There was smoke and heat everywhere. The entire forest was ablaze with angry red and yellow light, weaving and stabbing at the air. Fire. It was all over the place. Venox huddled under a burning tree, petrified with fright. This was his worst nightmare! There were dragons everywhere and every one of them wanted to get him! The coward’s wings tightened around him, and he tucked his sweating head into them, whimpering. He had nowhere to go. The entire forest was surrounded.

He had been observing small dragons hatching in a nest this morning, and their mother came back from the wrong direction…his direction. She had her husband with her, and a juvenile of about 20 years he would guess. Upon seeing him looking at their eggs, they must have figured he was some sort of threat, and now all were after him. As if three weren’t bad enough, about five older ones appeared during the mayhem.

Venox began to cry. This wasn’t the death he’d imagined himself having. He wanted to go home! He wanted to die among his Darkwings, not on some cursed dragon-infested alien world! He looked up at the sky, and all of a sudden, a six-winged form glittered before him. He gasped, and the being disappeared, but he’d recognized its face. Seraph.

“Seraph wait!” Venox screamed desperately, scrambling to his feet. “Help me! Please don’t go…please help…”

He broke off crying again, burying his hot face in his wings. Even Seraph had forsaken him. This was almost too much to bear. Who would help him now? He couldn’t summon his Darkwings, or the dragons would find him for sure. Head spinning, Venox began to feel queasy, and pressed himself against his tree, spreading his wings into the darkest parts of it. At least he had his color. This charred tree was black enough to hide him, as long as he closed his eyes. But what if a burning branch or spark fell on him? He’d never see it coming until it was too late.

Venox looked again at his burning surroundings, and a wild fear leaped into his eyes. His breathing quickened, and his heart rate shot through the roof. He could feel a scream building up inside, and it was going to force itself out no matter what. Venox opened his mouth.

A rough, stumpy-fingered hand clamped securely over his mouth, and Venox froze instantly. The hand tasted like ashen wood, and smelled vaguely of human. The coward struggled, and felt a furry tickle by his shoulder. It was a beard. He was being held by a short human. For a moment, Venox just stared in shock. Humans could get this short? He’d never imagined that before. The human released him, put a finger to his lips to indicate silence, and peered around their tree.

The human was wrapped in thin ragged cloth skin, and had a round belly, ash-smeared hands, and a greyish beard that dangled almost to his waist. Any exposed skin he had looked as weathered as tree bark, and his wizened face was full of determination and kindness. Venox studied his reflection in the creature’s blue eyes, and it cocked its head at him.

“What kind of animal are you?” he whispered, flecks of saliva spraying out from between his broken grin. “Not a dragon to be sure.”

“V-venox…” the coward said, still trembling. “N-nice…to m-meet you, I guess.”

“A well-mannered lad too…” the human muttered, extending his hand for Venox to shake. “Name’s Urist.”

Venox stared at the hand, hesitating for a moment, and then he shook it a little.

“Y-you’re a…h-human?” he asked, and then both pressed close to their tree as a dragon shot by.

“Close laddie,” the creature whispered back with a quiet chuckle. “I’m a dwarf. Love gems more than humans love themselves.”

Venox cocked his head, and his guard went down instantly. Somehow he knew this dwarf-thing wouldn’t betray him, not now, not ever. He smiled at Urist, and then looked fearfully at the sky.

“How do we g-get past them?”

Urist turned toward the base of the tree they were close to, and pulled a pickaxe from his back. “This here magic pick will take us deep underground. Wouldn’t have any dragons following us down there now would we?”

Venox shook his head, feeling more relieved than before. “I guess not.”

Urist raised his pick, and tapped the earth with it. A short channel began to form in the earth, wide enough to fit Venox and Urist, and too small for any dragon. Venox scrambled to Urist’s side, entranced by the energy he felt coming off the pick.

“W-wow. Your pick is amazing.” Venox whispered, awestruck.

