【Beginning】
It had been years since Namtar started living in the swamp. One day, his old companions, Dumuzi and Ninurta, surprisingly visited and pleaded him to return. According to the two, plague had struck the town; they desperately needed his power to save the ill.
Namtar thought that fate had arranged this swamp for him; he would live here and he would die here. No matter how Dumuzi apologized for expelling him, he did not agree to return, not even when Ninurta tried to take him back by force.
Eventually, Dumuzi told Namtar that they had already retrieved the “Tome of Fate”. Namtar’s eyes suddenly radiated with light, and he hurriedly said that he was willing to return with them.
Namtar had always wanted to read the book as it was believed to be able to help the reader grasp fate, but it lay under the birdlike monster’s claws. Now that the “Tome of Fate” was secured in the town, how would Namtar, the one who claimed to be the follower of fate, let this chance go by?
However, situations do not always unfold as one intends. During their journey, a storm suddenly struck! It did not only destroy the bridge that crossed the river, the flood also deepened and widened the river. At first, Ninurta wanted to hold his two companions and swim across the river by only using his exceptional strength, but later gave up when he witnessed how fast the current was.
Namtar deemed that it was fate’s obstruction, thinking that fate wanted him to continue living his lone life in the swamp. But his words angered Dumuzi —
King of Shepherd - Dumuzi: If your “fate” does not want you to return, why did it let us find you?!
King of Shepherd - Dumuzi: Didn’t you leave the swamp because you wanted to read the “Tome of Fate”? Fate didn’t tell you to do so. You chose to do it!
God of Pestilence - Namtar: !!!
King of Shepherd - Dumuzi: Come on! We just need a canoe that can bring us across the river.
King of Shepherd - Dumuzi: Teacher Anu taught us how to build one. I believe you remember the steps, don’t you?
【Before Battles】
King of Shepherd - Dumuzi: We have to ensure it’s strong, or it’ll easily fall apart in the powerful current.
【End】
It took longer than expected to build a canoe. When Dumuzi returned from gathering fruits, what he saw was not a mere canoe; Namtar had equipped it with a propeller in the back. The propeller could be hand-operated. With a combination of gears, a slow and steady rotation of the handle was enough to provide momentum faster and easier than usual paddling. Along with Ninurta’s help, the product was ready to work.
King of Shepherd - Dumuzi: ...I believe I just told you to build a canoe. How come it became a boat with a propeller?
God of Pestilence - Namtar: The wind is blowing in the direction of the town. If we return by water, we can arrive there sooner.
God of Pestilence - Namtar: But a canoe cannot handle such a long navigation, so we built a little boat instead.
King of Shepherd - Dumuzi: Hahaha. Isn’t it better than we thought?
God of Pestilence - Namtar: ...Dumuzi. Maybe...you’re right...
General of Hurricane - Ninurta: Hey, why are you two talking on the shore? Come on up!
Namtar followed the two onto the boat. It took them less than three days to return to the town Namtar had left for so long. As Namtar dealt with the plague, he would yet again be faced with the choice of “accepting” or “challenging” fate...