A little bit of a glimpse of what's happening back in Nuba.

The Rants of a Madman

The sun was high in the sky when Babar decided that it was finally time for his break. He had been up since first light, running the storefront of his shop that he and Ani had moved into a year after Hayreddin had departed for Ain. He had been saving money for years to buy the place and now happily ran a goods store on the ground floor while he and Ani lived on the second. Ani even had a small patch of garden at the back of the shop where she grew plants and herbs to sell or cook.

Life was good.

Babar looked over the counter where he could see Ani tending to her garden through the open back door.

"Ani, I'm going out for a quick break!" he called. "Take care of the shop in the meantime!"

Ani immediately stuck her head through the back door. "I hope you don't mean to drink yourself into a stupor when you say 'a quick break'."

"Outrageous!" cried Babar. "What is the world coming to if a wife can hurl unfounded accusations at her husband?"

"Unfounded accusations?" repeated Ani with a wicked grin. "I suppose it's an unfounded accusation when the said wife finds her husband snoring into his cups in the marketplace where everyone can see him?"

"I was only sniffing the wine," protested Babar. "The smell overwhelmed me."

Ani snorted. "Well go on, then. Be back within the hour and don't let me catch a whiff of wine on your breath, or I promise you all you're getting for dinner tonight is salted fish."

"Madness! Madness!" cried Babar, shaking his head dramatically as he exited the store. "A wife hurling false accusations against her husband, threatening him...oh, how far our society has fallen..."

"Get going or I'll hurl something else at you!"

Babar chuckled and set off. He had been planning to go for a cup or two. Babar could hold his liquor, but the time that Ani had spoke of, he had passed out because the wine merchant Razeed had convinced Babar to try a new type of wine he had brewed and its potency had been beyond anything that Babar had been expecting, knocking him out after two cups. Babar had woken up with a mighty headache made worse by Ani screeching at him, and vowed since then to avoid any unusual type of wine that Razeed offered, especially if they were brewed by the merchant himself.

The streets of Nuba were bustling with people going about their business; craftsmen, merchants, hunters, customers and people from all other walks of life.

Babar grimaced as his back ached a little; one of the little gifts of age as he often called it. He looked forward to when Hayreddin would return and help him run his business. He and his wife missed their son greatly. They had received letters from him every now and then, so they knew he was alright, but Hayreddin had refused to go into details about what was going on at Ain. Ani was greatly worried and Babar had to stop her from rushing off to Ain herself several times already.

Spirits bless that woman, but she worries too much, thought Babar with a smile.

As he continued down the street, various people called out to him; some in greeting, others about business.

"Babar my good friend, how about a quick smoke, eh?"

"Babar, everyday is a good a day when you step into my shop!"

"Ah, Babar, today is your most fortunate day indeed, I have a business opportunity..."

"Ah there you are, come in and let's have a drink..."

Babar answered the greetings as was appropriate and stopped a few times to talk business, promising to come back later to go over the details. Eventually, Babar found his way into the market square. Countless stalls dotted the square as a sea of people milled about, browsing the wares.

Just beyond the square was Hayreddin's Wall, the fortress that looked over the natural sandy ramp that led down to the ocean, protecting Nuba from attacks by the pirates. It was the safety provided by the fortress envisioned by Hayreddin that had allowed Nuba to prosper. Smiling proudly as he always did whenever he saw the Wall, Babar began to make the journey across the square to Razeed's stall. With the sun high in the sky, people were already beginning to leave in order to find shade, so Babar had little difficulty in crossing the square.

"Do not be fooled, people of Nuba! This prosperity is a lie!"

The voice carried across the square, and Babar turned towards the source, already knowing who it would be.

Beduin was standing on a crate; the old spirit-speaker was shouting out his words for everyone to hear.

"This prosperity is a lie, because it came not with the guidance and the blessings of the spirits! Instead, it came about because we chose to listen to the daemon that fell from the sky in a burning star! The daemon that bewitched us with its false beauty and honeyed words! The daemon that calls itself Hayreddin!"

Babar sighed. It was the same drivel every time. Beduin had continually railed against the advancement of Nuba and anything to do with Hayreddin. As his supporters had dwindled, Beduin had resorted to preaching, or ranting rather, in public spaces as loudly and for as long as he could until the guards shooed him away for disturbing the peace.

