Henri coughed from the light smoke as he tried to stand to his full height, only for his legs to buckle. A glance down revealed that his prosthetic leg was bubbling and melting, a white-hot line drawn across it as perfectly as if it’d been done with a quill and protractor. “By the system, I haven't seen magic used like that since the last battle for the independence of…! What was that light?”
“Radiance.” Danielle looked over her father, noting that even the reflecti...
2025-01-06 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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The swords in mechanical hands stopped swinging. Steam, fire, and acid was held back instead of constantly being released at the attackers in great clouds. What only moments ago was unceasing motion began to falter, coming to a halt as Comte LeKrout sent out frantic instructions for them to stop attacking. Now that the order had been given, any intentional aggressive action from the Comte or his creations against the baron would be enough for the oath to be considered as broken.
S...
2025-01-03 12:00:03 +0000 UTC
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There was an uncertain air about the soldiers in Gasteel company, and they shifted uncomfortably as they tried to come to terms with their commander’s defeat. They stood in uneasy formations, their weapons raised half-heartedly, their eyes darting between the Beast who still had a blade to the throat of the seething baron.
Slowly, the mechanical entity pulled the sword away then stepped around Gasteel. Torso faced directly at the still-frozen man, the headless automaton gripped both t...
2025-01-01 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
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“Resorting to trickery? Why am I not surprised?” Gasteel sneered as he hefted his longsword, voice dripping with disdain. “All he's ever been able to do is hide behind his machines and send them out to do his dirty work! But you know what?”
He turned to his men, his gaze sweeping across them before brandishing his weapon and swinging forward with a grunt of effort. “I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty!”
Even at a distance, Danielle could see the grin plastere...
2024-12-30 12:00:10 +0000 UTC
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Gasteel’s bellow of rage was accompanied with his battalion surging forward, their anger a near-physical thing on behalf of their liege lord. The automatons immediately responded with everything they could bring to bear, scythes swinging out, mauls cracking into shield or flesh, and flames billowing into huge clouds and forcing men away. As intense as the initial attacks were, the humans weathered it easily.
Running back toward where she was supposed to be pulling cores out of s...
2024-12-27 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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An alarm started blaring, only for the Artificer to lift his left hand and snap his fingers, immediately silencing the sound. The lights remained a concerning red, but the momentary distraction allowed Danielle to pull away and compose herself. “I feel like we should have a longer conversation… but I don't think now is the time.”
“Right!” The Comte started walking toward the stairs, slowly at first, as if unsure how much he should trust his own capabilities. “I want us to ge...
2024-12-25 12:00:07 +0000 UTC
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To Danielle's great surprise, the Beast didn't throw a temper tantrum or do anything other than release a sigh of steam and step close to her father—blocking her view. There was a brief cry of pain, and when the automaton stepped away once more, her father had lost both of his pinkies, but the stumps were clean and carefully stitched closed.
“I had noticed the discrepancies in the story you were telling. In the oath you made.” The Beast’s normally severe tone was replaced with a...
2024-12-23 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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“Don't say something like that!” Danielle tried to shove the Beast’s extended limb to the side, only to find herself pushing against something with as much give as a stone wall. “Get out of the way. If there's nothing you can do, at least let me!”
“I'm sorry… I can't.” The Beast growled at her, shifting his arm to push her back gently. “You don't have the training to do this without killing him outright, and that means anything you do in your attempt ...
2024-12-20 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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When Danielle finally stepped out of her bedroom—after sleeping like the dead for nearly a dozen hours—she almost ran smack-dab into the hulking form of the Beast.
“Good, you're finally awake.” Immediately, the creature turned and started floating down the hall. “Secure your father and meet me in the workshop. I was downstairs preparing the mechanisms for the heart but realized that this will be another novel creation. I'm not certain if you can double dip, but I'd ra...
2024-12-18 12:00:07 +0000 UTC
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The next few hours turned into several days passing in a flurry of activity. Danielle churned out blueprint after blueprint, switching to doing the actual task of making the toys she’d designed when the system swapped the requirements for her level to increase. After reaching the Basic tier—level four in the skill—her frantic efforts finally hit a point of diminishing returns, and Danielle conceded that it was no longer possible to put the Beast off further.
