One year later, in the morning.
In an empty hall.
It was a rectangular place. The walls were beige, and the floor was dark wood.
Qutaibah sat at the end of the room and crossed his legs as he waited. Soon, two other people sat beside him.
One of them was a man who wore dark clothes.
He was a tall, bulky man and had a yellowish-beige skin tone. He had short black hair combed back and a thick mustache. He had weary round eyes colored honey brown.
The second was Safira, who sat beside the mysterious man.
Prince Nadir walked into the room and stood before them. They all stood up and greeted him.
Prince Nadir smiled brightly at them and said, "It's good to see you all in good health."
Qutaibah smiled and replied, "I can say the same, Prince Nadir."
Nadir crossed his arms behind his back, looked at Safira and said, "Hopefully, Tanaz was a good apprentice, Safira?"
Safira smiled and said, "She was―I have high hopes for her."
Nadir looked at the mysterious man and said, "Tiger, I hope you know the woman you chose as your partner."
The man placed his palm on his chest and said, "I have full knowledge about her, Prince Nadir."
Nadir sat beside Safira and said, "Then let the test begin."
The guards opened the door and let Taz inside.
She walked into the room and stood at a distance before them. Taz cut her hair back to her usual boyish style. She wore a sleeveless beige shirt and brown pants.
Qutaibah approached Taz and said, "This is the first step of your inclusion into the arrows. Should you pass it, you'll go to your second and final step."
Taz nodded and said, "I am ready."
Qutaibah stood back and said, "First, coat your entire body in the element you prefer."
Taz relaxed her arms and took a deep breath. She coated her body in lightning as sparks burst off her limps.
Qutaibah looked back at them and nodded in approval.
He looked back at her and said, "Stop."
The lightning then disappeared from Taz's body.
"Second, conjure a spark of lightning from your right hand, and move it slowly to your shoulder, then do it again in your left arm," Qutaibah said.
To which Taz did successfully.
"Finally, do you see the wall to your left?" Qutaibah asked.
Taz looked at the wall and said, "Yes."
"I want to shoot it twice, on the condition that the first shot must not damage the wall or the paint, and the second must at least scrape the paint off it. You're free to break the wall if you can manage to do that," Qutaibah said.
Taz nodded and said, "I understand."
She aimed her palm at the wall and shot it with a weak lightning bolt. It made a barely audible zapping sound, and it was barely visible; it didn't damage the wall.
She charged the lightning on her arm, and it got stronger and brighter by the second. She shot the wall with incredible power, and the lightning tore off a chunk of the stone while a vine-like pattern showed around the edges of the newly made hole.
Qutaibah smiled and said, "Congratulations, Tanaz; you passed the test. Make sure to visit the temple at midnight to do the last step."
Qutaibah left, and Safira went with him as she smiled at Taz.
Nadir walked to Taz, congratulated her on her success, and wished her well before he left.
The man called Tiger stood up and slowly approached Taz with a soft smile.
He stood before Taz and said, "Luna wolf, I've heard so much about you."
Taz stared at him and said, "Red tiger, your infamy made Safira look kind-hearted."
The red Tiger chuckled and said, "And yours made the arrows refuse to be affiliated with you."
"So, I heard. Although I'd prefer to work alone," Taz said.
"The arrows work in pairs, never alone," The red Tiger said.
"Then why I don't see yours?" Taz asked.
He crossed his arms behind his back and said, "He refused to work with me after our last mission. He couldn't handle my brutal methods."
Taz smirked, crossed her arms behind her back and said, "It's a pain to work with the weak-hearted; sometimes you can't help but see them as a burden."
He stepped closer to Taz, looked into her eyes and said, "I couldn't say it better myself. I wish for a like-minded warrior to join me in my battles."
"Luckily for you, I can grant you that wish," Taz said.
He smiled and chuckled. He walked away and said, "Once you finish the ritual, let us meet tomorrow at the same time."
In front of Babilim's temple at midnight.
Taz strolled beside the public playground and reminisced about her childhood days. She stopped briefly and looked at the temple stairs, where she conversed with Hajras. She stared at the spot where she and her friends would play.
She walked to the temple and muttered, "I hated those days...."
She reached the temple and went up the white stairs till she reached the gate. She was welcomed by priestesses, who told her that the high priest was waiting for her arrival.
She went inside and headed to the great hall.
The great hall had statues of the Mesopotamian deities lined next to each other on the walls, and two significant figures stood in the hall's center.
The first was Ishtar. She stood proudly on the backs of two lions. She had a great bow strapped to her back, and her fertile body was uncovered.
The second was Anu. He stood straight and looked down the path. He carried his staff with his left hand and pointed his right index finger at the ceiling.
Taz stood before them, stared at Ishtar and admired her powerful stance.
