The guard ladies couldn't argue much with one another, even in this case when Arila was caught in an uncomfortable situation. Their order of things mattered more, to the point where commanders gave a blind eye.
Valiza didn't want to flare up trouble, yet still taunted. "Next time, try to patrol the grounds instead of our guests. I understand your... preferences, and couldn't care less to stop you, but please respect your shifts."
"Okay," The other answered.
It was difficult to debate on this matter, especially since both sides sought common grounds. Gustav had remained idle in the meantime, as he didn't have much to say and tried to hide his big pickle.
He preferred to have fun, at any given time even, but it was probably best to avoid stuff like that now, as he truly had other problems to deal with. Minutes ago he shape-shifted against will, for example, which was perplexing and he already feared the worst.
The next step was difficult to plan, as there weren't any smart aliens around here to maintain his health. Anyway, while he zoned out through that half minute, the couple of ladies were already on the move.
"Oh, that's a big thing..." Gustav gasped, once the abrupt movements caught his attention.
"Horns, they're called horns." Valiza corrected, and walked away further along with her comrade.
"Really? Mine are called tusks..." He said, but spoke to himself at this point because the others did not talk back.
They headed towards the village, but he couldn't help admiring their body-types in the meantime. They already looked dangerous before, when they hadn't even shape-shifted; They were warriors who had trained before, for at least a little while.
Weapons were their best friends, but now, in their rhino-form, they looked even more lethal although still only five-feet tall.
"Oh... I hope Arila breaks into my room again tonight. Hairless women never looked so good before." Gustav could only drool, and tried his best to behave.
He had enough reasons to be aroused, as now while in this unique form, these ladies packed thicker and surely bigger muscles. About twenty more kilos of weight spread across their bodies once they transformed, which was solely converted to toned muscles and taunting curves!
Their armours had puffed up even, so they were truly dangerous once transformed. Standing on two legs at all times, may have aided their strength.
Anyway, once Gustav was done staring at those foot-long horns which the ladies had, he thought it best to focus on other issues afterwards.
Sure the grey, yet lifeful skin which rhinos had was distracting too, but he couldn't focus on them for long.
Instead, he tried to remain calm while pondering. "What does all of this mean? It's easy to guess that I'll lay a bunch of eggs again, but why?"
Those aliens hadn't explained much before, neither were they given the chance to do so. This recurred as a problem now, because he had no clue how and why his body worked the way it did, or what to expect from it at any given time!
Thoughts about the matter developed, and in exchange, he felt paralyzed from fear for a couple of minutes.
Time went by quickly as well, and since he didn't experience much pain now, nothing stopped him from being oblivious towards the surroundings.
Gustav ignored all the clashing sounds and quick foot-taps, which his demonic children caused. It wasn't a major problem, but the workload did sky-rocket in the meantime.
"Wow... I think we should stop. Kids, come out of that nasty hole, worms could sneak up your little ass holes." He demanded, and tried to become more alert.
One peek was enough, to guess that over five-hundred ores were piled up in front of him, and towered six feet tall! These demons were more efficient than any miner could ever be, as their claws were designed to slash through tough iron, stone or dirt; They simply were superior in this field.
Gustav felt lucky for once, as having them around brought wealth along. That concept was very literal, not just figurative; He now had a bit over three-hundred extra ores, to his disposal.
"Gotta pay Tunada, but uh, this should help me fix that pyramid up as well." He thought, and went into work.
The little ones responded to his recent demand, and were quick to mimic their father afterwards. He had stretched those big, furry arms out and scooped about twenty ores up.
It wasn't difficult for him to carry that portion, especially now since he had transformed. The rest of the team helped as well, even though they pushed and rolled just two or three ores forward, each.
Once Gustav reached the village that hosted him, which was only a hundred meters away, he asked a couple of other people for help. Although busy with their own daily tasks and struggles, they didn't hesitate to lend a hand.
At that pace, they got every last material near the forge, where it was to be either traded or smelted down.
"Ah... thanks guys, the heat would've killed me if I did this all alone." He sighed, and made sure to hide near the shadows which the buildings provided.
Afterwards he said, "I don't know how you trade stuff here, but please take some ores. I have too many lying around, so uh, would you two be happy splitting thirty of them?"
The couple of rhino men were shocked by that offer, they gasped. Sure they were used to overdone efforts of hospitality, as this big village encouraged it, but ores of any kind were generally valuable.
"Really? We can have thirty?" One of them asked.
Gustav understood that question as a mock, and was ready to give more ores in exchange. He didn't want to offend the same people, who helped out without asking any questions.
Likewise, he offered. "You can take more if you want, feel free."
"No no!" One of them hastily answered, and explained. "Thirty of them would feed our families for like... two weeks!"
"Really? So that's why there are so many forges around here." Gustav asked, and felt even more lucky now, for having miner-demons to his aid.
Anyway, the transaction finished off there, with both sides pleased. His best idea now, was to escape the midday sun and hide within one of Tunada's rooms.
He didn't want to risk waking her up, or worse, accidentally walk into her room where the worst was bound to happen. So with some caution, he planned to step in this nice house and rest along with the demons.
It was stupid to leave them outside again, as they wouldn't hesitate to eat another sheep in broad daylight. Chances were they'd attack a rhino as well, as demons obviously didn't have any manners.
Anyway, before he could have done anything, something absurd caught his eye.
About fifty meters away from the village, Gustav saw a group of creatures which practically begged for attention.
"Huh, those guys don't look like guards." He mumbled, and wondered if any random passerby could step into this village without worry.
Before he could make out what their faces looked like, a sudden beam shot out from their direction. An orange bit of light, which seemed only a couple of feet wide, traveled across the air within a blink!
Unfortunately, it clashed against the forge, and that was when a wave of disaster unfolded! The building's entire roof was taken off clean, and blown away across the rest of the village!
"Holy shit!" Gustav screamed.
The roof was wiped off so quickly, that the clash had been utterly soundless for at least a few seconds!
Some random medieval weapon couldn't have done such damage, foreign technology was at work!