sarvashaktimaan | contemporary | Complete
By the grace of the Three, may their blessings touch you. May all around you prosper, as shall you. When you depart, may the only sin staining you be death. May your legacy not be forgot. This is very different from my usual writing. Hope it does not disappoint. Participating in January 2024 RR magazine. This is a self contained short story with no direct relationship with my other work.
6.13 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:01
HAXX0RZ | historical | Complete
All three of the great Greek Tragedians have written plays about the bloody chain of murder and revenge within the royal family of Argos. Yet theirs is in fact not a story of tragedy, but rather one of redemption. As they move from darkness to light, from rage to self-governance, from primitive ritual to civilized institution, their spirit of struggle and regeneration becomes an everlasting song of celebration to be heard throughout the ages. Forming a discourse set against the emergence of Athenian democracy out of a period of chaos and destruction, the Orestian plays are compelling stories of the tensions between our obligations to our families and the laws that bind us together as a society. In the beginning, we witness how a king's decision to sacrifice his daughter and turn the tide of war inflicts lasting damage on his family, culminating in a terrible act of retribution. In the aftermath of regicide, we behold how a son must set out to avenge his father's death by committing a most egregious sin. In the end, the sinner is tormented by supernatural powers that can never be appeased, but ultimately finds redemption and ends the curse on his house once and for all. Woven through all of this is the story of a friendship so close that it elevates itself to brotherhood - Where the blood of the covenant is shown to be indeed thicker than the water of the womb. In this very brief twelve-chapter modern rendition of the Orestian plays, I have chosen to place my focus mainly on the lives of the characters Orestes and his best friend Pylades. The chapters, each around 2000-2500 words, are split up evenly between them in first-person narrative. I hope that you will come to enjoy reading this heartwarming story, but more importantly, that you see how the conflicts portrayed in the story, whether human or institutional, are still much very relevant to our societies today. Note on Sources: The details of this story is very loosely based on The Oresteia by Aeschylus. And I mean very loosely. Other sources that I referenced for detail and inspiration are Mythology by Edith Hamilton, Electra by Sophocles, and Iphigenia in Tauris by Euripides. You may also find that I have quoted some of these works, and others (such as Shelley's Ozymondaeus), without citations (average of 1-2 such quotes per chapter). I did this because I do not have the ability to describe certain scenes nearly as well as some of those writers. If you read a particularly beautiful piece of prose here, chances are it's probably stolen lol. Also, I wrote this during the summer between my high school senior year and my college freshmen year. It was the summer of 2020, and being quarantined apparently gets my creative side out lol.
15.05 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:30
S.nuffles | historical | Complete
Matthieu de Laval, a Capitaine in the Holy European Legions lies in hospital. After a heroic last stand at a stronghold along the Ninth Holy Crusade's front line, he escaped, missing his left arm and most of his Company. Despite a short-lived respite in the form of his nurse, Andrea Moretti, he is soon assigned a ceremonial position in rural former France. With a spare set of clothes, a toothbrush and a sidearm, he arrives in the sleepy mountain town of Melone, still skeptical of his new, Vatican subsidized life. There he meets a young girl, C閘ine Allard, the baker's daughter and the town's youngest Deathseer. As a shepherd of the dead and traveler of the many worlds along the Great Tower's spiral staircase, C閘ine Allard knows death intimately and more importantly, the truth behind immortality and salvation. As the war continues, the Great Tower destabilizes and the worlds fall into disarray, in turn only worsening the casualties of the Ninth Holy Crusade. C閘ine pleads for his help in its repair, and he begrudgingly obliges. Brushing close to death once more, yet in a completely different sense, Matthieu learns the value of such myths as immortality and eternity and distills them into a letter. On what, exactly? Well, it isn't very creative.
16.04 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:41
DWinchester | horror | Complete
[June 2023 Royal Road Magazine Contest Entry] This story is a work of Lovecraftian horror set in the 1920s, detailing the inexplicable happenings at the Bergen Estate, and the only one Josephine can turn to for help is a 200-year-old vampire. Though she has thwarted many smaller evils, and is not without her own powers, sometimes only a monster can hope to defeat another monster.
