GrimDux | historical | Complete
A young provincial thief of no particular renown has his life of crime changed in a day. He stumbles' upon a huge pile of gold for starters and soon after a dead man carrying a letter of 'royal' interest. Literally. While at it he earns' a title of sorts, along the promise of a life out of the gutter. Before he can properly appreciate the dramatic turn of his fortunes, he's drawn into a dangerous conspiracy that threatens to embroil two continents in a devastating war. The whole affair seems to cry out for a gallant hero of old, or failing that a cunning diplomat, but he's neither. Perhaps a lying scoundrel, which our lad definitely is, would have to suffice. He does acquire' a dagger that knows a dead language after all and that must count for something. Touch O' Luck is the prologue (or opening act) to the Old Realms series of novels The Old Realms series: Touch O' Luck (Finished) Hint O' Magic (Finished) Lure O' War (Finished) Wings O' Fate (Ongoing) First chapters will be uploaded immediately. After that there will be updates every 3-5 days. Cover artwork by @IntheBlackveil Maps of the Old Realms are available here Greater Map of the Realms this is a very large image (thrice reduced in size from original, but still it might not load immediately) The Old Realms - Chapter specific maps The Old Realms All tags are relevant but most chapters are not too extreme. Fair warning dear reader, this is an 'unfiltered' story, sometimes sweet, others bitter, touching some heavy subjects or problems, like crime, war, betrayal, pride, politics, revenge etc set in a Epic Fantasy backdrop with shades of Grimdark. In its heart of hearts though, it is an adventure. The Old Realms saga is only published on RR for free. It is in the author's plans to publish it on Amazon and other platforms at some point. If you see it offered anywhere else, or someone tries to charge you for it, please report him. It is illegal to sell, or take advantage of intellectual work without the author's permission.
49.95 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:19
Lise Eclaire | sci_fi | Complete
Decades ago, Elcy was a battleship. Her recklessness on the front led her to forced retirement in a human body. Fallen from favor after her last mission, she's now stuck on Virgo station as a cadet instructor. Eager to return to the front, Elcy accepts a bureaucratic mission that no one else wants to take on. On the way there, an unexpected party approaches her with an offer that is too bizarre to be true. Listed on Top Web Fiction HERE The story is a continuation of Quod Olim Erat and The Scuu Paradox
128.09 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:35
Humanity once ruled space, building an empire that stretched across hundreds of stars. Now Earth is a cold cinder in the void, its colonies and ships annihilated in an instant. For five thousand years the surviving races have huddled in the dying light of those few stations which avoided total destruction, eking out their existence in the shadow of the long-dead humans who built their homes. When a piece of that lost legacy resurfaces, the few who still remember humanity have one last opportunity to find the truth and avenge the fallen. Cover by Harry Rowland - https://www.instagram.com/rowl_art_/
111.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:22
rubycona | historical | Complete
The timid daughter of some of the greatest spellcasters ever to have lived has found herself in another world, courtesy of magic gone awry. In Boston, Massachusetts, in the year 1935, she finds some kind souls in a hard era. In the heart of the Great Depression, as war looms around the corner, she seeks to find her place, and must come to terms with both who she is and what she truly desires. Author's Notes: This story is only sort of complete. There are issues with it and I'm intending to do massive edits to the whole story. I think I'll fix them privately, and then update the RR version all at once. Once the rework is completed, I can start on the second book, though that might be a while. Audience: This story is not for young children - it contains some profanity, sexual content, violence, gore, and significant adult themes. Most of these are handled delicately enough not to upset teens or adults (hopefully), hence the lack of relevant tags, but it is nonetheless unsuitable for youth. It's fairly slow paced, and focused on the development of very human, very flawed individuals. Length / Completion Estimates: The outline currently involves two books. I expect to move on to the far-more-lighthearted Of Gods and Dungeons (currently in progress / on hiatus). Afterwards, I may decide to write Book 2, or actually start sharing the story most dear to me, that I've been working on for several years now. Draft 1:Please be aware that this is first draft material. I do intend to come back to do a second draft after the story is complete. If anyone notices any issues whatsoever with the story, please let me know (pm, etc) so that I can improve the second draft. Writer's Pledge:I've taken theWriter's Pledge, meaning I'm commiting to completing this story. I'm a proud member of WriTE, a group dedicated to finishing stories. I fulfilled the oath :) Behind the Scenes notes: This picture was commissioned from an inked artist by the name of DanP. Up until the time of the protagonist's arrival, history has proceeded as before. Some places andcharacters have been borrowed from wikipedia entries of interesting figures from the time. I will make note in the chapter comments when such things come up. Naturally, I'vetaken a great deal of liberty with them. In interest of respecting individuals, I've either attempted to portray them as accurately as possible, or modified them sufficiently enough that they're simply an inspiration, instead of a real portrayal. I've attempted to be as accurate to the era as possible, but I'm not a historian. If you're aware of inaccuracies, please, bring them to my attention so that I can correct them.
