“What was the first spell ever cast?” Master Orlin looked up from his work, fixing Nic with a raised eyebrow. “I beg your pardon?” he asked. “The first spell,” Nic repeated. “That a techne ever coded and cast, what was it?” Nic’s master sat back in his chair, the raised eyebrow lowering into a look … Continue reading Archive Ch.1 →

Nic was still alive. How this was possible he did not know. People didn’t tend to do well when standing next to large explosions, certainly not two in the same day. Combined with the truly irresponsible number of near misses he’d experienced in the last hour, one would expect Nic’s supply of lucky breaks to … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.11 →

It was pure dumb luck that Nic survived the next five seconds. The Beast lunged with all the grace of a landslide, throwing every ounce of its considerable strength behind the attack. It moved so fast that Nic couldn’t process what was happening before making uncomfortably close company with a wall of fur. He would … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.10 →

All things considered, Nic thought he carried himself rather well during the battle. Granted that was mostly on account of his primary task being to stay out of the way, but a good job was a good job. The rats surged forth as one, the largest of them leading the charge with a vicious screech. … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.9 →

“How’s that? Any kinks in the joint?” The suit twisted its new wrist a full half turn. It moved without major issue, save a slight creaking. “Try the whole arm,” Nic said. “Just to make sure.” The suit did as asked, flexing and twisting the rebuilt limb in all directions. Two good strong lengths of … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.8 →

Nic ran. He ran as fast as his feet would carry him, which in present circumstance was somewhere south of nowhere near fast enough. The ground had become no less treacherous, forcing him to spend precious seconds choosing his footing, lest he fall and waste even more time. What little haste he dared risk was … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.7 →

“How big is this place?” Nic’s question echoed through the cavern, bouncing off the innumerable tunnel walls. They spread out in every direction, some large enough for him to pass through at full height, others so small a mouse would struggle to fit. All of them were formed of scrap, the same fusion of raw … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.6 →

Nic staggered back in a sputtering, panicked flurry, thoughtless but for a desire to get away as fast as possible. This proved a less than ideal strategy, his feet stumbling over the uneven terrain. He would have fallen had the suit not shot out its hand and caught him by the belt, holding him up … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.5 →

It was difficult to describe what Nic found waiting for him out in the wilds of Gibson. A mess to be sure, there was no ifs, ands or buts about that. Anything and everything even vaguely related to the craft of electronics was here, of both the magical and the mundane aspects. Stacks of circuitry … Continue reading The Scrap Knight Ch.4 →