People were gathered around as Gwenna looked down on the crowd. It was unusually packed for such an event, as only the adult relatives of victims were permitted to come to the execution of criminals. Of course with how many had died they'd had to use one of the knight's training grounds for this one. She kept her face impassive as one by one the condemned were led out, impressed by how many had been captured.
Most of them walked with stoic faces to the gallows, their heads held high for what they'd done. They stood as the lower parts of the crowd yelled until they were given a push and their necks snapped, only for the next to be led forward.
Gwenna looked about at the two tiers of the audience. Nobles stood on the higher rungs, separated from the common folk by a opening, they kept mostly silent while the lower classes vented their rage. She stood within this group, resisting the urge to smile as each man was killed. Well above her, looking down upon the whole proceedings from his seat was the king, his face impassive as he watched the sentences he'd handed down being held out.
After all the men hung dead on their ropes the final prisoner was brought forward. The crowd buzzed; this one they wanted themselves. The smallish woman was pulled forward, unlike the others she fought, trying to pull herself backwards from her impending fate. Two knights had her though and there was no chance of her escape.
She was another commoner, they had all been. This girl, still in uniform, had been a maid at the palace. Nobody was quite sure how she'd been found out, but it was the truth that she'd been the one to copy the papers that led the rebels to the mana-eater. Her betrayal of trust that had allowed the catastrophe to happen. For this treason she'd been condemned
The woman looked at the furious crowd as she was drug forward, begging "Please! Mercy! I didn't know! I didn't know! Mercy!" The crowd though wouldn't hear a word of it, hissing and screaming that it was all her fault. Even a few of the nobility took a moment to shout her out as a traitor, almost all of them had looks of rage as they saw her though.
So many had lost loved ones in that attack that the crowd was easily over a thousand. Nobles had even traveled to the capital in haste for this event. Their beloved sons, daughters, and kin had been murdered because this woman had led to the release of a monster on a peaceful gathering.
Gwenna had spent years schooling her face, and tried her hardest not to smile. She'd heard that they'd put the creature into some up-jumped merchant girl who had the gall to think she might seek a noble's son in marriage. She hadn't even been a caster, the uppity little bitch. How she'd have loved to see it as the thing crawled down the girl's throat and took her body. There were some theories that the host survived and was aware as the monster took them. Honestly Gwenna couldn't decide which would be better; for the girl to die in agony right there, or to suffer as her body was used like a puppet before her death.
Apparently somewhere around a hundred people had died. Including one of Gwenna's cousins, not that she cared at all about him. They were still looking for some of the perpetrators, including the maid's boyfriend, who seemed to be a major figure in this little rebel cell.
Gwenna felt her blood racing as the maid was pulled up the steps. She pulled and jerked from the men holding her as they yanked her up and before the noose that had been set for her, tying her hands behind her back.
"For the crimes of releasing a monster in a city, murder, and treason, you Carmen have been condemned by His Majesty to death by hanging, do you have any final words?" The official read off, similar to what had been said for the others.
"Please! I beg mercy! I knew not what would come, I'd have never done such things!" The official looked to the king where he sat. It was he who'd signed the order of execution, and only he could grant even the smallest clemency to her. The king looked on impassively, not moving, his eyes cold as stone.
The hangman placed the bag and noose over her head as she continued to scream and beg. The crowd jeered louder and louder until the knights released her arms.
"WAIT PLEASE NO..." The rope snapped taut as she fell, but there was no snap of her neck. "...GCK!"
Kicking and struggling the woman hung there, her body twisting this way and that as the rope on her neck strangled her. The crowd went wild. The hangman hadn't had the rope long enough. This was a major faux pas and he would almost certainly be censured or relieved of his duty because of it. Executions were supposed to be quick and relatively clean.
