Chapter 107: Chapter 95 – By Therian, For Therian

"Have you ever been chided by a massive, humanoid bear for the uncouth manner in which you eat? Or scolded by a lizard lady for not removing your shoes when you enter a house? Well, pay Boroes a visit, and you'll understand how it feels." - Aster Len Ina, Human adventurer based in Levain.

 

Not two hours after they resumed their trip the next morning, Cal and Fheeri saw a small guard fort. A compact wooden structure that was solidly built nonetheless, and large enough to maybe house a hundred soldiers by Cal's estimate. She hailed the guard on duty and offered her identification tag while she inquired whether there were any active bounties on bandits or not.

 

The guard - a bulky rhino-therian that towered over Cal - widened his eyes at her identification tag, and went inside to consult his superior after he respectfully returned the tag to her. A few minutes later, a neatly dressed hound-therian with eyeglasses perched on his snout came out with a list on hand.

 

Cal deposited the fourteen heads she collected yesterday night when the hound man asked her to, and he closely peered at the faces, while he scratched off names on his list. In the end he nodded approvingly while he summoned the fort's logistic chief, who was also in charge of paying out bounties.

 

Overall, for next to no effort, the little visit earned Cal a good seventy-five gold coins, paid in a bank slip stamped by the fort's commander and the owl-therian that served as the logistic chief. All Cal had to do was to visit the nearest bank to cash it out. She asked them for directions to the nearest manor town before she left with a smile.

 

Xarte, the nearest major town in Boroes, was roughly a day's travel away for Cal and Fheeri. They travelled mostly eastward and a bit south, and saw the city by the next morning. Fheeri gawked at the stone walls that surrounded the city, and gawked some more at all the sights once inside.

 

Some would have mocked her for acting like a village girl on her first trip to a city, but in a sense, she was exactly that.

 

The first stop Cal made in Xarte was the local bank, which cashed the slip from the fort with no issue. Then she brought Fheeri into a clothing store. The clothes she lent the girl were a poor fit, and it showed, so she wanted to buy the girl some clothes that fitted her properly.

 

Fortunately Boroes was a nation for therians, and it showed, as the clothes on sale were mostly intended for their kind. It was easy enough to find Fheeri clothes that fit her frame comfortably, and didn't hamper her mobility. She went to change and wore a short sleeved tunic and knee length shorts as she returned. The rear of the shorts had a hole for her tail as well, and the back of the tunic wide enough to have accommodated her hunched posture.

 

Cal bought half a dozen sets for the girl, though they had not bought any footwear as the girl preferred to walk barefooted. That was a preference many therians shared, as Cal saw more people walk barefoot than otherwise.

 

For lunch they stopped at a local eatery, and Cal ordered for their specialty. The waiter brought out plates filled with large meatballs, served with sliced fried potatoes, simply salted, and a rich, sweet, tangy sauce made from berries and meat broth.

 

The unusual sweet sauce kept the meaty, fatty flavors of the meatballs reigned in, and prevented the meal from being too heavy on the stomach. The wedges of potato were fried perfectly, crisp outside with a fluffy inside, and sprinkled with just the right amount of salt besides.

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Dessert came in the form of a large slice of pie, with a flaky pastry crust, and a densely packed filling of sliced apples stewed until soft, spiced with cinnamon and sweetened further with honey. A dollop of cream whipped until it formed stiff peaks was added on top of the pie.

 

One thing Cal noted immediately once she entered the city, was how most everyone was dressed in neat clothes. Her much more casual and revealing wear made her stand out in particular, though she has not allowed that to bother her.

 

It was definitely a very different atmosphere compared to the goblin lands however, which was good. Fheeri would need her time for adjustments to life outside the goblin lands, so this would be a start.

 

They stayed in Xarte for three days, before Cal continued on her journey. This time she headed south-west, straight towards Boroes, the seat of the grand duke, and the city the nation was named after. They took a more leisurely pace this time, and toured the lands as well.

 

Halfway through their journey they stayed in a small village for a couple of days. The village was mostly a tea plantation, and Fheeri watched with interest as the villagers harvested the tea leaves. She herself found the beverage pleasant enough, but apparently she preferred stronger tastes in her food or drinks. Cal's hartbloom tea was one she liked better.

 

Apparently, mostly carnivorous therians like her tended to have worse sense of tastes, which was why they leaned to stronger flavors. Cal had also noticed how dishes sold by some therians were much stronger in flavor, or spiced more heavily. Now she knew the reason why.

 

They had a full breakfast on the day they left the village, where a large platter was piled full with a couple slices of toasted bread, eggs, sausages, fried tomatoes, cuts of smoked pork, pudding made from blood and oats, and sauteed mushrooms. The large portion was plenty to keep them sated well into the evening, which was appreciated.

 

After another two days of uneventful travel from the village, they saw Boroes as they crested a hill. From afar, the city looked majestic, its walls built entirely out of blocks of granite - the city was located near the largest granite quarry in the union -, and was surrounded by a wide and deep moat. The only ways into the city were the four gates, which had drawbridges that spanned the moat and allowed travel into and out of the city.

 

Cal allowed Fheeri to gawk at the city for a while before she led the way and leisury walked down the hill.

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