Gratitude

Nighttime in the slums of Al-Basra.

Taz left her belongings in Daghir's care, her treasured swords, dagger, pouch and bag.

She departed for her mission with only her clothes and a few dinars. She once again was in a state of poverty.

It felt horrible for her to return to it. She worried more about staying alive, fed and sheltered than the success of her mission.

She felt vulnerable and desperate.

She comforted herself by saying this was only temporary. She'll return to being financially stable when the mission is done.

It was pathetic more than anything, a stab against the pride that burnt inside her, a stab against her pride as the woman who chased after power. She disregarded friends, family, normality and love.

For the sole purpose of attaining power.

It gave freedom. It gave status. It gave authority. It gave everything the heart desired.

Few were lucky enough to attain that, and fewer were strong enough to keep it.

That's the true magic of this world, power.

She wandered into the slums alone and looked for known bandits that belonged to the gang. She was informed before she departed of their descriptions, names and places they hung in.

She reached a dark place in the south of the city. It was at the end of the main road, with a few houses in a dark corner.

She knew she wasn't alone. She felt the eyes of men on her. It felt like being targeted by a predator.

She looked around and said, "I heard there's a powerful group looking for people to join them."

A man came out of the shadows and said, "What group would that be?"

Taz looked at him and said, "A group that seeks control, led by a woman."

"Who's asking about the woman?" The man said.

"An outcast that seeks dinars in exchange for her skills," Taz said.

"Does the outcast have proof of her skills?" The man asked,

"The outcast was responsible for the red night," Taz replied.

The man stepped back in fear and said, "The outcast shall hear the reply after three nights."

Taz nodded and left.

When the three nights passed, Taz returned to the gloomy meeting place.

The man she met was there, along with two others.

Taz grew cautious, yet she confidently approached them; she couldn't show any sign of weakness.

One of them approached Taz. He had long black hair and a shaved face. He had a yellowish-white skin tone and dark green eyes.

"So, you're the woman behind the red night?" The long-haired man said.

"Perhaps," Taz replied.

"We thought it out and decided to try you first before you join our group," The long-haired man said.

"I need the Dinars, so I'll accept whatever test you're considering," Taz said.

"We want to see how well you perform in a fight," The long-haired man said.

Taz stared at him blankly.

"Of course, we'll give you a weapon to use," The long-haired man said.

"I don't need a weapon to kill," Taz replied calmly.

The long-haired man smiled and said, "Confident, I admire that. Follow me, and let us test you."

Taz followed the men. They walked through tight and dark alleyways until they reached a small building. It was rugged and poorly maintained.

They went inside and found a man with a thick beard and bald head sitting beside the door.

The bald man didn't say a word, only glanced at the man who brought Taz. He only nodded.

The bald man stood up, opened the door for them, and stood aside.

They went through the door and down the creaky stairs to the basement.

The basement was nothing like the entrance of the building. It was more of an underground fighting arena than an underground floor.

It had a dark wooden floor soiled with liquid and dirt. At the same level was a stage with multiple decks surrounding the arena.

Taz heard the voices of the crowds cheering for the ongoing fight. She smelt various unpleasant smells when she approached the scene.

Blood, sweat, alcohol.

The rest of the men left, and only the long-haired man stayed with Taz.

He looked at Taz and said, "For a woman as renowned as you are, no one knows your name."

"It's better if it stayed that way," Taz replied.

"It's a courtesy to tell people your name," he said.

"And It's a courtesy to reveal your name before asking the names of others," Taz said.

He laughed and said, "Apologies, my name is Ariel."

Taz looked at him and asked, "A Hebrew?"

Ariel smiled and said, "What gave it away?"

"Your name and appearance," Taz replied calmly.

Ariel turned to the arena and said, "In that arena, there's a fight between the reigning champion and his challenger. If you win the fight, you'll impress our leader and have an easier time joining our group."

Taz turned to the arena and said, "Tell me about the rules."

"No use of projectiles, and the loser is the one who dies," Ariel said.

"What about the use of magic?" Taz asked.

"We never had a fighter who can use it, but I guess using it is fine as long as you don't shoot with it," Ariel said.

Taz and Ariel part ways.

He stood over the ledge, and Taz stood on the other side. They looked down at the arena and watched as the fight went on.

The champion was a man in his prime. He had a bald head and a shaved face. He had a muscular physique riddled with scars.

His eyes were not those of a fighter. They appeared more as the eyes of a man doing his chores.

Bored and exhausted, it almost appeared as if he wanted to sleep in the warmth of his bed rather than doing the chore of fighting men who sought after money.

For him, he had already reached the pinnacle of underground fights. There was none to challenge him, no one that made him rethink his strikes and moves.

It was painfully dull to be champion. The time came for that change.

The champion broke the spine of his challenger and won the fight.

Ariel went down to the arena and announced the win to the audience. The champion merely stood, with no emotions, no post-fight feelings.