The dwarf got down on his knees, inspecting the hole’s distance. “Eve’s been helping me for 450 years.” he said, caressing the pickaxe’s polished handle lovingly. “Without her, I’d never have found my Jimmy.”

Urist walked carefully down the hole, trying to make as little noise as possible. Venox followed, crawling on all fours as he was used to.

“Who’s Jimmy?” Venox whispered, ducking under a tree root.

“My biggest gem!” was the quiet reply. “He and I went on lots of adventures together, but today he wanted to stay home, so I left him there. Didn’t expect to find the forest burnin’ on the way to my mine though.”

Venox sighed, feeling like crying again. “I-I’m sorry Urist.”

Urist gave him a warm smile over his shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault lad. I know that much.”

Venox frowned a little as he crept, thinking back on the event. Well, maybe he should have been hidden a little better.

The earthen ceiling above them suddenly tore apart, sending white hot air blasting over them. Bits of dirt, rock, and wood splinters fell like rain, covering them thickly. A dragon had torn the tree away. They were exposed.

Venox screamed, spreading his wings to fly. There was so much fire! How could he ever make it above the treeline without being spotted?

“Move lad!” Urist shouted, shoving the bat aside.

Flames enveloped the dwarf, and he grunted in pain as he fell to one knee. His clothing had been nearly charred away to nothing, and his skin had broken open in horrid burns. He looked up at Venox, who was lying a few feet away, stunned at the sight. The dwarf kissed his pickaxe, and turned his tearful gaze towards the coward.

“Go Venox! I’ll hold this beast off!”

Venox was shocked and frightened and angry all at once. “B-but…” he managed.

The dwarf slammed his right fist in the ground, and a massive stone pillar stabbed up out of the earth, crashing into the dragon’s chin. The beast landed with a roar, its neck and head swinging like that of a cobra, ready to strike.

“GO! You deserve more years than I do!” Urist cried, and then he looked at his pickaxe one more time. He pressed it to his face, and his tears darkened the light wood. “Take him home, Eve.” he whispered.

With that, Urist threw the pickaxe down the direction they had been going. The tool glowed with yellow light, and an earthen channel opened up before it as it flew. Venox felt the tears running freely down his face, and could taste the salt in his mouth. All sounds around him seemed muted, all time meaningless. Even the heat seemed dulled somehow. His wings twisted as of a different will, aiming him towards the magic pick as it burrowed away into the ground. He wrenched his gaze away from Urist, angry at his tears, angry at his cowardice, angry at almost everything.

Just before he flew into the hole, he took one last look over his shoulder. The dragon’s jaws closed over Urist’s small body, and the beast shook him violently back and forth. It then threw the limp corpse onto the ground with a roar of triumph, building up its flame to sear its victim to nothingness.

Then…something snapped. Venox’s mouth opened, and his wings shot wide. Every fibre in his body vibrated with anger, and black smoke began to pour from his skin, enveloping him in Darkness.

The dragon’s neck jerked up in surprise, and it snarled at its new target, spreading its wings in anticipation. A ragged wing shot out from the cloud, and a rasping hiss crawled into the dragon’s ears, stopping it cold. The scaly beast cocked its head, and the cloud dissipated, revealing a bipedal Stick-like creature with razor-sharp claws, massive wings, and a knife-like tail. Its face split down the center into a wide, fang-filled mouth, and each side of which was coated with seven eyes each. The being let loose a chilling howl, and three sharp-beaked, red-winged, red-eyed serpent creatures swirled into existence. Darkwings.

The dragon heard similar howls from the surrounding wood. The forest came alive with more fourteen-eyed winged nightmares, each one exactly the same as the other. Confused, the dragon sent bursts of flame in every direction, but the illusions were smart, and dodged every blast with taunting shrieks.

