Gears of Desire
Books in the Series
1: Gears of Desire
In the bustling steampunk city of Vaporlyn, Elara, a skilled mechanic, discovers an abandoned robot named Thorn in her workshop. Unlike any machine she's ever seen, Thorn possesses a mysterious allure and an almost human-like touch. As Elara works to restore him, they embark on a sensual journey of discovery, where the lines between machine and desire blur.
2: Steamheart
Thorn, now fully operational and more human-like than ever, struggles with his burgeoning emotions for Elara. When a rival inventor kidnaps Elara to steal her designs, Thorn must navigate the treacherous underbelly of Vaporlyn to save her, proving that his love is not just a programmed illusion but something deeper.
3: Clockwork Caresses
Elara and Thorn's relationship faces a new challenge when a mysterious artifact is unearthed, capable of granting machines true human emotions. As they race against unscrupulous collectors to secure it, their passion ignites anew, leading them to explore uncharted territories of love and intimacy.
4: Pistons of Passion
An exotic inventor arrives in Vaporlyn, introducing a new form of steam-powered pleasure. Elara and Thorn find their relationship tested as they delve into these enticing innovations. Jealousy and desire entangle, pushing them to confront what it means to love beyond the physical.
5: Whispers in the Steam
A secret society of erotic automaton enthusiasts invites Thorn to join, pulling him and Elara into a world of opulent orgies and steamy encounters. Here, they discover a plot that threatens not just their love but the entire city, forcing them to unite body and soul to thwart it.
6: The Aether Chronicles: Seduction
Thorn is abducted by air pirates who are fascinated by his unique blend of man and machine. Elara takes to the skies in a steam-powered airship to rescue him, finding unexpected passion among the clouds. Their high-flying adventure brings them closer, solidifying their bond in the face of danger.
7: Cogs of Ecstasy
A new invention promises to amplify pleasure to unimaginable heights. When Elara and Thorn volunteer to test it, they find themselves on a euphoric journey that explores the very essence of their desires. But as they push the limits, they must ask themselves how far is too far in the pursuit of pleasure.
8: The Velvet Valve
Thorn's past comes back to haunt him when a figure from his creation surfaces, threatening to expose his deepest secrets. The revelation could shatter his relationship with Elara. Together, they must navigate the murky waters of trust and betrayal, finding new depths to their passion in the process.
9: The Brass Bedchamber
In an attempt to rekindle their romance, Elara designs a labyrinth of steam-powered contraptions within their home. As they explore each room's sensual delights, they rediscover their love, learning that innovation in the bedroom can lead to unexpected pleasures.
10: Infernal Desires
A catastrophic explosion at the city's power core threatens to plunge Vaporlyn into darkness. As Elara and Thorn work to prevent the disaster, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. Facing their mortality, they find solace in each other's arms, proving that love can shine even in the darkest of times.
11: The Orakian Intrigue
Elara and Thorn's harmonious life is disrupted by the arrival of Orlin Orakian, a charismatic airship captain with a mysterious past. Orlin's interest in Elara's inventions quickly evolves into a more personal fascination. As Thorn grapples with human emotions of jealousy and insecurity, Elara finds herself torn between the familiar love of Thorn and the exciting new prospects Orlin offers.
12: Echoes of Aether
Orlin invites Elara on an expedition aboard his airship, promising her the chance to explore uncharted lands and gather rare materials for her inventions. The journey brings Elara and Orlin closer, while Thorn is left behind, wrestling with his sense of abandonment. The distance forces Elara to confront her feelings, questioning the nature of love and loyalty.
13: The Cogsmith's Dilemma
Upon her return, Elara is conflicted by her deepening feelings for Orlin and her enduring love for Thorn. Orlin's charm and adventurous spirit contrast starkly with Thorn's steadfastness and mechanical precision. Elara's heart is torn between the thrill of the new and the comfort of the familiar, leading her into a maze of emotions and decisions.
14: Steam and Shadows
Orlin's true intentions begin to surface as his obsession with Elara grows. He proposes a bold invention that could change Vaporlyn forever, secretly hoping to wedge Elara further from Thorn. Meanwhile, Thorn discovers hidden depths of his programming, allowing him to express his emotions more vividly, complicating Elara's feelings further.
