Not everyone gets a soul. The rise of industry and mechanization has sent the world's population booming upward, striving relentlessly for the fixed handful of souls that level armies and steer the fate of nations. The remnants of a crumbled empire fight in a grinding, bloody war against their ancient enemy. Not everyone gets a soul, but Michael must - for he is the scion of a lord, and the soulless cannot hold such a title. For five years he has tried to tempt one of the souls freed by its vessel's death. Five years of pain and failure, earning only his father's contempt. At last, one more opportunity to earn his soul has come. But not everyone gets a soul quite like his. Updates weekly on Wednesdays. Cover art by Harry Rowland.
348.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:49
MeetFearsomeDragons | fantasy | Complete
Regis knows it's an illusion. He's only ever seen Princess Charlotte from afar; only heard her voice when she spoke to a crowd. Sure he's good at reading people, but he knows she of all people will be wearing a perfect mask. The problem is he's in love with the illusion, and it's not going away. So he strikes out on a quest: win the fighting tournament held every year, where she gives out the prize, and hypotheticallyjust hypotheticallyhe can forfeit the monetary winnings and instead ask for a week to be close to her, to get to know the real her, and break the illusion once and for all.
17.35 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:52
mrsimple | historical | Complete
A posthuman, dying as the shockwave of a supernova reaches his starship, awakens to find himself in the body of a little girl on ancient Earth — a girl who was just murdered by marauding invaders from another tribe. Written by MrSimpleEdited by Trismegistus Shandy
12.44 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:31
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
Etzoli | contemporary | Complete
Revised version now available! Amazon paperback, ebook, audiobook, Kobo, B&N, Google In the war-torn land of Cyraveil, four heroes strove to overthrow an empire. By cold steel and elemental sorcery, they brought peace to a warring land on the brink of destruction. As the flames died, the realm needed strong leadership, and who better than the champions who had saved the kingdom? But when the people sought out their saviors... they vanished. Matt, Blake, Jen, and Carl: the four mysterious companions, who together had deposed an insane ruler and saved countless lives, were gonespirited back in a whirlwind of magic to a sleepy suburb in Mellbridge, Oregon, never to return. The friends found themselves home inthe real world, exactly as they'd been the night they were taken, as if no time had passed... except only threecame back. Hi there! This was my entry for National Novel Writing Month, because why only write one series at a time? The more the merrier! (meanwhile, my keyboard bursts into flames...) I'm also the writer of The Last Science, an ongoing low-fantasy/speculative sci-fi series. If you're familiar with that, you know what to expect here: lots of character-focused drama and dialogue, not a whole lot of traditional action. However, I'm writing a bit differently than usual here, and in a very different structure, so there should be some surprises for returning readers. I hope you enjoy it! [Discord] for those of you who want to hang out and chat. Cover art (fullsize): Path of Revelation, by taenaron (Tobias Roetsch), modified by Etzoli. Normally I like to do my own cover art from scratch, but I was in a rush for the contest. Might be replaced down the line if I get time. [winner of the NaNoWriMo Royal Road 2018 challengeMost Favorites]
53.94 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:38
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
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
AMBLE | contemporary | Complete
The arch-wizard Orton hasn't been an ordinary human for many years, but traveling back into his own past for a fifth chance at defeating the evil magus Gentry puts him back in the year 1997, in his teenaged body as punk-rock dishwasher Dennis Wilkerson. Now he must retrace his steps through his adventure yet again -- recruiting his allies, defeating his enemies, and accruing his spells and powers all over again. But this time, one thing is different -- he's not alone.This novel takes place in the setting of Entangled Shadows, an urban fantasy quantum-physics magic system in development for use in Tabletop RPG play!
