Aest Belequa | contemporary | Complete
Some men have demons inside them. Lou's stays in the mirror, stalking his wife. It's at the doctor's office. It's in the bathroom at their assisted living apartment. It even chases the car when they go shopping. It keeps getting closer. And as it does, he's having a harder and harder time remembering. Lou doesn't want to find out what'll happen if if reaches Abigail. He has to stop the demon. Content Warning: This story is about dementia. I'm trying not to pull punches. Edit: I'm incredibly honored to have won the June 2023 Community Magazine Contest. Thank you all for reading!
4.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 10:51
Not_Important | drama | Complete
This is the story of a child. One who should be dead, as nothing survives them. But the child fled and was rescued, through an act that broke prophecies and shattered Truth. Even though it was only an extended arm. Now, after excaping true horror, she faces the challenge of the grim reality. She needs to adapt; to survive, but also simply to live. Even though she was never meant to. This a world of fantasy. Magic exists, marvelous creatures roam the lands. But in no way is this reality fantastical, magical, or forgiving. It is one ruled by the Imperatrix. It takes place in an Empire that was created on the ashes of the War. And as it is true everywhere, its rules are made by the powerful, the rich and the mindless masses. [Release schedule is one chapter every two weeks on Fridays 8PM GMT+1 until I get myself in a good writing stride, and then I'll go back to one chapter per week.] (I am an aspiring author working full-time on my passion in the hope of one day being edited in either French or English, as I write in both languages.)
189.06 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:50
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
In pursuit of reunification with his love who died far away, the deathless Liu Xie makes a deal with the heavens to bring her orphaned daughter Idony to the First Palace where the Heavens meet the mortal land. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done, even for him as the fate of others link to his and Idony's journey. Bo is a lost dog of a man, seeking vengeance. Rui Yifu is a false friend fleeing from his own face and past, and Li Baobao comes for penance. Yet something else may be pulling the strings, its own designs expanding like terrible roots in the soil. A slow burn. Uploads every Tuesday and Friday.
320.30 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 15:37
Mercs are causing trouble in my city. They are hunting someone, whatever the cost. It's not like I care that some lowly humans died, but if I don't act now it would set a bad example. So what would the hero do? Probably he would save the victims and protect them while the enemies keep coming& Yeah, as if I would ever do something so troublesome! They aren't calling me the demon lord for no reason. I suppose I'll just shoot the victim and be done with it. Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books Author's Comment: If you find mistakes, pls tell, thx. I don't like mistakes.[/window] 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. I have no problem with translation and reposting of the story, as long as the person in question isn't doing it for money or stealing my identity. 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)
79.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:57
PLEASE DO NOT disregard the content warnings. They are there for a reason. This is a gruesome body-horror story with no moral absolutism. Amazon link to bookCheaper paperback version at AutumnFiction (US Only) The story is available in eBook and Paperback formats. It will not be stubbed for the foreseeable future. Jakob was only seven when he was summoned to Helmsgarten's sewers by the Fleshcrafter calling himself Grandfather. For seven painful years, Jakob studied the depraved craft of his monstruous mentor, before being let loose on the populace of the metropolis. With the vague task of creating the ultimate being to rival the greatest creation of Grandfather, he is left with nothing but the flesh-stitched robes on his body and the loyal wight Heskel. Together, the pair explore a civilisation that is utterly alien to them, as they were both raised in the dark and damp of the city's underbelly. Along his journey, Jakob constructs many monsters and constructs, while dodging the noose of the guards and the Kingdom's justice. He cavorts with demons and their spawn, joins the Adventurers' Guild in his voracious hunt for knowledge, fights nightmares of his own creation, and parleys with Demon Lords and Great Ones. Many who believe him a weak child suffer eternally for their arrogance. Even the Kingdom, with its inexhaustible wealth and power, rues the day it chose to cross the Fleshcrafter Boy and interfere with his great undertaking. And in the end, even Grandfather must face the realisation that his creation is greater than he could ever have imagined. I have plans to continue with a second book, so make sure to follow my profile if you enjoy the story. The cover is a MidJourney creation. I have a Discord group where you can connect with other readers of my stories.
