Chapters M-W-F 9AM. Part One of Blood and Steel (Chapters 1-64) complete! Discord - Spotify Playlist Upgrade. Consume. Evolve. Whether it’s cybernetics or mutations, this world demands you be more than human. Every century, the MALswarm invades — adaptive aliens of blood and steel led by Titans that decimate billions and leave behind raw Warp Energy. Humanity seizes this power, transforming into beings of mutated flesh and cybernetic might. Yet the promised utopia remains a lie, and New California’s underworld schemes to profit from the impending Fifth Swarm. Amidst the chaos, two destinies collide. Ripley — a cybernetics savant battling to save his dying mother — operates in the shadows of a gang-owned nightclub. Diana, engineered for perfection, fights as an officer of the law to forget her past. When a monster is unleashed, they steal its infinite potential to warp their futures with their newfound powers. In a city where salvation and damnation are inseparable, Ripley reinvents himself from the wreckage of his enemies' cybernetics as a mercenary who will one day become an architect of ruin. Diana's mutated blood crackles with lightning as she purges corruption, igniting into a storm of change. The intertwined legends of Dreadwire and Silvereye will evoke fear and hope into the world. Against a grand conspiracy of aliens, rogue AIs, shady corporations, organized crime and centuries of forgotten history, their alliance — and conflict — determines if the world will plunge into darkness or embrace the light. Wrong City? Wrong People? No. This is the right city, and they're the only ones who can save this dystopian future. In the Clash of Blood and Steel, The Eclipse rises — echoing in Thunderous Omens and Webs of Lies. What happens when you mix GodClads, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, Akira and a dash of Blade Runner into the mix? This novel. What to expect? -  Two MCs on opposite sides of the law. Ripley is a cybernetics operator turned mercenary, while Diana is a cop investigating a conspiracy. Both MCs have their separate storylines for the first Volume. These storylines intersect and reveal a larger mystery neither of them can take on alone. POV is pretty much 95% of the time on these two. - Superhero/Supervillain Themes. The line between hero and villain is thin. As Dreadwire, Ripley wields additional mechanical spider-limbs that disassemble his enemies into profit. As Silvereye, Diana's lightning illuminates hope to the world even as she mutates past the humanity she seeks to protect. They will do anything, become anything, to achieve their goals. - Two distinct Power Systems. A Skill-Based system with cultivation-like tiers of growth. Cybernetics gain features that update (level up) and empower machinery; Mutations can combine and diverge to transform your body. - Adaptation-based Progression. Powers are shaped by the experiences they go through, changing to mirror their character growth. Ripley's mind will temper into a double-edged weapon, while Diana's flesh slowly mutates past the person she starts off as. Retaining humanity as you become more powerful is a big theme. - A medium-burn story. Fast-action; slow-burn drama. - Slice-of-crime [Daily life/Criminal shenanigans/Police investigating] with a side of cybernetics engineering, moments of humanity amidst despair and gloom, and a whole lot of asskicking! - Both MCs have separate romantic lives... for now. - Weak to strong to legendary. Power. Fame. Money - they'll get it all. - A long Sci-fi Cyberpunk Epic. I've planned out a lot of this story, each volume follows a three-act structure of about 100-160k words and we'll get to see gangs, corporations, titanic aliens, and a whole host of cybernetics and mutations. It'll certainly be a few million words. - Eventual alien invasion and kaiju fights. First few Volumes are more human-centric conflict, moving to worldwide alien threats later on. Author's Note: This story can be pretty heavy at times. T/W's include: Gore, death, profanity, sexual themes (no descriptions), drugs. Honestly, my novel might be a list of war crimes one day. This story was highly influenced by some downer moments in my life as the characters learn that they can accept the darkness in them and embrace the light. As tragic as elements of this story might be, it is about overcoming tragedy. I hope you'll enjoy it.