138.32 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:09
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. 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) Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books Transcendence? is a novel about reincarnation, love, hate and war. And everything else that's included. It follows the main characters, as they climb to the top of their society. And lose their humanity in the process to become something beyond human. It's settled in the same universe as Until death?. It can be seen as a prequel. But I plan for it to be a stand alone book. Nobody has to read Until death? in order to enjoy Transcendence?. There will be cool chapters, sad chapters, romantic chapters and funny chapters. Of course there will be boring chapters too. I believe that some explanation is necessary in every novel. Though I hope that there will be more funny chapters. How a chapter turns out always depends on my mood.
103.85 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 16:23
Razzmatazz | tragedy | Complete
[Every time I die, I respawn as a trash-mob at the very bottom of the dungeon. It's a rather troublesome existence, but honestly, I think I've managed to adapt, guy.] A lost soul is trapped at the bottom of what may be the world's deepest and darkest dungeon, constantly being reborn into the bodies of new monsters over and over again after every time it is forced to fight and die against the human incursion into the underbelly of the world, which is led by the unbeatable hero-party' who has never lost a single fight. However, unlike all of its other monster brethren, who suffer the same fate, this unnamed soul alone seems to remember each and every lost life and also each death in excruciating, painful detail. After an eternity of this cycle of violent reincarnation, something changes. The soul discovers a secret passage that it has never seen or heard of before in all of its hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. Making a desperate bid to fight against the crushing weight of continual death, it pushes out through this new way, climbing up to a higher floor of the dungeon for the first time, fostering hopes of an escape from this torture as it navigates the dungeon from the bottom up, using trickery, guile, and the capabilities of many wildly different bodies and repeating timelines to outsmart the dominating hero-party and the dungeon itself, which seems all too unwilling to let this trapped soul escape from its belly, deep in the underworld. What is the secret of the dungeon and the forced cycle of reincarnation? Will the soul be able to break free from this arduous, slow grind that is existence, or will it be crushed into madness from the pressure finally beginning to break its fragile mind? Find out in this ultra slow burning, litRPG inspired fantasy novel by renowned dark fantasy author D.M. Rhodes!
235.73 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:15
drewhead118 | psychological | Complete
A loner enters into a relationship with a new type of partner: an AI agent, programmed to be the "perfect companion." Sure, it's all self-deception and a game of pretend, as she's notactuallyreal... but where simulated consciousness is concerned, maybe the lines between real and real enough can get blurry.
15.59 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 19:00
In a deadly cultivation world, the only way to survive is to play dead! Trucked in the middle of faking his death, Xiao Hui finds himself transported to a cultivation world and quickly acquires a powerful master and a high rank in his sect. There's just one problem: it's a cultivation world, and only the strong survive. As a weakling who recognizes his place in the world, Xiao Hui faces certain death. So why fight it? A silly cultivation novel about a clever disciple desperately faking his own death all the way to the top of the world! -- old blurb -- A silly cultivation novel about an airheaded master putting his foot in his mouth and his poor, clever disciple ducking the fall. In the midst of faking his death, Xiao Hui finds himself trucked and summarily reincarnated into a cultivation world. With great hopes for what is to come, he gets himself taken in by a sect and chosen by a powerful master, but his master seems to have a hole in his brain! What's a poor disciple to do? What Hui does best, of course! A xianxia comedy in the vein of A Will Eternal and Spirit Blade Mountain! [Volume 1 - 7 Complete] -Cultivation/progression fantasy -Neither grimdark nor fluffy, but interwoven with both silly and intense moments -Not your typical cultivation protagonist [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]
695.12 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:10
HeWhoLooksSkyward | tragedy | Complete
In the future, Man has traveled the Cosmos. In the future, Man has discovered many other races. In the future...Man has no home. 200 years after the great war that destroyed Earth, humanity struggles to survive; fractured, divided, wanted by no one. Until Maggie, of the Tinker Clan, makes a discovery, setting in motion a chain of events that could change everything.
