I stepped out of the shack, dust crunching beneath my sandals, and found Enoch already capitalizing on the spectacle. His voice rang over the crowd, solemn and fervent.
"The Lord saved me while I was on the brink of death! He has tasked me with spreading his word. He only wishes for all to be kept safe from harm… and to receive his eternal reward."
Eternal reward? What eternal reward? Since when had I promised any?
Enoch kept circling like a preacher who'd just discovered a crowd, hands raised, face burning with conviction. People trembled, some sobbing openly, mostly the women, their shoulders shaking as though the world itself had bent under the weight of his words.
Malcom, the wife-slapper, quivered too. His gaze kept flicking from the glowing statue of me to his wife on the ground. Enoch noticed. He slowed his pacing and gestured with one hand.
"Go," his gesture said.
Malcom crawled toward her on his knees. Elizabeth flinched when he reached out, shrinking from his shadow.
"Eliz—Elizabeth," he stammered, his hands hovering in the air, afraid to touch her. "I… I was not myself. It must've been the Black Concord whispering lies into my head. I'm sorry. I swear it, I wish I had never done what I did."
The devil made me do it, yeah, classic.
Her wide eyes darted to Enoch. He gave nothing back, just a level, unreadable stare.
"Liz," Malcom begged, his voice cracking.
She looked at him, then away at the dirt. "I… I forgive you, Malcom. But if you raise your hand against me again, I will leave you." Her voice was soft, uncertain, but final enough to sting.
Typical victim
Enoch gave a single approving nod and turned back to the gathering. His sermon tapered, then dismissed the crowd back to their work. Slowly, reluctantly, they dispersed, heads bowed, whispers still trailing.
He approached me, ready to kneel again, but I stopped him with a curt shake of my head. He straightened, but reverence still shone in his eyes.
I held his gaze. "How did you know of the eternal reward?"
He blinked, taken aback. "So there is a reward, my lord?"
Damn it, Enoch. I can't exactly say, 'Nope, that was you running your mouth.' They'll need something to look forward to when they die anyway.
"Yes," I said shamelessly, face unreadable. "All my faithful will be given rest in my eternal kingdom. You shall receive whatever you desire. Your bodies will never perish, so long as my throne endures."
His hands trembled slightly. "Anything?"
I nodded. He opened his mouth to press further, but a shrill scream split the air.
He turned to the walls, eyes flashing. He dashed up onto the platform. Leaned slightly over and looked into the distance, his breath caught in his throat for a second, and I quickly merged into his sight. A mob was rushing toward the wooden barricades of the settlement, brandishing crude blades and clubs.
"They are coming!" Enoch shouted. His voice rolled like a drumbeat over the people. "Men, arm yourselves! Women, children, the sick, and the old, into the shelters!"
Chaos ignited instantly. Men grabbed rusted spears and shields, sprinting to the walls. Fifty of them, thin, hungry, terrified. Their weapons rattled more than they gleamed.
An arrow hissed past Enoch's cheek. He ducked, then drew his own blade from his scabbard resting on the ground. He stapped his leather armour hastily while the chaos still raged around him. Finally, he lept off the platform on the wooden palisade to stand in front of the gate.
Five archers loosed shots from the wooden platform, but their volley was clumsy. One was struck in the neck, collapsing with a wet gasp.
The others panicked, abandoning their bows. They scrambled down to join Enoch, steel drawn, lining up in front of the gate. Silence fell, the kind of silence that falls over before something big is about to happen
The gate shuddered. Once. Twice. Then burst inward with a crash, and the enemy poured through. Dozens of them, screaming, faces twisted in fury.
"Hold the line!" Enoch bellowed.
The crash of steel followed. Swords rang, shields splintered. Men screamed. One defender's head squelched beneath a club. Another was gutted, clutching his belly as he collapsed. Enoch cut down an enemy with a sweeping strike, then barely blocked another's blade. Blood sprayed, soaking the dirt.
Five of the defending men fell within moments. That was enough. I slipped fully into Enoch, golden fire erupting from his skin. A shockwave burst outward, throwing the enemy off their feet. My voice thundered with his:
"The Second Commandment: Thou shalt be the shield of the innocent. Whosoever harms them shall face my wrath!"
The ground quaked. The enemy faltered, backing away, but then a deep voice cut through.
"Why do you fear parlour tricks?" A tall man stepped forward, broad-shouldered, scarred, his sneer venomous. He hefted a spear and hurled it with all his might. His men followed behind his spear with screams.
The spear froze in the air inches from Enoch's chest. Slowly, it turned, the point aimed at its master and launched back, punching clean through his torso, pulling him with it and then embedding a few meters away from his original spot. He vomited blood as if trying to say something, and then his head fell limp.
The men who had been charging stood in their tracks and looked at their leader fear was evident in their faces as they looked at the dead man and at enoch(me).
"The Third Commandment!" Our joined voice roared. "Show mercy to the penitent, but to the mocker of mercy, grant none!"
Panic rippled through the attackers. They turned and fled, dropping weapons and trampling each other to escape.
Behind us, the defenders cried out in victory, their blades lifted high. Enoch's (my) hands rose, golden whisps spilling forth. They drifted to the five fallen, seeping into their corpses and igniting them into ash.
"Their burden has been relieved," I(Enoch) intoned. "They are now in my embrace."
The survivors fell to their knees, weeping openly, pressing their foreheads to the dirt.
"The Fourth Commandment: Keep the oaths of thy protection; he who forsaketh his vow shall be forsaken by me."
They trembled deeper into the earth.
"In light of your service, receive my blessing and, be glad."
Divine essence surged into their bodies. Their frames swelled, muscles knitting like steel cables. Their spines straightened, eyes wide with wonder as strength coursed through them. The ones who had started greying were rejuvenated and looked youthful once more.
"Thank you, Lord!" one cried, tears cutting lines through the grime on his face.
"Blessed be your name!" Another sobbed.
"Blessed be your name," they all joined in
The entire line of men knelt lower, deeper, until their foreheads pressed into the soil. They wept, not in grief but in joy, their voices thick with gratitude.
I felt another wave of faith surging inside my heart. It beat 2 beats, and my entire being felt warmth, and I felt more confidence and clarity. I felt as if I could do anything.
I raised my hand for the final seal.
"Now receive your geas: I am the shield of the innocent, the wall against cruelty, the hand of judgment. By my life or by my death, no evil shall pass unpunished."
"Let those words etch themselves into your heart, for they will be the foundation of your faith," I (Enoch) intoned again
The words echoed like a thunderclap across the square. More divine essence poured out into the surroundings. The walls, buildings, and even the people in the shelter were imbued with the divine essence. The very air seemed to turn clear and fresh.
I stopped my possession of Enoch, who crumpled to the ground in exhaustion. In that moment, his hair turned pure white, but he there were no signs of agin on him. On the contrary, he became more muscular and robust, possibly the effects of the divine essence as well.