Steamforged sorcery a li.., p.1
Steamforged Sorcery: A LitRPG Adventure, page 1
STEAMFORGED SORCERY
©2022 ACTUS/AJ NADIR
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CONTENTS
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Thank you for reading Steamforged Sorcery
Groups
LitRPG
ONE
Deep within the bowels of the earth, Angel stood in a domed metal cavern across from a massive pair of double doors. Magitech machinery made up the walls and much of the ceiling. Pistons chugged and valves hissed, releasing puffs of steam. Blue liquid pulsed, dripping through cracks in the leaking tubes that connected everything.
His right arm shimmered in the dim light as the cogs within it turned. Angel’s shoulder hissed, releasing a plume of steam as a canister ejected from his bronze forearm. It struck the stone floor with a clink, rolling to a stop against the smoldering remains of his last kill.
A hunchbacked creature covered in gray rags stood between him and the doors. Its red eyes burned with malice. A rattling hiss escaped the metal monstrosity as it limped toward Angel, blue smoke rising from a broken valve in its chest. The monster’s grotesque claws screeched along the ground behind it, sending up a small shower of sparks.
Gears whirred in Angel’s arm. He reached up and grabbed a canister from its holster near his upper shoulder. The plain metal cylinder housed a glass tube full of glowing lavender energy. A plate in his forearm hissed open, and he slid the canister into the hole behind it.
A leftward head-tilt triggered the bronze-rimmed lens sitting above his ear. It clicked into place over his eye. The monster lit up with dull orange light as magic prickled his skin. A moment later, text appeared on the glass.
Race: Ripper [Old World]: Level 24
Status: Disrepair
Information accuracy: 92%
Strength: 22
Intelligence: 4
Nimbleness: 12
Toughness: 15
Rating: Dangerous
Weak point(s): Not Enough Information (0/100)
Element(s): Earth
Error: Unable to analyze further. Information incomplete
The words faded just in time for Angel to see the Ripper charge at him. Its violent screech threatened to rip his eardrums apart. The metallic jangling as one limb, stuck awkwardly out of its socket, tore up the floor behind it didn’t help either. If anything, the jerky, unsteady movements added unpredictability to the Ripper’s movements, making it more intimidating. Angel raised his mechanical arm, his heavy robes rippling behind him, and pointed his palm at the metal monster.
A bolt of lightning ripped out of his hand with a loud, buzzing crackle. It screamed through the air and struck the Ripper’s flickering eye. The creature spun from the strike’s force, shards of metal flying from its damaged frame.
Angel dashed to the left, adding to the space between himself and the creature. He grabbed a second canister from its holster and slammed it into the slot. The old canister ejected through a side panel near his elbow and clattered to the ground.
The Ripper gathered its wits and charged at Angel again. He dropped to the ground and slammed his palm into the metal plating beneath him. Sparks flew from his palm as warm energy rushed through his arm. A spike of metal erupted from the earth, piercing the monster’s chest in a shower of sparks.
A grating robotic screech tore free from the creature as it thrashed around on the spike, trying to slash at him but finding itself just out of range. The red light in the creature’s eyes slowly dimmed as more blue smoke rose around it. It finally slumped and its eyes blinked out.
Angel watched it warily for what felt like an eternity. His heart thumped loud enough to drown out the hiss of magic and the chug of machinery in the walls. Several motes of faint blue light rose from the creature’s broken mouth and flew through the air. Angel stood still as they entered him, the cold energy prickling his skin like a winter breeze. He straightened, taking his time to rise, and adjusted his heavy duster, ensuring it didn’t get caught or wrinkle under the metallic board attached to his back.
The eyepiece dinged loud enough for only him to hear. Angel’s eyebrows rose and he looked at his left hand. Orange lines outlined his body for a moment, fading as text appeared on the glass.
User analysis updated.
Modifying database…
Complete.
New values assigned.
Displaying user status…
Race: Human
Name: Angel
Level: 25 [98%]
Status: Healthy
Information accuracy: 100%
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 18
Nimbleness: 15
Toughness: 5
Comparative Rating: Minor Threat
Weak point(s): Heart, Neck, Arteries… (100/100)
Element(s): Steel: Magicore: None (37% Attunement)
…
…
Installing new module: 5% complete.
