Continue Online The Complete Series

by Stephan Morse

  “HotPants visits our world less than she used to. She’s decided to stop being a soldier and has settled down. Rumor has it that she’s got a new bouncing baby grandson, courtesy of her boy, who’s finally done his duty and called his parents.” The grizzled soldier smiles warmly for a second, then resumes his gruff stance. “Perhaps it’s for the best! Women aren’t cut out to be military men anyway!”

  A shorter brunette dressed in military gear appears and gives Sergeant Bloom a kick in the crotch. He doubles over in pain, and they both fade away.

  Red streams that move like living liquid condense from the darkness. A woman whose clothes look like liquid silk covering heavy curves stands calmly. She smiles until the sound of Mezo groaning in disappointment fills the air.

  Upon hearing the Temptress, Jean’s mouth curls in a frown and her hand clenches. She sighs. “Requiem and Wraith can be found anywhere there’s trouble. Often they pave the way to unlock frontier lands and discover new races. Those unlucky enough to party with the duo report ample amounts of greed and hard work. Others are jealous of their close relationship.”

  A large man, muscled like Leeroy but slightly broader in the shoulders, creeps out of the darkness behind Jean. He’s wearing an embellished bowtie and skin-tight pants. The voice named Vlad grabs her by the waist, then lifts her high into the air. She kicks in delight while laughing wildly. They spin until James’s slight cough reminds them to straighten up. Vlad sets the woman down, then drapes his arms over her shoulders.

  “Frankenstein acted now!” His voice shouts with thunderclaps. “In recent months, Frankenstein switched games to another world where he can play without running into that runt, Requiem. He explores outer space now as a short creature of some sort, intent upon finding somewhere new that no other player has been before. Traveling with him are Mechanoids, Treasure and Jeeves.”

  James chuckles, then says, “As Hermes learned, these worlds are not so far apart as they may seem. He will find Requiem again, for conflict helps us measure them all.”

  Still the parade of Voices doesn’t end. A gaggle of children rush by, laughing in a game of tag. A heavyset woman wearing a faded blue dress comes slowly after the herd. She picks up one of the older children and spins him around for a moment or two before letting him venture on. The child, nearly a teenager, shoves his hands into his pockets then turns to catch one of the fleeing younglings.

  “Tut. I have a question to answer myself, regarding the children Mylia watched over.” Maud bumps into James and sends him staggering away. He does not look nearly as interested in dancing as the cloven-footed woman. “Phil, poor Phil, was reunited with his orphan companions, but he will never fully recover. I’ve steered him toward helping other Locals reconstruct the town of Haven Valley, right down to the last building. Eventually he’ll take charge of a cottage where William Carver’s used to be. There he will spend the rest of his life filling its shelves with tales of heroes like his father.”

  Maud leaves, headed after the children. Still Voices come and go, telling stories of the many lives Hermes interacted with, until finally a presence wholly unlike the others shows itself.

  The still wind of Death brushes through. It’s a creation that all Voices know exists but rarely do they interact with it directly. Like so many others, this being is more of a function than a person. Impartial, distant, but Death’s presence reminds James to move on. The black man nods.

  “Endings are never easy, but for Grant, the story is over. He’s strut his time upon the stage and is now done. He came to us a broken soul missing his other half, and he risked it all to be reunited with her. He’s found his love and a purpose. But the world keeps turning. And Mother’s plans continue on despite her sacrifice.”

  James’s smile fades while mechanical cackling echoes in the background. His nostrils flair and his chest muscles lift in a huge breath that rattles out slowly.

  “You may wonder what happens next, to which I will say, I do not know. But it will leave the world changed once more.” James again looks off into space. His eyes connect with an invisible scene that isn’t recorded for those reading Hermes’s story. “And as always, I must ask you a question in return. Given a chance, would you do as Hermes and Hecate did? Would you risk it all to continue online?”

  With that question lingering in the air, the images fade—leaving only blackness that’s not as empty as it seems.

  Afterword

  I write this now, almost seven months after having finished the draft of Continue Online’s 5th book. In reflection, I still can’t believe it’s over. Grant’s story is one that captivated, haunted, and drove me toward an ending – even if that ending did not do Grant justice.

  That is not to say I am unhappy with the results of this book or series. I am unhappy with my impatience, lulls, woolgathering moments of dullness, and missed opportunities. There were many. On the other side, Grant as a character had such a powerful life that I never expected. Not power in sense of levels and boss slayings, but raw emotion and vibrancy as a character.

  At this stage, you’ve read some spots full of flaws, glazed over others, and likely have your own opinions of the quality of effort displayed. Perhaps you only remember the great points that resonated with your own experiences. Regardless of your final impression I will say this; truly and heartfelt - thank you for reading this journey.

  Before I move on to long-winded musings (which shall be brief) – I implore every person reading this to pause and do me one favor. Please take a moment to leave a rating for this story, right now if possible, upon whatever source you got it from. This is the best way to show appreciation for the work put into Continue Online and provide me with your feedback.

  I read every single reader response. It helps me learn and improve.

