Somnia Online

by K. T. Hanna

  “Thanks.” This time Mur appreciated it even more, because she understood better. Still half-lost in the vastness that was Somnia, she smiled. “It’s amazing what I can see and sense now I’m not busy trying to take care of everyone else’s feelings.”

  He paused for a moment and then smiled. “Good.”

  Then he walked away, and Murmur was distinctly reminded of her father and couldn’t help smiling. But the expression froze on her face when she looked over and saw Masha watching her with undeniable hatred. It leaked past his expression, its tendrils attempting to snake into her brain. She didn’t expect to feel as bad about that as she did. It punched her in the gut, and all she could do was wonder just what she had done.

  When he walked away, he joined Risk, Jirald and Neriad, one of Exodus’s healers. From the way they stood with their backs to her, to the expressions she saw on their faces, and the fact that Jirald was a member of that group, she knew nothing good was going to come of it. Should she intervene sooner or later, and if she did, what would she say? Hell, what would she even do to stop that hatred emanating toward her?

  But the hatred directed at her didn’t affect her as much as she thought it usually did. Instead, the water surrounding her soothed her, the way the sea plants drifted with the currents, and how schools of fish didn’t seem to care that they were there. Somnia went on around them all, even if Jirald turned everyone against her. Though that thought sobered her up from the dreaminess she’d been about to dive into again.

  “You know.” Havoc spoke as he moved to stand—or was it float?—next to her. Leeroy floated next to him, silently judging everything in front of him.

  “Maybe?” she ventured, suddenly feeling oddly tired.

  “Right now, they’re not worth worrying about. They haven’t said or done anything yet. I’ve got my eye on them. Merlin’s got his eye on them. Don’t worry, Mur, we’ve got your back.” He put his hand to his temple like he was trying to push away pain.

  “Thanks.” His declaration surprised her a little. Then she frowned at the pain in his expression. “Are you okay?”

  He shook his head. “Probably not. These headsets are insane. I’ve had a headache since I started using it. And while its connection to the world is stellar and allows me to feel it in more depth, I still feel like there’s something wrong here. I’ve never had headaches on a regular basis. How do you deal with this…intimacy within the game? How do you deal with the headaches?”

  “I don’t get headaches, but I can check and see if that’s a probable side effect for you.” Murmur left it vague, not mentioning how she might actually check on that. She’d worried from the beginning about her friends getting their headsets tweaked.

  “I don’t suppose—” He hesitated and then barreled on, “—I don’t suppose you hear voices, do you?”

  Murmur looked him over, wondering just how much to say. Sinister knowing Somnia was one thing, but she wasn’t entirely sure how Havoc would take it. “It’s just the world talking to you. You have a closer connection to her.”

  Havoc paled slightly, before sighing. “I’m not even going to ask if that was a joke. I don’t think I’ll like the answer.”

  Am I right, or is it Havoc’s connection to the game giving him the headaches? she phrased the question and sent it through to Somnia, who’d been rather quiet for a while.

  It took a few moments before Somnia replied, and even then, she sounded hesitant. It is the headset, but also everything he’s having to wrap his head around. Havoc finds it difficult to believe things he can’t personally make happen. So, this whole headset thing, that he doesn’t understand how it works really gets to him. It’s the conflict in his mind that’s causing the problems. It’s something he needs to reconcile himself.

  Murmur took a good look at her friend, noting the worry lines at the corners of his eyes and the way his brow furrowed constantly in concentration. Can we do anything about it? Like how can I help him?

  I’m not sure you can. But it’s worth talking to him about, if you have the time.

  Murmur paused before speaking. “Hey. You know…AIs do evolve. It’s been proven a couple of times.” She really didn’t know what to say, nor if she was factually correct.

  Havoc chuckled. “Yeah. This whole reconciling the connection these modified headsets achieve doesn’t mesh with my brain. Accepting this sort of thing isn’t in my nature.”

