by K. T. Hanna
Murmur stood on the outer side of the walls of Stellaein. Steep didn’t adequately describe the way they shot up straight from the ground, their sleek surface void of any footholds. While the cliff face wasn’t quite as manicured, it still possessed an eerie perfection to it that made her cringe at the thought of tackling it.
“When he said it was carved into the cliff face, he wasn’t kidding, was he?” she muttered to no one in particular, although she knew Snowy would hear her.
He sneezed in that sort of explosive dog way and she laughed despite the otherwise somber mood.
Sinister stood back a ways from Murmur, rising up on her tiptoes to look over the ledge from as safe a distance as she could manage. “I don’t like the look of that. As real as death is here, I don’t relish the idea of falling down the side of the cliff to spatter into a billion pieces of bone and blood on the stony beach all the way down there.”
Beastial raised an eyebrow. “I can see you’ve given this a lot of thought.”
Sin glared at him and he held up his hands as if fending her off. “Whoa. It’s okay. I’m just not sure whether to be impressed or scared.”
This time her glare could have melted glass, but she sidled up to Murmur and pouted.
“Getting down seems problematic at best,” Mellow mused, sighing briefly. “I even got some decent sleep for this adventure. For once.”
Jinna chuckled. “I don’t think the entrance is down as far as it looks. I can always go see.” And he hefted one of his special daggers in his hand, like the ones they’d used to trip the statues back in the ruins. “If all else fails, I can see how far down we need to go.”
“If all else fails, at least I have a few coffins,” Havoc continued drolly.
But Jinna didn’t take offense, and instead grinned even wider. “Excellent. Always need a backup plan.”
“Look, I’ll scale down. Don’t worry, I’ve got some tricks up my dwarven tunic.” He winked and climbed up on the ledge, leaning down to wedge in one of his daggers.
Murmur’s heart jumped into her throat for a few moments. She moved away from the edge, unable to watch. Heights didn’t always bother her, but heights that meant plummeting to your death with one wrong move? Those? Yeah, those weren’t among her favorite anything.
That and she was fairly certain that having to experience what caused a falling death over and over again, would be even less pleasant than being impaled through the chest with magic.
“You okay, Mur?” Merlin spoke softly, and she realized she’d backed up and almost into him.
“Yeah,” she said, not feeling okay at all considering she’d not even noticed his presence.
Unusual for her, given her sensory nets. She frowned and examined them, realizing they’d begun to sort themselves into far more detail. Merlin was classified as a friend, and thus not deemed a threat, hence, it didn’t activate any type of warning when she neared him. She wasn’t sure she liked that. Or if she liked the fact that it seemed she’d grown far too dependent on its early warning system.
“Really? You seem mildly disgruntled by my question.” His tone mocked gently, and even though she knew he was just teasing, it irritated her. He didn’t deserve that annoyance.
She tried to ground herself and her rampant thoughts by pushing through into the earth. But the ground around her wasn’t earth—it was rock. While a part of earth, it was a damned sight more difficult to access her grounding through it. It only half worked. Half would have to do, though maybe she should go and see that trainer even though she had no prompts to do so. They didn’t really have the time to spare. “Not by the question, just by the fact that I almost bumped into you.”
“Ah,” he said as if he was pretending to understand and yet it was obvious he had no clue what she was talking about.
The pretense made Murmur laugh, and the tension rolled off her like waves on a shore. Shortly after which, Jinna appeared, clambering over the side of the shelf they stood on.
He rubbed his hands together, a greedy gleam in his eyes. “Well. I’m not sure how they ever made it to the entrance. Must have had some flying machines or something. But I should be able to build a contraption that can take one of us down at a time.” His excitement seemed contagious if the others’ reactions were anything to go by.
