Blighted: A Plague Rat's Tale

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Waking up as a reviled vector of plague, a nihilistic, power-hungry sociopath attempts to free themselves from the shackles of mortality and time. In a world racked with war, crime, and unfocused violence partially fueled by a system that encourages random acts of senseless violence, one little rat seeks to murder his way to the top of the food chain. Betrayal, mass murder, war, a curse from the dead gods, unfettered magical experimentation, slavery, rampaging monsters, and a raging holy war are a few of the things that have rendered this world a violent hell hole: perfect for a violent opportunist to thrive in.

Information

Status: Ongoing
Year: 2019
Author: Notsae

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.5/ 5.0
Followers: 1,381
Views: 784,749

What readers say about Blighted: A Plague Rat's Tale

“This story is a blast, and I'm glad to see I stumbled onto it right when the author's been rapidly posting updates for it. The plot begins with an immediate leap into action, with the protagonist waking up as a blighted plague rat, rapidly coming to terms w…”
toddRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“A decent grimdark story in a filthy, dark world from a perspective of a plague rat, though it would do better without endless crazy ramblings. It's part of the charm, I guess. Resfreshing to see MC being a murder hobo without a shred of feigned remorse.”
JarmaroRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(10)

toddRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story is a blast, and I'm glad to see I stumbled onto it right when the author's been rapidly posting updates for it. The plot begins with an immediate leap into action, with the protagonist waking up as a blighted plague rat, rapidly coming to terms with his new situation, and surviving with a blend of cautious aggression that's tempered by a thoroughly rational desire to avoid charging headfirst into danger. It's a pleasant start (although, not for him), where he's entirely alone, unguided, and figuring things out from the little information that he has. The protagonist also starts off with a sociopathic perk that I hope maintains them as a thoroughly self-interested character.The world-building is surprisingly in-depth, given that there are no exposition dumps, so all knowledge of the world is provided entirely through our shared perspectives with the characters. It sets up an interesting background, significant threats to the MC, and fascinating creatures. Likewise, the powers available within the system are dark and interesting, with the upgrade progressions being plenty satisfying. The species evolution adds an additional dynamic to the litrpg system that provides a visceral sense of growth, while the ability to train attributes through actions as well as skills provides a steady sense of progression and reward as the story progresses.Overall, it blends together to form a solidly realized world, with an entertainingly paranoid protagonist that avoids stupidly charging into danger. Despite the bounty of danger and risk, it makes for a balanced take on surviving a grimly horrifying world while building power. I'm curious to see how blight affects the shape of the story, given how dangerous and willing to spread it is, but the start has laid a strong foundation that I look forward to seeing the author expand. Definitely a solid read for those looking to enjoy non-human/villainous leads, with a (so far) solid litrpg system backing it.
JarmaroRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
A decent grimdark story in a filthy, dark world from a perspective of a plague rat, though it would do better without endless crazy ramblings. It's part of the charm, I guess. Resfreshing to see MC being a murder hobo without a shred of feigned remorse.
JsummersRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Well written and fun story so far, thanks for sharing. Darker than most of the other stories on this site that I've read so far, which I personally prefer. Reminds me of alot of the story 'undead' that's currently trending in its dark tone.
I think this story could get a lot more followers/viewers if it can break that barrier into trending.
5/5 Stars
MrMan712Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
As the title says the description of people and the setting is great while not being overbearing.
The character is committed and focused on his goal; not changing his views just because of a every different situation he finds himself in.
The character is not omniscient just because he's the MC and hilariously finds himself stumbling through new realities with a massively fitting, sour attitude.
NeonDustRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Probably the best Monster protagonist based story in royalroad. The mc is villanous in a way that is more pragmatic than evil and yet somehow human in his suffering(despite being a monster). The story shines especially in how it subtly portrays the world, situations and best of all other monsters. The Author has a gift in weaving creations that will make you creeped out beyond anything. THE MONSTERS IN THIS STORY ARE ACTUALLY TERRIFYING. You feel the astute helplessness and the terror the mc does.
ShadowKnight6992Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This novel is an amazing read, it has a really good world that it's built also the warhammer vibs I'm getting from some of the scenes are amazing. thought with how highly leveled everything is I think it would be like walking down the street and meet 5 slaaneshes staring you down. Also I really love the Mc he is just massively crazy enough that he's surviving pretty well so 5 out of 5 for this novel. though I would love if it had more chapter's but whatever, I'm happy and it lets me look forward to more.
TheEarlofBronzeRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I'm not in the mood to write a super long review. And frankly, it's been a while since I read this originally and need to catch up with the newer chapters.
So why am I writing a review months after originally reading it? Well, because this is the only book on Royal Road where I was having a conversation with some folks at home, and we were talking away about something, something along the lines of shit weather, grey clouds and depression (good old U.K life). And I thought,
"oh man, what was that quote from that novel, it's the perfect metaphor."
So I turned to my dad (again, months after having originally read this novel) and said,
'there was this novel I read online that summarizes this perfectly, at one point the author writes',
and I quoted this line from this novel, Blighted: A Plague Rats Tale. If this doesn't convince you to read this novel, then I don't know what will. Go for it, this story is a pleasure to read.
"grey represents all those nasty little emotions that blend together with a bottle of gin and a twelve gauge to result in one less miserable sod and one more broken family."
Thiago_Gomes_333Royal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Personally, I follow and enjoy a wide variety of stories on this site. Fantastical adventures, more intimate romances, unrestrained action, or even lighthearted humor—all of these appeal to me in one way or another. That said, I have to admit that stories with darker themes, explicit violence, and a touch of non-human protagonism hold a special place among my favorites. For me, that kind of narrative is simply irresistible.
That being the case, Blighted*l is, quite obviously, a perfect match for my tastes. From the very first time I started reading its chapters to the present moment, it has remained one of my favorite stories. Even with an irregular update schedule—being generous—that has never detracted from my experience. On the contrary, I genuinely look forward to each new chapter.
In this visceral work, we follow from the very beginning someone who is truly disturbing: a cynical, sociopathic protagonist, extremely nihilistic and consumed by constant paranoia, to the point of doubting his own mind. He is a homicidal scoundrel, utterly unscrupulous and morally irredeemable—someone who, quite frankly, probably should be put down as soon as possible. And that is precisely where the story makes its tone clear: Blighted is not for the faint of heart or for sensitive readers. It is a violent, delicious slap in the face, exposing the worst aspects of humanity, and I love every second of it.
The author shows great skill when writing combat scenes and, above all, when depicting violence in a raw, impactful way, without unnecessary romanticization. We still have relatively little concrete information about the outside world, which makes sense considering that the protagonist himself knows very little—although his paranoia is remarkably effective at filling in the gaps with the most horrific scenarios imaginable. Because of this, I cannot say with absolute certainty how Notsae handles the broader lore of his universe. Still, based on what has been shown so far, it is quite
Weaver ReaverRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I haven't gotten that far I'm pretty sure, but I can already tell this isn't a story about a friendly monster trying to deny the evils of nature. No, this character lives and dies on survival of the fittest, and that won't change anytime soon. I like it, brutal and difficult survival situations are always fun to read. Adding a dash of litrpg to keep things spicy keeps this interesting. Can't wait to see what happens next.
AdracksRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An encouraging and promising start as well as a rather fluid style. I highly recommend trying to read it!