The Unexpected Engagement of the Marvelous Mr. Penn

rkgoff | historical | Complete

In May, 1899, a hundred and fifty unassuming envelopes are delivered to households across the city. Most of them will be picked up by butlers and carried on silver trays to their recipients. All of them contain invitations to the wedding of Lady Eleanor Serrs to Mr. Ryce Penn. When the newspapers hear about it, they start buzzing. Who can blame them? This would be the wedding of the century! She's the daughter of Duke Erravold Aubrey-Serrs, and the Marvelous Mr. Penn is one of the most famous men in the country. But Penn is famous for being the city's most notorious thief. He's an unrepentant attention-seeker with a taste for gems and danger. And Eleanor swears that she's never met him. Chief Inspector Lucas Haley, Penn's long-time nemesis, is called in to protect the Aubrey-Serrs family and try to figure out what the master thief is planning. He'll need all his experience and tenacity for this case, as it quickly becomes obvious more is at stake than the reputation of an innocent woman.

55.02 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:15

Oratoria: Bury the Dead

Razzmatazz | horror | Complete

In the dark and treacherous abyss of Oratoria, Esper lives a solitary existence among the dead. Trapped in a lifeless prison, she makes a desperate bid for freedom as she sets out on a journey to the surface, guided by an ancient whisper carried by the winds. But the path ahead is fraught with danger, as strange and unseen forces conspire to stop her at every turn. As she battles to overcome the grim machinations coming into motion, Esper discovers that her journey is not just about physical escape but also a quest for the truth about her past, her true identity, and the reason for her confinement in the abyss. Along the way, she will encounter a host of fascinating and mysterious characters, some of whom will aid her and others who will seek to impede her progress. With her courage and determination, Esper must overcome the obstacles in her path as she races against time to reach the ever distant surface, which she so desperately dreams to see. Will she finally escape the abyss and see the light of day, or will she be doomed to live out her days in the depths of Oratoria? Find out in this epic fantasy adventure! (Complete!) (Neuro-Divergant Protagonist) (Classic Fantasy) (Dark)

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

Soulless (Apparently)

Illhark | mystery | Complete

When a serial killer emerges on the robot-populated planet of Zynima, a few machines form a group of vigilantes to end what seems like a simple open-and-shut case. Join Aural Automaton and Shock System as they uncover the ugly truth behind this string of murders. Also in the AUU-16 universe: Soulless (Apparently)  The Departure  Night Game  Ystets Lake

55.07 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-11 14:07

Fractal Contact

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

Dead Eyes Open

rkgoff | contemporary | Complete

Emerra Cole died just short of her twentieth birthdaybut that won't stop Jack Noctis, the embodiment of death, from asking for her help. Not that Jacky raised her from the dead. He says she came back on her own. He only dug her up, pulled her from her casket, and gave her a place to stay. While he hates to impose, he hopes she'll lend him a hand with a murder that's been giving him trouble. The anthropology professor, Trevon Wayde, was shot in the chest. The police are looking for his murderer, but Jacky wants to know why his soul is missing. Emerra returned from death with the Eyes of the Sphinx, a legendary ability that allows her to see things others can't. Jacky thinks her new powers could be useful when it comes to uncovering what happened. When Emerra agrees to look around, she's dragged into a world of magic and monsters. There isn't much time for her to adjust. She'll have to get her bearings while working side by side with a vampire, making friends with a wolfman and a bog-creature, and learning how to deal with an abrasive teenage witch. Thank god the mummy is there to help. Life after death is going to be interesting.

