Weeks later, at midnight with Taz.
One night, Taz couldn't sleep. It wasn't because of stress or anxiousness. She sensed that this night was the night—the night where the wolf would be hunted.
She didn't bother to wear any gear or strap any weapons. She only brought up a vial and admired it.
Taz walked around her old bedroom wearing a sleeveless shirt and shorts and told her Qareen, "I wonder what I'm without my weapons and gear. Am I a normal girl? Or am I the ruthless beast called the wolf?"
Qareen manifested beside her and said, "You never bothered to mention your magic."
Taz turned to it and said, "That would be an incorrect statement. After all, my magic is a part of who I am. Something unique to my persona, something only I have the will to unleash."
"It's unfair that you have it while others suffer due to their feebleness," Qareen said.
"This world is never fair, Qareen. It gives you what you need, not what you desire." She approached Qareen, held its face and said, "Imagine if we didn't have A'saal in our lives, we would've surely died that night. Imagine if I didn't have the blessing of magic, the generals would've surely executed us. Imagine if uncle didn't buy me those silver swords, the Jinns would've surely slaughtered me, or worse, make me their breeding mare."
Qareen swatted Taz's hands and said, "I would never allow them to do it."
Taz walked away, turned to it and said, "Nothing is all-powerful anymore. You can't stand a chance against mightier Jinns." She bit her knuckles and said, "Even Ishtar herself."
"Why did you denounce the goddess?" Qareen asked.
Taz approached Qareen, crossed her arms loosely and said, "You saw what they did to her. The demons brought her idol to life and paraded her in the streets."
She became furious, growled and said, "A goddess I want to worship should not be common. She shouldn't be fucked in public like some lowly whore!! I will no longer follow her! I will not worship her!"
"Turning your back on the gods will do you no good," Qareen warned.
"Those are not gods; those are lies and deceptions. A god would defend his honor and divinity and not let demons tarnish his image," Taz said.
Qareen looked to the side and said, "The assassins are here; there are five of them."
Taz pulled out the vial and said, "Let's see why my brethren Rizza favored this drug." She took off the plug, gulped the drug entirely and threw the vial away.
She twitched, curled and grunted loudly. She screamed in fury, and her eyes reddened. She stood straight, panted, giggled and said, "I'm going to eat them alive!"
She left her room, stood before the entrance and cracked her neck. She activated her reinforcement magic, and when the assassins broke through her door.
She jumped at them and used her lightning to repel them.
She turned to them as the assassins slowly stood one after another. Taz smiled wickedly at them and said, "Five men aren't enough to kill me. You should've brought a hundred."
The first assassin lunged at her. Taz swiftly grabbed his knife arm, broke it, then gripped his hair, pulled his head back and bit off his jugular.
Taz held him still as his blood sprinkled on her. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, hummed erotically and said, "Ohh, I missed how hot liquids drench me."
She infused her magic in the dying assassin and placed an attracting field on him, which made every metal nearby impale him.
She dropped his corpse, opened her arms and said erotically, "Come on, boys. Four men on one woman is easy!"
The assassins jumped her simultaneously, yet Taz didn't fight back.
She relished the pain and the humiliation. She fantasized about being beaten to an inch of her life. She wanted to have her bones crushed and her body defiled.
Sadly, the hits she received were weak. That amount of pain was not enough to please her.
Taz stared at the sky blankly and said disappointingly, "I'm surrounded by weak men."
She activated her field, and those assassins were instantly zapped. She stood up, her face bruised and her lips cut. Her body was covered with blood and purple spots.
She turned to the first assassin and shot him. She repeated the process till she reached the last one.
She approached him, sat roughly on his gut, then looked at his face with her head tilted. She smiled at him, leaned closer and asked, "How many of your friends are coming?"
The assassin glared at her and said, "Plenty."
Taz giggled, then said, "I like it when my toys put up a fight..."