Angel waved the screen away and manually returned the eyepiece to its usual position by his ear. He grimaced as a puff of sulfuric gas rose from a vent beside him. It was rancid enough to burn the hairs in his nostrils.
His Magicore attunement had gone up by a percent since the last time he’d checked. A small grin crossed his lips. Connecting the arm to his body had been incredibly difficult. It still wasn’t functioning at its full capabilities, even after several years. Every kill he made and bit of magical energy he gained brought him closer to releasing its full potential.
He crossed the room, keeping a healthy distance between himself and the Ripper’s remains. When he reached the door, Angel pressed his ear against it, listening intently. Silence. He shrugged, turned his back against one of the two door panels, and pushed with his full body weight.
The heavy metal slab’s hinges creaked as it inched open. Once the gap was big enough, Angel slipped through it. The room he found was smaller than he’d expected. It was only around one hundred paces in each direction and featured a high ceiling. As before, machinery covered the walls in a state of perpetual motion that made the walls look like a stormy ocean. A small staircase in the middle led up to a golden pedestal. A small bronze pendant sat perched atop it.
Angel’s mouth curled up in a victorious smile, but he didn’t dare move recklessly. There were only four canisters left on his shoulder. Four more spells to finish things up and get out of the catacomb with his prize. He examined the room carefully, checking for any traps or hiding monsters.
A peculiar pattern covered the floor leading up to the staircase. White lines radiated outwards, twisting and turning throughout the room and stopping before the door. Angel licked his lips. Channels of Old World Magic. The technique to make them had faded after the Great War, but their potency had not.
Angel had no desire to step on the lines and discover what the ancient trap did. He examined the room carefully, planning out his route. Once ready, he raised his mechanical arm and pointed it at the ceiling. A barb launched from his palm, a thin black wire trailing it.
It shot through the air and buried itself in the center of a large gear on the ceiling, halfway between him and the pedestal. He tested the tether. The wire held firm.
The wire went taut and Angel swung across the room. He landed on the pedestal’s raised platform and grabbed the pendant. His lips spread into a smug grin.
“Hello there, beautiful,” Angel said, stuffing the pendant into his coat’s inner pocket.
A dull hum rose from the floor. Angel’s eyes shot down the carved channels, groaning as he spotted the line traveling across the pedestal and directly beneath his foot. The floor pattern lit up and the central formation flashed. Angel turned his head, squeezing his eyes shut to avoid being blinded.
When the light faded, Angel found a large green humanoid standing upon the pattern, staring at him with two beady black eyes. Two jagged fangs jutted from the monster’s huge mouth, and it held a large sword in each of its clawed hands. The weapons were sharp and their edges rusted. Tubes ran from the hilts of the swords into the creature’s forearms.
Angel swallowed. His eyepiece did its job, falling into place and scanning the monster.
Race: Orc [Old World]
Level 23
Status: Healthy
Information accuracy: 84%
Strength: 14
Intelligence: 6
Nimbleness: 12
Toughness: 13
Rating: Somewhat Dangerous
Weak point(s): Not Enough Information (0/100)
Element(s): Earth
Error: Unable to analyze further. Information incomplete
Angel twisted his right arm. The barb detached from the ceiling and spiraled back into his palm. With a snarl, the orc started to approach him, raising its weapons.
Gears whirred in Angel’s arm once more. He grabbed one of the four remaining canisters on his arm and inserted it into the slot. Then he slammed his hand into the ground. Magical energy crackled and a web of frost burst forth in a cone, covering the floor in ice.
The orc roared and charged at him. The monster’s feet almost immediately lost purchase on the frozen floor and it fell backwards in an almost comical fashion, hitting the ground with a loud thud.
“Dangerous, but evidently not very smart,” Angel muttered to himself as loaded another canister. Two left. He pointed his palm at the orc, pausing to make sure his aim was true. The creature rolled over and jammed one of its blades into the icy ground.
It started to rise, using the weapons to keep itself steady. A ring of steam escaped the valve on the back of Angel’s arm. The air crackled and an arc of lightning ripped from his palm. It drove into the orc, which let out a roar of pain and fury.
The smell of burnt flesh filled the room and the orc nearly lost its grip on the swords. But, despite the smoke rising from its body, the fanged creature pulled itself upright and took another stride toward Angel, keeping its balance on the ice. He cursed and loaded the penultimate canister.
