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LAST WORDS

And so it ends. From the Underground has been eating up my every free hour since I started it, more than two years ago, and while I didn't always have the time to update quickly, I never stopped loving this story, and never stopped loving to write it. Saying goodbye to Clifton Meyers and Melissa Lewis was damn hard, but saying goodbye to En, and her entire story is even harder. She wasn't always the easiest protagonist, and she certainly wasn't always the most manageable (or the most well-liked by you guys!) but dammit, I enjoyed crafting her story with every keystroke I made. I've got a bit of a black hole ahead of me now, since someone who's been with me for two and a half years is now suddenly no longer there, but it's less difficult to let her go, since unlike Lysanna, at least I'm convinced she'll be A-OK from here on out!

After all, FtU was meant to end well, at least for the protagonist. That was set in stone from the beginning. Even the twenty caps she mooches off Oliver to pay her Goodsprings bar tab! After the dark tone and the depressing ending of Travels of the Chosen One, which some of you have also followed from the beginning, so long ago, I set out to create a contrasting story, with a radically different main character. And from the start, I'd determined that this one would be more light-hearted (though still dark at times), and that it would end on a high note. If Travels of the Chosen One is a whimpered "Oh no", then From the Underground is a loud "HELL YEAH!" I hope I've succeeded in evoking this feeling, at least for a little bit.

Thanks go out to Obsidian Entertainment, Bethesda Softworks and all the people at the late Interplay and Black Isle studios. But more importantly, the author of this flawed little story would like to thank, with all his heart, his faithful readers. To everyone who read this story, thank you. If there's things you'd like to say, don't hesitate to post a review! To everyone who already took the time to write a review, positive or negative, thank you. But especially, a big thank you goes out to those among you I knew would show up in my e-mail notifications a day or two after posting a new chapter. You know who you are, and I appreciate it immensely. It's great to be able to write a story for yourself, but it just becomes that much more wonderful when there's people there who follow your every update and who, in effect, join you every step of the way. Making this journey was a great experience, and having your companionship made it even more memorable. Thank you, I mean it from the bottom of my heart.

Funny little detail, From the Underground clocks in at 425,959 words. That's 90% of the word count of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and over half as long as the frikkin' Bible! So that means, put together with Travels of the Chosen One, my Fallout projects are longer than the Bible itself! How awesome is that?

This is the end of From the Underground, but my next project is already underway, with ten chapters already written. It'll be a big change from the post-nuclear Wastes of Travels of the Chosen One and From the Underground, but I'm convinced it'll be just as great to write as my past projects have been.

I'm looking forward to seeing you guys again! The project doesn't have a title yet (once it does, I can start publishing) but I can tell you what setting it will be in, and finally answer the questions some of you have already asked me (I wanted to keep it a surprise, sorry fellas!). The next project will be set in Skyrim and it will be a bit of an unconventional way of story-telling. It will feature five protagonists, who follow their own storylines. As their stories progress however, they'll cross paths with the others. Some will only acquaint themselves briefly, others will become allies, and yet others will become bitter enemies. The idea is to have all five characters tell their story, from their experience. If I can get it done the way I envision it now, then I'll have readers rooting for one character, while others want another one to come out on top. However, despite the unconventional construction, the story will definitely come first. Look for the first chapters in the coming days. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

That's all I have to say. Goodbye En, I'm going to miss you.