The path out of the bath was a long and winding tunnel. There was a soft yellow glow coming from the tiles lining the top and bottom of the walls. The ground below Enoki’s bare feet was a blueish purple moss. There was a soft tingling as ze walked along. Maybe it was poison? That would make sense. After a few moments of walking, Enoki noticed the walls had a mural telling a story of creation.

It showed what looked like elves in a place that was empty. When they held their hands to the heavens, star speckled hands would send down what looked like food. There was one in a blue tunic that always stood at the front, starting as a child but getting older with each turn of the tunnel. At the same time more and more elves were behind the blue tunic one. The last one had the elf, now very old, laying down. The hand was barely up showing he was still asking for food. This time it didn’t come in time. 

Around the next curve, it showed each elf crying. They didn’t seem to understand what was going on, and were trying to feed the gray and ashen body. Where tears fell around the body, there was now some grass. The hands and the phoenix were above the body, crying tears themselves. 

It was about then that Enoki noticed something sticky dripping on hir shoulder. When ze looked up, there were flowers with eye-like patterns on them. Thick, clear, and sticky drips of nectar fell out of them and onto the moss below. The smell reminded Enoki of the salty sweetness of kettle corn. If the honey from this tasted anything like that, it’d be a truly amazing mead. It’d probably go well with a nice grilled fish. Lost in thought, Enoki tripped over an unexpected lump in the moss. When ze looked, ze felt sick to hir stomach. 

There was someone else wearing the same robes, who was some non elf race based on the size. Ze didn’t know enough to be certain, as the moss and roots of these plants had started eating away at the body. Some parts of the skull that could be seen were coated in thick layers of the nectar, showing it’d probably been there a while. Enoki carefully looked around and saw other smaller lumps with flowers over them as well. 

“So, this is a death trap?” Ze mumbled, looking at McStabby shaking a bit. “Behave. No stabbing. Bob? Got ideas?”

The basket trembled as it turned into a small firestarter. Enoki nodded and carefully got a scrap of old cloth form the body and caught some of the nectar. When ze put the flame next to it, the nectar almost instantly evaporated. Now the flames on every holy elf here made sense. Anyone that couldn’t make them probably wasn’t normally allowed near the tree or they could die. And if only the elves could make them, that would also explain why they didn’t want non elves on the ground.

It’d be a death sentence for most.

Enoki carefully got up. If that was the case, ze’d start getting sick soon. At the very least too weak to move on. There was one thing ze could think of to try. Carefully letting out a breath, Enoki put hir hands together and closer hir eyes.

“May the souls of these potential dumbasses pass peacefully to wherever they go. And if this is a trap, bless the people who made it to not have a heart attack when they see I made it through alive.” Enoki slowly opened one eye, hoping things were ok.

Nope. Well. Maybe. Things were all on fire. But nothing was burning into smoke. Or being destroyed. Just. Blue holy fire. Everywhere.

“Ok. This is fine.” Enoki started walking a bit faster, Bob becoming a basket again. “I won’t get into trouble for destroying a holy garden.”

Ze took another look at the wall, in time to see crying eyes and the Phoenix staring at hir. Judging. “Shut up, you two gave me this job.”

In the next short section a tree could be seen getting bigger and bigger. The eye flowers dotted the tree, dripping onto the elves causing some to fall. The Phoenix made a fire and the flowers stopped crying. The flowers then turned into fruit. The elves ate it and were able to make the fire as well. After that it showed the same cycle happening of the flowers and fruits, the elves harvesting it and using it with their sick and dying. Eventually making it into a drink with the honey that looked like the aurora borealis back home. 

If there was more to the story, Enoki wasn’t going to see it today. Ze had gotten to the end of the tunnel to see a brightly lit space. If ze didn’t know that ze were currently underground, ze would have been convinced that the top of the tree went outside. Instead there was a huge crystal making sunlight. There were strange butterflies the size of a cat, but with a body more like a bumblebee. 

Never before had Enoki wanted to hug and cuddle a bug before in hir entire life. Even including hir apartment’s plushie collection. 

Before ze could get any thoughts of getting a net, En’mat ran up and hugged Enoki tight. “I was so worried when they separated us! We always escort guests.”

“Oh well, you know. I’m so tiny I would have drowned in your tub I guess.”

“I’m just glad an attendant got you properly protected. It’s so important, you know!” En’mat couldn’t see the look of mild horror on the Inferno’s face. So it was a death trap. 

Enoki noticed ze was on fire as well from before. Well. That was even better than surviving. Ze hoped that the uterus holder would choke on that bit of mystery. Forever wondering how a non elf escaped unpoisoned with the elf only magic fire.

“It was agreed I could come in after all.” Ze wiggled out of the hug. “Now, let’s get going. Mead takes at least 2 months to process and that’s not counting the getting it in a barrel bit.”

“Well it seems your going through the tunnel prepared the flowers. So most of the fauna will be going in there for them. We can get the honey now, just avoid any pockets with larvae.”

“Yeah, I guess drinking the worm is more of a tequila thing, huh?” Enoki looked at the two confused elves and sighed. “My humor is wasted on you people.”

“Your humor is a time waster. Now let’s go.” En'mat started pushing Enoki forward.

Ze looked back seeing Ul’ta wasn’t following. “Ok ah, isn’t she coming?”

“No. My escorting you to make sure you don’t take too much is now part of my trials for the next ranking. I have to prove I will not let you harm the tree.”

“Sweet. Easy A then.” Enoki hoped ze sounded as not guilty of setting the entire tunnel on fire as possible. At least no one could see smoke or anything. 

“I’m going to assume that is a good ranking when you are from.” En’mat walked up to the tree and carefully got onto a wooden platform that started upwards when she pulled on a rope. Within moments, the platform stopped, nearly causing Enoki to fall off. 

En’mat grabbed the back of the robe, letting out a small squeak as she did. Enoki looked over the edge of the tree. They were easily 3 stories up. “Huh, that’d probably hurt.”

“Yes, it would! So don’t fall.” She pulled hir back and sighed as they went onto a carefully sanded down pathway on one of the tree’s long silver and gold branches. 

Ahead was a beautiful hive, looking like it was carved out of a ruby. Enoki froze for a moment, taking it all in. A crystal leaf fell down the side of hir. It was almost big enough to use as a blanket. The cat sized not bees were happily fluttering around, visiting flowers on other branches. 

En’mat paused, looking and smiling. “I know. It’s the most beautiful sight our people have. Everyone wishes to come here and see it. Even if they don’t want the fruit or honey. It is a shame this will probably be your only visit.”

Ze shook hir head, trying to get back to the task at hand. “Shame, I was thinking about a vacation home here. Maybe a nice little cottage on that branch up there. Take in some of these guys as pets. I mean, be like having a bunny probably.” 

Two guards stood outside the entrance and looked at Enoki a moment before stepping aside. Enoki couldn’t blame them for being so careful. If the mosaic was even half true, the honey here probably had amazing healing properties. If this was what was required, maybe the gods were sick and needed something to make themselves better? That would make more sense than just randomly being angry and killing everyone because of it.

But then they were gods. It might not be wise to give them too much leeway.

Enoki looked at the walls of the hive as they entered. Each cell was as wide as hir own hand. A few contained little worms inside that would wiggle as someone walked past. Possibly reacting to the flames. The salty sweet smell from the honey was almost overwhelming. It took a lot of willpower to not try and get a lick somewhere on one of the walls. 

Hir first grade teacher would be so proud.