Titan King: Ascension of the Giant

Pallas was not the only one undergoing such a profound change.

Rendall, Onyx, Delilah, Rolan… nearly everyone was experiencing a breakthrough, especially the Tribe younglings. For them, the benefits were even greater than for the veterans who had long been stuck at their level caps.

These powerful transformations weren't limited to the stoneheart horde, either. The subordinates of Kraken and Makareth were also reaping immense rewards from the ritual.

The baptism of the Dragon Crucible continued, a ceaseless torrent of energy flowing into each chamber. With the sole exception of Elara, every single person who had entered walked away with their power vastly augmented.

.....

Titanion Realm, Stoneheart City.

Orion sat upon his throne, his gaze fixed on the man kneeling in the center of the great hall. He was silent, his thoughts a mystery.

The man's name was Wyatt, one of Torin's lieutenants. He had been in charge of his master's slave trade, and his slaver bands were infamous for their cruelty. Orion was genuinely surprised the man had managed to survive the allied assault, let alone make his way to Stoneheart City.

"Tell me how you got here," Orion said, his voice a low rumble. He held a sealed letter Wyatt had presented to him but made no move to open it yet. "I'm interested to know how you survived."

"Your Majesty, King of the Giants, I only survived because of My lord's foresight," Wyatt said, his head bowed low.

Orion said nothing, his stare unwavering. Wyatt didn't dare look up. He felt like he was being watched by a predator, a chilling pressure that kept him frozen in place.

"My lord must have had a premonition. Before the final battle with the southern coalition, he sent me away from the Northern Coalition with this sealed letter for you." Wyatt's voice trembled slightly. "I changed my identity multiple times, posing as a merchant and a mercenary. It was the only way I could deliver it safely into your hands. Your Majesty, I swear my allegiance to you. I will do anything you ask."

Still, Orion was silent. Then, Wyatt heard the distinct crackle of a wax seal being broken. He had no idea what the letter contained. He only knew his master, Torin, was dead because the magical contract binding him had dissolved moments after he'd departed. He had been tempted to open the letter countless times, but he had resisted. He'd had a feeling that this letter was his only ticket to a new life, a way to find a place within the stoneheart horde and continue to live in comfort.

"Did you open it?" Orion's voice was calm.

"On my life, Your Majesty, I swear I did not."

"Does anyone else know of this letter's existence?"

"No one!" Wyatt shook his head frantically. The tone in Orion's voice made him realize just how important the letter was.

"I see," Orion said with a sigh. A ball of fire bloomed in his palm. He flicked it forward.

Wyatt never had time to scream. He didn't even have time to feel the pain before he was incinerated, leaving nothing but a pile of fine gray ash on the stone floor.

Under normal circumstances, Orion might have spared him. But the contents of Torin's letter were too sensitive, revealing secrets known only to a handful of Survivors. For that, Wyatt had to die.

He wrote about the Survivor's Platform, Orion thought, his eyes scanning the parchment. He knew. He knew how the clown arrived in this world, and he explained it all perfectly.

He leaned back on his throne. What was his motive in sending this to me? Did he figure out who I really am?

The suspicion wasn't baseless. Once Torin had ascended to the Legendary level, he would have gained knowledge of special world structures. With all the unique buildings and arrow towers in Stoneheart City, a sharp mind like Torin's could have easily noticed the signs.

Or was this a plea for revenge?

After defecting from the human kingdom, the only powers on the continent of Utessar that Torin could have turned to were the stoneheart horde and the dragons. And during his time in Soaring Bird City, his dealings had been primarily with the horde.

I wonder if he sent a similar letter to the dragons, Orion mused. Torin was a real troublemaker, stirring up shit even from beyond the grave.

In truth, Orion had already pieced together most of it. When Torin sensed the clown's malice and realized something was wrong, he sent his two most trusted slaves, Mike and Wyatt, on separate missions.

Wyatt came to the stoneheart horde. Mike was sent to the dragons. But Mike's luck had run out. His path had crossed with the southern coalition, and he was unceremoniously bludgeoned to death by one of the ogre Aldous's subordinates. The letter, along with his body, was devoured, long since turned to shit and scattered to the winds.

Torin's plan had been simple: a dead man's switch. If he died, he wanted the dragons and the stoneheart horde to have the information they needed to find and kill the clown. His final thought was one of spite: If I die, everyone dies. He hadn't sent a letter to the human kingdoms because there was no one left there he could trust.

So, the Awakened… and by extension, Survivors… aren't a secret to certain powerful entities. The implication hit Orion like a physical blow. A late-blooming Survivor might be discovered the moment they started making a name for themselves. If that was true, the consequences were terrifying. They would either be hunted down and killed, or worse—captured by some powerful being and raised like cattle for the slaughter.

The thought coiled in his gut.

Am I… am I just another pig being fattened in a pen?

Orion's eyes narrowed, then closed. He opened the Survivor's Platform and sent a message to Arthas. The man had been around longer; he might know more.

Orion: Bro. Being a Survivor… we're not exactly a secret, are we?

Orion: What I mean is, to some people, we're an open book.

The question was one they had touched on before, but never explored in depth. This time, Orion needed a straight answer.

Arthas's reply was almost instantaneous, and brutally direct.

Arthas: Who the hell ever told you we were a secret?

Arthas: Only an idiot would believe that.

Orion stared at the message, then replied with a simple '...' before he began to type out the full story of Torin's final, damning letter.