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The Trial of Yelps

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Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"Is that ... is that uranium?!?" I said incredulously.

The block of uranium landed on Yelps, as the gears pressed it against him. Yelps was being slowly crushed under the block as the gears continued turning, pushing the block repeatedly. He let out a brief high-pitched squeal before the pressure became too much.

"He's done for..." I said, wincing. Between the crushing weight and the radioactivity, I was sure Yelps was a goner. For a moment, I pondered just where the block of uranium had come from. I didn't recall hearing that uranium existed anywhere in Gielinor.

The Executioner turned a dial, and a mechanical arm moved into the cage. The arm lifted the block of uranium, and removed it from the cage. The arm then rotated to a part of the roof of the structure I could not see from my vantage point, to dispose of the block of uranium.

However, I could see the cage clearly. Yelps was still laying in the place where he had been crushed. His body having been irradiated, his green skin was now a sickly colour. Blood dripped from his mouth, and bruises covered his body. For a moment, I thought he was dead.

Then, his eyes opened, and he coughed. "I've been through worse..." he said, his normal high-pitched voice sounding a bit weak.

At the base of the Device, a figure clad in black robes appeared. I knew who this figure was right away. I had seen said figure during several Halloween events. It was the Anthropomorpic Personification of Death, the Grim Reaper.

"What's he doing here?" I asked.

"Obviously, he's been invited here to confirm the death when it happens." Xenia said. "It looks like the condemned man is particularly hard to kill."

While it was true that Yelps had been punched by a boxing glove several times daily when he operated the Squeal of Fortune and suffered no real injuries, I was still surprised that he had managed to survive the ordeal so far.

(continued next post)

01-Aug-2012 21:29:12

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The Executioner then attached Yelps to another pulley and gear system, and turned another wheel. The carnival huckster's arms and legs were pulled and stretched, and then secured tightly, and painfully, to the edge of the cage. Yelps cried out in pain, as the crowd looked on. The cage was then lowered onto another platform halfway to the top of the device, but in plain view of the crowd.

The crowd now had a better look at the crushed, irradiated, stretched form of Yelps. At this moment, a green light turned on, and a voice from the device proclaimed "You may now jeer at the condemned."

And the crowd did just that. Instantly members of the crowd began jeering, yelling, and shouting at Yelps, saying all sorts of nasty comments. Most of those statements I will not repeat here. But all of them were cursing Yelps for his materialistic greedy ways and his intrusion into Gielinor.

Yelps could only stare helplessly as the crowd expressed their complete and total hatred for him. Rotten tomatoes and camel dung were flung at him.

This went on for some time. At this point, I wasn't sure I wanted to be here anymore. Don't get me wrong - I hated Yelps for all the damage he was doing to the world in the name of making extra money. I hated him for his shady gambling operation. But still, this seemed unnecessarily cruel.

On the other hand, I had the urge to throw a few rotten tomatoes at him myself. Before I knew what was happening, I repeated what I had said at the end of my dream. "GO AWAY YOU FILTHY MONEY-GRUBBING PARASITE!"

Yelps snarled at the crowd as they continued their jeering. "Fools! Idiots! (drowned out by crowd noise)! You think anyone will give (drowned out by crowd noise) about your (drowned out by crowd noise) world once I'm gone? Ha!"

(continued next post)

01-Aug-2012 21:30:54

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The crowd continued jeering, shouting and yelling at Yelps. After ten more minutes of this, I spoke to a passing guard. "How long is this going to go on?"

"At least three more hours." the guard said. "Then the light will turn yellow and we move on to the final two phases."

"That seems a bit much." I said.

"Believe it or not, a lot of the people in the crowd need all that time to vent all their anger toward that thing." the guard said. "There may also be a few latecomers who wish to get a chance to do the same."

"Fair enough." I said. "I think I've said all I wish to say to him anyway. To be honest, I never want to see that creep again."

"That can be easily arranged." the guard said. "This is an execution, after all."

"But still, I think I'll go be somewhere a little less noisy for a while." I said. "But I'll be back when this phase is over."

I stood up and headed to the outside of the arena, the shouting and yelling echoing behind me.

Chapter 10: The Last Two Phases

I had never attended a public execution of this sort before, and I was feeling kind of overwhelmed. On the one hand, I was opposed to cruel and unusual punishment, but on the other hand I felt Yelps had this coming. I was confused, not knowing how to feel.

I needed a break. So I went to a bench just outside the arena to sit and clear my head.

What I had said during the trial was the truth. And I was sure that had Yelps never crossed the line and turned his game into gambling, this event never would have been necessary. But based on his own confession, it had been his plan from the beginning. At this moment, I wished Yelps had never come to Gielinor.

