MichaelJSullivan | action | Complete
Royce Melborn (a cynical ex-assassin) and Hadrian Blackwater (an idealistic ex-mercenary) couldn't be more different from one another, but desperate times makes for strange partnerships and sometimes the best friendships are bound by blood - both theirs and those who dare to oppose them. New to Royal Road is two full-length published Riyria novels and one rough draft of a novel to be released next summer. Volume 1: THE DEATH OF DULGATH Three times they tried to kill her. Then a professional was hired. So was Riyria. When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary ex-mercenary and the cynical ex-assassin joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they're asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane. Volume 2: THE DISAPPEARANCE OF WINTER'S DAUGHTER A daughter vanishes. Two rogues are paid a fortune to find her. It isn't enough. When the last member of the oldest noble family in Avryn is targeted for assassination, Riyria is hired to foil the plot. Three years have passed since the war-weary mercenary Hadrian and the cynical ex-assassin Royce joined forces to start life as rogues-for-hire. Things have gone well enough until they're asked to help prevent a murder. Now they must venture into an ancient corner of the world to save a mysterious woman who knows more about Royce than is safe and cares less about herself than is sane. Volume 3: DRUMINDOR He planned to obliterate an entire city. He thought no one could stop him. But he hadn't heard of Riyria. When a master-craftsmen dwarf is fired, he threatens retaliation. The rogues-for-hire known as Riyria are hired to find and stop him. Traveling to the paradise resort of Tur Del Fur, the two are granted a lavish allowance that, along with the easy job, promises to turn the trip into a vacation. Everything would have been perfect except that the disgruntled employee's last name is Berling and target of his wrath is the legendary towers of Drumindor. NOTE: A rough first draft version of Volume 3 was posted one chapter a day starting Nov 1 and the full work was posted on Dec 10. As noted when we started posting, this was only a temporary and the book was removed in January of 2023. This book will launch with a Kickstarter on 2/14/24. Once the book is finalized, it will be reposted on Royal Road. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Michael j. Sulivan is a New York Times, USA Today, and Washington Post Bestselling author. He has published 19 novels across 4 series in his fantasy world of Elan: The Riyria Revelations (6 novels - completed series) | The Riyria Chronicles (4 novels - ongoing series) | Legends of the First Empire (6 novels - completed series) | The Rise and Fall (4 novels - completed series). He has nine Goodreads Choice Award nominations, and six of his published novels are Amazon Editor's Picks.The three free novels posted on Royal Road consist of nearly 380,000 words
125.17 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 16:00
This story TWICE Completed the Royal Road Writathon challenge! Successor Book to Power of Ten Book One: Sama Rantha, and Book Two: The Far Future. Chapters began 9/5/2020. Chapters are around 2000 words (4 Word Pages), the author updating daily since Dec. 26, 2018. This story is basically completed as it stands, at 500 chapters of daily updates. Book Four: The Power of Ten: Dynamo, is continuing with the daily updates! Ebook: The original Power of Ten Series: The First Day, Part One, and Two, and the First Week, Parts One and Two! The Power of Ten Series PageAnd Part Two!Part Two of The First Day! ---------------------------- A shard severed from a soul, full of Karma, but needing a body and life of its own. The first true Rantha Hagbloods. A Shrouded Earth invaded by magic, struggling to once again see the sky. Three souls with the full knowledge of Power of Ten are on a world in need of something to break the stalemate and suppression of the Shroud of Undeath. It's going to take gold, and Gear, and Levels, but the undead aren't the only enemies that they'll be facing as they strive to liberate a world, and guide it towards the Light of Heaven. =========== Power of Ten has a Patreon for anyone who wants to read advance chapters (up to 35 ahead, and you can even pay annually!). We use a Google Docs system, sending out access emails to our Patrons once Patreon confirms things to our Patrons' gmail accounts. Help support PoT today! :) For those who would like to support me, my Patreon Link is at: Contribute Goldweight to Save the World! The Original Power of Ten/Sama, the Tip of the Spear, is being posted at: Tremble, She Comes! Books One and Two for Sama Rantha are at: Rantha Hags Forever! The permanent Discord Link is: Your Friendly Allegiance LInk is active! I always have Discord up if I'm online, although I may be busy writing and not see it right away...
