Steel Trim

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 69

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 68

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 67

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 66

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Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 63

Moment by moment, John marched deeper into the heart of civilization.

This was an awful idea. He didn't know what dangers lurked in Broadstream Town.

Moment by moment, his heart beat fa...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 62

They were only left alone for a few minutes.

Yuki perked first, ears swivelling to some unknown noise before turning to face a seemingly empty road a second later. "We are all agreed that I w...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 61

John reconnected the cabling, chuckling deeply as he thought about the sheer firepower this upgraded glove would possess. Sure, it was bulky. Heavy, too. Yet, the latter would be solved by levitati...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 60

Yuki's talk with the priest was at least productive. While he didn't directly say much of value, what he didn't say had some interesting implications for her to sort through later. It was rather te...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 59

John's breath caught, and his hand trembled as he stared down at the ofuda. It couldn't be. No, there had to be something off, but several pieces fell into place all at once.

Ofuda a...

About Scheduling Going Forward

Hey hey folks. It's your grumpy neighbourhood Steel Trim here, returning from break.

First, wow, I needed that. I'm going to have to start adding a few to my schedule to avoid ...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 58

The walk back to the fort was awkward this time, although John supposed that was to be expected when he Shanghai'd someone on impulse. In retrospect, maybe he could have handled that better, but he...

Delay Next Week

Hey, sorry folk, but quick announcement. Unfortunately, there will be no chapter next week for reasons of avoiding burnout and my work is honestly weakening a lot. As of late, I've been rushing to ...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 57

By the time the sun had started to crest the horizon, filtering through the trees in little wisps, they were down to the last two buildings. 

"Nothing yet, huh?" John asked Yuki, casting...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 56

John's jaw set as he stared down the crowd, no longer offering them any sort of warmth, even as they shivered. Yuki had spent the last few minutes going from building to building, occasionally cast...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 55

It wasn't hard to hear the frantic whisper-shouts emerging from the buildings as lights started flickering on through the windows. The first actual human they saw, though, was a single man...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 54

John dismounted the hover disc, Yuki hopping off behind him. The rain wasn't as overpowering as it once was; although it was still coming down hard, it was more a regular storm rather than an ice-c...

Hey Folks.

This isn't a major announcement. It's my birthday today, and I happened to realize that, man, it's been just about a full year since I started writing EMK. Time flies, huh? I'll be honest....

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 53

Preparation continued apace as John worked on his gauntlet, in between giving Rin new things to ponder. Of course, he had already given her a small lecture on what he remembered of weather...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 52

Rain poured down all around, so dense she might as well be underwater, and the wind howled through the distant trees. Rin felt like she was home.

She sat on top of her probably temporary abod...

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John's mind blanked.

For a moment, there was nothing; no thoughts put to words, just an overwhelming sense of worry. The fugue didn't last long, though. Something snapped deep in his...

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John tensed, although he kept his expression level, and Yuki's eyes flicked to him. She followed his gaze before locking onto the hair as well.

Think, John, think! The scanner didn't ding on ...

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The moment they crossed the barrier was obvious, as Yuki's eyes shone a bit more intensely, regaining a brightness he hadn't noticed was missing prior.  Of the sleepers, Rin awakened first, jo...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 48

John placed the manifest in the crate before putting the lid on, taking a brief moment to write "Box 12" on the lid in charcoal to make it easily identifiable later. Then, he floated it from under ...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 47

John sighed, looking out the window overlooking the hot springs out back. The rain had begun to pick up, and he could still catch the echoes of the crowd, Yuki's speech distinct, but unintelligible...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 46

There were more people than John expected, but he just had to stick to the plan they had discussed. He just had to say a few words and then step out before Yuki did a particularly gruesome trick to...

Engineering, Magic, and Kitsune Ch. 45

John sat patiently as Rin reviewed the notes, her face bearing a deep frown as she stared at them like arcane glyphs, despite his assurances that she didn't have to learn all this at once.

Tu...

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"I think the easiest place to start would be with a practical demonstration," John mused.

Almost idly, he grabbed his waterskin and a pair of ceramic bowls from a nearby shelf, pouring himsel...

Quick Heads Up

Hey, unfortunately, this week's chapter will probably be delayed until late tonight/early tomorrow. Work has called me in on my days off and shifted my regular schedule into my normal writing hours...