Skill inc...
2024-12-16 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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Though they had plenty of cause to celebrate, Danielle fully understood they were working with a deadline approaching with the swiftness of an executioner's axe. Unfortunately, when she pressed the Beast for additional information on what the Artificer planned to do, he came back with an explanation she couldn't accept.
“Comte LeKrout has asked me to explain his hopes for the coming days.” The Beast *clacked and whirred* as he shifted to face the Enchantress. “For the for...
2024-12-13 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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- Danielle -
The door to the library burst open, causing Danielle to look up from where she sat at an oversized oak table, scribbling away at a design she’d been working on since breakfast. Thick books and handwritten technical manuals were blocking her view of the Beast floating toward her, so she carefully pushed them to the side and gave him her full attention. “Is something the matter, Beast?”
“I see you have been productive, as usual.” Blue light gently ref...
2024-12-11 12:00:11 +0000 UTC
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- Gasteel -
The town of Frontière was practically buzzing with a twisted festival mood, a hint of excitement mixing with a palpable bloodthirst. The townspeople, conscripts, and soldiers were already shouting and jeering in eager anticipation of the day’s entertainment. Gasteel stood on the balcony of a makeshift stage, scanning the crowd and at the same time looking to the edge of town to see if a scout was rushing in to give him an update.
It had been two weeks since he had d...
2024-12-09 12:00:08 +0000 UTC
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Danielle found herself walking down the stairs to the enormous underground workshop once more, though her heart was heavy with extreme trepidation. It had taken the Comte offering her extreme reassurances to convince her not to immediately leave the estate and chase after the baron, surrendering herself to him for the sake of her father. The Artificer had then gone ahead to prepare, leaving her wondering exactly what new revelation was going to be dropped on her this time.
With no...
2024-12-06 12:00:09 +0000 UTC
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Danielle sprinted up the stairs, knowing she was already far behind the Beast. Sneezy was right behind her, shouting for her to slow down. She refused, though not out of anything other than simply not hearing his words. Her mind was already too full, to the point where her questions spilled from her lips as she ascended. “What did he mean Gasteel might already have been on the way here? Did he know about the attack before it was coming, or… something… else?”
...
2024-12-04 12:00:11 +0000 UTC
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Danielle watched the image of the young man as his face and clothes subtly shifted. His cheeks filled out slightly, his uniform turned into a pure white overcoat which would show any hint of dirt or oil which splattered upon it. She recoiled ever so slightly as the man turned and seemed to stare straight into her eyes.
“I created a weapon which would risk no one… not on our side, at least.” His jaw worked momentarily, seeming to need to force out the next words. “I unleashed a t...
2024-12-02 12:00:04 +0000 UTC
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“A masterpiece, you say?” Sneezy rubbed his chin as Danielle explained the requirements for her skill increase. “Too bad you didn't get that before you made my new form, eh? Ehh? Now the real question is, was it a masterpiece with a lowercase, or an uppercase ‘M’?”
“Uppercase,” Danielle replied with a touch of frustration in her voice, though she kept a smile on her lips to show her guard—and friend—that she appreciated his attempt at levity. “That means i...
2024-11-29 12:00:08 +0000 UTC
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- Danielle -
“Coming, coming!” Danielle sprinted along the vast hallway of LeKrout’s manor, a bundle of blueprints and sketches in her arms. Today was the beginning of a daunting yet exhilarating task the Artificer had graciously offered to allow her to participate in: retrofitting the estate’s automatons.
She’d been hoping for an opportunity like this since the first time she had convinced Doc to open up to her in a literal way and couldn't believe she had allo...
2024-11-27 12:00:07 +0000 UTC
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- Gasteel -
Not for the first time since he’d arrived in this miserable excuse of a town, Gasteel found himself slamming his fist onto the table of the Local Tavern—an uninspired name for an uninspiring establishment. “Abyss take that woman! She should’ve failed and been thrown out by now.”