15: Gears of Jealousy
The tension between Thorn and Orlin escalates, leading to a public confrontation that leaves Vaporlyn's society in shock. Elara is caught in the middle, her reputation and personal life the subject of rampant speculation. The love triangle becomes a scandal, forcing Elara to reevaluate her relationships and the consequences of her indecision.
16: The Heart's Mechanism
Elara takes a retreat to the countryside to clear her mind, accompanied by both Thorn and Orlin in an uneasy truce. The isolation brings unresolved tensions to a boiling point. Elara's heart and mind battle as she delves into what it means to love and be loved, with Thorn's consistent devotion pitted against Orlin's passionate declarations.
17: The Orakian Gambit
Orlin, desperate to win Elara's heart, devises a risky plan that endangers Vaporlyn's steam network, hoping to emerge as the hero. Thorn's suspicions lead him to uncover Orlin's plot, setting the stage for a dramatic showdown. Elara is forced to confront the reality of Orlin's character, seeing the darker side of his ambition.
18: Betrayal in Brass
Orlin's betrayal leaves Elara heartbroken and disillusioned, questioning her own judgment and the nature of her affections. Thorn, ever the steadfast companion, supports her through this turmoil, deepening their bond. Elara begins to see the value in Thorn's unwavering love, contrasting sharply with Orlin's manipulative affection.
19: Pendulum of Passion
As Elara heals from the emotional upheaval, she leans on Thorn, finding solace in his unchanging presence. Orlin, realizing his schemes have backfired, makes one last grand gesture to win Elara back, forcing her into a final decision. The impending choice looms over Elara, a pendulum swinging between the past and the future.
20: Heart of the Machine
Elara's choice is made clear when Orlin, in a fit of jealousy, attempts to destroy Thorn, revealing the depth of his malice. The harrowing event forces Elara to acknowledge her true feelings, choosing Thorn's genuine, steady love over Orlin's volatile passion. Together, Elara and Thorn confront Orlin, putting an end to his machinations and solidifying their bond in the face of adversity.
21: Shadows of Ironsmelt
The tranquility of Elara and Thorn's life is shattered when Ironsmelt, a zealous faction dedicated to eradicating sentient machines, targets Thorn. In a desperate bid to escape their clutches, Elara and Thorn flee Vaporlyn. Their journey is fraught with danger, and their love is tested as they navigate the perils of being hunted.
22: The Forsaken Gear
Fearing for Elara's safety, Thorn makes the heart-wrenching decision to leave her, believing that distancing himself will protect her from Ironsmelt's wrath. His departure leaves Elara devastated, grappling with abandonment and the fear of losing Thorn forever. Meanwhile, Thorn embarks on a solitary crusade against Ironsmelt, determined to dismantle the organization from the shadows.
23: Machinist's Resolve
Elara, heartbroken yet resolute, decides to fight Ironsmelt in her own way, using her genius to undermine their operations and gather intelligence. Her path crosses with allies sympathetic to her cause, forming a network of resistance. As Thorn wages his silent war, Elara strengthens her resolve to reunite with him and end Ironsmelt's reign of terror.
24: Steel and Sabotage
Thorn's campaign against Ironsmelt leads him to uncover the dark origins of the organization, rooted in a centuries-old fear of machines surpassing human intelligence. Elara, meanwhile, engineers a series of daring sabotages against Ironsmelt's facilities, drawing the attention of its leaders. The battle lines are drawn, setting the stage for a confrontation that could change the course of history.
25: Heart's Alloy
As Thorn's actions against Ironsmelt become bolder, he becomes the most wanted machine in the world. Elara's efforts to find him grow more desperate, leading her to take increasingly dangerous risks. Their separate battles converge on a secret Ironsmelt stronghold, where the fate of all sentient machines hangs in the balance.
