Enoki jumped off and scrambled over to the tree. “No no no!” 

This was what ze had been warned about. That others around hir might get hurt. Might die. Ze grabbed Daikon’s hand and tried to pull, barely noticing the gloves were retreating away. “Dammit Daikon! Fight it! I know the tree isn’t sexy but you’ll never fight again if you don’t come out!”

The hand ze was holding on to twitched, slowly grasping hirs. Daikon was still there. He was still alive. Enoki kicked the tree, screaming at it. “You’re supposed to let him go! Even if he’s mad at the world right now you don’t get to keep him!”

The bark had stopped growing but wasn’t retreating yet. Enoki put hir forehead on the bark, hir voice going softer now. “If you don’t come out, how are you supposed to help me save the world? Or ask me out like you want? I have to see the orcs at some point. Don’t you want to show me your fields? Maybe watch as your parents make threats at me or something even if I don’t wanna date anyone right now?”

The hand squeezed tightly, almost like it was trying to pull itself out. Ze tried to pull back. Hoping. But no progress. Hir tears were now thoroughly watering the roots of the tree. “Please, Daikon. I don’t want to lose another friend.” 

Not knowing what else to do, thinking of old stories, Enoki gave a soft kiss to the bark of the tree as ze rested her forehead against it once more. Under the bark, Enoki swore ze heard a rhythmic sound. At first ze thought it was maybe a heartbeat. Instead it quickend and slowed like…

Laughter.

The clouds above began to swirl. The muffled laughter became louder and louder. Red runes started to shine through the trees' bark as the fallen tears rose up and became small shards. Each rotation of the shards as they flew around the tree showed little flashes of what wasn’t in the reality they could see. Glimpses of spirits and gods. Of the various people from all races trapped in the trees. 

Of Daikon laughing joyously. 

Enoki stood back as the shards glowed into a bright light and dove into the tree itself. They cut through and turned it into a white ash as the pieces around Daikon’s body fell to the ground. The black and white saps had filled in the gaping holes left when the roots retreated into the ground. 

After a moment the clouds disappeared and Daikon looked to Enoki. He picked up the little shapeshifter with a big grin, tossing hir into the air like a doll. 

“Ha HA! You did it! My chaotic marvel you did it! Now where is your other friend?” He looked to the elven holy warrior. “My shadowy opponent, where is En’mat?”

“We don’t know. I’m not sure how this one found your tree.” He looked around at some of the other trees that were opening, seeing less fortunate bodies falling out of them.

“I can’t shapeshift right now to move fast. I… used up a lot of magic.”

“And so have your tools. But I have plenty for now.” Diakon looked around before touching a different tree and closing his eyes. This time there was no glowing runes. No laughter. Only a silence before the tree’s branches bent to a new direction. 

“That way. Let’s go and then we shall find something to feast upon!” With that last word ze was tossed again and onto his shoulder.

Enoki grunted as the air was knocked out of hir and looked ahead. “You like this way too much.”

“Again, it is not my fault you are so easy to kidnap.” He started running as fast as he could, glancing around with soft whispers leaving his lips. In response each tree bent its branches this way and that as they finally got to the one En’mat was in. Only the top of her head was visible, as if she had been trying to flee when grabbed.

And like Daikon, the bark was slowly closing around it. The wood here was stranger than Daikon’s had been. Twisted like a candy cane, the white and black wood seemed to be doing subtle shifts to gain territory. Flames flickered in and out around the tree. Enoki wiggled down and took a few unsteady steps. Things felt a little blurry.

Low blood sugar maybe? It felt like it. 

“I don’t know what to do. How did you break out?” Enoki looked to Daikon. “Can you do that laughing thing-”

Ze stopped mid sentence seeing Daikon sitting down, exhausted. “No. I cannot, my wildflower. But just do what you did for me. Speak from your heart.”

Enoki turned back to see more of the head covered, a few stray hairs stuck between pieces of bark. Slowly ze reached up and patted En’mat’s head. There was nothing to grab or pull this time. Just a soft touch from an ungloved hand. She was lucky one of the roots lifted hir up just enough to do so when standing on hir toes. 

