“Grrrmmmpppfff!!” Taria growled, muffled and humiliated by the bridle gag in her mouth. She was still defiant as ever but something inside her... didn’t want to escape. She had been Brina’s prisoner for just over a week now and, though she had been trying hard, she hadn’t been trying as hard as she could to wriggle out of the tight ropes. She ruminated on this and found that, because her past continued to creep up on her... perhaps she deserved to be a prisoner. Those thoughts crept into her mind over and over again, drowning out the mocking words of Brina’s all female bandits.

As they moved, they kept Taria tied to a wooden pole that they would anchor in the middle of their camp. On occasion, when it rained, Brina would drag Taria into a tent and leave her hogtied. But she spent all of her time tied up and only occasionally had the bridle gag removed, with it’s complicated straps going around her forehead, either side of her nose, under her chin, and the wooden bit covered in soft leather that went between Taria’s teeth. Those small breaks from the gag were just for making sure Taria was fed and hydrated. Brina would be the one to help her occasionally take bathroom breaks out in the surrounding forest and even washed her once in the tent. So her captivity certainly could have been worse.

The blasted ropes dug into Taria’s knee high sandals, however, tying her legs together at the ankles and above and below the knees. A harness of rope framed her chest and pinned her arms to her sides while her wrists were kept crossed and tied behind her back, reinforced by the tight, thick coil of rope around her waist.

Their latest stop, however, was a small, dilapidated fort just outside the outskirts of the old temple, Dasa Bun’Gaat. An old, iron cage remained intact within the fort and Taria was locked inside it, still bound and gagged, resting against the uncomfortable and corroded bars.

The thought occurred to Taria that she might be able to break these rusted bars with enough force but her bonds had proven inescapable to that point so the act would prove pointless if she was still tied up. Adding to that fact, the bandits surrounded the cage so breaking it would likely just draw their ire upon her so she simply rested herself inside, half-heartedly struggling against the tight ropes.

In the back of her mind, Taria hadn’t forgotten the words of Queen Janessa who had promised to come to her rescue. But, after more than a week, they had seen hide nor hair of the Queen or anyone from the Royal Court. Taria didn’t hold any grudges against her for that. She had started to believe she deserved this imprisonment, after all. Still, though, her muscles ached and she longed to hold her sword again, which Brina kept stashed away at her side at all times. And somewhere within her spirit, Taria still wanted desperately to make up for the past. She needed to set things right.

The thought made her struggle in earnest against her restraints and start to kick the bars of the iron cage. Though she knew her struggles were useless, Taria had to try something. After all, it was obvious no one was coming for her...

...

The urgent meeting Janessa had called was suddenly interrupted by a young woman rushing in and running past the guards.

“Queen Janessa! You can’t trust her!” she was saying. “Send me instead!”

Janessa had been trying day after day to find someone, anyone, to send in after Brina’s bandits to break Taria from their grasp. So far, none she had asked would take on the task. She could have ordered them to do it but she didn’t want to send someone in without their full commitment. The Queen was at a loss for a few days before an absolute bear of a woman, notorious across Ikaatan, entered to offer her services citing ‘inside knowledge’ or Brina’s bandits.

She had led them before Brina took over, in fact. And would have been arrested on the spot were it not for her sudden offer of help. Janessa chose to hear her out.

Fa’rah towered over the guards of the palace. Though she was rumoured to be in her fifties, she looked young and in her prime. She had thick, muscular arms and well-shaped, strong legs like tree trunks. With long, flowing blonde hair and bright blue eyes she could have looked the part of dashing heroine were it not for her unsavoury past.

She wore a short, grey tunic of cotton without sleeves and showed off her powerful legs. A thick, leather chest piece covered her torso and shoulders and she wore thin, fingerless gauntlets on her hands, coloured brown and grey, that ran halfway up her forearms. A thick, leather belt held her short. grey cotton battle skirt tight to her waist and matched her strappy, knee high sandals.

The infamous Fa’rah still looked every part the bandit leader she had been when she disappeared from Ikaatan. Her sudden reappearance raised questions but Queen Janessa was desperate for help and would look anywhere for it.

