Chapter 29: Gladius' Dark Past

Author Comments:

Please read this. Now, this chapter will be a relatively dark chapter. It will contain language, cruelty, neglect and beating. THIS IS GOING TO BE A DARK CHAPTER. If you can't handle the slightest bit of language/cruelty/ violence, I don't believe this chapter is for you. So, just saying, language/violence!

14 years ago, in the Northern Seas…

Gladius was born on the Isle of Bokobli (pronounced bo-ko-blie) in the Northern Seas, in the town of Bobli (pronounced bob-lee). He was born to the family of S, a family initial meaning Somnio, which has lasted for many generations. His dad was a carpenter, and his mom stayed at home to attend to Gladius and the actual house. While his dad wasn't rich, they still had a way to put food on the table in the plague-stricken land of Bokobli. All was well, it would seem.

Four years later…

Gladius, now four, is standing by his mother's deathbed. For the past seven years, a plague had been swept through their island, claiming many souls and lives. Finally, near the end of the plague, his mom had finally been stricken ill. On her deathbed, she made her goodbyes and final wills, and then was carried away by the illness. Gladius was traumatized, as well as his father.

One year later…

Gladius' father was drunk, a common occurrence nowadays. He stumbled into the house, tripping over some toys that Gladius had left out from earlier that afternoon. "Hot dammit boy, I swear to the Hells beneath us I'm gonna kill you!" Gladius, who was hiding in another room after hearing his dad trip, remained still, softly sobbing to himself. "You little $h!#, get out here!" Eventually his father stumbled into the room where he was hiding, and threw over the furniture in the room. Finally he flipped over a cabinet, exposing Gladius.

"What the hell are ya hiding for? You know I'm gonna find you!" His dad shouted. He picked up Gladius, who was screaming and beating the back of his dad wildly.

"Put me down! Leave me alone!" Gladius cried, tears rolling down his eyes. "Not again dad! You did this yesterday!"

"I'll do it as many damn times I wanna!" His dad threw him down onto the ground, and walked over to a wall containing a metal rod that they use to fix a fire. His dad turned around to Gladius, who was sobbing and making his way to the door, running wildly. "Nuh uh, I don't think so!" His dad chucked the rod at Gladius, hitting him directly in the back of the head. Gladius fell forward onto the ground, his head bouncing from the impact of the ground.

Gladius sobbed to himself as he lay on the ground, and then his dad wandered over to him and stood over him. He rolled him over, and then kicked him in the face multiple times. "How dare you attempt to run away!" He picked him up, swung him around and let him go, flying into a cabinet in the kitchen. He lay on top of a counter as his father shouted, "You'll never get away from me! I'll always be here, whether I like it or not!" His dad entered the kitchen, took an empty beer battle, and smashed it onto Gladius' face.

Gladius fell off the counter and onto the shards of glass on the ground. With many cuts and several bruises from other beatings, Gladius broke down as he usually did, and then ran away to his room to cry. "Don't bother to clean yourself up!" His dad shouted. "There's more coming tonight!"

Gladius ran into his room and jumped on the bed. He cried loudly as he picked a piece of glass out of his arm. "Mommy…" He sobbed. "Mommy…where are you?!"

Three years later…

Gladius hadn't eaten in four days, as his dad had spent all the money on drinks again. Gladius wasn't too upset; this usually happens at the beginning of the month. He had a giant gash above his head, and a black eye. His whole body was bruised from multiple beatings, and his stomach growled. It was his eighth birthday; like the last four years, his father forgot it. However, it had been a few months ago that Gladius discovered a secret room under their house, holding two small swords. Every day he tried to practice with the swords, awaiting this day patiently for his escape.

Finally his dad stumbled in, drunk as usual. He shouted, "Get your ass out here boy, I got an empty bottle for **hick** you!" However, instead of finding his punching bag hiding, he found him standing in the main room. "Well, decided to give up hiding?"

"Nope. I'm actually here to tell you I'm leaving." Gladius said with his swords by his side.

"Hahaha, leaving are ya? To where? Nobody's gonna want your sorry ass with them." His dad taunted.

"I don't need anyone then. I'm leaving and there is nothing you can do about it." Gladius took out both of his swords and prepared to attack.

"Oh, you gonna kill me with those swords?" His dad laughed. "I got those when I was your age, I doubt they're sharp anymore."

"How old am I?"

"Huh? What sorta question i-"

"HOW OLD AM I."

"Hell boy, you're uh, what is it, five and a half now or something?"

"I'm eight dad." Suddenly, his dad's eyes grew wide. He started to tear up, but Gladius was still driven with anger. "I'm leaving." Gladius began to make his way to the door.