6.30 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:43
EldritchPotato | horror | Complete
My life was overtaken by one purpose that killed me, but I made peace with that. The problem was when I suddenly found myself in an alien fantasy world. To make matters worse I'm a walking corpse wielding unholy magic and enemy number one for the holy crusaders who guard the kingdom from creatures like me. Now I have to figure out how to survive in this world and what my purpose is now, well that part is easy at least, I'm going to rid this world of one piece of filth at a time. Who would have thought the heroes would be worse than the villains? Warning: This story contains explicit violence and content which some people may find offensive. Reader discretion is advised. Life of a Lich will be updated every Tuesday and Thursday. Chapters are released early on my patron.
27.53 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:45
Denwa Macska | mystery | Complete
Mutated, despised, hunted and sentenced to death this is life as Salia knows it, and it catches up with her when she and hundreds of others are captured to drown in the vastness of the sea. But water doesn't forget, and just as the last hope threatens to fade, a way out reveals itself that requires only one sacrifice: Humans.Destruction can be so simple.Until Salia realises that revenge will never bring peace.
15.22 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 17:58
Why did no one ever say that the best way to recover from a deadly illness was by solving mysteries with a pretty ghost? Kayden Feronil, one of the empire's most promising cultivators, was supposed to be recovering from a deadly illness. Unfortunatelyor fortunately, since he's bored out of his mindthe remote village where he was supposed to be recuperating is afflicted with its own issues. Hauntings are driving the locals mad. Crooks are trying to take advantage of the fear. As an upstanding imperial citizen, Kayden sets out to unearth the truth. He just hadn't counted on the ghost tugging far too hard on his heartstrings, or the spiraling journey that the mystery would lead him on. NOTE: This will be a short novella for Royal Road Community Magazine purposes
14.74 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:03
TrafficButter | satire | Complete
He died, as all things do. He got combusted, as all things do. He became part of the air, as all things do. He got absorbed by some flora, as all things do. He got eaten, and he's a bull again& As all things do, right? After his sentience whirled around some abstract cycle, Triple-A now attempts to live peacefully, undergoing conversion and transformation as his mind exceeds that of simple herd behavior. He went from wanting to let the grass grow under his feet to undergoing an existential crisis regarding life and death; he needed to squash this beef. Uploads daily at 8:48am EST
2.32 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:13
Goreblaster - a beefcake whose prime ingredient is over-the-top monster slaying, topped off with the delicate frosting of the desperate need for validation and adoration. Under the (mostly) helpful guidance of his hapless assistant slash manager, Percy, the pair turned his natural skills (and incredibly unrealistic physique) into a career of seemingly unending foe-crushing-heroics. Goreblaster is a series of short stories (~10k words each) following the exploits of the barbarian and is a pulp trash novel by intention! Full of questionable uses of the written language and some satire of the fantasy genre. (Think Conan x Dangermouse x a stale cheese sandwich). It is also a meta-fiction within my usual Deathforged universe - a seemingly unending series of unpublished pulp novellas of no known author, the various handwritten tomes having been found all across the world of Othea over several decades.
18.84 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:16
fsarbolaez | satire | Complete
A new island rises off the coast after a major earthquake. Soon, small valuable gems are discovered, while the civilians and government begin coming into conflict with one another. However, something primordial stirs deep within the land and under the waves. (Content Warning: Contains foul language, violence, gore, xenophobia, traumatic experience, and moments of allusions to assault, self-harm, and harm ideation)
9.55 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:15
Glacialfury | satire | Complete
What if the illustrious Mr. Hawking was right and searching the stars for life is a bad idea? Read on for a different take on the age-old question.
0.59 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:15
Mircea Florea | satire | Complete
"I am Sir Agandir of the house of Paltrinon, and I seek your aid in performing my quest.""What quest will that be, my lord, Sir Agandir?""Slaying the cursed beast that roams the skies of Wellos.""I would gladly assist you, sir, but I am afraid slaying dragons was one of my weakest talents and it has decreased with age.""Don't play with me, old man!" The knight leaned over the counter and grinned through his thick scruffy black beard. "I NEED POTIONS!"
