No雔 is known across the city of Portlandand not by choice. Under the care of the richest man in the city and just transferred to a new high school, she's already making close friends... and bitter enemies. A chance encounter on her first day plunges her headfirst into a secret underground tournament. Between suspicious classmates and utter strangers, No雔 soon gets a taste for the addictive rush of the duel, but questions of love and trust complicate every move she makes. Cutthroat games with grim consequences await her in a shadowy world of competitors all dueling for the greatest prize imaginable. A new story from Etzoli, that one butterfly who writes things. This is a side-adventure I've written during the pandemic, as I've been having a lot of trouble getting into the correct head-space for writing my main series (The Last Science). Expect some rougher bits. Schedule is sporadic, but this will be a shorter one (closer to Snipe or Epilogue in length). I hope you enjoy it! Full-size cover art [Discord] - come hang out and chat sometime with etzy and other readers!
77.75 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:24
Everything can grow. Everything can rise, and ascend. Even, a Tree.
77.27 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:53
The Year is 2183, four years after the tragedy at Hadley's Hope on LV-426. On the edge of theOuter Rim Territories, residents of an aging and outmoded sister-station to Sevastopol are embroiled in crisis. Socioeconomic, corporate and political considerations aside, the true threat to Ashkelon Station are dark secrets taking shape as Xenomorphs. Reese Castle and Wade Barrett are partners in crime, smugglers posing as spacecraft repair technicians until they can manage to steal their ship back. Weyland Yutani terminated their lease for the USCSS Casimir, an old M-Class Bison starfreighter, but they'll be damned if they let it get away so easily. A space truckers ship is their home and they're keen to leave the station while they still can. As a series of unfortunate events create a perfect maelstrom of chaos, death and upheaval, Agent Shella Roodt of the Interstellar Commerce Commission (by extension an entity of Weyland Yutani) and Chief Colonial Marshal John Coffee have a mandate to investigate wrongdoing and save lives. When they come face-to-face with the monsters however, there will be only one outcome. A final tribulation of survival of the fittest.
77.15 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 14:40
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
Matt Redskye | comedy | Complete
Enteico Mamorou is a struggling merchant running a failing business with his best friend, Keith. But when a terrible incident forces Keith to face the demons of his past, they begin to realize that paying rent is the least of their worries, alongside deranged customers, crazy adventurers and alcoholic horses. But all of these problems pale in comparison to our protagonist's ultimate enemy- responsibility. Will Keith sober up and finally confront reality head-on? Or will his path lead him down the bottom of his final bottle?
77.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 18:32
Razzmatazz | comedy | Complete
[I was reborn as a sin-eater and now I want to eat the demon-king ] [litRPG] [R16+] In the depths of a decayed, ancient dungeon, Canta is given a second chance at life. With a new body and the powerful, ancient class of a Sin-EAter, highly revered by the holy-people of the surface-world, he sets out to leave his past behind and forge a new path for himself. But his journey is not without obstacles, as he discovers that he is not alone in the darkness. Trapped with him is a mysterious and powerful being who shares Canta's desire for change but is presumably consumed by evil if his gut feeling is to be trusted. As they embark on a journey together, Canta must navigate the dangers and secrets of the dungeon as well as confront the darkness within himself and his new partner beside him. With each step, he is forced to question what it truly means to be a good man and whether redemption is truly possible for someone like him. As the two unlikely companions battle their way through the world under the dreadful shadow of the Demon-King, they will encounter terrifying monsters, treacherous traps, and ancient magic. But the greatest challenge they face may be their own inner corruption and old mannerisms. Can Canta even rise above his past and become the hero he was meant to be, or will he succumb back to the darkness that fully surrounds the two of them? Find out in this thrilling fantasy adventure by renowned and trending fantasy author D.M. Rhodes! [Also available on Amazon!]
