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
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
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
Aest Belequa | one_shot | Complete
The Highwayman leaves no survivors. He hasn't in over a century of terror on the Old King's Road. His reputation for ruthlessness and immortality is his greatest weapon. When a dying noble begs him to spare his daughter, the Highwayman is faced with a choice; he can protect his reputation, or he can do the right thing. One choice lets his myth live on forever. The other may mean the Highwayman's end. Edit: I'm incredibly honored to have won the January 2024 Community Magazine Contest. Thank you all for reading!
5.10 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:13
drewhead118 | one_shot | Complete
Dr. Laura Brandie is ready to change the world. She's the lead researcher behind the KSE, a revolutionary cure for paralysis and neurodegenerative conditions. And now, by good fortune, she's found the perfect candidate for her first human trial: a man who suffers from locked-in syndrome. Brett Harmon's paralysis is total: he can't move his arms, legs, torso, neck, or face. To the outside world, he's little more than a statue that breathes... but Dr. Brandie's KSE might be the miracle that allows Brett to run again.
7.96 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:38
Epsilon Twilight | one_shot | Complete
My chimera, my Alta. You were born for greatness. Alta has been trapped for all their life in darkness, a jail warded by demons and other creatures. But as they manage to escape the outside world with a hint of their true lineage, they understand that the outside was far bigger than their prison cell had been. After rescuing a fairy, they shapeshift into one and joins the fairy village, looking to find themselves, rather than their family. Author's synopsis: Gender-fluid, shapeshifting bloodthirsty creature wants to be happy and discover the world. Also fairies. A lot of fairies. WE HAVE ART! [Winner in the Royal Road Writathon challenge April 2023!]
33.36 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:23
Official page for the [Royal Road Community Magazine] Contest. This page includes the first chapters of all entries submitted before January 10th, 2024. Check out the first chapter for more details.
205.02 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 09:56
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
Mad Sadie | one_shot | Complete
A young witch makes a storm. A short.
0.44 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 13:43
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
Vantonne | one_shot | Complete
He lead a relatively simple life. He studied up until high school and went to college. He had pretty decent grades but he didn't overstep his boundaries, because honestly, he couldn't give a single shit. If it weren't for the games he played and the stories he had often read with really nasty characters that showed the true horridity of the human nature, he prolly already had killed himself off. The monotony that accompanied his loneliness was far greater than any piss-off-life-is-great person could understand. It was due to this that he had found solace in xianxia novels.
6.28 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 09:54
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
Wulfrann | one_shot | Complete
The best thing ever invented, you tell me one morning, is sliced bread. "Really?" "Yeah," you say, waving your buttered slice around for emphasis. Your fingers will be smeared with butter, and I know that later, you will complain about it. For now, though, this is a necessary part of your explanation. "I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?" Spoiler: Story Warnings Obsessive-compulsive behavior & Nonverbal shut-down
0.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:19
A boy ventures into his kitchen for a late night snack.
1.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 13:43
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
silentlysnowing | one_shot | Complete
Siren is an artist of all trades who fills her time with creation and performance. Zander is an adventurer who is always on the hunt for new challenges and undiscovered wonders. Both are solo acts, beings who make their own way through life and never settle for long in one place or with one person. Both are also immortal in a universe where living forever is a privilege held by very few. After a chance meeting and a planetwide catastrophe, Siren and Zander agree to work together in an effort to set things right. But when a simple mission goes wrong, these two independent souls might learn that sometimes, even an immortal needs someone else to lean on.
10.10 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 13:43
moonpearl | one_shot | Complete
Three short Girls Love / Sapphic / Lesbian stories, originally written for "9 Nights in the Garden of Lilies: A Yuri Garden Anthology" on Scribble Hub. Contained in this collection is: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TO BE A PRINCESS (THERE MUST FIRST BE PAIN) Princesses don't cry. This is the one rule for royalty in Corde Femmes. Vervain has known since she was a child that her fate is to be kidnapped by the Demon Queen, like all princesses before her, and saved after a year of penance. It's the only way to appease the goddess, Feuvert. But when her summoned hero sneers at the task before her and refuses to follow tradition, Vervain fears that Feuvert's wrath will destroy them all. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ THE HEART IS A SEA Mermaids are beautiful everyone knows that. But at what point does admiring them become something more? Skye has been wrestling with that question for almost the whole thirteen years of her life. Now, cast out by her friends under suspicion of being "a lesbo", it seems like the only question that matters. When an enthusiastic mermaid princess offers her a deal that might bring her closer to the answer, Skye agrees without sparing a thought for the consequences. "The Heart is a Sea" is a romantic comedy about compulsory heterosexuality and mer-human culture clash. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ MUIRGEN On their sixth anniversary, an explosion stole their lives. Tristan was still reeling from the loss of his wife when he was reborn as Muirgen, the plain daughter of minor nobility. In a flashy fantasy land that his brother would have drooled over, what was waiting for him was not a life of magic or easy glory, but exploitation at the hands of a father who legally owned him. Just when he had lost all hope, an unexpected second chance arrives through a political marriage to the dark elf queen. "Muirgen" is an atypical gender bender about grief, agency, and the art of learning to love again. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The character art used to create the cover was made with the "Sailor Senshi Maker 3" game by Drachea Rannak and Doll Divine, found here: https://www.dolldivine.com/sailor-moon-senshi-maker.php (Non-commerical use with credit allowed)
11.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 16:20
Mad Sadie | one_shot | Complete
A girl tells her friend about her experiences with a squirrel uprising. A short.
0.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 11:10
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
kjoatmon | one_shot | Complete
What exactly is Monster Farming? Well, the sad fact is that most people do not know when they sign up for the degree. They only really learn after getting into the 101 class. Let's see why!
1.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 16:21
