“Well well,” Lindli chimed, “what’s this? More guests, Taku? I’m not sure we have the room; we haven’t had this many visitors in a long time.”

Taku smiled. “Almost as long as it’s been since the gnomi began erecting their gates.” He unslung his satchel hung it up on one of the polished brass hooks near the rope ladder’s hatch. “Your senses continue to sharpen, Lindli; that’s good. The guests you detect will be here shortly, following a trail I left them. Before they arrive, I would like to check on our current… lodgers.”

Lindli nodded. “I’ll be done with this needlework in time to greet them.”

“I hope so,” Taku said. “I would hate to present our charge without any clothes.”

Taku ascended the treehouse, returning passing interactions from his fellows as he went, until he could look out the small panes of window glass and see the sky instead of the tangle of treetops. Good, he thought, out of her field of view. Littlenest was, perhaps, taller than it should’ve been, but that height was necessary. Up on this level resided a mother and child the montarans had agreed to give asylum. Taku entered their room, and saw the pink sapphire gnomi cradling her crossbreed son. Gavisht was with them, as usual, which Taku was thankful for; the shaman was the only one among them who could feasibly act as the child’s pediatrician.

“First Taku,” Sajni lilted, “I am glad to see you return unharmed. Did you manage to ascertain their safety?”

“I did— and more, actually.”

“Getting into trouble again, no doubt,” Gavisht complained. “I can feel the jungle growing restless.”

Taku frowned at the shaman. “It’s a jungle; it tends to do that.”

“You know precisely what I mean, Taku,” Gavisht continued. “If we intend to work behind Emerelda’s back, then we need to be more careful.”

“Well, lay those worries to rest, my friend,” Taku toned, “for I think the solution to our problem is currently climbing our rope ladder.”

The first thing Livia saw as her head peaked through the hatch was a pair of brown leather boots with olive green trousers tucked into them. The owner of said boots knelt down and offered her a hand wearing a fingerless glove that matched the boots, the arm sleeved by a shirt that matched the trousers. Lindli’s hair, the same colour as the planks that made up her abode, was tied back in a ponytail, and her eyes and smile was as warm as the soft glow that swathed the room.

“Welcome,” she greeted, and Livia took her hand.

“Thanks,” the adventurer grunted as she hauled up to the floor.

Tecal followed next, then Pippy, Emilie, and Krey.

“Whew!” Pippy cheered. “Rope ladders are fun! Way better than normal ladders.”

“I think I prefer the less bouncy variety,” Emilie grumbled.

“Be thankful, milady,” Livia smirked. “We would’ve ascended a normal ladder all at the same time, and you would’ve had to stair up at Pippy’s arse the whole way.”

“How obscene!” Emilie scolded.

Pippy’s face flushed pink, and she reflexively pushed down on the bottom of her pencil dress with her palms. “In that case, we’ll have to rethink our ladder order!”

“Not to mention that someone would also be getting a handsome look at the hierophant’s backside as well,” Tecal added.

“As much as I enjoy talk of arses,” Krey spoke over them, “let us restrain such talk in earshot of Her Holiness.”

“Yes,” Emilie vehemently concurred, “restrain your arses you shall.”

A moment of silence fell upon them… and then they all started in chortles, finally bursting into full laughter.

“Well,” Lindli mused, “I can already tell you lot are going to be wonderful company.” She turned side-on and extended an arm toward one of the long wooden bench tables that ran up the middle of the surprisingly large main living area. “Come, sit with me. I expect Taku will be back to welcome you himself soon enough.”

“Good,” Tecal huffed as they sat down. “Then I’ll be able to return these to him.” She rested the back of one hand on the table and opened her palm, revealing a cluster of small, shiny, green pebbles.

“Oh, uh…” Lindli smiled awkwardly. “You didn’t have to retrieve those, but… thanks.”

“I did try explaining that on the way here,” Krey sighed. “The pebbles fade of their own accord as they release their stored magics, and eventually crumble into the earth. They were not a… what did you call it?”

“A security oversight,” Tecal asserted. “I understand perfectly how they work, but there are unknown elements at work in the jungle at the moment, and no matter how careless the rest of you intend to be, I do not intend to take any risks.”

“Unknown elements?” Lindli questioned at first, but her eyes quickly flickered with understanding. “Ah, I see… so you’ve met Emerelda then.”

They all nodded, except Pippy, who was eager to leap into the conversation. “What’s her deal, anyway? Taku seemed like he wanted to avoid her, but I thought rangers served their demesnes.”

