![Metal on Flesh Book One: Forged Paths [Sci-Fant Space Opera]](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalroadcdn.com%2Fpublic%2Fcovers-large%2Fmetal-on-flesh-book-one-forged-paths-aacakrxgfbk.jpg%3Ftime%3D1789443321&w=640&q=75)
by dirktharpe
The Imperium continues its Expanse. With every conquered world, Emperor Raptious tightens his grip on the galaxy. His Syn enforcers scour the stars, hunting the last surviving Thalan, the mythical beings whose Sap once shaped the stars. But the Thalan are not yet extinct. When the Imperium invades his world, a slave pit fighter is torn from everything he knows and forced to confront a truth he never wanted: survival demands a price. A princess born to rule discovers her crown is a cage, while her father’s ghosts may doom her fragile ambitions before she can rise. And within the Imperium itself, two of its most powerful Syns believe it stands for different reasons. One sees it as the path to ultimate power. The other questions what that power will cost her. As rebellion ignites and loyalties shatter, the galaxy faces a brutal truth: To survive, something must be sacrificed.
No streak history
One state-enhanced oracle order, filtered by each list. Observed Royal Road ranks remain separate ground truth.
Rank updated 8 Oct 2026, 14:48 UTC
Entry forecast updated 8 Oct 2026, 14:48 UTC
Ranking model: rs-public-oracle-state-v1
Forecast model: rs-model-entry-v1
Chart history contains only this ranking model's runs; legacy points are not spliced in.
Not enough recent follower history to estimate a shadow rank yet.
beats 57% of similar stories
not enough data yet
beats 61% of similar stories
Mid-pack, room on both levers
Traffic and conversion both sit mid-field for a story this size. Growth here compounds from consistency: steady cadence feeds traffic, and a sharper hook lifts what each view is worth.
Benchmarks: 8,060 active Royal Road stories, percentiles within the 10–19 chapters band, cohort of 2026-07-02. Conversion is measured as followers gained per 1,000 views over the recent window.