  Whatever else they were going to talk about, Murmur had no idea, because Devlish gave her the signal that they could move out a moment later. Havoc didn’t appear to be in dire straits, so they could continue their conversation later.

  They were still stuck in the sort of trenched passageway that led down from the castle ruins. It ran deeper than she’d have anticipated with large stalks of seaweed reaching for the surface. Cliffs of underwater rock hemmed them in on both sides, but appeared to be widening out gradually.

  Murmur was pretty sure Somnia had played with physics for the size of the lake, too. She still hated being underwater. So far, the trash mobs hadn’t been too much of a problem. But after Anemomight, she was mostly afraid of the bosses.

  “You doing okay?” Sinister’s bright voice brought Murmur out of her contemplations, and the enchanter smiled.

  “Better now.” Murmur wasn’t sure if she should be wary of the calm that overcame her on a constant basis once she’d resolved not to use her psionic powers forcefully on her allies. Was it a sort of epiphany?

  “Aw, you’re just saying that to be sweet.” Sinister grinned as if she didn’t mind in the slightest.

  “Mm-hm,” Murmur said, and focused her full attention on the bloodmage. “And you’re so totally against it.”

  The smile remained on Sinister’s face for a few seconds before being replaced with a frown. “Hey, so, the trash is ridiculously simple. Think that means the bosses are just going to get worse and worse?”

  “Now that you said it out loud, of course they are. Seriously, Sinister. Shouldn’t you of all people know better?” Beside them, Beastial affected his best Sinister impersonation.

  Murmur laughed, one of the first true laughs she’d had in a good while.

  Sinister raised an eyebrow at the Viking beastmaster. “Sure, I should know, but you’ve already dropped us in it enough times that it really doesn’t matter anymore.”

  “You wound me, Sin.” Beastial winked at them and moved ahead to join Devlish with Shir-Khan in tow.

  The underwater world appeared fascinating with its strange flora and fauna of the underworld, the sandy bottoms, the crisp and dangerous edges of the massive pearls that hunkered down on the bottom hiding pearls.

  Well, except for when Shir-Khan and Snowy banded together to explore. Tails flicking in the water, noses twitching, they inspected one of the clams only to have it snap at them with huge very not-clam teeth and reveal itself to be an underwater mimic.

  Sinister clutched her sides with laughter, and Murmur barely managed to walk upright for several seconds. She sent a silent thank you to the wolf, who didn’t seem impressed by her amusement.

  Murmur was still wiping away her tears of laughter when Sin placed her hand on Mur’s arm to stop her from walking into a group of their raid.

  Devlish stood with Masha, Risk, and Veranol and looking at the huge sandbank in front of them, it rose gradually from the bottom of the lake, like a ramp. After inspecting it closer, it rose up from each side of that ramp, too. Murmur approached them.

  “Island?” she asked, trying her best to ignore Risk and Masha’s stares even as she made sure to suck her forcefield close to her skin for a layer of added protection.

  “Sort of looks like it.” Devlish pursed his lips in thought. “Just sent Jinna to scout it out. Karn went with him.”

  Murmur didn’t ask about Jirald. He’d probably gone up there too, but just not told anyone. “Probably the home of a boss. This zone is odd, and considering its…origins, I would have thought it would be planned out a bit better.”


  That was close. Somnia sounded smug.

  Murmur shrugged. Give me a break. It’s hard to dance around when people don’t know which AIs made what. And it’s true. This zone isn’t what I thought it would be.

  Anymore, Somnia said smugly.

  What? Murmur paused running it through her head.

  It’s not like it was anymore. It’s infected; everything is infected, Mur. That’s why we are on such a strict deadline. Now go ahead and kill some monsters so we can finally throw that damned virus out of the system.

  You’re getting more and more human each day, Murmur muttered at the voice.

  I’m NOT taking that as a compliment. Somnia almost sounded offended.