Beastial grinned, and Veranol and Mellow looked like all their Christmases had come at once. Murmur rolled her eyes, glanced up at the sky, and sighed. “Can we make two so we can get down there sooner? We can’t take up all the time we have just getting down there.” Although she supposed it was better than having to fight through an entire castle’s worth of dwarves before ever getting to enter it.
“Aye, Murmur. Don’t worry about it. We’ve got this. It’d be easier if Devlish had hit forty. I think he gets a grabby hand thing.” Jinna grinned evilly.
“Grabby hand thing?” Sinister had to ask the question, even though Murmur had been hoping no one would.
“No, he doesn’t.” Havoc glared at the dwarf, and the expression slowly transformed into an evil grin. “I get the grabby hand thing. Or more accurately, my pet acquires the ability. It’s called Grasping Bones. I’ve got it in my nifty massive inventory just waiting for the sweet sensation of level forty.”
Devlish groaned. “You had to take away my fun, didn’t you?”
“I live to serve.” Havoc mock bowed, and the rest of them smiled as Jinna and Veranol worked on the pulley system to get everyone down to the dungeon safely.
Murmur wasn’t sure if it was a good thing, or if the shivers up her entire body were trying to tell her to run like the wind.
Somnia Online
Exodus Guild Raid - Ilinish Threshold
Late Day Eighteen
Jirald looked up at the massive walls in front of him. It was nothing like the Richnai Fortress had been. This, this was more like a barricade. One that had already been conquered by Spiral. That Karn had already defeated.
He scowled. If it wasn’t bad enough that Murmur kept beating them to the punch, another girl was doing the same bloody thing. Taking a deep breath, he tried to keep his focus, to little or no avail. In fact, right now there was only one dungeon back on Tarishna that he knew no one had conquered. What with Fable finally knocking out Hazenthorne. It was better to just finish the ones on this continent and move over to the others methodically.
Jirald wanted inside that barricade, and to massacre everything in its path. Almost three weeks since the game had come out and he wasn’t max level. Hell, he wasn’t even close. He knew he’d hit level thirty-five in there, so he wanted it done now.
“You look so serious, and super-scowly.” Masha suddenly stood next to him, and the rogue looked up, narrowing his eyes. The cleric had no right to move as silently as he did, especially in plate armor.
“I didn’t sneak, you know. You were just lost in thought.” The older man chuckled as if he read Jirald’s mind. “Shouldn’t make it so easy for your enemies.”
Jirald’s eyes narrowed and he glared through at the man. “Don’t make me think you’re my enemy.”
Masha actually laughed. “That’s rich. Don’t forget who keeps dragging you out of the shit you get into. If I were your enemy, you’d be level twenty-seven for all the deaths you would have amassed. Don’t be an ass, Jirald, it’s too easy.”
For once, instead of riling him up like most things did, Masha’s words actually struck home for the rogue. “Yeah. Making it too easy is no fun, right?”
Masha glanced at him, as if trying to figure out if he was being serious or not “Yeah. No fun at all.”
They stood for a few moments in companionable silence, so much that Jirald decided he didn’t mind it, and wondered just how long it would last.
“Waiting on a few stragglers, because the gods know we can’t ever march off as one.” Masha muttered, glancing at Jirald with a thoughtful f
rown. “And then we have those people like us who get here an hour early, just in case.”
Jirald stifled a yawn and nodded, suddenly not wanting to speak. He was tired, and a little overwrought. He’d been studying anything and everything he could get his hands on about the rogue. About rogues in general when information on the Somnian rogue seemed too difficult to obtain, or else simply wasn’t there.
He was determined to kick ass at his class, determined to be the best he could be. Determined to beat those damned rogues Jinna and Karn. Once he managed those feats, he was certain there was no way for Murmur to best him, no matter how good her reflexes might be.
But this world wasn’t really safe for one-man armies to fight through. He flexed his fists, his arms, and even bounced down into crouches to help warm his knees.
