An irreligious desert elf develops crippling panic attacks when his village is destroyed and betrothed kidnapped. Teaming up with a zealous minotaur monk -- himself a reformed mercenary -- is the only chance to save her.
21.63 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 14:00
Luminaeris | drama | Complete
A girl's luck changes when her world changes upon itself, sending her back and forth between a world she knows and another that shouldn't even exist. Working with her parallel self from that other world, the two must adjust to their alternate form when visiting the other's world, as they search for a way to escape the chains of misfortune they are bound to. While this story is the conclusion of the trilogy, it is also fully capable of standing alone in its own light, as the world of Celese itself is no longer a place the characters will be journeying through. However, the events of the story are a spoiler for all previous books, in case that matters to anyone. This book has an additional chapter after the final chapter that represents the trilogy conclusion, and should not be read until all three books are read first. Fortuna Verto continues the events of Essentia Animus to advance society into a sci-fi interpretation of Celese, bringing events to a distant world of another star. At the same time, events interpret a real-world advancement into a similar sci-fi age of another planet that shares Earth's galaxy, a planet that has also been linked by the Celesi Veil. English remains predominant in both worlds of the story, but the presence of both sides makes certain Aethyx terms stand out, while Earth-styled scientific terms will also stand in a powerful contrast. Instrumentation remains an important aspect of the Elemental Era, but the influence of the gift has grown distant after discovering the superiority of the elements. Harnessing the elements had eliminated some of the original limitations of instrumentation, allowing for a self-sustaining focal source that provides solutions to problems such as automation. This turns the development available from the previous modern-day sense of a fantasy to one that is deep-future. Finally, opening access to the passage across the veil will open this progress in comparison to a very similar deep-future parallel world without such fantasy elements, contrasting the laws of physics with the laws of elements in a convergence of time and space.
166.11 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 14:30
J.M. Clarke (U Juggernaut) | action | Complete
The land is conquered. A thief and a demon killer run afoul of its new overlord and the wizard that serves him. Now the wizard seeks his life's ambition, an artifact that will make his word law. Hearing this, the demon killer and thief begin to have ambitions of their own. The race is on for who will reach the artifact first, and an entire barbarian horde is in the running. Yet the prize lies within the Forest of Giants, grown from the corpse of an empire. There are tales of things that stalk the trees. Tales of those that hunger endlessly. Tales of those that feast on human flesh. Tales of ogres. A fast paced, dark fantasy adventure! Complete.All stories and characters - including The Ogre's Pendant and The Rat in the Pit -written by Traitorman are created by and are the intellectual property of J.M. Clarke
84.66 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:00
Elbowsnapper | action | Complete
Hisoka Higawara struggles to understand those around him, but he's learning quickly. One day, he makes friends with a girl named Nanami, and his life will never be the same. My Hero Academia. MHA. OC. Sand Manipulation Quirk. Complete. Revised, restructured and rebuilt from the ground up, Just Deserts gets a new coat of paint. Enjoy.
158.97 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 10:25
MichaelJSullivan | action | Complete
Royce Melborn (a cynical ex-assassin) and Hadrian Blackwater (an idealistic ex-mercenary) couldn't be more different from one another, but desperate times makes for strange partnerships and sometimes the best friendships are bound by blood - both theirs and those who dare to oppose them. New to Royal Road is two full-length published Riyria novels and one rough draft of a novel to be released next summer. Volume 1: THE DEATH OF DULGATH Three times they tried to kill her. Then a professional was hired. So was Riyria. When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary ex-mercenary and the cynical ex-assassin joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they're asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane. Volume 2: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WINTER'S DAUGHTER A daughter vanishes. Two rogues are paid a fortune to find her. It isn't enough. When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they're asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane. Volume 3: DRUMINDOR He planned to obliterate an entire city. He thought no one could stop him. But he hadn't heard of Riyria. When a master-craftsmen dwarf is fired, he threatens retaliation. The rogues-for-hire known as Riyria are hired to find and stop him. Traveling to the paradise resort of Tur Del Fur, the two are granted a lavish allowance that, along with the easy job, promises to turn the trip into a vacation. Everything would have been perfect except that the disgruntled employee's last name is Berling and target of his wrath is the legendary towers of Drumindor. NOTE: A rough first draft version of Volume 3 was posted one chapter a day starting Nov 1 and the full work was posted on Dec 10. As noted when we started posting, this was only a temporary and the book was removed in January of 2023. This book will launch with a Kickstarter on 2/14/24. Once the book is finalized, it will be reposted on Royal Road. