Morning time, in the military outpost.
Daghir stepped out of the interrogation room with a crazed furious look in his bloodshot eyes.
He exhaled loudly and groaned in anger as he leaned on the wall. He stepped away from the wall and punched a hole in it as he shouted.
Two sentries came to him and asked what made him upset suddenly.
Daghir glared at them and growled, "Clear the outpost and bring me the wolf!"
Sometime later.
The sentries brought Taz to the outpost in chains and cuffs and stood in the courtyard.
Daghir sat at the stairs with the prisoner, who was naked, limbless and bloodied. He approached Taz as the sentries took off her restraints.
Daghir looked at the sentries and ordered them to leave.
Taz looked behind as they left, looked back at Daghir and asked, "Why're the soldiers waiting outside?"
They walked together, and Daghir replied, "Because an arrow said so."
Taz noticed the naked, limbless prisoner, approached him, kneeled, and inspected him like a cattle goat.
The prisoner looked at Taz and said dryly, "Kill me…."
Taz burst out in laughter and chirped, "He's alive!" She looked at Daghir and asked, "You did this?"
Daghir, in the meantime, stared at the blue sky and cupped his hands as if trying to call someone from above.
He inhaled deeply and shouted, "O' sons of fire who are in servitude of the king, heed my call. My name is Daghir, son of Shihab, and I invoke the shepherd's protection."
Taz furrowed her eyebrows, stood quickly and looked at the sky.
In the meantime, in Babilim's royal palace, inside the king's garden.
The king watered his flowers as his elderly wife sat near him, reading a book.
Suddenly the king's personal blue Jinn guardian fell from the sky, landed behind the king and said, "My King! The herd calls for your aid!"
The king turned around and steadied himself with his cane. His eyes turned into bright golden ones like a lion's when shined at in the dark. He looked at his Jinn and said, "Go aid my people with haste!"
Meanwhile, with Taz and Daghir.
Daghir looked at Taz and said, "When the king's guard arrives, let me do the talking."
Taz looked at him worriedly and said, "Invoking the shepherd's protection falsely is punishable by death, Daghir. I hope you know what you have done."
"You'll understand very soon," Daghir said.
Moments later, they heard the cursed shriek of an eagle coming from the sky above. A blue fireball approached at high speed from a distance in the sky. It landed before them, and from it manifested a tall blue Jinn twice the size of the towering Daghir.
It approached them and said, "The call of the herd was answered. For what reason have you called?"
Daghir approached it and said, "High treason―By none other than Prince Thabit."
"Where's the proof?" The Jinn asked.
Daghir pointed to the prisoner and said, "I offer you this Kemetic spy." He looked at the Jinn and said, "And I offer you my mind to read."
Without hesitation, the Jinn laid his palm on Daghir's head and read his mind.
It took off its hand and said, "I see―You have one day to accomplish your plan, son of Shihab. After that, the royal forces will siege the city."
It walked past Daghir and walked to the prisoner, and Taz, who stood beside him, glared at the Jinn as he approached.
The Jinn picked up the prisoner by his throat and flew away.
Taz looked at the blue fire trail and said, "I hate those fucking Jinns."
Daghir looked at Taz and said, "Tanaz…."
Taz looked at him.
"Our deal with the prince is off. We will get no compensation for our efforts," Daghir said.
"So, we'll leave?" Taz asked.
"Not yet. Listen, you have a choice if you want to participate in my plan. You can wait for me here if you want to," Daghir said.
Taz approached him and said, "What are you planning to do?"
"I'm going to eliminate Sakina's gang along with her spies," Daghir said.
Taz grew furious and punched Daghir. She grabbed his collar and growled, "Do you take me for an unprincipled, shameless woman!?"
Daghir pushed her away and growled, "I'm giving you a choice!"
"Fuck you and your choices! I dragged you into this; if anything, I should do this alone," Taz retorted.
Daghir glared at her as he wiped his bleeding nose.
Taz angrily pointed at him and said, "I gave you my word. I do not care if your foes were the legions of Mesopotamia and Kemet combined. I will stand by you whoever comes our way!"
"Fucking Aegis tribes," Daghir grumbled. He stood straight and said, "Fine! Let's go inside and plan our attack."