The true nightmare though, was Venox himself. He burst from the ranks of his copies with an earsplitting cry, and the dragon staggered at the force of the sound, its hearing shattered. The last thing its saw was a host of glittering fangs split wide, and a red light blazed bright. The dragon fell, its head scorched clean through by Venox’s laser. He landed on his foe, breathing heavily, and it collapsed limply beneath him.

Venox took a shaky breath, and all his copies vanished. He collapsed on the dragon, trembling, weak, but happy at his victory. He rose to his feet, snarling at the sight of the dragon’s ugly head. Serves the cursed beast right. It shouldn’t exist.

Venox looked up across the ravaged landscape, noting the flames with dull interest. Uric’s dead body ignited his rage anew. That was the last straw. He was becoming a gladiator. Nothing would stop him now. He flicked his wings, surging through the pickaxe’s hole. He was going to find himself a trainer.

“Shit…” Marlo coughed as he stumbled back into his laboratory, Urist following behind him. “So that didn’t turn exactly as planned.” He looked at the wreckage that filled the backyard, smoke billowing from of smashed and charred wood.

The dwarf snickered, “I wonder why? Maybe because the old shack was already in shambles and as dried as straw? Or because that cannon is as big as us? Or maybe because the cannon is as big as us?” Marlo punched him in the shoulder, though he was short, Urist was shorter.

Marlo Sebins, at the age of 14, was by far one of the most prestigious inventors of the Mechanus. His friend Urist was helping him create an automaton that wasn’t like anything the citizens of Mechanus would have ever seen before. A giant cannon was its right arm and a hulking armguard that ended in a blade was its left. The right cannon also had a small arm attached to the back that was in charge of swapping the ammunition from the cannon with the charges that were stored on the robot’s back.

A humanoid-like robot, covered in shining bronze armor, with a high tech scoping lens grafted onto a small swiveling dome that was placed on its shoulders. It had a bigger head but it was just ornamental. The whole frame was balanced on two legs with three toed feet. “Well at least we proved the power Howitzer possesses. I say that, in all intent and purposes, was a success.” Marlo smiled in triumph.

Suddenly alarms rang and they could hear the stomps of boots and the smashing lumbering of security bots approach the box-like laboratory. There was no windows as that no one could peer in, but the drawback was that he couldn’t look out either, but they didn’t need that luxury to know who was coming. “Too much of a success it seems.” Urist mumbled as he quickly walked to the back and shut the door. Marlo grabbed the tarp and flung it over the hulking automaton and they both quickly brushed the soot off their clothing before they walked up and opened the door. Marlo took a breath and wiped sweat off his brow then slowly opened the door.

“Hello guard captain, may I ask why you’re here?” Marlo asked the man who stood in front of them, a small smile to hide his nervousness on his face.

The captain wore elegant clothing, with shoulder pads and tassels. It was a culmination of his position, the obvious flaunt of wealth from the king, and the obvious flaunt of lack of taste from the king. Marlo chuckled and he heard Urist laugh too, they were obviously thinking the same thing. The captain ignored their laughs in an air of professionalism and stated, “Reports of an explosion in your backyard came in. We came to investigate.”

“Oh that was nothing, it was simply me and my friend here experimenting some new… fireworks. One landed on my old shed. Nothing to worry about captain.” Marlo waved his hand in his air like it was simply that frivolous, and proceeded to close the door but the captain stopped it with his foot.

“Fireworks? In the day time?” The man looked at Marlo quizzically, his eyebrows arched.

“They’re supposed to be able to be seen in the daytime.” Urist provided quickly with a smile. Marlo nodded and smiled.

“I would love to see them.” The captain smiled back, and he grabbed the door, attempting to pry it open. “Would you show them to me please?”

“We ran out!” Marlo punctuated the fact by smacking the captain’s hands. He opened it slightly to allow the captain to move his foot. “We have to make them again. Come back tomorrow.” The captain relented, withdrawing his foot, and Marlo slammed the door shut, locking it with the chain lock and key. He waited there and listened to the sound of bots stomping away with satisfaction. Turning he stated, “Well Urist, guess we have to make fireworks… that work in the day.” Marlo sighed at the prospect. He looked at his friend, his eyes saying all he needed to say about the idea of fireworks that could work in the day.

