"Experienced any combat lad?"

I shrugged apologetically. "Sir, I was in a logistical unit."

He restored his hat to his head and his mechanical arm sounded a loud clank as he did. "Well, keep in mind that plenty of the dead out here rot in the woods. Don't be mucking off on your own and have a blade ready with you at all times."

I needed no convincing in this matter and responded with an appreciative "I shall sir." Captain Heems then furrowed his brow and looked over at Corkly who was rummaging through a satchel of scrolls and binders.

"That reminds me," he barked. "Some of the men just now went into the damnable fray without even fixing their bayonets! Get the sergeants on it at once!" Corkly however made no sign that he'd heard the order and the captain continued with rapidly mounting disgust.

"Corkly? Corkly! Wizards beards man! Don't just stand there blinking! You've been given an order! An orrrrrder!"

Some papers Corkly was holding in a folder slipped out and flopped around his feet. "Can you repeat it sir?" he asked with total innocence.

Miss Summers, I will spare you the substance of the epic profanity that ensued from Captain Heems but, as he thundered on and on, an orc archer suddenly stood up from behind a nearby mound and fired a wobbly arrow at us. This landed about five feet away and while three of our group reacted as any decent people would, the captain merely glanced over in annoyance before scowling at an attendant squad of soldiers and pointing at the insolent party. True, orcs are notoriously poor archers, but this does attest to the sheer nerve of the gentleman.

[Excerpt from Hunting Orcs]

Alchemist City Stories is a collection of steampunk fantasy tales set in the world of Orb. Follow an elf detective as he tracks a brutal serial killer through neighborhoods populated with orcs and vampires, join a pair of fisherman as they contend with the supernatural dangers daily life entails, and find out whether a humble giant can protect a young female android from the sinister forces she's fleeing. These and other stories are located in a setting rich with background lore and ambient details, a land fleshed-out and imbued with humor, wisdom, and danger. Lots of danger.