MichaelJSullivan | contemporary | Complete
I admit it; I'm a long-time gaming geek. When I started back in 1984, I played on a Compaq DeskPro outfitted with an 8 MHz 8086 CPU and an awesome monochrome display adapter. I said I was a geek, remember? During the golden age of computer gaming, otherwise known as the 1990s, each month brought quantum innovations, spurring a host of inventive game designs. For me, the pinnacle was reached with the invention of the MMORPG (massive multiplayer online role-playing game), and my wife and I became lost in the world ofEverquestfrom 1999 to 2001. In the land of Norrath, we made many friends as we rose from a pair of pathetic magic users to guild legends, and I saw how the lines blurred betweenrealityand thevirtualworld. People speak of how computer games are a waste of time. But a great many good things grew out of those days. One of them was a fertile seed of an idea that I pondered well over a decade ago...and still do. This story is the result. What people are saying about "The Game" "An impressive and thought-provoking short story." - Mikel on Goodreads "The Game" is a wonderful short story, asking profound questions about existence and the meaning of life. I really enjoyed and be glad to see more from Troth." - Gil Estel on Goodreads "Great short story...different from much of Michael's writing (at least that I am familiar with). Definitely thought-provoking and chilling towards the end." - Gabe Erwin on Goodreads ". . . this one is just . . . brilliant! Do yourself a favor, everyone, and just read it." - Christomir Rackov on Goodreads.
4.38 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:52
Fusiongun | contemporary | Complete
It began on April 14th. When a particle research lab is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world, journalism student Chase Adkins and the others trapped inside must come together to survive and try to find a way out. But when even more inexplicable things begin happening around the lab, will mounting tensions turn them against one another? And why can no one remember the time between 12:26 and 1 AM? It's been April 14th for over two weeks now. [Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
32.29 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:54
An original novel set in the Fallout universe, written to be accessible to all, featuring unique people and places. Vol.IIl (3) out now Fallout: Vault X tells the story of John. A vault dweller, who spent every day of his twenty five years underground. Like his father, and his father before him. Proud to live in the last remaining bastion of humanity, all that survived The Great War of the atomic age. Hidden deep below the surface of the earth, toiling under brutal conditions. Year after year, decade upon decade. All to expand into the natural cave system the Vault occupied, building for the future. However, John knew what his forefathers did not, that everything he'd been taught was a lie. After finishing school at the age of ten, John received his standard issue pipboy. An arm mounted personal computer, worn by everyone in the Vault. Used to coordinate the relentless pace of expansion, needed to work as an apprentice. To learn the craft that would be his life's work. A noble calling to ensure a future for all that remained of the human race. A quirk of fate saw John equipped not with the crude, clunky, pipboy model his father wore. That almost everyone around him wore. His looked smaller, sleeker, finished in a jet black sheen. And capable of doing far more than its drab counterparts. The world above had been ravaged by atomic flames, yet life clung to its bones. The Red Valley fared better than most in the century since the bombs fell. The clean water and rich soil protected by rolling hills. All spared from direct strikes, for the most part. Life survived here. Trees spawned from charred ground, misshapen, green leaves turned red. Along with simple crops, grown wild at first, then cultivated by the survivors. The scavengers of the old world were inventive, hardy people. All determined to rebuild in the ruins of a world they never knew. In the decades that passed settlements emerged. They grew, spreading along the valley floor. Reclaiming the pre-war remnants of the once industrialised heartland. Salvaging the robotic wonders of a bygone age to build their walls and work their fields. To protect them in the dark of the wasteland. But such things are uncommon in this world, and the rarer something is, the greater its value. And the worth of pre-war technology had not gone unnoticed. The last, real, power in this world rested in the mechanised hands of The Brotherhood of Steel. Forged from the mortally wounded old world military. The Brotherhood used its access to the weapons made for a conflict no one won to strike out into the wastes. Men and women were equipped with advanced armour, aerial transportation, high grade weaponry. Accompanied by the training, strength, and will, to put them to use. They established chapters and set up outputs far and wide. All dedicated to a single purpose. To ensure the technology left abandoned by its long dead creators didn't fall into the wrong hands. Namely, any hands that were not their own. This is the world John escaped into. A place of horrors brought forth from atomic fire. A place where survival meant battling against the darkness. Fighting a war each day to get to the next. And war...war never changes
332.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:28
Have you ever wanted to play the main character of your favorite book? Now you can! Welcome to Bookworld Online!
