Chapter 78: Torture Chamber
Rocky was dragged by the devil into a space that felt charged with thick and ominous energy.
Though he could not see, his senses painted a vivid picture of a chamber pulsating with malevolence. The air around him was heavy, smelling humid and metallic as Rocky's mind immediately drew a picture of an underground damp torture chamber for him.
He was handled roughly by the devil, bound by chains and left suspended in the air, as Rocky put no resistance at all to his treatment, perhaps because he had already accepted his fate that– he was going to be punished, no matter how hard he tried to escape.
"Do you know why you are here?" The devil asked, as Rocky nodded his head and replied "I failed to finish my food"
"Indeed" the devil replied as it picked up some tool from a table that made a soft sound.
"Your punishment is 30 minutes of regenerating muscle torture, you will feel your muscles melt away painfully, only to regenerate-" the devil said calmly as Rocky felt goosebumps go up all over his skin.
He did not wish to be subjected to such gruesome torture, but he did not have the option to decline it either.
"Remember, in this house, finishing your food is a must- don't make this offense again" The devil said as it attached a clip like device to Rocky's toes and thumbs and began his torture.
Electric current like sensation passed through Rocky's body for extended periods of time, as the moment the machine was set to on, he felt like his muscles were melting away in real time, as if someone was ripping them off and boiling them at the same time, only for a warm sensation to pass over him later which signaled the regeneration of his cells.
Rocky was to endure a cycle of suffering, where wounds healed only to be inflicted anew, testing not just his body but his spirit for a whole 30 minutes, but while it seemed like raw torture, it also came with the added benefit of improving muscle quality and strength which was not specified by the devil.
Rocky's pain filled screams filled the torture chamber, as occassionally the devil laughed at his suffering, mocking him as it described in great detail how pitiful Rocky looked while undergoing this torture.
"Life is unfair, sometimes it zaps you, sometimes people laugh at you, the question is, what shall you do about it?" The devil questioned as it laughed at Rocky, giving him an important question to ponder about while he underwent torture.
The snake-men ancestral chamber, while being a difficult place to survive, was not designed to be cruel by nature.
Rocky losing his vision while a great loss was also an opportunity, as after spending enough time with his vision lost he could improve his reliance on his other senses and sharpen them.
In sword training, the stance and flow mistakes that he usually would not notice would now become more evident as losing his sight could be considered a blessing when looked at this way, however, it was not how Rocky felt it to be.
Even this chamber, it was improving him through suffering while Nubi as the devil was only helping him get rid of his inherent flaws, however, to Rocky who was on the other end of the torture, it only felt mentally taxing as the point he drove home was to never not finish eating his food again.
***********
( Meanwhile the Gemini Brothers )
"Brother, will Earth really be okay? This year because of the champion being chosen from that planet, won't the monster tide that's about to come become much worse?" Ravan asked Shakuni, who was enjoying watching Rocky being tortured.
"Hm? There's still time before Earth faces a monster tide, at least 4 months, why are you worrying about it now?" Shakuni asked Ravan who shook his head in dismay at his brother's nonchalant attitude.
"Earth is one of our most significant religious bases brother, the karmic energy we have been receiving from it ever since Rocky came out as the champion has been insane.
I don't want anything bad to happen to that planet, it's sort of our home as well" Ravan reminded Shakuni as the elder brother smiled at this remark.
"What do you want me to do, younger brother, you know I can't weave the fates of a few billion people at once" Shakuni said, reminding Ravan that although they were said to be True Gods, their skills were not limitless as their followers believed them to be.
"We both know that you don't need to weave the fates of billions of people brother to alter the fate of Earth, also, I think looking at the popularity of Rocky it should not be a bad idea to make him a potential savior of humanity as his debut job" Ravan said, as Shakuni grinned at his brother's comments.
"So what you're trying to say brother is that you want to make the monster event this year to be harder, only for Rocky to save the day so that people of Earth become even more pious?
Since when did my brother become such a manipulator?" Shakuni asked, as Ravan blushed and coughed.
"That's an odd way of putting it brother, the monster tide is going to be harder this year anyways and I don't see any harm in Rocky helping to reduce casualties. That's all I want you to do, nothing of the sort you suggest" Ravan said, as Shakuni chuckled.
His brother rarely requested him to alter the fate threads of a mortal in a specific way, however, since he had done so today, Shakuni could not help but accept his request.
"Alright, brother, I'll do as you say-" he said, as he altered the threads of fate surrounding Rocky ever so slightly.
—-------
/// A/N - Mass Release Chapter 8/8, that's it from my side.
Honestly this is the most difficult chapter run I've done, approximately 15 chapters across both my new books in a day, which is why I'm late, but I'm really doing my best///