Finally, Masha shifted next to him, clapping his hands together as the raid gathered around him. There, in the firelight of their camp, Masha gave everyone their role, and what to watch out for. And Jirald couldn’t wait to backstab his next target.
Murmur stood on the balcony, pondering the layout of the dungeon before her. There were no enemies here on the outside. Just a windswept, stone-hewn verandah that went the entire length of the mountain. Its railing was carved in such a way that unless she’d known what she was looking for, she’d never have realized it was, in fact, a railing. It was wider than expected, with enough room for three of her to stand fingertip to fingertip between the edge and the wall.
A grand set of double doors, carved from stone with intricate patterns of leaves and trees, of rivers and oceans, seemed to be the only entrance to the deeper caverns—or whatever this place held. No wonder she hadn’t seen it before. Had anyone? No one else had conquered it, or she would have seen a notice. It stood to reason that unless you were specifically looking for it, you wouldn’t find it.
Hell, even if you were specifically looking for it, she could see how it could be overlooked. Unless you had a dragon AI on your side. She chuckled to herself and coughed it back when Beastial turned to look at her.
“Nothing, just an itch.” She pretended to clear her throat. Laughing at her own jokes might not be the sanest part of her life, especially when she was the only one she told them to.
Beastial raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing. Murmur watched him, wondering where Shir-Khan had gone and how he was going to get down here. But he was a class pet after all, so his physics were far different from Snowy’s. Speaking of which, Murmur wasn’t sure where her wolf had gone, even though she could still feel his attachment to her.
Sinister finally made it, her teeth chattering and her face pale.
“That was not fun, Mur.” She leaned in for a hug, which Murmur was glad to give. Not only was it warmer to do so, but well, it was Sin.
Finally, with everyone on the verandah, except Snowy, they turned toward the doors.
“This is either a very bad trap or the only doors we can enter with. I’m hoping it’s just the doors.” Devlish grinned, laughing at his bad joke, and Murmur realized that maybe she wasn’t the only insane one among them.
Veranol smiled tightly. “This is definitely the entrance. No windows, so I’m not liking the idea of the air in there, or the lighting. Do we have enough supplies for fire arrows and Mellow’s glow jar thing?”
“We’ve got so much shit in the guild stores, we’d have to be a guild of only fire arrowing rangers in order to deplete it.” Merlin grinned.
“I take that as a yes, then?” Veranol wasn’t laughing, and Murmur sobered up. He was right. It was time to get serious. Just because she could die didn’t mean she should die. Not with those side effects, and not before she understood her connection to the world of Somnia and why she kept having those aftershocks.
Murmur moved forward, but Devlish stepped in front of her, a scowl on his face. “I’m the tank, I go first. It’s just the way things are.”
She sighed, but mainly because he was right. Murmur was just overeager to get this done. This would be their fourth key. Their fourth first key. They needed it, and they needed levels, the bonus experience that being first gave them, and she really needed to figure out a lot of shit.
Taking a deep breath, she held it while Devlish moved to open the doors. Except they began to swing inward all on their own.
A gust of dusty air ran out to greet them. As the light from the outside illuminated a portion of the interior, she saw inches thick in dust, eons of time past where no one was there to care for the valuables—or to care at all.
And then, in the shadows in front of them she could hear footsteps, like claws grating against stone. She moved back, her hand instinctively holding Sinister behind her, protecting her regardless of whether she needed it or not.
Devlish raised his shield and his sword, bracing himself for impact as the beast closed in on them. Shadows pulled toward it from all around, making it appear huge and dangerous. The growl that emanated from it just before it reached the light sent tingles through her bones.
Snowy barked, his tongue lolling out of his mouth and the grin that split his face was the widest Murmur had ever seen, on any type of dog or wolf, ever. Veranol began to laugh, echoed by both Sinister and Murmur. The rest joined in, but it was more of a smattering of giggles than laughter, nervous tension finally being released.