They went inside one of the meeting rooms.
Daghir placed a map of Al Basra on the table and drew circles on various locations. He told Taz those locations were given to him while interrogating the spy.
He pointed out that other than Sakina's gang, other Kemetic spies were inside the city, ranging from handlers, informants and agents.
Taz placed her hands on the table and questioned in a frustrated tone how the kingdom's enemies managed to sneak in and establish a solid foothold.
Daghir stood straight, crossed his arms, groaned and said, "What Khalifa told you was not far from the fact. The prince knew about the spies from the start, yet he ignored those threats because he extorted every gang in the city."
Taz looked at Daghir confusedly and asked, "In exchange for Dinars, he let those gangs roam free?"
"Yes, that's considered high treason to the king and the kingdom. Now that the king knows about his crimes, I assume he has already gathered a legion from the royal army. We have one day before they arrive and purge the city," Daghir said.
Taz crossed her arms and said, "And I assume we need to eliminate those spies before the royal forces spook them away."
Daghir then went on to explain to Taz his plan.
He told her they'd start by swiftly killing the spies around the city. Then when that's done, they'd move into the brothel. To strike down the remaining agents of Kemet.
Daghir looked at Taz and said, "Tanaz…."
Taz looked at him in silence.
"If anyone gets in your way, kill them without hesitation!" Daghir asserted.
Taz went past him with a wicked smile and said, "Oh, don't worry―I plan to outdo myself."
Midnight time with Taz.
She wore ragged robes and a dark head veil to cover her weapons and mask. She stood in a dark alleyway, monitoring a rugged house from the shadows.
"Are you there, companion?" Taz whispered.
Her Qareen manifested beside her and said, "The house isn't empty."
"Good…" Taz said.
"Be careful. There are Mesopotamian children inside," Qareen informed.
Taz approached the house and said softly, "Doesn't matter."
She knocked on the house, and a child opened the door for her.
The child looked at her and asked, "The password?"
Taz aimed her palm at him and said, "Lightning!"
She killed the child with a quiet lightning shot and stormed into the house. She found other children inside who sat on a carpet playing board games.
One looked at her and asked, "Who are you?"
"The wolf," She replied.
She used Nasya's technique, pointed her index finger, shot the children one after another with a quiet shot, and ended their short-lived lives.
Her Qareen manifested beside her and said, "The Kemetic agents are upstairs, bedding a whore."
She went to the upper floor and opened the door quietly.
The three agents were on a bed, fornicating a whore they all ganged up on.
One noticed Taz, and before he could utter a word. She took them out by constantly electrocuting the whore they all penetrated in a poetic sense of killing through pleasure.
"Is that all of them?" Taz muttered.
"Yes," Qareen replied.
"Good, time to purge the brothel," Taz replied.
She walked out of the room and headed to the door, but to her surprise, there were unaccounted hurdles standing at the door.
There was a squad of guards talking to a frightened old man.
Taz walked out of the door, and they noticed her.
One approached her and said, "Halt!"
She ignored him and walked past him.
He yanked her robes. They slid off her and revealed her weapons and mask.
Taz glared at him, then threatened, "Do you yearn for a painful death?"
The guard sheathed his sword and said, "The demon of Baghdad…."
"Do you think you stand a chance against an arrow?" Taz said.
The guard lowered his sword.
"Good boy…" Taz mocked.
She aimed her palm at the old man and shot him dead. She left without a word and headed straight to the brothel.
In the meantime, with Daghir.
He stood in the alleyway of the house he targeted. He placed his palm and focused his magic on the house.
He searched momentarily and muttered, "Strange―No noises."
He then focused on the upper floor and searched again.
Yet no noises were heard.
He thought to himself that he was sure that the house wasn't empty, he heard noises coming from it, but he couldn't locate them properly from a distance.
"Maybe…" he muttered.
He knelt, placed his palm on the floor, and focused his magic under the house.
Finally, he managed to sense noises coming from inside. They were mudded and unclear, but he increased the sensitivity of his magic and could hear clearly.
Heartbeats, bowel movement, breaths and physical scratching. Though one sound stuck out to him, it was the sound of playing cards.