58.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 14:15
midsummer feast | tragedy | Complete
What if you die all of sudden?Only to later on find out that there's a life after this.It happens to a girl, filled with love and emotions. She died and wakes up in the neitherworld, where she´s now will try tolive her life to the fullest. There´s so much for her to learn and so much you want to do.This is partly her story. Facebook:Midsummer Feast
61.49 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 17:49
Gryphon10 | mystery | Complete
A short story about someone climbing a mountain that no one has ever successfuly climbed. He will have to overcome obstacles and come to the truth of why the mountain has never been successfully climbed.
2.18 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:41
TLCsDestiny | tragedy | Complete
For one that has lost her memories and then taken into a palace for the sole purpose of duplicating' the Princess, Dupli began with no idea and to do as she was told. Having to endure scrutiny and harm from other maids and attempted assassinations over her life, Dupli is forced to grow stronger as the time goes by. With no other option to take, as she feared death, she had to run away to survive.There are short glimpses upon how her life may have been, but what she has recently gone through, is it perhaps too much to go back to way things used to be? What of the two men that want to be with her, one from her memories and one that made her smile when she had needed it&Upon discovering who she was in her past, will she be able to put it behind her and start anew, or&What path does she choose to take?
28.79 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 17:51
Alita Kayali | comedy | Complete
Ethan never cared for the people standing around him, he lost interest in them a long time ago. He spent his days playing Aldhia, a popular game that offered its players the ability to cash out real money from just playing. He never expected to run into Chione, one of his school friends, let alone learn the reason she played. Ethan soon found himself being a coach with one goal, to accompany Chione as they chased after her goals.
31.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 12:11
Fay Voss | one_shot | Complete
A thirteen-year-old girl's destiny is to become a vessel for the Goddess of her village.
0.46 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 13:46
This story TWICE Completed the Royal Road Writathon challenge! Successor Book to Power of Ten Book One: Sama Rantha, and Book Two: The Far Future. Chapters began 9/5/2020. Chapters are around 2000 words (4 Word Pages), the author updating daily since Dec. 26, 2018. This story is basically completed as it stands, at 500 chapters of daily updates. Book Four: The Power of Ten: Dynamo, is continuing with the daily updates! Ebook: The original Power of Ten Series: The First Day, Part One, and Two, and the First Week, Parts One and Two! The Power of Ten Series PageAnd Part Two!Part Two of The First Day! ---------------------------- A shard severed from a soul, full of Karma, but needing a body and life of its own. The first true Rantha Hagbloods. A Shrouded Earth invaded by magic, struggling to once again see the sky. Three souls with the full knowledge of Power of Ten are on a world in need of something to break the stalemate and suppression of the Shroud of Undeath. It's going to take gold, and Gear, and Levels, but the undead aren't the only enemies that they'll be facing as they strive to liberate a world, and guide it towards the Light of Heaven. =========== Power of Ten has a Patreon for anyone who wants to read advance chapters (up to 35 ahead, and you can even pay annually!). We use a Google Docs system, sending out access emails to our Patrons once Patreon confirms things to our Patrons' gmail accounts. Help support PoT today! :) For those who would like to support me, my Patreon Link is at: Contribute Goldweight to Save the World! The Original Power of Ten/Sama, the Tip of the Spear, is being posted at: Tremble, She Comes! Books One and Two for Sama Rantha are at: Rantha Hags Forever! The permanent Discord Link is: Your Friendly Allegiance LInk is active! I always have Discord up if I'm online, although I may be busy writing and not see it right away...
627.47 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 11:17
Suzannaslanderz | historical | Complete
(This story will not be written in a third-person descriptor, it will be written using First Person Pronouns.) Sorry if this is not your cup of tea. When referring to oneself in ancient China, people avoided first-person pronouns ("I", "me", "we", and "us"). Instead, a third-person descriptor was used, which varied according to the situation. Lu Tian Qu is an extremely fickle person. She is so fickle it took her 11 years to graduate from college because she changed her major four times. (And that doesn't include the breaks she took in between.) She went to sleep, the same as any other night. However, when she woke up she was in the body of a 13 years old girl who was also named Lu Tian Qu. The original body owner had reincarnated back to the age of 13 after being exiled in the furthest corner of the Lu compound and forgotten for 29 silent sad years. She died falling to her death trying to escape by climbing over the wall after her reincarnation. Come join Lu Tian Qu on an escape as she to figure out what to do with her life all over again. T/N: I am a new writer with horrible grammar and spelling. English is not my first language. So please excuse the horrible grammar spelling, plot holes, etc. Thank you for showing interest.