The assassin pulled out a hidden, tiny knife and stabbed Taz's side. He giggled as Taz winced and closed her eyes. But he felt a warm, wet liquid on his gut. Did she just...?
Taz panted, and her face flushed and sweaty. She punched the assassin's throat and made him suffocate. She leaned closer, licked his cheek, smirked and said softly, "We're going to have so much fun!"
Meanwhile, with Athir.
The assassins that were sent to her snuck into her palace.
Before Daghir launched his plan, he sent a letter to the dean, instructing him to relocate along with everyone else apart from Athir.
Athir, in the meantime, had already become aware of the assassins' presence using her magic, but she didn't hide or escape.
She sat in the garden and waited for her chance.
Once the assassins reached the vicinity, she hummed a relaxing, soft melody. One that attracted them not for violence but for peace of mind.
Her melody made the assassins drop their weapons as they entered the garden, and they sat around her like an admiring crowd.
Once She finished. She smiled at them warmly and asked, "Do you want to hear it again?"
The assassins nodded eagerly.
Athir giggled, then said, "Then listen attentively this time."
She activated her sound magic and clapped loudly. That was enough to drop them all and break a few windows and glass decorations.
Athir took her sword, stood and shoved her blade into their skulls one after another. She left the last assassin and took him away for interrogation.
Meanwhile, with Caleb and his partner.
They sat around in the shack and bantered.
Caleb's partner was the mysterious arrow called Zero. He was a skinny, youthful man with straight, black hair and shaved sides. He had a disturbing expression and wide, dark eyes.
Zero leaned forward and asked, "Did your shitty magic find those assassins yet?"
Caleb crossed his arms, smirked and asked, "How about you go outside and find them for me?"
"Why would I? While I have a bald prick who can hear shit moving in my guts," Zero said.
"Maybe a good word to the wolf would change your mind?" Caleb said.
Zero's face lit up, and he chirped, "You would do that for me!?"
"No, go fuck yourself," Caleb said.
Zero leaned forward, sighed in frustration and said, "I knew you were a prick, just like your fucking cousin. He gets to be the leader of the Arrows after a lifetime of difficult missions. And what does he do? He makes us wait in place while assassins haunt us!"
"Don't worry, princess, I'll protect your delicate little body," Caleb said in a homoerotic manner.
"I don't need protection! I need to impress the wolf!" Zero said.
"You know. I heard she likes sissies, maybe if you fatten yourself and put on makeup. She'll look your way," Caleb said.
Zero pondered, then squinted his eyes at Caleb and asked, "Do you think I'd look cute as one?"
"No, you're naturally the Queen of ugliness. Even the temple of Ishtar won't accept you," Caleb said.
Zero leaned forward, then asked, "Did the wolf choose a partner yet?"
"No," Caleb replied.
"What did she say when our leader presented my file to her?" Zero asked.
"She never heard of you; I also heard she was dismissive of your existence," Caleb replied.
"Did Daghir tell her I'm a master at assassinations?" Zero asked.
"He did; still, she's not interested in you," Caleb said.
Zero bit his backhand and growled, "That's not fucking fair!"
Caleb stood and said, "Now that your spirit is broken. The assassins have arrived; go out there and get yourself killed."
Zero stood, glared at Caleb and growled, "I'll impress her. You'll see."
He barged out of the hut and saw surprised assassins outside. He opened his arms and shouted, "Witness me, great wolf!"
Caleb knew what was about to happen, and he quickly closed the door and stayed inside.
Zero's body was coated in intense lightning, and sparks exploded onto his surroundings. The floor turned into a garden of shards, and the assassins died from Zero's burst.
Zero looked at the corpses in concern and shouted, "Fuck!! I forgot to leave one alive."
Caleb stepped out and snarled, "You stupid bastard!!"
Zero turned to him and shouted, "Fuck you, Caleb!!"
Meanwhile, with Zaria.
The final mysterious figure of the arrows was a woman named Zaria.
