Lost Rain

Up - Outrun - Chapter 78

I stared at the interface window for a long time as I half-consciously walked towards the original base camp of the Leper-Khans and my awaiting bike. The interface was a welcome distraction from, well, what just happened.

What all would happen during this Interface Extension? If it was a requirement to directly give over the box, then maybe it would expand my connection to the Eidolons. That was… worrying. It's not like I could stop leveling even if I wanted to anyway. And the only wa...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 77

Insidious whispers broke out all around me, seemingly coming from nowhere and everywhere all at once. The temptation to look around, to try and catch a glimpse of whatever was happening, ate at me. Only the frozen cool of Insight kept me from doing so. Its warnings of death being all around me only seemed to increase as the volume of the whispers did till the point I was surprised my flesh didn’t freeze over entirely. My blood sure felt frozen as it pumped through me though.

The whisp...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 76

The man wore what I would expect of a desert dweller. Baggy clothing capable of blocking out the sun and yet thin and light enough to keep cool. A mask clung to his face, a staple for this part of the world. He gripped his rifle tighter in his hands, his knuckles turning white with the pressure.

I placatingly raised my hands and flashed the most innocent smile I could. “Woah there, friendly! Friendly! Athena Alexandria sent me.”

“Athena?” The man frowned, and what I could ...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 75

After a bit of indecision, I decided to leave my bike behind. If whatever short-circuited the Nomad’s vehicles was still active with whoever left the camp in a mess, I didn’t want it to be fried. I would lose out on an immediate escape, but it would be even worse if I was stuck out here with an hours-long repair before I could leave the area.

For a similar reason, I also decided to leave the Sat phone behind. Not before calling in to Athena though. “Hello?”

The brick of a ...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 74

Was- was this it? I checked my Mapp™ again and again, lining up the landmarks on the satellite imagery and comparing them to the location Athena Alexandria gave me. There’s no way, right?

Although I didn’t know much about the Nomad group, the Leper-Khans were supposed to be a prominent nomadic group known for their scavenging skills. They moved in massive camps, well protected from any of the more vulture-like nomads looking for easy pickings.

I looked around the camp I foun...

Up- Chapter 73 - Outrun

I went ahead and stocked up on AE3 just in case, strapping two jerry cans to the sides of my bike. My destination wasn’t too far away from the city, so I should be good with just this much fuel. Sure, I could’ve used the canteen and saved the Rayn, but I didn’t want to mess with having to manually swap the contents and wait for refills while keeping track of a thirty-minute timer. Far easier to just keep it all as simple as could be.

The nomadic group, the Leper-Khan...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 72

I froze up halfway to my bike, shocked beyond belief as the interface popped into my view.

「Melee Weapons - 1>2」

I- I hadn’t been expecting that of all things. What was different between this time and other times I had used Skills outside of certain areas? Maybe- no… hmm… maybe since I had Mira teaching me the entire time? I was actively learning how to fight better with a melee weapon, so the Skill went up? Then were the levels of the S...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 71

After waking up, I finished up production on the two additional Scouters. Now that I already knew what I wanted and how I wanted it, it took very little time to actually put them all together. I now had three of the cute little devices up and running, waiting for me to press their on switch. 

I checked the time. There was still an hour till my meet-up with Mira, so I grabbed my backpack with everything in it and headed for the door. I took the elevator down to the basement parking ...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 70

I left the place after a confusing trip through the arcology. I did manage to find the mechanic store, so I fixed my bike up the best I could and headed back home. The Thermoelectric semiconductor cost a hundred and thirty Rayn, setting me back to just over sixteen hundred. Barely enough to pay for a month’s rent. Good thing, I would have time to save up some more before then.

As I settled on my bed, the interface popped into my view.

「Tracking - 5>6」

「...

PE - Outrun - Character 2

I've got a character coming up, and once more want to name it after a patron. If you're interested, it's on a first come first serve basis. Simply reply with an adjective. I'll then take that adjective and your profile name(or a different name if you want), and base the character around that.

