Outsiders of Xykesh

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

In the center of Asher's most treacherous waters lies the island nation of Xykesh. Hundreds of years ago, the tyrant Digax fled to it as a refuge after his defeat. Since then, his power has shrouded it in storms and wards which let few people in, and none out. Nearly the whole of the island is now his domain, and what is left is wilderness full of monsters. Though the Mad King himself is a distant figure, his Chosen rule with unquestioned power over their subjects.

But their hold is not absolute. On the day Digax claimed Xykesh as his, a blind prophet foretold that an outsider from beyond the island's shores would come, and they would end his reign. And so the King has dreaded their arrival ever since.

Many outsiders have arrived on Xykesh, either by accident, or in search of the truth behind the mysteries and myths that have sprung up around the island. The populace has been long conditioned to distrust these new arrivals, but so far, none have proven to be the ones the prophet spoke of.

At least, just maybe, until now.

Four parts per episode. Twenty-six episodes for volume 1. Updates Tuesdays and Fridays.

Information

Status: Hiatus
Year: 2022
Author: Elijah Menchaca

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.8/ 5.0
Followers: 51
Views: 35,726

Chapters(84 total)

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(10)

AnodyneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Huh, I'm surprised this doesn't have more followers. If you're scrolling through the reviews wondering whether or not to read, I'd say to give it a go!
Style: Outsiders of Xykesh is written in third person past tense, switching between main points of view as needed. I feel like this was implemented very well, and the POVS themselves/the transitions between them never felt jarring at any point.
Story: Action, adventure, and monster-hunting galore! The plot so far goes something along the lines of 'party members, assemble: there is a quest to be undertaken'. Now, this may sound straightforward and DnD-esque, but I'm speaking broadly to avoid spoilers--there have been plenty of twists and turns so far (heists, rescues, arena battles, betrayals, and birthday parties, to name a few). Snappy, high-quality action scenes drive the plot and further entrench the protagonists into the strange, long-isolated world of Xykesh. From wrist-mounted bows to crackling magical fire to sneaky, snakish tricks, the combat is always a delight to read.
There are some noticeable 'monster of the week' elements, but without giving too much away, there are also plenty of great little details and plot points that persist to paint a bigger picture as the story goes on. The story progresses in an episodic format, yes, but the episodes are far from self-contained.
Grammar: No grammar issues, any typos and such are few and far between + quickly fixed by the author. Highly readable and straightforward 5/5.
Character: The characters are fantastic, and the main cast especially delightful. Each have their own strengths and reading about them implementing their skills is highly entertaining. But beyond the 'rule of cool' appeal, there are also excellent introspective moments and heartwarming relationships forged between the action and adventure. Dialogue and characterisation are very pleasant to read about overall: quippy and amusing, but not excessively so. Of the main cast, List is my favourite, with X
Banner CaygeonRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This pieces is just pure classic monster-hunter fantasy vibes, and expertly crafted I might add.
The story opens on the main character riding into town, haggard and going to a tavern. Which might be a bit cliche, but it's so smooth that it's a joy to read. The story is fresh but it feels familiar which is a really great line to walk.
From there, the story picks up into the first episode and we meet a few more characters, including the delightful List. She's smart, feisty and a quite the hellion if you ask Valerie. They make a great pair going forward. Eventually more characters are revealed and exactly the right times and in exactly the right ways.
Alright, scoring:
Grammar: 5 stars. Absolutely no issues that I am aware of. Certainly nothing to pull you from the story.
Characters: They feel familiar, but also fresh. It's strange, but I loved them. I liked them, I was interested to learn more and genuinely cared about them.
Story Score: There's still a lot of story to go, but I really like the episodic AND continunous format to this story. Within the story, it's a cool world though I think there could be a few more world building things thrown in to set the scene a bit.
Style Score: This story doesn't push any style boundaries, and it's entirely ok. This story does what it does absolutely brilliantly which is fun, classic monster hunting fantasy and weaves together a story that clips along at just the right pace. Action is handled expertly as is the dialogue. The dialogue deserves special mention as the almost odd-couple vibe that List and Valerie gives off really comes from the great dialogue. It's zippy, funny, and believable.
All in all, you'll love it!
Blind_WatcherRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
The snappy dialogue and the interesting descriptions of the monsters and characters made it easy to read and visualise what was gong on without getting bogged down in largely irrelevent details.
Other people have mentioned it, and I agree. This story reminds me a lot of the DnD campaigns I have run over the years, and I quite enjoyed that aspect.
Definitely an interesting story.
BullerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
... oh gosh darn it! Yes, the story reminds you of a dnd campaign that goes off the rails, forcing the DM to improvise with every step because the players just don't want to take it seriously and further making the plot need to take three takes back and huula hop around to actually make sense.
If you understood any of that, this story is for you. 5/5 for now.
IanFlatRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This story starts with that age-old scene where a Stranger wanders into a tavern. But there is a reasons that's a not-uncommon scene: because it works!
I enjoyed the splashes of color on Valerie's outfit, and the first peek of her wrist-mounted crossbow.
Nice twist with, 'we already caught it.' And it's well-handled, and clever, how the author ensures that the reader knows what the tavern-folk don't, that whatever they caught isn't the monster.
There's a clear setup, clear character, clear motivation. Valerie is sympathetic for having come all this way to kill a monster, for being wet and exhausted. A little less likeable, but more human, for snapping at the server--but then she recognizes it in herself, which tells us a lot about her. She's self-aware, and she cares how she treats people … even if she doesn't always live up to her own standards.