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael j. Sulivan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post Bestselling author. He has published 19 novels across 4 series in his fantasy world of Elan: The Riyria Revelations (6 novels - completed series) | The Riyria Chronicles (4 novels - ongoing series) | Legends of the First Empire (6 novels - completed series) | The Rise and Fall (4 novels - completed series). He has nine Goodreads Choice Award nominations, and six of his published novels are Amazon Editor's Picks.The three free novels posted on Royal Road consist of nearly 380,000 words
125.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:00
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
zechamp | adventure | Complete
By a stroke of fate, a stone gains sentience and sets out on a grand quest to touch grass. However, the system forgot to change its stats from their [Metric] values to the appropriate [Str, Int, Dex] values. Things escalate. Fast. Features:- Cultivation- Jade Beauties- Numbers go up (Ridiculously up. All of them)- Most balanced protagonist of all time (is round, so is balanced) Thank you Sininenblue for making this cool cover for me! You a legend. Previously titledDMG=MA
20.75 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:51
RE Druin | adventure | Complete
(This story is now complete) Book Five: Versatile Wizard began on 2/17/23 after Book Four: Dynamo concluded. Cover by Jack of Hearts! He did great work! Participant in the April/2023 and Nov/2023 Writathon challenges! --------------- The last of the soul-shards of Aelryinth is cut free, and is drawn through astral space to a new realm... one with no exposure to the gods, powers, and system of the Power of Ten at all. It is a world of Magery, where Elements of Magic is the science, the power is in people, and humanity dwells alongside countless magical creatures who actively contest the world with them... yet is still remarkably similar to our own in many ways. Shard Zeben will have to hit the ground running and make some major adjustments in a gamer's outlook as she introduces the mages of this world to what it means to be a truly versatile wizard... and to bring the Light of Heaven to a world that has no such thing! --- Ebooks in the Power of Ten Series (Kindle): Power of Ten: Series Page for the First Day, the First Week, and the First Month! Based on, but not set in, the world of, the Chinese Webnovel Versatile Mage. The magic system is a guideline, and gets modified a great deal and fleshed-out for completion, because wizards are total geeks about that stuff and it's what they do. No smut, no harem, sex is offscreen, profanity is mild. There'll be occasional numbers, occasional Assays of progress, and a lot of trying to work out how the magic is actually functioning. Here is the link to the Fictions Page for the preceding Books One through Four: Books One through Five of the Power of Ten!
509.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:28
cathfach | adventure | Complete
This is the tale of an epic battle between the embryo of a hero and the egg of a demon lord. Okay, so perhaps 'epic' is overselling it a bit, given that there are serious mobility issues on both sides of the conflict, but they're trying their best, bless them. Then perhaps it is the tale of a reincarnated magical girl lover, excited about finally living out her dreams of slaying evil with the powers of love and friendship? But again, the way a truck-wielding goddess interpreted her request to return her memories immediately after reincarnation rather too literally means that it'll be a long time before the frilly dress fits, and the demons don't seem to want to wait. Then it's the tale of a pair of new parents growing progressively more confused at the weird happenings around them, particularly when people start receiving involuntary flower-based makeovers? Of an unborn hero speedrunning the plot so efficiently that it'll all be over before she even gets around to being born? Yes, that one's more accurate. Also, some numbers go up, with accompanying dings. And one (highly important) number goes way down. This story was born as a complete joke on discord, out of someone complaining about womb arcs and how utterly ridiculous they were. I responded by threatening to write a story that was entirely womb arc. And then, because I'm a bit silly sometimes, I did. It's not pure skill grinding, though; I was nice enough to let her have some interaction with the real world. Nevertheless, at time of writing, I seem to be averaging two dings per chapter. Published here, Scribble Hub and patreon.
