《Cheaters Always Win》Not a chapter; Excerpts + Chapter Delay
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In the twisting alleys and shadowy corners of the magical, medieval city of Garbrandt, a gang known as the Slimebellers once held sway over a significant portion of the urban landscape. Clad in their signature green-and-black attire, the Slimebellers were notorious for their ruthless tactics and their unique, slime-based abilities. The Slimebellers operated a vast network of illicit activities, from smuggling magical contraband to orchestrating elaborate extortion rackets. They had their tendrils in nearly every aspect of the city's underworld, and many city officials and merchants found themselves under the gang's slimy thumb.
At the helm of this infamous gang was their enigmatic leader, a man known only as "Sludge." Sludge was a formidable figure, both feared and respected by his followers and enemies alike. His unique class granted him extraordinary slime-based powers, which he used to devastating effect in battles and to maintain his iron grip on the Slimebellers' territory. With the ability to secrete corrosive, adhesive, or even explosive slime, Sludge was a force to be reckoned with. He could alter the properties of his slime at will, making it an incredibly versatile weapon. Many an enemy had met their demise at the hands of Sludge, their bodies dissolved or immobilized in a viscous, green embrace.
However, the Slimebellers' reign of terror was not to last. A new and powerful gang, the East Star Clubs, rose to prominence in Garbrandt, fueled by their seemingly endless financial resources. The East Star Clubs quickly began to encroach on the Slimebellers' territory, buying out or intimidating the officials and merchants who once served as the Slimebellers' pawns. With their territory slipping away and their influence waning, the Slimebellers found themselves outmatched and outmaneuvered by the East Star Clubs. Despite Sludge's formidable powers and cunning strategies, the Slimebellers were eventually overtaken, their once-thriving empire reduced to a mere memory in the annals of Garbrandt's criminal underworld.
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~ The Slimebellers, produced and documented by the Archives of Garbrandt
To the Esteemed Rulers of the Ailach Kingdom,
We, the Twilight Bandits, hope this missive finds you in good health and high spirits. As a collective of skilled and resourceful individuals, we pride ourselves on offering the finest services in the fields of warfare, espionage, and the acquisition of rare armaments and artifacts.
We understand that in these tumultuous times, the balance of power is delicate, and maintaining control over one's domain is of utmost importance. It has come to our attention that your esteemed kingdom is currently embroiled in a bitter conflict with the Idil Empire, a rivalry that threatens the stability of the entire realm.
While we do not presume to take sides in such matters, we wish to make you aware that our services are highly sought after by various factions, including those that might not align with your own interests. Our reputation for delivering results is unparalleled, and our allegiance is solely to those who can meet our requirements.
Should the Ailach Kingdom choose not to engage our services, we cannot guarantee that we will not be hired by your rivals. It is our duty to inform you that our expertise, armaments, and artifacts could tip the scales of this conflict in favor of the Idil Empire, making the war even more lopsided than it already is.
We urge you to consider the implications of this situation carefully. The Twilight Bandits are, above all else, a pragmatic and professional organization. We believe that our partnership could yield great benefits for the Ailach Kingdom and help secure your place as a dominant power in the region.
We eagerly await your response and hope to forge a mutually beneficial alliance that will ensure a prosperous future for all parties involved.
Yours faithfully,
Hilda Bureaugarde
Emissary of The Twilight Bandits
~ Leaked documents from the Ailach Kingdom vault
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- In Serial11 Chapters
NOVA INTERIT.US
It's 2063, and the town along with much of the nation are in disarray. The decay started years before the Great Event. Our town still had hope thanks to the five families, who'd created a blockchain based water distribution system for the locals, a valuable secret hidden from the Global Water Commission and their network of mercenaries. Earlier in the mid-2040's, right after the state secessions of Idaho, Montana, and Texas, the Global Council of Water Commissioners made their deals and moved into towns throughout the country. They called it "the integration." The Commission and their contractors integrated with municipal water departments, using their organized network to invade like parasites on local services. It all coincided with the 29th Amendment to the United States Constitution, later referred to as the Regional Trident Plan. Nova is a story about survival, power structures, the turning of relationships, and the networking between people and the systems to which they belong. It’s about A.I. blockchain possibility, and its potential for human betterment versus our detriment. It’s about the question of whether or not we need to be saved from ourselves, and by who or what? The Great Event at the end of the first chapter might just be what actually saves us. The epilogue will take place in 2517. This scene is fully sketched and the full arc of the novel is set. I expect to finish Nova Interitus by summer of 2023. This is realist hard-sci-fi dystopian fiction. I hope you find Nova to be a challenging and consuming story. This is not something I planned to write. It all came to me in a dream and I haven't been able to stop writing it. This Royal Road posting is basically a beta test with chapters and drafts to get some feedback and see if there's any readership for this narrative. For the full experience read Nova on Substack. I will be narrating a podcast version later this year there. https://novainteritus.substack.com/
8 145 - In Serial12 Chapters
The Shores of Dusk
A forgotten Realms Fan Fiction. This is the classic tournament-style story, with over a dozen diverse fighters vying for the top spot. The battle to the death is hosted by the most powerful mage in the realms who has unlocked the secret of immortality and gives eternal life to the winner. Drizzt and Entreri are in attendance and soon realize there are demons, mages, and other powerful beings using this event for their own personal gain. Desperate to not become pawns in this power play, they must work together and form alliances with the other fighters to survive. This story has no ties to any of my other Fan Fiction stories.
