The Life of Koru, Chapter 39
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Peon knew he was going to be punished by Chief Tariq, after he dared to challenge his authority on that awful night, when Chief Tariq was angry and drunk. He knew the punishment would be whipping and he expected it, his body was ready for it. What he didn't expect was to learn that Smasher, and not Chief Tariq, would be the one to administer the punishment.
Smasher whipping Peon was like a father chastising his son. There was an obvious paternal connection between them, and as the son was a grown-up koru who disrespected a Black Lord, the punishment had to be whip-heavy. Smasher had no problem thrashing Peon at Chief Tariq's command and he knew that it was for Peon's own benefit. As for Peon, he learned a valuable lesson -- never question a Black man's authority, not even when the Black man is heavily drunk.
Peon remembered this, as Chief Tariq plunged more and more into alcohol in the following days. It was a vicious circle for Chief Tariq. He was continuously assaulted by dark memories of his violent past and in order to chase them away, he found his refuge in drinking. And when his drunk alter ego was unleashed, he became a force to be feared and obeyed without question. His rage was unpredictable, his punishments were merciless, leaving scars that ran deeper than the flesh.
Peon was beaten countless times during these days, to quench Chief Tariq's inner turmoil, and each time the beating ended with Chief Tariq apologizing in a very emotional way:
"No! I shouldn't have drunk so much!! I shouldn't have beaten you, boy! I will let you suck my cock, so that we remain friends!"
The apologies were as frequent as the beatings themselves, and left Peon more confused than comforted.
So this is how they returned from Rio -- just Chief Tariq, Sir Cane, Smasher, Peon and some newly purchased chain gang slaves. The chain gang worked hard to apply gravel, sand, bitumen and asphalt to the future road band. Peon joined them during the day. At night, he worked with Smasher in the forge. He was no longer an alien to the blacksmith's trade. Under his hands, the metal gained fluidity and artistic expression of a finesse and subtlety that was really unexpected from a koru. Chief Tariq had him do handles for his whips, but also more complicated pieces -- gauntlets, goblets and ornamental scepters. When drunk, he liked to beat Peon with the same objects the slave produced, so Peon understood from this that his work was not good enough, and he strived harder, and harder, and harder, until an inebriated Chief Tariq told him one day:
"Damn, boy! This mace I'm beating you with looks really cool! I'll let you suck my cock for that!"
In the war between the Sun and the Moon, they were on the side of the Sun. They were brave Black Empire slaves and their cocks were free and unrestrained. Their enemies, the slaves of the Caliphate, were worthless "smallcocks", as Scoutie liked to call them -- koru who had their wieners locked in tiny cages all their life. Was there anything more pathetic than this? The cages were barely two centimeters long, so the slaves of the Caliphate were condemned to live in this perpetual state of submission and denial of pleasure, focusing only on what the Arab Masters wanted.
Smallcocks didn't bow to the Black Man in the Sky, they didn't worship the Black Lords. They worshipped the Arab Lords and practiced a primitive form of Islam that was adapted to their illiterate minds. Most of them descended from Black Empire koru who had been sold to the Caliphate or kidnapped by pirates. It is for this reason that they were seen as turncoats and sellouts by the Black Empire koru.
Mulo wanted to teach all these smallcocks a lesson: you can never run away from the fury of the Black Man in the Sky. If you betrayed the Black Man, the only punishment was death.
He kept this in mind when they saw a few Caliphate smallcocks moving in the distance. Instead of running away and hiding, they decided to confront them. The koru of the Caliphate were three and Scoutie, Mulo and Sleaze were also three, so they had a fair chance.
They dropped their sacks to the ground and started to run towards the enemies, clutching the machetes in their hands and yelling:
"For the Black Empire! For the Emperor!"
"For Allah! Allahu!" the Caliphate koru responded.
When they were close enough, Mulo said:
"Fuck ye, sinners! Ye betrayed the Black Lords for the Caulifate!"
"It's Caliphate, dumbass!" a smallcock responded.
"Ye anger the Black Man in the Sky with yer sins!"
"True god is not the Black Man in the Sky, no! True god is only Allah and he Arab. Ye bow to him right now or ye die!"
"Ye speak such non-sense, ye sinner! Black Man in the Sky is high above and he the Emperor of the great Black Empire. We'se his slaves and we'se serve him with our blood!"
"For Allah! Allahu!"
"For the Black Empire!"
"Shut yer mouth, infidel!"
"Bow to the Black Man, sinner!"
The two groups of slaves started fighting.
Mulo clashed his machete in battle with another koru. After years of using this tool to cut sugar cane and also after training on Captain Xaxa's ship, he knew very well which angles were best for slashing. He was full of rage, emboldened by the frenzy of war and used his machete to slice the enemies around him. Blood gushed out as he moved. He hit a Caliphate koru in the chest, making him drop on his knees, then he slashed his neck. At the end of it, he was covered in blood and overwhelmed by guilt. He asked himself: "Fuck! I'se killed! Is this how it feel? Why did I'se do it?"
Scoutie however explained:
"These koru no believe in the Black Man in the Sky, so they deserve to die!"
Mulo agreed. He felt nauseated by all the blood and the gore and he certainly didn't kill out of pleasure. He killed because it was his job to do it. He was so committed to the Black Empire's cause that he could go to any lengths and do whatever he was ordered to do. Mulo felt he owed everything to the Black Lords, who were after all those who offered him food and shelter. They gave him a purpose in life by letting him serve them as a slave. What more could a koru want?
In the dimness of the night, Mulo fell on his knees and prayed to the Black Man in the Sky. It was a humble prayer, nothing sophisticated, just a koru thanking the Superior Black Race for giving him a purpose in the world. There was nothing more sincere and heartfelt than a confession like this, uttered in the middle of the desert. It was just Mulo and his god.
Sleaze was one of those koru who were actually not very religious. In fact, he considered religion to be bollocks. One day he told Mulo:
"Ye pray so much, soldier Mulo! But ye should know that the Black Man in the Sky doesn't hear ye here in the desert."
"Don't be dumb sayin' such things!" Mulo said. "He listen and see that I'se protect the Black Empire!"
"Oh, yeah! What could the Black Empire do without ye?"
Mulo really wanted to punch him, but he swallowed his anger. He just kept marching forward with stubborn confidence. He had his machete on his shoulder and his gait was that of a real soldier. With every passing day, Mulo was taking his military role more and more seriously and the fact that he frowned all the time showed it. For him, the war was not just a game. Finally, he said:
"I'se'll protect the Black Empire from them who wants to attack it!"
After their small battle victory, it was the time for the spoils of war. The three Caliphate koru they killed left behind some sacks containing mine bombs, some bottles of water and a few biscuits. It was a good capture. Mulo and Sleaze also had a chance to see the pitiful cages that those Caliphate slaves wore on their cocks.
"How they even fit there?" Mulo said.
"Believe me," Scoutie said. "Any cock can fit in these cages, even yers!"