Eternal Requiem

Chapter 3: Only a Traitor

The sun rose on the fourth day, and the rooster crowed with a strong voice. The pearly-white pavement and stone of its foundations were filled with awe as the sun gave new light to the world. Its citizens arose from their humble household to begin a new day. But this day would be different. This day many a denizen made their way to the keep, of which a new structure was laid out. A stone platform had been crafted above the city's waterways at the entrance to Stormwind Keep. On it jutted five wooden poles, each with a man's hands tied to its top. They hung their, thoughhey werenot in pain,they wished their lives would end sooner than it would. Many spectators gathered around, seeing who they could be to receive such a punishment from the Empire. For this was the Executioner's Platform, the death placeof many traitors guilty in the eyes of the Empire.

Of these condemned men, one was a dwarf. His black beard had been cut off, just as all dwarves were if forsaken by Magni Bronzebeardand the rest of his kin. The others were a gnome, a human, and two night elves. Upon one of the night elves' chest was a mark painted in red. It was the mark of the White Dragon, a symbol that he was the most criminal of them all. Sweat and dirt dripped down from their faces. By the time dawn had finally come, a large man with a black hood stepped forward and onto the platform. In his hands we carried a savagely torturous axe of whose design was to hook and tear at its victim with great pain. The spikes and hooks on its blade made its appearance like a round saw on a gnarled staff. All cowered every time it was close, for it was one of the most brutal deaths to die by that axe.

From the keep emerged Bolvar. He approached the platform, eyeing the men who were to meet a cruel fate. Turning to the vast audience, he began to speak.

"People of Stormwind-" he began. "Before you we have the most traitorous men in all of Azeroth!"

The crowd booed and hissed at the traitors, throwing rotten fruit that splattered upon impact.

"These men have committed the most heinous acts against the Grand Requiem Empire and our beloved ruler, Emperor Darithal. Of these includes the murder of many of our imperial soldiers and guards, of whom served our empire to the end, the vandalism and destruction of imperial buildings, and the aid in Horde affairs that would do no more than benefit the vile scums' power!"

An even more appalled remark came from the crowd. Some even suggested beating the prisoners before executing them.

"Slit their arms!"

"Cut out their tongues!"

"Make them bleed 'til they cry!"

"Now, now..." said Bolvar. "You will see their bodies torn apart and fed to our dragons. For now, you will see them brutally massacred by the executioner and his lethal blade. But now you will receive a treat; the grand appearance of your master, King of the White Dragon, Ruler of the Grand Requiem Empire, our almighty and powerful leader, Emperor Darithal!"

All applauded and cheered as Darithal himself appeared before them from the halls ofStormwind Keep. His robes and armor were the same; white with gold embroideries. It shined in the sun with such brilliance, one would think he was a god at first glance. And to the people, he might as well have been. They praised him as their champion, respected him as their king. All adored him like an idol. He too stepped upon the platform, standing beside Bolvar.

"My people!" he exclaimed.

All once again cheered at his magnificence. After they settled down, Darithal turned to the traitor with the red mark.

"This sure is a surprise." said Darithal to the marked traitor. "I had no idea I would be in the presence of the Tuvyn! I hope Lithius showed you to a warm welcoming here."

"Shut your mouth, traitor." spat Tuvyn. "You may have the people's praise, but they will no longer bow when they see their cities in ruin because of you! My men will kill you all, all for the glory of the once proud Alliance!"

"You called me a traitor..." said Darithal. "Yet you are the one who shall face his death because of treason. I hope you are ready. Many of your men have pleaded for a more painless death before receiving this blade into their chest. I know. I have seen them."

Darithal pointed to the axe in the executioner's hands. Tuvyn gulped at the sight. The very idea of that thing tearing at his flesh made his skin crawl.

"Do your worst!" said Tuvyn, spitted at Darithal's boots in disgust.

"Very brave for a fool." said Darithal.

Darithal then walked to the executioner and whispered in his ear.

"Be sure to save the marked one for last."whispered Darithal to the executioner. "I want to see his face as he spectates his men brutally executed by your axe."

The executioner laughed. He walked to the first traitor to the left; the human. Bolvar signaled to the executioner to hold his advance until he gave the word.

"Let the execution begin!" exclaimed Darithal.

"One!" shouted Bolvar to the executioner.