627.47 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 11:17
If he had to be reborn in a fictional world, then he would prefer that world to not be violent.Instead, he was reborn in Azeroth.If he had to be reborn in Azeroth, then he would prefer to be born in a society in which he could live in peace.Instead, he was reborn in a kingdom fated to be destroyed by an evil necromancer intent on creating an army of the undead.If he had to be reborn in a kingdom fated to be destroyed by an evil necromancer intent on creating an army of the undead, then he would prefer to be reborn as a human in Lordaeron.Instead, he was reborn as a nerubian in Azjol-Nerub.Join an unfortunate nerubian on his journey as he tries to live in a world that would very much prefer him to die. Crossposting from SB/SV/FF. If you like this story, then don't forget to drop a follow or a review to help me out.
304.58 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:13
InadvisablyCompelled | action | Complete
Now on Book Five! Check the Volumes selector to make sure you start at the right place! Book One: Paranoid Mage Buy on Amazon! Callum had seen things all his life. There are monsters and beasts living among people, but he learned very early not to admit such things, not if he didn’t want people to think him crazy. It turns out that the supernatural is real, but at thirty Callum has no desire to be part of that secret. Not that he has a choice when it turns out he is a mage, albeit one that hasn’t cast any spells in all his life. There are requirements, duties, and education that the powers that be insist he be subject to. To hell with that. Book Two: Renegade Mage Buy on Amazon! After escaping from the Guild of Arcane Regulation and the Bureau of Secret Enforcement, Callum has lost his greatest protection: his obscurity. Now the powers that be know who he is, and hiding is harder than ever. Nor is hiding a plan, just a reaction. Now Callum is forced to decide how he wants to approach the supernatural world, and how he’s going to keep himself secure when the apparatus of government is arrayed against him. Even if he wanted to live as a mage, that bridge has been thoroughly burned, and even if he wanted to live as a normal person, he is far too deep to close his eyes to what he’s seen. He has to make his own terms. Book Three: Heretic Mage Buy on Amazon Callum is at war with the Guild of Arcane Regulation, the organization that governs mages on Earth. He’s spent most of his time lying low and hiding out, trying to understand what he can do and how he can remain free from their meddling. What he’s learned is that he can’t. It’s time to move from reaction to action, and take on GAR and its evils directly. Book Four: Reclusive Mage The Guild of Arcane Regulation has fractured, and new forces move on the board. Callum cannot quite declare victory, for even a weakened GAR still forces him to hide from the world at large, yet he is no longer prepared to run. Instead he builds his own strengths to stand against those who wish to do him harm. Change, once started, is hard to stop. Callum’s actions have brought change to the world of the supernatural, but that can bring chaos and destruction even as he eliminates tyranny and corruption. He has to move beyond being one man against the world, and stand in the world he’s made. Book Five: Sovereign Mage The portal to the Night Lands is closed, and vampires are barred from Earth, but at a high cost. Not only does Callum have to deal with the fallout of the vampire race’s final spasms, but the political consequences of demonstrating his ability and willingness to attack portal worlds directly. The forces that were moving to control a weakened GAR have come out into the open, and Callum has to deal with stakes much higher than his personal freedom. It's time to join with his allies and move to open conflict. Even the secret of supernatural presence on Earth is at play, and Archmage’s Council and the Seven Lesser Courts threaten the very concept of human sovereignty. Everything comes down to removing the would-be tyrants, and so preserving the Earth as it should be. Paranoid Mage is an urban fantasy but it goes rather sideways from the normal stuff fairly quickly. Chapters are Fridays, 5PM EST, with approximately 5,000 words per chapter. Join our Discord!