As usual, he waited for Ariel to point him out of the arena. But Ariel broke the dull routine for the champion.

He ordered the arena workers to drag the body out, and the champion looked at him with a dull stare.

Ariel spoke to the crowd and announced a special event for the night. The champion sighed as he thought he would bring another from the rattle.

"We have a noteworthy contender! One mighty and fearsome! That dared to usurp the throne of our champion!" Ariel announced.

The crowd booed Ariel, and some called him a liar. The champion went to the wall facing the arena's stairs and sat.

Ariel claimed this fight would be discussed for an era because the challenger is no mere fighter.

The crowd went silent.

Ariel pointed at Taz, who stood on the ledge and shouted, "The usurper is none other than the woman who slew the guards without weapons or an army. She is the demon of the red night!"

The champion looked up at Taz and began to smirk. Taz looked down at him haughtily with her arms crossed behind her back.

She dawdled to the stairs and descended to the arena.

The arena's floor had sand that was twenty centimeters deep. It was filled with teeth and turned reddish brown from the blood spilled on it.

Taz stood in the center of the arena and looked at the champion with a dull stare.

The champion stood up, grinned, approached Taz and said, "You understand how it feels!?"

"Being forced to fight those who are inferior? Yes, it's quite a dull chore," Taz said.

"You don't even see me as worthy prey? I promise to make our duel challenging!" The champion enthusiastically replied.

"A prey would make me think about how to approach it. On the other hand, you make me think how fast I should end our duel," Taz replied.

The champion lowered himself and said, "Show me your reinforcement magic, and I promise you I will make myself a prey worthy of your might."

Taz lowered herself and said, "Do not make demands, you pest; your end will be gruesome."

Ariel hurried out of the stage, sensing that if he lingered, he would die.

Taz's hair stood as if shocked, and she glared into the champion's eyes. The sand beneath her floated and stuck onto her legs.

"Try touching me, pest," Taz taunted.

The champion swung his leg to her side, unaware of Taz's trap. An electric bolt struck his foot, and he fell in his place as both legs went numb.

On his back, he gasped and shivered. His heart's rhythm was irregular, and he felt powerless.

Taz stood beside him, activated her reinforcement magic, stomped on his chest, and broke the champion's ribs.

The champion gasped loudly and coughed blood. He had difficulty breathing and held the area where Taz stomped. He looked at her with pained eyes, and his lips were covered with blood.

Taz bent down, gripped his neck and lifted him to his feet.

She stared into his eyes and said casually, "Tell me, champion. Have you ever experienced the power of lightning?"

The champion tried to break free of Taz's grip, but he was depleted of his strength.

Taz electrocuted the champion with an emotionless stare.

His body tensed up, shook violently, and made a muffled growl. His eyes went red, his ears began to pour blood, and his skin darkened.

The champion vomited profusely on Taz's arm and groaned in pain. Whatever was in his guts was now on her arm and hand.

The crowd cheers went silent, and some began to beg Taz to stop her atrocious act of villainy, yet she paid them no heed.

She kept electrocuting him until his eyes popped out of their sockets; they hung on his face, held only by a thread of flesh.

She let go of his neck, and the champion dropped to the floor as smoke arose from his empty eye sockets.

The gang's leader, Sakina, watched her from her private balcony covered in yellow fabric.

She was impressed by Taz's capabilities and ordered one of her men to summon her to her office tomorrow.

On the next day, Taz was escorted to their hideout.

It was a brothel and a fancy one at that. From the outside, it had colorful red, pink and blue drapes. It had three floors and was guarded by gang members in dark clothing.

Taz went up to the third floor and stepped into Sakina's office.

The office had gray walls and a wooden floor. It was dimly lit and had little decorations.

It only had a safe and a couple of shelves.

Taz sat on the chair facing the desk's chair, though Sakina herself was not present.

After a few minutes, she arrived.

She slowly entered the room, greeted Taz, and sat at her desk.

Sakina wore a white headscarf and a blue dress. She had a light-brown skin tone and wide, brown-colored eyes. She had a sharp jawline and small round lips.

She smiled at Taz and said, "I hope my establishment didn't disturb your evening."

"How can I say that? When your establishment is better maintained than my own house," Taz said.

Sakina chuckled and said, "I'm glad to hear your opinion. Most men wouldn't dare to give an honest one." "But to not sway from the purpose of our meeting, I wanted to interview you before deciding."

"I understand," Taz replied.

Sakina crossed her hands and said, "Why is someone as powerful as you want to join our group?"

"I'm no thief, but I need to earn Dinars to survive," Taz said.

Sakina glared into Taz's eyes and said, "That is confusing because my men swore they saw you accompanying the military last year."

Taz explained to her the events of her first mission with Al Mutahirun.

She told her the truth, a twisted one. She hid essential parts of her explanation and never mentioned team members' names.

If only Ahmad had seen how his niece perfectly twisted the truth. He would've been proud of her. Taz ended her story by saying she was expelled from the military and tortured for a year by the king's orders.