“Or even succeeded!” Lefroupe added in quickly, nodding along with fervent agreement to everything his liege lord was saying.
“Exactly that!” Gast...
2024-11-25 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Through the entire process of the stylus scraping against the inner metal casing, the entire room was filled with the faint hum and sparkle of pure, unadulterated magic. Though Danielle could hear the Artificer muttering to himself as he worked, occasionally letting out a burst of steam in frustration, she ignored her nearly overwhelming curiosity and tried to think about anything other than her boiling desire to know what the magic process looked like.
Mostly, the Comte w...
2024-11-22 12:00:13 +0000 UTC
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“Calling the core the mind of the automatons is a bit of an oversimplification, but it's close enough that the lord of the house is shifting some of his priorities to study the potential of your hypothesis.” Danielle took the information the Beast was saying in stride, knowing it was practically shaking with excitement on behalf of the Comte. “As a reward for the potential new avenue of research, he has invited you to be a part of the scripting process for Sn-three-zy’s ...
2024-11-20 12:00:08 +0000 UTC
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After nearly a solid week of being allowed to pursue her own proclivities, not once being called back to motion capture or be a part of the artificing process, Danielle was starting to get on edge. Though it turned her stomach, she needed to have contact with the Artificer in order to make progress with his recruitment—even if actually following through was only a backup plan if every other attempt to rescue her father failed.
Touching an oversized paper, she walked down the stairs in...
2024-11-18 12:00:05 +0000 UTC
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As Danielle stepped off the platform and into the vast subterranean workshop the next day, she was shocked to find the Beast meticulously adjusting the final details of a new automaton. At first glance, the sleek design looked almost exactly like a normal human—if that person’s skin had been cast from gleaming metal. “Is that what I think it is?”
“If you think it is the finalized prototype of the updated design you had a small part in creating with the Comte yesterday...
2024-11-15 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
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Danielle gripped the light, wooden practice sword, her hands steady though her heart was racing. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she prepared for another bout against the unnerving figure standing on the motion capture pedestal across from her. The suit of armor was featureless and devoid of any hint of personality—as though she were dueling an empty shell.
Over the past torturous hour of slow fighting, she had attempted to engage the guardian in conversation, but no matter whet...
2024-11-13 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
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The Beast led Danielle to a large, heavy metal entryway in the grand hallway the next morning. After slowly pulling it open—unintentionally demonstrating exactly how heavy the armored door truly was—he began walking down a set of winding stairs. Danielle followed after him, and as they spiraled seemingly endlessly deep into the bedrock, she tried to remain cautiously optimistic about their destination.
When they finally reached the bottom, Danielle let out a soft gasp as they steppe...
2024-11-11 12:00:03 +0000 UTC
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“Tell me when I’m wrong. You're not just a recruiter, you're an assassin-”
“What could possibly make you believe that I’d do anything to damage your trust after you've given me so much and saved me from having to marry a man I have no interest in marrying?” The sheer disbelief in Danielle's tone, perhaps even more than the words themselves, caused the Beast to pause then even retreat a step.
He’d been prowling forward, the normal blue li...
2024-11-08 12:00:06 +0000 UTC
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2024-11-06 16:46:06 +0000 UTC
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2024-11-06 16:42:00 +0000 UTC
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Hi all! I've got in the final art files, and we're closing in on setting release dates for all these books next year! I took a lot of feedback from a select group of you, so I hope you enjoy the art :D
2024-11-06 16:38:35 +0000 UTC
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Danielle awoke to the gentle humming of machinery, a strange, rhythmic background noise. Strangely enough, it was a comforting reminder of the strange twist of fate that had brought her into such a wondrous location, as though the walls of the manor itself were welcoming her into a new day.
Sitting up, she noticed Doc and Sneezy staring at the bed silently and followed their stares toward the foot of her bed. With a smile, she reached over and patted the animated footstool standin...
2024-11-06 12:00:08 +0000 UTC
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