The port of Sylvan Lake is an elegant wooden pier extending out into the ocean, only a kilometer from where a sparkling blue lake of mountain runoff can be seen between the gigantic Redwood trees. There are several Wave Rider and other Elven vessels docked here, but no human ones and Cain recalls that they were in a trade war with Landis, prohibiting the human Kingdom from getting Elven Tea.
He instructs all the Companions to Merge again, as the weather here is a muggy tropical heat, making a large number of bodies below deck undesirable, and they're going to be headed to shore soon, which brings up the question of what form Cain himself is going to be traveling in today.
"Are you going to be an Elf this time? You know you want to. Just a strapping young Wave Rider, with calloused hands and strong arms." Nila teases Cain as they slowly approach, looking for a good spot to dock.
"If they're anti-human, we could disguise Misha too, and then they won't have a reason to complain." Evangeline points out.
"It almost feels like I'm doing something wrong. Like we're tricking them for no good reason," Cain says, shifting into the form of a larger than usual Wave Rider man they saw working one of the vessels in Tortuga.
Misha looks down at her petite Felian form and sighs. "Why must I always be the tiny cat girl?"
"If you were bigger, you'd be hard to carry." Cain laughs, tossing her up in the air and catching her to kiss her nose.
Prince Sven laughs at that, ignoring the fact Laura is buried in his tails again. She's been doing that ever since it got cold out.
Two Elven vessels with visible Cannons come out to meet them, directing them to a mooring ball not far from the dock. The actual landing seems reserved for merchants actively doing business; anyone just waiting or visiting goes to the moorings and comes in by dinghy. The Elves helpfully assist them in tying off before a customs officer comes to the railing to greet them.
"Welcome to Sylvan Lake Marina. Please note that no humans, gnomes, or openly carried weapons are allowed in town or at the lake. Will you be loading bulk cargo this visit?"
The officer directed the questions at Cain, who was now glad they thought to transform before arrival, despite his initial qualms. "Noted, thank you, officer. We're just here to visit on our journey to the west side of the continent."
"Enjoy your stay then." Cain can feel that they're using some ability to search the vessel but transformed Misha will show up as Felian to most scans, and Cain isn't human to begin with, so they should be fine.
The cold war with the humans, Cain understands. But what did the Gnomes do to get their entire species banned from town? The possibilities are endless, and the question gets stuck in Cain's mind most of the way to shore, despite the spectacular view of the tropical forest.
Vala swings her hand through the water as they lower and board the dinghy, smiling happily at the golden sand underneath the ocean.
"The water here is so warm it's almost a bath. I wonder what the lake is like?"
A small splash signals Laura's Dragon Pixie form diving into the ocean, and Nemu splashes water at her when she surfaces.
"It's swimming weather again for sure." The Felian laughs.
The wooden pier is impressive, but the village beyond it is even more so. Nature magic has been used to create a tangle of houses from living trees, fragrant herbs and flowers grow everywhere, and will o wisps hover in the foliage giving the whole area an ethereal feel the moment you step out of sight of the shore.
Vala and Evangeline are getting a lot of attention from the men, while Cain is getting smiles from almost every woman they pass, much to Misha's annoyance. In this form, even clinging to him doesn't stop them, as they don't see the Felian she appears to be and the Wave Rider man as a pair. She also can't help but notice the skimpy leaf-themed outfits the locals are wearing.
"Why don't we go for a hike to the lake? See what we can find, and then we'll come back into town and find some food?" Evangeline suggests, and a happy squeal comes from beside them.
"How about the hot springs? Will you come with me to see them? They're so good on the wings, and my friends will love you." A young fairy cheers, landing on the Seraphim's top wing.
That doesn't sound bad, so they let the fairy lead them through the woods to a small waterfall. "Wash first. Then come through the falls, and the hot springs are inside."
The fairy flies through quickly, and the group exchanges amused glances at the tiny creature's enthusiasm. They strip to their swimsuits and towards the waterfall when the laughter of an Elf stops them. After all, the fairies might be messing with them.