53.82 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:51

The Hawkshaw Inheritance

Orph | mystery | Complete

The Hawkshaw Inheritance is a completed story, with twenty chapters in total. For as long as almost anyone can remember, a small percentage of people have possessed fantastic gifts. Superhuman strength, speed, and smarts are just a few of the many such abilities on record. Some choose to exploit these powers for personal gain, but most use them for the benefit of their fellow man. Thanks to these people, who we call superheroes, the world is safe. The reality is a little more complicated. Most heroes are content to stop the supervillain and pose for the cameras. But it takes more than a few costumed cops and superpowered celebrities to save the world. Humanity is in danger from forces that ordinary heroes are woefully unequipped to handle. But neither they nor the public will ever be aware of the danger they are in, thanks to the efforts of the Council. For more than twenty years, the world's most powerful, influential, and intelligent metahumans have worked tirelessly in secret to protect the world, and subtly steer it on a better course. Six months ago, one of their number, the infamous vigilante detective known as Hawkshaw, disappeared without a trace. Now it falls to his protege to take up the mantle of Hawkshaw, learn the truth of his mentor's disappearance, and uncover the secrets of the most powerful people in the world... as well as what they're willing to do to keep those secrets buried.

93.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 12:10

Tome of Stealth [A System Anti-Apocalypse]

DragonOfRochester | romance | Complete

When the Passivity Precept takes over the world it snuffs out all brutality, leaving its MMO-like Violence Simulator as humanity's only source of physical violence. Knowing how much she can make from selling epic gear, Grace Winston enters the simulation and discovers that it's more than just a game. Somewhere in there are the answers to who started the fire that killed her father. For far too long, Lorevinel Silvercat has been stuck as the Ravenborn clan's free-roaming prisoner. They've held a grudge against his clan and have used him to vent their hatred. Having planned his escape for several years, he has everything ready, but he needs a specific artifact from the Rogues Guild to finally start his journey. Will Grace find her answers? Will Lore gain his freedom? Can these two unlikely people, both alien to each other, find common ground and work together while dealing with an unasked for soul bond? ToS is a Lite LitRPG (meaning very few stats with a focus on story). Expect cursing, sexual tension, descriptions of breeding dungeon rats, and a little gore. TL;DR- The System Anti-Apocalypse forces everyone to be peaceful and only commit violence inside its Magical VR game.

70.96 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:14

Dandelion

JCLouis | sci_fi | Complete

Amber Houston was born light-years from Earth, aboard the enormous colony starship Dandelion. By the age of fourteen, she has spent her entire life training as a "Ranger," ready for the day when she will be among the first humans ever to set foot on an alien world & build a new civilization. When Dandelion suffers an emergency toward the end of its journey, Amber & her fellow young rangers are evacuated & land on the planet New環ome years ahead of schedule. While the adults left behind on Dandelion slow the ship & turn it around to come backin eight yearsAmber & her friends must build lives for themselves amid revelations that will change Humankind's destiny forever. Meanwhile, aboard the ship, secrets that were buried over three hundred years ago finally come to light&

67.97 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:22

The Impeccable Adventure of the Reluctant Dungeon

Lise Eclaire | comedy | Complete

A dungeon's sleep is never easy. After getting reincarnated as a dungeon, Theodor thought he'd finally get some rest and relaxation. That changed when a bumbling old hero stumbled into him and died, making Theodor the target of adventurers everywhere. Masquerading as a house in the small town of Rosewind, Theo must now do whatever it takes to remain unnoticed& even if it means creating an avatar to interact with people or go on a mission set by the annoying Earl Rosewind! Follow the adventures of a dungeon dragged out of its own body on an adventure it never wished to be a part of. Updated every few days!

80.68 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 15:44

The Psychic Academy

rkgoff | contemporary | Complete

Even in a world with witches, sorcerers, and alchemists, psychics are rare. There are normally fewer than a hundred in a centurywhich is why the Torr is so confounded when they get a letter from the headmaster of an English boarding school who claims that there are over a hundred psychics studying at his school. When all their investigations turn up nothing, they call on the head of all Torrs, Jack Noctis, the embodiment of death. But Big Jacky doesn't know what to do about it either, and he's skeptical about his ability to do anything. He asks Darius Vasil, Conrad Bauer, and Emerra Cole to go in his stead. Between the vampire's super-hearing, the wolfman's amazing sense of smell, and Emerra's legendary Eyes of the Sphinx, he's hoping they'll be able to find what everyone else has missed. When they arrive, what they find is that the psychic powers are appearing more frequently and becoming more powerful every day. They need to figure out what's going on before the situation spirals out of control.

