All Chapters of The Tyrant Of The Red Throne: Chapter 31
- Chapter 40
47 chapters
CHAPTER 31 The God-Forsaken Fortress
The heavy iron wheels of the slaver wagon finally stopped turning.The massive, mutated rhino-bear beast let out a pathetic, rattling gasp. The creature's thick knees buckled, and the giant animal collapsed face-first into the freezing volcanic ash, completely dead from sheer exhaustion.Faried dropped the thick leather reins. The rational youth sat in the driver's seat, completely ignoring the dead beast. He wiped the freezing rain and toxic sulfur dust from his pale face, looking up through the thick, swirling gray mist of the eastern mountains."Get out of the wagon," Faried called out, his voice hoarse and dry. "We have to walk the rest of the way. The beast is dead."The back doors of the iron carriage swung open with a loud creak.Ivan dragged himself out first, leaning heavily on a wooden spear shaft he had salvaged from the battlefield to replace his broken crutch. The crippled youth shivered violently as his boots hit the dark, jagged volcanic rock. The air up here was incred
CHAPTER 32 Cleansing with Blood and Bone
The low, guttural growls echoed loudly across the pitch-black stone hall.Dozens of glowing green eyes descended rapidly from the dark ceiling and the high walls. The mutant ghouls crawled headfirst down the ancient stone pillars, moving with a terrifying, unnatural speed that completely defied gravity. They were entirely hairless, their pale, decaying skin stretched tightly over emaciated ribs. They had no eyes, just empty, rotting sockets above wide mouths filled with rows of jagged, yellow teeth."Back against the wall!" Faried yelled, his voice slicing sharply through the terrifying shrieks of the starving pack. "Do not let them surround us in the open! Henry, block the main doorway! Form a natural chokepoint!"Henry did not hesitate. The giant youth completely ignored the excruciating, tearing pain in his shattered ribs. He stepped heavily into the narrow stone archway of the main entrance, raising his demonic, gray left arm like a massive shield."Get behind me, Ivan!" Henry roa
CHAPTER 33 The Cursed Legacy
The crimson light bathed the cavern in a horrific, bloody glow.The jagged, primitive runes carved into the massive black altar pulsed with a terrifying, rhythmic intensity, looking exactly like a giant, beating heart. The thick, warm air inside the underground chamber smelled purely of ancient, dried blood and old iron.Ivan leaned heavily on his wooden spear, his eyes wide with absolute dread. He stared up at the massive iron chains and the jagged meat hooks hanging from the high ceiling."Okay, so we just walked into a literal slaughterhouse," Ivan muttered, his voice trembling visibly. "Those hooks look exactly like they were made for human ribs. Roy, take a massive step back away from the glowing magic rock right now."Faried limped forward, his cold, rational eyes scanning the massive room. He looked at the deep, intricate drainage channels carved into the black stone floor. They all fed directly toward the base of the central altar."This was not a defensive fortress, Henry," F
CHAPTER 34 The First Wall
The blinding crimson light slowly faded, sinking completely into the porous black stone of the ancient altar.The violent hurricane of magical energy died down, leaving the massive underground chamber in total silence. The thick, boiling black blood that had flooded the floor retreated, seeping deep into the cracks of the volcanic rock to fuse directly with the foundation of the fortress.Roy Jecoriah stood perfectly still on the altar steps.He slowly raised his right arm. The dirty rags that had bound his burst blood vessels were completely gone, burned away by the raw magical energy. His right arm was now entirely healed, but it was no longer human. The skin was a dead, ashen gray. Thick, pitch-black veins pulsed aggressively just beneath the surface, glowing with a faint, terrifying red heat that perfectly matched the demonic arm Henry possessed.Roy clenched his newly forged right fist. The physical power surging through his muscles was absolute, terrifying, and completely intoxi
CHAPTER 35 Punishment for Hope
The freezing morning fog rolled heavily across the ruined courtyard of theBastion of the First Sun.The fifty human survivors woke up shivering violently on the cold stone floor. Their muscles ached from the brutal labor of stacking heavy volcanic rocks the day before. They huddled together for warmth, waiting desperately for Faried to distribute their tiny, strictly calculated rations of dried meat and water.Instead of food, they were greeted by the terrifying sound of screaming.A heavy leather canteen and a thick strip of salted meat were thrown violently into the center of the courtyard. They hit the stone floor with a loud, wet slap.The survivors instantly backed away, their eyes wide with fear.Roy Jecoriah walked slowly out of the dark, gaping entrance of the main hall. His bare feet made no sound against the rock. His gray, demonic right arm hung by his side, the black veins pulsing with a dull, terrifying crimson glow.Trailing directly behind Roy was a thick, living vine