The executioner swung his axe, making his mark on the human's stomach. He wailed in pain as it went through him. But that was not the most stomach wrenching part of the assault. It was the axe leaving the body that made everyone turn from the sight. The executioner pulled the axe out of him with great strength, leaving the man speechless as to the torture that was just inflicted upon him. Breath left him, and the executioner moved to the night elf other than Tuvyn.

"Two!"

Again the executioner swung, and again it nailed the victim. This time it was the chest, and as he pulled out the axe, the night elf let out a cry that echoed throughout the streets. His scream was so loud that it seemed like his mouth expanded. But to his dismay, he was not dead.

"Again!"

But as Bolvar said 'Again', that was enough for the night elf to die from fear instead of the axe itself. With a shrug, Bolvar readied to sentence the others. The gnome and dwarf was also executed, but graphic details can only go so far. Soon the executioner was hovering over Tuvyn, of whom was horrified at the witness of his men's severed bodies and limbs. Blood had been spilled all over the Executioner's Platform, and Tuvyn was covered in red from his comrades. There was so much blood on him, infact, thatit was hard to notice the red White Dragon mark on his chest.

"Any final words, traitor?" asked the executioner to Tuvyn.

"Yes." said Tuvyn with a grin.

Then Tuvyn did a flip so he was on top of the wooden pole his hands were tied to. He loosed the ropes has he stood up there, and then came down on the executioner with great force. With one punch the executioner was out like a light. Tuvyn then took the axe and glared malevolently at Darithal.

"My final words are that you die now, Darithal!" he roared.

Bolvar went to draw his hammer, but Darithal stopped him.

"But, my lord..." said Bolvar.

"Do not worry." said Darithal. "He wants to fight me. So he shall fight me."

"But he is only a traitor, my lord." pleaded Bolvar. "I will handle this wretch myself!"

"No." insisted Darithal. "If he wishes to fight..."

Darithal then puts his hand to his back where a brilliantly crafted dual blade, almost exact to Illidan's weapon, was put away. But unlike Illidan, Darithal only had one, though that made no difference.

"...Then a fight he shall get."

As Darithal readied himself, Tuvyn made a surprising observation that took him until now to realize after much watching. Darithal has never directly looked at anyone as he spoke, almost as if they were not quite there. There was only one explanation for such lack of concentration to those hespoke to...

"This is will be too easy, you fool!" laughed Tuvyn. "You may not have noticed, but you are blind!"

Bolvar waved his hand in front of Darithal's face, but he did not move an inch. Darithal truly was blind. Bolvar was astonished by this new discovery, even more surprised by the fact that no one but Darithal knew. How could a blind night elf possible walk about like a normal person without tripping or running into anyone. It was almost as if he could see.

"At least I know it will be useless to gouge out your eyes!" commented Tuvyn as he charged.

As Tuvyn charged, Darithal did not move. Bloodlust was in his eyes. The axe was almost within reach of Darithal. But still Darithal did not move. But when Tuvyn finally did get within arms reach of him, Darithal made an abrupt vertical swipe down with his dual blade. Tuvyn dropped the axe, surprise and awe passing through him as everything around him grew dark.

"But.." he muttered. "Your blind... how could a fool like you... kill... me..."

Before Tuvyn's lifeless corpse hit the platform with a thud, Darithal withdrew his dual blade. Tuvyn's eyes were blank and his face pale. The executioner arose from his unwanted nap and dragged the carcasses off the platform and into the dragon's nest, located within Stormwind Keep itself. Darithal began to step down from the platform, and there was silence.

"Make sure Tuvyn's body is burned and placed in an urn." said Darithal to Bolvar who followed. "Because it was I who slew him, I want his urn placed within the treasury. It will make a fine trophy as the remains of the rebellion's leader and their hope for ever felling the Grand Requiem Empire."

And what he said was done. Tuvyn's corpse was burned to ash and poured into a black, skull-decorated urn where it was then placed in Ironforge's treasury. There it would be a trophy, as if the head of the rebellion had been severed and laid within its golden riches. Soon after this was done, another plan, wrought from the same mindthatbrought aboutTuvyn's demise, had been set into motion. Darithal now had his unseeing eyes fixed on Grom'gol, ready to initiate the war over all things mortal.

And possibly immortal...