Lindli shook her head. “We maintain our demesnes; sometimes there are disagreements as how to best go about that. Emerelda is not the first gnomi to resent our lifestyle, and I doubt she’ll be the last. There’s always been a… a schism of sorts.” She leaned forward now, propping her head up on her hands with her elbows on the table. “Normally, it wouldn’t be cause for concern; it would just be the order of things. But what does bother me is that… well… we might have a solution, but Emerelda is hellbent on making sure we can’t make good on it.”

Footsteps… footsteps… and then a figure appeared from the stairs, a man clad in airy fabrics and festooned with leafy affections. “Well,” he sighed, “my work is done here for the time being. I must find my calm in the jungle.”

Lindli bid him farewell as he passed through the main living space, and he returned a vague wave as he descended the rope ladder, also briefly casting a sour glance at their new visitors.

“What’s his deal?” Pippy gossiped inquisitively, giving a few moments for the shaman to descend out of earshot. “What’s with all the sore butts in this jungle, huh? Emerelda, that guy…”

Lindli put her fingers to her curling lips, stifling a laugh. “All this talk of backsides… I’m sensing an obsession among you.” She cleared her throat, and her face drew more dourly. “Since the severance, many creatures have become more hostile; they’re all feeling the loss of connection with worlds beyond this one, their ties to the gods that made them cut, and the elementals are no exception. Shamans, like our dear Gavisht, exist intimately with elementals and other such spirits. He is likely just feeling the same frustration as Emerelda… who, I’m sure, will come around in time.”

“That’s the spirit, Lindli,” a familiar voice said from the stairs. It was Taku, and he joined them at the bench table, briefly shooting a squint at the little pile of dimming pebbles. “Is your needlework done, my friend?”

“Yes, first,” Lindli nodded.

“Then please take it up to our charges; I think they’re both ready to meet our new guests.”

Without a word, she sprang from the bench and almost flew up the steps with near-inhuman agility, little faint wisps of olive green streaking off her body and disappearing almost instantly.

At the sight of those faint streaks, Pippy felt something in her throat, but she swallowed it easily enough. She looked around the room, taking it all in, and eventually turned to lean her back against the table. “I do love a good treehouse. This is definitely the biggest I’ve ever seen.”

“I’m glad you like it here,” Taku said. “After you’ve met with our charges, I strongly encourage you to explore our home. You’ve endured a not-insignificant chunk of the jungle so far, and you should rest here too before forging on.”

“I suspect you also want our assistance,” Emilie mused.

“Quite so, milady,” Taku smiled. “I’m sure you’ve gathered by now that we’re in the midst of a… disagreement.”

“Lindli mentioned you have a solution,” Livia said. “Would that happen to involve your so-called charges?”

“You are an astute five, aren’t you?” Taku chuckled. “That, or we’re not particularly veiled. Sometimes I fear we’re too trusting of outsiders, that Emerelda might have the right of it… no. No, we must continue as we plan to.” He stood. “All will become clear if you follow me upstairs. They should be ready for us now.”

They followed him, though the rest of the treehouse was not as spacious as the main area. Nevertheless, the six of them managed to squeeze relatively comfortably into the room where Lindli was tending to Sajni and her baby. The sewing she’d been working on was now being put to use, dressing the baby in stitches of drab-but-comfortable cloth. Sajni had no need nor want of clothing, but her son was cut of two cloths, not just her one.

“Oh my,” Sajni gasped. “You spoke true, Lindli; Littlenest is getting rather lively as of late.”

“I hope we’re not disturbing you,” Taku apologised, “but I felt everyone should be acquainted as soon as possible.”

Sajni nodded. “Yes, of course. Hello, all of you. I am Sajni, and this is my boy Pelenk.”

Her baby gurgled and stirred in her arms.

They all got closer, inspecting the child, immediately recognising that he was not wholly elemental. He had his mother’s vivid pink colourations, and his eyes were possessed of a gem-like quality, solid in colour… but his bodily features portrayed the other half of his heritage.

“Well, this explains it,” Krey thought aloud. “Why the goblins are incurring on the jungle. They have progeny here.”

“Fateful progeny, steel-child,” Sajni corrected. “Pelenk here is the hope of the jungle, the bond between element and tribe that we’ve been waiting for.”

“The bond that Emerelda seeks to be rid of,” Emilie breathed.

“Yes, cloth-child. “He is one of only a small handful of what rangers revere: a bikutā.

Wrong, Pippy thought, but kept it to herself this time. Wrong, wrong… why so wrong?