But now the dark-skinned woman in leather armour, wearing a cloak and distinguished by long, dark blue hair, stood before them with a crescent moon shaped scythe in hand, pointing at Fa’rah and telling the Queen she couldn’t trust her.

As the guards moved for her, the Queen stopped them, standing up straight and tall to look the newcomer in the eye. “What makes you say that?”

“You know you can’t trust her, Your Majesty!” the woman said. “She’s Fa’rah! You must know of the things she’s done in Ikaatan!”

“I am well aware,” Janessa said. “But a good friend of the crown is in trouble. And she has offered help. I must hear her out.”

“Your friend is one my oldest friends, Your Majesty,” the woman said. “I will save Taria. Do not waste your gold on a treacherous snake like her.”

Fa’rah scoffed. “You’ve got nerve, girl...” she said.

“What is your name?” Janessa asked.

“I am Arys. I am... I’m a mercenary. And a freelance one now, unfortunately.”

The former bandit leader chuckled. “What did you do to piss off Lila then?”

Arys rounded on Fa’rah and stepped right close to her, looking up into her face. “How did you know about that!?”

“I always know these things,” Fa’rah said. “It’s my job to know these things.”

“Yes well...” Arys turned back to the Queen. “Taria was the one who rescued me! I must return the favour! You cannot trust this woman. She has an ulterior motive and I know she will either leave Taria to her fate or try to sell her off for extra coin...”

The Queen turned her stare upon Fa’rah. “Is this true?”

“I have my reasons for wishing to go after these bandits, it’s true,” she said. “But busting out one idiot who got herself caught is nothing. Besides, it’ll be good to get back at them for booting me out that way.”

“So you wish to save Taria for... revenge?” Janessa asked.

“Among other things...”

“You will be compensated, I assure you,” Janessa said.

“Your Majesty, you mustn’t send her! Please! Send me instead!”

“Enough!” Janessa said, her commanding voice echoing around the throne room and silencing everyone within. “In light of your arrival and your clear dedication to Taria’s welfare, I will send you as well. And since it is my fault Taria was even captured in the first place... I am coming with you.”

Fa’rah rolled her eyes. “Bad idea. I already heard you got caught once by those bandits. You won’t have anything to negotiate with if they capture you again. You really want to take that risk?”

“I must,” Janessa said. “And the more of us there are to watch over each other, the better off we’ll be. If we do things differently then we might be able to pull this off without a fight.”

“Differently?” Arys asked.

“By stealth. We sneak in and get Taria out without them noticing.”

“Easier said than done,” Fa’rah said. “They do have night patrols in that clan. I would know. Those were my idea.”

“We’ll have to chance it,” Janessa said, stepped from the throne down to the main floor where Arys and Fa’rah stood side by side.

“And with three of us, we will have better odds than Taria and I had.”

“Three?” Fa’rah said, turning to look at Arys. She was small, lithe, and quite thin. The woman looked wiry and fast but not terrible strong. Fa’rah smirked and clapped Arys on the shoulder. “Not my first rodeo with a merc like you, blue hair. Just try to keep up.”

Arys growled under her breath and glared up into Fa’rah’s eyes. “Fine...” she said. “At least I’ll get to keep my eye on you...”

Janessa nodded, smiling. “Excellent. We ride out immediately. Gather your equipment and meet me by the palace gate. Let’s go and get Taria, friends.”

...

Based on the darkening sky and the gradual orange hue the world around her took, Taria could tell that the sun was setting once again for another day. She had made no progress on breaking the rusted bars of her iron cage. And the bandits were beginning to circle around her and set up their night patrols while the rest went to sleep so breaking the cage open would have been pointless anyway.

Settling instead for idle struggling, she heard one of the bandits laughing at her. “Trophy girl just won’t quit!” she said.

“Mmmmrrrgghhhh! Nmmmppffff! Dghhmnnt cgghmmll mmmgghh tthgghmmmttt!!”

