Read Online Continue Online (Part 4, Crash) by Stephan Morse - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Stephan Morse
Ads: Link
He said, “Xin’s not in the box son, she’s over here with me.”
I remember screaming in protest, but the words didn’t make sense. They were more of an incomprehensible ranting. Half sobs were choked up by a denial of all that I hoped and worked for.
“Sorry, son. Life’s for the living, and the dead are rotting. Like your cat, remember Mister Sniffles?” His words felt insanely clear for such an awkward dream.
“He was just a cat, and Xin is more than that!” dream me shouted.
“Dead’s dead, son. Time and tide wash us all away in the end.” His features were blurred by time’s haze.
“But Xin’s alive!” I woke up raving with a rapid heartbeat. The last image before being sent into awareness was my father’s face, devoid of awareness but shaking his head sadly. When was the last time I really looked at either one of my parents? In the struggle to hold onto Xin’s memory, I had cast away so many other relationships.
The bed felt cold and goosebumps crisscrossed my arms. Had I really been so used to being alone at night? Even when Xin was around, I spent a lot of nights waiting for her to come home. Three years, long enough to be so dead inside I used a machine to dance with her, to feel a hint of memory in my arms. I tried to shake off the emotions and took a breath. Thinking about the nature of our possible relationship only made me waste the limited time I already had.
Five hours of sleep were all I managed to get. That would be nearly an entire day in Continue Online. Maybe Hermes was conscious and waiting to start serving virtual slave labor. Maybe then I could start working on redeeming myself or getting murdered, or whatever exactly was next. That King Nero fellow had sounded justifiably upset, and perhaps a bit crazy.
Parts of the situation tore at me. My actions in an alternate reality video game had been linked to his death from the Voices manipulation of my character creation tests. That part was outside my control, but in both games, I had killed Commander Strongarm and Queenshand, who I guess was his sister in law. I didn’t really understand how it all went together yet.
Today I would simply take myself out of the work queue for a few hours and look at the journals Continue Online kept for me. It was odd, when growing up most of those lore items and game backstory issues were glazed right over as I pressed the next button. Now, as an adult, they mattered far more than expected. It wasn’t just my wild ride either, Beth had an entire tapestry of backstory to her adventures as well.
I logged straight in, once again bypassing the little preview window that could be used for checking autopilot actions. It was more fun to dive in blind and just roll with whatever happened, in the same way I used to leap into the swimming pool and get the abrupt chill over with. My head shook, swimming made me think about dad. There was a reason I had never been that active in sports.
As the loading screen darkness faded I felt my leg weighed down by something extremely heavy. We, that is to say, I, and the back of a dozen other heads, were rolling along in an open-air bus. There were large creatures that looked like a cross between dwarf giraffes and oxen off to one side. Our vehicle was bolted onto harnesses making the ride sway.
New Player Attribute Added : [Criminal]
[Criminal] is a stat increased by those with a [Condemnation] ability.
[Redemption] points cancel out [Criminal] points
Until your Redemption rate reaches zero, you will remain a victim of the [Convict Brand] .
Current [Criminal] value: 7,000
[Redemption] points can be earned through completion of special tasks assigned by the party who [Condemned] you. In this case, you are punished by a person with [High Nobility] status. Tasks will be assigned as you travel around the territory. Total points gained varies based on the complexity of the task, reason for punishment and fine being imposed.
Behind the system message was a
I remember screaming in protest, but the words didn’t make sense. They were more of an incomprehensible ranting. Half sobs were choked up by a denial of all that I hoped and worked for.
“Sorry, son. Life’s for the living, and the dead are rotting. Like your cat, remember Mister Sniffles?” His words felt insanely clear for such an awkward dream.
“He was just a cat, and Xin is more than that!” dream me shouted.
“Dead’s dead, son. Time and tide wash us all away in the end.” His features were blurred by time’s haze.
“But Xin’s alive!” I woke up raving with a rapid heartbeat. The last image before being sent into awareness was my father’s face, devoid of awareness but shaking his head sadly. When was the last time I really looked at either one of my parents? In the struggle to hold onto Xin’s memory, I had cast away so many other relationships.
The bed felt cold and goosebumps crisscrossed my arms. Had I really been so used to being alone at night? Even when Xin was around, I spent a lot of nights waiting for her to come home. Three years, long enough to be so dead inside I used a machine to dance with her, to feel a hint of memory in my arms. I tried to shake off the emotions and took a breath. Thinking about the nature of our possible relationship only made me waste the limited time I already had.
Five hours of sleep were all I managed to get. That would be nearly an entire day in Continue Online. Maybe Hermes was conscious and waiting to start serving virtual slave labor. Maybe then I could start working on redeeming myself or getting murdered, or whatever exactly was next. That King Nero fellow had sounded justifiably upset, and perhaps a bit crazy.
Parts of the situation tore at me. My actions in an alternate reality video game had been linked to his death from the Voices manipulation of my character creation tests. That part was outside my control, but in both games, I had killed Commander Strongarm and Queenshand, who I guess was his sister in law. I didn’t really understand how it all went together yet.
Today I would simply take myself out of the work queue for a few hours and look at the journals Continue Online kept for me. It was odd, when growing up most of those lore items and game backstory issues were glazed right over as I pressed the next button. Now, as an adult, they mattered far more than expected. It wasn’t just my wild ride either, Beth had an entire tapestry of backstory to her adventures as well.
I logged straight in, once again bypassing the little preview window that could be used for checking autopilot actions. It was more fun to dive in blind and just roll with whatever happened, in the same way I used to leap into the swimming pool and get the abrupt chill over with. My head shook, swimming made me think about dad. There was a reason I had never been that active in sports.
As the loading screen darkness faded I felt my leg weighed down by something extremely heavy. We, that is to say, I, and the back of a dozen other heads, were rolling along in an open-air bus. There were large creatures that looked like a cross between dwarf giraffes and oxen off to one side. Our vehicle was bolted onto harnesses making the ride sway.
New Player Attribute Added : [Criminal]
[Criminal] is a stat increased by those with a [Condemnation] ability.
[Redemption] points cancel out [Criminal] points
Until your Redemption rate reaches zero, you will remain a victim of the [Convict Brand] .
Current [Criminal] value: 7,000
[Redemption] points can be earned through completion of special tasks assigned by the party who [Condemned] you. In this case, you are punished by a person with [High Nobility] status. Tasks will be assigned as you travel around the territory. Total points gained varies based on the complexity of the task, reason for punishment and fine being imposed.
Behind the system message was a
Similar Books