112.74 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 11:34
InadvisablyCompelled | action | Complete
Now on Book Five! Check the Volumes selector to make sure you start at the right place! Book One: Paranoid Mage Buy on Amazon! Callum had seen things all his life. There are monsters and beasts living among people, but he learned very early not to admit such things, not if he didn’t want people to think him crazy. It turns out that the supernatural is real, but at thirty Callum has no desire to be part of that secret. Not that he has a choice when it turns out he is a mage, albeit one that hasn’t cast any spells in all his life. There are requirements, duties, and education that the powers that be insist he be subject to. To hell with that. Book Two: Renegade Mage Buy on Amazon! After escaping from the Guild of Arcane Regulation and the Bureau of Secret Enforcement, Callum has lost his greatest protection: his obscurity. Now the powers that be know who he is, and hiding is harder than ever. Nor is hiding a plan, just a reaction. Now Callum is forced to decide how he wants to approach the supernatural world, and how he’s going to keep himself secure when the apparatus of government is arrayed against him. Even if he wanted to live as a mage, that bridge has been thoroughly burned, and even if he wanted to live as a normal person, he is far too deep to close his eyes to what he’s seen. He has to make his own terms. Book Three: Heretic Mage Buy on Amazon Callum is at war with the Guild of Arcane Regulation, the organization that governs mages on Earth. He’s spent most of his time lying low and hiding out, trying to understand what he can do and how he can remain free from their meddling. What he’s learned is that he can’t. It’s time to move from reaction to action, and take on GAR and its evils directly. Book Four: Reclusive Mage The Guild of Arcane Regulation has fractured, and new forces move on the board. Callum cannot quite declare victory, for even a weakened GAR still forces him to hide from the world at large, yet he is no longer prepared to run. Instead he builds his own strengths to stand against those who wish to do him harm. Change, once started, is hard to stop. Callum’s actions have brought change to the world of the supernatural, but that can bring chaos and destruction even as he eliminates tyranny and corruption. He has to move beyond being one man against the world, and stand in the world he’s made. Book Five: Sovereign Mage The portal to the Night Lands is closed, and vampires are barred from Earth, but at a high cost. Not only does Callum have to deal with the fallout of the vampire race’s final spasms, but the political consequences of demonstrating his ability and willingness to attack portal worlds directly. The forces that were moving to control a weakened GAR have come out into the open, and Callum has to deal with stakes much higher than his personal freedom. It's time to join with his allies and move to open conflict. Even the secret of supernatural presence on Earth is at play, and Archmage’s Council and the Seven Lesser Courts threaten the very concept of human sovereignty. Everything comes down to removing the would-be tyrants, and so preserving the Earth as it should be. Paranoid Mage is an urban fantasy but it goes rather sideways from the normal stuff fairly quickly. Chapters are Fridays, 5PM EST, with approximately 5,000 words per chapter. Join our Discord!
312.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 11:28
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
R.C. Joshua | comedy | Complete
Lots of people get Isekai'd, and Matt is no exception. After a quickly resolved misunderstanding with a truck-shaped system assistant, he's sent to Gaia, the garden planet. The truck assures him it's going to be a really good fit. And it would probably be right, too, if it wasn't for the fact that Gaia is a burned-out wasteland, completely devoid of life. Matt has all the system-granted advantages of a litRPG Isekai hero - it's just that he arrived a little late for them to do anyone any good. Now Matt is starving, wandering through a sterilized, featureless wasteland that doesn't much care about his improved stats, and trying to find a system-issued guardian that might not even exist. Can he survive a planet that didn't survive itself?