She had no large blades, only small or medium-sized ones. She had a brown skin tone and a youthful, innocent complexion. She had large, dark eyes and full lips. Her hair was black, short and braided tightly.
She sat atop a building in front of her house. She swung her legs playfully over the ledge and said, "I thought being targeted by elite assassins was exciting. I thought wrong."
She looked at the city and said, "I could've been having fun, but no. That prick wants us to stay where we are."
Luckily for her. That boredom was about to be broken. She saw four assassins approaching her home.
She stayed still, leaned forward and muttered, "Just four?"
She grabbed a rope and descended skillfully to the ground. She placed her feet on the floor silently, stood haughtily and said, "I do hope those daggers are poisoned."
The assassins jolted and turned to her.
Zaria tilted her head and said, "You can speak. I won't tell your leader about it."
"The blades aren't poisoned; it's not our way," An assassin said.
Zaria relaxed her arms and said, "Shame." She ignited her legs and fists, activated her reinforcement magic and lowered herself.
An assassin lunged at her and tried to stab her. Zaria gripped his wrist, dislocated his shoulder and took him down. She smirked at them as she stumped their companion's throat and burned it.
The three jumped her, and Zaria pulled out her daggers. She swiftly killed two and left one alive.
The remaining assassin glared at her. She sheathed her blades and asked, "Is this the part where you kill yourself?"
The assassin glanced at his blade, but Zaria used his lack of focus to engulf his hands with intense flames. He dropped the dagger, then Zaria moved in swiftly and knocked him out.
Zaria stood over him and said, "Your leader underestimated me."
A while later, at Al Basra in the afternoon.
The trial ended, and the arrows arose victorious against the elite assassins, which was unsurprising to anyone.
After all, the arrows were elites amongst elites. If an arrow was on your side, you were guaranteed to win the battle.
But what would happen if you had a hundred arrows in one place?
That's what was about to happen in the city of Al Basra.
After the trial ended, Daghir issued a new order. He specifically sent it to arrows of his choosing. The letter read.
"The arrows' headquarters is now open and functional.
To the arrow who received this letter, travel to Al Basra and head to the poet's square."
Daghir placed his signature at the bottom of the letter.
Taz read the letter, and on the same day, she packed her gear and weapons and rode to the city. With her previous travel experiences, she had no issues traveling alone and without a map. Yet, it felt lonely and boring.
When she arrived at the city in the early morning, she saw it being surrounded by the royal army. At every spot were patrols, checkpoints and camps.
She arrived at the last checkpoint before reaching the city and found it operated by beast hunters. She approached it and saw a familiar man.
Rahul stopped her and jested, "It's the half-cooked woman!"
Taz smirked, then said, "It's the beast hunter who can't kill a beast!"
Rahul smirked, then asked, "I've never seen so many arrows in one place. What's the order planning to do?"
Taz hopped off her horse, then said, "I would tell you, but you're lower ranked than me."
"I'm the second in terms of authority," Rahul said.
"Third. The judges are a thing now," Taz said.
Rahul giggled, then said, "Anyhow. You know, too many arrows in one place is an invite to enemy spies."
Taz furrowed her eyebrows and asked, "Didn't you cleanse the city?"
"We did after you and Daghir told us about what was happening. It was the first time I knew about the existence of spy children," Rahul said.
"What did you do to them?" Taz asked.
"The legion's Major told us to gather them with the adults before the public and eat them alive," Rahul said.
"I bet their flesh was tender," Taz muttered.
"It was! And... Wait, how do you know about that?" Rahul asked.
"I heard about it," Taz deflected.
Rahul crossed his arms and said, "I see. So, what are the arrows doing here?"
"I don't know. Daghir told us to come here and nothing else. He's being secretive for some reason," Taz said.
"It's wartime; get used to it," Rahul said.
As Taz passed Rahul, he called her and said, "I forgot to mention there's an odd, perverted arrow who's been asking about you; be wary of him."
Taz became confused, then gestured to Rahul that she would keep it in mind.