Urist shrugged, “Hey you’re the one who said fireworks, I was just going with the flow.” He laughed to lighten the mood. Marlo shook his head but smiled in the end as he walked over to the work bench, grabbing a piece of scratch paper and a pencil to draw out the schematics. Urist began to follow when he heard a knock on the door. He paused and looked at Marlo. The inventor looked back and shrugged, so Urist turned and unlocked it, stating as he opened, “We’re working, if you need something come back to…” his words were muffled by the piece of paper the captain shoved in his face.

“Just signed and stamped with the seal of the king. Your house is to be investigated under the charges that you may be creating an illegal automaton.” He yanked the door open and guards walked around him to enter the room. He stood up and placed his back on the covered battle bot. Marlo peered around the captain to see that one of the bots were missing. He smacked his forehead, ashamed of himself to have fallen for such a simple trick. Urist retreated and stood next to him. “We should install windows.” He whispered and Marlo nodded solemnly.

“Mr. Sebins, step away from the tarp, not listening to mt orders is equivalent to treason. Back away.” The captain stated with stern voice and confident grin.

Marlo grit his teeth and let himself be pushed out of the way. The tarp was thrown off and the guards gasped at the behemoth that laid underneath.

The captain grinned in triumph. “Marlo Sebins, you are under arrest for creating a battle bot, an automaton that is only allowed to be created by the guard order and the royal family. As labeled on the royal decree.” The two guards walked behind the inventor and his accomplice, shackling their hands with cuffs. He walked up to the machine. “This’ll make a fine target for rookie firing practice.” The man chortled as he patted the beast’s heavy bronze chasis.

Marlo spluttered in anger, “Target practice?” He screamed. “You’re going to use my automaton as target practice? Do you know what Howitzer’s supposed to achieve!” He exclaimed, “He’s going to be the new defense of Mechanus, with more of him, we won’t ever have to send soldiers back to the frontlines!”

“Irrelevant, you should’ve commissioned it the royal family first.” The captain waved his hand, “Take it away.”

“No! Stop!” Marlo begged, tears streaming down his face, “I’ll fill out the paperwork, I’ll send the commission in, don’t destroy Howitzer!” He collapsed on knees, “He’s my masterpiece.”

The captain stared at Marlo and crouched down to look at the kneeling inventor eye to eye, “Well then you should’ve done it right the first time.” He smiled, his eyes showing no sympathy, “Better luck next time, if there was one. You’re sentenced to prison for life.” The captain stood up, walking away from the trembling figure.

Urist stood next to Marlo, “Sir please, we were going to send in a commission but we were just making sure everything about the robot worked before we wanted to gain audience with the king.” He looked at his friend who stood there paled and speechless, a sheen of sweat matted his hair to his forehead.

“Urist, they’re going to take Howitzer.” Marlo whispered.

“No, Marlo they’re not, we can figure this out calm down.” The dwarf was getting nervous at what was becoming of Marlo, he was starting to get jittery. His eyes were darting around and he was mumbling something, it sounded like equations.

“He’s my masterpiece Urist, and they’re going to use it as target practice.” Marlo whispered, “I need to stop them. I can too… Howitzer can stop them.”

“Marlo calm down please! You’re starting to scare me.” Urist wished he could shake his friend and strained against his shackles but all he got was bruised wrists.

“Calculations show that the odds are in my favor Urist.” Marlo smiled, trembling from adrenaline. “I can do it Urist. We can do this! Howitzer online!” The behemoth was being chained onto a wheeled platform hooked to a cart when the command was received. The eyes glowed as it woke up.

“Awaiting orders.” It intoned.

“Marlo you’re not in your right mind! Call it off! Call it all off!” Urist turned in panic, “Everyone run!” He screamed at the guards.

