St. Charles and the Children from the Sun

ArDeeBurger | historical | On going

This story is a tale classic in its tragedy, about the foibles of Man and how he destroys the things he loves, all to prove himself superior over the Universe. In a quest to defeat Hilter during Wold War II, Winston Churchill and Franklin Deleanor Roosevelt barter with a race of serpents who come from outer space. There are a few inconveniences for the leaders of the West when dealing with these creatures. For one, they can't even talk to them, for the aliens 'speak' by manipulating light. But in exchange for the knowledge of how to build an atomic bomb, all the monsters want from us is to live in peace at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. What could go wrong with that? * * * This story is my entry in The Royal Road Community Magazine Contest * * *

5.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-02 14:59

Satisfaction Earned

KimberlyEAB | historical | Complete

Blood is spilled in 17th century France as a nobleman confronts the man he believes defiled his sister. However, the culprit is not who he seems. A tale of bisexuality, gender nonconformity, and polyamory inspired by the infamous life of Julie d’Aubigny, a duelist and opera singer who breached the social norms of her time to express herself and love those she wanted.

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

A Job for a Wendigo

Lady Siv | contemporary | Complete

Long ago Wendigos settled in the cold north away from most other Beings. Their almost secretive nature often gives Beings the impression of deep spirituality. And then there is Yrsa. Flighty at best she lives in her deceased grandparent's RV in the middle of the desert. Taking up the job of a mail carrier she earns enough money to keep her lights on and not much else. When a fairy on her route causes her to crash it triggers a chain reaction leading up to her finding a purpose.

20.21 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-10 16:02

They Think They Know Everything About Me

Wulfrann | contemporary | Complete

Alex Wallen is the tall, blond, athletic cheerleader everyone loves.Nancy Campbell-Park is the nerd who wears glasses and gets shoved in the hallway for no reason.They could not be more different... But not everything is as it seems, and when the both of them collide, they can't help but wonder if maybe, just maybe, this could actually work. (LGBT+ themes - F/F high school love story)

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

Melody of Mana

Wandering Agent | adventure | Complete

Reborn into another world as Alana, the former resident of Earth must now try to make her way. While heroes fight great monsters and kings war the peasants suffer and die, unable to save themselves. What is a girl born into a poor family to do except learn and work as hard as she can to just make it through; and that's what she will do. Strive, strive all she can against an unfair and uncaring world of dark lords, dungeons, uncaring nobles, heroes, and magic. Come along as she uses magic and wit in a bid to survive. Updates on Tues. and Fri. Participant in the Royal Road writathon challenge.

327.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 15:58

Flowers Rain Upon Them (Tragic High Fantasy)

Lack of Poochline | tragedy | Complete

Terus doesn't exist. He breathes, speaks, and walks. He learns. He thinks. Yet he is not. Dreamed to life by a slumbering dragon, Terus and the rest of Cirruin's dreams inhabit Ludlun, a settlement that shares their nature. They exist solely for the old dragon to destroy the town and revive his glory days, again and again. Yet, one day, an unusual man arrives to the town, igniting Terus' desire to know more about the people that "move like pebbles rolling down a hillside", leading him to venture outside of the dream-town and into a city that couldn't be more real. In this city, he will try to become a bit more like the man he is supposed to incarnate and less like the dragon that dreams about him. This, of course, without forgetting that he should always care not to turn Cirruin's dreams into nightmares, and that the dreams of a dragon's dream are a dragon's dream all the same...[This fiction participates in the Royal Road Writathon challenge of April, 2023] (A milliard thanks to DragonOfRochester for the new cover! The aforementioned created the typography and applied it to a base image made with the Midjourney software.)

30.30 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-02 15:05

Rocket Cat

parkertallan | one_shot | Complete

In the deepest reaches of space lies the planet Catalonia. Here two powerful cat nations vie to impose their desired cat scratching material upon their world. The nation of Felinia hopes to score a public relations coup by sending the first cat into space, but the rival nation of Catstroph is working to achieve the same goal and will stop at nothing to keep Felinia from beating them. Join Major Thomas Fluffison as he rockets into orbit, unaware of the adventure which awaits him. But wait, there's more. Join cats Henri and Cassie on their travels as they and we learn more about Physics. Look up in the sky. Yes, it's Dynamics Cat, that feline hero of acceleration and motion who uses his abilities to fight evil and keep the city of Newtonville safe. Warning: This short story collection contains scientific information explaining how rockets get into orbit, how to perform orbit transfers, and the secrets of reentry. In addition, there is the presence of other Physics related topics.

