An Unwilling Monster

cathfach | horror | Complete

In the city of Kholakel, the highlight of the year for the upper classes is the annual monster pacification of the misty woods. Ostensibly it's a culling of the monster population to prevent them encroaching on urban areas, but it's an open secret that it's actually treated as more of a blood sport, the participants competing to score the most kills. After all, why else would the politicians and elites of the city bother to attend personally? Given the intense competition and high-tech weapons and gear in use, one might wonder how the forest has not yet been completely depopulated. As this year's culling approaches, a group of unfortunate children are about to discover the answer first-hand, but thanks to an unexpected twist of fate, one of them will score the chance to play the role of the hunter instead of the prey. This was an attempt at writing something darker than my usual fare. The story I actually ended up with isn't as mean to the MC as I'd originally planned out, to the point that I'm not sure the story deserves the horror/grimdark tags anymore, but this is still an unfair world with unambiguously evil antagonists. Chapters are short to start with, but get longer once the first act is over. Published here and Scribble Hub.

34.37 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 16:03

I Was a Teenage Necromancer

Dreadwizard Siegfried | horror | Complete

Craven Falls has a serial killer stalking the streets. Amber should know, she's the latest victim. Dead but not gone, her ghost settles in to haunt the cemetery when the literal chance of a lifetime comes by in the middle of the night: a classmate of hers, Scott Havenbrook. Showing up with a shovel, it turns out he's a practitioner of the mystical art of necromancy, and can revive her-for a price. But before he can, they must find the killer in order to put everything right, while a sinister plot takes shape in the darkness. Can they save her before it's too late?

47.38 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:35

A Lonely Dungeon

cathfach | mystery | Complete

When a new dungeon is born, it wants nothing more than to have the most vicious monsters, the most cunning traps and the most shiny of loot. There is only one problem, but it's a rather big one; it finished its first floor years ago, but it still hasn't been visited by any adventurers! In order to find someone or something to explore its floors, or perhaps just to find someone to talk to, this dungeon will have to go way off script. But it soon discovers that going off script brings problems of its own, and that adventurers are not the only thing this world is missing. A shortish story about a dungeon's journey of exploration and self-discovery in a devastated world. Cover made (poorly) with POV-Ray. Prequel to An Unbound Soul Published here, scribblehub and amazon.

36.47 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:37

Hyperstitious

Doctor Zero | mystery | Complete

Xan is the world's most dangerous criminal mastermind. He's also in hiding and completely broke. That's fine. He's between master plans. It's normal to be at rock bottom between master plans. He also forgets stuff and may be trapped in a dream. Because at night, Xan thinks he's an old lady, trapped in a dingy apartment, by an angry fellow who wants to kill her. Not her idea of a good time, but she's keeping an open mind. It is excitingly visceral. Could turn out awesome. Hyperstitiousis a sci-fi, progression, comedy. Guaranteed to cause more mental problems than it solves.

36.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:50

Lemon

EmergencyComplaints | comedy | Complete

Lemon is a good girl, smart as any human, even if she does have four legs and a tail. She lives with her master, the great Wizard Hogarth, who is sometimes a little forgetful, very excitable, and often quite smelly. Hogarth loves making new potions, and Lemon is his trusted assistant! Hogarth has been talking about an upcoming wizards' conference for months, and has been eagerly refining his latest work, the Potion of Unlimited Invincibility. It only works for a minute, but during that time, nothing can hurt him. Unfortunately, he rushed off to the conference and forgot the sample potion! It's up to Lemon to get it to him so his big debut isn't a total flop. It's a long trip, but Lemon has plenty of magic to help her along the way, and her master needs her help! Sometimes, a dog's gotta do what a dog's gotta do to save the day. [participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]

30.45 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:45

Cherry On Top

AziaElga | contemporary | Complete

A forbidden relationship with the most popular girl in school is the last thing Chloe Lee expects when she begins bartending. Especially when she doesn't even realize she's gay herself. Desperate for money for her mother's surgery, Singaporean student Chloe Lee illegally serves drinks at a local bar. When equally underage RJ Shin--the richest and most popular girl in school--shows up as a customer, they already have something in common. Their fateful encounter sends both their lives out of control. Chloe's money-making plan is soon derailed by RJ's insistent involvement, a growing hostility at work, and an unfortunate entanglement with RJ's family's politics. Worst of all, Chloe is slowly discovering her sexuality as she falls for RJ. Hard. Suddenly, sacrificing everything for money is no longer an easy choice to make. As secrets unveil and feelings surface, Chloe is forced to reevaluate her life goals and decide what she is willing to sacrifice for love--and what she must sacrifice for herself. If she holds on to more than she can take, she might end up losing everything she values. Life is hard, but love is harder. ***Also published on Wattpad, Tapas, and ScribblehubWord Count: ~65,000-70,000Cover art by @chomk.art on Instagram

