Chapter Nine

Broken Loyalties


The mortal sat cross-legged, eyes wide with interest. Good. I finally had their attention.

"Tell me about this…Billie Lurk you mentioned earlier."

I cross my arms. Try again, mortal.

The mortal sighed. "You said that Lurk paid a price for obsession…The Tale of Obsession is hers, isn't it?"

I do not answer the mortal.

"Okay…I want to hear the Tale of Obsession."

That is your choice, then?

"Yes, because coin leads to obsession."

Why?

"Obsession leads to power."

Why?

"Power leads to madness."

Why?

"Madness leads to revenge."

And why does it lead to revenge?

"It is powered by the catalyst called…uh…called love?"

And what of redemption, dear mortal? What leads to that?

"Redemption is, as you put it, the acceptance of one's self."

I nod, approvingly. Very good, mortal. You've earned the Tale of Obsession.

"Thank you…I think?"

Since coin is what sparks obsession, however, you should have picked the Tale of Coin first.

The mortal sighed. I smirk, for the briefest of moments.

Regardless, mortal, you've earned the tale. And so, I shall tell it.

Billie Lurk. Where do I even begin with her? Like many of the young children in the Whalers, Billie Lurk was a street kid, a member of a not-so-notorious gang that was attempting to capture the attention of the Hatters or the Bottle Street boys. She was born to an abusive, drunkard of a mother who particularly enjoyed Billie's torment. She would throw things at the young girl. Once, even pushed her down a flight of stairs. Lurk became desensitized to pain, from the innumerable bruises she suffered at the hands of her life-giver.

Her life took a turn, the day she grew a spine and ran away from home. In fact, that is how she became a member of the gang she ran with.

Her gang took to the knife. The Business of Death, so to speak. And Lurk enjoyed killing. Perhaps far too much so, for her sake. But the young girl was heading down a path of darkness. The gang overstepped its bounds, the day they attempted to rob the son of the Duke of Serkonos, who was visiting the Isle of Gristol.

When the Son killed Lurk's close friend, she repaid the death by killing him. She drove a wooden gazelle through his eye. And not long after, she was dishonored by her gang, and everyone she knew, or came across. They didn't want her presence. She was being hunted by the City Watch, as well as the Grand Guard of Serkonos. As you can imagine, the Duke of Serkonos wanted to find the killer of his heir. And the only time poor little Lurk was wanted, was when people attempted to capture her and earn coin from the bounty on her head.

She was lonely. Seething with a kind of hatred I've rarely seen in humans. Once again, her life took a turn the day she witnessed Daud and his men kill a man. Daud and these mysterious boys took her interest. So, she followed them, all the way back to their hideout. With a few simple, honeyed words, Daud had her loyalty. Billie Lurk finally had a family.

"What does any of this have to do with obsession?" the mortal interjected.

I shake my head, disapprovingly. Don't talk. Listen, mortal.

When Billie Lurk became Daud's apprentice, her obsession began. She began to follow him around like a puppy. She had everything she could have ever wanted…but it wasn't enough for her. Desire to lead the Whalers was quickly festering in her. And when that desire wasn't being catered to, she became vitriolic.

Then, Daud assassinated the Empress. He was changing, in ways that the Whalers didn't know how to react towards. Many of them accepted their Master's change. But Lurk? She didn't approve of how he was "slipping."

In a way that still eludes me, Delilah entered the picture, and whispered dark promises into the young woman's ear. She promised her that she could have more power than ever dreamed imaginable. The price? Betray Daud, end his life, and kill his loyalists. Then, Lurk would become the Knife of Dunwall.

She came so close to succeeding. However, she didn't anticipate Daud's absence from their hideout. With the help of the Overseers of the Abbey, Lurk and Delilah killed many Whalers. She was killing her family. And for the first time, Daud felt the true meaning of betrayal.

Despite it all, he didn't kill Lurk.

"What!?" the mortal exclaimed. "He didn't?"

Sometimes, dear mortal, banishment is worse than death. That is a fate that High Overseer Thaddeus Campbell knows all too well. The price Billie Lurk paid for her obsession was banishment from a family that once cared dearly for her.

"And? Where did she go?"

Who can say? Except me, of course. It remains to be seen what paths Billie Lurk will take in her future. There are some rather intriguing options available to her.

So tell me, mortal. What is the moral of this story?

The mortal contemplated their answer. "Obsession leads to power, as much as it leads to ruin. Billie had the life she chose. She had escaped the life that was foisted upon her. Yet, she threw it all away because she wanted the power she believed she deserved, instead of earning it on her own merits. She lost everything because she was impatient."

Yes, precisely so.

I will be generous, and give you some time to think over your next decision. Summon me when you have your answer.

"Wait, you're going to leave me here!?"

Yes. I am. Have fun, mortal.