18.32 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-04-19 15:30

Respawn Condition: Trash Mob

Razzmatazz | tragedy | Complete

[Every time I die, I respawn as a trash-mob at the very bottom of the dungeon. It's a rather troublesome existence, but honestly, I think I've managed to adapt, guy.] A lost soul is trapped at the bottom of what may be the world's deepest and darkest dungeon, constantly being reborn into the bodies of new monsters over and over again after every time it is forced to fight and die against the human incursion into the underbelly of the world, which is led by the unbeatable hero-party' who has never lost a single fight. However, unlike all of its other monster brethren, who suffer the same fate, this unnamed soul alone seems to remember each and every lost life and also each death in excruciating, painful detail. After an eternity of this cycle of violent reincarnation, something changes. The soul discovers a secret passage that it has never seen or heard of before in all of its hundreds, if not thousands, of lives. Making a desperate bid to fight against the crushing weight of continual death, it pushes out through this new way, climbing up to a higher floor of the dungeon for the first time, fostering hopes of an escape from this torture as it navigates the dungeon from the bottom up, using trickery, guile, and the capabilities of many wildly different bodies and repeating timelines to outsmart the dominating hero-party and the dungeon itself, which seems all too unwilling to let this trapped soul escape from its belly, deep in the underworld. What is the secret of the dungeon and the forced cycle of reincarnation? Will the soul be able to break free from this arduous, slow grind that is existence, or will it be crushed into madness from the pressure finally beginning to break its fragile mind? Find out in this ultra slow burning, litRPG inspired fantasy novel by renowned dark fantasy author D.M. Rhodes!

235.73 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 18:15

Until Death? (Refleshed Version)

Andur | romance | Complete

Ever been a god? Well, I was! Until I died.... and got judged by the other gods! Apparently, they didn't like the whole "My Faith is the only true one!" idea. Oh, and for the record: The Apocalypse wasn't intentional, ok? In my defense, I want it to be known that my enemies threw the first stone and the whole 'Offer the other cheek' just isn't mything. Seems like, for punishment, I get sent onto a vacation! Or so I hope?  Reading Order of the Multiverse-Books  Author's Comment: It's here, a rewrite? Yes! I would like to think that this version will have better grammar, better jokes, hopefully, everything better. Since it was my first work and started solely to improve my English,the grammar always caused me headaches when I looked at it. Well, and there are the plotholes which appeared with the whole multiverse thingthat came with my other works...Let's just say that the first one was never written with the idea of turning it into a series. So let's get a shovel andfill-up the plot so that hapless readers won't fall into those pitch-black pits. They might break a knee! Or worse, vanish forever. And now the disclaimer everyone knows: 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)

205.02 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-13 16:11

Peculiar Soul

TMarkos | drama | Complete

Not everyone gets a soul. The rise of industry and mechanization has sent the world's population booming upward, striving relentlessly for the fixed handful of souls that level armies and steer the fate of nations. The remnants of a crumbled empire fight in a grinding, bloody war against their ancient enemy. Not everyone gets a soul, but Michael must - for he is the scion of a lord, and the soulless cannot hold such a title. For five years he has tried to tempt one of the souls freed by its vessel's death. Five years of pain and failure, earning only his father's contempt. At last, one more opportunity to earn his soul has come. But not everyone gets a soul quite like his. Updates weekly on Wednesdays. Cover art by Harry Rowland.

348.78 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 15:49

Turnings of Fire

A. T. Engel | adventure | Complete

Nathan Seldon was on what he thought was a normal date. He didn't expect to be mugged, he didn't expect to be fatally stabbed, and he certainly didn't expect Maggie, his date, to deal with their attacker using magic. In fact, what she did was so shattering that it cracked open a doorway between worlds. Now Nathan is trapped in another, far more dangerous reality, and the only way home is if Maggie kills again. It could be worse. After all, Maggie is an assassin on her way to the next mark. All Nathan has to do is tag along. What could go wrong?

68.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 14:05

The New Magnolia: Red Fungus, White Spore

Hokage of Literature | psychological | Complete

The art for this cover was drawn by StarsColdNight whose account you can find on DeviantArt and BookCoversRealm for some great and splendid artwork at fair prices. Rillia flees from the Red Mountain Ant Colony and her country of Wassergras, hoping to find and explore the Primeval World, a legendary and untamed world she has only read about. However, after a surprise storm nearly drowns her, she is saved by Jason, a shrunken human with little memory of his past life. He is the first in a series of new allies she meets along with Melsil, the mushroom swordsman and Vesha the crawfish. A storm is brewing in Wassergras of political intrigue, prejudice and schemes within schemes that threaten to tear apart their world. Rillia must put her traveling plans on hold as she and her newly made friends work to defeat this threatone that has been waging since the dawn of the world between the forces that created it.