The high priest went into the hall and approached Taz slowly from behind.
He stood beside her and said, "You've changed, Tanaz."
Taz looked at him and said, "So did you, High Priest, Talal."
Talal had a change of appearance since he was last seen. He had a braided beard, and his hair reached his shoulders. He wore the clothing of his late father.
Talal looked at Taz and said, "We all devoted our lives to see our wishes come true."
Taz looked back at Ishtar and said, "Some whishes are greater than others, and the goddess only demands the best of sacrifices."
Talal looked at Ishtar and asked, "Is that why you gave away Batil as a sacrifice?"
"My sweet boy wants to please me, so I let him," Taz replied.
A priestess came to them and told Taz it was time to start the ritual. Taz left with her and said nothing to Talal as she went.
Taz followed the priestess through the dimly lit corridors of the temple. She gazed into the priestess's body and smelt the scent that came off her body.
It was subtle, yet it felt oddly warm when Taz's nose picked up on the scent. She felt her insides become hotter and became aroused by her scent.
Her robe was thin and revealed the true beauty that lay underneath it. Her skin was white, her hips were wide, and her bottom was thick.
Taz couldn't take her eyes off her backside as it swayed with each step the priestess took. She wanted to reach for it. She desired to grab it. She craved to bite and tear the skin of her buttocks.
The priestess then stopped and looked back at Taz. She told her softly that they had arrived, and the high priestess was waiting for her inside the room.
Taz walked past her and went inside as she was sweating.
The room was warm, yet it had no lack of air. It smelled of flowers and wine.
The head priestess Roheen stood in the middle of the room. She wore a thin white robe and veil. Her hair went beneath her shoulders, and it was braided.
Taz approached her as she glanced at the priestess's body.
Roheen lifted her veil, looked into Taz's eyes and said, "Are you ready to pledge yourself to Ishtar, Tanaz?"
"Yes, high priestess," Taz replied.
Roheen approached her and said, "Go into the room. You'll find what you need before we send Batil to you."
Taz nodded and walked towards the door. Before she went inside, she stopped and looked back at Roheen. She told her she needed one more thing before starting the ritual.
Roheen looked at her and said, "What do you desire, Tanaz?"
Taz turned to her, reluctant to talk, but she couldn't tame her worst enemy. Her desires.
"I desire the priestess that accompanied me to this room," Taz said.
Roheen smiled, approached Taz slowly and said, "Using the services of our priestesses is costly, but if you're willing to pay, I can bring her to you."
"I'll pay," Taz said.
"If you can pay more, you can have me instead," Roheen said.
Taz looked at Roheen in awe. She swallowed her saliva and breathed heavily in excitement.
Roheen smiled at her, placed her hand on Taz's breast and said, "What do you say, Tanaz?"
Taz held Roheen's hand, looked into her eyes and said softly, "I want you, Roheen."
Roheen held Taz's hand and dragged her into the ritual room.
The room was large and rectangular. It had a sizeable bed in the middle, enough to hold five people. Facing the bed was a large balcony that shined the moon's light on the room and the bed.
Besides the walls on the floor were golden censers with the sacred plant in them. Taz felt the effect on her mind as soon as she entered the room.
Roheen sat Taz on the bed and brought her a bottle of wine. She sat beside her and told her to drink. She teased her more by saying the more she drank, the faster she'll take off her clothes for Taz.
Taz yanked the bottle's lid and drank the wine like water.
Roheen noticed Taz was sweating more than before and said, "Do you feel hot?"
Taz nodded.
Roheen smiled as she knew the drug in Taz's wine worked. She whispered into Taz's ears to take off her clothes.
Later that night.
Taz placed her hands on Batil's stomach and panted.
Roheen pulled the sacrificial knife from under the pillow and handed it to Taz.
The knife had a sharp steel blade and a brown leather hilt.
She sat beside her, stroked her shoulder, and whispered, "It's time."
Taz grabbed Batil's shoulder and sat him up.
She looked into his eyes and said sadly, "Thank you for everything, Batil."
Batil smiled.
He closed his eyes, lifted his head and exposed his neck to Taz.
Taz gripped his hair and held his head in place. She grabbed the knife firmly and slashed his neck in one swift strike.
Batil's blood sprouted out of his neck. He gasped heavily, and his limps numbed.
His blood fell on Taz's breasts and dripped down on her body.
Taz threw the knife aside and drank the blood from his neck.
Roheen looked at her in shock and said fearfully, "The sacrifice is made. It's over! You've done everything you needed to do."
Taz looked at her while blood covered her mouth and growled, "I will not let his flesh be wasted."
Taz grabbed the knife and cut up Batil's chest to his stomach.
Roheen stepped back, whimpered, covered her mouth and said, "Tanaz, stop!"