312.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 11:28
zechamp | adventure | Complete
By a stroke of fate, a stone gains sentience and sets out on a grand quest to touch grass. However, the system forgot to change its stats from their [Metric] values to the appropriate [Str, Int, Dex] values. Things escalate. Fast. Features:- Cultivation- Jade Beauties- Numbers go up (Ridiculously up. All of them)- Most balanced protagonist of all time (is round, so is balanced) Thank you Sininenblue for making this cool cover for me! You a legend. Previously titledDMG=MA
20.75 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:51
InadvisablyCompelled | adventure | Complete
Book now available on Amazon! In a world of lightless skies and endless secrets, humanity is a vigil of light against the eternal darkness. Under the imprimatur of the Illuminated King and the nefarious endorsement of the Reflected Council, a veteran explorer assembles an expedition to the far east. A place that no sane and god-fearing man would ever go. Jonathan Heights will, and must, for he claims to have seen sunlight. A laughable myth and fairy tale, but he will not be stopped on his journey to find it again. Wonders and horrors both lie between the human lands and his ultimate goal; things long-forgotten and long-dead, that which could not be recorded on any map. They are temptation and terror to the wise and foolish alike, but not to Jonathan. His purpose is clear, and he has but one goal, yet the truth is shrouded and motives remain uncertain among the agents of both crown and underworld as they join Jonathan aboard the airship Endeavor to sail the strange and exotic lands out there in the darkness. Chasing Sunlight is a pulp airship adventure serial inspired by Sunless Sea, HP Lovecraft, and a little bit of Moby Dick and The Odyssey. It will be a single book, somewhere between 25 and 30 chapters. The first five chapters will be uploaded once a day, Mon 28 - Fri 1, at which point it will be uploaded every Friday at 5PM. Join our Discord!
83.42 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:08
Exterminatus | comedy | Complete
The universe was a vast, empty, dark, and uncaring place. Then life happened, and the universe was changed forever. Only a teeny-tiny bit, but definitely different. Then again, the universe changes a teeny-tiny bit every second of every day. For instance, if someone were to get off the couch and randomly drink a glass of milk? Bam! One less glass of milk in the universe. Changed forever. Well, excluding any time-travel shenanigans, but anyone who puts a big old hole in the time-space continuum just to un-drink a glass of milk should really reevaluate their priorities. Unless, of course, they were attempting to prevent some massive catastrophe vis-a-vis said glass of milk. Such a scenario is by no means impossible, as one should never underestimate the importance of calcium. Another important tip for any life forms out there is to keep things in perspective. Some look at the vastness of creation in relation to themselves and go, Man, this sucks!' These people really need to narrow their focus. Sure, they will never affect anything happening on the other end of the galaxy, but so what? That's way the heck over there, where it doesn't matter. Therefore, in order to maintain a healthy mindset, it is important to narrow one's perspective to the things and people that affect them, and that they can affect in turn. But what happens if one is an unfathomable cosmic being from beyond the veil of reality? What happens when such an existence is capable of influencing entire swathes of the universe just by its presence? A creature such as Magh'rathlak the Observer? That particular entity is only about average as far as reality-warping creatures from the dawn of time go, so its influence over the fabric of reality is rather limited. And it still struggles to keep things in perspective. That, among other things, is why it decided to narrow its worldview a bit by compressing the maddening vastness of its being into a single corporeal form. Magh'rathlak had never tried such a feat, but that wasn't about to stop it. After all, how hard could being human possibly be?
93.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:13
When a Creature of the Void fails to find friendship among her own kind, she instead sets her sights upon another, human-filled world. Unfortunately, humans turn out to be rather small and squishy things, resulting in a mostly accidental trail of death, destruction and madness as she embarks on her journey to finally make some friends. This is a 25k word inane short story, and makes no attempt at being serious or realistic. It's my first attempt at trying a more comedic writing style. No relation to my other stories, aside from a brief cameo. Cover bodged together with Charat Genesis. Not quite the design I had in mind, but reasonably close. Doesn't contain explicit smut, but does contain references to stuff happening off-screen. May contain traces of gore. Also eels, in varying states of distress. Posted here and scribblehub.
17.99 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:09
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 About a boy who isn't quite normal and doesn't see himself as a human being, but is taught differently as he finds out about the world's secrets. Though not everyone is happy about his existence. This is inteded to evolve into a full blown space opera with elements of magic thrown into it. The OneShot goes FullStory. Trying to go a little more SciFi and alternate reality this time. I am not entirely sure how this fiction will turn out. And I am not sure on the tags either. They may change. Bear with it. As always, how chapters turn out is up to my mood.