126.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:00
RavensDagger | adventure | Complete
When an accident causes the early death of two young women, one is chosen to become a hero, a saviour, and a servant of the God of Heroes! This is not her story. This is the story of Valeria, whose soul clung to her friend's, and who was dragged into a new world where her wandering spirit was claimed by the Goddess of Darkness. And so, one who doesn't belong grows to become the servant of the Dark Goddess, a servantdefinitely not a daughterwho will usher in a new age of despair and disgust. The only problem is, she's really bad at the whole "evil" thing, not that she's unwilling to do her best to please her adoptive mom, the Dark Goddess Luciana.
132.66 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:10
When a Creature of the Void fails to find friendship among her own kind, she instead sets her sights upon another, human-filled world. Unfortunately, humans turn out to be rather small and squishy things, resulting in a mostly accidental trail of death, destruction and madness as she embarks on her journey to finally make some friends. This is a 25k word inane short story, and makes no attempt at being serious or realistic. It's my first attempt at trying a more comedic writing style. No relation to my other stories, aside from a brief cameo. Cover bodged together with Charat Genesis. Not quite the design I had in mind, but reasonably close. Doesn't contain explicit smut, but does contain references to stuff happening off-screen. May contain traces of gore. Also eels, in varying states of distress. Posted here and scribblehub.
17.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:09
Aila Aurie | comedy | Complete
After oversleeping, space and time hopping researcher Liyanne Zhuma, from the Pleiades Star System, rushes to her transport location to return home after a five year stint on the field. At the secluded waterfall pool that perfectly reflects the moon, she has just a few minutes before the sun rises to get home. She is literal steps away, only to be pushed in by a man running from a swarm of bees. Her robe made of lunar fabric is ripped and her transport fob - disguised as a jade pendant - is broken. Without them she can't get home...but there is another way. She just needs one thing: silk woven by moonlight to replace her ripped robe. Duke Zhang Shenwei of the Zhun Dynasty returns home from war and stumbles upon a woman bathing after accidentally pushing her into a pool while being chased by bees. He is determined to be responsible for her by marrying her despite her protests. He can give her anything, but all the strange woman wants from him are silkworms and a place to grow them. He agrees, but has another reason he wants to marry her: he needs a diversion to keep marriage proposals at bay while he settles his estate. [Valentine's Day 2022 Short Story] [Fake Marriage] [Friends to Lovers] [Light Scfi & Wuxia] [Supermarket Romance Novel] [Short Story] [COMPLETE]
29.93 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 13:12
Author's Comment: I was asked about reading my work on other sites. The answer is simple: Currently I am not active in any other networks than royalroadl.com. Only here, I correct mistakes and errors. If you read it anywhere else and have to pay for it, or have to deal with an annoying amount of advertisement, You Are Being Betrayed. You would do good if you make other people in that network aware of it. This is a free project of mine for the purpose of having fun. And if people try to make money with it you shouldn't bother visiting their website. The only one whom I actually allowed to have my work on his website is Armaell who invested the time to compile them into pdf. (http://armaell-library.net/author/andur) Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books My world faced its end, but I refused to perish with it! So I intercepted a summoning ceremony from another world. One moment!? My summoner tried to summon a demon? Fuck it, I think it's better to break the contract and do my own thing... or not? Why is Mrs. Sacrifice hugging me? And why am I suddenly a child!? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am not entirely sure how this fiction will turn out. And I am not sure on the tags either. They may change. Bear with it. As always, how chapters turn out is up to my mood.
139.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:24
chocomug | contemporary | Complete
Li Yun grew up with a system that gave him useless gifts. He wanted a reward that could prove the existence of the system, but ended up with abstract gifts like culture. Without physical proof, he was stuck wondering whether his mind was truly sane, all the while dealing with the reality of life. How will the "useless" system help Li Yun navigate medical school, hospital politics, criminal cases, treasure hunting, farming, and cooking? Author's Note: This is a slice-of-life novel about a doctor with a mission-type system. It's written as a faux modern Chinese novel, so there are many 1-off characters and episodic mini-arcs. The tone of the story is very different after the childhood arc and jumpy as it chronicles Li Yun's life. Expect a lot of time skips. This novel is complete. See webnovel for OG, or first draft. See scribblehub for my other authorized post. If you enjoy the novel and would like to contribute to the author's coffee addiction: https://ko-fi.com/chocomug. Amazon for Book 1 & 2 Copyrights of the novel and cover are owned by Chocomug. Novel is free to read and download for personal use, such as offline reading, only.