She kept her horse in a camp and went into the city. It was awfully quiet and empty. Only a few people were to be seen on the streets, and most of them were street cleaners.
"Where's everyone?" Taz muttered.
"They're inside their homes, afraid," Qareen whispered.
Taz hummed, then said, "I guess arrows are feared among the people."
As Taz crossed an intersection, another arrow joined her lane. It was Zaria.
They walked on the same road while Zaria stared haughtily at her. Taz looked at her and asked, "Do we have a problem, brown one?"
Zaria smirked at her, then said, "You tell me, green-eyed one."
"I usually kill people for staring," Taz said.
"Are you insecure, princess?" Zaria asked.
"You should've stayed in the kitchen with all those knives you carry," Taz said.
Zaria smirked mischievously and said, "One of my favorite activities is cooking for my parents. What meal do you cook for yours?"
Taz glared at her.
Zaria giggled, then said, "Oh, I forgot. They were killed and defiled. Poor you."
Taz stopped, put on her mask, and coated her right arm with lightning.
Zaria stopped, smiled and said, "This is what I wanted to see." She coated her limbs with intense flames.
Taz stopped her lightning, removed her mask, smirked and said, "After a thought. You're not worthy of my attention."
Zaria frowned, then shouted, "What!?" She approached Taz and said, "Fight me!"
Taz walked away and said, "You're not worth it."
Zaria became furious and tried to shoot Taz with flames, only for Qareen to appear before her and uppercut her.
She fell on the floor and groaned as she was dizzy.
Taz stood over her, smirked and said, "You're not as subtle as they say, Zaria, or should I call you wildfire?"
Zaria glared at her and said, "Fight me, you whore!"
Taz bent down, looked into her eyes and said, "I've read about you. A girl from a long line of arrows." She stepped on her chest and said, "And I saw a pattern from your history. All the arrows in your family were accomplished only because they were lucky enough to be paired with a royal. Including you, the partner of the late golden lion."
Zaria struggled and said, "I will torch you."
Taz knelt on her chest and said, "You won't, and even now, in your current state, you can't. Because the moment I see the tiniest flame coming out of you, I will smite you so bad that even your ancestors won't recognize you."
She stood up and said, "Nice meeting you, brown one."
Taz went to the poet's square and was surprised to see it empty, except there was a single man there.
Taz approached him and asked, "I thought this was the meeting place?"
The man smiled, pointed at a building and said, "It was a reference to the actual meeting place. Go to that building and head underground."
Taz sighed, left to the building and said, "I had a feeling this was a trick."
She entered the building, descended the stairs and saw a small door guarded by two beast hunters.
The hunters opened the door for her and told her to get inside.
She entered the door and walked through a tunnel. She looked around and said, "I've seen sewer tunnels in better condition."
Alas, her tiring walk had ended. She reached an underground area that was large and well-vented. The moment she stepped inside, a cold, river-scented breeze flew by her.
There was a large seating area below, one large enough to fit all the arrows invited. She saw a group of arrows, most of which she didn't recognize.
Except for one, Caleb.
Taz descended the stairs, approached them and said, "Caleb, I hope Daghir isn't planning to use this as a meeting place."
Caleb turned to her, smiled and said, "Wolf! It's good to see you again."
Zero looked at her in awe, tapped Caleb's shoulder roughly and whispered, "That's her!!?"
Caleb leaned closer to him and whispered, "Yes, now try not to get an erection while she's here." He approached Taz and said, "This place is our meeting spot. Daghir found out about it after the royal army cleansed the city."
Taz looked around and said, "It looks like a hideout."
"It's both a hideout and a smuggling tunnel," Caleb said.
Taz looked at Zero and asked Caleb, "Who's the madman you brought?"
Zero felt sad.
Caleb glanced at him and said, "He's my partner, Zero. We've been working together for years."
Taz crossed her arms and said, "Infidelity won't do you any good, Zero."
Zero approached and said, "Caleb told me to join you."
