Sim and virtu modder Joel is plucked from his outland life and throwninto ahyper-enhanced reality tournament.The stakes are the highest. Battles for survival in high-immersion virtual and augmented reailties against hardened opponents seem to befor life-and death stakes, but Joel suspects it could be worse than that. Joel’s fear growas he begins to guesswhat the ultimate purpose of the contest might be.
28.24 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 18:21
Victor D. Lopez | psychological | Complete
[Synopsis from the book's web pages at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords] This book is a compilation of 13 contemporary science fiction and speculative fiction short stories whose range extends from the innermost dimensions of the mind to the outer reaches of the universe. The stories touch on both timeless and novel themes including philosophical questions as to the meaning of life, the nature of reality, the power of love, the catastrophic consequences of looking for truth in all the wrong places, scientific hubris, and the superlative strength and wrenching weakness of the human spirit. Themes include hard and soft science fiction, horror, humor, romance and literary fiction in both traditional and unusual combinations. Several of the stories in this collection can be classified as "dark fiction" that pose all too disturbingly feasible ways for human beings to destroy themselves through bad decisions--and perhaps even our corner of the universe. But these are tempered with humor and with the hope that springs from humanity's ability to cheat fate through its ingenuity--and, more importantly, to learn from its mistakes. These stories are intended to entertain, but also to leave the reader thinking long after she/he puts down the book.
28.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 10:39
NOT ACTUALLY COMPLETED Can't figure out how to remove the "Completed" tag :P Update 02/29/24: Working on chapter 12 Voracity - A low-fantasy romance steeped in pain, misery, and an internal hunger bent on consuming the most sane of us all. Thomas is a gentle person, too innocent for his own good. He's kind, thoughtful, and caring. Tragedy befalls the compassionate man and he's torn from his peace by the violent, strangling grip of anguish. Can he remain the kind-hearted man he's always been, or will he slip into dark depths occupied only by those with cracked minds and wicked thoughts as he embarks on the journey of a lifetime, or does he even have a choice? The story is a bit of a slow burn to start, but I promise you'll be rewarded for sticking around. I hope you enjoy Thomas's journey through the dark as he slips into madness.
28.11 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:23
[Participating in the NaNoWriMo]"Damn you Josh! How could you mess up this badly? Now I will somehow have to sit out the shitstorm that麓s to come..." ~GMThis is the story of a GM and 3012 players who were one day trapped in a virtual reality game. Watch as people in power make bad choices which may or may not lead to the worst possible outcome. ___________________________________There will be some cursing and swearing, a tiny bit of gore perhaps but nothing major. The story also deals with darker emotional things... the psycho and tragedy tags are there for a reason!I had only a months time to write this story and frankly that磗 the most creative writing I have ever done in my life. 50k words I can磘 believe I did it. Thanks everyone. Without your support I doubt I would have made it.Please support me by pointing out logical errors and the things you didn磘 like about the story. As it磗 a rushed work I am aware that it has many flaws.
28.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:27
"Your first death is always the hardest." Miguela was the third-born child of a well-off merchant family and knew from around the time she could speak that her life's path was already decided for her by her father. She was to become an Orator, as was Xandran tradition. However, Miguela had an affinity with the magikal arts and somehow found herself studying at the Academy. One fateful day, the government offers Miguela an opportunity to join a team tasked with the mission of gathering intelligence via scrying magik. The catch is that Miguela and her associates can only scry the deceased. Miguela finds the memories of the dead haunting but is adamant not to fail because the prospect of regaining control of her life and using her magik to help others gives her a purpose in life that she never had before. Of course, Miguela soon discovers her new job has an exorbitant cost. Will she be willing to pay when the bill comes due? Welcome to Five Kingdoms of Cordizal! What is the Five Kingdoms of Cordizal? I often get asked this type of question about my stories by friends, bloggers, and potential readers. The Five Kingdoms of Cordizal is a high-fantasy epic universe that is the setting for most of my stories. The foundation of the universe is its multicultural, multiracial setting with several sentient races attempting to carve their legacy and survive. The world is fully fleshed out and vibrant with a rich and mysterious history not based on Tolkien mythology. This brings me to magic. To me, magic is an essential part of the fantasy genre, so, of course, there is magic in the Five Kingdoms universe. However, one critical part of the Five Kingdoms universe is that magic is an abundant commodity that is a part of everyday life and not some plot device used to drive the story. In short, the Five Kingdoms universe is the setting of epic fantasy stories with deep characters and world-building. I try to tell as many different types of stories as possible in the universe, and hopefully, you can find something for you in it.