186.14 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:28
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
Exterminatus | comedy | Complete
The universe was a vast, empty, dark, and uncaring place. Then life happened, and the universe was changed forever. Only a teeny-tiny bit, but definitely different. Then again, the universe changes a teeny-tiny bit every second of every day. For instance, if someone were to get off the couch and randomly drink a glass of milk? Bam! One less glass of milk in the universe. Changed forever. Well, excluding any time-travel shenanigans, but anyone who puts a big old hole in the time-space continuum just to un-drink a glass of milk should really reevaluate their priorities. Unless, of course, they were attempting to prevent some massive catastrophe vis-a-vis said glass of milk. Such a scenario is by no means impossible, as one should never underestimate the importance of calcium. Another important tip for any life forms out there is to keep things in perspective. Some look at the vastness of creation in relation to themselves and go, Man, this sucks!' These people really need to narrow their focus. Sure, they will never affect anything happening on the other end of the galaxy, but so what? That's way the heck over there, where it doesn't matter. Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy mindset, it is important to narrow one's perspective to the things and people that affect them, and that they can affect in turn. But what happens if one is an unfathomable cosmic being from beyond the veil of reality? What happens when such an existence is capable of influencing entire swathes of the universe just by its presence? A creature such as Magh'rathlak the Observer? That particular entity is only about average as far as reality-warping creatures from the dawn of time go, so its influence over the fabric of reality is rather limited. And it still struggles to keep things in perspective. That, among other things, is why it decided to narrow its worldview a bit by compressing the maddening vastness of its being into a single corporeal form. Magh'rathlak had never tried such a feat, but that wasn't about to stop it. After all, how hard could being human possibly be?
93.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:13
Exterminatus | comedy | Complete
Everybody Loves Large Chests isnow available on Amazonand Audible! Featuring lots of editorial love and a more enjoyable reading/listening experience! Large chests are said to encompass all manner of hopes and dreams. Men covet them. Women envy them. But one fact holds true - everyone wants to get their hands on some big ones. The same holds true for one intrepid adventurer - a strapping young lad by the name of Himmel. Armed with his grandfather's trusty longsword and the dream of being the strongest, he sets out on the journey of a lifetime! It is sure to be a long and dangerous road, fraught with danger! And it all starts with a simple test - reach Level 5 in the dungeon called the newbie zone' and earn the right to become a full-fledged adventurer! However, such things get hopelessly derailed when his adolescent mind beholds an exposed chest for the first time. A fateful meeting that would inevitably lead his life in a direction he never even dreamed of! This fiction is written, maintained and owned by Neven Iliev. It is also a participant of the WriTEr's pledge.
890.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:42
Cocop (Cale Plamann) | comedy | Complete
The Empire and the Church span almost the entirety of the known world, absent some pockets of lawlessness and the realms of the deceiver. They are governed as a despotic theocracy, ruled in name by the solitary and omnipotent God, Al'Shazan.In practice, Al'Shazan is bored, flighty, cruel and has little interest in ruling the Empire. Instead the Empire is run by the High Priest, Minister of the Treasury, and the Knight Commander of the inquisition. Their job is to make sense of the contradictory nonsense spewed forth by their living God while simultaneously ruling the greatest nation that the world has ever known. The entire time, they have to maintian the facade that Al'Shazan is a benevolent and loving God in order to maintain morale in the general populace. --------- The actual genre for this is more along the lines of a Fantasy Political Comedy/Drama/Thriller. It will not be 'crunchy' (minimal action, minimal descriptions of powers/abilities) but instead be focusing on world building and political maneuvering. As a warning, it is fairly dark.
34.52 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:40
Angry Spider | comedy | Complete
Argus was a dungeon, sprawling for miles under the cities of man above all the way until a human, angry at the death of one of his companions, murdered him. When he discovered where he was, he found that he had come back to life as nothing more or less than a human being, complete with its own nervous system, organs, and brain. Worst of all, his precious System is gone, and he has to actuallygrow up. How disgusting.
30.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:11
Fresh_Pursuit | contemporary | Complete
Completed Story. Texas Lawman Cash Renshaw gets pulled into a world of magic and mysticism that he never knew existed but finds himself uniquely suited to handle. Alhambra Sheriff's Office Detective Cash Renshaw is about to wake up. He learns that there is another world out there where all the creatures of nightmare and magic are real. Not only that but he finds that he is a special type of person called an "Archetype" that derives powers from the collective power of human imagination. Now he will join his new partner in the Agency for Metanatural Investigation to investigate a strange new type of Runic Tattooing that allows normal humans to tap into magic powers, at the cost of their lives. Cash will learn that his new reality is as deadly as it is mysterious, and his first case might be his last.
51.07 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:16
Doctor Zero | contemporary | Complete
The meaning of life is to protect the ego, because it makes the dopamine. Horm is worried that the future is happening too slow. He's afraid he might miss it. So he makes a plan to speed things up using dopamine - the brain chemical that drives motivation. It could work. Disclaimer - This book is weird.
