Copper pipes hissed with exhaustion as Zhenya throttled her airship forward, its brass propellers whirring in protest. Oil dripped onto the gridded streets below, neon lights dancing around the dark slush trailing behind her. "Zhenya, you're pushing the engines too hard," a robotic voice crackled from the control panel.

"Relax, Rusty, we need to get there before the Leviathans do," she said, eyes scanning the horizon as the first massive bioluminescent creatures began to materialize. Their tendrils swayed in the wind currents like ghostly fingers reaching for the city below.

Rusty beeped in agreement, sending a cascade of data across the instrument panel. Zhenya's finger deftly reached out behind her and tugged a brass lever, sending another jet of steam hissing out of the engines. "Hold on, Rusty, this is going to get bumpy."