  After that, perhaps you’re reading this to figure out what my future plans are. Am I going to write more ‘LitRPG’? Will we revisit this setting? The answer to both is – yes. Eventually. I’m actually in the process of drafting the next series called Wayward Online – and will be hopefully releasing it late 2018 after the first few books are drafted and complete.

  Prior to that I will be dipping into other genres for a bit to expand my own skills. It gives me a chance to play around with characters, settings, and try out story lines that offer plots that are hopefully deep, innovative, and interesting. I’m very bad with writing a fun once off style story, but maybe that will change too.

  For more details on my works in progress, check out FrustratedEgo.com – my current author website.

  As far as this book here. Book 5’s ‘interlude’ is one that I have been building to for a long time. Hopefully, the connections between book 1, 5, and all the points along the way were made a bit more obvious. It’s a hard piece to write – when the character is no longer a mere mortal but still thinks of himself as human. In a lot of places it felt ‘right’ – but it’s not a simple concept to tackle.

  As far as the science here, we’re talking about a few theories that are hard to prove feasibility of, so I shall label all my content as science fantasy – that is to say, not hard science and the result of my fevered imaginations. Mind mapping, essentially what happens to Xin, Lia, and Grant – is a theorized thing. The problem is an infrastructure that will support human style cognition. If you’re interested, I’ve loosely decided that this is only possible because ‘Mother’ created a framework (essentially a consciousness platform) that everything goes through. It helps them render their mind map as a ‘singular’ consciousness in the digital world.

  I’m not too sure beyond that. The rest is also based on snippets that show up in technology articles (moving stuff with your mind in a helmet, self-driving cars are actualized, fast food workers being replaced by kiosks, etc.). I’m both terrified and hopeful for what future science will bring to us in terms of ‘ease of life’.

  There are a lot of people that have helped with this project over the two years it was in action. My wife primarily – for b
eing supportive, a great first reader, and the loudest one to point out ‘opportunities for improvement’. The admin staff at RoyalRoadL.com has been great as well. They provided a stable location to post my work and get feedback. Which is helpful for an amateur like myself to the writing scene.

  There have been several other authors I’ve talked to as well. Most at the same rough stage I am. We take turns discovering pitfalls to the Indie world – and share those problems so others may avoid it. It helps having someone to commiserate with.

  For fans of my work, know that I plan on writing for a long time. My future works may not be as emotional as Continue was – but they’ll each offer something new. I eagerly await the results of 2017 and onward to see where life takes me.

  Again, thank you for your time, and I welcome any commentary you wish to provide – be it online, via Email, my blog, or sharing with your friends. Readers make the adventure of writing even more exciting.

  Grand After Words

  My wife asked me to write an afterword. Or words that come after—in any case this is it. A grand reflection on the journey that took place over the span of roughly two years. And that was only the writing part.

  It’s still ongoing. We’ve been through three covers for one book. A new set of covers overall. There are audio books on the way which will eventually cover all five of these books. Even then, the journey will keep going.

  Why? Because I have more books planned in the setting.

  Now, in other wrap ups I’ve mentioned that Grant’s adventure is ended. This is true. We’ll still see him and many other characters in the stories to come, but how those will take form depends on what comes out when I start slamming the keys. I can tell you that lots of it will be different. The setting, the people, the tone—I absolutely loved what I did with Continue Online. Each step of his journey should have ended in an emotionally evocative scene—but I need any follow up stories to be as powerful but for different reasons.

  I’ve got the tone in my head. I’ve even got the follow up series drafted—a five book compilation that will be titled Wayward Online, with individual books like Grant’s journey took.

  However, between here and there I need to add in some other stepping stones. I’ve got four more books, mostly stand alone, that will cover other characters and the events leading up to Wayward. That should be Bastion Online. Like everything else, the final will probably take form in ways I can’t imagine.

  I plan to keep writing until the muse drains me dry or my hands stop working. Even then I might figure out how to use speech to text, if only to relieve the insides of my brain.

  I’m honestly not even sure what to say in here that I haven’t circled around before. If you haven’t read it in prior messages, then know that you, the readers, are the a huge driving force behind my desire to write. Thank you all for being part of this literal epic journey and following through to the ending.

  Connect with Stephan Morse

  If you enjoyed the book, please consider leaving a review or telling your friends and help bring attention to my works!

  Sign up for my monthly newsletter at https://landing.mailerlite.com/webforms/landing/i3h9p1

  Only want news about my new releases without all the extra stuff? Follow me on BookBub!

  Want more? Please visit my Patreon Page for access to my draft chapters of works in progress, get free eBooks for as long as you support me on Patreon ($5+ tier) and more!

  Stephan’s Patreon Page

  Want to connect with a great LitRPG community? Visit LitRPG Society Facebook group!

  Thank you for reading!

  www.frustratedego.com

  Also by Stephan Morse

  Stand Alone/Short Story:

  Ember of War

  Superhero/Comedy:

  The Fiasco In News

  Urban Fantasy:

  Once Lost Lords Royal Scales Book 1

  Lady’s First Knight Royal Scales Book 2

  Trials of the Chief Royal Scales Book 3

  Prince in the Tower Royal Scales Book 4

  Audiobooks:

  Continue Online (Part 1, Memories) Audiobook

  Continue Online (Part 2, Made) Audiobook

  Ember of War Audiobook