8 116 - In Serial9 Chapters
Papercuts to Fell Immortals
Qing Shen is a girl from the counrtyside, forced into a role she never wanted by a Young Master who's infamy is spread throughout the land. As a Cultivator in the path to immortality, Qing Shen has to deal with her own problems as well as the mysteries surrounding her Young Master. Things, however, are not as they seem, and the young girl finds that sometimes the truth is more unbelievable than the lies we often follow. . . . If you want a less hidden-meaning summary: This story is about the struggles of one girl as she tries to become an Immortal. There won't be any meaningful romance, but there will be a plot that spans most of the story, and violence. Oh the violence! I'm not going to say that my ideas are 100% original (because hoo boy are there a lot of Wuxia), but hopefully I can write something entertaining. Guaranteed things: 1. Cliche events with a twist (I mean, it's literally in the description) 2. Important Characters will have backstories and motivations that will hopefully make them not one-dimensional (honestly, that's just normal stuff...) 3. Untrustworthy characters (everyone in the story lies, even me, so don't trust everything you read... but at the same time, trust everything you read) 4. Goodish grammar (not gonna say mine's the best, but it's readable in most cases) 5. Plot! (Everywhere!) 6. worldbuilding? (Should be there somewhere, but I probably won't do blatant info dumps... probably) 7. Character development? (Its there... at some point...) 8. The story gets dark at some points (if you don't like characters dying, then this might not be your cup of tea) 9. A strong main character? (She'll be strong, yes. However, her enemies are also strong. If everyone is strong, then is she no longer strong? My brain hurts) 10. Wow, this list is going on for awhile... uh, Believable and reasonable Action? (I mean, I'm writing for mainly my fun, so if I want a fight scene, then I might craft a scenario to explain it... or I might suddenly throw in a Dragon and call it a day) This story also goes by the same name over on Webnovel.com, but I'm going to be updating it here because, well I want to. They are both by me, and created by me. If there's anything that seems like a copy of another work, then that's just the genre being saturated by everything under the sun.
8 158 - In Serial14 Chapters
Conflicted Feelings
What does it mean to be loved? What does it mean to be their parents’ everything? What does it mean to be someone’s home? Erminae didn’t really know. It wasn’t for the lack of trying. But, she thought with envy, wasn’t it just what Vicenzio had? She saw her mother’s indifference, saw her father’s unresponsiveness. Whoever she tried hard to get close to the result was the same. She was but air for them. She saw that woman came in with her son. She saw him get what she always desired. Her jealousy turned her into another person, an ugly one, blinding her to other possibilities. And ultimately, she understood, what she was searching for she would never get. This was when she finally learned to let go… _________________ First part finished
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Softly They Fall
A normal, quiet high school life is all Yuta Hiragi wants. He enjoys his gray lifestyle of going to school normally and going home normally at Ichigano High School in Sapporo, Japan. He keeps to himself at school, has a best friend, and even someone he likes. But what he doesn't know about himself could be the end to his desired lifestyle. What lurks within this normal high school student and how will it affect him and everyone around him forever?
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The Baron
In the time of crazy youth, the one bought a barony. It was inexpensive, and at the time there was a lot of wild money going through his hands. Also, the name of the barony created an amusing pun with the surname. Barony Grave Stone with Baron Grave. The one bought a nice paper and thought its a fun joke. But every action has consequences. And the past will always find a way to bite you in the ass.
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