The guards stood in shock and fear as they watched the machine stand up, crushing the platform and breaking loose of its chains. “Howitzer, eliminate the guards.” Marlo ordered.

“Marlo!” Urist turned to his friend then back to the machine.

“Order received, commencing execution.” It plunged the blade of its armguard into the cart, the driver jumped off with a scream as it lifted it up. It chucked the cart at the petrified guards and Urist turned away from the scene but could still hear the break of the men’s bones followed by a crash as the cart smashed the poor soldiers through the wall of the laboratory.

“Marlo, they’re just doing their job! What’re you doing?”

“They’re all threats to us and our project Urist.” Marlo stared at him. He walked over to a laser cutter and sawed the shackles off his wrists. He gestured Urist to do the same. “This is the solution. We get rid of the guard order, then they’ll have to commission my idea.” Urist stared with shock at how far his friend had fallen.

“Madness, that’s pure madness Marlo!” Urist cut his shackles off and shook Marlo, his chains jangling. “Call it off! This isn’t right! Howitzer is supposed to protect the citizens of Mechanus, not kill them!”

“Sacrifices have to be made Urist.” He brushed Urist’s hands off and turned away from his friend. Howitzer began making its way through the hole the cart had made, and breaking through it, marched towards the guards that were stationed behind. “Howitzer, switch to incendiaries, we don’t want any stray cannonballs killing the innocent.”

“Confirmed.” The small arm opened a hatch on the back of the cannon, pulling out a black striped bronze tube and after fitting it into a back slot it pulled out a red striped tube. Loading it, the cannon primed and belched out fire into the streets outside.

Urist winced at the havoc. “The innocent Marlo? Those guards were… Marlo what the hell is wrong with you?” He grabbed his friend again but this time Marlo was more aggressive when he shook out of his friend’s grasps.

“I can ask you the same thing Urist!” He pushed his friend, “Why are you so okay with Howitzer being destroyed, with going to jail? I thought we were friends, I thought we were trying to both accomplish the same thing!”

“We are friends! But this isn’t what we were trying to accomplish in the beginning!” Urist yelled back. He punched Marlo in the face and shook his hand in pain as he continued. “We… You wanted to save the people, those people!” He pointed at the guards whose screams could still be heard as they tried to fight back. The captain’s voice was in the background trying to raise morale, chanting how they just needed to hold out for reinforcements. “Don’t give me that shit about sacrifices. You’re just being selfish and trying to save yourself an!” His accusations were cut short by a punch in the face and he fell to the ground.

“Save myself? I’m saving the both of us Urist, they were going to send you to jail too!” Marlo screamed. “This is how…” His words were interrupted by an explosion that shook the laboratory. Reinforcements had arrived and Howitzer was being pushed back. It reentered the building, dents in its armor from enemy fire and smoke was coming out of a few chinks in its armor. The state of the robot was like a hammer to Marlo's plan. "Howitzer lost..." and all he could do was stand there dumbly.

The automaton turned around but when it tried to retaliate, it was met by another barrage of cannon fire. The barrage sent it teetering backwards and the flames it fired roared over the support beams and walls of the laboratory. Another barrage and more smoke and sparks began belching out. The force of the attack shook the house and the burning beams creaked and shuddered under the pressure.

With a final groan, the roof collapsed and Marlo looked up to see dots of the sky between all the burning debris. Suddenly two feet caught him at the hip and he was kicked out of the way. He hit the ground and then the falling debris was blocked by bronze. “Must protect… master.” Howitzer intoned, covering its master from burning beams and shale. Then it coughed out a sparks and smoke before shutting down.

Marlo got up on his hands and knees and tried to peer through the holes in the dome Howitzer had become. “Urist?” He looked but all he could see was fire and smoke, black debris littered everywhere. “Urist!” He couldn’t find him! “Fuck!” He punched the robot’s arms, ignoring how hot they were. Skin began peeling off his knuckles but all he could do was cry and weakly beat away at the metal.