77.91 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:33
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
TowerCurator | contemporary | Complete
Dyna Graves grew up thinking she was special. An exception to the average. Not necessarily above her peers, but simply outside their context. However, toward the end of her high school life, she started to realize that nobody was really special. At least not in any fantastical way. Just as she started trying to figure out what she wanted to do with the rest of her life, she got an invitation. A psychic institute scoped her out, realized her psychic potential, and asked if she would undergo psionic training at the Carroll Institute. Almost immediately, Dyna realized that she wasn't quite up to the same level as many of her peers. Surrounded by clairvoyants and mind readers displaying obvious abilities made her own lack of ability all the more apparent. That was, up until the researchers and scientists of the facility realized that there was a bit more to Dyna Graves than met the eye. After an explosive incident during what should have been a routine experiment, Dyna quickly found herself wrapped up in a world of cutthroat espionage. The story can also be viewed on my website, https://www.towercurator.com/collective-thinking/. Cover art by Zoern.
230.06 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:27
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
Queenofthefuzzybugs | comedy | Complete
Once upon a time, there lived two great and mighty spirits on the mountain. One loved humans, the other hated them. When their differences could not be reconciled, they came to blows, and the human loving spirit was chased out. The banished spirit wandered the world. Rather than an exile, the spirit viewed her situation as an extended vacation. She saw all the sights and people she'd only ever heard about on the mountain. But it was a little lonely. No one could see her or hear her. She was a rootless spirit with no place to call home. And then, one day, she found a friend. When anger and jealousy take everything, only love can create something new. This is the story of perseverance, sacrifice, and forgiveness. Discord for FREE STUFF: https://discord.gg/Q2tQhQH ---Book 1: Empress of Blue Flower Mountain - Complete Book 2:Emperor of Blue Flower Mountain - In Progress Book 3:Princes of Blue Flower Mountain - N/ACover drawn by me, the Author! Lincensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
19.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 13:13
Ira Creasman | contemporary | Complete
Anna Lawrence is a quiet girl who'd rather sit and write poetry than bustle about with her peers. After an incident resulting in a panic attack and a trip to the hospital, Anna's foster mother sends her to stay with her aunt and uncle for the summer. Upon arriving in the small mountain town of Glenwood, Anna finds herself caught in the machinations of another world on the other side of the fog: warring witches, animal-headed skypirates, and the boldest, bravest, most interesting girl Anna has ever met. THROUGH MIST, VEIL, AND SUMMER is my homage to Studio Ghibli films. It's a fantasy romance with a dash of adventure and a sprinkling of self-contemplation. It's a story that moves a little slower, a little quieter. It is my fourth novel, written between October 1, 2017 and January 6, 2019.
45.44 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:27
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
Maxime J. Durand (Void Herald) | adventure | Complete
The Perfect Run is now available on Amazon and Audible: Volume 1 (Audiobook), Volume 2 (Audiobook), Volume 3 Ryan "Quicksave" Romano is an eccentric adventurer with a strange power: he can create a save-point in time and redo his life whenever he dies. Arriving in New Rome, the glitzy capital of sin of a rebuilding Europe, he finds the city torn between mega-corporations, sponsored heroes, superpowered criminals, and true monsters. It's a time of chaos, where potions can grant the power to rule the world and dangers lurk everywhere. Ryan only sees different routes; and from Hero to Villain, he has to try them all. Only then will he achieve his perfect ending... no matter how many loops it takes. The Perfect Run updates on Tuesday and Saturday. Cover byVitaly S. Alexius.
271.37 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:15
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
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
Elbowsnapper | comedy | Complete
Sora wakes up on a beach, very far from home. Determined to do whatever it takes to avoid a fate worse than death, he sets out on a mission to save the world. With a complete lack of chakra, a strange system driving his growth, and his sparkling personality at the helmwhat could possibly go wrong?Revised, restructured and rebuilt from the ground up, Medium Meld gets a new coat of paint. Enjoy.
154.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 13:58
Genuine55 | contemporary | Complete
Like any high school student, Sarah just wants to get through her day. It's not her fault she sees phantom fog everywhere she goes. It's not her fault that she suffers from a painful sensitivity to sounds, lights, and teachers who insist on playing music in class. But thankfully Sarah has gotten comfortable with her isolation. Her life begins to change when she discovers that the fog isn't just a hallucination. She can move it around, take it from the air, and infuse it into things she chooses. And she's not the only one. Along with her magic, Sarah finds friends, purpose, and even some confidence as she explores her new life. Updates M/W/F
48.48 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:33
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