A bit of a disclaimer so you know what you're getting into; these characters are side characters, so they might just show up for a single scene, die, play a major part, or act as an arc's villain.<...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 69

Inquisitor Ligh didn't seem to hear me as he inspected a coffee table covered in loot. For a moment, I considered calling his name louder. That moment passed as I realized a golden opportunity. Sure, taking something from out here could draw the Inquisitor’s attention, but from whatever lurked in this secret area? And I could take whatever was behind it well enough on my own without the incompetent drunk’s help.

Whatever a thief kept hidden was bound to be good. Maybe even his gear ...

Arc vote(Closed)

I thought it'd be fun to have a vote for the next arc. There'll be a couple chapters before it starts, but then I'll write the one you vote for.

The rest of the arcs will play out in the order of votes, so don't worry if the one you voted for isn't first.

Up- Outrun - Chapter 68

Nick Tinsley led us back through several hallways. At some point, we left the dark and dingy ones and entered more populated, well-lit halls tracing across the complex. Seriously, the building had to have been at least a mile wide to fit however many small shops and rooms on this floor.

He narrated every bit along the way, talking about people by name, and reviewing all the major shops and restaurants. A little shop called Andre’s came highly recommended by the kid and apparently came...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 67

I was half expecting to have to fight to work our way across the plaza. What a purely pedestrian worry. Rather than fighting, people actively backed away from the intimidating Inquisitor. I didn’t even need Cue to see the fear blatantly obvious in most people’s faces as we walked by. Rather, as he walked by the Jaeger and I swiftly followed.

I noticed several groups of 'undercover' looking groups of FSA soldiers out and about the clearing, which was... interesting. For the most part...

New Ad on RR

Up- Outrun - Chapter 66

For a moment, I wondered how, exactly, I had gotten here. And which person should I cuss out for putting me in this position? Shinobu? Nael for keeping me alive? Or myself for stupidly trying to run from the Inquisitor. Knowing my luck, that probably drew his eye more than anything. Why was he even here?  Seriously, what shitty luck.

I turned on my heel and smiled brightly at the Inquisitor. “Ha- ha, S-sir. Good to- uh, see you again.”

His silver aura seemed all-consuming...

PE - Outrun - Character 1

As I posted the other day, I want to add some more interaction with Patreon. This is the first attempt at that and to see how it goes.

I've got a character coming up, and I think it would be cool to have something every now and then based on or from a member. If you're interested, it's on a first come first serve basis. Simply reply with an adjective. I'll then take that adjective and your profile name(or a different name if you want), and base the character around that.

Up- Outrun - Chapter 65

I gulped down an orange-flavored smoothie from Crow’s Canteen of Chaos as I rubbed at my head. Studying for two days straight wasn’t fun in the slightest, especially considering the pure density of the topics the interface put me through this time around. I didn’t have any fun practical stuff, like learning to weld, but what felt like years of textbooks, tests, and questions from the interface about theory. 

It seriously sucked, especially considering most of the stuff was ju...

Patreon Exclusive Content

I’m interested in doing something a bit more exclusive for Patreon. I tried to think up something, but it’s best to ask you directly instead of trying to figure out what you would want. So, would you be interested in Patreon exclusive content? And if so, what?

Some ideas I came up with:

• Polls

• In story content based off of members

• Behind the scenes thought processes

• Artwork(would be few in far between thanks to the time comm...

  2024-03-26 23:23:31 +0000 UTC View Post

Up - Outrun - Chapter 64

Mr. Keratás’s legs walked over to the desk, lightly dragging against the ground as if he didn’t have enough energy even to lift them. Ever so slowly, as if to mock my pitiful attempts to hide underneath the desk, he sat down at the chair. It squeaked as his weight bore down on it, the wheels slightly rolling thanks to the sudden force.

He didn’t scoot in though, which would’ve been a surefire way of finding me. Instead, he seemed to lean back into the chair and let his legs han...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 63

Clarence led me into the mansion as soon as I arrived. I had called ahead and he stood patiently waiting at their massive parking lot of a driveway. From there, he led me through the garden’s loop and into the home.