Gwenna struggled, she could feel the hot, tingling pressure building between her legs, and had to put a hand over her mouth in mock shock to hide her lust filled grin. She loved this, she loved watching the unworthy suffer and die. It brought her a deep, visceral pleasure and was in her opinion the best kind of show.
The hangman really might have been bribed to botch this, that was unclear. He moved to fulfill his duty though, quickly going down the stage to reach for the woman's legs, pulling on them would speed her death considerably. The crowd on the other hand nearly lost it at his movements, the commoners shouting.
"No!" several screamed "Let her dance for us!" a woman yelled "Aye, she ruined a dance, let her dance!" The least demand got cheers from some others.
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"Hangman." A calm voice overpowered all the others, some kind of amplification spell. All eyes turned toward the king as he spoke. "Let her be."
More cheers boomed as the hangman retreated. People sent up three cheers to His Majesty and his 'generosity'. It was obvious the king was furious with what had been done beyond words, so he let his actions speak.
Someone among the commoners had the unusually brilliant idea to begin singing. He launched into one of the more popular songs to be performed at dances this year. Those around him recognized his idea and joined in and before long the crowd was giving a lovely performance for Carmen to 'dance' to.
Gwenna managed to school her face into submission and gripped the nearby handrail as she watched. Her body was alight in pleasure as the woman performed for them. She wanted to thank those commoners who'd finally done something worthwhile with their song.
It took so long for the woman to finally die. After the first song another had to be launched, then a third after that. By the end of it Gwenna was positively dripping, her need to relieve herself nearly fulfilled as the last twitches left the condemned maid's body.
A nearby low ranking nobleman saw her and came over. "You seem a bit bothered my lady. Here, let me help you to the exit."
Since the show was over she let him guide her out, tightly gripping onto his arm as he led.
"One of your kin was killed by them then?"
"Ah, yes, my cousin."
"It was a bit tough to watch that last one."
"Indeed." Only because she had to struggle to keep herself in order. "I'm good now, thank you."
Gwenna separated from him and he gave her a kind nod, thinking she'd been bothered by seeing such a death. She quickly made her way back to her chambers, she needed to relieve herself and knew just how.
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Not twenty minutes later she rushed through the underground. Her current living conditions were 'poor' by her standards, but there was thankfully an opening to the undercity in them, and it made traveling unseen rather more easy. If she had to live in a small home that barely counted as an apartment then there had to be some perk.
When she'd first come to the capital she'd lived with her brother at his mansion, or on the school grounds. That had ended when word of her traveling party taking in that stupid girl had been bandied about. The Shield had gone mental, declaring her and her immediate family in violation. For that she couldn't openly call for a priest, or even go into their temples. They wouldn't come to Hazelwood even when her father called. Her brother had kicked her out upon hearing of it, in order to save face with the various Orders, the bastard.
The school dormitories had been passable at least, but when she'd graduated her brother wouldn't give her any support. Her desperate letters to her father got her some funds sent, but even he was suffering, and he blamed her, sending only a pittance for her to live on. It wasn't until her new benefactor had come along that she'd had any hope of maintaining any dignity at all. Because of the Orders she wasn't even marriageable. They'd ruined her, those stupid priests.
Now she quickly moved through the undercity, on routes she knew by heart. Her clothes had been changed over from those of a noblewoman to those of a commoner and she rushed down to the lower parts of the city. Her business for the day not yet done.
She blended in nearly perfectly as she left the undercity entrance and moved through alleys to the safe-house. None of the passers by gave her so much as a second look as she moved to the discreet door and knocked in the set pattern.
She squeezed in quickly as it was opened ever so slightly, looking at Gregory when he'd let her in. He was the only one here and she gave him a bright smile.
"I'm so glad you're okay Orina. Things got dicey there for a bit. What's the news?" The man looked her over. He of course didn't know her true name, she'd no desire to be publicly executed.
"Everything's fine, they caught a few of ours, but almost everyone got away. We've got a caravan leaving the city tomorrow, it's too hot and we need to get out of town for awhile." She spun her story for him. "We'll head out at dawn to the rendezvous ."
