The Case of Augustus McClairne

Goreman the Gormless | horror | Complete

A private investigator takes on more he bargained for when he's hired to track down a missing aristocrat.

1.85 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 13:53

Ystets Lake

Illhark | horror | Complete

The water level of Ystets Lake is rising without explanation. Maxie the hydrologist and her thrill-seeking companion are out to investigate; they've come prepared for the man-eating aliens in the surrounding forest, but what they aren't ready for is the lake itself. Also in the AUU-16 universe: Soulless (Apparently)  The Departure  Night Game  Ystets Lake

7.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:53

A Field of Persistence

Saint Sword | horror | Complete

A Field of Persistance is about an 18-year old boy who gets lost in a mysterious cornfield trying to find his dad.

0.66 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:37

Napoleonic Zombies

LC Oakleigh | horror | Complete

Bertand, a young soldier in the Francia army suspects foul play from the Collation when unreliable reports come in about the eastern regions of the Francia Conglomerate being under assault by an undying enemy. Dispatched there alongside two entire legions to eliminate the threat, he will have to use every ounce of his wits and willpower to survive the upcoming storm of carnage and chaos. --------------------------------------------------------------------- [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] started decently late so will be uploading every time I make a new chapter, so roughly every day. I don't quite know if my story is gory but I still put the tag just in case Cover courtesy of FabioKun Also my grammar does get better. At about chapter 10 I figure out how tenses work which is nice. Also around chapter 35 I actually get a pretty awesome proof reader and now spend around an hour for editing. So it does get better I promise

41.11 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:56

Night Stalker - A Tome of Bill Adventure

rickgualtieri | horror | Complete

BEFORE HE WAS TRYING TO SAVE THE WORLD, HE JUST WANTED TO SAVE HIS OWN ASS. Bill Ryder has a problem: the vampires under his rule don't respect him. Unfortunately, in the world of the supernatural, that makes him as good as dead. In order to keep breathing, Bill must become someone else &somethingelse. Enter the Night Stalker, fearsome predator of the undead. In this menacing new guise, Bill hopes to strike terror into the hearts of his detractors. There's only one small issue  reading about superheroes and actually becoming one are completely different things. Bill must take a crash course in all things vigilante. Because if he can't convince his coven they need him, his tenure as an immortal creature of the night will be mighty short indeed. -------- Series note: This novella takes places betweenBill The VampireandScary Dead Things (The Tome of Bill - 2) New chapters posted on M-W-F

15.97 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 18:26

Abyssal Symphony (A Short Story)

Siohkun | horror | Complete

In the mysterious town of Ravenshade, where ancient woods guard age-old secrets, stands Shadowcroft Manora place whispered about in hushed tones. As the winds carry echoes of mysteries, a scholar named Alex Whitaker arrives, drawn by the lure of the unknown. Little do the townsfolk know that the grand hall of the manor houses a nexus, a bridge between realms that hold forbidden knowledge and cosmic forces. As Alex delves into the enigmatic estate, the cosmic dance between celestial entities and malevolent shadows unfolds. The grand hall, once silent, becomes a cosmic sanctum where the scholar's journey tests the very fabric of reality. Celestial symbols glow with an otherworldly radiance, and shadows, reduced to echoes, attempt a final convergence. The estimated time it will take to read the following story is around 14 minutes.

1.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 13:55

Eldritch, Fragments from the Abyss

Pxan | horror | Complete

A black monolith stands before my eyes, images and letters of all sort are engraved, some normal, other bizarre, many confuse and contort, pictures of beasts and monsters confuse themself in the thin white letters that are all over the monolith, I realize that they are stories, stories on the Eldrich and unknown.This is not a single story but a collection of short stories inspire by H.P. Lovecraft, E.A. Poe and other writers of strange fiction.Read them in every order that you like. I am looking for an editor, if someone wants to help me avoid typos please contact me.

7.26 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:55

Body of Life

NicholasTeller | horror | Complete

A woman wakes up in the middle of a dark tunnel of flesh. With no memory of how she got there, her only choice is to move forwards and discover what this place is. This is a (very) short story made as an assignment for a university writing course

1.20 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 17:30

No One Sees The Janitor

GhostImageArt | horror | Complete

Dave is not a happy man, But he is a man with a plan. After many years working as a Janitor in the College of Magic, he is finally ready to seize his destiny and become a mage. He has the knowledge he has overheard as he worked and a forbidden object as his focus... but that has to be enough. Who cares if his focus is a mirror? After all... Mirrors can't eat people.

5.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:19

Sidonian Vigor

Nekomota | horror | Complete

The Sidonian Empire stands with pride to spite and take vengeance, in the name of its leader, the Lady Sidonia. Alisson Vi Nuam and Celistine Regadonia; the master and the apprentice, although meek, must push outside their boundaries if they wish to survive, and aid their fellow comrades in victory. Victory however, means victory against the entire world. Sidonian forces are of course higher quality than the rest of the human scum on the continent, but quality over quantity can only get you so far when you're outnumbered by such a large factor. Decrepit beasts roam the tunnels under the ground, and humans are all too happy to squash another subhuman nation such as Sidonia. With a sudden surprise attack launched on Sidonia, and war being declared, it's only a matter of time until the vastly larger human armies march down the continent and overwhelm the speck at the bottom of the map that is Sidonia. However, the orders Alisson receives one fateful day may be the key to his species survival, or an elaborate way of saying die'. Either way, orders are orders, and even if the Lady Sidonia did tell him to take his own life, he would do so in a heartbeat, as would any Sidonian as Alisson could imagine. This sentiment however, unbeknownst to Alisson, is subject to change, especially when he receives a brand-new apprentice to follow him everywhere. She may prove yet to be Alisson's first real friend. Because what's a better method of bonding than being hunted by both human and monster alike? Updates sparsely every couple weeks; this is a hobby, not my jobby :) Takes inspiration from everything from Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukovsky to the Spice and Wolf series by Isuna Hasekura. The main characters are not overly powerful, there is no cultivation, and there are no levels. The world isn't defined or spoonfed to the reader, and care has been taken to make sure every character seems human, no matter their importance to the plot. Please feel free to reach out to me about any grammar issues, questions, or critique, leave comments, or leave reviews, anything helps