I'm not sure if the very first line works: I was expecting magic, so I was a tiny bit (very tiny, but I still thought I'd mention it) wondering if the fact that the footprints and puddles 'followed' Valerie meant there was some invisible person behind her. I might recast as the less-interesting but more-clear, "Valeria tracked mud and water into the tavern" or something. (Also, I think the 'furthers' should be 'farthers,' but I get confused about that …)
Overall, for a short chapter, this does a great job introducing the reader to the world. The length is so spot on, in fact, that I just had to click next. Well done. A fun, propulsive read.
JEPayneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
I absolutely loved this! It feels like a classic dnd campaign, and that's 'classic' in the sense of 'instant classic' not classic as a nice euphemism for same old.
Style - The style is great; clean, light and fast. It effortlessly draws the reader through the story, giving detail where its needed without bogging down in the details. Characters in particular are vividly depicted, combining the familiar with the unusual to give us a diverse cast of characters, only some of whom are fully human in form. Despite this, the picture in my head was always crystal clear, whether they were in the middle of a tavern talking to the dragonblood barman, or in a life or death struggle with a werewolf.
Story - At the time of writing the review, the overarching story has been hinted at but isn't fully formed. But that's ok, because what the storyline is focussing on is introducing and drawing together what we will recognise as the quintessential 5 man adventuring party. And damn if it isn't a lot of fun! This is a story where the journey is going to be as good, if not better, than the destination.
Grammar - nothing significant. A couple of typos but the whole thing reads unusually well by rr standards.
Character - Probably my favourite thing about this story. List is far and away my favourite, but everyone we're introduced to is entertaining and bursting with personality. Arden with his cool, collected demeanour (having the priest as the powerhouse was an interesting choice! again, not a euphemism) and Valerie as the capable, eager, though inexperienced student are a great duo, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of the dashing yet immensely frustrating Xigbar too!
Pickle HurlantRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Being a big fan of Dungeons & Dragons, I always jump head on into stories surrounded by its aura. I found here a very interesting prose, despite the classic 3rd person POV. It was nice and easy to read/follow which is all I ask to be honest. The grammar follows, which leads to an easy 5/5 on both those categories. I’d love more descriptions, but it could be fleshed out during a second run/rework if the author judges it necessary.
Now, talking about more important subjects…
The story is quite simple, and would follow the classic trope of any starting adventure with lvl1 characters: a team is gathered into a tavern to get rid of a menace (something close to that). Here, we follow Valerie and List, killing stuff and saving the day. I loved it that way, for a simple and efficient beginning. I hope the author will let his/her imagination runs free for the incoming chapters, because this story has a lot of potential using D&D’s bestiary and library. However, simplicity rhythms here with efficiency. The story is well-written. We know where we’re going. Everything is clear, and easy to follow.
The characters follows Fantasy/D&D’s classic archetypes. Here again, we could expect more crazy stuff, but they’re familiar enough for the reader to care for them really fast.
Overall, the story drew the basis of something really awesome. If you’re a D&D fan, this is clearly a work to follow. Can’t wait to discover more, and happy to take my time to do so, this story being episodic!
S.N. KeirsteadRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
An excellent fantasy story. The world is very fleshed out, with an abundance of provinces and factions.
The characters all feel real. Dialogue is natural and their actions make sense. All of this brought together by the character art and designs present every so often in the author section.
Grammar and prose are both tight. It's a very easy read while the narrator gives the right amount of detail and attention while not going overboard.
Fantasy readers should definitely give this one a look.
Lord SputnikRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This reads like a novel straight out of Dungeons & Dragons. I imagine the author was heavily inspired by these. It's not a bad thing because it works for what they've created: A classic fantasy adventure.
The Good: Excellent use of descriptors and the characters are fresh. We are given a good story with a narrative that is progressing at an even pace. Leaving some parts to our own imaginations is great for those of us that are familiar with some of the lore.
The Bad: Nothing glaringly wrong here by any stretch. If I had to super picky, I'd say after chapter 1, I feel that the amount of descriptors falls off. Not a terrible thing since we've already established a setting, but could use a little more. Also, some of the time gaps are a little off for me. For example, when Valerie spent 3 hours searching through a forest in one paragraph, said she needed to go back to town, then was suddenly back in town without any separation.
The Neutral: These are just my own thoughts, not really good or bad... Valerie said she had a "Five days hard ride" to reach town, where is her horse? I admit, that's just me being stupid.
tinyassassinbfRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This story is solid, providing both a humor that isn't forced and an attention to detail without being overwhelming or dragged out.
The characters each are unique and have their own goals and beliefs that are showcased in natural ways. The group does feel like a D&D party, both good and bad, which is a plus because they act like real people. They eventually go through trials together, but there is a great focus on the growth between them that shows the author put a lot of thought into their connections to each other.
Grammar is fine, though there are a few cases of missing words and typos, it's not that bad.
Style and story are both fine, compelling and great at keeping you focused on it. It was a bit of a slow start, story-wise, but the author did great to not rush anything. Magic is well thought out, no blue boxes or broken characters. There isn't much arcane focus, at least at first. I like the direction the story is going in, and the latest episode felt like a much needed break, and made me laugh hard at several points.
All in all, a great story with funny and compelling characters that keeps you drawn in on and wondering what comes next.