Hired, Survived, Signed

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Tessa is a broke, low-level Patchwork Crafter just trying to survive in the capital. Her gear barely holds together, her Experience gain is a joke, and her only ally is a giant baby bird.

To reach level 100 and earn a spot in the Maker’s Guild, she takes courier jobs on foot—delivering messages, dodging nobles, and patching her boots between shifts at the stables.

But a high-paying delivery sends her off the map—and straight into trouble.

She just wanted to earn enough to eat and buy materials.

Now she’s carrying something worth killing for.

[participant in the Royal Road Writathon challenge]

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2025
Author: SlowMoose

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 213
Views: 31,572

What readers say about Hired, Survived, Signed

“There isn’t a lot of plot yet, but I like the characterization of the main character. I feel like I understand why she does things and her general state of mind comes across quite well. I generally don’t like the idea of job boards in adventuring guilds, be…”
All in VaneRoyal Road5.0 / 5
“As of this review, the book is complete and reaches a satisfying conclusion without a cliffhanger or overt sequel bait. There are subplots left open, obvious threads to pull, and massive potential in the characters and setting. There is a supporting cast me…”
aivhorRoyal Road5.0 / 5

Reviews

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Community Reviews(2)

All in VaneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
There isn’t a lot of plot yet, but I like the characterization of the main character. I feel like I understand why she does things and her general state of mind comes across quite well. I generally don’t like the idea of job boards in adventuring guilds, because they are too unrealistic, but that’s a pet peeve of mine. Other than that, the world-building is promising for now, with some nice hints of things to come.
All in all its a good start and I look forward to reading more!
aivhorRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
As of this review, the book is complete and reaches a satisfying conclusion without a cliffhanger or overt sequel bait. There are subplots left open, obvious threads to pull, and massive potential in the characters and setting. There is a supporting cast member joining the crew near the end I'm especially interested in seeing more of if we are lucky enough to get a continuation.
However, the ending is still largely of the "... and the adventure continues" type that works perfectly well if there isn't a follow-up. There is a distinct story arc, with a beginning, middle, and end, and all major questions are answered and issues are resolved by the end. Structurally, this is a proper, actual novel, not just a bunch of chapters more or less randomly sectioned off as an arbitrary "volume one". That makes it a particularly strong recommendation, with no risk of a hiatus or getting stuck on the infinity treadmill.
I do very much hope there will be a book two; I desperately want this story to go on.
The basic premise of the Story is that our protagonist, Tessa, is a down on her luck new adult, functionally an orphan, with no friends or even just a social circle in general. She has a crafting class in the LitRPG System, and that's also her actual passion and driving interest in life. It is strongly implied she would be good at it - except circumstances have left her unable to join the crafting guild, and she can't afford materials or tools for her profession. Instead, she does fantasy gig economy work as a "courier".
Her only support in life is the magically-gigantic but developmentally still juvenile birb Larry. Larry is adorable and a great guy, though his exact level of intelligence is never fully established. He is certainly clever, but whether he has outright sapience is unclear. There are occasional scenes that might hint at it, but nothing that would be outright impossible for an animal, albeit a smart one. At the start, while he is lovely and provides emotional suppor