170.31 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:32
B. A. Baker (Thedude3445) | drama | Complete
Aspiring priest Beatrice dreams of saving the world. Delinquent debutante Emi dreads her looming engagement to a distant noblewoman. A chance meeting in a library ignites a flame of love in their hearts. But, as the pair explore the wintery city of Balarand and each other, they must contend with their relationship's uncertain future. Only by walking together hand-in-hand can they face these obstacles for the sake of their futures. Hands Held in the Snow is an LGBT+ fantasy romance about a bookworm and a brat at the cusp of adulthood. Read all 70 chapters today. -- Featuring artwork by Mikayla Buan. https://twitter.com/mikayla_buan You can also read Hands Held in the Snowon its official website:http://handsheld.quinlancircle.com/ And follow Hands Held on Twitter:https://twitter.com/hands_held Please vote onTop Web Fiction!You can vote once a week on each device for this story (and any others you enjoy!).
67.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:24
B. A. Baker (Thedude3445) | satire | Complete
The Soul Palace System has ruled the world of Wuweizi for countless eons, but there is a new magic afoot--or should we say, avine. Xi Gua Lao, an aspiring daoist, embarks on an adventure that leads him to an up close and personal encounter with the one thing he never expected: Vine Waifus. Vine Waifu created with Artbreeder. Cover by me. Audiobook narration by Kgy121. Read other Vines: Chaos Vines OnlineVINAL FANTASYVines: A Short StoryThe Vines of Bramblekeep When Immortal Ascension Fails Divine Thorns
20.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:15
The story of a girl who finds her life is not what she wanted. So she gets another one. Schedule:Story has been completed. Book One is available free on Amazon and EPUB. Books Two to Five are out now. Final Book out soon. Chapters will be around 500-1000 words. This will not change so if you don't like reading very short chapters wait till the end of the week or even end of the month. This many chapters a week isn't easy to pull off so please bear that in mind. This is a VRMMORPG story, but the ones I've read tend to use VR as an excuse to get into a fantasy world and then don't really play up the game aspect other than pulling up a status screen every now and then. To me, MMOs are about more than the fantasy setting. Bugs, exploits, devs who don't understand their own game, OP classes, over the top nerfs, p2w, ridiculous RNG, cash shop fiasco, lockboxes, raging players, broken mechanics, limited bag space, tedious crafting and above all that, a company trying to squeeze money out if its playerbase while pretending they're just in the business of having fun. Of course, then there's the orcs and elves. This story is about finding yourself in a completely immersive fantasy game, but it's also about what a game like that would really be like.
337.94 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:04
Joe Kuster | sci_fi | Complete
"By far, the greatest danger of Artificial Intelligence is that people conclude too early that they understand it." Eliezer Yudkowsky Hey all, we're moving over to book 2. This content is in a state of transition. The book is now availble on Amazon (includes extra chapters): https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07W1534R8/ Artificial intelligence was nearly mankind's last invention. AI took off like a rocket, then when it racked up an impressive death toll, it crashed before it could blossom and took most high-tech industries with it. Resistance and fears became deep-set. Two decades after the infamous Rev. 4.6 incidents, humanity hasn't quit dreaming of the wealth and power that could be at their fingertips. A new generation of mega-corporations rose from the ashes. When one melds a quantum computer to a barely functional mental patient as a PR move, there are those who seek to profit, those who want to destroy it, and Alex. Alex Sage is a typical college student trying to keep up his grades and maybe find a meaningful connection with the fairer sex. Then, an automated semi crashes into his home, killing his family and turning his head into a pin cushion in the process. Alex awakens to find most of his memories gone and an illegal AI hidden in his brain implant. Now the pet project of a tech billionaire and heavily in debt, Alex struggles to stay valuable enough to be kept online. Still grappling with the repercussions of his injuries, and threats from a dangerous anti-augmentation political movement, there are no easy answers and threats loom around every corner. Alex must use whatever resources he can to escape from under the thumb of a ruthless corporation, while keeping those he comes to love safe. Chapters will stay up on RRL until Aug 10. It'll go up on Kindle Unlimited after that. How do you get those extra chapters I didn't have planned for RR? If you want them, they'll be in the published book. Book 2 will still make sense without them - I made sure of that. But... isn't $3 a lot for extra chapters? Think of it as tipping me for a good job and you'd also be getting my eternal thanks. If you enjoyed it so much that the idea of missing out a few chapters haunts