"You have to stop this" Nick said mortified. "You showed me this horror because you want me to stop you."
Mark laughed a sad cruel laugh. "Do I want to stop it? Of course I do. You don't think I'm actually the one making decisions do you? I didn't set up this facility, I didn't send you a Grimoire, and I don't decide when someone isn't productive enough and needs to become part of the baseline income by having their humanity removed. I admit though, I can choose to Spell Damage someone if I wanted to... but I never have. Matt was my friend. I needed to see him again but he doesn't even recognize me. I can set him free but losing a headcount would get me kenneled because its money to the organization. I have a longer leash but I'm chained too."
His shoulders slumped. "Matt and I were going to college together, we both were trapped. We were told activating the spell will get us high... something happened to the prior person in this position shortly after we joined. I was promoted, magically aged to 42, smoke cigars instead of cigarettes, and told to kennel Matt who had been resisting orders with me. I only keep this up so I can watch over him... we should have graduated last year... If I abdicate, every person they have control over will be aged until someone else decides to torture college students, and any who refuse would go to the kennels. It would be a meaningless sacrifice, so I keep doing it."
Mark took several silent drags on his cigar. "Some final things to be aware of... You're now bisexual, If you get kenneled for any period of time, you'll appreciate being able to enjoy it. Like I mentioned many of the guys in there need to get off numerous times a week and with multiple partners. They aren't allowed to smoke, get high, or drink, so they are being tortured. All their energy goes toward one another and working out. If I could turn you into one of them and have Matt released, I would be hard pressed not to, but they'd still know. Somehow.
That cigar activated you fully, you will become more athletic, eat right, and naturally trend towards becoming a muscle head like the guys in there. It's just a fitness spell it won't impact your intellect but it will act on your hormones. You may start balding but it wouldn't be premature since you're almost mid 20's now." he ruefully touched the shiny crown on his head. "Being kenneled is faster and more intense but by making you athletic now you're less likely to injure yourself if punished later. I call, you come, otherwise you will be fighting a gainer personality and deal with a higher set body mass each time you delay. Check back in with us in a month."
Nick felt a little bit dazed. The cigar drying out his mouth. "So, why don't you change the assignments for the students to break these spells?" "Because If I do that, the person who finds the answer will free themselves and disappear unwilling to do anything for their captor. And it would have to be a second assignment. The higher ups still expect productivity or my trusted ally becomes a beefy zombie."
Mark looked at Nick, "Here's something I can do." He pulled out a cell phone sized Grimoire and pushed several buttons. There were flashes of light and Nick felt several sets of tingles run over his body.
"What was that?"
"I lowered everything to the first level, I can't remove it completely, and you can still make it worse on your own, but you're back to 5 cigarettes a day, getting high and drunk once every two weeks. Now go to college and learn, don't make me punish you."
Nick called a car to pick him up and take him to the college. It was now beginning to become evening. His suitcases were still there, he was finishing the cigar more out of instinct than desire. His head was swimming from information and he didn't know what to think or who to turn to.