The woman laughed again at Taria’s muffled and distorted speech behind the large bit wedged into her mouth. Despite her thoughts of deserving this, she hated the taunts of the bandits as they walked past her. What was worse, they knew that. So many of them walked past and would laugh and get a rise of Taria to watch her struggle and growl, saliva dripping from the gag, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Getting tired, Taria stopped her struggles for the time being and watched the stars begin to peek through the darkening sky. The moon replaced the sun in no time and the pale blue became as black once more. Torches and campfires came to life as the darkness settled in, including a perimeter of taller torches outlining their camp in the small fort. Ever since the attack by the undead creatures, Brina had ordered the women of the clan to light up the outskirts of camp to try and keep them at bay.

They hadn’t been attacked since Taria and the Queen had been captured but they sometimes heard their distant growls in the forest around them. With the sound of the growls, Taria remembered catching a glimpse of the woman with the pale purple skin and dressed in the black garb and that eerie red and black crown that seemed to glow with a blood red aura. She had appeared with the creatures that last time. Could it have been Morrina?

At that point there were only rumours and frightened whispers of the powerful necromancer and no one had ever seen her. Taria could only guess but her instincts were usually right on the money. Part of her hoped never to find out if she was right but the other part of her, the unbreakable fighter, told her she had to fight back. It wasn’t just the bandits and mercenaries in Ikaatan anymore. The whole island faced oblivion at the hands of this mad manipulator of the undead.

Taria found herself brought back to reality by a distant shout from one of the women of the clan. The bandits were immediately on edge and went deathly silent, listening for the growls... but there was nothing.

Brina emerged from her tent, long golden blonde hair flowing in the cool night breeze. She eyed Taria for a moment before addressing her bandits. “Go and check out that sound,” she said, pointing to a particularly large woman in the centre of four or five other bandits. “Go on!”

Though they hesitated, none dared to speak back to the woman who led them, known as ‘Brina the Strong.’ So they headed off into the night to check out the sound as Brina asked.

Within minutes, more shouts rose up from the distance. “Intruders! Somebody grab them!”

All the guards surrounding Taria’s cage ran off toward the shout and, soon enough, none of the bandits were left around her. Even Brina charged off after them, leaving Taria’s sword leaning against her tent in its sheath...

Taria immediately began kicking the cage again, one of the bars already beginning to give way.

“Grmrmpff!” she grunted. “Mmmph! Mmrph mmm mmppfff!!” Every kick knocked one of the rusted bars loose until, eventually, it clattered to the ground and left a gap in the cage. But it wasn’t yet large enough to squeeze herself through. So Taria kicked at a much weaker looking bar right beside it and with four mighty kicks of her legs, the thing fell on top of the other bar.

Taria had trouble squirming to her feet, sliding herself on her backside across the cage until her back was resting on the bars. She tucked her feet under her and slowly pushed herself up, shimmying against the side of the cage until she was standing upright. Ensuring she had her balance, Taria focussed her mind on Brina’s tent, careful to watch the ground in front of her as she started hopping forward.

“Mmmph! Hmmph! Mmmmp! Mmmm!” Grunting with each hop, progress was quite slow but whoever had attacked the encampment was keeping the bandits occupied for quite some time. So Taria had enough time to reach Brina’s tent and carefully kneel down to grab her sword. She grabbed it by the hilt, knowing the sheath would hold it in tight enough, and stood up as straight as she could.

At first, the sword dragged on the ground behind her. The first two hops forward into the trees almost made her trip. Taria choked up her grip on the sword, grabbing it by the middle of the sheath and resting the hilt against her back. Getting as tight a grip as she could with her hands, Taria hopped away into the trees. She hopped deeper and deeper until the canopy covered the stars above and she hid in the middle of some tall ferns, dropping her sword and lowering herself to the ground, falling gently onto her back.

Even though she was still tightly bound and gagged, Taria was not about to give up her chance at escape. She heard the shouting of the bandits fight beginning to die down. Whoever had fought them was likely captured at that point and they would see very soon that Taria was no longer in her cage. She wouldn’t have much time before they started looking for her and she really hadn’t gone far.

Struggling to a sitting position, Taria shuffled herself around and grabbed her sword in both hands. She practically threw it into her lap and gripped the tip of the sheath between her sandaled feet. Contorting her body to a strange angle, she just about got a grip on the pommel of the sword, pulling it out a few centimetres before she had to give her muscles a rest. She looked down at her lap and saw part of the blade exposed.

“Hey, where’s the prisoner!?” Taria heard a voice shout from the distance. “Spread out! Find her!’