373.24 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:00

Shadowed Waters: Book One

NicholasGraves | horror | Complete

It came down in a ball of fire missing the transatlantic cruise. In a search for survivors, crewmembers find a body floating among the debris. But they also find something else. Before they realize the terror they've uncovered, it's already too late. A horror quickly spreads across the ship while its passengers are trapped in the middle of the endless blue.

16.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 14:29

Big Iron

someguynamedted | horror | Complete

On his way home from the conclusion of a devastating civil war, monster hunter Blake Campbell encounters dark entities who have made their home in a sleepy mountain town. Big Iron is a short novel set in Alternate Reality America with folk magic, superstition, and Lovecraftian horror throughout.

39.68 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:51

To Be Wanted

kiltsi | horror | Complete

A woman is overtaken by her past actions, slowly leaving one reality for another.

7.56 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 14:30

[Portuguese] Midoriya e sua vida

Satoshy | horror | Complete

Com uma midoriya sem sabre acabou com a vida dele vem muitas reviravoltas e intrigas

2.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 13:17

Bitterness, Pity, and a Snowglobe

Fay Voss | horror | Complete

Tragic literary horror originally written for a contest. Written in 2nd person.

0.45 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:56

I Was a Teenage Necromancer

Dreadwizard Siegfried | horror | Complete

Craven Falls has a serial killer stalking the streets. Amber should know, she's the latest victim. Dead but not gone, her ghost settles in to haunt the cemetery when the literal chance of a lifetime comes by in the middle of the night: a classmate of hers, Scott Havenbrook. Showing up with a shovel, it turns out he's a practitioner of the mystical art of necromancy, and can revive her-for a price. But before he can, they must find the killer in order to put everything right, while a sinister plot takes shape in the darkness. Can they save her before it's too late?

47.38 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:35

Promise

Orb of Night | horror | Complete

A Cold and Cruel world besiege the dammed as everything dies off. A Collection of Grimdark & Horror Stories.

1.52 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:33

Artistic Slashing - A LITRPG Novella

GhostImageArt | horror | Complete

Betty Jewel, A simple artist taking a tour of the Highlands takes a wrong turn and finds herself in a new world. Now she's lost, alone, and surrounded by aliens. Oh, and she just got the Slasher class. That can't be good... right? I will be publishing this work on Amazon under the name C.J. Danvers

26.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:54

Palus Somni

Ohmwu | horror | Complete

It is the final days after the end of the world and you only have one month left before the last sanctuary erupts into chaos. There's a dead body hanging from a tree and cadaverous giants watch you sleep at night. The end is already here, you just don't know it yet. Now rated in the top 3% of all novels on Royal Road! Palus Somni (Marsh of Sleep') is a worldbuilding webnovel about what happens when your God forsakes you. Inspired by gothic horror and mingled with British myth and folklore, join the Alucinari nuns as they struggle with day-to-day life after the world has ended. Every night when the sun sets the monstrous Gol, colossal beings with too many teeth, awaken and roam the marshlands. Only those with a faithful heart will be spared. Young acolyte Wille has never seen the walls fail, but when a fellow nun is murdered within their sanctum the very safety of the monastery is thrown into question. Did the Gol find a way to breach their defences, or is there a human traitor amongst them? The answer lies both far in the past and deep beneath the earth, through the maze of ancient catacombs. With a cast of over thirty different characters, watch as your friends and enemies spiral into inevitable madness at the hands of a callous and unforgiving world. Discover the secrets of Palus Somni through letters, diary entries and notes found scattered across the monastery. Uncover the mystery of the grotesque giants that stalk the night and bring your challenge to the Gods themselves. Each character has their own handmade pixel art, and every update includes a music recommendation for a dark atmospheric dungeon synth album that you can listen to while you read. Slice of life meets cosmic abomination: Palus Somni is a collection of intertwining stories, some chapters are stand-alone tales while others feed into the overarching narrative. It is an exploration into a community, and rather than focusing on any one character the story meanders through the convent, exposing the hopes and fears of its inhabitants. Story updates every full moon.

83.11 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 10:57

Oratoria: Bury the Dead

Razzmatazz | horror | Complete

In the dark and treacherous abyss of Oratoria, Esper lives a solitary existence among the dead. Trapped in a lifeless prison, she makes a desperate bid for freedom as she sets out on a journey to the surface, guided by an ancient whisper carried by the winds. But the path ahead is fraught with danger, as strange and unseen forces conspire to stop her at every turn. As she battles to overcome the grim machinations coming into motion, Esper discovers that her journey is not just about physical escape but also a quest for the truth about her past, her true identity, and the reason for her confinement in the abyss. Along the way, she will encounter a host of fascinating and mysterious characters, some of whom will aid her and others who will seek to impede her progress. With her courage and determination, Esper must overcome the obstacles in her path as she races against time to reach the ever distant surface, which she so desperately dreams to see. Will she finally escape the abyss and see the light of day, or will she be doomed to live out her days in the depths of Oratoria? Find out in this epic fantasy adventure! (Complete!) (Neuro-Divergant Protagonist) (Classic Fantasy) (Dark)

57.27 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:37