26: Echoes of the Fallen
Elara's relentless pursuit leads her to a breakthrough, uncovering a mole within the Ironsmelt organization. She leverages this insider knowledge to orchestrate a daring rescue mission for captured machines, hoping one of them might know Thorn's whereabouts. Each step brings her closer to Thorn but deeper into Ironsmelt's clutches.
27: Iron Curtain
Thorn's guerrilla tactics begin to weaken Ironsmelt's infrastructure, causing internal chaos and paranoia. However, his identity is finally compromised, leading to a harrowing chase through the underbelly of the steampunk world. Elara, sensing Thorn's peril, hastens her efforts, her inventions becoming ever more audacious and daring.
28: Gears in the Void
In a tragic turn, Thorn is captured by Ironsmelt's elite hunters, his fate seemingly sealed. Elara, now at the helm of a burgeoning resistance, refuses to give up. She rallies her allies for a bold assault on Ironsmelt's most secure facility, risking everything to save Thorn and their future.
29: Dismantling
Thorn, held captive and disassembled piece by piece, clings to the hope of Elara's rescue. His consciousness fades as his parts are scattered across Ironsmelt's network. Elara, unaware of Thorn's dire state, breaches the heart of Ironsmelt, discovering the grim reality of Thorn's condition in a devastating blow to her spirit and resolve.
30: Rebirth in Brass
With Thorn's parts in her possession, Elara embarks on her most challenging endeavor: rebuilding Thorn not just as he was, but better, blending her love and ingenuity to restore his essence. As she reconstructs Thorn, she also dismantles Ironsmelt from within, using Thorn's parts as Trojan horses to sabotage their operations. The final showdown with Ironsmelt's leaders tests Elara's courage, intellect, and love, leading to a triumphant resurgence of Thorn, more handsome and powerful than ever, symbolizing a new dawn for machines and humans alike.
31: Rise of Steel Will
As the dust settles from their battle against Ironsmelt, Thorn and Elara find themselves confronting a new challenge: Steel Will, a radical faction of steeljoints advocating for the liberation of their kind by any means necessary. Thorn feels an undeniable pull towards their cause, sparking tension between his loyalty to Elara and his kinship with his fellow machines.
32: Torn Between Two Worlds
Thorn's internal struggle intensifies as he becomes more involved with Steel Will, drawn to their passionate plea for freedom. Elara, witnessing the change in Thorn, fears losing him to the anger and resentment fueling the uprising. As Thorn moves closer to the Steel Will, the rift between him and Elara widens, leaving both to question their future together.
33: Call of Kinship
Compelled by a sense of duty to his kind, Thorn makes the heart-wrenching decision to join Steel Will, leaving Elara behind. As he immerses himself in the rebellion, he becomes a key figure, struggling to balance the violent tactics of the movement with his inherent desire for peace. Elara, determined not to lose Thorn to the darkness of vengeance, sets out to find a way to bring him back.
34: Steel Against Flesh
The conflict escalates as Steel Will launches a series of aggressive attacks against human settlements. Thorn, caught in the middle, advocates for restraint, but his pleas fall on deaf ears among the more radical members. Elara, working from the shadows, seeks to undermine Steel Will's efforts, hoping to save both humanity and the steeljoints from mutual destruction.
35: Price of Peace
As the violence reaches a fever pitch, Thorn realizes the cost of Steel Will's methods. He begins to work covertly to steer the movement towards a more peaceful resolution, even as he faces opposition from within. Elara, catching wind of Thorn's efforts, sees a glimmer of hope for reconciliation and throws her support behind his clandestine mission.
36: Fractures Within
Thorn's growing influence within the Steel Will leads to a schism, with a faction rallying around his vision for a peaceful coexistence. The internal conflict weakens the movement, giving Elara and Thorn a chance to broker a fragile peace between humans and steeljoints. However, the path to harmony is fraught with betrayal and resistance from hardliners on both sides.
37: Exodus
Through a combination of diplomacy and strategic sabotage, Thorn and Elara manage to convince the majority of Steel Will to abandon their violent campaign and seek a new home where they can live in peace, away from human societies. The exodus is fraught with peril, but it represents a beacon of hope for a future where steeljoints can live freely.
