The day of the battle, at dawn.
The two armies stared down one another. None moved as they waited for the sunshine to be bright enough for good visibility.
Among the enemy lines was the prince of Persia, along with uncountable infantry and archers; with them were Golems and elite troops in the middle lines.
Among the ally lines were General Khalid, two arrows named the wolf and the spark, a hundred beast hunters, three hundred magic users, thousands of Jinn soldiers and more human troops.
Though the Mesopotamian lines sounded formidable, they had a glaring disadvantage. The Persian army was three hundred thousand strong, but the Mesopotamian army was a mere thirty thousand.
The odds were ten to one.
Yet General Khalid was never disturbed by the fact while he sat on the general's chair. He looked at the lines attentively as the battle had already started in his head.
Taz and Zero stood by him and noticed his strange behavior.
Taz looked at him and said, "I'm not sure what to call our situation. Is it misfortunate or reckless?"
General Khalid kept his eyes on the battlefield and said, "From your perspective, I say you're underestimating us." He looked at Taz and asked, "Tell me, wolf. How would a mere human fare against a beast hunter?"
"Without magic or silver, they're fucked," Taz replied.
"How many in the Persian army do you think have either of those?" Khalid asked.
"Few, or simply none," Taz replied.
He looked at the battlefield, leaned back and said, "The beast hunters I brought are not looking for a battle; they simply wanted food."
Taz looked at the battlefield, crossed her arms behind her back and sighed.
A Jinn manifested beside Khalid, and he leaned closer to listen. Khalid leaned closer to him and said, "Once the battle starts, rain down fire upon their front lines, and make sure to capture the prince unharmed."
"Where will I take the prince?" The Jinn asked.
"Directly to the king," Khalid said.
The Jinn nodded, then vanished.
Soon, the Persian lines began roaring and chanting, declaring the start of the battle. But Khalid was a calculated General. He knew soldiers with high morale could make miracles happen.
He preemptively devised a plan to demonstrate what type of army he brought along—an army not of men but of beasts. Khalid signaled the beast hunters and the Jinns to counter the Persian chants with their own.
As expected of beings of their nature, it was monstrous, unholy and terrifying. It was so inhuman that the Persians themselves quivered and stopped their chants.
Moments later, a man from the Persian army stepped out and demanded that the Mesopotamian side honor their war tradition. That tradition was that a battle could not start without having three champions from both sides dueling.
General Khalid of Mesopotamia agreed and told the Persian side to present their champions.
Taz looked at Khalid and said, "We don't have selected champions, General."
Khalid stood, looked at Taz and said, "You have me and you. The third champion will be from the beast hunters."
"Who?" Taz asked.
"Rahul, I'm sure you know him," Khalid said, then headed to the champion's duel.
Taz followed him, wore her mask and muttered, "This should be good."
Khalid walked among his men while they stared at him with great reverence. He looked around and shouted, "Rahul, you're with us!"
Taz looked around and noticed her allies were staring at her fearfully. She smiled under her mask and muttered, "As you all should."
Rahul rushed out and joined Taz and Khalid. He walked beside her and said, "We keep bumping into each other, wolf."
Taz looked at him and said, "Fate wants me to protect the weak beast hunter."
Rahul giggled, then said, "We'll see about that, you half-cooked woman."
The Mesopotamian champions gathered before the Persian army and stood beside one another. On the left was Taz, in the middle was Khalid and on the right was Rahul.
The Persian champions gathered before them.
Taz's opponent was a large man who wore pristine, well-made armor and held a great sword.
Khalid's opponent was a Persian general, and Rahul's opponent was a golem.
Taz's opponent approached, stared her down and said, "I expect no less from the Mesopotamians to send their best fighter against me, yet I'm enraged my foe doesn't wear any proper armor. After all, I'm the greatest dueler in Persia. Mirza, the divine sword!"
"I tend to give my foes an advantage. It would be dull if I didn't give them a chance of survival," Taz said casually.
Mirza became furious and shouted, "Are you belittling me!?"
Taz drew her sword, rested it on her shoulder and said, "I'm being fair to you. If anything, you should be thankful, Mirza."
"I don't need the pity of a Mesopotamian dog!" Mirza snarled.
"As you wish," Taz said.
Meanwhile, with Khalid.
The Persian general drew his sword, looked at Khalid and said, "I had wished to face you with armies, but a duel with you is greater."
