War of Arca chapter 4

Ernie



The Rose District was not Ernie's first choice residence, the people- mostly Seraphs from the angelic planet of Elysium were stuck up, often times giving him looks of disgust.  Only mingling with the human race because of the similarity in looks, somehow the M.O.P. convinced them to let him stay there.  Again, he thought it was not his first choice but it was the only district above water that had an accessible source of molten lava, which was the only food source that could sustain him.
As he passed through the protective barriers that kept the volcano from spewing lava across the district he wonder what it would be like to be normal by humanoid standards.  After all, he was considered a part of the archetype humanoid, but his skin, a shiny black coat of armor made him look more metal than man.  He chuckled at himself; he could not stand to be so vulnerable with soft skin like the Seraphs or humans.  No he thought, Naga was better.
The sides of the volcano were rivers of lava; it was beginning to pool in the three thousand foot mote surrounding the entire mountain.  Ernie dove into the circular pool and let the ten thousand degree heat wash over him.  It was refreshing to soak his concerns and the blood away in the heat that reminded him of his home star, the Sun.  Only vaguely he thought, this little piece of Arca was not near hot enough to compare with the eternal belching flames of the Sun.  No planet or star he had ventured to could compare to the Sun.  
He let his three-ton body sink in the pool nearly a thousand feet to the bottom.  Then in a quick motion, he pushed off the obsidian floor reaching the surface in a second and flying into the air; landing without a sound on the solid crest of the mountaintop.  The lava had stopped flowing for now, not that he must worry about the heat, for he was Naga.  
From here, the Rose District looked almost beautiful to him.  The homes and various buildings; spiraling towers of white olympos, stood out from the obsidian earth like a star against the night sky.  Still nothing compared to the surface of the Sun.
He thought about spending all day gawking at the city below and noting how inferior it was to his Sun but knew he had things to do that could not be accomplished from here.
Ernie jumped from the top of the mountain, landing precariously close to a group of Seraph security forces.  The group totaled six.  Most of them were startled, their eyes wide their mouths open.  They were sitting around a long white ivory picnic table enjoying lunch.  One had even fallen backwards off the bench facing Ernie.  He watched with amusement as the man struggled to pull himself up; one wing pointed in the air, his other out of sight.  He finally righted himself on his seat with the help of a colleague next to him.  The group shot him dirty looks as he turned away.  
"Where do you think you're going?"  A dainty voice asked.
Ernie turned to see the Seraph who had fallen over standing on the opposite side of the picnic table.  His wings lay folded on his back white and birdlike, his golden hair pulled high in a tight rogue knot, a golden band and matching golden chopstick held the knot in place.  The red in his high cheekbones had vanished, his skin returned to the pale almost white of the Seraphs.
         "Why does Governor Targen let you live here on our mountain?  If the people on Elysium heard this they would have Targen executed and you banished from Arca.  Hell it would be even better if they killed you too."
Ernie ignored him and turned away, he had an appointment to keep with a very unlucky woman he thought.  
However, the Seraph was looking for trouble.  Before he took a step, the sound of wing beats filled Ernie's ears.  The pale Seraph landed five feet in front of him.  From this distance, Ernie could see golden eyes to match his hair.  
Ernie laughed at how miniscule the angelic man looked.  He was by no means short standing at six eight.   Ernie nearly fifteen feet dwarfed the man.  This one was brave he thought.

The Seraphs cheeks were turning red again not with embarrassment this time but anger.  
Ernie was not one for talk.  He took one-step and was nearly even with the man who put his arm out to block his path.  Ernie stopped not because the man threatened him but because he could sense what this man was doing.  Could feel the hatred burning inside the man.  Ernie knew he had done nothing wrong.  This angel, he scoffed at the word, was just picking a fight.  
Seraphs hated Naga; many viewed his kind as soulless even satanic.  The Naga had fought a war against them five thousand years ago.  An Elysium warship attacked a Naga caravan headed for Neptune.  Though the Seraphs could not attack the Naga directly due to there location on the Sun.  They made good on the caravans for some time before the Naga declared war.   The Naga had conquered most of Elysium when its people finally surrender.  The Naga returned the planet to them and they left their caravans alone from then on.
Ernie sensed a similar fight about to begin.  And knew it would end identically.
    "In fact while their at it they should just wipe out your whole damn sata.... Before the Seraph could finish another word or bastardize his people, Ernie hunched down and scooped the Seraph up by its wings.  With the clench of his hands, he felt every bone in those gorgeous feathery white wings shatter.  
The Seraph fainted with the pain.  Ernie released his grip letting the limp body fall and crumple on the ground.  He stepped over the faint man and walked away without a glance back.  He knew the others would leave him alone nor would that racist bastard bother him again.