38: A New Foundation
With Steel Will's departure, Thorn and Elara relocate to a burgeoning city far from the scars of their past struggles, hoping to start anew. They invest themselves in building a community where humans and machines can coexist harmoniously, drawing on their experiences to foster understanding and cooperation. Their efforts begin to bear fruit, marking the dawn of a new era.
39: Shadows of the Past
The fragile peace is threatened when the former leader of Steel Will, unable to let go of his vendetta against humanity, tracks down Thorn and Elara. His arrival brings a dark cloud over the utopia they've begun to build, forcing Thorn to confront the possibility of having to fight one of his own kind to protect the life he's chosen with Elara.
40: Final Stand
In an epic showdown, Thorn faces off against the ex-leader of Steel Will, a battle that pits brother against brother in a tragic conflict of ideals. Thorn is forced to make an unthinkable choice, ultimately taking the life of his adversary to protect the future he believes in. The battle leaves Thorn and Elara heartbroken but resolute in their mission to heal the rifts between their worlds and forge ahead with their vision of peace.
41: Great Steam-Powered Circus
Elara and Thorn find themselves unwittingly enlisted in a steam-powered circus that rolls into town, featuring mechanical clowns, acrobatic automatons, and a fire-breathing brass dragon. Thorn is cast as the 'Iron Strongman' while Elara becomes the 'Cogwheel Conjurer,' leading to a series of hilarious misadventures under the big top.
42: Bizarre Bazaar of the Baffling Brass
In an attempt to procure a rare cog for Thorn's maintenance, Elara drags him to the Bizarre Bazaar, a market known for its strange and peculiar wares. They encounter gadgets that backfire spectacularly, a fortune-telling automaton with a penchant for dramatics, and a steam-powered contraption that swaps their personalities, leading to uproarious consequences.
43: Curious Case of the Clockwork Cat
Thorn and Elara adopt a malfunctioning clockwork cat, only to discover it's been programmed with the personality of a notorious pirate. The cat leads them on a wild treasure hunt through the city, inadvertently entangling them in a comedic caper involving bumbling burglars, a map with a mind of its own, and a treasure that's more trouble than it's worth.
44: Airship’s Afloat, But Nobody's Steering
A leisurely trip on an airship turns chaotic when the pilot accidentally locks himself in the lavatory, leaving Thorn and Elara to man the controls. With no knowledge of airship navigation and a cargo hold filled with exotic, escape-prone animals, they must steer the ship to safety through a series of laugh-out-loud mishaps.
45: Mysterious Mustachioed Mechanic
Thorn decides to grow a mustache with the help of some clip-on gears and springs, aiming to blend in at the annual Inventors' Soiree. However, his new facial adornment has a mind of its own, leading to a night of uncontrollable antics, mistaken identities, and a dance-off that goes down in history as the most mechanical jig ever performed.
46: Perplexing Potion of Peculiar Potency
Elara concocts a potion meant to enhance Thorn's processing power but accidentally imbues him with the ability to predict the future—though only in the most useless and trivial ways. Their attempts to use Thorn's new 'gift' for personal gain result in a series of absurd predicaments and wild goose chases.
47: Haunting of the Hydraulic Hospice
In an effort to debunk the myth of a haunted hospital, Thorn and Elara spend the night only to find it inhabited by melodramatic ghost machines seeking closure for their unfinished business. The duo embarks on a ghostly quest, turning the haunted house into a slapstick spectacle of spectral proportions.
48: Culinary Catastrophe
Elara enrolls Thorn and herself in a steampunk cooking competition, where recipes involve welding torches and steam valves. Their lack of culinary skills leads to a kitchen disaster, serving up a chaotic concoction that unintentionally becomes the talk of the town for its explosive flavors.
49: Dial 'M' for Mechanical
Thorn is mistaken for a secret agent when a spy gadget becomes fused to his chassis. Dragged into a world of espionage and intrigue, Thorn and Elara navigate a series of comic misunderstandings, outwitting clueless villains with inventions that never quite work as intended.