59.74 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:53

The Main Character Legendary Origin Stories: Broad-Spectrum Assassin

Of The Exps Author | horror | Complete

The story of a quirky assassin's shadowed past, his transformation into an other-worldly being and his adventure as the father of a guardian angel.Predates the events of The Main Character!: The Hero's Epic Journey Begins! and Guardian Angel.

54.14 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 17:15

The Young Inevitables Book 1 Chaos Stirs

JHRoyal | sci_fi | Complete

Mankind's final hope for survival is with a recently self-aware machine, the old and weakened luck gods, and three young augmented teens that they have recruited, but they won't get very far if Chaos has anything to say about it.

77.12 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 12:24

Servants of War

Yuanmi Latte | drama | Complete

Just when they thought their relationship couldn't get any worse... Under mysterious circumstances, Yuzuru and his sister Sara find their lives uprooted as they are brought into Arcadia - a fantasy game world unlike any they can imagine. Separated and lost, they must each come to terms with their new reality and fight to survive. But as the race to save the world and themselves begin, they come to realize there are gods at work here, and they are but pawns.

58.58 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 15:46

Infinity's Frontier

Vachel Thevenot | sci_fi | Complete

Do you believe in ghosts? Flint does, especially since he is one. But, Flint's sense of purpose died along with him, and a century after his own death, he struggles to find meaning in his immortality. His galaxy's interstellar war has been at a stalemate for nearly a hundred years, and nothing that Flint does in the conflict seems to make a difference. But things change when Flint makes a shocking discovery that could give him the sense of purpose he seeks in his strange existencea discovery so great that its mere existence could bring an end to the galaxy's endless war. New chapters weekly on Sundays. Also available on Scribblehub and Webnovel. Feedback is welcomed and highly appreciated!

71.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 10:54

Hobo Hero (Xianxia/Wuxia)

ElitheHill | action | Complete

You don't have to be smart to make it into magic school, you just have to come from the right family.Poor and dirty, Sparrow comes from the wrong family. He must fight his way into the top school in the land where he's bullied, beaten and thrown out on the street.But Sparrow was born hungry and will stop at nothing to learn the secrets of the universe. You can expect: - Cultivation - A fantasy setting - An underdog hero. Chapters are uploaded weekly. (Formerly The one who walks alone)

70.03 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 15:41

Avaunt

AMBLE | comedy | Complete

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

Sixguns and Spellfire

Fresh_Pursuit | contemporary | Complete

Completed Story. Texas Lawman Cash Renshaw gets pulled into a world of magic and mysticism that he never knew existed but finds himself uniquely suited to handle. Alhambra Sheriff's Office Detective Cash Renshaw is about to wake up. He learns that there is another world out there where all the creatures of nightmare and magic are real. Not only that but he finds that he is a special type of person called an "Archetype" that derives powers from the collective power of human imagination. Now he will join his new partner in the Agency for Metanatural Investigation to investigate a strange new type of Runic Tattooing that allows normal humans to tap into magic powers, at the cost of their lives. Cash will learn that his new reality is as deadly as it is mysterious, and his first case might be his last.

51.07 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:16

Gray Wolf.

Not_Important | contemporary | Complete

Ray is an aspiring artist trying to live the best he can after he became persona non grata from his rich family and after two dramatic events of his past. Sadly for him, a particular evening where he decides to go out for a drink on his own brings him truths that a normal human being should not have to face, and one particular truth that decides it'll just eat him. This is the story of his survival, and of the fallout of chaos it brings (Version 2, Proofread)

69.67 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:31

Conscripted

Andur | mystery | Complete

Just imagine a world in which the gods have to answer your prayers. You might think that such a world should be a paradise, but would all-powerful beings really be pleased about being teleported out of the shower? This is the direct Prequel to Until Death.  Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books 

88.09 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:44

The Court of Souls?

Andur | romance | Complete

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