MichaelJSullivan | one_shot | Complete
TWO ROGUES | FOUR SHORT STORIES | ONE CLASSIC FANTASY OF UNLIKELY HEROES The Riyria novels featuring Royce Melborn (a cynical ex-assassin) and Hadrian Blackwater (an idealistic ex-mercenary) have been enthralling fantasy readers for more than 15 years. Now for the first time four short stories and two full-length novels are available for free on Royal Road. You can read these shorts in any order, but if you haven't read any of my books, I suggest starting with The Thieves. The Thieves:THEY ATTACKED TWO RIDERS. THEY THOUGHT IT WOULD BE EASY. THEY WERE WRONG.A band of thieves set upon two lonely riders in the middle of the night. They had a larger party. They had the element of surprise. There was no reason to be concerned. But they didn't realize who they were dealing with. The Viscount and the Witch: WHO WILL BE SCHOOLED?A desperate woman seeks help to rid her barn of a drunkard. Hadrian agrees to help, and Royce goes along only to teach his idealistic partner that no good deed goes unpunished. What they find isn't what they expected, and maybe it'll be Royce's opinion that will be changed. Professional Integrity: YOU WANT US TO STEAL WHAT?Several years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start their thieves-for-hire organization, better known as Riyria. Things have gone well enough for the team as they perform tasks for nobles throughout Elan. Usually, that means stealing something, but when a young heiress asks them to steal her . . . well, that's a first for the pair. The Jester: WHO WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH?Stop me if you've heard this one. A thief, a candlemaker, an ex-mercenary, and a pig farmer walk into a trap . . . and what happens is no joke. When Riyria is hired to retrieve a jester's treasure, Royce and Hadrian must match wits with a dwarf who proves to be anything but a fool. Difficult choices will need to be made, and in the end, those who laugh last do so because they are the only ones to survive. If you enjoy these Riyria short stories, you'll be happy to know there are another 10 full-length novels (2 are available for free on Royal Road) featuring these rogues-for-hire and a total of 19 novels in an epic series that spans 3,000 years. The novels are spread across four collections as seen here. The Riyria Revelations:Theft of Swords(containsThe Crown Conspiracy&Avempartha).". Rise of Empire(containsNyphron Rising&The Emerald Storm) "Heir of Novron(containsWintertide&Percepliquis) The Riyria Chronicles:The Crown Tower " The Rose and the Thorn " The Death of Dulgath ". The Disappearance of Winter's Daughter Legends of the First Empire:Age of Myth " Age of Swords " Age of War " Age of Legend " Age of Death " Age of Empyre The Rise and Fall:Nolyn "Farilane " Esrahaddon
22.48 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:36
AlexaLee | one_shot | Complete
Follow Dasher, the food delivery robot, as he fights to deliver food to hungry people, even though the journey is at times scary and perilous. Plagued with fading memories from his life before, he struggles to hold on to his humanity whilst also making sure he keeps the items entrusted to him safe until he reaches his destination.
19.07 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:47
COMPLETED: 01/02/2019 "The loneliest people are the kindest.""The most damaged people are the wisest.""The saddest people smile the brightest." All because they do not wish to see anyone else suffer the way they do.
3.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:25
Francesca is a combat maid and she has one simple job - ensure that the carefree and idyllic life of the young lady of the Albergoni family is not disturbed. Many would seek to harm the young lady, so Francesca must ensure that all of the dirt of the world is discreetly cleaned without her noticing.On a day like any other, the young lady sets off to play with her friend at the park, and as usual, Francesca expects to have a busy time. The cleaning work of a maid never ends after all.
4.35 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:26
DarenGillingham | one_shot | Complete
Demons, Dragons, ghouls, and gheists. The monsters of Terra are many. I, Nicholas Wolfram shall tell you all about them in the hopes you may avoid the fate of some of my students. Read on, lest a lack of knowledge be your undoing. These monsters are based on those found in The Alchemist Series.
20.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:22
Majorian | one_shot | Complete
Cadet Commissar Karl Waino wanted to be a war hero. After years of schooling, he finally got his chance on the planet Banshee, attached to an Imperial Guard regiment to prove he had what it took to lead men into battle. What started as a simple reconnaissance mission becomes the ultimate fight for survival as Karl Waino learns just how horrible war is in the 41st millennium.
15.43 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:20
The Jester in Red | one_shot | Complete
Famous poet and self-proclaimed adventurer, Orion Auslandin, sets off on a journey to find the mythical Valley of the Salt Sparrow Heart and prove that there is more to him than simply being the son of the Pirate King. Inspired by ancient poetry and a journal entry from a long dead author, Orion hires a crew to aid him in his quest of discovery. Along the way they face down pirates that wish to capture him, strange creatures that inhabit the island, and dangerous waters.
5.91 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 16:24
FancyOtter-98 | one_shot | Complete
The sun's gone out in the solar system, but who's to blame? A short Story inspired by Douglas Adams
0.32 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:10
A wanderer stumbles upon the City of Wizards on the day they celebrate their triumph over their tyrant gods and watches the view with an old wizard. A 4th of July fireworks-inspired short story, set in a world where gods are plentiful and sometimes they die. Cover image is an awful photo of part of the inspiring fireworks show in question.
