Shifter - Infinite Transformation-Chapter 80: Cintre
Closing in on Cintre showed just how massive the fortress was. If need be, the fortress could easily transform into a town capable of withstanding a siege. If I didn’t know any better, which I did not, Cintre should be able to inhabit the villagers from all across the field.
Maybe that was why it had been created in the first place. To protect the villagers in case monster hordes from the Eserian left the forest.
That did not seem to happen often considering how calm and composed everyone was, but it was good to know that everyone felt safe and sound. That diminished the weight on my shoulders considerably.
I was still tense, although the reason for that wasn’t the Eserian.
They’re going to accept me, right? I wondered as we walked past a group of armed Demihumans. They looked mostly like humans if the furry ears and the black tail weren’t there. And the bright, feline eyes that seemed to stare deep into my soul.
"Don’t scare our guests." Bork snapped at the guards before resuming the journey.
He approached the line of people waiting before the gate that was no less than twice his height and walked past them. The men and women waiting at the line nodded toward him with respect but glared at us when we followed behind. Yet, no matter how displeased they appeared with us cutting the line, no one uttered a word of complain when Bork guided us past yet another group of guards.
The Minotaur demihuman guided us into Cintre, which looked as impressive as I thought. A tower made of a mixture of stone and highly compressed soil stood at the fortress’ centre. It was even taller than I first thought, surmounting even the tallest buildings I’d seen in the Zetrian Empire.
Although I had never even been in any of the empire’s cities, I was sure the tower was taller than most of the empire’s structures. It was well protected as well, although I presumed that was mostly owed to the barracks and training grounds being directly attached to the tower. No less than a hundred demi-humans adorned in combat wear trained on the training ground. They didn’t look all that yet, and a simple glance showed that they were not as strong as Clove or Fern either.
But they were young. Clove was probably still younger, but the young fae was an exception.
"Are those your peers?" I asked Jer, who grumbled something into his snout.
"They are, yet not. Jer joined Cintre’s guard a few years earlier." Bork answered in Jer’s stead, "His Bloodline awakened prematurely. To work against the temper and the beastial traits awakening with the Bloodline, I had to assign him to the training a little bit earlier. His Bloodline is quite potent, and we spend a few years getting rid of the worst traits."
Bork glared at Jer, which only made him grumble more. "It’s not my fault that they annoyed me. They should have known better than to annoy a Demihuman after just awakening his Bloodline!"
There was some tension between Jer and Bork. Unresolved emotions Bork didn’t seem to want to bother resolving. Even without their tensed relationship, it was clear that there was more to the story. A few training guards looked at Jer with a kind of hostility that was difficult to describe. Like it’d been boiled and nurtured for a very long time.
This was clearly not the kind of hostility mere jealousy birthed.
"How hard did you beat them up to be hated like that?" I asked, earning a glare from Bork. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞
The Minotaur Demihuman huffed and went on his way, walking past the training ground and toward one of the larger buildings. We crossed a warehouse and walked past a place that didn’t seem to fit to Cintre. It was nothing like the other buildings. The structure was far more modern. The walls were made from stone bricks, glass panels could be found here and there, and it had a flat roof with what appeared to be a terrace on the third floor. It had three floors, if that was not yet apparent, and was thus the largest building. Next to the mansion that was just as tall but much wider.
"The officials live there." Jer mused, all while inching closer, "And, about the beating...I think I did a fairly good job. They antagonized me and spent weeks trying to humiliate me. How could I not snap when they stooped low enough to curse my dead mother!"
He let out a low growl at the end, and I was surprised to see smoke oozing from his thick hide.
"How about you calm down a little?" Bork turned to Jer one last time, "Better even, go somewhere else before you anger the officials. You cannot afford another complaint if you want to stay in the guards."
Jer grunted and was ready to reject Bork’s ’proposal’, when Fern stepped in.
"How about you show Xavier the Huntrice? We have a few carcasses to sell, and it would be even better if you could help Xavier register at the Huntrice." She called out with a smile as sweet as honey.
"I...I can do that." Jer nodded vigorously, a blush dotting his cheeks.
"He’s unregistered?" Bork stared down at me then at the others. "I sure hope you have a good explanation for this."
Fern ignored the anger in Bork’s voice and waved dismissively, "One thing at a time. Let me report to the officials first."
Bork didn’t seem all that pleased but nodded anyway.
Fern closed the distance to me and blew me a kiss on the cheek.
"Make sure you don’t stir too much trouble." She whispered, "And don’t tell them about your Power’s rarity. You don’t have to say anything, no matter what they try to tell you."
That did not sound all that ominous, at all. No, definitely not.
I stared at my mate, but she left without another word. Clove waved a little, all while I could swear I heard Bork curse his bad luck.
That left me alone with Jer.
"Let’s go to the Huntrice." I called out, and the young Minotaur demihuman turned to the modern building.
"Sounds good to me. I don’t like following my father like a lost duckling either way." Jer said cheerfully enough, but I could see the apprehension in his eyes as he looked at the Huntrice’s building.
Maybe life in the Forea Alliance was going to be a little bit more complicated than I expected.