Holding her feet tightly together, Taria raised them up as far as she could, taking every ounce of core strength she had to make gravity push the sword down a few more inches. Now she didn’t have to twist as far to get her hands on it and begin pulling it out further. With her hands both on the grip of the sword between the pommel and the hilt, Taria pulled as far as she could, twisting her body back to its normal position. Now the sword was halfway out.

“She can’t have gone far!” she heard Brina say off in the distance. But they were definitely getting closer.

With one last heave of her legs upward, the sword slid out, the pommel hitting her square in the forehead and clattering to the ground beside her.

“Mmmf!” she said, shaking off the pain.

She shuffled over to her sword with her back to it, picking it up gingerly by the blade. Propping it against a nearby tree, Taria stayed as low as she could to stay out of sight while she sawed her bound wrists against the sharp blade.

Thanking the goddess the blade was still as sharp as ever, the rope didn’t last long against Taria’s silver sword, slicing clean and coming loose in seconds. With her wrists free, it was only a matter of time. Though the knots were hard to reach, even when she pulled them free of the rope around her waist, Taria managed to get her arms free of the chest harness and shrug off the ropes around them.

Hearing some footsteps getting nearer, Taria grabbed her sword and quickly sliced through the ropes on her legs, finally freeing them as well. Peeking through the ferns, she saw a pair of bandits headed away from her while she dealt with the bridle gag in her mouth. Loosening the tight straps and spitting the bit out from between her teeth, Taria grabbed her sword again and stood tall. The bandits hadn’t seen her yet so she decided to strap her sheath to her hip.

With a good grip on the sword in her right hand, Taria stepped out of her plant cover and considered making a run for it. But she remembered the people he bandits must have captured. Considering the Queen’s promise, it was likely that she was among them.

“Damn my luck...” she cursed to herself.

Just as she turned back, she heard a low, lumbering growl from somewhere between the trees. “Of course...”

The bandits in the forest shrieked and ran for their lives as the creature that growled continued snarling and snapping at their heels, chasing them back into their camp.

Taria listened for a moment and found that there were more creatures, though much fewer than the last time they attacked. She counted... the one chasing the bandits... another just behind it, heading toward the camp and one... from behind getting closer.

Tensing her muscles, Taria kept her back to the creature and closed her eyes, listening carefully to the rustling leaves of the forest floor, the heaving breaths and slavering grunts of the creature as it neared... and spun in place to slice through the thing’s neck, cleaving its head from its shoulders and watching it fall to the ground, black blood sputtering onto the forest floor. She put her sword through the severed skull for good measure and then ran off back toward the camp.

The cage she had been held within was now surrounded by three new prisoners kneeling on the ground. She recognized all of them with coils of ropes around their arms and torsos, just below their tests and holding their arms tightly in place. Their wrists were all bound behind their back in a crossed position and their ankles had been tied together with a thick coil of rope. Something had been stuffed into each of their mouths and held in by white cloths that covered over their mouths and tied on behind their heads.

Fa’rah, the former leader of this bandit clan, was the woman in the middle and flanking her on the left was Arys, Taria’s friend and formerly of Lila’s mercenaries. The one on the right... was the Queen of Ikaatan.

All three captives knelt on the ground, wide eyed, struggling against their bonds and mewling into their gags as they spotted the horrific creatures. The bandits were keeping them back but nobody wanted to go near them and they simply chased the clan around the prisoners, unable to cut them down.

Just as Taria moved to help them she heard a soft voice speaking behind her.

“You... you’re the one they call Maateni... yes?”

Taria whirled around and brought her sword down where the person’s head was... only for it to stop in mid air as the woman raised her hands, crossing them, and a red aura held Taria’s sword in mid-air.

“You’re the one who saw me....”

She had pale purple skin, just like before. Her outfit was black and, though the very air about her was terrifying, Taria found her rather... attractive. That same black and red glowing crown rested upon her head with her red, shoulder length hair. She wore a sort of cropped shirt with thin straps about her otherwise bare shoulders, though loose, frilled sleeves rested just below the shirt. The shirt and sleeves themselves were trimmed in gold and a strange, runic symbol glowed golden on her chest.

