Evening came, the sun seemed to be starting to set on the horizon. A middle-aged man limped slightly on the sandy ground carrying a linen bag filled with grain and cured meat. He whistled, while cheerfully occasionally greeting the neighbors who were also starting to end their activities for the day.
Nin-Girsu was a friendly man, with a bushy beard on his chin and a thin mustache that was starting to turn white above his lips. He worked as a court scribe for more than thirty years. He didn't make much fortune, but it was enough to buy him land and a house and some valuables pottery.
He was more than sixty years old, but still physically fit. He always bragged to his son that he could live for another sixty years. His leg had been limping since a dozen years ago. He fell on the steps of the tower of Babylon and his leg has not healed since then. He was just one of the thousands of scribes that Babylon had, sorcerers were reluctant to use their magic to treat his feet. He was not worthy enough to receive healing from them. So, Nin-Girsu had to be content with sticking herbal grass and essential oils on his ankles at that time.
When he arrived at his house, a different air immediately hit him. He fell silent, and stopped his whistling. The cheerful aura that had surrounded him earlier now evaporated somewhere. Someone was sitting at the door of his humble home. The Akkadian rug he bought two years ago from the city of Uruk lay beneath the man's feet. Nin-Girsu remembered that he had asked his wife to dry it.
It was his favorite rug. One of the most expensive things he owned. Even if someone stepped on it with dirty feet now—it was no longer a problem for him. Because he knew the person sitting on his porch at the moment.
He was a sorcerer who never stopped by the towers of the fifteenth floor and below. He was one of the strongest sorcerers of the king of Babylon who inhabited the ninetieth floor tower. Nin-Girsu knew that He was going in and out of the tower through the window on a flying rug or simply flying. He never interacted with the lower floor tower workers.
Babylon's magic tower had more than a hundred floors. Floors one through fifteen were inhabited by novice or aspiring sorcerers. They mostly still struggle to burn a candle with magic. The sixteenth through forty floors were inhabited by those who had passed the wizarding exams and worked for the king. They could already cast curses, cast healing spells and attack using fire or wind although most were not very strong. They also used to practice witchcraft in their homes and receive money to curse or cure curses.
The forty-first to sixty floors were inhabited by wizarding scholars, researchers, magic teachers and those with extensive knowledge of magic. They were responsible for registering the scrolls of magic spells, and keeping secret the power of Babylon's sorcerers. Some senior scribes also work there although they couldn't do magic. They became librarians there.
Nin-Girsu once got an offer to become a librarian on the fiftieth floor. It would definitely change his life for the better. But Girsu refused because of his limping leg. In fact, he knew that when he worked on the fiftieth floor, there would be a magician in charge of flying the librarians up to that floor so they wouldn't be tired from climbing thousands of stairs. However, Girsu actually had another reason. He tried not to stand out. He avoided the sorcerers who lived on the top floor.
Girsu, keep a secret. And he planned to take that secret to his grave. That secret was also the reason why he always told his family to stay away from sorcerers. He knew one day there might be powerful sorcerers looking for him. However, he didn't expect it to happen so quickly. When he came home from the tower after reading and writing magic scrolls for almost two weeks— he thought about relaxing with his family and enjoying the smoked venison he had just bought. But, he wasn't sure right now, maybe he wouldn't even have time to eat it.
"Where did you hide it?" The man asked in his deep voice. He was a black man with beaded dreadlocks. He wore a lot of jewelry and robe-like clothes that showed off his strong chest muscles. He looked to be only in her mid-twenties but Girsu knew that he was much older than he looked.
Nin-Girsu didn't answer right away.
"I don't understand what you mean," said Girsu with a straight face as if innocent.
The man smiled, then a large snake appeared through the ground he was sitting on. Slowly the shape of the giant snake condensed and Girsu could see the color of its dark green scales glistening and that he wore a crown-like ornament on her head. She hissed as she lifted her master off the ground. The sorcerer brought his snake closer to Nin-Girsu. The huge snake hissed near his ear and stared at him with its two big yellow eyes.
"You're too calm, as if you expected my arrival beforehand," said the man, giving him a sharp look.
"I— I work in the magic tower of Babylon. I'm used to seeing miracles. Even though I'm confused, why would a high-class sorcerer like you come to my house?" Said Girsu nervously with his eyes occasionally rolling.
"Are you sure about this, Zora?" The man asked.
"I am sssssure. I can feel hisss aura. He hassss chossssen a new massster," The huge snake hissed at her master.
"You heard that old man? My Demon says, something extraordinary has happened around your house. So, where is the sorcerer?" asked the black magician.
"I don't understand. There are no sorcerers here," Girsu shook his head.
The dreadlocked man looked at Nin-Girsu suspiciously, Zora the snake brought him closer until the scribe could feel his breath. The man then whispered into his ear.
"I have a feeling you're hiding something, old man," he said menacingly. Girsu felt his body stiffen. He was really in big trouble right now.