"Son, don't you dare walk out of that door." The dad said, his eyes teary. That was the first time the dad called him son since Gladius' mom died.

"Don't stop me." Gladius roared. His dad threw the glass bottle at him, smashing into his face. Gladius tried to slice at his dad and kill him, but only cut him on his arm.

"Son! Stop!" His dad yelled.

"Oh what? Gonna beat me again?" Gladius shouted again. He hit his dad with the handle of the sword, smacking him across the face. As he went to the door, his dad shouted again.

"You'll never amount to anything without me!" His dad was enraged with Gladius.

"You're wrong!" Gladius shouted rebellious. "I'll prove you wrong!"

"What are you gonna be then?!" The dad shouted. Gladius stared down at his swords, his anger rushing through his body like a deadly poison.

"I'm going to be the best swordsman who ever lived!" Gladius yelled. His dad nearly laughed, but then noticed his son's seriousness.

"Oh no no no, surely you're not serious."

"Like hell I am! I'll be the best swordsman who ever lived, past, present and future! My name will reach to the gods, and I'll be known across the world! The gods will bow to me I'll be so great!" Gladius yelled. With that being said, he turned to the door and ran outside. It was about eleven at night, and most of the bokoblin on the island were asleep. As he started to run away, his dad bust through the door again.

"Son!" His voice boomed. "You'll never do anything like that! You're too weak!" Gladius turned to his dad, his eyes wide with anger. "You'll be dead before you see next week."

"I'm too weak?!" Gladius yelled back. "I've dealt with your beatings, neglect, anger, confusion, all that $h!# for the past four years of my life!" His dad stared at him, eyes wide. "I'm stronger than you'll ever be! I'll show you how powerful and great I'll become!" Gladius turned and ran down an alley way, his dad yelling back at him, putting him down, slandering him with insults.

"YOU'LL NEVER DO IT!" was the last thing his dad yelled that night. Those were the last words Gladius ever heard from his dad before he ran away. His dad didn't even bother to chase him. He just returned inside and popped open another bottle.

Later that night, Gladius broke into a store and robbed them of a week's worth of food. He also took some food and ate himself sick right then and there, finally getting substance. He took the food and headed out to the docks, where he stole a small sail boat. The wind was blowing south, so that's where he sailed. With no goal in mind except to become the best swordsman and to escape his hell-hole of a life, he sailed joyfully south.

The next two years, Gladius spent his time traveling from island to island, training himself in the ways of the sword. He once stopped on an island for a whole year, receiving intense sword training. In need for money, Gladius resorted to bounty hunting, where he would go out and kill the small bounty criminals, getting anywhere from 10,000 rupees to 100,000 rupees, just enough to keep himself alive with food and maybe a room in a hotel.

Two years after he had left, the ten-year-old Gladius finally stumbled upon a small island in the Great Sea. He had been training for a long while, matching the sword play of grown adults. On the small island he landed on, he attempted to make a great bounty capture: A pirate with a bounty of 1,000,000 rupees. If he could pull it off, he'd be so rich that he could quit bounty hunting for maybe another whole year before he would have to go out again.

Gladius wandered into town on that small island and into a bar, where the pirate was rumored to be. Gladius wandered over to him, and held up his poster. "Is this you?"

"Hahaha, you bet it is!" The pirate laughed. Gladius dropped the poster and attempted to slice at his chest. "Whoa, crap!" The pirate shouted. "You're a bounty hunter!" Gladius and the pirate fought for a good five minutes, until the pirate got the upper hand. He slashed Gladius across the chest, and he fell backward, writhing in agony.

"I don't have a million bounty for nothing, kid!" The pirate laughed. He took his sword and attempted to stab him; however, Gladius was saved by another pirate in the bar. A big blin (for those of you who don't know, a big blin is like a moblin but like 3-5 times larger and more powerful) stood where the pirate once stood, his fist out and cocked. On his left arm he had a gauntlet.

"Good gods kid," His gruff voice boomed. "You can fight." The big blin wandered over to Gladius, and helped pick him up. Once he was up, Gladius looked over at the hole in the wall, shaped in the form of the pirate. "I took care of him, don't worry."

"Thank you…sir." Gladius huffed out, his chest still wounded.

"Say, I like you." The big blin says. "Why don't you join me? I got a pirate crew, and we could sure use you to help us. Not only that, we can patch up your chest." At first he was hesitant, but something in the big blin's eyes implied that if he denied the offer he would be killed. So Gladius, having no place to go and needing first aid, agreed to the big blin.

"What's the name of your crew?" Gladius asked.

"Why, we're the Boko Boko Pirates!" The big blin laughed loudly.