Khalid drew his sword and said, "Your army would be lost without their General. I won't hold it against you if you decide to substitute another in your place."
The Persian General laughed, then said, "Even when the odds are against you, you show mercy to your foes. Don't worry, General Khalid. The fire of Persia will never die."
"General, you know the prince isn't fit to lead an army of this scale. Return now, and give your men a chance of winning," Khalid said.
"What type of General would I be if my men knew I wouldn't fight for them?" The Persian general said.
"A General who trusts his men," Khalid said.
Meanwhile, with Rahul.
Rahul stood before the golem, sniffed and said, "You smell like clay and alcohol."
The golem grunted.
"The other two are having proper conversations with their foes, and I'm stuck with a mindless beast," Rahul said.
The golem grunted angrily.
Rahul took a stance and said, "Fuck you too, you glorified beer mug."
Meanwhile, with Taz
Mirza approached Taz, intending to strike her, but as he stepped close, Taz's field zapped his face.
He stepped back, rubbed his face and grunted. He tried approaching her again, only to be zapped similarly.
Taz wobbled her foot casually, tilted her head and said, "What's wrong, Mirza? I thought you didn't need an advantage?"
Mirza growled, glared at her and tried to charge again, but he was zapped stronger, making him step back.
"Accept my pity, Mirza, or expect complete humiliation before your people," Taz said.
Mirza tried to rush at her before his body registered the sharp pain, only for Taz to aim at his eyes and zap them.
Mirza covered his eyes, retreated and shouted in frustration.
Taz approached him and said, "Look at your people; I promise I won't attack you."
Mirza looked at them with tearful eyes.
"They placed their pride in you and see you as a hero. Yet, you can never deny the frustration on their faces. Imagine how their morale would plummet if I kept toying with you. Leave your pride aside and accept my pity, Mirza," Taz said.
Mirza glared at her and asked, "How do you expect me to throw away my pride?"
"I'll make our duel even. When you die, your people will know you tried your best against an arrow," Taz said.
"Such arrogance, you don't even account for your defeat," Mirza snarled.
"Facing an ant, you don't account for defeat; the same goes for my duel with you," Taz said.
Mirza grunted, held his sword tightly and said, "Fine! I accept it!!"
Mirza charged at her and swung his sword, then Taz dodged it and kicked him away. She approached him and said, "Now, we fight fairly."
Taz charged at him and swung on his sword-wielding arm. Her goal was not to toy with him anymore but to shatter his sword.
Mirza was defending perfectly, dodging, blocking and deflecting while he was figuring out her plan. Taz upped her pace and continued to strike hard, fast and accurately, barely giving Mirza time to space out or catch a breath.
The great sword he handled soon began to tire him and sap him of energy.
Taz faked him by trying to strike his sword, only to lift her sword high, signaling him for a down strike.
Mirza fell into her trap and shielded himself with the back of his sword. Taz activated her reinforcement magic and swung down with all her strength.
The master class silver tore through the great sword and split it in half, landing into Mirza's skull.
Mirza's corpse fell on its knees, and Taz yanked out her sword and swiftly decapitated him, marking the defeat of the divine sword, Mirza.
Taz sheathed her sword and said, "Consider this a favor upon your legacy."
Meanwhile, with Rahul.
The golem swung down his hammer on Rahul. The beast hunter quickly activated his reinforcement magic and blocked the blow with his bare hand.
He swatted the hammer away, coated his hand with flames and punched the golem's gut.
The golem stepped back, shook his head and grunted angrily.
"That usually incapacitates a beast or kills a human where they stand," Rahul muttered.
He figured that blows did not affect the golem. So, he pulled out his axe and circled his opponent.
The golem rushed at Rahul; he wanted to ram the beast hunter.
Rahul took up the dare. He sheathed his axe and ran towards him. Yet, his short-lived prideful efforts failed. As they rammed, Rahul was sent flying to the Mesopotamian front line.
Taz was there to lift him and get him on his feet. She leaned closer and said, "You can't overpower it. The fastest way to kill it is by cutting off its head."
Rahul approached the golem and said, "Thanks wolf."
He ran towards the golem, faking another ramming attempt. The mindless golem accepted his challenge and started running towards him.
As they neared each other, Rahul slid and tripped the golem, making him fall on his face. Rahul quickly stood, pulled out his axe, stepped on the golem's back, lifted his head by pulling his helmet and swiftly decapitated him, marking the end of his duel.
