Steampunk Harlots – Chapter 1 [Fiction, Fantasy, 7000 words]

Everyone expected a war between the old ways of magic and the new ways of the steam engine upon its invention. However, what people quickly learned is that a synthesis of the two did more than anyone realised. Instead of a steam engine that could merely power trains and factories, it was made to power airships and augment spells. There was a frenzy of development as every day brought a dozen new inventions. While there inevitably were those who fundamentally opposed one side or the other, most people welcomed the change and the improvements it brought. A war between the old and the new was averted despite the pessimistic predictions of many.

However, as those who remembered the time before steam grew grey and withered, the raw resource used in making steam engines more than their technology allowed, became scarce. The once plentiful element, the raw magic that had bonded with fossil fuels in the ground over centuries, called Ember, was now becoming much harder to find. Mines are dug deeper and prospectors scour for new sources. Heavy contestation over ownership of the new and old sources is escalating tensions. As a result, the tried and true method of settling debates has come back with full fury. War is on the horizon as each nation is quickly industrialising its military.