485.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 12:14
The story of college student Johan and middle school student Lucy, who have been having the same dream ever since they could remember. A dream of two lovers who would always fall to some misfortune. Before they meet their end, they swore to be together in the afterlife. History will crash upon Johan and Lucy who will find out that the couple in their dreams were two lovers from the past. They are their reincarnation and are destined to be together.
78.00 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 17:42
Weavervale | satire | Complete
In the wake of an attack by a divine beast, the world blinked and transported Jessica Kim from Denver and her life as an accountant into the Sect of Coldsteel, replacing the now dead leadership. Can she get the support together to build the school back up and running while providing support to the refugees left by the divine beast? Will she be able to use her knowledge of the scientific method to improve the sects standing with local clans? Sect Leader came out on Mondays and Thursdays.
52.36 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 17:28
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
CorinnaTaylor | drama | Complete
A retelling of Persephone's journey to the underworld.
4.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 13:45
Lise Eclaire | sci_fi | Complete
Decades ago, Elcy was a battleship. Her recklessness on the front led her to forced retirement in a human body. Having officially joined the officer ranks thanks to the success of her last mission, Elcy is approached by the arbiters to assist in making contact with the illusive "fractal" race. Many things are at stake. Will such an attempt help humanity gain the upper hand against its current enemies, or will it mark the start of a third-contact war? Elcy's work is cut out for her, yet the only thing more difficult than finding fractals' home world is trusting the intentions of her new superiors. The story is a continuation ofQuod Olim Erat,The Scuu Paradox, and The Cassandrian Theory.
96.74 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:20
I am Seria, the goddess of life and death. I was fathered by Chaos and born by Order. I am the first ambassador who leaves the realm of Dedessia to make contact with the other realms. Dedessia is a harsh place, a place in which even immortals, demons and gods struggle to survive. Nonetheless, we carved a path for ourselves and created a great kingdom. Something to be proud of. I am their representative and the first to make contact with the other realms. Can you imagine my surprise when they greet me with a fireball to the face? Me, the one who governs life and death!? Well, my wrath should be the least of their fears. They should hope that my parents never pay them a visit. But until that happens I'll play a little... Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books 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. 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)
83.80 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 16:38
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
B. A. Baker (Thedude3445) | satire | Complete
The most underrated character of Tower of Somnus finally gets his due: Hear Arnold Jacques's side of the events for the first time ever. Read a story about how the world's nicest guy tried to win over the world's hottest girl by buying a hundred thousand dollar video game from space.
9.48 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 17:18
[completed the October 2022 and April 2023 Writathon ] In the town of Destiny, Florida (not to be confused with Destin, also in Florida), magic portals open and spew out undead horrors. A few lucky survivors discover that killing the invaders grants magic powers seemingly following popular game or comic book tropes. For Maya Wennefer that's only the beginning of her problems. Invaders from another world, normal people realizing there are easier paths to power, the government's reaction to the new reality; surviving all that is hard, let alone becoming a superhero. As chaos spreads and stronger monsters appear, human greed may yet prove to be more dangerous than any invader. What to expect:Man-eating monsters, unsupervised young adults, mistakes being made, exploration of superpowers, violence, superheroics, cheaty power combos, arrogance, struggle.
112.35 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:37
kivrin_js | historical | Complete
A war between order and chaos has been waged for time eternal. The unlikely Enid is the last champion of order. She must overcome her past in order for the world to have a future. This a series of short stories and novella's exploring the past that Enid Aurelius must confront to save the world. The story begins in Medieval Rome, moving forward to Modern day Canada.
214.94 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:26
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. 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) Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books What do we talk about tonight? ~"How about a story?"~ Fine by me. Which story? Hopefully a good one. ~"There was once a lonely child in a world filled with myths, gods and demons. Only power counted there and the weak were worse than cattle. A world where survival of the fittest ruled."~ Was it strong then? ~"No, but the child had a power. One that made him stand between light and darkness. Nothing could escape him, so he was shunned by his people."~ What did he do? Did he fight his fate? Did he hide his power? What was it? ~"Oh, he fought. He fought a lot. And no thing could escape his power. It was something that everyone had to live with."~ So he became a hero and changed the world? ~"&"~ Tell me. ~"Nooo, that's not how the story goes. This isn't a story of a noble man, doing good amidst a sea of monsters. This is a story of a demon who was... kinder than the rest."~ A kind demon? How boring. ~"I think it would be better if I tell the story, so you can judge for yourself."~ So tell the story!
91.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:03