Suddenly a man spoke and said, "These cards are shit!"
Daghir winced from the pain in his ear, covered it and said, "That fucking cunt!"
Luckily for the tiger, he determined how many were inside: four people.
He went to the door and lockpicked it swiftly. He went inside the messy house and found the basement door in the back.
He opened the door and casually descended the stairs.
The people inside were Ariel, a high-ranking guard member and two Kemetic agents.
The towering and frightening Daghir stood before them and said, "Well, Well. What a fucking surprise."
The Kemetic agents stood up quickly, only to be blocked by Ariel.
"Don't try to struggle against this man!" Ariel warned.
Daghir smiled and said confidently, "I take it you've heard of me."
The guard looked at Ariel and asked, "Who the fuck is he?"
Ariel stood up slowly and said, "An arrow named Daghir, also known as the red tiger. Second only to the golden lion."
"An arrow!?" The guard muttered in fear.
Daghir crossed his arms behind his back and said, "Correct! Except for the part with the golden lion." He looked at the guard and said, "Now, explain why a guard is sitting at a table with Kemetic spies and a Hebrew."
The guard stood up slowly and said, "This is a misunderstanding. Please for―"
"Wrong answer," Daghir interjected.
He whistled and waved his hand horizontally, then the guard lost his balance and fell, though, to the rest, it appeared as if he died on the spot.
Ariel looked at him in fear and asked, "Were you the one who ordered the capture of the demon?"
Daghir did his technique again and took out Ariel.
The tiger then looked at the Kemetic spies and said, "How about you two show me what the emperor's soldiers are capable of?"
One charged at Daghir with his dagger. He knew the only way to survive was to kill the tiger that cornered them, though it was easier said than done.
Once he reached within the attacking range of Daghir. The tiger activated his reinforcement magic.
Daghir curled his fingers and made his hand into a claw. He swung his claw on the spy's neck and tore off his jugular vein with his throat.
Daghir gripped his cervical bone as hot blood gushed on him, tore off his chest skin with his clothes in one fell swoop, and yanked out the beating heart of the spy.
He dropped the corpse and glared at the other spy as he held the beating heart. He squished it, dropped it and approached the other spy hurriedly.
The spy balled himself and screamed in fear as he soiled himself.
Daghir looked at him in disgust and groaned. He kicked his head against the wall, and the spy fell on the floor. He stomped his head until it flattened on the floor, spreading his brain everywhere.
Daghir then killed the guard, but when he approached Ariel, he stopped and muttered, "This one is useful."
He carried Ariel on his shoulder and walked to the door.
He saw a squad of guards talking to a frightened woman that told them about the screams she heard.
Daghir walked to them casually, gave them Ariel and said, "Give this prisoner to the Arrows."
They all looked at him in fear as he was covered in blood and flesh.
Daghir approached the woman. She stepped back in fear.
He quickly drew his dagger, stabbed her throat and heart, and left her to die in a bloody mess.
Daghir walked away and said, "We don't need someone alerting our enemies." Then headed straight to the brothel.
A while later, with Taz.
She waited for Daghir in a dark alleyway behind the brothel. She looked around and wondered what took him so long.
Then she heard heavy footsteps and groans followed by a foul smell.
She looked in its direction and saw a towering shadow approaching her. She instinctively pulled her short sword and stepped back as she faced it.
From the shadow emerged Daghir, and Taz sighed in relief. She kept forgetting how tall he was since she hadn't gotten used to him.
Daghir approached her and said, "Now, I understand why no one acts normal when they look at the mask."
Taz chuckled, then sarcastically said, "I believe the sight of a bloodied hulk of a man is more concerning than a mere mask."
Daghir smiled, twirled his mustache and said, "The mustache eases the minds of those who see me."
Taz laughed.
Daghir walked to the brothel and said, "You remember the plan, Wolf. I'll go inside and drive them out."
Taz followed him, then said, "If you encounter a pale, blue-eyed woman inside, spare her."
Daghir looked at Taz and asked, "Do you know her?"
"She'd make a good slave; I don't want her to die," Taz said.
Daghir chuckled, then said, "Humans aren't pets, wolf."
"I prefer the term forced servitude," Taz replied.