“How did you get through to us?” Murmur scritched his head and gave him huge hug. She’d missed him while he was off galivanting around, but now he was back. “You seem to know your way around this place.”
She knew she sounded a bit accusatory, and he was a wolf so he probably hadn’t realized just what it was he’d done. But sometimes she was certain he was an AI-powered being who could change things, create things, and who knew things that were closed off from Murmur’s understanding for the time being.
He only whuffed gently into her hand and butted it when she dared to stop petting him.
“We ready to go, then?” Devlish asked. He seemed to be fidgeting, like a nervous energy was building inside him, ready to explode.
“Lights at the ready.” Mellow smiled, handing out the small glass vials so they could all get a look at what they were facing.
The lights lit up the hall well. Only it took a few moments for Murmur to realize it might have been better had they not been able to see what was coming.
Storm Entertainment
Somnia Online Division
Game Development Offices - Conference Room
Late Day Eighteen
Shayla sat in her office with Laria, waiting for Teddy to arrive. Her friend had barely been consolable all day long. Ever since the meeting that morning where they’d had to rearrange their information so that the presentation in front of the lawyers and investment guest aligned properly. Laria had been a mess.
Sure, she’d kept it together for the sake of appearances, but now they were behind closed doors, she was picking at her fingernails, and twisting her hair. All sure signed of her anxiety flaring up. And it was a hundred percent certain that she still hadn’t entirely dealt with the James’s intimidation shit either.
“It’ll be okay, Laria.” Shayla said, gently reinforcing her friend’s name, trying to make her relax.
Laria just nodded, and smoothed down her shirt for the thirtieth time since they’d walked into this room five minutes earlier.
Shayla gave up and focused on pulling up and separating the anomalous information they’d gathered. If Teddy Davenport already knew vaguely what was up, it was useless trying to hide the rest of it. If they played their cards right, they might even get to keep their jobs. Maybe.
“Do you think he knows?” Laria whispered the words.
Shayla gave it some actual thought, glancing at the time in the corner of her vision as she did so. He wouldn’t be arriving for at least another couple of minutes, and that was going by his earliest arrivals to date. �
��Not specifically, no. If you let me, I think we can temper this.”
Laria nodded, a sad smile on her face. “Seriously, right now I don’t think I’m capable of being overly rational. Probably better if I keep my mouth shut.”
“I wish more people knew themselves that well.” Shayla attempted the joke, but Laria only rolled her eyes.
The tap at the door brought Shayla out of her introspections, and she cleared her throat before calling out. “Come in.”
Teddy Davenport let himself into her office, his tall and imposing frame somewhat lessened by the cable knit sweater he was wearing. The tie was gone, and he looked more like someone’s grandfather than he did her boss. Just for a moment, though.
When he closed the door behind him and stepped fully into the room, Shayla could see the grit that had made Edward Davenport one of the richest and most respected men in the world. He might expect great things out of his employees, but the man also rarely took time off for himself, even though he deserved it.
“So. How about you two come clean with what you’ve been hiding, and we figure out a way to save all of this.” He gestured around the office with its official Somnia Online logos decorating the place. “Because damned if you haven’t given me a profitable game where people can escape to, where even non-gamers love to watch it through someone else’s eyes. I think we need to keep our little haven for people safe. God knows there’s enough shit in this world right now—being able to forget can be the greatest gift for many.”
Shayla blinked at him, but Laria beat her to it.
“Say what now?”
Blunt and direct. Laria just sat there with her mouth wide open, as if she didn’t believe what she was hearing from Davenport.
He chuckled, almost merry, like Santa, except it wasn’t Christmas, or maybe it was. “Sorry. I may no longer be a coder, but I used to be. Tech is, after all, what Storm Corp was founded on. While I’m not up to the jargon of today, I can still tell when what I’m reading through has been adjusted to be more favorable. I’ve done it myself in my time. Luckily, so far, our sponsor hasn’t noticed this.”