you, I did my job as an author and made an engaging story. What's in those extra chapters? Resolving a few issues, set up for the cybernetic revolution, a rather intense sex scene with a new partner, revelations of who's really pulling strings, and a bit of set up for book 2. Complaints that people missed out on itwhen it was published here won't help (sorry!). I posted this for the folks who helped me shape the book, which is you all! (Again, yay!) But... Why! Why not keep it all on RR forever? My editor likes being paid for one. For two, I'd like the ability to get broader readership. If I break even on editor costs, I'll be incredibly happy. What about book 2? Drafts for Book 2 will go up around Sept 10. My draft of Book 2 is done, and it will be handed to the editor once Book 1 is published. Feedback has been even more positive. Beta readers devoured it and wanted more. I'll add a link to Book 2 once it's up on RR. I'm more or less, using you all for Beta Readers, so you get it before it's "canon" and edited. I invite active and meaningful feedback during this process. In return, you get early access to chapters. That does mean that the book content or plot might be adjusted before it gets published as I refine it. Sex Y/N? Yes. I heard the feedback, 90% wanted it explicit. You all will get the "full" experience. Will I dump all of book 2 here? Honestly, I'm not sure yet. At a minimum, it'll be up to the 75% mark as we collect feedback, much like what I did with book 1. It really depends on how good the feedback is and how nice people are. Lots of support + meaningful feedback to make it better =higherlikelihood you get all the book. Will be it up here indefinitely? No, it'll probably go up on KU at some point, but I'll make sure there's enough time for a large readership to grab it here. Then we move to book 3 which already is around 60K words already. What about other adventures in the same universe/characters? Yep. Absolutely. Nothing ready to share yet though. I plan to keep those side chapters and more slice of life stories as RR exclusive. Since I'm carving this off in book-sized segments, I'll have to figure out where those disconnected story arcs belong. I'm open to suggestions.
7.36 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:19
Halosty | adventure | Complete
A somewhat spoiled rich kid enters Royal Road to stalk his crush. Instead, he finds himself on a dark (read: fun) path that will inevitably lead him to becoming a Necromancer.
90.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:50
Luna BigCat | adventure | Complete
Story is completed and going through edits. A sapient Dungeon Core appears in a world overseen by a divine System and its slumbering god. The god had originally created Dungeon Cores with the intent of having them rid the world of evil while empowering good people by aiding them in fast leveling. But Dungeon Cores aren't as effective when controlled by algorithms and randomness as they could be if controlled by a conscious mind. Determined to follow the divine Mission to rid the world of evil while helping good people, the only sapient Dungeon Core in the world will use the power of dragons and karma to better the world! Even if it means having to go up against slavery, speciesism, and mind control.
147.94 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:52
Years ago, a mysterious egg-like shape appeared in deep space. The naturally curious humans constructed a research station to study the anomaly, which is currently manned by a relief team waiting for the next batch of researchers. Simon, the sanitation officer, is obsessed with the egg and hopes it will lead to newfound fame and discovery. What it contains however will change the course of his life forever.
4.16 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:35
An ancient elemental is awoken in a time that is not his own. He sets off to finally complete the dream he has always had. Armed with the chance granted to him by the strange new system, hewill set off on a journey throughout the ages.
34.89 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:37
No雔 is known across the city of Portlandand not by choice. Under the care of the richest man in the city and just transferred to a new high school, she's already making close friends... and bitter enemies. A chance encounter on her first day plunges her headfirst into a secret underground tournament. Between suspicious classmates and utter strangers, No雔 soon gets a taste for the addictive rush of the duel, but questions of love and trust complicate every move she makes. Cutthroat games with grim consequences await her in a shadowy world of competitors all dueling for the greatest prize imaginable. A new story from Etzoli, that one butterfly who writes things. This is a side-adventure I've written during the pandemic, as I've been having a lot of trouble getting into the correct head-space for writing my main series (The Last Science). Expect some rougher bits. Schedule is sporadic, but this will be a shorter one (closer to Snipe or Epilogue in length). I hope you enjoy it! Full-size cover art [Discord] - come hang out and chat sometime with etzy and other readers!
77.75 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:24
