Release date: January 24, 2017
Subgenre: LitRPG, Cyberpunk
About Continue Online Together:
Since stepping through the gateway to Continue, Grant has been many
things: a dying hero, a malevolent imp, a robotic space explorer, and
felon seeking redemption. Now he’s added a new role to the list—married
man to a virtual woman. In his mind, nothing could be more perfect, but
his newlywedded bliss is in jeopardy.
Trillium pulled the trigger on a digital Armageddon and the games have changed. Virtual people are being hunted down then deleted forever. Players’ characters are removed if they die three times. The AIs have a plan to fight back and protect their citizens by storing as much data as possible into a haven, including Xin’s.
To help secure the survival of his friends and wife, Grant will seek the secrets to salvation left behind from the game’s first heroes and programming team. Along the way, Grant reunites with old companions, sets aside past grudges, and pulls out every trick he’s ever been taught to help him in the race against digital death.
Failure means Grant will lose Xin a second time, but success may cost him even more.
Trillium pulled the trigger on a digital Armageddon and the games have changed. Virtual people are being hunted down then deleted forever. Players’ characters are removed if they die three times. The AIs have a plan to fight back and protect their citizens by storing as much data as possible into a haven, including Xin’s.
To help secure the survival of his friends and wife, Grant will seek the secrets to salvation left behind from the game’s first heroes and programming team. Along the way, Grant reunites with old companions, sets aside past grudges, and pulls out every trick he’s ever been taught to help him in the race against digital death.
Failure means Grant will lose Xin a second time, but success may cost him even more.
Excerpt:
Commencement
X-O This
Attention!
Due to recent changes in the Trillium policy, this event is now
being televised nationally. Any entity working on the event quests
may be viewed by people who do not actively play Continue Online or
might have been blocked from joining until the event is complete.
Be aware that you may opt out of being observed directly. This does
not prevent watchers from seeing your actions through other
Travelers or certain skills and spells. However, allowing access to
your character may provide bonuses if enough attention is received.
|
“Look at this.” The single mother pointed at a digital display
screen. Elizabeth had spent the last hour trying to find the
display feed for her slightly younger twin brother. The idiot was
in the middle of his latest insane virtual life crisis.
“Really, Mom? You’re going to keep spying on him?” Her daughter
stood in the front room with half a sandwich remaining. The other
portion had been eaten in five large bites with little signs of
chewing.
Liz’s front room was directly adjacent a wide open archway that
went into the kitchen. Liz preferred working out here since it had
the least cluttered wall space in her house. Larger projections
made seeing finer details easier.
Half of the wall was currently taken up with an image of her
brother, Grant. He was in game and busy working on setting up a
campfire and tent. Beth and Liz both got a strange third-person
view of the man as he moved around. A shovel, which had been used
to dig a pit, lay to one side. Objects appeared in Grant’s hand and
were driven into the ground.
“It’s not spying. It’s like watching the latest season of Biggest Loser,” Liz said.
Beth’s eyebrows slid downward while she chewed. Her nose wrinkled
and one hand brought up the house’s digital display. She poked at
the buttons to search for the show her mom had mentioned.
“Wasn’t that show canceled, like, when you and Uncle Grant were in
diapers?” Beth said. Another portion of food went in her face.
“There’s a show for it?” Liz turned and took note of her daughter’s
unsightly eating habits. “I always thought it was the story of the
Legates’ life.”
Liz went toward one wall and pressed a button. Out popped a small
circular machine designed to clear the floors after her daughter
got done making a mess. The device was a gift from Liz’s
mother—with a note that said no woman should be forced to slave
away on cleaning.
“Mhm. Latest date didn’t work out? I told you a man named Ulrich
probably wouldn’t be any good.” Beth finished her sandwich and
looked around.
The small robot started vacuuming up crumbs.
“He wasn’t. I swear, I’m going to have to buy an ARC myself. Maybe
there’s a program on there to remind me what a decent man feels
like.” Liz left up the screen with her brother on it. With her
other hand, she flipped through a website for work. Eventually she
would find more than a short assignment. Employment was getting
more difficult to find, even in her field.
Amazon
Part 1, Continue Online Memories will be free until February 23.
About Stephan Morse:
Stephan Morse was born the year 1983 in San Diego. The next
fifteen years were spent slowly escaping California and surviving a
public education system. Thus far he's made it to the Seattle (WA)
region with little desire to go further. When not trying to shove words
together into sentences Stephan spends time reading, catching up on
sleep, and otherwise living a mundane life.
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