"Carmen?" He asked, very worried about the woman he cared so much for.
"Taken care of, I saw her earlier today, don't worry." She gave him her brightest smile and ran a hand along his face.
He sighed in relief as he moved into the small safe-house. It was only one room, with a bit of food and a bed. He laid back on it, stretching out.
"I was so worried about everyone you know. I've been in here since that night, nobody else came by." That of course was because most of them were dead, but he didn't need to know that.
"I know," Gwenna/Orina purred as she moved beside him. "it's fine though. Everyone did a great job, you in particular."
"Thank you." He smiled, leaning back and closing his eyes.
"You know... we're pretty much stuck here until morning, and I was hoping you'd let me thank you for all your hard work." She leaned over, pressing in close to the man.
"I... I'm with Carmen, you know that."
"Don't worry, she doesn't need to know. Truth be told... I'm a bit pent up too, I really need this, please?" Gwenna made her best begging face for him, and saw his resistance melt.
Mere moments later they were both naked, her astride him as her dress lay strewn on the floor. He slid in easily to her very, very, ready sex as she began to move. It sent joy through her as she felt it, the pressure was magnificent, she took a second to make sure she put more mana into her Lover's Mark, something she kept charged just in case.
He groaned and placed his hands on her hips, trying to lead her forward. With a smile and giggle she pulled them away and above his head, letting a quick spell bind them. The spell moved slowly, and was easy to resist if you knew how or wanted to, he did neither. A few seconds later another bound his feet to the bed.
"Oh, what a naughty girl you are Orina." Gregory sighed out.
"You have no idea." Gwenna smiled as she sent another spell to wrap around his neck lightly.
"Oh!" He jumped a bit as he felt it. The sudden movement sending a trill of pleasure up her spine.
Once her magic was fully in place and locked she leaned down over him, her hips rocking as she rode.
"You see Gregory, I was there, I was there when they hung dear little Carmen." His eyes switched to a bit of panic as he felt the spell on his neck slowly getting tighter. "Oh!" Gwenna gasped as he struggled under her, enjoying the ride immensely. "Oh yes, yes just like that! Everyone cheered and cheered as she danced on the rope for us..."
She could feel the pressure building in her as she drew nearer and nearer to her cliff she was determined to jump off of. "Just like you're doing for me!" Her nearly drooling smile as horror bloomed on his face made the man panic and fight harder. She was locked on hard though, holding him with legs wrapped tight as her magic slowly began to strangle him, giving just enough air for him to continue on.
She never stopped riding and before long, poor Gregory's body spasmed with pleasure through the pain. Gwenna's own responded in kind and she let out a scream of ecstasy as the orgasm hit her. She maintained just enough control even through that to use her magic to crush his neck. The 'crunch' and spams accompanying it driving her to ever higher heights.
"Look at me! Look!" She nearly yelled as she leaned forward, her body trembling. "I want to see your light go out." She whispered as she drew nearly to his eyes, holding his head in place.
She locked eyes with him through the potent spasms traveling up and down her as he slowly passed. The fire going to embers and finally nothing but black coals before she pulled herself off, falling to the bed beside the corpse and laughing like a happy schoolgirl.
"Best sex ever." She declared, before tutting as she looked down. "Oh Gregory, look what an awful mess you've made."
She cleaned herself up as best as possible with the limited resources in the room before dressing. A spell to light a hot fire and keep it going to destroy the body, one to remove the smoke so nobody came too fast, and another to keep it contained for the same. Later she turned and looked at the flaming bed.
Blowing one last kiss to the dead man she bounced out of the safe-house. Her benefactor had so many more people that needed to go, it was a true shame the important ones kept slipping away. No matter though, she'd take out all those she could. She just needed to find some convenient way to pleasure herself while doing it though, that was the real problem.