50.93 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-27 10:40

Angelic Bond

Jojeez | drama | Complete

Angelic Bond tells the story of Yonuro, a 16 year-old girl, who's told that she must return an Angelic Veil (a cloak) she found randomly after school to an other world in order to restore ''balance'' and save the universe. Immerse yourself in Yonuro's journey and discover the world's sophisticated nature and mysterious lore.

48.41 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 18:37

The Explorer Saga

KestenH | drama | Complete

The Explorer Saga is also available on Amazon. A race of violent aliens known as the Aggressive Intellectuals have been at war with humanity for over 400 years, but Wander Locke's never given the conflict much thought. Not until it claimed his parents. His sister's body was never recovered, leaving him to believe that she's still out there somewhere. He's made it his personal mission to find her and bring her home. A mission supported by the President of the First Division, who tasks him with retrieving an experimental shield generator from a mysterious group of rebels. What was meant to be a simple task evolves into a life-changing fight as Wander discovers that the galaxy has as many secrets as it does stars. He's not just searching for his sister anymore, he's looking for answers about his family, his enemies, and himself.

182.10 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 16:06

The Devil, The Witch, and The Wicked World of Delirith

MAZ1k5 | comedy | Complete

Somewhere in the lost galaxy of Earis, somewhere in the star system of Neula-V, lies the exiled world of Delirith; a planet whose inhabitants perfectly embodied the survival of the fittest, where one lives under their own definition of normality and conform. Not astray from the trigger-happy population is our protagonists; Mako the Little Witch (who practiced no sorcery) and Fyra the One-Horned Devil (who is not a demon and in fact, 100% human), wandering children orphaned by the manic society around them (just like 90% of Delirith's population). Follow Mako and Fyra, as they wandered the lawless world encountering psycho baddies, monstrous wildlife, and stupid conflicts doing whatever crap the plot wants them to do in this Sci-Fi slice of life of the Devil, the Witch, and the Wicked World of Delirith!

55.28 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 15:52

The Ghost's Girl

Moonweave | adventure | Complete

"I know who I was. I was Aevlin, raised by Callily, wife of Alaric, son of the mad king," she said the words as if they belonged to someone else. Not her name, not her story. "I was a woodcrafter's apprentice, a strict woman's daughter, a selfish girl's sister. But you know that already. And she's dead." the girl's eyes glistened with tears that would not fall. She would not let them. "Does it matter?"The descendants of the last king have lived in hiding since before his death, but through a series of premeditated coincidences, Aevlin Saliz finds herself in her cousin's palace. There she faces the trials of mental labor, the allure of magic, and the stirrings of rebellion, all while doing her best to hide her identity as both royal and mage. But the desire to belong puts her independence to the test when a plot to overthrow the king in her name is uncovered. Aevlin must choose between quiet submission and taking control of her own destiny.[cover photo by Alice Alinari on Unsplash]

52.38 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 14:53

Summer amidst the Fall

OpenLamp light | psychological | Complete

The world ends on her perfect day and all she can do is push forward.What would be like if magic was suddenly real, if the laws of nature suddenly had a new much less physical sibling?Chaos, all that is, is cast aside like a dream, and Summer must navigate a far grander far more dangerous world. one no one understands.Updates Wednesday and Fridays

29.50 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-26 14:20

The Place No One Dreams About

riscazule | psychological | Complete

"Far away from the gaze of everyone and everything, you stand under a tree. Suffering alone for all this time. But I'm here now."

0.77 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 18:46

The unlucky few

mau3 | psychological | Complete

Sym is just a normal girl until her Grandmother's vice catches up with her family.

6.97 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 18:44

The Charm Fable: Mousey and the Golden Book

Nicholas S. Casale | comedy | Complete

Mousefred Souris lives in a world without humanity, and animals have risen to become like people. Mice like him live as slaves under the rule of a cruel cat, who lords over them with her armies of weasels and bats. For the crime of helping an injured stranger, Mousey is imprisoned and told he must either join the evil queen's army or die. But a chance encounter with a golden book sets Mousey on the path to freedom. The book teaches Mousey the secrets of magic, and with these newfound secrets he sets out on a journey to become the hero he was born to be.Note: This story is available in its absolute, complete form on Amazon.com, but most of the chapters can be read for free here.

28.80 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-25 18:11