Steel Ethereal

Ch. 9 Proposition

Rob

Traffic.

Crowds of people wandered the streets. It was exactly the same as when I arrived to Promenade. The many shops were open with their owners proclaiming and bartering their goods on the good people's lunch breaks.

"So, they're all Enochs, you say?" I feel the words exit my mouth unintentionally. I don't know why I am anxious about talking, Riley had not shown an ounce of hostility toward me outside of our sparring matches.

"What's that?" My boss asks between bites of a piece of beef jerky.

I bite my lip, contemplating if I should pursue the subject. It wasn't too late to brush it off and say I was spouting nonsense.

Instead I elaborate, "The people around us. They're all Enochs. Special people?"

"Most are. You can be bit less formal. No one really cares much. It isn't racism." Riley said simply.

"so, what makes them different? How are they different from a regular human?"

"Blood and DNA mostly. If you know something about that particular topic."

I nodded having read a bit in the severely outdated encyclopedias at my former home.

"What did you notice about Luciana and Sam?" Riley asks, killing off his piece of jerky and continuing to another.

"Sam could control fire, and Luciana is super strong."

Riley huffed laughter. "Believe me, Luciana can do much more than shove people around. But you're right on the money with Sam. What about Pip?"

"She was... Really smart."

"Not just smart. She is exceptionally intelligent and crafty. I've been told that upon her arrival here, she had solved next to every problem left over by the old world. Equations, medical methods, logistics, you name it. I'm not sure how much she did indeed do, but I've never asked and she isn't the type for bragging."

"That's insane!" I proclaim.

"Look Rob, the point I'm getting at here is, don't go around and just assume that fire breathing, water-moving, lighting controlling super beings are the only Enochs. Some of the people you see around you could just be incredibly smart or incredibly strong.

We had reached the edge of the city in our walk. Fields upon fields of crops, gardens, and wild grass stretched past us.

The occasional cabin or house protruded from the mass of grown foods.

Riley sighed a quaint sight at observing the surroundings. "It is quite confusing. I was born and raised here in Promenade, yet I still witness things that astound me. Extraordinary things. Sometimes I wake up and think myself crazy. But this is home. Every bit of it is worth the risks I take for my job."

He looks around with a crisp smile on his face. He waves to some workers who recognize him.

"About a couple of years back, I took a break from my job. I worked the fields for the poorest farmer. I had randomly run into him and struck up a conversation while getting coffee. The worker sounded strained and down on his luck. I wound up working with him for a good year until he could find reliable work to help him through the season. It was still one of my best years of work."

"What risks threaten a place like this?" I ask. I didn't mean to disregard Riley's story. He sounded altruistic as he spoke, but my scatterbrained mind lingered on his mention of risks.

He turns to me, without a mean bone in his body. A somber look crosses his eyes. "Rogues and the wandering madmen are the least of my job's concerns. Let's just leave it at that. One day when you're amongst our ranks, you'll know. But for now, you're still a citizen. You should know that me and my own will fight for you all until our dying breath."