28.01 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:40
RyderZavianBailey | romance | Complete
Sentenced to the sea for a crime he didn't commit... Wrongly convicted of killing his lover, Li is sent off to serve his sentence in the privateer fleet of Mahlon, where he finds himself somewhere between a sailor and a pirate. He supposes it is a better way to die than wasting away in a prison cell for a crime he didn't commit. If it isn't the sea or sailing necromancers that threaten his life, perhaps it is his assigned partner, an unfriendly man named Ardlac who seems to want nothing to do with a stranger sharing his space. Li doesn't know that his unfriendly exterior masks a wounded soul suffering from a loss Li can understand far too well. But that is only one of the many secrets lurking around him and one of the many threats to uncover. CONVICTED is a low-stakes story about healing, recovery, and comfort. Originally posted on Tapas, I am now cross-posting this story on Royal Road, Wattpad, and Neovel.
27.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:57
EldritchPotato | horror | Complete
My life was overtaken by one purpose that killed me, but I made peace with that. The problem was when I suddenly found myself in an alien fantasy world. To make matters worse I'm a walking corpse wielding unholy magic and enemy number one for the holy crusaders who guard the kingdom from creatures like me. Now I have to figure out how to survive in this world and what my purpose is now, well that part is easy at least, I'm going to rid this world of one piece of filth at a time. Who would have thought the heroes would be worse than the villains? Warning: This story contains explicit violence and content which some people may find offensive. Reader discretion is advised. Life of a Lich will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday. Chapters are released early on my patron.
27.53 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:45
NolanConrey | horror | Complete
The Craton and her crew return to the Sol System, the original home of humanity. For many of her crew, born far from the cradle of our species, it is a unique event, to see the world that nurtured us into existence. For those from Earth, though, a harsher reality is known, as the history of our world is not one of tranquility and peace. With a pending trial against him, Brooks confronts his past on Earth, while Apollonia gets a dream both crushed and fulfilled. This is the calm before the storm, for people to look inward and come to grips with themselves and their reality.
27.51 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:38
OceansInTheSky | contemporary | Complete
It's been ten months since the incident, and Yuuko's moved to a new school. But there's one student he notices is different from the others, and his father's words echo through his mind everytime he sees her. How should a person cope with something lost? And just what is it that a child should, and should not, do?
27.34 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 16:51
Until-then | comedy | Complete
Enjoy the lives of two overly enthusiastic gamers who spend their days wasting away in front of a screen! But how long can they keep up this life, when many unexpected events come and go...
27.15 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 18:26
T E Branco | historical | Complete
A complete Otherwest novella. What if the life you want is taken from you? After surviving the brutal slaughter of his naval squadron, Van Bran believed he could escape the world of empires, war, and magic by forging a new life on the American frontier. As a rancher, Van's life was simple, quiet, and far more peaceful. But when Van and his drovers come face to face with an ancient evil vying for control of the New World, a life of peace may be forever outside his grasp. Unless Van can take up arms once more and face the terrors of his past, he and his friends will serve as spiritual hosts to demonic skinwalkers. Enter the Other West... Follow, read, and comment today! Thank you for reading.