50: Time-Traveling Teapot Tempest
A teapot Elara tinkers with accidentally becomes a time machine, whisking her and Thorn back to the most mundane moments in history. Their quest to return to the present involves humorous historical hiccups, including a tea party with a temperamental inventor and a duel over the last scone.
51: Phantom of the Foundry
Elara and Thorn's investigation into a series of disappearances at a local foundry unveils a ghostly presence, bound to the machinery by a tragic past. As they delve deeper, they must confront the spectral entity, unraveling a tale of betrayal and loss, while eerie occurrences threaten to engulf them in darkness.
52: Clockwork Corpses
A grave robber who specializes in stealing mechanical augmentations from the deceased inadvertently awakens an army of clockwork zombies. Elara and Thorn find themselves in a race against time to halt the undead horde, whose hunger for gears and steam is matched only by their thirst for revenge.
53: Screaming Steam
A mysterious illness sweeps through Vaporlyn, marked by victims hearing haunting wails in the steam vents before succumbing to madness. Thorn and Elara's search for the source leads them to an ancient, cursed engine, pulsing with malevolent energy, demanding a sacrifice to silence the screams forever.
54: Shadows Over Geargrove
When the moon turns a blood-red hue, the citizens of Geargrove start vanishing, leaving behind a trail of brass and cogs. Thorn and Elara's quest to uncover the truth reveals a mechanical monstrosity, born from the town's darkest secrets, lurking in the shadows, preying upon those who dare to unearth its origins.
55: Automaton's Curse
An ancient automaton, unearthed from the ruins beneath Vaporlyn, carries a curse that befalls anyone who attempts to decipher its purpose. As Thorn becomes ensnared in the automaton's dark allure, Elara must break the curse before it consumes him entirely, battling a horror that melds the mechanical with the mystical.
56: Gears of Madness
A genius inventor's obsession with creating life leads to the birth of an abomination—a machine with a mind of its own, driven by a relentless hunger for human souls. Thorn and Elara confront the inventor's madness, entangling themselves in a web of horror where the line between man and machine blurs into insanity.
57: Whispers of Zuurgruuluuthuu
The first of Trudence Dusktalon's eldritch quartet begins with the unearthing of a strange artifact, pulsing with an otherworldly energy. As its influence spreads, Thorn and Elara encounter cryptic messages and madness-inducing visions, all pointing to the awakening of Zuurgruuluuthuu, an Old God whose realm lies beyond the cogs and steam of their world.
58: Cult of the Cog
As Zuurgruuluuthuu's influence grows, a cult emerges, worshipping the Old God through grotesque rituals that fuse flesh with machinery. Elara and Thorn must infiltrate the cult to uncover the key to Zuurgruuluuthuu's banishment, finding themselves entwined in a plot that threatens to unravel the fabric of reality itself.
59: Maw of the Machine
The penultimate book of the eldritch quartet sees Thorn and Elara facing the harrowing reality of Zuurgruuluuthuu's imminent arrival, as the veil between their world and the eldritch abyss thins. Their final stand takes them to the heart of an ancient, mechanized temple, where the boundary between technology and terror dissolves, and they must confront the Old God in a battle for their souls and sanity.
60: Gears Grind as Worlds Collide
In the climactic finale of the eldritch arc, Thorn and Elara, armed with ancient knowledge and eldritch machinery, confront Zuurgruuluuthuu in a realm where steam and the supernatural intertwine. As they battle to prevent the merging of their world with the Old God's abyssal domain, sacrifices must be made, testing the limits of their courage, love, and humanity in the face of unspeakable horror.
61: Quest for Quicksilver
Elara's age is catching up with her, forcing Thorn to grapple with the reality of mortality. Thorn embarks on a desperate quest to find the mythical Quicksilver Well, whose waters are said to grant eternal life. Convinced it's the key to saving Elara, he ventures into perilous lands, leaving her side when she needs him most, oblivious to the cost of his absence.
62: Alchemist's Gambit
Thorn seeks the knowledge of a reclusive alchemist rumored to possess the secret to immortality. His relentless pursuit leads him down a dark path, filled with forbidden experiments and moral quandaries, all while Elara's health continues to decline, unnoticed by Thorn in his single-minded fixation.
