had no desire to hang around. He scrambled out of the stable and headed for the tavern, which was noisy and well lit. The place was crowded, and stank of unwashed bodies and cheap wine. Only a few of the men inside paid Brian any attention, and that was mostly to scowl. He probably looked like a beggar. Still, he was small enough to slip through the pub without getting kicked or thown out. Lloandros was easy to spot. He had a table in back corner, the only spot in the bar that wasn't busy. The wizard was scowling into a large mug of wine, unhappy about something. The people around him were obviously staying away. Maybe this was not a good time...
A huge hand suddenly grabbed Brian and hoisted him into the air. A dark musclebound young man peered at him drunkenly. "Wha' we got here? A pickpocket?" He plucked at the tattered loincloth with his free hand. "You got our purses hidden under there?" He tore the scrap of cloth off and laughed. "Guess not." He held Brian up high in the air and turned towards Llandros. "Hey, Wizard! It's boring in here. I'll give you a gold piece to do something interesting to this whelp."
The rest of the crowd cheered and laughed while Brian struggled ineffectively to get free. "No! Please! I came in to see you!"
Llandros looked up from his mug at that, the angry expression silencing all but the drunken oaf who still held him in the air. "Come on, Wizard! A gold piece! I bet he'd make a fine sheep, or a hunting dog. Something more useful than a stinking urchin like this."
A slow smile twisted Llandros' lips, though his eyes remained cold. "A gold piece to turn the boy into something interesting? I accept."
Brian felt a cold hand clutch his gut just before the wizard shot a spell at him that twisted his body painfully, transforming him into a...