Baring her toned midriff, the woman also wore a short skirt that fit her rather loosely. The hem of it was trimmed with evenly spaced blank gold coins where red runes glowed, seemingly floating just in front of them. Black, lace-up armlets covered her forearms and flat, black shoes trimmed with gold completed her outfit along with the black necklace with a glowing ruby set in the centre of the pendant.

Her frighteningly pale eyes bored into Taria’s and, though a knot formed in her stomach just from looking at her, the rather petite woman would have been quite pretty in other circumstances.

“Morrina...” Taria half-whispered.

“You speak my true name, mortal... who are you to know it?”

“You will never know that, witch,” Taria said. “You will curse this land no more with your presence!”

Taria stepped back and raised her sword again but the woman stopped it in mid-air yet again. “You would kill me? Go on, then. See what good it will do when I raise myself again. And my minions... they are not bound to my magic. They will live on even after I die. There is nothing you can do.”

“Of course there is. There’s always something,” Taria said.

“A brave heart beats in that chest, warrior,” Morrina said. “You are... different. I may have a place for you at my side.”

“Do you really think I would join you?”

“No need. I will break your will. But slowly. While I build my strength. One fight at a time...”

“What?”

Morrina stepped back into the darkness of the forest, her face expressionless. “You are wasting time with me. I hear a dear friend of yours crying out... the young bandit leader. She... she is overwhelmed. And her comrades do nothing...”

“Brina...”

“So, what is your will, warrior? To defeat me? Or to protect your friends? That is your choice to make...”

Though she sorely wanted a shot at Morrina... something told her that was a bad idea. It would take much more to truly defeat her. And if Brina was in trouble from those two creatures...

“This isn’t the last you’ll see of me,” Taria said.

“I know it. Go then. Do what you will...”

Morrina faded into the shadows once more and the snarling creatures caught Taria’s attention again. She charged back into the camp and saw Brina backed into a corner of the fort while the other bandits were frozen with fear. The creatures lashed out at her but they couldn’t get around her shield. But neither could she land a solid hit in return.

Without even thinking, Taria just shouted as loud as she could, beating her chest with one hand and the creatures backed off Brina and turned around. They were drawn to the loud sound and began rushing straight toward her. The sound also brought the bandits’ attention upon her as she lunged into action...

The first creature reached her and lashed out with a clawed hand, only to have it sliced off by Taria’s sword. It shrieked in pain and stepped back while the second creature launched at her. She didn’t have her sword at the ready just yet but reacted on instinct, laying a shoulder into the creature’s chest and sending it straight down., tumbling backward.

Recovering itself, the first creature jumped toward Taria with it’s rotted maw open and razor sharp teeth at the ready. Leaning to one side, Taria jammed the sword into the monster’s mouth, hearing its skull crunch as the sword pierced straight through the thing’s head. It’s whole body went limp and fell to the ground when Taria pulled her sword back out and leapt upon the other creature.

With lightning speed, Taria lopped off each of its limbs with quick cuts, finally stepping back and thrusting her sword with as much force as she could through the creature’s skull, kicking it’s dead and limp body loose of the blade. Catching her breath, she glared at the onlooking bandits, stunned by her display of skill.

“You see now why they call me Maateni...” Taria said to the assembled bandits. An idea came to her then and she approached Brina, who still had her weapons in hand. Before Brina could even react, Taria lunged and had her sword only millimetres from Brina’s throat. A collective gasp went up among the bandits in the camp.

“This is a temporary coup...” Taria said.

“What?” Brina said, careful not to move to close to the blade.

“You heard me. For now, I’m taking over...”

“Taking over what?”

“The clan!” Taria spat. “I’m in charge now.”

Brina opened her mouth to protest and Taria flexed her arm, now touching the skin of Brina’s throat with her sword. “Okay... as long as it’s temporary... but for how long?”

“Until these undead are dealt with. And Morrina is dead and gone for good.”

“Sure...” Brina said. “W-whatever you say, Maateni...”

“Then bend your knee, Brina the Strong. Bend it to me...”

Leaning back away from Taria’s blade, Brina got down to one knee and bowed her head low. Taria rested her sword on Brina’s back for a moment and then stepped back to let her up.