“Hey Clarence, how did the letters arrive here?” I asked as he held the door open for me. Maybe I could backtrack whatever courier or postal service that delivered them and get a location to track.

The old butler looked at me as he guided me along a grand stairca...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 62

The next day, early in the morning, I stood outside of Absolom Clinic ready for my replacement chrome. I shrugged under the weight of my backpack, shifting it on my shoulder as I pushed open Nael’s door. 

The clinic was… in shambles. There was no nice way of putting it. Eight young children ran around, laughing and screaming as they messed with the Medech’s tools and gear. About double that number, looking older in their early teens maybe, were neatly lined up against the wal...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 61

I expected the terminal to be locked, but Mr. Keratás had just left it on sleep mode. It booted right up to the desktop. The symbol of ASCorp, a pristine Aetherium shield, rotated in the background.

My eyes tracked the room excitedly, making sure the door sat closed and there were no cameras. Then I started to snoop around his computer. I started with the email, running through most of the messages. The guy had an oddly high amount of ‘singles in your area’ spam emails, and about a...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 60

AN: I realized earlier that you probably wouldn't have seen this, so here's what I posted on RR about an update on my writing schedule. Sorry about that, I still have some growing pains in running a Patreon.

TL;DR: Continued uploads of Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

Basically, I thought that after I adapted to my new work schedule, I would return to the five uploads a week. At that point, I was also told I would only be working forty hours a ...

Up- Outrun - Chapter 59

After a bit of indecision, I decided to return home for the night. Sure, I could just bust into the place and confiscate the camera feeds using my Blue Crusade identity, but that would also probably shorten my lifespan to a few hours if I was lucky. An alternate method was required.

I slept on it, worked on some stuff, and in the morning I was more than ready to enact my newest hair-brained scheme. I packed my bag full of stuff I would need, including a tapper and my deck and headed for...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 58

Christopher Strun stepped into the office, spotting a rather short girl sitting in his boss’s seat. According to his boss, she was from corporate, but she didn’t really seem like the corporate type. Maybe because of the lack of professional attire? And yet, she had a clean, sweet face that any corpo woman would pride themselves on.

A black eye patch, looking as if it just came out of the medical ward, wrapped around her left eye, leaving only her one peeper staring at him. It traile...

Up- Outrun - 57

Grayhill Depository sat on the highest floor of a building on the fringes between Bricktown and Little Yukoto. The building was the modernized version of a graveyard. Instead of bodies being tossed into wooden boxes and thrown into the ground like the past, they’re typically burned and then their ashes stored in depositories all over the city. It took up far less space this way, or so it had been explained to me back when my parents were interred.

I had to sign in before entering, whi...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 56

I don’t know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn’t this. Mr. Abernathy didn’t just own a house in Elysium, he owned a freakin’ mansion. I had to double-check the address several times before I finally realized- yes, this is the right place.

His house sat at three floors tall, not counting if there was a basement or attic. It took up a massive chunk of land and looked as if it was some kind of botanical garden wrapped around the front. Plants I had only seen in the holog...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 55

I messed around with my 3d printer for several hours, taking the time to relax and just create something. My Doctor Absolom figures were becoming more detailed as I improved my skills, and soon they would look mighty impressive. I had only used about half a roll of plastic filament to print too, so I should be good for a while at the current pace.

I slowly reviewed my memories over the last week as I made figurines, trying to remember as much as I could about Glitching. Hopefully, I wou...

Up - Outrun - Chapter 54

I shifted, causing a muted string of pain to course through my spine. It wasn’t pain as in hurt, but more of incredibly sore. Hesitantly, as if scared of what I would see, I eased my eyes open- rather, eye open. The Advent Ghost didn’t seem to work, leaving me with just half my vision.

Sitting up, I realized I was somewhere I had never been before. The bed I lay on sat in the middle of a concrete room barely big enough to fit the bed and definitely not big enough to fit two. I rubbe...