9.13 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:29
In an isolated valley, the last members of humanity scratch a living from what little nature remains. Life is hard, but peaceful, and Sky Memoriam's days are filled with preparations to assume the role of- Shades of Forever is an eldritch punk/horror comedy with some light progression elements, in that numbers will go up but they are not the main focus of the story. Our protagonist, Sky Memoriam, is one of the last surviving humans on an Earth ravaged by cataclysm thousands of years ago. At least, that's what Sky thinks. However, when a spaceship from the broader galactic community carrying a modified combat AI designed to serve as an interface between humans and Things That Are Better Off Not Thought Of crashes outside Sky's village, life starts getting weird. Also, violent. Release Schedule - Mon-Wed-Fri, with potential bonus chapters on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays Changelog SEVENTH UPDATE - Complete. So long, and thanks for all the fish! SIXTH UPDATE - New cover poll! FIFTH UPDATE - Working on adding music updates to chapters where it's been a defining influence. FOURTH UPDATE: Updated the update schedule. Updog. Backlog is a lie. Do not be tempted by its honeyed words. THIRD UPDATE: Changed the genre slightly and reformatted the boxes to not be as mind-melting on mobile thanks to advice from Macronomicon (go read Industrial Strength Magic!) SECOND UPDATE: Changed the blurb, still churning out words, restored the original MS Paint glory due to overwhelming poll demand from the one person who chose a valid vote option. Your actions have consequences, kids. UPDATE: Hit the 55k Writeathon goal, heck yeah! Also made a new cover to appease those of you permanently scarred by MS Paint. Will work on refining the blurb.
102.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 18:00
A conversation with a handsome stranger leaves Ariane chained in a cellar with a strange affliction. She soon discovers that the darkness of the nineteenth century's Deep South hides many dangers. Mages, wolf shifters and the humans who hunt them play a risky game where to stumble is to die, all under the amused gaze of the apex predators of the supernatural world: vampires. It is never healthy to attract the gaze of the aristocracy of the night. It takes much to survive in this merciless world, but Ariane will not let that deter her. The southern belle has a bite, and she is willing to learn and to grow in this hostile new world. She will use whatever means necessary to reclaim her freedom, be it guile, charm, or those intriguing new instincts that make blood so delectable. This is a story of vampires as I believe they should be, with their strengths and weaknesses, with their remnants of humanity and the beast inside. Updates every Friday. Mind the tags. Cover by Antti Hakosaari:https://www.artstation.com/haco Special thanks to Svensonsen for getting me started, as well as Omi Nya, Hesketh, Rhaegar, Yaksher, Selkie and Raven for proofreading my stuff. Thanks to my patrons and you dear readers, for the support. I could not do it without you.Journey is on Amazon, both in ebooks and audio. here is a link to the first one:https://www.amazon.com/Journey-Black-Red-Alex-Gilbert-ebook/dp/B08DK6G8Y8The story probably exists in your local marketplace as well of I can tempt you.
693.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:25
Cheis of Veraleigh the Necromancer is a hero renowned throughout the realms, but that doesn't mean her social life is doing all that well -- she'd rather hunt monsters and write new spells than deal with the unpleasant reality of her impending middle age. But when an ancient evil awakens, she just may have to make up her mind about what she wants out of life -- and deal with what life wants out of her.
99.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 13:57
Sharkerbob | contemporary | Complete
In 2029, thirteen unearthly structures called Doorways appeared across the world. Any human that entered immediately disappeared. Thousands were never seen again, but every once in a while, someone would come back out after a few days, garbed in strange clothing and possessing superhuman powers. Despite the odds, many of the desperate, ambitious, and hopeful surged through the Doorways in search of personal power.Eleven years have passed, and the world has undergone catastrophic changes as the result of superhuman conflict. Entire continents and civilizations have been lost, a supervillain epidemic threatens those societies that remain, and the world's greatest superhero team has just been destroyed. In the wake of this latest tragedy, a band of powerful superhuman bounty hunters comes together to track down the source of these disasters, and perhaps save what remains of the falling world.
65.96 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:54
