"What were you thinking?!"
It's been a while since Ishtar left.
She already made an oath to the Tablets of Destiny right in front of us so l knew she'd keep her end of the deal. Now, I had to face a monster far worse than Gugalanna.
An angry Siduri.
After Ishtar left, the news of the deal spread like wildfire.
It wasn't even an hour before, not only Siduri, but the council of elders, guards, and even servants around the castle flooded the throne room. It was surprising that they all came.
Gilgamesh was surprisingly quiet. He just sat on his throne with an emotionless expression, looking over what's currently going on. Enkidu looked a little saddened, but still tried to keep it from showing too much.
"Surely you could have negotiated better terms. Do you even know what this means for the city? To your people? For you to agree to leaving Uruk is unreasonable, outrageous, and simply stupid! What could have possibly possessed you to agree to this?!" Siduri berated me without rest.
"Elemental Zack, do you truly intend to leave the city as the deal says?" One of the elders asked.
"Why should you actually fulfill your end of the deal?" One of the guards asked. "Surely you can renegotiate with Ishtar? Why don't you go to her temple then?" Such questions kept flowing one after another.
I really couldn't keep up.
"Enough," Gilgamesh's voice was calm and levelled, but it still managed to silence the whole room. "Zack... why did you agree to that deal?"
I sighed and shook my head. Time to come clean. "To be honest, Gil... I've been thinking of leaving for quite a while now," I said and he gave me a look that told me to explain more.
"When I first came here, I never really intended to stay. I just wanted to help those people pass the desert safely and I was gonna be on my way. Things just... got out of hand. And, lately, I've been thinking that I want to get out there and see the world. I already did my parts here. I have no actual reason to stay."
While going to visit Tiamat, I always saw creatures that, quite frankly, don't exist in modern time.
There's a whole world of mystery out there. I wanted to see it, and this incident just gave me the excuse to do so.
Gilgamesh just silently looked at me before finally speaking. "Very well," he rose from his seat and smiled. "Tonight, we shall hold a grand feast to celebrate your departure! I want the entire city to join in!"
Wow. I'm leaving and his throwing a party?
Guess Gilgamesh will never change.
You get to appreciate the things that stay the same when you never age.
It was night time and the entire city was filled with lights and celebration. Many people actually tried to talk me out of leaving, but a deal is a deal, even if it's with Ishtar.
Most of the ones that tried to talk me out of it were, unsurprisingly, the forest nomads. Some even went as far as saying they'll leave with me.
But I put my wooden foot down in this matter and told them to stay.
"Zhach," Zaraka tried to say my name as Hesha was holding him. "Keep trying little guy. You'll get it sooner or later," I said to the kid.
Most of those around were celebrating.
Gil was drinking wine somewhere with Enkidu being with him to make sure he doesn't drink himself under the table too quickly.
Apparently that happened before and some instrument was somehow lost in the Underworld of all places.
Gil stopped Enkidu before he told me the full story.
"We are all very sad to see you leave, great Zack," Hesha told me as she held her son. "Will you truly not consider staying?"
"I already made a deal with Ishtar, I have to fulfill to make sure she fulfills her end of the deal," I replied with a shrug.
"Zack, where are you?" I heard Gilgamesh's voice yell somewhere from the crowd. "Let us play one last round of 'Ano' so that I may beat you in front of all these people!"
"It's Uno! And I'll be right there, Gil!" I yelled back before looking back at Hesha and Zaraka.
"I left him a little surprise, but make sure that he ONLY gets it when he's old enough, alright?"
Hesha looked surprised and confused, but she still nodded nonetheless and held her son tighter as I went to look for Gilgamesh and hopefully beat him in front of all these people.
You know, looking back at it, I guess I regret not seeing Zaraka grow up with my own eyes.
But, I know for a fact he turned out good, so I'm happy either way.
It was the next day and I was standing in front of the gates of Uruk. Lots of people had apparently wanted to come and see me off, but Gilgamesh denied that and had them go clean up the leftovers from yesterday's party.
"Your people shall be recognised as official citizens of Uruk from today," Gilgamesh said as he crossed his arms.
"Thanks, for everything," I said as I turned to my wind element.
"Take care of yourself, Zack," Enkidu said and Gilgamesh just nodded.
Heh. He still won't say goodbye. That's Gil for ya. "Who knows. Maybe we'll see each other again,"
I said as I flew off the ground. "It's a world full of miracles out there!" I yelled as I flew away.
I wonder what I'll find out there?
Third POV: Several Years later:
"Zaraka, we're gonna leave soon, are you coming?" One of the hunters said.
"Yes, I'll be there!" A teenage Zaraka yelled back from inside the house he and his mother live in.
The forest nomads, as a way to contribute to Uruk, had formed a group of hunters that would gather food and hunt animals in the forests near the city.
Zaraka had joined them as a trainee recently and this was his first hunting trip.
"One moment, Zaraka," his mother told him just as he reached the door.
"Yes, mother?" Zaraka turned to Hesha to see that she was holding a large object covered in cloth.
"I... I believe it's time to finally give this to you," his mother handed him the clothed object and he unwrapped it.
Zaraka found himself staring at a spear with a pure wooden pole and a spiral looking blade at the tip. The spiral blade was made from silver metal with golden outlines. Something told Zaraka that the metal was not normal.
"Mother... what is this?" Zaraka asked as he stared at the shining blade.
"It is something that Great Zack left you before he left on his journey," his mother replied and his eyes widen.
He had been too young when he met the Great Zack, and he can only remember bits and pieces very vaguely at best. Yet he still held him in the same regard as everyone in of his people.
"Thank you," Zaraka said as he held his spear. "I swear that I will live up to the expectations that Great Zack had for me."
Hesha nodded with a proud smile before giving her son one last hug before he turned back to the door and left.
Today was his first hunt.
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