By the time he’d gotten it in place, the orc was already upon the steps. It sliced the tubes connecting one blade to its arm. With a roar, it hurled the sword at Angel, forcing him to dive out of the way. The length of metal sailed by his ear and buried itself in the wall.
He sprang to his feet, nearly losing his balance on the ice, and aimed his hand at the orc again. It roared and threw caution aside, lunging toward him. The lightning arrowed out and burrowed into the monster, but that did nothing to stop its momentum.
Angel was swept off his feet as the smoldering body slammed into him. It was as heavy as it looked, and he hit the ground hard. The heavy monster pinned his mechanical hand to the ground by his side, leaving only his left free. He desperately tried to extricate himself but realized that the orc was no longer moving. It was already dead.
It took Angel several minutes to escape from beneath the creature. By the time he finally did, the smell of burnt meat and hair had crept its way into his clothes. Motes of blue light trickled out of the beast’s mouth, passing through his clothes and drawing a hiss of surprise from him as they slipped inside his body. He brushed his clothes off as best as he could.
His eyepiece dinged and his status screen swam to life in front of him for the second time in just a few minutes.
Race: Human
Name: Angel
Level: 26 [1%]
Status: Healthy
Information accuracy: 100%
Strength: 10
Intelligence: 19 [+1]
Nimbleness: 16 [+1]
Toughness: 5
Comparative Rating: Minor Threat
Weak point(s): Heart, Neck, Arteries… (100/100)
Element(s): Steel
Magicore: None (38% Attunement)
“Fantastic,” Angel muttered, waving the screen away. He’d gotten enough magical energy for the System to register a level-up. Humans automatically distributed their magical energy to the areas they were lacking or used the most. The System really wasn’t much more than a glorified analysis tool, but it was nice to quantify his power and see what it thought he was over or underutilizing. He examined his right arm, but it was undamaged. He let out a sigh of relief and knelt beside the orc’s corpse.
The gears in his hand whirled again as his fingers melded together into a large blade. He drove it into the creature’s chest and dragged downward, splitting its flesh. His nose twisted at the rancid smell rising from the monster.
He carved deeper into the creature until a glint caught his eye. The blade transformed back into his hand and he reached inside the orc, wrapping his fingers around a small orb. It came free with a sharp tug and he held it up to the dim light from the triggered trap lines.
“Small,” Angel said, slightly disappointed. “Oh well. Better than nothing, I suppose.”
The orb joined the pendant in his pocket and he adjusted his coat once again. Angel glanced over his shoulder at the hoverboard on his back, but it looked fine. It had survived much rougher fights.
Angel gave one final glance around the room to see if there was anything he’d missed. He retraced his steps back through the catacomb, but he had no more problems. As he got farther, the Magitech gave way to rock. It took him nearly an hour to arrive at the exit – a gaping entrance half buried in sand.
TWO
Angel grimaced as his eyes met sunlight. Even though he hadn’t yet exited the cave system, the temperature had risen several degrees above comfortable. He squinted as he walked out into the desert. It stretched out as far as the eye could see. The heat rising from the orange sand left the world hazy.
Angel grabbed the metal board on his back. The magnets holding it in place released and it detached with a click. He tossed it onto the ground in front of him. Pale gray lines ran along the side of the board that had been pressed to his back. They converged on a pair of circular patterns on either side of the board. At the middle was a turbine, connected to the rest of the construct by thin lines of runes.
He stepped onto the metal and the board hummed to life. The lines lit up with a dim white light and it rose a foot into the air, kicking up the sand beneath it. Angel reached into a pocket on the inside of his cloak and pulled out a thick scarf. He wrapped it around his face.
The lines on the board grew brighter and he shot forward, tearing across the desert like a bullet. Wind howled past Angel’s ears and he laughed gleefully. He launched over a sloping dune, taking flight for several seconds.
Small specks of sand spattered against his face and body, but he didn’t mind. Hours felt like minutes as the desert blurred beneath him. The wind he kicked up was more than enough to combat the sweltering heat and even start to chill him.
The wind, initially pleasant, doubled in intensity. Sand started to batter him harder and Angel slowed to a stop, his brow furrowing. He lowered his eyepiece and spun in a circle. His expression grew grim.
