Inferno Ascended

"One day, I came back to the factory to ask my Promethean friend something. It was the end of the day. Everybody had returned to their homes. But my friend was a chief engineer, so he would stay a bit longer. I saw Sarpedon at the factory. When Sarpedon did something to him. He sucked my friend's soul straight out of his body, placing his hand on his skull like that."

Thersos reenacted the scene so Glax could have an idea of ​​how the necromancer grabbed the other man's skull and, supposedly, tore out his soul. 

"After that, Sarpedon looked to my side, and I ran away before he did that to me too!" Even the memory made Thersos's temple sweat and his veins bulge, out of stress.

Glax could imagine the scene and how it fit the events. 'A villain! I finally found someone to point the finger at and hate!'

"So far it looked like he had everything under control," he commented.

"Well, I came to Marcus's family. I told them what I saw, so they wouldn't go looking for him and get hurt. Then I went to Megas, and I told him too."

"And this is how it ended?"

"Hell, no. He said that I had the opportunity to pay my debt and return to my city and my family ... If I helped him kill Sarpedon."

Glax shot a concerned look at the man in front of him. Thersos continued.

"I went to Sarpedon to talk about a problem with a machine. I had already noticed that each time one of my Promethean colleagues disappeared, Sarpedon became more proficient in mechanics. He had added cores that made some machines run almost on their own, without needing people to operate them. He also had brought a large object, similar to a metal coffin, into the factory, and connected it with the automated casting system that we had built according to his drawings."

The Valosian swallowed. It also looked suspiciously familiar.

"There was a real problem. So it was easy to convince him to come with me to check my solution to the problem. We climbed into the ore processor, and when we were there, I and Megas grabbed Sarpedon and threw him into the press." The narrator himself paused for a moment, wiping the sweat off his face. "And then, I pushed Megas there too."

"DAFUQ. Simple as that?"

"I told you. Don't judge me. That's what I did. I thought everything would be fine after that. I should just leave here and let you guys solve the rest."

"Well, where did your plan went south?"

"That very night, I was distraught and didn't know what to do. I had been drinking and was walking through the town streets, when I heard a loud bang. Like an explosion at the factory. Everyone took to the streets. But no one had the courage to go there. But people insisted I should go check. They trusted me... Ha. I went. And then I saw the dead man. The vselys, looking at the factory from the outside. He turned to me and said, exactly 'It's not over. You have no idea what you did.'"

"Is that all?"

"I was terrified. I won't lie. I had gotten rid of Megas, but it had caused something worse, that's what I knew."

"Eh, I can guess the rest. The machinery started to work on its own and the remaining workers fled in terror. Whoever messed with the factory, got screwed. They became lunch for the monster that controls every screw and pulley in that place."

Thersos nodded.

"I even understand why you are not leaving, but why did your family not go?" Glax asked. "They didn't need to be suffering like that."

"Ah. This is another matter." Thersos sighed, as if he was tired of arguing about it. "Lord Glax, it's what happened. I never saw the dead vselys again. I tried to get in the fabric a few times, but I never made it. I am a good sniper, but not exactly a good warrior."

"What were you planning when you tried to enter the factory again?"

"The big coffin. That is a cursed object, no doubt. I must destroy it. Sarpedon's evil soul rules everything, but the source of all evil is that thing."

"Thersos," Glax looked the other man in the eye. "You know the region, you know the factory, you know where the coffin is. You need to help, doesn't matter whether you are afraid to abandon these people and fail to defend them. We are your best chance."

Thersos opened his eyes wide, afraid to accept the reality.

::::::::::::::::::

Alexandre was sleeping, and the matron who took care of him asked Glax a little more time for the medicine to take effect. He didn't want to leave his cousin, but he needed to meet with his friends.

"I'm going to prepare some things, and I'll find you guys in the temple at sunset," suggested Thersos. "When the thing gets more material to produce new minions, it rarely takes less than ten days for a new monster to emerge. New ones aren't coming out as perfect as the first ones. The fabric is busy making a new batch for a few days, I'm afraid."

"We met with both types," Glax commented as he checked his entire supply. "Our colleagues were defective, and fully aware of who they were before they became what they became. The woman, whom I didn't know while she was alive... she died a horrible death, because her insane internal mechanism cooked her out of the blue."

Just remembering that, he shivered. All creatures suffered a lot. 

"And our colleague Meleagor ... He was aware of who he was, most of the time. I think that's how he helped her escape from here."

Thersos swallowed. "I've seen too many things in this damn town. What I can tell you, in practical terms, there are some types of creatures. If the core is not destroyed, the machine will rewire even if it cannot move or attack.

He showed a scroll where he drew the 'monsters'. The drawing was passable enough that Glax could see what they could find. Thersos explained what Glax was seeing:

Mechanical Boars: there were 10, today there are only 5. They are fast, strong and tank-like, but his frontal attack is its best strategy.

Pawns: They are the most common and are almost never seen outside the factory or mines. I don't know the exact number, but I estimate almost 40.

Centaur: one at the moment. One day he was one of Megas's men. He is very intelligent and my greatest enemy. He has been looking for me because one day he saw me trying to enter the factory through the mine."

Collectors: they are high and excellent scouts and hunters, but not very strong.

Mobile turrets: they throw darts everywhere. I think I saw three, but I'm not sure.

Spitters: another type of turret, but using fire throwers, basically. They have a tank of gas. There are only two at the moment.

The last two models are the slowest. However, they are very lethal. And I didn't see the woman, so I can't say."

"Thanks for explaining. It gets easier when it's not a surprise," Glax thanked him, getting up. Now I need to go. " he said goodbye.

He was feeling guilty for leaving his squad outside. His meeting with Thersos was the best thing that could have happened to them there, as it unraveled the cause of the incident.

The valosian left quietly after Thersos verified through his street monitoring system. It was safe to leave. 

Instead of going straight to the temple, he looked up to check what had happened to the monsters that were slaughtered in another street. As he imagined, the automaton boar that still had an orb was trying to move, but that was impossible now. The boar that Alexander had defeated was gone. Glax recovered the orb, feeling as always as it was changing something into himself.

The collector _ it was the name of the leggy one_ was still there.

The dark sky and strong wind foreshadowed the storm.

Glax didn't like it because firearms or long range weapons didn't fare well in this type of weather. He quickened his pace to go to the temple, even though cautiously, still wondering if his friends were already waiting for him, and wishing so.

Arriving at the abandoned temple, his instinct immediately told him there was something wrong. He had seen traces of sandals coming in, but now he wasn't even sure if it had been them earlier, or they were more recent.

It could be Pydna, though.

He chose not to call her name aloud. Thersos had warned about the centaur, who was quite smart.

Standing tiptoe, he stepped forward, exploring the temple's ruined rooms. He saw a headless statue that once stood, now fallen and in pieces. A recent trail of wheels gave a hint that an enemy had recently been there. However, that eliminated only the centaur.

Coming out from the opposite side, Glax saw blood on the floor. His heart sped up. And turning a wall, he saw an arrow drawn on the wall, pointing in a direction.

It was also a recent drawing, and there was a small spot of blood near the arrow. The person who did this was injured.

Glax clutched the pistol in one hand, while the other held the artifact that Hermes lent him. Then he heard a creak and roaring, right behind him. A slight crack, and a noise that reminded the tension of cables being pulled.

Turning, he saw a turret, or rather, a type of metal cone with several holes at its top, standing a few feet from it.

"Uh-oh!"