"I always felt the king raised a false flag of tolerance, but you don't bare any visible scars on your face," Sakina said.

Taz lifted her shirt, revealed her scars to Sakina and said, "It's because they kept it in the place I dare not show to anyone."

Sakina gazed at her scars in awe. She realized that whoever caused such injuries was trying to kill Taz rather than torture her.

She sighed in pity and agreed to let Taz join her group. She was fooled into thinking that Taz was a helpless young woman who never wanted to steal or sell her body to live a decent life.

Though she felt sorry for her, yet admired her will to survive. She reminded her of herself in her younger days along with her sister.

After all, they grew up poor, and both went into prostitution at a young age to survive. They were kicked out of their homes multiple times, not because they couldn't afford to.

Because their profession was frowned upon where they grew up.

The only difference between her and Taz was. She took the easy path, and Taz did not.

Sakina and her sister managed to retire from prostitution by marrying men who were desperate enough to take them. From one man to another, they hopped around the villages and cities.

Until one day, the sisters married men who were worse than they were. Calling them killers wouldn't suffice to describe them. They were cold, uncaring and brutal.

The sisters weren't better either, but they never took a life.

Sakina's husband knew about his wife's past and crimes, yet he convinced her to lure women into deserted areas where they could rob them.

Sakina initially hesitated but agreed as she remembered their harsh living conditions.

One day, after Sakina finished her daily job of selling fruits. She managed to lure one of the women who frequented her stand.

She was a wealthy woman, donning gold all over her body, from her head to her feet. She knew gold would get her a good meal and fill her family's bellies.

She told the woman she needed someone to accompany her to the fields to pick fruits and vegetables, yet she was scared to ask a man to be with her. The unknowing, innocent woman went with her in exchange for a better price the next time she bought from her.

They went together after the market closed and the sun began to set.

Sakina acted causal around her victim and held her straw fruit basket over her head. They started picking fruits from sunset and stopped when the moon rose.

On their way out, Sakina faked a fall and dropped her fruits.

As the woman tried to comfort her and help her to get on her feet, her husband and sister's husband jumped out of the shadows and pinned the woman down.

The woman tried to shake herself out of their grip, but she was powerless against them.

The men held her down firmly and growled to Sakina to choke the woman before anyone came.

Out of panic and fear, Sakina complied.

She sat beside the woman's head and choked her as hard as possible, and her victim could only look at Sakina in fearful and betrayed eyes as she cried.

The woman passed away alone and betrayed.

They quickly took off the gold she wore, stole whatever money was in her possession and fled the scene.

When they returned to their home, they split the gold between them equally and ended their victory with a night full of alcohol.

Sakina was conflicted about what she did and told her sister, Raya, who was present in their home.

To her surprise, her sister had already lured women on her own with the help of her husband and Sakina's husband.

Raya held her sister and told her that what they did was better than the petty theft and prostitution they used to do. At least this way, they don't need to spread their legs to earn their living.

At an inconvenient time, Raya's husband entered the room with an erection that almost tore through his pants. He grabbed his wife's hand and took her away as he slurred how much he wanted her in his bed.

The days passed, and the sisters and their husbands lured more women to rob and kill.

At this point, Sakina felt numb to the cries and pleas of her victims. To her, it was just another day.

It all went smoothly until, one day, the authorities knew about their existence and began hunting them down. The guards started enforcing curfews after sunset, no one was allowed to leave their homes in the dark, and no woman was allowed to wear any jewelry.

The sisters ran out of funds due to their husbands' drinking habits, and Raya had a young daughter.

They needed to replenish, and they needed to hunt again.

One night, out of desperation.

They found another victim, she wasn't wearing any gold, but she had the reputation of being born into wealth.

They lured her into a field with the help of Raya's daughter.

When they jumped out of the shadows, they were surprised to see that the woman they chose as a victim held Raya's daughter with a knife to her neck.

The woman turned out to be one of the emperor's special forces; before they knew it, they were surrounded by the guards.

They were all dragged to the prison and kept in separate cells.

One day, one of the prison guards took Sakina to a room to be questioned by the emperor's agent.

He told Sakina that their punishment was execution for her and the rest of her family.

Except if she agreed to do a task on behalf of the emperor, she and the rest would be spared.

Out of desperation, Sakina agreed to his offer and told him she would do anything for her family's lives.

The agent's offer was simple. Sakina would be sent as a spy into Mesopotamia. In return, the emperor will keep the husbands, Raya and her daughter in prison as insurance.

Sakina argued that she didn't know the tongue of Mesopotamians, and she did not know about being a spy. The agent told her they'd teach her the language and explain what to do when the time came.

Even after she established her position in Al-Basra, every day after that meeting, Sakina still wondered if she could've lived a better life if she had been strong.

She then looked at Taz, who was before her and found the answer she had been seeking.

Being strong wasn't enough to live a good life.

The End