Taz giggled, then said, "You're full of shit."
For some weird reason, Zero felt glad he got insulted and called out. Caleb looked at him in disdain and said, "I will tell her your little secret if you lie in my name."
Zero looked at Taz pleadingly and begged, "Will you please take me as your partner, Wolf? Caleb is a shitty partner and doesn't encourage me on missions."
Taz looked down on him and said, "Caleb is surprisingly efficient and skilled for his size. I'd say you're the shitty partner who slows him down."
Caleb laughed.
Zero felt betrayed as he glanced at Caleb, then looked at Taz, pointed at him and said, "That baldie left me to die more times than I can count!"
"Yet, you're alive. If anything, I say he trusts your skills," Taz said.
"No, no! Don't give him any hope that I even rely on him," Caleb said.
Zero held Taz's hand and said, "I'd prefer you to be with me instead of the baldie."
Taz retracted her hand and said, "The answer is no. I wouldn't pick you, no matter how desperate I am." Then she left.
Caleb crossed his arms and said to Zero, "It must be sad being rejected, but don't worry. I'll always accept masochists like you."
"Fuck you, baldie!" Zero said, then left.
Taz sat in the middle row. Shortly after, the other arrows sat as well. During the wait, Zaria snuck behind Taz, sat behind her, placed a blade on her neck and whispered, "You shouldn't let down your guard, especially when I'm around."
Taz kept looking forward and said, "It's almost as if you're obsessed with me. You should know I prefer men."
"You took away my chance to become a legend!" Zaria snarled.
"If you needed someone to help you become a legend, you're not worthy of the title." Qareen's face emerged from the back of Taz's head and said in Taz's voice, "Now, be a good girl and put that knife away. Don't make me kill a third arrow."
Zaria jumped back in fear.
Daghir entered the cave and approached the stage. He stood before the arrows, clapped and said, "Everyone, take a seat. It's time!"
All the remaining arrows quickly took their seats.
Daghir crossed his arms behind his back, activated his magic to make his voice louder and said, "Firstly, congratulations to those who lived. Secondly, good riddance to those who died." He approached the edge and said, "To the hundred arrows in attendance. I have personally selected you to be the leading company in the Persian conquest." He relaxed his arms and said, "By that decision, the arrows will no longer work in pairs but as squads of five with a selected commander."
He held a letter and said, "If you hear your name, come on the stage. Caleb, the bear, leader of the first squad."
Caleb stood and went to Daghir.
"Second member of the squad, Zero the spark," Daghir called.
Zero ran to the stage in a silly manner that made Caleb frown.
"Third member, Zaria the wildfire," Daghir called.
Zaria walked to the stage and jumped on it, then stood beside Caleb and Zero.
"Fourth member, Athir the siren," Daghir called.
Athir went and stood with her team.
"Fifth member, Tanaz the wolf," Daghir called.
Taz stood and muttered, "Shit!" She went to the stage while everyone laid eyes on her.
Out of the four, only Caleb was glad to have her. Zero was excited for the wrong reason, Zaria was displeased, and Athir was conflicted.
Taz stood beside Zero. He looked at her and whispered, "My prayers have come true."
Taz looked at him in disdain and whispered, "I will choke you in your sleep."
Zero smiled, then said, "My prayers have truly come true."
Taz frowned at him.
Daghir turned to them, smiled and said, "Come here, Caleb."
Caleb approached him.
Daghir grabbed his shoulder and whispered, "I gave you the best squad possible. They all know what to do, but they need someone to inspire them."
Caleb looked confusedly at him and said, "Thank you?"
Daghir chuckled, handed him a letter, and said, "Your horses are outside."
Caleb read the letter, became worried and scared, then shouted, "What!? This will take us a week!!!"
Daghir pointed at the exit and said, "Then start running!! All of you!"
Caleb ran outside in a panic, and his team ran after him. They never knew what task was assigned to them, but the sight of the bear panicking expressed more than any word could do.
The End