Leave No Survivors [RRCM Winner Jan. 2024]
Self-Published
Community Rating
Description
The Highwayman leaves no survivors. He hasn’t in over a century of terror on the Old King’s Road. His reputation for ruthlessness and immortality is his greatest weapon.
When a dying noble begs him to spare his daughter, the Highwayman is faced with a choice; he can protect his reputation, or he can do the right thing. One choice lets his myth live on forever. The other may mean the Highwayman’s end.
Edit: I'm incredibly honored to have won the January 2024 Community Magazine Contest. Thank you all for reading!
Information
- Status
- Completed
- Year
- 2024
- Author
- Aest Belequa
Royal Road Stats
- Rating
- 4.7/ 5.0
- Followers
- 110
- Views
- 17,397
Chapters(4 total)
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!
Community Reviews(8)
- noguerRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0Fantastic short story
it rightly deserver the community winner award, short snappy, with the right level of world building, the plot is simplistic but you can not ask much more of a 30 pages short novel.
I did absolutely love it, give it a try.
PS: If no one hears of me, it was the Highwayman as he leaves no survivors. - LogOffRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0Worthwhile read. It's a short story, so it skips straight to the good bits, executes them well, and then wraps it up and let's you leave. Pretty good time if you have around a hour to kill. I'm no good at judging for contests, so I can't say if this deserved to win, but I can say that I thought it was really good.
- MK bk-201Royal Road★★★★★ 5.0It was a very nice short story about the man, the myth, the legend that the Highwayman is, what he represents and what is the story of the man behinds the mask, and what he will do when he cant bring himself to end the life of a little girl
- RznRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0A fun story that is well-written and wraps up well. The first chapter has a blink and you'll miss it description that puts the girl at probably 4-5 years of age in a reference that can be easy to miss because it is not outright told to you. The narrative POV seems to suggest that it is not about the age, but we as readers do not quite get the full details - though arguably any girl of such age is not traveling by her own whims either. The story comes to a predictable, but good conclusion if you are familiar with the narrative arc. I can't fault it for sticking to mythos and lore, but it is does have a few twists here and there to make it enjoyable.
The writing is overall very well done; it is in the little details here and there that do get me - things that are not terribly obvious. I did mention the age of the girl, but also how the Highwayman leaves the scene has some significant issues. Then comes other aspects in later chapters where more details would be wanted as to the mythos. I'm not taking anything off for it, but the Highwayman's mask is a bit of an issue given 'no survivors' after all - or how the legend is interpreted. That's just me being a bit too logical here. This was fun and is worth reading! - DupiRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0I love the story from the beginning to the end! I once wrote a similar story but didn't like how it ended. This one was a satisfying read. You kept the focus only on the main characters which is important for a short story, and making sure the readers to follow through until the end.
- OllieolsRoyal Road★★★★★ 5.0Amazing short story. Got how short it is the characterisation of the Highway Man and his daughter is incredible. The way they are described gives just enough detail for the imagination to do the rest, and their actions further reinforce those descriptions.
It even has a satisfying end. Highly recommend reading this story. - Mountain_ElementsRoyal Road★★★★★ 4.5You've probably read all of these tropes before, but the story isn't drawn out, and the characters tugged at my heartstrings. I like how the details from the first chapter are tied back into the story in the last chapter. The last line felt like a shot to the heart and is why I gave the story such a high rating.
- PowdyBPSRoyal Road★★★★★ 4.5A daring journey on the Old King's Road turns deadly when Lord Bernoulli's haste meets the Highwayman's ruthlessness. As bullets fly and swords clash, a father's desperate plea for mercy sets the stage for an unexpected twist of fate. Gripping and intense, "The Highwayman's Mercy" delivers heart-pounding action and moral complexity.