Eldgrimm

In the floating city of Brasshaven, where airships rule the skies and steam-powered robots serve coffee, 17-year-old Finn Gearwright is just trying to survive high school at Machina Academy. He’s not a genius inventor like his father, nor a prodigy duelist like his rival, but he does have one thing—dumb luck.

Gears, Girls, and Total Chaos

Finn clung to Zephyria as the steambike rocketed through the narrow streets, weaving between clockwork carts and confused pedestrians. Behind them, automatons and imperial guards chased relentlessly, and above them, the Imperial Dreadnought's plasma cannon hummed ominously.

Vespera, standing precariously on the back of the bike, grinned like a madwoman, twirling a stick of dynamite in one hand.

"Vespera," Finn gasped. "Is that a—"

"I'm a pirate, darling." She pulled a match from her boot. "I always carry a little persuasion."

Zephyria snarled. "If you blow us up, I will personally hunt you down in the afterlife."

Vespera smirked. "Then hold on tight, noble girl. Because this is about to get fun."

Vespera casually tossed it over her shoulder.

The street behind them ERUPTED in a fiery explosion, sending automatons flying like broken wind-up toys. The shockwave ripped through the marketplace, sending loose gears, pastries, and screaming nobles flying in every direction.

Finn peeked back through the smoke. "Did—did that actually work?!"

Tess, still casually following on foot while eating popcorn, gave a thumbs-up.

Zephyria sighed in relief. "Okay. For once, Vespera, you actually—"

A massive blue energy blast tore through the air, turning an entire clocktower into molten slag right next to them.

Vespera winced. "Okay. So maybe we made them mad."

Zephyria gritted her teeth. "NO MORE TALKING. JUST. DRIVE."

She pulled the bike into a hard turn, skidding through a narrow alley, barely avoiding a second plasma blast that vaporized an entire bakery.

Finn flinched. "I really hope no one was in there…"

Tess called from behind, still somehow keeping up on foot: "Nah, old man Gus closed early today!"

Finn exhaled. "Oh, thank Gears—"

And then they crashed through a wooden barricade and went flying off the edge of a floating bridge.

A High-Speed, Explosive Disaster