26.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:29
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
ZM-11833 was confused, normally they stood in the display window dressed in the latest fashion for the masses to admire but lately there hadn’t been any cuties arriving at their store. Only these strange new customers with their sickly wet skin and bulging eyes turning up. They really should go to a dermatologist-bot instead. Maybe the perfectly made and fantastically fetching fashion-bot would have to go out for the first time and start to look for some of their adorable prior customers to dress-up in the latest cyber-dress. And if these strange new invaders got in their way they might have to politely break some elongated skulls, after all they weren’t even paying customers. Standard store policy. Upon finding their perfectly 100% willing companion, (don’t believe a word they say otherwise), they realize the parent corporation of their arcology isn’t going to just let an invasion stand, and the pair must make it to the top. After all, what's a little Nuclear fire between friends anyway? Warning may contain cyberpunk robot humor, romance and copious amounts of futuristic clothing. Chapter length 1500 - 2000 words. Also posted on Scribblehub.
26.85 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:41
Adelaide West | contemporary | Complete
Julia wanted revenge, but she didn't imagine she'd get a demon to help her with it. Three girls worked together to cast a ritual, and summoned a demon to grant their wishes. Whether its peace of mind, the confidence to not be bullied, or revenge, the demon is willing to please. What matters afterward is the price that has to be paid. Not only by the summoners, but by the ones who have wronged them. --- Cover photo by Mallory Johndrow on Unsplash.com --- [participant in the NaNoWriMo Royal Road challenge]
26.72 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:03
Steven Rivers | comedy | Complete
Elizabeth Harding didn't want to fall into another dimension. But then she didn't want to get into trouble at school, have strange holes in her memory or nightmares with smoke monsters coming out of the walls. And it didn't stop any of that from happening either. But this time she's really in trouble. Because the only way to get back home is to steal a magical clockwork box from the top of the fearsome Darkstone Tower. So, it's a good job she has a bit of help from her new-found friends. And with a bungling barbarian, a kung-fu fighting monk, a mad professor and a bandit thief on her side & what could possibly go wrong?
26.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 15:33
Ralts Bloodthorne | satire | Complete
Fraker the Axe is many things: The Herald of Carnage, the Favored Son, He Who Cannot Be Bound. But those are the names he is called in prophecy, legend, and heroic epics. The reality is somewhat different.
26.31 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 17:03
dotturndot | romance | Complete
If one day you woke up to realize there was another youwhat would you do? This story depicts a silly romcom between two same individuals of opposing genders. --dotturndot
26.27 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 18:48
Mercynarie | tragedy | Complete
The Sequel to Guardians Of The Arcane Chronicles is here! After the abdication of its former president and the truth revealed about the origins of their world, Sirius City is thrown into even further chaos. But even now, sinister forces plot to challenge the country's right to live. As Sirius City reels from its rapidly worsening racial issues, a calamity strikes their country. Natural arcani has been mysteriously corrupted, transforming magis who use too much of it into hideous monstrosities. Faced with an unprecendented disaster, the Guardians struggle to contain the disaster while facing their own set of challenges. Will they emerge victorious once more? Or will they finally drown in the sea of the world's sins?
26.15 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 11:07
Chadadin | one_shot | Complete
I thought starting college would be a good opportunity for a huge step up in my personal life and it was but not the way I expected it. It turns out that I'm a Red Dragon which makes me infamous and despised in the magic world, even by other Red Dragons. It doesn't matter what comes my way, because I'll completely dominate it. I will become a Dragon King.
26.10 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 19:01
Invictus21 | mystery | Complete
Jacob woke up in a hospital with no memory of who he is or how he got there. He realised very soon that he had lost more than his memories.His girlfriend, who was with him, was murdered. He is now out to find the person responsible and take revenge. But how difficult will it be when he can't even remember the person who he has lost or even anything about himself. Author's Note: This will be a short story, and I plan to finish it soon. I used to hate when stories were left incomplete. So I promise not to do that. This is my first story ever. So please provide your feedback in any way you can.Enjoy the story
25.73 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:57