“En’mat, I… I’m sorry. I’m sorry you got kicked out of the church. I could tell it’s important to you.  I never believed in religion. I liked to believe in people instead. You must have been so hurt. Being sure that I was sent by the gods and that you could trust everyone to help you. That would have hurt me too.”

Enoki paused for a moment. A memory from hir own past floating up. How ze had trusted workers at hir first job to support hir being non binary, only to be met with a slew of comments about what was and wasn’t in hir pants and shirt. About how ze owed androgyny that could only come with very expensive drugs and surgery. How it cost hir promotions and hours because of customer complaints.

“I was hurt like that. A bit. But, we’re here. I don’t know what we can do but we’re here. I’m here.” Ze watched as the bark slowed down, still creeping onwards.

“Do what you did for me.”

Enoki nodded a little and put hir forehead on the bark. “I was so glad you were alive. Please, don’t leave now. I don’t know how I’m going to do any of this without you.” Ze gave a small soft kiss on the bark. 

A rumbling came from the tree as it seemed to burst into flame. A half high note and half scream shook the tree and all others around it. The pain and betrayal felt in it were so strong Enoki felt tears falling freely again. As ze looked around, even Daikon had begun to weep. In an instant a beautiful sliver blue flame covered the tree, spreading up and over before going to other branches around, catching any trees that hadn’t started the process themselves.

As the tree turned to white ash, En’mat fell to the ground. Like Daikon her wounds were filled with a mix of black and white sap. Enoki crawled over and hugged the crying elf.“We’re gonna be ok, En’mat.” Ze watched as the holy warriors came out of the still lingering shadows. Their runes slowly turned off, causing the glow to disappear from their ebony frames as Enoki’s vision began to blur and darken. “We’re gonna be ok. We have… to… be.”

*** 

What Enoki assumed could only be hours later, ze found hirself waking up in a giant bed, clean and not alone. This honestly felt like after some of the parties ze had been to in high school. While Enoki wasn't popular, ze was enough of a curiosity that many times ze was invited to places where people ended up passing out for a few hours before going home. 

Insert your own “and there was only one bed here” fics, ze thought to no one in particular. Maybe the sentient underwear.

Maybe the gods.

As Enoki started to get up, ze realized there was some sort of package in hir mouth. Come to think of it there was a hard something down hir throat as well.Now that ze was awake, ze didn’t really like it in there. And something tasted sweet. It tasted like the holy honey smelled. Enoki carefully pulled at what was a waterskin. A nearby elf smiled. 

“Thank goodness. We were worried the magic burn had gotten to you three.” He bent over, his long red hair brushing Enoki’s hand as he took the water skin off before reaching into the mouth. “On the count of three, exhale very hard, I’ll pull out the tube.”

I’m sorry. I thought I was in a weird anime. Enoki tried to say only to half choke on the tube.

“One.”

It’s bad enough I got put on a cooking reality show, do I have to be on a medical drama now? Ze gripped onto the bedsheets.

“Two”

Better not turn out to have a twin from a father I never knew about in the next room that needs a kidney. Otherwise I quit.

“Three.” Enoki exhaled and the tube was pulled out. Only it wasn't a tube. Well, technically it was. It was a hollowed out looking tentacle.

Enoki coughed and tried not to throw up as the thing looked like it wiggled. “Do I wanna-” ze croaked.

“You really don’t.” The elf walked to the nearby fireplace and tossed the tentacle into the flames. Enoki thought ze heard a lobster scream as it burned.

Ze finally noticed the others that he was talking about. Daikon was on one side and En’mat on the other. Enoki wondered what sort of one bed fics the gods would make with this, after kissing their trees no less. Some god or demigod somewhere was cackling madly at the idea. Enoki was sure of it.

“Don’t worry. Her ladyship and your companion will be awake soon. In the meantime, please have some of our chilled healing potion. It has shavings of our holiest fruit, its honey, and some other berries and milk”

“Huh.” Ze took a sip. “Back home this is just a smoothie.”

“You humans are weird.”

“Not gonna argue that."

***