A Flightless Bird

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The fort was unrecognizable. Nowhere in sight were the fancy rugs, the flamboyant paintings, the rusty suits of armour or the ostentatious machinery that usually adorned the hallways. The heavy chandelier laid on top of the pile of rubble that now covered the entire floor. Stupefied, she looked up and saw that Leverfort no longer had a ceiling. It collapsed entirely.

Viola and the Viscount were steps away from the catacombs' exit when they saw the ceiling crumbling in front of them, blocking their way out. The roar of an angry beast followed. The decaying walls and the cracking floor let them know there was no way out. Their only choice was going back to the fort.

So they did. They ran back, past the cells and into a large and barely lit hallway, the same she walked through only a couple of days ago. Stepping into the light of the fort, they encountered the devastation and understood immediately.

"We're too late," she mumbled but she hardly had time to grief.

The Viscount elbowed her in the ribs and she turned to where the fort's entrance once stood. Her heart must've stopped, because for a moment or two, she failed to register anything she saw. She heard nothing, either. She simply stood there, mouth opened, in shock at what she witnessed. Out there in the square, in broad daylight, as if it was a common sight, a colossal machine rampaged the city with the power of a hundred guns.

It looked like a bird, almost like a canary: It had wings, a round head, a plump body and a very small beak. However, unlike a real one, the machine's tail was long, thick and curved, and in ended on a sharp and menacing sting, more similar to a scorpion's than a canary's. And, to Viola's surprise, it seemed unable to fly. It spread its wings occasionally, but instead of soaring, it merely jumped around, using them more as blades to destroy, rather than propellers to fly.

On the floor, like meaningless rodents, the RoyalCorps, led by the Shark, circled the bird, trying their best to stop it. They barely touched it, though. The hulking machine was almost as tall as Leverfort itself when standing straight. Its wings wide were enough to cover the entire square if spread. But what truly shocked Viola was its hidden weapon: Opening its small beak, the bird released a powerful stream of continuous fire.

The screams of agony pierced Viola's very soul: People still lingered in the square. Perhaps buried under mountains of rubble, or maybe simply too scared to try and run away. Heat took over her face and she felt tears sliding down her one good eye. Her body vibrated as a familiar rage settled in the mouth of her stomach. She entered war mode. No longer a woman, but a weapon, Viola tightened her grip on the gun, feeling outside of herself.

With the Viscount next to her, she traversed the remains of the fort and stepped out into the square, ignoring the dead bodies spread through the stairs. Despite their valiant effort, the RoyalCorps proved incapable of damaging the bird in any meaningful way.

"At last!" The Shark's raspy voice called to them. "What were you sleeping?"

"Where's the Crown Prince?" The Viscount asked as he aimed towards the bird's wings.

"Fucker ran away. We had him cornered in the throne room when this fucking freak came out. He took advantage of the chaos, sneaked out like the rat he is."

Viola pointed at the bird's head. "We have more pressing matters to deal with."

The beast's beak opened again. More fire came out. The RoyalCorps beneath stood no chance. Their bodies rapidly consumed under the flames, allowing the bird to target the civilians hidden behind a pile of stone. Their screams drowned behind the heat of their pyre. War memories came back. A familiar chaos. A well-known pandemonium. Inferno.

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