227.31 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 15:22
Kira Hawthorne was just another teenage girl until the day a 'god' told the world their 'realm' was getting assimilated, since they lost some War no one on Earth even knew about. A System is installed on the whim of a very old and capricious god. Kira immediately gets trapped in a pocket dimension, and emerges to find a once familiar world turned foreign... And very hostile.
87.82 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:43
"Your first death is always the hardest." Miguela was the third-born child of a well-off merchant family and knew from around the time she could speak that her life's path was already decided for her by her father. She was to become an Orator, as was Xandran tradition. However, Miguela had an affinity with the magikal arts and somehow found herself studying at the Academy. One fateful day, the government offers Miguela an opportunity to join a team tasked with the mission of gathering intelligence via scrying magik. The catch is that Miguela and her associates can only scry the deceased. Miguela finds the memories of the dead haunting but is adamant not to fail because the prospect of regaining control of her life and using her magik to help others gives her a purpose in life that she never had before. Of course, Miguela soon discovers her new job has an exorbitant cost. Will she be willing to pay when the bill comes due? Welcome to Five Kingdoms of Cordizal! What is the Five Kingdoms of Cordizal? I often get asked this type of question about my stories by friends, bloggers, and potential readers. The Five Kingdoms of Cordizal is a high-fantasy epic universe that is the setting for most of my stories. The foundation of the universe is its multicultural, multiracial setting with several sentient races attempting to carve their legacy and survive. The world is fully fleshed out and vibrant with a rich and mysterious history not based on Tolkien mythology. This brings me to magic. To me, magic is an essential part of the fantasy genre, so, of course, there is magic in the Five Kingdoms universe. However, one critical part of the Five Kingdoms universe is that magic is an abundant commodity that is a part of everyday life and not some plot device used to drive the story. In short, the Five Kingdoms universe is the setting of epic fantasy stories with deep characters and world-building. I try to tell as many different types of stories as possible in the universe, and hopefully, you can find something for you in it.
28.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:40
eric_river | drama | Complete
Every child in every town has heard adventure's callsongs and stories of the hero, known and loved by allbut every now and then a stubborn child will come alongwho will not rest until they've been the hero in a song And what awaits the child who chases dreams until their endthose who challenge fate with every day they have to spendwould they know the questions to the answers which they findwhat of all the family and friends they left behind Should this be a tale of good and evil, or of fatechoices made in moments lost and battles won too latesomewhere on the hero's path he might just go astraymaybe it's a simple song to those who know the way
47.14 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:52
NothingnessAbove | drama | Complete
There were two things I knew instantly when I began to exist. The Number was 1922916.12. And I had to make the Number go up. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
31.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 15:59
Matt59Red | historical | Complete
"There is no more a turbulent time to live than during the slow, often violent, fall of a dying empire." Within the borders of the turbulent Revaryn Empire, a young noble named Kaewyn Edderfield is left in charge of his father's land of Greystone Province. Kaewyn however, would prefer to spend his time in taverns or reading books rather than do his duty as acting lord. Now burdened with the responsibility of rule, he must navigate the courtly world of provincial politics where officials, both military and civil, vie for favour and position. Along the way, Kaewyn will meet a plethora of characters. Among them are arrogant scholars, rival nobles as well as new and old friends. Knowing who to place his trust in and who to push aside will be vital if his home of Greystone Province is to survive the coming chaos.
182.73 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:20
The dead have never been so alive. After a deadly contagion reduced the world's population into mindless, undead cannibals, the ruins of America still teem with activity, as some of the dead have regained their intelligence and created their own society; one free from the living's touch. Now, more than a decade later, survivalist extraordinaire Liam Fenix seeks to reunite with his family after undertaking a harrowing escape from the uninhabited island that has been his prison, only to discover that he is the sole survivor of the civilization he left behind. He is not alone, however, as undead bounty hunter Leah believes that Liam holds the key to reversing the pandemic that created her race. Armed with their survivalist expertise and following traces of the past, the two must traverse the wastelands together and bring back life to an otherwise dead world, even as they are pursued by a tyrant who does not want this plague to end. **This series is tagged as Multiple Leads because it contains multiple POVs throughout. **These stories are styled as if they were a set of paperback novels being released concurrently as opposed to a weekly web serial. Some sections may have wonky pacing as a result.
150.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 16:35
