Public Display
Contains: generic whumpee and whumper, whipping, humiliation, mild blood, mild gore, corporal punishment, restraints
“Let all who witness this be warned - thus shall it be done to those who disrespect His Imperial Highness!”
The late autumn air was cold against Whumpee’s bare back, but the hundreds of eyes on them that they could feel without looking had them heated with shame. No one out there cared a thing about them. They didn’t care that the charges were trumped up, didn’t care about the pain that Whumpee was about to experience. They just wanted entertainment, in the form of blood and punishment.
Pressing their forehead into the rough wooden post, Whumpee waited, tense with dread. Any second now, the whip would come down on them. They had no way to anticipate what it would feel like, they’d never been whipped before.
There was a slight rustle behind them, then a whistling sound, and suddenly a line of fire was painted across their back. Whumpee jerked in their restraints, crying out, and the crowd raised a cheer.
Whumpee was determined after that not to make any more noise, not wanting to give anyone the satisfaction. It didn’t matter, though. Their audience roared out the number of each stroke as it fell, clearly enjoying the spectacle. On lash five, their din rose even higher. It wasn’t until Whumpee felt warm blood trickling down their back that they understood why.
By the end, Whumpee was practically dangling from their wrists, which had started to bleed, as well. The noise of the crowd faded in and out with their vision. Their entire back felt shredded beyond hope of ever being put together again.
“The criminal shall remain here throughout the rest of the day, as a reminder to all.”