1.09 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 12:28
Lost souls enter the multiverse.We follow the story of one of them as he rises. Novice writer of terrible talent writing in his second language.
3.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 17:56
Jeffrey B Wolf | one_shot | Complete
Kill Shotis an action heavy science fiction short story, set in a time where the rich mind-ride the combatants of intergalactic battle royale matches, experiencing everything the fighters do, whether those warriors are human, alien, or machine.
3.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 17:56
Miles Trombley | one_shot | Complete
Tyger and his friends are a group of genetically engineered cat humanoid, raised to become star rangers for the intergalactic human federation, called the Star Alliance. Their job is to protect the human colonies and defeat whoever tries to threaten them. But everything changed when a mysterious race of alien bugs appears from the unknown and attack the planets. To order to stop the bugs, the Star Cats must find an alien artifact with the mysterious potential of stopping the invaders. They will travel to different worlds, fight different space monsters, and raid two alien temples before the bugs exterminate everyone across the galaxy. Will they be able to save humans, or will they fall? Note: There might be grammar errors I missed because this is my first draft. This fiction will also be a novella. I will post the chapters between 6 pm and 10 pm. The book cover is also AI generated from Dall-e 3.
11.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 16:46
Ralts Bloodthorne | one_shot | Complete
The Sterile Queen Aveliene, the most feared of the legendary Wraithkillers, has been sent by her step-mother, the Eternal Elba, to look into rumors that the black unicorn has returned. After over a century of war, the Six Worlds lie in ruins, and an ill omen like the black unicorn appearing could mean that the troubles are still not over. A story set in the Six Worlds of Shtar, it takes place during the same time period as Echoes of War, but is a complete, stand-alone work.
12.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 18:01
Aster Loka | one_shot | Complete
~First place winner! January 2022 Royal Road Community Magazine Contest~ When all else fails, when all hope is lost, perhaps madness is less important than results. If the world is going to end, save what you can from the ashes. No matter the sacrifice. When came the monsters, So fell the elves; The rising of the Dungeon Queen, And then the sun went out.
8.70 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:11
cathfach | one_shot | Complete
All living things have needs that must be met if they desire their life to continue. Such needs range from the universal requirement for sustenance, to the more specific, such as the requirement of all higher life to sleep, or even the esoteric, such as the requirement of a pain demon to inflict suffering. The ability to exploit those needs is what separates, to pick a random example, a successful summoner from the shrivelled (but very happy) corpse that had, a few minutes earlier, conjured up a succubus with no plan of how to control her. The Cruithia Kingdom is well known by its neighbours (or at least, by the subset of them that aren't carbonised silhouettes) for exploiting such needs to bring a shining example of the world's apex predator under their control. For the past hundred years, anyone daring to encroach on the kingdom's territory has found themselves faced, very briefly, by a dragon. But perhaps 'control' isn't quite the right word, and it's that very dragon that the kingdom's betrayed crown princess is going to need to convince to aid her if she ever wants her position back. A creature of selfishness and pride, evil by any human standard, and yet occasionally steerable by those who know the correct levers. Not that convincing the dragon to help her take back her kingdom is her primary concern. That accolade goes to the need to convince the dragon not to eat her. Again. This is a short story (8 chapters/17k words) about a betrayed princess and an evil dragon. Neither has a particularly great time. Published here and scribble hub. If you see this anywhere else, it's stolen.
9.82 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:24
wercwercwerc | one_shot | Complete
Inspired bythe following writing prompt: Your car changes slightly to accommodate your day, the day it snows, it magically has snow tires, the day it floods, it becomes a four by four. Today you walked out the door, and it's a tank. (Complete)
3.22 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:26
diesel64 | one_shot | Complete
An Long is an outcast boy from Ha Gian, a small village at the gates of the Khaz'Tiber. After the invasion of the Darenis, An Long loses everything. Everything but his dream. And thanks to his perseverance, he manages to make a place for himself on the Sky Combs, where dragon riders are trained. But riding a dragon is no easy task, and the training has taken away many apprentices. Will the boy be able to fulfill his dream?
10.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 14:01
Mad Sadie | one_shot | Complete
A guard has a conversation with a storm. A short story.
0.52 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 13:38
KeeperAbra | one_shot | Complete
No shackle can bind him. No seal can stop him. He's the Lock Picking Lawyer...in another world. An OP MC parody of LPL. You ever see those lowkey memes where he's unstoppable? Yeah... A short story by KeeperAbra.
5.22 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 13:44
Spencer Havens | one_shot | Complete
Grimjack the Eviscerator never really cared for Christmas, but with the horde weakened from a recent attack by the Stridian Armada, he has no choice but to go to Santa Claus for help. He arrives at the North Pole to find that he can't turn in the Christmas wish granted to him by the Bajorin Alliance because Santa has gone missing! So, he reluctantly teams up with an unlikely group of heroes to try and save Christmas before the Torellians can harness the sadness of a year without presents and finish off the horde. Will Grimjack learn the true meaning of Christmas, or will his blood stained heart stay hardened to the truth hidden behind all the presents and decorations?
11.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 12:26
