“An island with active volcanoes, Mistweave Isle was far from choice territory amongst the Western Isles. Many of the tribes that had inhabited it for generations by now were displaced there in the past as they had lost territorial wars elsewhere and had to make do with worse lands instead.

As peace settled around the world though, the enterprising islanders made their new home a tourist destination instead. The fertile volcanic soil had allowed the tribes there to survive well before, but the income from tourism turned them rich, and all they had to do was to make use of what their island already possessed.” - Bernd Osler, business magnate and amateur historian from Knallzog, after a vacation to the Mistweave Isle.

“I have to admit it, Aunt Cal, but you know how to enjoy life,” said Vark as he leaned back in the water and gave a satisfied sigh from the heart. The whole party - other than Ida and Lumi, who were being meticulously washed by some attendants of the venue nearby - were relaxing in one of the more luxurious hot springs in the island.

The spring itself was located near the top of a mostly dead volcano, one that had not erupted for many centuries but still had activity below that kept the hot springs heated. A large and luxurious inn was built and attached to the hot springs, which were one of the main tourist attractions of the island.

Such establishments were on the costly end - to the tune of a night’s stay being the price of what a family of peasants used for their monthly living on average - but naturally Cal paid it no heed. Money was of little issue for her despite her wanderings so far, and many of the things she carried with her could easily sell for ridiculous sums of money as well.

Monster meat fetched a high price amongst connoisseurs, especially rarer ones, while every single barrel of Orloff’s brew would have been worth their weight in gold if she ever thought of re-selling them, whereas the Braumeister had charged her a much cheaper price for friends when he sold them to her.

Naturally, she had brought her party to one of the most luxurious inns in the Isle. Since it was summer, the Isle was not very crowded with tourists, who most often visited in wintertime instead, and she found accommodations with relative ease.

Leila was happy when she learned that most of the larger inns also offered services for animal companions regardless of size, as they were frequently present to accompany the local customers. As such, while Lumi was not the sort of beast to appreciate a dip in the hot springs due to her natural ice affinity, she still got to enjoy good food, massages, and thorough washes alongside the rest of the group.

The hot spring they were in was a natural one, with the rocks long eroded by the water to a smooth, pleasant surface to lay down on. It was somewhat slippery, but not much of an issue with the wooden stairs installed by the sides of the spring to help bathers get in and out of the spring.

When she saw the whole group together in the baths - whether the baths would be mixed or not were up for the people renting them - Cal was reminded of a similar scene back in the Imperial Palace’s bath many years ago. Her students were still young novices back then, rather than the seasoned mages they were now.

Little Ilena had grown from a toddler to a healthy, active and rambunctious young girl, who was all too happy to float around in the pleasantly hot water, even while her mother stayed close to keep watch on her. As for their more recent companions, Dan had long gotten used to the group’s nonchalance about nudity in front of the opposite gender and lounged in a relaxed way as he chatted with Elaina.

The two had something going between them, Cal thought, not that she had anything against it. If her niece liked him then that’s her business entirely, and besides, after the years of employing the half-goblin healer, Cal thought Dan was a pretty decent man, a rare talented healer too for his age.

Ashani similarly lounged relaxedly in the nude, as like most therians she cared far less about nudity. Then again, given how her kind had fur to cover their bodies, it was a stretch to call them “nude” even when they wore nothing to cover themselves.

On the other hand, Tal, the young monster researcher from Verozgrad, had a very red face as he blushed most severely, and seemed to have no idea on where to look with all the naked bodies around him. Much like most city-dwellers, he was not used to the idea of bathing with others, even if he could call some of the party friends by now.

Doubly so when many of said friends were of the opposite gender and pretty ones at that.

Cal laughed when she saw his expression, as she helped herself to some of the good liquor prepared by the inn. The liquor was placed on a clever contraption, that of a wide, floating tray, with a section that was just a frame lowered into the water below.

The frame held a small bottle of liquor within, while the hot water beneath warmed the liquor, while several small porcelain cups of good quality were arranged on the floating tray. Cal poured herself a cup full of the liquor and took a deep sniff before she poured the liquor down her throat.

It was a strong liquor, the sort that burned its way down to one’s guts, yet it wasn’t harsh or unpleasant to the taste, with a faintly sweet, grainy taste to it and a strong fragrance. Despite the Juxtaposition of heat upon more heat, Cal found it a pleasant experience to drink the hot liquor in the bath, something Vark agreed wholeheartedly with.

The whole party stayed in the bath, soaking in the hot waters for another good hour before they were satisfied and left. Ognar carried Tal - whose body was all red like a shrimp and had fainted from soaking too long - over his shoulder while they joked as they walked to their rooms.