76.81 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 19:00
SidusProject | historical | Complete
"55(5+ 5 55"5! 5(5 5.5, 5"5, 55(5.5'5" 552 5-5!5 5,5-5+5"5'5 5, 5(5 5 55-5 ." Those words, traverse through space and time only to bring us what's called "inevitable" - a designated end that awaits right from the start of every new journey. How unfair... to have no control over the course of our own, no option left but to docilely obey its order. Still, there are those who have dared to challenge the supreme, with every last drop of their will, with each piece of their flesh and bones. In this story lies the tale of the two "rebels," yearning to escape the endless cycle of lost and found. Indeed, it is the tale of a doctor who lost himself in revenge and the knight who soon forgot the warmth of love. Together, will they collide to break through the illusion of pawns on the chessboard of power? From the puddle of sin, will their hands find each other? To once and for all, sharing the crimson Camellia, proof of their sincerity. 'Amor Vincit Omnia'May their love tear the veil of greed. Copyright � SidusProject, 2023
76.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:39
Jay Campbell | mystery | Complete
'Little spark . . . you are changed.' Antissa has come under Ratheine attack; not from the walls, but from below - her ancient pipes. The flooded Hub threatens collapse of the Deep under the fortress, while the scheming Sanhedrin council creeps ever closer to removing Rusper Symphin as Viceroy; the engineer whose protection of the refugees from Naemia amounts to treason. Tool to a nation on the brink, a Naemian boy enters the desert. Armed with the Disc's arcane "Sight", Florian Flint now takes his place on a secret task-force contingent led by the High Commander Plamen. Its urgent purpose - in nine days - to locate the hidden river system by which the Rath accessed the pipeworks: the key strategic advantage in Vorth's return to open war. The Disc itself has other thoughts. Cover art by Natasa Ilincic Additional images, inc. maps: https://photos.app.goo.gl/CdNo1rEjvR7RdVzD7 Tools of Waris the 2nd volume of Deep Mettle, a 2-volume fantasy fiction. Pipes and Fusils,the 1st volume,is also available to read on Royal Road. Available from AMAZON in paperback, hardcover & e-book formats. Find out more at https://www.voidstep.com/
76.66 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 18:43
OscarWilder | psychological | Complete
One moment, Oliver Grace is mowing the lawn while his pregnant wife cooks dinner. The next, he's standing beneath an alien sky. His Marine Corps training keeps him alive and his father's heart calls him home& but it's the engineer in him that first recognizes just how powerful this world's magic can let him become. Join Oliver on his journey as he kicks a few butts, rights a few wrongs, and shows two worlds what happens to the things that get in the way of a father going home especially when that father happens to be a U.S. Marine wielding the power of science and magic combined. Warning: Produced on shared equipment in a factory that also handles software engineering. May contain musings on the nature of mortality and consciousness, physics and dad jokes.Does not contain: grammar errors. Slow-burn isekai high fantasy with LitRPG elements. No tables. Release schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 8pm EST.
76.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:09
Jack loves his life. Yeah, he lives at the edge of a warzone between armies of monstrosities. You call it dangerous. Jack calls it Tuesday. Folks in town aren't too keen on a fourteen-year-old running the only bar, but Jack has it under control. Maybe his customers trash the place more than he would like, but sometimes cybernetically enhanced mercenaries need to blow off some steam. With the help of Zekefriend, mentor, monkeyJack serves drinks to anyone who comes through his door. And for the right price, he might even sell you something with a bit more kick & something magical. When Corva gets knocked through the wall of his bar, Jack decides to help her out. Sure she's being chased by a pack of bounty hunters and she's got no idea why. But she can fight. Holy hell, she can fight. Jack could use someone like that to keep a little order in the bar. That should be a win-win, but Jack's and Corva's problems are bigger than either of them can guess, big enough change the course of the war. Fulcrum is a post-Armageddon dystopian science fiction fantasy with a taste of anime. Technology, magic, and a badass monkey. The drinks aren't on the house, but you're welcome to stay until last call. Chapters are released every weekday... unless they're short. Then it'll be a couple chapters that day. The full story for Season One is complete, but still in the process of being posted here. If you like it and want to support it, you can purchase Fulcrum: Season One now and read the whole story before it's posted here.