Rahul held the golem's head, threw it before the Persian line and shouted in fury.
Meanwhile, with Khalid.
Their duel neared its end, and both were injured. They faced each other and panted.
The Persian general glared at Khalid and said, "I don't need your mercy, Khalid! I know you're holding Kurigalzu's sword, the plague!"
"Then you know why I won't unleash its power," Khalid said.
"Before being generals, we're warriors at heart, Khalid! Don't trample on my honor," The Persian general said.
Khalid sighed. Suddenly, his blade was engulfed by blue flames. The flame's heat was so intense that even the sand below darkened and turned into glass.
The Persian general rushed at Khalid to strike him, only for Khalid to swing his flaming sword at him. The flaming sword cut the Persian general's blade and body in half; both went ablaze.
Khalid turned off the sword's flames, sheathed it and left while he panted, followed by Taz and Rahul.
The result of the champions' duel was a crushing victory for the Mesopotamian side. And that conclusion left the Persians enraged.
Not mere moments passed, and the war cry of the Persians was heard. The Jinn quickly transported Taz and Khalid back to the General's seat to protect them from harm.
Khalid turned around, stared at the battlefield and signaled the Jinn to start their attack.
The Persian front line only took one step forward before the Marids and Ifrits bombarded them relentlessly with fireballs. It was assured that the first phase of the attack was successful; the Persian frontlines were crushed.
The second phase was to counter the Persian volley of arrows, where most armies would use a shield-based defense. The Calculated General thought of an efficient way.
A volley of arrows soared to the sky. They were intercepted by Ifrits, who burned them all before they got a chance to fall. At the same time, two Marids detected where the archers were and started bombarding them relentlessly, leaving no archers or functional bows to be used.
The Persian army was left without means for long-range offense and defensive lines in a short time. The second phase was done.
Khalid stared at the battlefield attentively and muttered, "Now, the feast begins."
The third phase was about using the Persians' significant losses against them to shrink their numbers swiftly.
The beast hunters mowed down any enemies before them like rapid beasts while elite soldiers of the royal forces guarded their rear. At the same time, Mesopotamian magic users flanked the Persian lines and shot them dead with fire and lightning.
Khalid rubbed his chin and said, "I made a miscalculation."
Zero looked at him in awe and asked, "What do you mean!?"
Khalid pointed at the Mesopotamian lines and said, "The lines are thinning." He looked at Zero and asked, "You served in the royal army before? The assassination and infiltration division?"
Zero nodded and said, "Yes, I did."
Khalid grabbed his shoulder and said, "I want you to slip into their lines and kill the officers. If our enemies reformed, our people will get surrounded."
Zero walked to the battlefield and said, "It will be done." Then he vanished into thin air.
Taz crossed her arms and said to Khalid, "You're lying, General. Even if the Persian soldiers reform their lines, they'll be crushed regardless."
"How so, wolf?" Khalid wondered.
Taz looked at him and said, "You never accounted for a defeat, and you know our job is to protect the legion, not you. In other words, you're a general waiting for an inevitable victory."
"It was an inevitable victory, but an unaccounted threat is approaching," Khalid said.
"The remnant," Taz said.
"We both know Zero isn't good enough to face him. He's not a master class arrow like you," Khalid said.
"I agree; I had hoped to keep him here," Taz said.
Khalid approached her and said, "The remnant is coming from the west. Hunt him down, and don't allow him to approach this battlefield."
Taz turned to him and asked, "Who will aid the legion? Zero can't do it alone."
"I'll summon the arrows; we'll handle the battle from here," Khalid said.
Taz dashed to her horse and jumped on it. She galloped away to intercept Kaiden before he approached.
She went far away from the battlefield, and the sounds of clashes and screams faded. Soon, she saw a black rider in the distance and instantly knew it was him, but as the rider saw her. He turned around and fled.
Taz chased after him and muttered, "Where is he going?"
The chase continued for a while, and her horse began to tire from the constant galloping.
They reached an abandoned village. The black rider ditched his horse outside of it and ran inside.
Taz left her horse beside his, jumped off and followed him in.
She pulled out her sword and looked around as she went deeper. Yet, the wait and mystery were broken as she heard a man calling her into the village's square.
Taz followed the voice, entered the village's square and saw Kaiden waiting for her. She approached him and said, "Zaria was correct. You do look like my uncle and father."
Kaiden smiled at her and said, "Only prettier."