Taz glared at her and said, "I do not wish to be disturbed, Roheen. Unless you want me to feast on your flesh as well."
Roheen shook her head and cried.
"Then leave. Your Dinars will be given to you when I'm done," Taz said.
Roheen collected her clothes and left the room quickly while she was naked.
Taz turned to Batil's corpse, activated her reinforcement magic and tore off his ribs. She yanked his still-beating heart and held it with both hands as she admired it.
She bit his heart, and blood sprouted from it as her teeth dug into the firm outer layer.
She cut out his liver and held the tender and soft organ. She folded it like paper and ate it with heavy breaths.
She looked at his flaccid penis and grabbed the knife as she crawled to it. She gripped his tip and lifted it. She cut his penis from the base and tore it off. She bit off the tip and ate it. She ate the rest of it and licked her lips. She gripped his testicles and cut them off. She tore the sack and ate his testis.
She lay beside his corpse, stroked his chest and said, "Even in death, you still look beautiful."
Taz sat up and wiped her tears. She got off the bed, wore her clothes and left the room.
The next day, in the morning.
Taz went to the Arrows' Headquarters. She was dressed in beige garments and wore her mask. She had her two swords with her, along with her dagger.
She stepped into a large hall where the arrows gathered.
The hall had white stone walls and a wooden floor. It had a high ceiling with the paintings of Ishtar on it. It had round tables and private rooms at the end of the hall.
Taz saw the red Tiger, or Daghir, sitting beside the counter where they served drinks and snacks with a heavily bearded bald man.
Taz approached them, and the eyes of the arrows were on her.
Daghir and the man noticed her.
Daghir smiled at Taz and said, "Your mask draws attention to us."
Taz crossed her arms and said, "If they were displeased with my mask, they should go fuck themselves."
The bald man leaned forward and said, "That mask reeks of impurity."
"Then you should go fuck yourself," Taz replied.
The bald man tried to lunge at her, and Daghir held him back.
"There's no need for hostility among us, cousin," Daghir said.
"Yes, it would be unfortunate if I killed Daghir's family member on our first day together," Taz said.
The tensions between her and the bald man grew. Daghir knew a fight would happen if they stayed near each other longer.
He escorted his cousin out as he calmed him down.
Taz sat beside the counter, put down her mask, and ordered a wine bottle and sunflower seeds. She ate the seeds and drank as she waited for Daghir to return.
Daghir returned and sat next to Taz.
He looked at her and said, "I expected our first day to be peaceful."
Taz looked at him and asked, "Do you want sunflower seeds?"
Daghir reached into the small bowl and took some seeds from it.
He looked at Taz and said, "Ignoring what had happened, we have to depart tomorrow."
Taz sipped her wine and said, "You haven't told me what's our task."
Daghir leaned closer and said, "Remember the last time you were in Baghdad?"
"How could I forget? We won a war before it even started," Taz replied.
"Darius's corpse may have rotted on the gate of Baghdad, but we still have much to do to clear out the remaining mess," Daghir said.
"Their king is dead. What's left for us to do?" Taz asked.
"Ras Al Ghoul didn't work alone. He had people that sold and kept the information he stole," Daghir informed.
"How many are they?" Taz asked.
"Fifty, I managed to eliminate thirty-five of them. The rest fled into the peninsula and hid deep into that cursed land," Daghir said.
Taz sipped her wine and said, "That's why you chose me? You needed someone who experienced that land's environment?"
Daghir leaned on the counter and said, "Not only that. I needed someone who could handle its chaos."
Taz leaned on the counter and said, "There's something you're not telling me, Daghir."
Daghir slowly reached out to Taz's bottle, drank it and said, "I've heard about how ruthless you are, Tanaz, but I still have doubts if what they say is true."
Taz took the wine bottle from Daghir, drank it, and said, "And I have doubts if you can handle how ruthless I can be."
Daghir chuckled, then laughed and said, "I'm usually the one who asks that question."
Taz looked at him and said, "A wise man once said, 'A man's worth is no greater than his ambitions' So, tell me, Daghir. What are your ambitions?"
Daghir smiled and said, "My ambition is to rebuild the arrows and make them a force to be feared, not because of its reputation but for the might of its warriors."
Taz stared into his eyes and said, "Mine is to reach the pinnacle of our species, to become equal with the forces of nature. I will make everyone fear me and slay whoever comes."
"May this partnership be a blessed one. You're truly the ideal partner I've been searching for," Daghir said.
So, it began. Kindred hearts and minds aligned by the threads of fate. A partnership of predators was formed, a lone tiger and a lonely wolf.
They bathed in the blood of their foes and marched through the treacherous path of war, an unwavering tiger and a fearless wolf.
For grand ambitions, they fought, and through pain and hardships, they stood tall, a kingly tiger and conquering wolf.
So was the tale and the journey of both.
The End