75.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 17:47
Salt Blossom | sci_fi | Complete
All Adam wanted was to join the US Marines and escape the ghetto. The omnipotent Goddess of the space colony Astraea decided otherwise. Marked as Her Chosen, Adam is loaded up with futuristic tech and shunted into an alternate world, where the skies bleed red and corruption seeps into the land. His task is to travel this world, hunting, fighting and saving the Goddess's lost War Maidens, who have succumbed to corruption and transformed into monsters. The more War Maidens he saves, the smoother the taskin theory. However, the War Maidens are a zealous sort. Adam, as their Goddess's Chosen, is precious to them. He is to be defended at all costs, and may the Goddess have mercy on anyone that dares to threaten him& Updates on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays (UTC time). Support the series on Patreon or Ko-Fi!
74.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:21
Jack Twohey | historical | Complete
Lindsey Fluger was only slightly past eighteen. There was nothing particularly special about her, save that she happened to be the right person at the right time. When Lindsey is asked to join an expedition to another world she makes the mistake of saying yes, plunging herself into a sea of perilous adventure and dark intrigue. Journeys in the Fairworld is a fantasy anthology series set in The Fairworld, a magical realm existing in parallel with our own world which is governed by a group elfin beings known only as “The Good Folk”. These mysterious entities work in secret to keep the peace between the myriad of peoples and nations which dwell in The Fairworld. Complex relationships and bitter rivalries emerge against a backdrop of constrained resources and conflicting values to produce a world of high adventure and tangled mysteries. This novel is technically already completed, and I am currently in the final stages of proofing or editing. As such, there may be a few typos and errors here and there. The final version should be about 130,000 words long, which I will be releasing in stages as I continue editing. I'd love to hear your feedback and comments! If you want to read more stories from Journeys in the Fairworld, please checkout “Journeys in the Fairworld: The Brigand of Potham”, which is also available here on Royal Road Legends. https://www.royalroadl.com/fiction/19369/journeys-in-the-fairworld-the-brigand-of-potham
74.54 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 11:43
Balance is everything. Where the village ends, the rainforest begins, and while children whisper legends of impossible places and heroes, the villagers know there is nothing outside except the trees and what creeps between them. The dark and the creatures it hides have never entered the village, not while sacred spirits, the anki, protect it. With his father's body wrapped and laid in the funeral clearing, Talon wants only to get back to his crops, his wife and two children, Sosa and Halo but the bronze spear hidden in his father's hut is a complication he could do without. Metal is rare, and hoarding it forbidden, but that's the least of Talon's worries. The appearance of a young boy, stained with red dye, who crashes from the trees and collapses at Sosa's feet, could threaten the delicate balance, and Talon's decision to protect him will have consequences for his family; perhaps the whole village. Talon and Sosa are about to be drawn into an adventure which, like many others, is full of heroes and claws and teeth. What those legends rarely say is how much those claws can hurt. Talon and Sosa's legend does. Warning: There is some gore and violence in this book but not an excessive amount. It's carefully placed, but it is there, just so you know!
74.39 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:42
In a world of magic, ruled by many warring races, the human kingdoms are being pushed to the brink of collapse. In a desperate bid to gain the strength to stand on an equal footing with the other nations, they perform a forbidden ritual to summon combat slaves from another dimension. Unluckily for them, Mors Letus, recently named by their world's God of Death, was one of them. **** Warning **** This is a re-release (The Summoned) of the first book I wrote in partnership with my brother (who later forced the story to be pulled (It was released on his account here)). I have started writing my own version of the story (BOM: The Summoned) and will continue to primarily invest in that, though, now I have permission to re-release this one, I plan finish this as I have the drafts and it was close to the end of the first book. Many characters/scenes and events match/Will match BOM: The Summoned, especially in future arc's (Past Flatner forest). If you don't like spoilers, don't want to get confused between the two stories or hate first attempts at writing (god awfulgrammar/sentence structure and storytelling), I would advise against reading.