I sat there, thinking about the past. While it would be dishonest to say that Gielinor never had troubles, in the old days anyone who even tried Yelps' stunt of making people pay otherworld currency for Gielinor goods would have had their voices silenced before being removed. This went back long before I came to Gielinor in the first place.

01-Aug-2012 21:32:22

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Yelps, on the other hand, had initially received official sanctions for his game. It was only now that he was finally being punished for his actions. I had to wonder just how did things get this far. What had happened?

I sat there pondering for a long time, only occasionally aware of the shouting and yelling from the arena behind me. I thought about everything I had gone through over what seemed like years to me. I was so lost in thought that when a loud horn sounded, I was jolted back to where I was.

A voice over a loud speaker spoke. "The Yellow Phase will begin in ten minutes. Everyone wishing to participate please return to the arena."

Had I been sitting here for nearly three hours? It didn't matter. I knew I had to see what happened next.

I stood up and passed by a few vendors. The vendors were selling rotten tomatoes, camel dung, executioner's hoods, and T-shirts depicting Yelps with a 'No' circle pasted over his image. The first two, I rightly guessed, were for flinging at Yelps. The other two were souvenirs.

Putting aside the question of whether or not selling merchandise at an execution was in good taste, I thought this was kind of ironic given the situation. Still, as long as the vendors were charging Gielinor currency for the items they sold within Gielinor, I had no problems with them.

I purchased a few rotten tomatoes, and decided that the T-shirts could wait. I had to go back to my seat in the arena.

Ariane, Ozan, and Xenia had kindly saved my seat for me. I thanked them as I sat down.

Yelps was still stretched painfully against the edge of the cage. He was pale, sickly, battered, and covered in camel dung and rotten tomatoes. He glared at the crowd.

At this point, the green light changed to yellow. "The crowd is now permitted to use whatever projectiles they wish against the condemned." the Executioner announced.

(continued next note)

01-Aug-2012 21:33:59 - Last edited on 02-Aug-2012 03:02:25 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
At this point, several members of the crowd raised bows. Others prepared mage staffs.

Within seconds, the crowd began firing dozens and dozens of arrows, bolts, spells, and other projectiles at Yelps. "No! No!" Yelps squealed in a high pitched voice.

His further protests were stopped by even more projectiles and spells thrown against him.

The crowd attacked him relentlessly, as if he were some big boss monster like the Kalphite Queen, the King Black Dragon, or the Corporeal Beast. Ozan got in on the act, firing some arrows at Yelps. The goblin generals Bentnoze and Wartface threw rocks at Yelps, and so did a number of other goblins. This only encouraged a number of rock-throwing trolls to do the same.

Amidst the noise, I could hear the ominous metallic-sounding voice of the Raptor. "Not impressed. Can he survive this?"

And with that, the Raptor threw a huge spiked flail at Yelps. It collided with him, making an unsettling noise, before being blown apart by fire spells. Yelps, however, was still alive. He was covered in blood, bruises, and burns, but he was still alive.

I decided to do my part in putting the creature out of his misery. I cast a few Fire missile spells at him, alternating between the various spells as I saw fit.

But still Yelps survived. "He might not be capable of fighting back, but he might be tougher to kill than the Pest Queen." I remarked.

Projectiles and spells continued to strike Yelps, who squealed in agony but still did not die.

"How many Life Points does this guy have?!?" I shouted.

I stood back as most of the crowd continued their unrelenting assault.

After a full hour, the light turned red, signalling for the crowd to stop. And at last the crowd finally ceased their attacks.

I looked up to the platform where Yelps and his cage were still suspended high above everyone else. Smoke was rising from Yelps' beaten, battered, bloodied, and burned body. He was motionless.

01-Aug-2012 21:35:38

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
And then his eyes opened, and he began coughing up blood. As his own blood and vomit trailed down his body, he spoke. "Is that... is that ... (gasp) ... is that the best you can do? (gasp)"

It was at this point that the Executioner pressed a button, and a sign lit up. The sign was clearly a timer, as the number five appeared on the screen. Soon, the timer began to count down as the crowd chanted.

5! 4! 3! 2! 1!"

At that point, the platform dropped open, and Yelps and the cage plummeted several feet and smashed into the ground. The crowd cheered.

Yelps, lying in the wreckage of the cage, stared upward. He saw what was coming.

The machine's pulleys were moving a massive pillar around to the space above Yelps. The pillar was made of refined steel, and took up 63 square feet on its base.

