Walking The Dark Path (Story)

[Saefinn]

((This is a story to offer some character building for Saefinn. At this point he was a young lad, who had recently joined this pirate crew.))

 

Mead in hand I looked out to the sea with sun beaming on my back as I sat on the docks, I felt a certain warmth, a smile on my face and a light buzz. I took a swig back, tasting the sweet honey and alcohol. The air was strong with the smell of sweat, salt and seaweed and I could hear the babbling of other sailors. Something felt right, it felt like I belonged somewhere, our captain was a bit of an arsehole, but we were all like brothers, smuggling and stealing goods. We all got our share and life was good. Sure, I was the new recruit and got some of the crappy jobs, but we all held our pints as equals. That was the best part.

My good friend Roddy put his hand on my shoulder and satbeside me. He was blonde haired (and very blonde at that) and he was a fairly tall Hyur, very skinny and shirtless. He had a pint with him and fat grin on his face.

 

“Hey’up mate. Bit early to drink.”

“You’re kidding me, right? When’s it ever too early for you?”

“Ah, I’m just pissin’ about. You were a right tit lastnight, weren’t ya?” He laughed.

“What do you mean?” I asked, scratching my head.

“Come on man, you were pissed out of your brains. You triedasking a pretty bint out and I could tell she had it for you, but you threw up all over her. Couldn’t handle yer drink!”

“Oh yeah, that. She was cracking as well. She was more thanfine, she was a great laugh.” I sighed.

“Ah no worries my man, you’ll have another chance.”

We stared out to sea for a moment’s silence.

“Say, what made you wanna join in the first place?” Roddy asked.

“I was always getting in to trouble. I was just a regularkleptomaniac.”

“A what now?” He looked puzzled.

“Means I love to nick stuff.”

“Ha ha, so you thought you’d fit right in, eh?”

“Yep!”

 

A tall, stocky Hyur with no hair marched up to us and folded his arms before speaking. “You two lazy sods, the captain wants to see you.”

“So much for a break.” Roddy jumped up and held his hand out to help me up. The stocky hyur led us along the docks, passed a few drunken sailors and into a small shack and there tied to a chair was a beaten and bloodied Miqo’te with his wife and kid cowering in the corner.

 

“This is your lucky day lads,” the Captain held out his arms in welcome, “We got this scumbag, ain’t paid his debts for weeks! Told ‘im last time, if he didn’t have the money when we got back to shore I’d have his bloody balls. So what say you.”

“I’m a bit squeamish cap’,” I tried to back away.

 

“Ah bollocks, you just need to man up. Never seen you getyour hands dirty lad. Here, I got a dagger for you. Show this bucket of chocobo shite what happens when you don’t pay.”

 

I felt the sweat on my forehead, I felt sick in my stomach. He’s right, I’ve never dirtied my hands, I was a criminal, I loved to steal and I loved making money out of smuggled goods, but I'd never hurt a guy. The captain knew this, he knew I didn’t have the stomach for it and he must have drew some kind of pleasure out of this.

 

“Do I have to cap?”

“Aye, that’s an order.” He grinned with his yellow teeth on display.

 

There was no way I could back down, he’d gut me otherwise – he was that sort of captain, follow his orders and you were his best mate, disobey them and you’d find your feet tied to a rock sinking to the bottom of the sea. I knew this sort of stuff happened, I knew our captain was a bit of a loan shark, but it all happened behind closed doors, I thought all I’d ever be expected to do is smuggle and steal, but I must have been deluded to think I’d never be expected to get involved. There was no way I was going to cut his balls! Perhaps I could just kill him and get it over and done with, captain won’t be too mad? Maybe a few lashings, at least I wouldn’t torture the guy in front of his family.

“Don’t just stand there, cut them off! Or there’s gonna betwo Miqo’Tes without their manhood by the morn.”

 

Oh gods, oh gods. My hands trembled. I closed my eyes, Ijust had to do it, I felt myself apologising, praying to some god somewhere. I just stabbed him in the balls and he screamed in pain. I dropped the dagger. I a felt tear in my eye, but managed to hide it. I was about to throw up. I could hear his wife sobbing. Reopening my eyes I could see the look in the child’s face, a mix of fear and hatred. A face I would not forget.

“Atta boy!” Captain cried as he wrapped his arms around me.“I said cut ‘em, but stabbing’s good enough for me. He won’t be pleasuring that whore again and he’ll be pissin’ sideways. Hardly a man at all. Ha ha!”

I felt dirty on the inside, but what frightened me was thatthere was a sense of relief, a slight pumping of adrenaline, I felt wrong, yet liberated. Like a taboo had been broken. It was a sensation I knew that would turn me into a murderer.