36.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:08

The Impossible Sister

DWS | contemporary | On going

Hideki is a young man who lives with his grandmother after the loss of his parents. Despite the tragedy he finds simple pleasures in his everyday school life and playing with the music club, of which he is a member. He greatly admires the council president, Reina, who he meets in the corridors after school. Hideki's life is turned upside down once again and he finds himself drifting with nowhere to go. Reina offers him a chance, an evening meeting between the two of them leads to Hideki taking on an entirely new life as her second sister, Miyako. But not everything is as it seems - and accepting the mercy of another isn't always easy.

30.81 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-02 15:00

Mourning Glory

PublicApology | contemporary | Complete

A year and a half after Elizabeth's suicide, Sara Mera's life settles back to normalcy from a battle of depression. Sara's life is thrown back into that pit of darkness when her hand in the suicide is exposed to the world. In a negative state of mind, she meets the girl who was Elizabeth's best friend who is still suffering from her death. Afraid another tragedy will happen, Sara selfishly becomes friends with the girl but never expected that she would be the one who light's up Sara's world in the darkness. -

39.88 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:14

A Dance of Wyverns

Erien | historical | Complete

A young Scot gets dragged into the wyvern gladiatorial fights of London, and brings down the entire organization in the process.

33.26 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:46

Open Source

Aluicious | horror | Complete

A team of bioengineering specialists has been sent to a secret location managed by the mysterious political power known only as the Coalition to develop new technologies in the fields of biological and cybernetic warfare. Just when it seems like they are about to make the breakthrough of the century, the lab goes dark. Join the cleanup crew as they force their way back into the complex and investigate what went wrong, and uncover something that could change the way humans interact forever...

43.43 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:59

Shattered Blood

KevinADavis | mystery | Complete

Some questions are best left unanswered. Obsessive Eugene law student, Haddie faces gruesome murder that leave victims impossibly incinerated. Could this be connected to her dad, who doesn't appear to age? If she digs too deep, she, or her friends might become the next set of ghastly remains. An urban fantasy origin story for the AngelSong Series with characters and magic inspired by the likes of Jane Yellowrock and Kate Daniels. Origin Story of the AngelSong Series

34.13 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:12

Ilhen's Seventh Deathtrap

ninjacat007 | mystery | Complete

Nico and Leonardo are renowned adventurers who specialize in Rare & Esoteric Artifact Recovery. With their guild on the brink of bankruptcy, they embark on a quest to locate Ilhen's Seventh  a legendary deathtrap supposedly brimming with occult treasures. But complications abound. Rival adventurers are also on the hunt, and Nico suspects they're being followed by the Empress' shadowy spy ring, the Black Cabal. And worse, Ilhen's Seventh is not what it seems. As they race to solve a trail of cryptic clues, they are drawn unknowingly into a sinister conspiracy... For fans of THE LIES OF LOCKE LAMORA  or fans of attunement spires, bewitched libraries, magic academies, mad dukes, art heists, clever disguises, mystical swords, eldritch monsters, vengeful gods, & much more! Progression is a subplot but not the main storyline

39.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:13

Fertilizer Wars

Krake | satire | Complete

[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge] The year is 2202. Pandemics, apocalypses, demons, and nuclear war have ravaged the planet. Climate change has become nearly random. Forests have become desert. Tundra has become rain forest. The Amazon is infested with monsters. The world is split in a super power dipole in name only. The ten billion humans left on Earth follow whoever is closest at hand that can feed them. Special Operative Iris Haber has become one of "America"s most important war assets : a human capable of entering radiation zones. The only organic parts of her left are her brain and her heart, easily shielded. The only land that matters anymore is farm land, and the only people who matter are the ones able to capture that farm land.

