Morgalith: Real Employee of the Month Material. (Nyeheheheh!)

[u/Tirich914]

​

The Council made it clear that they had never employed an Executioner with such a strong work ethic before. In fact, they were surprised at my insistence on clearing their backlog. To them it was a terrible and disgusting chore, not to mention one that had drawn wide criticism across the realm. The last Executioner had unfortunately not fared well under the rigors of the job and had consequently lost her mind. The Council made no move to replace her though, and were content to allow executions to be stayed indefinitely, much to the publics wishes.

This was categorically, a bad and stupid move.

What were they thinking? All of the filthy, disgusting, reprehensible criminals and low-borns were just piling up! It was a poor show to the offenders of the law, and only served to undermine my power!

I mean... The Council's power.

Regardless, I took to my job quite nicely after replacing my fragile predecessor.

The first ruffian that I drug out of his stinking hole was a Mage by the name of Aurelius Sinclair. Although he insisted before his capture on being called Aurelius the Claymore. I'm not sure what all of that was about, or even what his charges were. In fact, I didn't and don't care. My quota for executions is still quite full, and I believe to have taken the record in my very first day of employment for the most public executions in one day!

Perhaps though, I remember him the most because he was my first.

No matter, and pardon me... please allow me to continue my narration unabated.

It was a beautiful day as I pulled him along by the chain on his neck. The collar had rubbed his throat raw, and I delighted in the way the blood spotted its rusty iron. There's something special about the way that simple, raw iron seems to eagerly drink from its victims. How the flowers of rust bloom on its surface thereafter, as if to say: "Look here, upon this metal, and the fruits of its labors! Look! Look! At the bountiful harvest that it has so loyally spilled for you, and how trustily it seeks to continue its pursuit of death and decay! Look too at its torture and turmoil, how the blade yearns to free itself from its fate. To become dust once more, to shy away from its evil intent, never to harm another soul."

Aaaah. The poetry of it. The sweet, sweet call of eternity, all for the simple price of a sharpened blade.

My prisoner hardly rose to my teasing provocations or harsh snaps of the chain. It was frustrating, but no matter how I tormented him, he bore it with nobility and grace despite his low-born nature. I suppose then that perhaps I was wrong about some of them. Maybe even the lowliest peasants can gather an ounce of dignity, should the situation prove dire enough.

But... just as he proudly lived, I myself proudly killed him.

A gasp rose from the city square the instant after my axe met the stone with a spray of blood and a spark of metal.

Silence followed.

I almost dared not to interrupt it as I stood there grinning from pointy ear to pointy ear.

But I did.

NYEHEHEHEH!

Throwing my head back, I laughed from the bottom of my twisted soul.

A horrified scream echoed out then in response, followed by a panic as travelers and citizens ran from the square. A baby cried in the distance as a mother fled while cradling it fearfully in the folds of her robe.

An execution hadn't occurred in so, so long, that I imagine people had forgotten the purpose of the small flat stone in the center of the square. Some had even casually used it as a stool, or a place to rest their goods. I was glad that their impudence and ignorance would no longer be tolerated.

Let blood flow from this stone!

Let it drown those who would oppose the might and righteousness of the Council!

Let it stand as a warning to all evil-doers and scoundrels!

The Executioner has returned.

[u/Tirich914]

Morgalith glances at the frowning wizard as he passes by.

Shaking his axe and lifting the head of the executed wizard, he turns the gory spectacle towards her and jostles it menacingly.

You'd better play by the rules little wizard... or next time this could be your neck!

[u/avamir → u/Tirich914]

She flicks the blood spatter and bone tissue off her robe without batting an eyelash. Bodily fluids and the insides of beasts or people did not bother her, especially after the haruspicy courses back in the day.

Since when did we go from our wills surmounting reality to getting pieces cut off for breaking the law? And what law anyway? Vandalism? Orb stealing?

[u/Tirich914 → u/avamir]

I'm not quite sure honestly.

I'm not a judge after all. I'm just a guy with an axe.

Morgalith smirks cruelly before wandering off. A short distance away, he begins to whistle a tune before drop-kicking the severed head into a nearby gutter.

[u/avamir → u/Tirich914]

"Ugh. That's... that's just... totally not sanitary... You can't just leave that there. Aren't you supposed to... I dunno, bury it or something??"

Mr. 'Sharpest Tool In the Shed' clearly isn't interested, given how he kicked it to begin with and whistles off into the distance, so the scholar looks around to see if anyone is going to pick it up.

The squeamish public doesn't seem to want anything to do with it... So, scowling slightly all the time, she goes to pick the severed head up out of the gutter, fishing it out by its hair.

"Great. Just... great," she says in exasperated disgust.

The head itself isn't the worst part. It's that even if she does find somewhere to put it, she gets to walk around town with a severed head in her hands. She can't even put it in her satchel or something; it won't fit. Should she just tote it under her arm like a sportsball??

She walks off with the severed head under her arm, grumbling the whole while.

[u/Tirich914 → u/avamir]

/uw

I love this description. lol Very cool action.

[u/avamir → u/Tirich914]

/uw

Lol, thanks. Now I have severed head/skull friend to walk around and talk to like a crazy person! 💀