"No clothes in the hot springs. I know you've been around humans, but that's just common sense." The older woman laughs.
Evangeline cheers, happy that someone else agrees with her 'clothes should be strictly optional' policy, while Cain and Sven shrug and unequips their trunks.
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The Old Lady led them to the proper etiquette; there were fifty Elves in here plus dozens of fairies, which promptly swarmed Evangeline, making everyone laugh.
"This looks like it's a local secret, but the fairies wanted to meet Evangeline." Sven explains to the locals as the Seraphim steps into the hot water to force the fairies off of her.
"No wonder. I've lived in the village for almost four centuries now, and that's the first time I've seen one here. The last ones I saw were during the war." An Elven man with long green hair says, looking at the feathery white wings.
"And a Six winged one as well. How lucky is your crew to find members like that?"
Misha crawls into Cain's lap to deflect attention and chase away the overly friendly Elven women, not realizing that she will simply be cuddled in a new location. "You have no idea. The amount of pure insane luck our Guild has met with since we left the Beginners Valley is beyond my ability to describe."
[It's mostly not sexual, Serrah Forest Elves are even more physical than Nemu. Just go with it.] Nila sends a private message to Misha as a young Elven woman comes over and hugs her.
"Hi, I'm Fran. If the fairies like you, you must be good people. Can I touch your ears? They look so fluffy."
[See. Worse than Nemu.]
They've been meeting with the local Elves for about ten minutes when a bell rings outside and half the crowd runs out.
"It's the chef from our local restaurant. When there are many people here, he brings puddings and fruit." One of the fairies explains.
Cain nods to Send Nila out to get puddings, and she comes back in with one of a dozen assorted trays set up on the rocks along the side of the cave.
"Since we've got new visitors, I should explain. The Sylvan Lake Elves share everything. It's just how we are. Clothes, food, partners. Everything in the village belongs to the villagers as a whole. Our agreed personal space is our bedrooms, so if you wish for privacy, you won't find much here." One of the younger Elves explains as he feeds a berry to an Elf who isn't in reach of the food.
"So the treehouses aren't for separate families?" Vala asks him, and he shakes his head.
"They're separated by ages mostly. Only parents with young children live in a single group to look after them until they can look out for themselves. After that, everyone picks an empty spot they like and moves around from time to time as their mood changes, or they want to pursue a hobby with a different group."
"There's only two hundred of us anyhow, and after a century or two together, you get pretty comfortable around everyone." The girl petting Misha's ears says, giggles when she finds the sweet spot, and Misha begins to purr.
"One hundred eighty-six right now after that group left to look for Mole Dogs. They got obsessed with them a few decades back and wanted to see them in person." Another youth adds helpfully.
Cain laughs, recalling his run-in with them inside a dungeon. "They're cute when their riders aren't telling them to bite your face off."
Nila and Mythryll nod enthusiastically. "The Mole Dog Rodeo has to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen."
That leads to a long conversation about Mole Dogs, as the long-lived forest dwellers are always keen to learn new things. Cain even ends up Summoning one outside the waterfall when they leave to see the lake, just before sunset.
The walk to the lake is amazing. Will o wisps light the Redwood trees, and reflect off the polished rocks that form the pathway, before the tail enters a clearing and the crystal clear waters of the lake come into sight, surrounded by artistically woven vine brunches and manicured picnic spots.
In contrast to the springs and the lukewarm ocean, the lake is quite cold. The Elves inform them that there is an enchanted mountain range just inland that stays snow-covered all year, and the glaciers run straight here. The forest gets a lot of rain, which the mountains enchantment turns to snow, but being in a tropical climate, it constantly melts, giving them a steady supply of cold clear water.
Despite many invitations to stay, the group decides to head back to Queen Rose for the evening and rejoin the Elves in the morning for breakfast. A few of the Elves follow them to the dock to wave goodbye, and Cain starts to wonder if they've accidentally infiltrated a friendly nudist Cult.
Probably, but it doesn't seem like too bad of an outcome.