“A natural-born ranger,” Taku affirmed. “Not quite elemental, but still possessing an innate connection to his demesne stronger than anything we could ever hope to replicate. It is vital for the jungle’s future that he be trained in our ways, that he become a first of the montarans.”

“You do not intend to keep the role, Taku?” Sajni tilted her head.

“For now, yes… but I will not be here forever.”

“Oh, yes…” the gnomi’s voice took on a strange warbling undertone for a moment. “I’m sorry, I sometimes forget that you have limited lifespans.” She looked down at Pelenk, who’s face was vacant of any intelligence whatsoever… at least, for now. “I pray my… ah, my blood, if you can call it that… will provide Pelenk with superior longevity.”

“I have no doubt that he’ll end up leading two generations of rangers instead of one,” Lindli assured her.

“This baby…” Livia murmured. “He’s the solution. Emerelda wants to take away your baby, doesn’t she?”

Sajni was silent for a moment. “The jungle is an animal like those which inhabit it; it needs venom like hers to defend itself. However… Emerelda has become rather… potent, as of late. She burns our own veins. It is still my hope that she can be watered down.”

Tecal crossed her arms. “I doubt it. I know her kind very well; she will never be quenched. She must be expunged like the venom she is if you want to protect your demesne and your offspring.”

Sajni’s head drooped. “I hope you are incorrect, child of cloth and steel. Though it is true elementals were never supposed to have hierarchy, the severance has made it necessary. Emerelda is facing a unique challenge that none of our kind have had to face before— the challenge of being separate from the whole, rising above and leading us. She is bound to make mistakes.”

“And do you not think it is possible that she has been corrupted by the power thrust upon her?” Tecal rebuked. “A true leader earns their power tooth and nail; they do not have it dropped into their lap.”

Sajni had no reply.

Taku reasserted himself into the conversation. “We have a plan. The tribe of Pelenk’s father is still within the jungle, laying low and staying out of sight. They’re not the strongest or the most steady-handed, but they’re fighters who live by the old ways; rangerlore should not be difficult for them to grasp. I’ve already got a handful of our number training them in some basics of archery, stalking, swordfighting, and traversal. Hopefully, said training will not need to be called upon… but if, as the aevischild says, Emerelda cannot be reasoned with, then at least we’ll be prepared to remove her by force.”

“Tell me, first,” Emilie stepped forward, “is such violence the norm for you and yours?”

“Believe it or not, yes. The world is not an entirely harmonious place, and people like us are needed to keep it in check, for the good of the demesne itself, and for those within and without. If Emerelda has to die, it will be regrettable… but I will not hesitate to act in the best interests of the jungle. That is the way.”

“That is the way,” Lindli concurred.

“That is the way,” Sajni echoed. “Emerelda will know this, however. Potential enemy or not, she is still an elemental, and as such is still intimately connected with all attunement-folk of the jungle, whether they be druids, shamans, rangers, or bikutā. We can only hide from her up here for so long.”

“Which is why we act soon,” Taku proclaimed. “That is… if you five will help us.”

“We haven’t turned away a request for help so far,” Livia grinned, “I see no reason to start now.” She turned to the others. “Right?”

Krey, Emilie, and Pippy nodded, humming their agreement.

Tecal harrumphed. “Such foolish notions of heroism… nevertheless, I will lend you my strength; it will ultimately serve my purpose.”

“Then it is settled!” Lindli proclaimed. “I suggest, then, that we attend to our worldly needs and rest. Orlando and Halhul should be back soon with all the monster bodies you left in your wake on your way here, and then we’re going to cook ‘em up for dinner! There’ll be plenty for everyone.”

Krey smiled with a glint in his eye. “If you plan on cooking everything we slew today, then it’s going to be quite a feast, and you will need all our stomachs to get through it all. I’d offer to lend a hand in the kitchen as well, but I’m far better at the hunting side of things than the cooking side.”

“In that case,” Emilie interjected, “you can hold and pass our kitchenware around while we prepare the food. You might want to take your armour off first, it can get hot.”

“Ah, well…” the knight sighed. “Aye, milady.”

They disbanded for the time being, though Pippy flagged Lindli down before she disappeared into Littlenest’s not so little depths “Hey, Lindli, is there somewhere here Livia and I could go to… speak in private?”

“Is it just speaking you plan on doing with her, Pippy?”

Pippy smacked her on the arm, smirking.

“Go around that corner and walk to the end,” Lindli directed. “There’s a ladder up to the roof. Everyone’s inside right now, so you’ll be alone up there. I’ll go catch up with Livia myself for you now.”

“Thank you,” Pippy chirped, bounding off toward the roof ladder.