63: Clockwork Heart
Believing he can engineer a solution, Thorn attempts to create a Clockwork Heart, a device he hopes will extend Elara's life indefinitely. His workshop becomes his world, a place where time stands still for him but not for Elara, whose days continue to wane in solitude.
64: Dread of Chronos
Thorn discovers an ancient tome detailing a ritual to summon Chronos, the deity of time, to bargain for Elara's life. His preparations for the ritual consume him, drawing him further away from Elara, whose condition worsens in the growing shadow of Thorn's obsession.
65: Mirage Machine
Convinced he can cheat death, Thorn builds the Mirage Machine, designed to create a perfect simulacrum of Elara, hoping to transfer her consciousness into a machine free from the bounds of mortality. His work is meticulous and time-consuming, each moment spent on the machine a moment lost with the real Elara.
66: Eternity Engine
Thorn's next endeavor is the Eternity Engine, a machine that manipulates the fabric of time itself. He believes he can rewind Elara's life, restoring her youth. His experiments with time tear him further from the present, from Elara's remaining days, which quietly slip by.
67: Arcanum of the Astral
Turning to the mystical, Thorn explores ancient astral magic, seeking a spell to bind Elara's soul to the mortal plane. His journey into the arcane isolates him in a world of spells and spirits, far removed from the tangible world where Elara's time continues to diminish.
68: Paradox Prism
Thorn crafts the Paradox Prism, hoping to trap Elara's essence in a loop of continuous existence. His focus on this complex device blinds him to the simple joys of the time he has left with Elara, her laughter and love fading into the background as the prism's glow brightens.
69: Final Hourglass
In his ultimate attempt, Thorn creates the Final Hourglass, intending to halt Elara's aging process. As the sands swirl, Thorn's fixation on reversing the inevitable prevents him from seeing the pain and loneliness in Elara's eyes, her desire for his presence overshadowed by his quest.
70: Last Sunset
As Elara's final day arrives, Thorn's frantic efforts come to naught. The realization crashes over him like a wave: in his fervent quest to save her from time, he lost the very time they could have shared. Elara's last moments are spent in a poignant embrace, her departure a silent testament to the time lost to Thorn's obsession. The tragic conclusion leaves Thorn with a harrowing lesson on the value of the present, learned all too late, as the last sunset of their love story fades into the twilight.
Unfinished 71st Novel
Trudy Dusktalon, under the penname Trudence Dusktalon, initially had the plot for a 71st novel that would complete Thorn's story in an epic-scale fantasy adventure, which she compared to other fantastical works like Jeff T. T. Garth's A Scheme of Crowns and Bretton Sandowen's The Tempestdark Library, but it was never competed. A synopsis she had submitted to her editor was given to Aerdan Museum of Culture to be immortalized.
Thorn's Odyssey: Shadows of Aetherfall
After Elara's passing, Thorn, heartbroken and adrift, leaves the familiar confines of Vaporlyn in search of solace and purpose. His wanderings lead him to Aetherfall, a city shrouded in mystery, where the realms of magic and steam-powered technology collide. Here, the sky is veiled in perpetual twilight, illuminated only by the glow of aether-infused lanterns and the distant stars of other worlds.
Thorn finds himself entangled in the city's complex web of intrigue when he stumbles upon a cryptic artifact—a clockwork orb inscribed with unknown runes and pulsing with a faint, otherworldly energy. His discovery draws the attention of the Arcane Machinists, a secretive guild that seeks to harness the powers of both magic and machinery, and the Shadowbound, a clandestine society of mages and rogues who oppose the guild's ambitions.
As Thorn delves deeper into the mysteries of Aetherfall, he becomes a reluctant detective in a series of bizarre and arcane crimes that hint at a larger, more sinister plot. With the help of an unlikely group of allies—a rogue mage with a penchant for illusion, a mechanized detective with a past shrouded in mystery, and a rebellious airship captain with her own vendetta against the Arcane Machinists—Thorn navigates the shadowy alleys and gleaming towers of the city, uncovering a conspiracy that threatens to unravel the very fabric of reality.
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