They walked beside the brothel, then to the front door, where two goons guarded it.
Daghir approached them casually while Taz was concerned about his sense of danger.
He whistled, waved his hand horizontally, and the first goon fell. He ran towards the second goon, beat him mercilessly, and broke his neck.
Taz looked at him in surprise. She went on the road and stood guard as Daghir went inside.
Qareen manifested beside Taz and said, "The one who fell first is alive but suffering."
Taz looked at Qareen and said, "Still doesn't explain what element he's using…." She shot the goon dead and said, "I guess I'll study him more."
Meanwhile, with Daghir.
He went through the door and found a woman sitting at a desk before the door at a meters distance.
He wanted to kill her swiftly but then changed his mind. It would've been best to cause a commotion inside the brothel and let chaos ensue to confuse the security staff.
The woman stood up and shook with fear.
Daghir clapped with more force and used his puzzling magical element.
The woman shrieked and covered her bleeding ears.
"I won't achieve anything using weak magic; I should let myself loose," Daghir muttered.
Meanwhile, With Taz.
Her Qareen manifested before her and shouted, "Cover your ears!!"
To which Taz complied.
Moments later, a sound shook the ground and the core of anyone nearby. It resembled a deep, unnatural guttural hum.
Windows shattered, walls cracked, and noises of agonized screams flooded the surroundings of Taz.
It was as if a choir of demons sang the melody of Armageddon.
Meanwhile, with Daghir.
After his destructive hum had stopped, he cleared his throat, went up the stairs and left the clerk's bloodied corpse behind. He strolled through a tight corridor and found people hugging the walls as they cried.
A man walked towards him, he had blood-red eyes, and his ears bled.
"Please, help us!" the man said.
Daghir grabbed his head, slammed it against the wall and ended his suffering. He went past his corpse and said, "Those who aid our enemies will perish."
He rushed through the floor and sought out all the goons who aided Sakina, but they were all dead.
He went to the final third floor and ambled to Sakina's office as he intended to end her with her establishment.
He kicked her office door open and found no one inside. He looked around and looked under the desk, yet found nothing.
He stepped out of her office, steadied himself against the wall and activated his magic to locate where she was.
He heard faint feminine noises. He focused on them and listened to what they said.
"Damn this kingdom. It's as if Ihy himself sent a divine punishment on this city. We need to leave the brothel, Sakina," Rana said.
Daghir deactivated his magic and said, "They're in the Basement―the wolf can handle them."
Dagstrolledbled back to the stairs and descended to the second floor. On his way out, he heard a woman crying in one of the rooms. Afraid that she might be the one Taz mentioned, he went to the source of the sound to investigate.
He peeked into the room and found a woman lying on the floor. Her eyes were blood red, and her nose and ears bled.
Daghir approached her, kneeled, gripped her chin and lifted her face.
Daghir inspected her and muttered, "Pale skin, blue eyes, and―White hair?"
Yara looked at him with pleading eyes and brokenly said, "Please―help me."
Yet the curiosity got the better of the cat.
Daghir kept inspecting her like an exotic animal, then said, "Your features are not present in Mesopotamia or Kemet―Are you―"
"Help me!" Yara squeaked.
Daghir placed her on her back, activated his magic, hovered his palm over her body and said, "You're not dying, only crippled."
Yara cried and gasped.
Daghir carried her on his shoulder and said, "Time to meet your new owner."
After a few minutes, Daghir reached the exit, and when he opened the door, he saw what was not accounted for.
Sakina's body lay on the floor with a vine-like burn pattern on her face and neck. And on the road, amongst shards of glass that emerged from the sand, a result of Taz's lightning.
One would usually think the wolf has smitten his foes, but the reality was far from forgiving.
Taz, on that grim night, was defeated by none other than the Kemetic agent, Rana.
Among the garden of glass shards stood Rana.
She had already impaled Taz's stomach with her curved sword and held her up like a trophy kill—a fitting scene for a defeated wolf.
Daghir stood there in disbelief at what he saw. To think that the wolf, the one who slayed the hordes of Jinn. The one who Slayed the newly reborn hunter, Ras Al-ghoul.
The calamity disguised as a human!
