Chapter 31: A Dip in the Hot Springs
Chastity plucked a long pine cone from the snow and held it in her hand. Removing her glove, she ran her thumb over the scales. The shape was nearly cylindrical, and although firm to the touch, its texture was softer than she expected. The scales were close together, as if the cone had not yet ‘opened,’ and the color fell somewhere between light brown and a faint whitish-green.
“Identify.”
she reasoned.
This text box was followed by the familiar notification that her Identify proficiency had increased. She placed the object in her basket and searched for another, glad to know she was on the right track. Soon enough her basket was half full.
Okay, she had to admit–this was actually kind of fun. Like an Easter egg hunt. The pine cones, although plentiful, were not as easy to find as she first imagined. Many were lodged in the snow, others obscured by it. The color palette of the surrounding landscape lent a natural camouflage as well.
By this point she had wandered far from the river. Although she had no map, and was in unfamiliar territory, she was confident she would be able to find her way back when the time came. She hadn’t seen or heard other foraging parties for at least fifteen or twenty minutes, but she was enjoying the solitude. It was almost rejuvenating. What was that trendy practice people talked about back home? Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing.’
. The concept pricked her conscience.
Then the brief image of that barbed tail disappearing into the storm clouds crossed her mind. An Infernal creature.
The forest thinned, the ground rockier in this section of Silfurfast Woods, and the elevation of the land gradually increased. Through the still air, an unusual sound caught Chastity’s attention. A slight bubbling or gurgling. It was coming from a stony outcrop just through the treeline.
Curious, Chastity stepped out into an opening and ascended a small slope, the bubbling growing steadily louder. Before her were a series of rock-lined pools, fed by a gently cascading source originating somewhere amid boulders above. Visible steam rose from the pools.
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Her eyes widened.
She set her basket of pine cones on the ground, then stooped beside the lowest and largest of the pools. Removing her glove, she tentatively tested the water with her fingertips.
“Oooh,” she cooed involuntarily.
Every muscle, and every chilly joint in her body practically screamed for that warmth.
She hesitated.
she asked herself. She was no exhibitionist, and typically modest to a fault.
Chastity chewed her lip.
Carefully, she looked all around. She scanned every rock, every tree. She strained to hear the sound of footfalls, or the laughter of nearby halflings. But there was nothing except the lulling sounds of nature.
Moving quickly, she set aside her javelin quiver and removed the pieces of her armor one at a time, followed by her tunic, placing everything neatly on nearby dry stones. Then she submerged herself in the geothermal pool down to her collarbone.
It. Felt. Amazing.
The days of relentless cold, tension, and aching simply melted away in the steaming waters.
she thought.
She stretched out, carefully resting her head against one of the rocky ledges.
A gray squirrel skittered onto a nearby branch and shot her a quizzical look.
“Shoo, you naughty squirrel,” she said with a laugh. Then, to continue the joke, “Detect Evil.”
A secondary text box soon replaced the first.
she mused with a satisfied smile.
Chastity carefully splashed water on her face. Then she soaked her long blonde hair, gently massaging her scalp with her fingers. She had no shampoo or conditioner, no detangler spray or blow dryer, but it would do. Finally, she leaned back again and closed her eyes.
After a while, she began to hum the melody to
“Hmm hmm hmm, hmm-hm-hmm hmm hmmm hmmmmmm…”
She hummed her way through the first verse, took a long pause, and then began the second.
From somewhere in the woods behind, a keen whistling began to accompany her. It took a moment to register what was happening.
“What a lovely tune. Does it have a name?” called a nonchalant voice–a man’s voice.
Chastity shrieked, spinning around and staring daggers into the forest, keeping only her head above the surface.
A man–a HUMAN man–dressed in fanciful garments with a long coat strode into the opening, doffing his bowler hat and bowling theatrically.
“Oh, so sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you,” he said.
Chastity lunged for the closest thing she could reach; it was the basket. She grabbed it to cover herself, spilling all of the pine cones she had collected in the process.
“Get back!” she shouted. “Go away!”
The man held his hand to his chest, giving a wounded look.
“Oh pardon me, Miss. I meant no offense. I heard a lovely songbird in the forest and I–”
Chastity cut him off.
“Get back or… or… I’ll cast BLINDNESS on you!” she threatened.
At this, the man took an uncertain step backwards. His ruddy mustache quivered.
“Turn around, and walk a hundred paces into the forest!” Chastity ordered, channeling all her embarrassment and fury into a formidable glare.
Flustered, the man did as instructed. Chastity watched him go, never taking her eyes off his back. Once he was far enough away, she quickly climbed out of the pool and got dressed, not caring that she was pulling dry clothes over her still-wet body.
Chastity wondered, shaking her head. She could feel guilty about that little fib later. For now, fully armored, she drew a javelin and followed the stranger.
