All Chapters of Iron Sentinel: The Shadow Crown: Chapter 21
- Chapter 30
53 chapters
CHAPTER 21: JOURNEY BEGAN
“Fast enough for me,” Valerius said. He grabbed a dirty tarp from the trash heap and threw it over Grimbolt’s shoulders to cover the extensive damage and missing arm. “This is your new disguise. Scrapped cargo robot.” “A… accurate disguise,” Grimbolt commented dryly. They started walking. Every step was a struggle against the unstable ground and the wind. Valerius led the way, dagger at his waist and iron rod in hand as a walking stick. Grimbolt followed, dragging his feet. His oil trail marked their path. Cogs leaped among the debris. His sharp ruby eyes scanned the sky for reconnaissance drones. The sun was beginning to set, turning the sulfur yellow sky an eerie purple. “Grimbolt,” Valerius said in a half-whisper after hours of silence. “About that bridge… you saved me. Again.” “It’s my job to protect assets,” the robot replied. “Cal
CHAPTER 22: TRACKS IN THE ORANGE DUST
Valerius knelt beside him, despair gripping him. They were still dozens of kilometers from the Black Piston. For Valerius, leaving Grimbolt there was tantamount to a death sentence. “No,” Valerius said firmly. He would not allow himself to give up. “You will not stop here. I will not let it happen.” Valerius reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the last bottle of lubricating oil he'd salvaged from the workshop. It wasn't much, just enough for a few uses. “Move over a little,” he ordered. “Shift… not possible…” “Then I will do it myself!” Valerius replied seriously. Valerius crawled under Grimbolt's hot chassis, trying to ignore the smell of burning metal. He smeared the thick, black liquid on the jammed joints in an attempt to loosen them. His raw, blistered
CHAPTER 23: THE LEVIATHAN'S WRECKAGE
Outside, the Vexxos soldiers began to spread out. Their scanners beeped. Valerius held his breath because every sound bip, It sounded like his own heartbeat was accelerating. He was sure they would be found. Suddenly, the sound of the Vexxos patrol engine stopped, replaced by silence. “What happened?” Valerius whispered. “The signal… is being disrupted,” Grimbolt replied, his optics brightening slightly. “There’s a powerful source of electromagnetic emissions nearby. It’s jamming their scanners.” “Emission source?” “Not me,” said Grimbolt. Outside, Valerius heard the soldiers cursing. “Damn, the scanners are down again! There's a fucking magnetic storm in this desert.” “Forget it. There’
CHAPTER 24: NIGHT OF THE IRON DOG
“Wild mechanical dogs,” Garrick whispered. His eyes were now wide with horror. “They don’t hunt for meat. They hunt for Aetherium energy. And your robot reactor… is a bright beacon for them in this darkness.” A loud crashing sound was heard on the Land-Crawler's outer skin. And followed by the sound of metal claws scratching the steel wall very quickly, trying to find a gap to enter. “They’re on us!” Cogs screamed, flying frantically toward Grimbolt’s shoulder. “Garrick, tell me you have a really strong steel door!” Garrick didn't answer. He simply pointed to the maintenance hatch in the ceiling, which Valerius had just repaired. The hatch was beginning to buckle inward under the immense force of the metallic creatures above. “Hold your gun, kid,” Garrick hissed at Valerius. “If they get in, they won&r
CHAPTER 25: DIAGNOSIS OF DEATH
Suddenly, a giant shadow moved. Grimbolt, ignoring the dog chewing on his leg, did the unthinkable. With a metallic ripping sound, the massive robot tore off its remaining chest plate with its sole remaining arm and threw it like a giant Frisbee. The hundred-kilogram steel plate spun through the air and struck the charging dog. The impact shattered the dog's head and sent it flying sideways in a shower of sparks. Silence fell again. The first dog, confused by his opponent's sacrificial act, finally stopped attacking and took a step back. He stared at Grimbolt, who now stood with his chest exposed. His blue Aetherium reactor core pulsed weakly. The dog no longer saw Grimbolt as an enemy. He saw him as food. He ignored Valerius and Garrick and started walking slowly towards Grimbolt with his jaw dripping oil. “No…” Valerius whispered. Grimbol
CHAPTER 26: INDUSTRIAL GATE
“That’s exactly why this will work!” Valerius said. “They’re looking for threats. They’re not looking for misfortune. They’ll see a skinny, dirty child, and a robot that looks more like a museum piece than a weapon. They’ll laugh at us. They’ll underestimate us. And when they underestimate us, that’s when we’ll take what we need.” Garrick stared at Valerius for a long moment. His sharp eyes assessed the boy. “That plan… is crazy. So crazy that it might just work.” He walked
CHAPTER 27 : BEING STUPID AND CLUMSY
“NO!” Valerius shouted. “Wait!” The sergeant paused, his finger already on the trigger. “You have one second to give me a good reason why I shouldn’t melt your toy eyes.”
Read moreLast Updated : 2026-01-25
CHAPTER 28: EFFECTIVE ANSWER
That is a lie, but wrapped in truth. The sergeant stared at the skinny, dirty boy before him. He saw eyes too old for such a young face. He saw a foolish, sentimental loyalty. And it was something he understood, though he would never admit it. He grunted and roughly released his grip, pushing Valerius forward. “Sentiment,” he growled, as if
CHAPTER 29: A SHIFT LIKE HELL
“He won’t break, sir,” Valerius said. “He’s very strong.” “We'll see,” said Garm. He walked over to Grimbolt, looking the steel giant up and down.
CHAPTER 30: GENIUS PLAN OR CRAZY PLAN
Valerius had to rack his brains to think quickly. “Cogs,” he whispered into the small communicator hidden in his collar, a device he’d assembled from the remains of Jax’s communicator. He’d assembled it while still with Garrick. “What’s the situation out there?”
Last Updated : 2026-01-26
Read more