Finally, it's time for Doe

When the last of the preserved horses is transformed to make Malina, a fiery redheaded centauress, you smile for a number of reasons. First, because she's getting paired with an equally fiery woman rider. The only think that will help keep Malina in check is that she was combined with one of the smaller riding horses. At only 6'10" she's one of just four centauresses who ended up under 7' tall. She should be tremendously fast though, you know for a fact the slender, excitable chestnut she's been paired with was one of the fastest horses used by the scouts. The slenderness of the horse half influenced her torso, granting Malina a pair of C cup breasts and making her look petite - weaker and smaller than she really is. Hopefully her new rider takes a good look into her big blue eyes and picks up on the fire living behind them.

But you don't have time to do more than introduce Malina to Clarise. No, with the last of the horses transformed you are now free... at least on paper. There are dozens of nobles waiting for a moment of your time. You know that as soon as word gets out you'll be inundated with requests for cataurs as well as a few other ideas people have had. Both cowtaurs and dogtaurs are being called for and you're sure that as you do your work they will come up with even more ideas for you.

But today isn't for them, it's for you. There are still a few captives left to transform, but today you finally have the chance to remake Doe. You fight to keep from skipping on the way back to your tower. You even have a signed letter from the king, commanding you to change Doe into a lamia. He's happy to cooperate. After all, you've taken what was slowly developing into a military debacle and transformed it into a new and fearsome ****. Other countries are whispering about what these new centaurs might be able to do in battle. None of them wants to be the first to find out.

Back at your tower you go and fetch Doe from her room, as always. Linne gives her a hug and you all go downstairs for dinner, just as usual. But this time, after dinner is done, you clear your throat and tell Doe you have some news. You pull out the scroll, with its seal and tell her that the king has finally ordered her transformation.

Doe sighs, but there's no great outburst. "What are you crossing me with, then?" she asks, trying to keep any worry out of her voice.

"Well there was a serious push for scorpions and wasps," you tell her, lying through your teeth, "and one councilor just wouldn't give up on the cow idea. But since I'm the one who technically owns you..."

"Technically? What's technical about it?" she interrupts.

"Well... I've come to think of you as something else. If it weren't for everything else I'd just free you. It's strange owning a friend." You can tell that one hits her right between the eyes. Especially the fact that you hesitated ever so slightly before saying friend. With her aphrodisiac fueled dreams she has to be wondering if there's something else you would have said... if only...

"Anyway," you continue, speaking quickly and pushing on, "I tried to get you the very best possible transformation. I managed to get the king's agreement and you will soon be a lamia."

"A lamia?" ask Doe, looking totally confused. "What's a lamia?"

"Half-human, half-snake," you tell her. "They're perhaps the third most famous of the tauric races, after centaurs and driders. I believe that like driders they're mythical. Possibly invented as an 'evil' counterpart to the centaurs."

"Never heard of them," she says, crossing her arms. "That would have to be a huge snake."

"Just as I enlarged the lynx that I matched up with Linne, I've done the same for the snakes I'll pair with you."

"Wait, snakes? I thought... oh, God. I'm going to be some kind of snake octopus!"

"No, no. One snake body, one tail," you assure her. "I just selected some interesting adaptations from several snake species. Making a snake that's physically able to work at this size, getting the right kind of venom and fangs, it was easier to choose many snakes and combine them first before joining the result to you." You're not kidding either - over the last week and a half you've been pouring time and effort into this process. So much so that it delayed the last few centaurs.

"When?" she asks.

"I can do it tonight."

"Not wasting any time?"

"Exactly. Since I just transformed the very last centaur today, or at least the last one involving the horses affected by the poison, people are going to realize you're next. Which means that from now on the longer we wait, the more likely you'll have to deal with a crowd when you come out of my lab. Doing it late at night, when no other transformations have been done, will cut the chance of that by quite a bit."

Doe doesn't look happy, but she doesn't argue. She sits and thinks about it for a long while, then finally pushes herself to her feet. "Okay, let's do this."