74.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 18:33
gusdefrog | contemporary | Complete
Fate is meeting at the right time. Love is cherishing every moment and continuing to grow together. Hikaru is secretly paying her brother's tuition, enduring conflicts with her new step parent, and there's a new sibling on the way. As if life isn't busy enough, her band is working toward publishing their first album, and then she meets him randomly on the street one day...
73.84 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 16:49
Andre is a normal boy, he has a normal life and a loving family. He is a bit of a nerd, but who isn't in this day and age. His life changes on prom night A group of unknown men kidnap his girl and crashinto him with an SUV in one single night.The accident sends him into a coma for three years, he wakes up to find out that he lost his emotions. He feels no anger or sadness at what happened. He loses the ability to feel any emotions. What will he do next? He tries to live a normal life, tries to take care of his mother, but some things... he just can't let go.
73.50 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 17:04
EnhancedBeing | drama | Complete
Enhanced Beings. Humans with the ability to do something astonishing. Some learn to use it for good. Others for bad. But most are content with the 9-5 and walks with the dog.But use it for bad, you'll answer to& The Enhanced Beings Collective! USA's taskforce in the fight against Enhanceds who threaten America's national and global interests.They say it's better to regret things you've done than what you haven't done. But for our heroes, the feeling is the same and cuts just as deep whatever the reason. Volume Two: Regret, explores the aftermath of Volume One's finale and how the team moves on with their own sources of regret.With some new additions to the team and a roster of new villains as well as some familiar, our heroes are busy travelling beyond the galaxies to more Earths, making bad judgements, uncovering secrets and fighting& for& survival!Woodland Warriors Vol 2 - Kimona aka Agw� joins the team temporarily as they reel from the attack on The Lodge. There's travel to colder climates, a flashback to Tobias getting his enhancements and the team changes again! It's not straightforward keeping things balanced within the heart of America... It's forests. The Rodeos Vol 2 - Effie and Reuben find themselves learning more about their past and what it has to do with defeating Outlaw and the curse upon him. There's a hostage situation at a dog food factory, a spider bite and an clash of two different worlds as our western duo saddle up once again!
73.50 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 17:01
CrystalSquirrel | romance | Complete
For Liliana Rose her family is absolute. Her loyalty is absolute, and if her mother or father demanded anything of her she'd give it to them without a thought. Yet in the end she realized how little she'd given to her family, and how she was nothing in comparison to her parents. To that end Liliana chose to leave her family behind, setting out on a journey to find her own value, and a way to help cement her own legacy. What she found was something beyond her imagination, and it would eventually lead to her discovering her own place within the Empire.
73.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:11
Jaycendus | mystery | Complete
A daring heist to steal the Sun seems impossible. . . but Caden betrays the Order of the Crown and joins a thieving crew to avenge his sister's death. Now he must steal from the knights, attend meetings with those who want him dead, and break into the palace to erase the blood-red clouds above and bring back the Sun. . .
73.00 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 18:38
NoMeTokken | psychological | Complete
Time stood still when all the cogs of society meshed well enough. There were those who tolerated less, but still, life and work were monotonous for the most part in the gruelling megapolis of the Hub. Those who stood opposed would be met with an unpleasant visit from the no-nonsense authorities of the country's overruling, tyrannical Syndicate. And so, where there was law, there was simplicity. But every decade, this grey atmosphere would crash as hell itself came to bang on their door. Join the awkward Tokken, a strangely unknowing teenager who's finally getting the reality check he needs, as well as the rowdy and reckless Emris, the alcoholic military mess that sees no grey lines between life and death, as they try to abide by the hailstorm that looms over them. Join our podcast on Youtube! (link is in the profile). Join our Discord Server! discord.com/invite/6xcFHmf4HX � 2019-2020, All Rights Reserved.
72.85 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 17:23