CHAPTER 36 A Rift in the Brotherhood
The pathetic, weak whimpering echoed endlessly through the freezing courtyard.It was the middle of the second night. The young boy was still suspended high above the cold stone floor, his wrists bound tightly by the thick, crystallized vine of black blood. His lips were cracked and blue. He was completelydehydrated, trembling so violently that the ancient stone pillar vibrated against his back.Henry sat on a broken piece of volcanic rock just a few yards away.The giant youth could not sleep. Every time he closed his exhausted eyes, the agonizing sound of the boy's crying pierced straight through his heart. Henry clutched a heavy leather canteen filled with clean water in his good right hand.He wanted to stand up. He wanted to walk over and pour the water into the boy's mouth.But he knew exactly what would happen. Roy had integrated the blood domain into the very foundation of the fortress. The black blood was sentient. If Henry interfered with the punishment, the magical tether
CHAPTER 37: The First Map of War
The pale morning sun struggled to break through the thick, toxic gray clouds covering the eastern mountain range.Inside the ruined courtyard of the Bastion of the First Sun, the agonizing, freezing night had finally come to an end. The exact second the faint sunlight touched the ancient stone walls, the thick vine of pitch-black blood holding the young boy suspended in the air violently shattered. The crystallized magic dissolved into a fine dark mist, instantly releasing its absolute grip.The boy plummeted to the floor. He hit the freezing stone with a heavy, sickening thud, completely too weak to brace for the fall. He lay in the dirt, gasping frantically for air, his arms entirely numb and trembling uncontrollably.Henry was there in a fraction of a second.The giant youth ignored the agonizing pain in his shattered ribs. He dropped to his knees, wrapping a thick, dry wool blanket securely around the boy's shivering shoulders. Henry raised a heavy leather canteen, gently pouring
CHAPTER 38 A Night Without Fire
The terrifying reality of forty elite Beastman hunters marching up the volcanic path hit the main hall like a physical blow."Put out the lantern," Roy Jecoriah commanded softly. His chilling voice sliced straight through the rising panic of the scarred sentry. "Kill the small cooking fires in the courtyard. Every single one of them. Right now."Henry leaned heavily against the stone archway, clutching his bandaged, shattered ribs. "We are not going to fight them, Roy?""Look at our army, Henry," Roy answered flatly, turning his glowing crimson eyes toward the courtyard.The fifty human survivors were completely frozen in terror. They were starving, dressed in rags, and clutching heavy rocks with bleeding hands. Ivan was leaning on a wooden spear with a rotting leg. Faried was bleeding out of his thigh. Henry could barely breathe without coughing up blood."If I trigger the blood domain to fight forty heavily armored elites," Roy stated, laying out the absolute, flawless math, "my hea
CHAPTER 39 The Inhumane Choice
The terrified shriek of the little boy was an absolute death sentence.Up in the main hall of the ruined fortress, the heavy steel boots of the Beastman vanguard marched violently over the stone threshold. The hunters did not need to search the courtyard anymore. They knew exactly where the sound came from. The giant mutant hounds snarled viciously, their heavy paws scraping against the ancient stone as they flooded into the dark, cavernous room.Down in the pitch-black underground chamber, absolute panic seized the survivors.The little boy was hyperventilating wildly. His mother was sobbing quietly, pressing her filthy hands desperately over his mouth, but the child was completely beyond reason. His small chest heaved, taking in a massive gulp of the heavy, iron-scented air, preparing to let out another hysterical, echoing scream.Roy Jecoriah did not hesitate for a single fraction of a second.The young Tyrant abandoned his post at the crack of the iron trapdoor. He descended the s
CHAPTER 40 First Strike from the Shadows
The terrifying sound of thick claws violently scratching against the ancient stone floor echoed loudly in the dark stairwell.Dirt and dried moss rained down through the tiny crack of the iron trapdoor, falling directly onto Roy's pale face. Just inches above him, the giant mutant tracking hound was digging frantically, its heavy, wet breaths hissing withsavage excitement. It smelled Faried's fresh blood.Down in the pitch-black darkness of the stairs, Faried squeezed his eyes shut.The rational youth pressed his hands brutally hard against his torn left thigh, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. His face was entirely pale, slick with a thick layer of cold sweat."I am sorry, Roy," Faried whispered, his voice trembling with a rare, suffocating guilt. "I compromised the perimeter. I just got everyone in this room killed.""Shut your mouth and tie your leg tight," Roy commanded softly, not taking his glowing crimson eyes off the crack above. "Nobody is dying in this stairwell. Hen