120.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 17:30
Queenofthefuzzybugs | comedy | Complete
Once upon a time, there lived two great and mighty spirits on the mountain. One loved humans, the other hated them. When their differences could not be reconciled, they came to blows, and the human loving spirit was chased out. The banished spirit wandered the world. Rather than an exile, the spirit viewed her situation as an extended vacation. She saw all the sights and people she'd only ever heard about on the mountain. But it was a little lonely. No one could see her or hear her. She was a rootless spirit with no place to call home. And then, one day, she found a friend. When anger and jealousy take everything, only love can create something new. This is the story of perseverance, sacrifice, and forgiveness. Discord for FREE STUFF: https://discord.gg/Q2tQhQH ---Book 1: Empress of Blue Flower Mountain - Complete Book 2:Emperor of Blue Flower Mountain - In Progress Book 3:Princes of Blue Flower Mountain - N/ACover drawn by me, the Author! Lincensed under: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
19.61 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 13:13
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 My world faced its end, but I refused to perish with it! So I intercepted a summoning ceremony from another world. One moment!? My summoner tried to summon a demon? Fuck it, I think it's better to break the contract and do my own thing... or not? Why is Mrs. Sacrifice hugging me? And why am I suddenly a child!? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I am not entirely sure how this fiction will turn out. And I am not sure on the tags either. They may change. Bear with it. As always, how chapters turn out is up to my mood.
139.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:24
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
Aest Belequa | contemporary | Complete
Some men have demons inside them. Lou's stays in the mirror, stalking his wife. It's at the doctor's office. It's in the bathroom at their assisted living apartment. It even chases the car when they go shopping. It keeps getting closer. And as it does, he's having a harder and harder time remembering. Lou doesn't want to find out what'll happen if if reaches Abigail. He has to stop the demon. Content Warning: This story is about dementia. I'm trying not to pull punches. Edit: I'm incredibly honored to have won the June 2023 Community Magazine Contest. Thank you all for reading!
4.65 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 10:51
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
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
tenqui | contemporary | Complete
Normal over 30 science teacher is "abducted" and tested by the GREAT GAME as a beta trial inductee. The GREAT GAME will eventually be implemented and remake the world. Our protagonist however is the only one that actually passes the beta test, which was not designed to be survivable, through sheer dumb luck and thus has an extreme head start on all other citizens of Earth. Follow the journey of our hero as he tries to walk a thin line between preparing to save as much of his family and friends as possible while also trying to make sure that he will have enough power to make other people do most of the work while remaining safe and sound. Poor guy is just a proto-hermit who wants to be left alone but also realizes the importance of others and family. The new reality just complicates things.
96.47 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:38
Sharkerbob | contemporary | Complete
In 2029, thirteen unearthly structures called Doorways appeared across the world. Any human that entered immediately disappeared. Thousands were never seen again, but every once in a while, someone would come back out after a few days, garbed in strange clothing and possessing superhuman powers. Despite the odds, many of the desperate, ambitious, and hopeful surged through the Doorways in search of personal power.Eleven years have passed, and the world has undergone catastrophic changes as the result of superhuman conflict. Entire continents and civilizations have been lost, a supervillain epidemic threatens those societies that remain, and the world's greatest superhero team has just been destroyed. In the wake of this latest tragedy, a band of powerful superhuman bounty hunters comes together to track down the source of these disasters, and perhaps save what remains of the falling world.
65.96 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-20 14:54
Kira Hawthorne was just another teenage girl until the day a 'god' told the world their 'realm' was getting assimilated, since they lost some War no one on Earth even knew about. A System is installed on the whim of a very old and capricious god. Kira immediately gets trapped in a pocket dimension, and emerges to find a once familiar world turned foreign... And very hostile.
87.82 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:43
"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
A modern-day young woman somehow gets trapped on an alien planet, transformed into an amalgam of human and something more. With no way home and all the survival skills of an average upper-middle-class shut-in, how will she possibly survive let alone find a way home? Turns out, she needs to learn how to help herself... figuratively and very, very literally. Evelyn, meet Evelyn. You're going to do great things together. Updates Sat/Mon
92.19 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:47