The Jinn slayer!
The mighty wolf!
The unstoppable wolf!!
Has met its match and was defeated by its mortal enemy, the hunter.
Rana sniffed, turned her head toward Daghir and said, "There's another pest…"
Daghir placed Yara down, walked onto the road and faced Rana meters apart.
Rana lowered Taz, kicked her away and pulled the curved sword out of her gut. She faced Daghir and scratched the sword's tip on the floor.
She smiled, then said, "Daghir, son of Shihab. My superiors warned me about you. But if one arrow is here, then…" she looked back at Taz and said, "That means she's the other arrow."
Daghir pulled out two silver brass knuckles, wore them and said, "If she couldn't defeat you, then you're not a mere agent, and neither a mere soldier,"
Rana laughed, then her eyes switched to those of an owl, colored red instead of the Mesopotamian blue and said, "No wonder Kemet is wary of you."
Daghir glared at her, activated his reinforcement magic and said, "Kemet will know the extent of my wrath after I'm done with you."
Rana approached Daghir and said, "Show me your wrath, red kitten."
Daghir approached her and started whistling harmonically.
Though Rana was confused at his bizarre action and paid no heed, she rushed at him and swung down her sword at Daghir. The tiger proved nimble and agile and evaded it swiftly.
Daghir looked at Rana and said, "What's wrong blessed one? Feeling light-headed?"
Rana wobbled, stepped back, and pointed the sword at Daghir as she held her head and groaned.
She lunged at him and tried to shove the sword at him, yet the nimble tiger evaded it once again.
Daghir whistled harmonically again and walked around Rana, never letting his eyes off her.
Rana screamed and shouted, "Stop it! It's driving me mad!"
Daghir kept walking around her and said, "Humans are frail, yet my element struggles in taking them down, but for a hunter to fight a user of sound magic is nothing more than a child fighting against a hungry tiger."
He whistled loudly, swiped his hand horizontally and stopped at his place.
Rana lost her balance, steadied herself with Taz's sword and struggled against the force of gravity as she clung on for dear life.
Daghir walked towards her and kicked her head. She fell on her back, and Daghir sat on top of her.
He punched her face once, and his fist dug deep into her skull. He kept hitting her until her face deformed and caved in.
He then stood, anchored his foot on her gut and pulled her head with all his might until her neck tore open.
He pulled her head again, yanked it out of its place along with her spinal cord, and threw it aside like rotten fruit.
He stashed his brass knuckles in his pouch, punched a hole in her chest and pulled out her heart. He squished it with his reinforced hands coated with flames and burned her heart till it turned black.
He stood there, panted, gasped, then flung the heart away as he screamed in frustration.
He went to Taz, who was lying on the floor motionless.
He took off her mask. He wanted to check helplessly if she had even the slimmest signs of life.
Her eyes were wide open to his surprise, glaring ever so viciously at him as she took sharp short breaths.
Daghir's eyes lightened up, then Taz's Qareen manifested before him.
Daghir jumped back in surprise.
Qareen approached him and shouted, "Heal her! Her ribs are shattered!"
Daghir hastened to Taz without hesitation, placed his palm on his chest and began using healing magic on her.
Moments later, Taz's breaths become normal, longer and deeper.
She swatted his hand away, sat up and healed herself to completion.
She panted, looked at Daghir and said, "You shouldn't have done that!"
Daghir sat on the floor, looked at her and said, "Fuck you!"
Taz faced him, then growled, "You know the costs of healing magic! Why waste your lifespan on me!?"
"A short proud life is better than a long, shameful one," Daghir replied.
"There's no shame in surviving!" Taz retorted.
Daghir became furious.
He lunged at Taz, pinned her down and shouted, "Do you take me for an unprincipled, shameless man!?"
He pulled her closer and said, "You told me I have your fidelity, and I told you, you got mine! If you think I'd let you die like a dog, then you're mistaken."
Taz looked away as her shame consumed her.
Daghir slapped her harshly, stood up and walked away.
Taz held her aching cheek and shouted, "Why the fuck did you slap me!?"
Daghir turned to her and retorted, "Because I like hitting women!"
Taz stood up and muttered, "Fucking cunt."
The End