31.59 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:17

The Official Douche Bag Travel Guide of Chad Barrington

PJ_Lowry | satire | Complete

After having a tantrum in court that lands him in contempt, Chad Barrington is forced to seek counseling and take two months off. Unable to work, this top notch lawyer decides to go on vacation and sooth his battered ego. Chad quickly learns that it's possible to be a total Douche in paradise as well...

30.43 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:20

Conspiracyland

BoredCanary | satire | Complete

A hardened full-time conspiracy theorist, Jones, finds himself in a timeline where everything seems to have gone wrong. Armed with the knowledge of a veteran internet shitposter and the power of paranoia, he sets out to break the conditioning. Join our heroes as they traverse an absurd world filled with mutant lizardmen, ufos, and nefarious secret organizations.

33.22 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:20

Rakshasha's Heart - Prologue

Erykon | tragedy | Complete

Adventurers - They posses immense strength and courage, as they delve into mysterious dungeons and ancient ruins. They pioneer unexplored lands, and defeat mythical creatures. When the world awaits its destruction by evil, they step forth to vanquish it. Or do they? A hunter boy from the countryside has a cynical view of adventurers contrary to normal beliefs. When destiny takes a turn for the worse, what choices will he make, after his hidden potential bursts forth?

42.46 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:31

The Dungeon Hive

Ghostman | comedy | Complete

One thing I noticed about most dungeon stories is that most races mistakenly believe that dungeons have a hive-mind and I go, "That make sense." Considering the various powers and how big dungeons can get, wouldn't it make more sense for them to have a hive-mind? So this is it; my take of the world's first dungeon and the hive that controls it. Watch as it stumbles, fall, survive, strive and&procreate? Watch as it changed the world of Ioplon&for better and for worse. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For edited version of the story, the full trilogy (Book_1: Fantasy Begins, Book_2: Dungeon Flames, Book_3: Spread of the Dungeons) arenow available on Amazon. Please take a look, and leave a rating. Thanks

41.95 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:35

The Blank 34

Fusiongun | contemporary | Complete

It began on April 14th. When a particle research lab is suddenly cut off from the rest of the world, journalism student Chase Adkins and the others trapped inside must come together to survive and try to find a way out. But when even more inexplicable things begin happening around the lab, will mounting tensions turn them against one another? And why can no one remember the time between 12:26 and 1 AM? It's been April 14th for over two weeks now. [Participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]

32.29 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:54

The Secrets of Soward's Mansion

Trish | contemporary | Complete

[Psychological Thriller] Soward's mansion was once a beautiful, historic example of Victorian architecture, but time has an ironic sense of humor. It's now an eyesore and magnet for crime and vagabonds. I know I'm not the ideal person to restore her, but this is an opportunity to do one last great deed for my town before time finds it funny to ruin me too. What's the worst that could happen? [Winner of the Royal Road Writathon challenge] The Secrets of Soward's Mansionhas been exclusively published on RoyalRoad. All other sites have stolen the story. If you find this title anywhere else, please PM me on RoyalRoad or email me at [email protected]. Thank you!

31.56 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:03

Warhund - A Mind-bending Cyberpunk Noir Thriller

TheDeliciousMeats | drama | Complete

Cyberpunk meets alternative history in this dark mind bending story about an enhanced canine cop with nothing to lose. Warhund explores identity, family, love, loss, rage, and what it means to be alive when technology blurs the lines between life and death. Kerner Braverhund was used to being the underdog. After the Second Continental War ended Kerner decided to put his life as a Jagdkommando behind him and leave his homeland of D鯾i. It was an adjustment, going from being an elite soldier to an anonymous beat cop, but he managed. He hid his past and his anger, tried to integrate, tried to forget. Years later when a chance run-in with the mob ends in a bloody shootout Kerner knows that his days are numbered and he can't hide who he is anymore. So if he's going to die, he's going to go out on his own terms with his head held high. The mob might have numbers in their favor and the police in their pocket. But Kerner is a warhund with a head full of cutting-edge military hardware, unresolved anger issues, and nothing to lose. Whoever said that all dogs go to heaven probably never saw Kerner use a flamethrower. He's not a good boy, he's not dead yet, and he's going to make that everyone else's problem. COMPLETE What to expect: An enhanced canine anti-hero and his psychotic body-jumping war criminal father fighting an uphill battle. Explorations of Identity, purpose, morality and family. Also dog jokes. So many dog jokes. This book was originally called Death by Chocolate but it was later changed to Warhund because it conveyed the idea and tone much better.

46.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:13