Taz looked around and said, "It's a bad move to isolate yourself; you should've stayed with the Persians."
Kaiden circled her and said, "We both know the Persians aren't winning the battle; they're facing Khalid and the royal forces together."
Taz circled with him, saying, "Then why work for them, Kaiden?"
Kaiden pointed at her and said, "That's Uncle Kaiden for you, little girl."
"You're no family of mine," Taz said.
Kaiden laughed, then said, "That saddens me, Taz. I've watched you since you were little. How you beat up that fat fuck, Hajras, or when you started working for that ancient beast hunter, or that night when A'saal saved you. I had done what your father wouldn't do to turn you into a proper woman of Hayja."
Taz stopped, pondered, then stared at Kaiden and said, "I've hunted down everyone involved in that crime, yet there was one missing. The one who supplied the information about our history... you're the final culprit."
Kaiden stopped, smiled at her and said, "Of course I am. Who else would provide those peasants with your past?"
"Why!?" Taz asked angrily.
Kaiden laughed, then laughed harder.
Taz became furious and shot him, only for Kaiden to absorb her lightning.
Kaiden looked at her and said, "Hate is good. Hate is fuel for people like us. Look at you! You've ascended into this stage only because of the hatred I've forced you to consume."
Taz rushed at him and swung her blade. Kaiden evaded it, charged his fist with repelling lightning and punched her gut. She flew back and slammed against a wall.
Kaiden approached her and said, "Some advice from Uncle Kaiden. Don't use swords against a man like me."
He picked her up to start beating her, but Taz charged her fist with repelling lightning and punched his gut, sending him flying away till he slammed against a wall.
Taz sheathed her sword, pulled out her dagger, approached him and said, "Don't oversell yourself, old man."
Kaiden sprung up, grunted, approached her and said, "Impressive, little Taz."
Taz tried stabbing him repeatedly, but Kaiden was too agile to be caught. He spaced out and tried to use his magic to pull Taz's dagger out of her hand, yet it didn't work as he expected.
She sheathed her dagger, pulled out her sword and approached him. Kaiden pulled out his sword and clashed with her.
The clash of their swords was fierce, and the sound of steel roared around the village, but amid their conflict, their swords began to get nicked and were moments away from breaking.
They spaced out and inspected their swords. Taz looked at him and asked, "You have a master-class sword?"
Kaiden panted, then said, "That's my question!"
Taz groaned angrily. They ran towards each other, and both swung with full strength. The fierce final clash left both their swords shattered and unusable.
Kaiden looked at his sword in disbelief and shouted, "You little shit!! This sword cost me a fortune!"
"Fuck you too, old man!! I loved my sword!" Taz said.
They both threw away their broken swords. It became clear to them that a sword fight was no longer an option.
Kaiden's body began to spew lightning that intensified by the second. He stared at Taz and asked, "Tell me, little Taz. Have you ever experienced the power of lighting?"
Taz coated her body with lightning and said, "I have. It's invigorating!"
Kaiden giggled and said, "Finally, someone gave the correct answer!"
They approached each other and started their second round. They exchanged blows and kicks till Kaiden found an opening and countered Taz's unrelenting offense by sweeping her legs.
Taz fell on her back, and Kaiden tried to stomp her chest. In the spur-of-the-moment, Taz allowed herself to be trampled. She grabbed his leg and electrocuted Kaiden.
His body tensed up, and he screamed as the sharp pain immersed him.
Taz pushed away his leg, sprung up, grabbed his clothes and slammed him on the floor. She mounted him and started punching him without remorse.
Kaiden activated his reinforcement magic and managed to throw Taz off of him. He stood and panted.
Taz stood and threw away her mask as it was suffocating.
Kaiden pointed at her, giggled and said, "There she is. Little Yasmine!"
"Don't you even think of saying her name!" Taz snarled.
"Why? Is it because she got raped before that cucklet Radhi?" Kaiden mocked.
Taz rushed towards him with blazing anger and shouted. They both charged their legs with repelling lightning and kicked each other, only for them to fly back and slam against the wall.
And that slam was the devastating blow that knocked out the wolf. The moment she slammed against the wall, she passed out and fell on her side.
Yet, Kaiden was awake.
He slowly stood, wobbled towards Taz and said, "Even in death, you and Yasmine look similar." He stood over her, pulled out his knife and said, "This is farewell, little Taz."
Suddenly, a dart struck his neck.
