Arcane Engines: Alchemist’s Scheme

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

A seemingly chance encounter with an ancient machine and an assassination attempt threaten to disrupt Veil’s education at the premier mage academy of Ithalaan. The bombings and terrorist actions that follow throw the entire region into chaos and draw him inexorably deeper into a mystery involving cults, gods, and ancient mysterious races.

These events threaten Veil’s carefully crafted plans, but there are few limits on his ambition. He is willing to do whatever it takes to advance his schemes to become a Magus, including pursuing the illegal discipline of soul magic. While Veil isn’t a powerful mage yet, his spell wrought guns and illicit abilities will help even the playing field.

The need to face down his enemies and fulfill his ambitions will send him desperately searching from Forerunner ruins in the Great Northern Forest to ancient abyssal cities within the depths of the planet.

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The book is primarily fantasy with a steampunk background. Science fiction elements won't be introduced for quite some time.

I currently update my work at a rate of one chapter per week. I'm also in the process of editing chapters 1 - 7, changing the format to make it more readable, and introducing more show and less tell. The reworked chapters will have (edited) after the title. All chapters after 8 have already been written in the new style.

I have aPatreonpage if you wish to donate.

Also, there will be intense situations, some explicit violence, and although it is not an erotic work, one or two sex scenes.

Information

Status
Hiatus
Year
2020
Author
Torr-3xi

Tags

ACTIONFANTASYMAGICMYSTERY

Royal Road Stats

Rating
4.6/ 5.0
Followers
37
Views
8,491

Chapters(12 total)

Reviews

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Community Reviews(4)

  • Brexit21Royal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    It's only five chapters in but this is one of the best novels i've read in years. The story follows Veil on his quest to become a powerful mage. He has both magical and psychic powers. The story also blends eastern style cultivation and western magic to interesting affect.
    Veil's plans are disrupted by his accidental interaction with advanced technology/magic of some sort. He is drawn into some large scale plot. We don't know what the bady guys want yet. It looks like that will slowly be revealed. I can't wait to find out.
    I highly recommend this book.
  • Lynette BurkettRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    Wow!  Great Read!  I have thourougly enjoyed reading this book so far! I have find Veil's adventure to be fascinating! I have always loved sci-fi and this book has not disappointed.  I don't want to put it down.   I can't wait for the rest to be posted!  Well Done so far!
  • lenkiteRoyal Road
    ★★★★★ 5.0
    RR has a few of these gems - really good stories that never made it on trending and thus were never discovered and are hidden somewhere in the vast sea of junk.
    This is a high-fantasy story where the MC is a bit like the MC of the Mother Of Learning. Sadly, he has no loop to assist him - but he does have his grandmother and a proper Academy.  The world is in in the advanced steampunk era - dirigibles, steam/mana cars, trains and even new-fangled and energy-heavy teleportation.  However, it has an underworld full of monsters (called the Labyrinth) and is fairly dangerous outside of the fortified cities, towns and villages.
    The characters are written reasonably well, there is some romance, a lot of learning and some action. Magic is mana-cultivation based power wielded via training in different schools of magic, but with scientific principles - and standard physical laws still apply.
    I only have two niffs. One is lore based - arcane magic is divine magic in this world. That is quite different from D&D and other systems. The second is that the mage ranking is awful and a confusing mess.
    Dear author, I would request you to revamp the current ranking to something logical and conveying appropriate gravitas. I would personally divide this into:
    Mundane ➡ Civilian ➡ Initiate ➡ Hedge-Mage/Adept (certified) ➡ Mage/Magus (certified mage) ➡  High-Mage/High-Magus (accredited) ➡  Grand-Mage/ Grand-Magus (accredited) ➡  Arch-Mage/Arch-Magus (accredited) and finally something like Archon for mages of legend.
  • DrAltRoyal Road
    ★★★ 3.0
    I had this on read later -- enjoyed the ten-chapter opening and was hoping for more.  Instead, it went on hiatus and never updated in 2 years.  I don't remember much of the story other than the impression the MC had a plan and interesting powers.   Leaving a review here as thanks to the author for sharing.
    I cannot recommend this to others if it is still on extended hiatus.  Still, I thought this one had the potential to become great.