Yelps began to panic. "No!" he shouted weakly. "I'll be good... I'll never run another gambling operation for as long as I live! Just let me..."

He never finished the sentence, for at that point the pulleys released the pillar.

The pillar, now released, rushed downwards towards Yelps at an incredibly high speed thanks to the pull of gravity. With a loud crash and an almost as loud crunching sound, the pillar smashed Yelps deep into the ground.

For a moment, there was silence. Then, the Grim Reaper spoke. "Yelps is now among the deceased."

The Grim Reaper turned toward the giant metal pillar that now served as Yelps' tombstone. Then, the Grim Reaper disappeared.

The crowd began cheering loudly, jumping up and down and dancing.

King Roald began to speak. "Let this mark the end of the Era of Greed, and the beginning of a new era of prosperity and integrity for the land of Gielinor. This event has now ended."

(continued next note)

01-Aug-2012 21:37:04 - Last edited on 01-Aug-2012 21:38:19 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
The cheering and celebrating continued for some time, though some were already leaving. I stood up, and turned to go.

"It WAS a bit much, but I can't say he didn't have it coming." That being said, I sincerely hoped it would never again be necessary to use something as twisted as the Multi-Pulley Mechanical Pillar Dropping Device.

My emotions were mixed. I felt repulsed by what I had seen, and yet ... relieved. A great dark cloud that had been present for months appeared now to have been lifted.

As I headed out of the arena, I passed by the souvenir vendors. The 'No Yelps' T-shirts were still being sold, and I took a closer look at them.

The front, as I said earlier, had a picture of Yelps with a 'no circle' pasted over top of it. But on the back was a picture of a toy horsey, with the caption "Just say neigh to gambling!"

I had to smile at this. "Indeed." I said aloud.

01-Aug-2012 21:38:43

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
Epilogue: Aftermath

After Yelps' execution, things gradually settled down to normal. People went about their business, doing skills, quests, and other activities again. But there was a great sense of contentment as they did so that I had not seen in a long time.

Already, Yelps and his game were being considered one of those dark eras in a place's past that had now safely passed. Few people were even talking about him, aside from those who were now proudly wearing 'No Yelps' shirts or executioner's hoods.

I heard from my clanmates that there were 'No Yelps' shirts being sold outside of Gielinor as well. That didn't surprise me at all.

Along the road to Falador, I met with Ariane and Ozan. "So, how are things?" I asked.

"They're good." Ozan said. "I never did get back the money that creature owed me, but things are good."

"Things have been good for me, too. So, what's the latest gossip?" I asked.

"I've heard the Squeal of Fortune might be coming under new management soon." Ariane said. "The new candidates are a gnome, a rat, and a pig. The last two are especially being considered because the powers that be are too lazy to change the name, and both of those creatures squeal. So it fits."

"But buyable spins are gone, right?" I said.

"Of course." Ariane said. "Those who sent Yelps were told that it had to be stopped. The new, revamped Squeal of Fortune will only have spins that can be obtained from in-Gielinor means, or paying the tax for crossing over into Kandarin, Brimhaven, or Morytania. So there will be no more gambling with other-world money."

"Good." I said. "Anyway, things seem to be looking up already. Adventurers' morale has greatly improved. People are showing more enthusiasm for skilling, questing, and just about everything than I've seen in months."

(continued next note)

01-Aug-2012 21:39:37 - Last edited on 06-Mar-2013 06:06:21 by Darelzel

Darelzel

Darelzel

Posts: 3,587 Adamant Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile
"Ah, yes." Ozan said. "Now we can all get back to doing what we do best. Going on adventures that will be told in song and story for generations to come. Of course, I will write many of the songs and stories."

"You never change, do you?" Ariane replied.

"Why should I?" Ozan said. "Enjoy life, I say."

I smiled and nodded. We then changed the subject to other events before going our seperate ways for the rest of the day.

In the end, I was glad that we had now finally closed this unfortunate era in Gielinor's history. While I knew there would be more challenges to the integrity of the world in the future, it was possible that the worst was now over.

I walked forward, feeling renewed and invigorated, as the sun rose on the dawn of a new day.

The End

OOC: The preceeding story has not happened ... yet . In the meantime, however, take the toy horsey's advice. :)

On a more serious note, I wish to reiterate that I do not endorse public executions. This story was written as a response to people's suggestions that should certain controversial options be done away with, there should be a special event to signify the end of such a controversial era.

One person suggested the method that was ultimately used in the story.

In any case, here's to a brighter future for RuneScape free of controversial options such as the ones that inspired this story.

01-Aug-2012 21:44:48 - Last edited on 21-Mar-2013 18:52:30 by Darelzel

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