Kaiden winced, looked behind him to see who it was and found Daghir approaching him.
Daghir activated his magic, whistled and waved his hand horizontally, and Kaiden lost his balance and fell. He stood over him, smiled and said, "Don't worry, old man. You'll soon wake up to find your holes pouring all types of liquid."
Kaiden passed out.
Daghir approached Taz, leveled her on the floor and examined her with his magic. He healed her to completion and tried to wake her up.
He called for her and slapped her harshly, yet she didn't wake up.
He did it again, yet she didn't wake up.
He did it a third time. Taz woke up, grabbed his wrist firmly and shouted, "Will you stop fucking slapping me!!!?" She came to realize she was still in a battle. She jolted, looked around and saw Kaiden passed out on the floor.
"What happened?" Taz asked.
Daghir stood beside Kaiden and said, "I watched an entertaining family feud until you passed out." He looked at Kaiden and said, "Then I took out the old man."
"You watched while I fought him!?" Taz snarled.
Daghir shrugged and said, "What do you want me to do? Step in and get killed? I needed to wait for an opportunity."
Taz stood, pointed at Kaiden and said, "He is still lethal. If he wakes up, we'll be in danger."
"No, he won't," Daghir said casually.
"Did you kill him?" Taz asked.
Daghir knelt, pulled out the dart and said, "No, I injected him with a new drug created by Al Namer's scientists in Baghdad. He can no longer use magic anymore. Simply put, he's now a mere old man with three days to live."
Taz approached him, looked around and said, "You know... this is a nice place for a fun interrogation."
Daghir giggled, then said, "Good thing I brought tools to help us with our fun."
Taz chuckled and asked, "What happened with General Khalid in his battle?"
"Thirty master class arrows are with him; it's only a matter of time," Daghir said.
A while later, in a rundown house.
Taz and Daghir sat in a room with a small window and cracks on its walls.
Kaiden was limbless, as it was Daghir's signature handy work. He was placed on a worn-down chair.
Taz looked at Daghir and asked, "How can you afford this much free time with your leadership responsibilities?"
Daghir smiled while his arms were crossed and said, "A vice leader."
Taz chuckled, then said, "Of course."
Daghir nodded at Kaiden and said, "Wake him up."
Taz stood and slapped Kaiden with her backhand.
Kaiden woke up, looked around and noticed his limbs were missing. He looked at Taz and said, "I don't mind knife plays, but this is a bit extreme."
Daghir laughed, then said, "This is the remnant? The man who killed many arrows?"
Kaiden looked at Daghir and said, "You know cutting off my limbs isn't going to stop me from killing you?"
Daghir leaned closer and said, "Shoot me then."
Kaiden frowned and said, "I can't; I've already tried."
"The yatter stops Kaiden. I need you to answer my questions," Taz said.
"Or what? Torture me? You know that's a normal sexual pass time for me," Kaiden said.
Taz walked away and groaned in disgust.
Daghir smiled at him and said, "I've always imagined you to be... well, not this. I'm ashamed to let someone like you get the better of my people."
Kaiden chuckled, then said, "You should be more ashamed. Especially after what your cousin did against my niece."
Daghir looked at Taz and asked, "What did he do?"
Taz turned around and said sternly, "Nothing!"
Kaiden smiled at her and said, "You can say it, little Yasmine. Confess about the crime committed against you."
Taz punched him and shouted, "I make the demands here!!"
Kaiden laughed as his broken nose bled and said, "Because you were incapable of doing the basic function of a woman. Your husband raped you and treated you like the trash you are!"
Taz pulled out her dagger and cut off his ear.
Kaiden grunted in pain, giggled and said, "You know that's not your fault. Our tribe is curse-ridden, especially our women. We never bothered to reproduce with the women of our tribe because that's fruitless. That's why we preferred to kidnap foreign women and keep them as breeding mares."
Daghir looked at him and said, "You never mentioned anything about them being unable to bear children."
"They can, but not as they wanted. The curse was, 'May the women who carry the blood of Al Hayja be forever unable to bear the children of men.' In other words, little Yasmine. You cannot have human children," Kaiden said.
Taz frowned, stabbed his heart repeatedly in anger and left the house.
Daghir stood, looked at Kaiden's corpse and said, "You're a natural asshole, Kaiden. I hope you suffer in the afterlife." He picked him up and left the house.
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The End75Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76njK1h0lk