It was pathetic really, and Babar couldn't help but feel sorry for Beduin at times.

"This prosperity of the daemon's doing is like a desert rose! Beautiful to look at and its scent draws you in, but once you reach out to it, the poisonous thorns catches you and corrupts you to the core! Reject this lie, people of Nuba! Return to the old ways! Repent! Repent before it is too late!"

Most of the people in the square ignored Beduin while a few laughed openly. Only a small number stopped to listen, and most of those walked away, shaking their heads. Undeterred, Beduin continued, until his wild eyes spotted Babar. They immediately narrowed and Beduin pointed an accusing finger at Babar.

"There! There is the one who brought the daemon into his home and names it his son! There is the one who should have drowned the daemon before its corruption could spread. He is as much to blame for the corruption afflicting us as the daemon! He must answer for his crimes to the spirits themselves!"

Babar shook his head and moved on. Beduin continued to hurl abuse at Babar until the guards had finally had enough and tried to chase the spirit-speaker away. But Beduin would not be denied, shouting over the guards.

"This is your fault, Babar! That daemon you call your son has already corrupted this city! He will soon corrupt this world! He will doom it! This is all on your head!"

The guards seized Beduin and forcibly dragged him away even as he continued to shout at Babar. Eventually, his shouting faded away as the guards dragged him off.

Babar settled himself onto one of the seats in front of Razeed's stall. The fat wine merchant was shaking his head and clucking his tongue.

"Same old shit eh, Babar?" said Razeed. "I don't how you put up with it every day."

Babar shrugged. "Just the rants of a madman. People no longer listen to him; he just does it for attention."

"Humph, if he puts in as much effort in embracing this change as much as he does rejecting it, he'd probably be richer than all of us, eh?" remarked Razeed, laughing. "Honestly, we're safe from pirates, business is booming, Nuba is growing, everyone is happy with life and Beduin complains? You'd think he actually enjoys the dark days."

"Well he was the most important man in those days," said Babar. "But that's enough about the crazy bastard. Give me the usual, Razeed."

"Of course, of course," boomed Razeed, pouring out a cup of Babar's favourite wine and passing it to him. "Would you like to try something else too? Something of my own concoction?"

Babar snorted. "And get knocked out again? Wake up to a skull-crushing headache again? I'll pass, thank you."

"Oh, come on," protested Razeed. "How was I to know that that stuff was too strong for you? I mean, I drink it all the time and I'm perfectly fine!"

"Razeed, you drink enough wine to kill a Biwak," retorted Babar. "Don't compare your tolerance for wine to the rest of us mere mortals."

Razeed laughed. "Come on, I'll give you something a lot milder than last time, eh? On the house! I need the feedback!"

"That's what you said last time," answered Babar warily.

"I promise, this one is definitely a lot milder than last time," insisted Razeed.

"That's what you said last time too."

The wine merchant snorted and poured out a drink into a much smaller cup. "Go on, give it a try!"

Babar hesitated for a moment before picking up the cup. He sniffed it cautiously; it seemed alright. He glanced at Razeed, who nodded encouragingly.

Babar took a sip.

XI XI XI

Voices were shouting in the dark. He could hear Ani, screeching for some reason or other. He could hear Hayreddin's laughing voice as a child.

"Look Atta! I caught a crab!"

"Hayreddin! Put that thing down before it pinches your fingers!"

"Look, it's a big one…!"

"Listen to me, Hayreddin!"

Then the voices changed. It became the voice of an angry old man. A madman. It spoke with hatred burning within it.

"This is your fault, Babar!"

"Poisonous…Corrupts you to the core!"

"The daemon that calls itself Hayreddin!"

"There is the one who brought the daemon into his home and names it his son!"

"This is your fault, Babar!"

"Your fault, Babar!"

"Babar!"

"Babar…"

"Babar!"

Babar woke, his head feeling as though a thousand needles were boring their way in. His ears rang as Ani screeched at him. Dimly, he became aware that he was at home and it was night-time. His head spun as Ani continued to scold him.

Babar cursed Razeed under his breath.