Inferno Ascended

After breaking down a small gate in the tunnel's main gate, the Aegeons squad and the armorer entered the completely dark place.

Soon Thersos found a gas valve handle, which he turned without difficulty. Gradually the green light bulbs came on at regular intervals, with dim light. Glax assumed the gas used for them was running out.

The long tunnel led to a place where constant, uncomfortable noises echoed towards them. The Stimhena factory was not in a bad state like The Rust. its machines worked and the sounds of presses, filters, furnaces, and cranes continued. Stygia's technology had already reached this point, very close to what their world had been in the Victorian era.

But Glax now knew that the gods of Olympus — and the Sea and the Underworld — also had more than rudiments of mechatronics and other technological finesses. He wondered what was technological in hell before the Prometheans and the vselys arrival. It was an awkward moment to think about it, but he remembered Hephaestus left Olympus behind…

'Why?'

But the potentially dangerous clash they would soon have come to mind as they walked cautiously to the factory through the supply tunnel. 

Glax figured they might have pedestrian problems, as Thersos mentioned. He had no idea they would find other collectors or even wild boars, and he did not know if turrets of any kind were securing the place. And what else? He couldn't even imagine.

In fact, his head was buzzing, a little confused. 

The factory had become automated and its presence had a personality. Just like Sillabot. Crazy and out of control.

He didn't want to think too hard before he really saw it for himself, but how many ways could a factory like that actually kill humans?

The noisy hall required little stealth from them, but the squad remained together and guarded each other's backs. 

Arriving at the open gate, Glax looked as far as he could see. Very simple robots in vaguely human form did a series of activities to keep everything going. The big machine, with pulley and crane systems extending to all sides, reused its own steam as much as possible through tireless pistons to keep tracks, bellows, and hammers working. Its body looked like a strange beehive full of extensions, pipes, and cables.

His friends were saying something, but the Valosian couldn't pay attention to them as he stared at the monstrosity. His strange gift dissected every part and function of the machine, seeing its flaws and redundancies with extreme clarity. He could only parallel a tumor capable of mastering a mechanical system. The factory had cancer.

It was an absurd thought, but for Glax, it was the most correct correlation. Even his prolific production of bizarre automata was a reflection of this.

Pawns continued their activities, as if ignoring them. Its basic commands and low energy capacity were unsophisticated. Glax knew everyone was aware of their presence, just as, he was sure, the enormous machine was too.

He grumbled for his friends to hear,

"Stay on guard. He - Sarpedon or whatever it is - knows about us. I don't know what he's going to do, but rest assured he plans to replace your broken machines with new parts." Meanwhile, Glax looked from side to side, looking for the best way to destroy that thing.

Which he decided to call 'Sarpedon'.

"Lord Glax, did you see that?" Alekos pulled him by the arm, pointing to the opposite side. Glax then looked in that direction.

'But what…?"

He saw the big, colossal pieces of cast iron. The pieces of the robot Thersos had mentioned. 

Glax moved closer, his eyes fixed on a structure that was a large articulated foot, already complete. The entire internal mechanism was smart enough to work. Glax could only imagine how this was planned to happen: a powerful source of energy would be needed to make this Stygian mecha move more than its fingers. The more you move the hundreds of tons of the final project, from head to toe.

Glax was about to touch the huge object when once again her attention shifted to another movement. The ground shook, and a burst of steam hissed in sequence. He knew that sound.

Behind the 'Sarpedon', a huge figure moved. The typical moans of oiled joints and the clashing metal parts made everyone in the group hold their breath for a moment.

The pawns moved out of the way as the mecha took its first steps.

Alekos looked up, openmouthed.

"DA."

"FUQ." Glax completed, seeing the first fully functional mecha.

The humanoid robot was about 4 meters long and might not be the finest engineering, but it had no obvious defects. Steam and antichor powered its mixed brass and iron. Unlike Sillabot, however, its energy autonomy was much more limited by the small boiler and reservoir once released from its base.

The great concern of the Valosian was that one of the mecha's arms ended not in a simulacrum of a human hand, but in a triple cannon, with 12 charges.

MEEEEGASSS! 

The mouth was a mere prop and didn't move, as were the thick glass eyes. Glax knew that Megas' vision—he didn't happen to have that name, did he? _ was a blur at best. His neck tilted back as Megas the robot approached menacingly. He was trying to identify the mecha's weak spot now that he could see it clearly.

"What is he doing? Are you really just going to look?" Pydna asked in the background.

"My master is an expert!" Alexander retorted. "Teacher. Master, get out of there…" The boy tried to shoo the gaping Valosian out of the giant robot's obvious path.

As with the 'hive', it wasn't quite clear where the core of the mecha was, but Glax dodged at the last moment the powerful punch Megas landed on the spot where he'd been seconds ago.

"Tychos! The cannon! Alekos, cut the boiler power!!! The others, heels!" The words flew from his mouth as he rolled over and got to his feet again, aiming his trebuchet at the mecha. He also fired at the arm that was attached to the cannon. His pulverized shot was accompanied by a long flame and, shortly thereafter, a lot of white smoke.

"Damn it!" Glax ran to get away from the barrage of shots Tychos fired with his exotic machine gun mounted over his shoulders, while Megas himself fired his triple mason.

Aimed directly at Glax.

BOOOOOOOM

The Valosian felt the displacement of air caused by the huge pellets passing by his side and hitting squarely what was behind him.

A mat that carried coal to the hive furnace. Splinters flew everywhere. Debris hit the valosian. "OUCH!!"

The cloud of smoke made it difficult to see what was going on for a moment. He heard gunshots and blows, and crouched down, concentrating for just a moment to reload his carabiner.

The ground trembled with the heavy footfalls of the machine of a few tons. Some of its black powder and peat amber spilled onto the floor, just beside the jammed conveyor. 

Glax cursed his idea of ​​relying on such a complicated weapon to use, just for its damage. Rolling under the mat, Glax scratched his sword into the ground, causing a spark that was more than enough to ignite the explosive powder. He finished reloading his carabiner while Megas tried to grab Thersos, who fired directly at the robot's hand. Glax was at that moment with his mind torn between what was going on there, and whether Alekos was doing well.

Megas's head emerged from the smoke, and Glax fired again, instinctively. The powerful shot ripped the lid off his face, revealing the mechanism inside Megas's head. The mechanism in his arm, the weapon, was badly damaged after the massive damage Glax and Tychos did, and he caught on the third shot.

But Megas used his other hand to sweep Tychos and throw him away.

The fire was beginning to spread and Glax climbed onto the conveyor, then climbed into some tubes, feeling the intelligence in it hate him for his audacity. Above the smoke, he could hear Alekos' saw at work, and Kal using his ax against Megas' tendons, smartly backing away and turning back when appropriate.

The Mecha used its free hand to try to grab Glax once more, as it was in its line of sight. The Valosian dodged in time, but he slipped off the tube, falling awkwardly onto another conveyor that still ran into the furnace.

His arm had somehow entered through one of the gaps in the hinged mat, with the sword through the tiny free space between the pieces. Glax yanked him hard to the side, trying to get them both out of the gap, but that only made the gun catch in some gear. If he let go of the sword, it would be devoured by the gears. If he didn't let go, he couldn't get his arm out.

"No!"

A huge shadow obscured his vision.. Megas' fist descended on him.