0.68 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:15
DarenGillingham | one_shot | Complete
Demons, Dragons, ghouls, and gheists. The monsters of Terra are many. I, Nicholas Wolfram shall tell you all about them in the hopes you may avoid the fate of some of my students. Read on, lest a lack of knowledge be your undoing. These monsters are based on those found in The Alchemist Series.
20.83 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:22
Wulfrann | one_shot | Complete
The best thing ever invented, you tell me one morning, is sliced bread. "Really?" "Yeah," you say, waving your buttered slice around for emphasis. Your fingers will be smeared with butter, and I know that later, you will complain about it. For now, though, this is a necessary part of your explanation. "I mean, it's obvious, isn't it?" Spoiler: Story Warnings Obsessive-compulsive behavior & Nonverbal shut-down
0.76 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:19
Everyone has superpowers, and mine wasn't anything special... until I got recruited out of prison. [June 2023 RR Magazine Contest] This short story is a study of a background character in a collaborative project I've been working on with a fellow RR author, Arlen K. Our collab is projected to start posting in 2024, so if you are enjoying Codename: Ghost and would like to see more of this world that he lives in, smash that "Follow Author" button to be alerted to new releases. If you would like more of this world now, check out Portal to Regret. Maybe you'll recognize the MC. = As always, comments, follows, favorites, ratings and reviews are appreciated, especially as there is a lot more planned for this world. Codename: Ghosthas 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!
8.64 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:22
DarthKirby | tragedy | Complete
Perhaps the most well known of all devils, demons, or fallen angels is the one known as Lucifer, Satan, the Father of Lies. The cultural influence of this figure throughout history is by no means small. Despite that, it wasn't until the time of Milton's classic Paradise Lost that we saw an attempt to portray a dramatized version of the events leading to this figure's fall from grace and power. And while this is the case, Paradise Lost is not about Lucifer though it goes into great detail about his potential musings. No, Paradise Lost was, and still is, about the fall of mankind. So, in light of this, and the feeling that the classical story deserved another telling, I present to you all The Fall a story focused particularly on Lucifer's fall from grace and his musings both before and after.
4.75 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-29 18:30
TheImperial | historical | Complete
A Short Story about a family that gets together over the holiday season. Even after they drift apart, the children off to live their lot own way in a tough world, they will never stop being family. A tribute/gift I wrote for my whole family.
1.31 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-22 14:11
Pocket_Pigeon | historical | Complete
Left behind by the flow of time, how would you spend eternity?
0.91 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:30
Rhion | historical | Complete
The good neighbors are awake and dangerous for all who cross them. Etain has crossed them before and knows the signs to look out for. Featuring a few different Celtic mythology systems
0.86 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:30
TLCsDestiny | historical | Complete
A reverse type of Aladdin' Story.(Book 2 of TLCsDestiny Fairy tale books) Rangcew, the capital of Commorda, might be flustering about with the upcoming marriage of Cid and Princess Bethany but that doesn't mean everything is going according to plan for Prince Elton.Prince Elton, the next in line for the throne, has serious plans to disrupt and force his own father to abandon the title of King'. With this, Prince Elton finds what he needs to make this goal to finally happen!&The Little Pillager' knows and has evidence that he needs! He must obtain it without fail!But to woo the woman, he is in the unknown and feels like he's the one being wooed instead! Alison, a thief with a cause, ends up in trouble, only to be caught in a web from the very same person that had brought her family down. Suddenly, she's become a daughter to another family, with nice dresses and yummy food&This was all to tame' someone&It is all to woo the Prince&With reason to play along', Alison finally finds evidence to reclaim her family's innocence but&Never thought that she'd stupidly' fall for the son of that man!It all just seems so impossible and wrong to go down a certain path, it's a romance that can't even be thought of, yet alone acted upon! Then&Why is she so easily lying and pretending like she does want this? Sometimes she even forgets who's she's supposed to be entirely and gets swept away by the idiot who claims himself to be a Prince! Without knowing, they help the other. Without knowing they both become greedy for a certain person's presence and affection&Can a thief strive for the position of Queen? Can the Prince speak the words that need to be said?
17.16 Ten thousand words | Updated at 2024-03-21 18:31