“Brina will resume her leadership when I am done,” Taria said. “And we’re changing things up a bit from now on.”

“Um.. okay...” Brina said. “But in what way?”

“Firstly...” she looked to their three captives. “Release the Queen. We will not be holding her for ransom.” A few of the bandits grumbled and Taria shot them a glare, raising her sword. “Would anyone like to argue this point?”

Silence answered her.

“Then release the Queen. Now.”

Several bandits did as they were told and untied the Queen, helping her to her feet.

“And you will release the mercenary as well. In fact...” Taria walked to Arys and untied her bonds. When Arys was standing again, Taria left her for a moment to walk to where she knew the bandits kept their spoils. She returned with a hefty sack of gold coins and held it out to her old friend.

“Consider yourself hired,” Taria said.

“Taria... really?”

“Every sword we can get for this fight is invaluable...” At these words, Fa’rah grunted into her gag.

“Mmmph! Mmm tmmm! Mmm cmmn hllmmp!”

Taria smirked when she caught sight of the bound and gagged former leader of the clan. “As for your former leader... hogtie her and stow her in the empty tent. We have no use for backstabbers among us.”

“Wmmmt!? Nmmmph! PLLLMMMPPHH! MMMPPPHH!!”

The bandits did as they were told, hauling the large woman away to tie her up tighter in the empty tent once reserved for Taria herself.

“Maateni...” Brina said. “We do need to make a living. And there’s only one way we know how. While we battle those... things... we will need to be fed and clothed and sheltered. What are you going to do there?”

“We will still steal... from the rich. Keep enough for ourselves and give to those who need it more.”

“Brina was right,” one woman said. “You’ve gone soft!”

Taria glared in her direction, padding over to her and stopping just a few steps in front of her. Without warning, she tripped the woman and pounded her into the dirt, looming over her and holding the edge of her blade against her throat. “How about now? Still think I’m soft!? Do you!?”

“Maateni... please don’t...”

“You’re lucky I’ve changed. Else your blood would already be staining my blade... do not make me revert to my old ways. Understand?”

“Y-yes... okay...”

Taria stood up straight again and turned away from the woman, allowing her to stand up again.

“Anyone else have something to say?”

Silence once again answered her.

“The that is what we shall do.”

One woman behind Brina raised her hand. “What about captives and ransom? Are we still going to do that?”

Taria growled under her breath. “On one condition... we target criminals. Traffickers, rich tax collectors exploiting the poor, and even other bandit leaders. Their clans will happily pay for their return. None of them can compare to our size and, without leaders, they are directionless and desperate. How’s that?”

The women all agreed, though they did seem somewhat reluctant. But none of them dared to challenge someone who made Brina the Strong bend the knee to her.

“It’s settled then. Now let’s just settle in. Go back about your business.”

Without another word, the bandits continued settling in for the night, taking up their night patrols and surrounding their new prisoner in the spare tent. When they were finally beginning to settle down, Taria turned back to the Queen.

“It would be best if you returned to the capital, my Queen,” Taria said.

“Taria... I can’t believe you did that...”

“Do you disapprove, my lady?”

“I can’t say I am entirely please to see the Sword Master become a bandit leader... but your decree was admirable. I will ensure my Honour Guard stays away from your clan while you lead it, Sword Master.”

“You are generous, my lady. Thank you.”

“Now, I must ask, considering the last two times I’ve come out here, am I expected to travel alone?”

“No, my lady. Arys, can you escort the Queen back to the capital? I will ensure the clan moves with you and we will not be far away for your return.”

Arys nodded. “Of course. Thank you, Taria.”

“Good. Be careful, Arys. We will be waiting for you.”

Arys smiled sweetly. “It’s good to work with you again, friend.”

Taria tried to stifle it but she smiled back. “Yes it is. Friend.”

Finally, after a long night with a daring escape and a sudden turning of the tables, Taria was alone as Arys and Janessa headed off back to the capital. Taking in the sight of the scattered firelight and the chattering women of the bandit clan, it felt strange to be leading them yet again. But, this time, she would do it right. Because she had to, for the sake of all of Ikaatan.

Story Theme Song: Rusty Cage- Johnny Cash