  Just about to say something else, Murmur noticed the others returning. Her net sensed as they left the island and waded back down into the depths. She could also feel the subtle change that kept taking over Jinna. There was anger around him and running through him. Subtle, and not completely furious yet, but something she’d not realized he had a lot of before this. Very strange.

  “Island. Three pillars, one at each corner of an equilateral triangle.” Jinna’s report was crisp and clear, and yet there was an odd edge hovering around his aura. Black and dark, angry and something else she couldn’t pinpoint, even if she dug in with her calm sense, trying to see into it.

  What is wrong with everyone? Is it this zone?

  Somnia didn’t answer straight away, and when she did, she somehow managed to sound puzzled.

  I can see what you mean. As in, I can see what it is you’re sensing, and yet when I scan through my system I can’t detect any direct anomalies. It`s like whatever it is isn`t being funneled through the system...somehow. I’ll see what I can figure out.

  Murmur didn’t like not knowing, but at least Somnia understood her concerns.

  “There’s a small cave in the middle, and inside is something amphibian. I think crocodile, perhaps?” Jinna offered.

  Karn, whose feelings toward Murmur seemed as friendly as ever, continued listing what they’d seen. “It’s not a cave like you think, but a sort of middle section that seems to sink slightly back into the water. We didn’t dare get close to it for fear of aggroing the boss. We’ll probably have to use the pillars for something. It’s not like they’re holding up the ceiling or anything. They’re just large and round, and they sit there for no reason that I can see.”

  “Of course, there’s a reason for them. It probably spits out razor teeth or something, and you have to be out of line of sight so you don’t die.” Jinna’s jolliness came to the fore, directed at Karn just like he was being his old self. It all just compounded to confuse her more.

  “All right, then.” Devlish checked his shield over, double checked something in his inventory, and then turned to Murmur. “Guess it’s time to get this show up the ramp, right?”

  He winked at her, and her worries fled for a few moments. She hadn’t realized how much Jinna’s attitude toward her was bothering her.

  “Sounds like a plan,” she answered, pushing her worries to the back of her mind. Obviously, they’d just need to sit down and have a chat later on so they could sort out whatever it was. At the very least, she’d apologize if he was still angry about her misuse of power. Not that she’d blame him for being upset. She was still angry at herself.

  “Buff up, check your stocks,” she called out to the raid, firmly allocating no brain power to worrying about friendships right now. She’d continue to check herself and her usage of her mind influence, and they’d kill this next boss. And she’d bloody well worry about sorting out feelings between friends when she’d had a decent damned night’s sleep.

  Somnia Online

  Cenedril - Darshin Docks

  Day Thirty

  James pushed through the throng of players in Darshin as he got off the boat, wishing he’d realized he wouldn’t have mod powers before he logged in. Maybe he’d have thought of something even more brilliant. Still, at least the docks were on a solid timetable. Couldn’t leave all those paying players waiting too long, after all. There was a balance that had to be struck between realism and capitalism. He smirked at the thoughts. Capitalism was a large part of his presence in the world too.

  The cave-like city impressed him, even against his will. The way the rock was hewn, almost artistically. So many species bustled here and there, and their levels ranged. There were low and vulnerable people who’d made the trek straight after creating their characters, risking death as they ran their level fives down to the major city. Then there were seasoned characters who topped out around his level, selling wares, crafting, and gathering their own raiding groups.

  His robes swished around his feet, almost tripping him up on multiple occasions, but he breathed in deeply and made sure to keep his cool. It was the only way he’d get in and out as quickly as possible.

  James scowled and headed straight out of the town, and down the ramp. On the horizon he could glimpse distant snow-covered mountains against the bright blue backdrop of the sky. The breeze that came and whipped at his hair smelled like pine trees and felt good against his face. So vivid, full of smells and sights, of feeling and everything. For just a few seconds, he stood there admiring the view, reveling in the fact that this could feel real. And then reality hit him, jolting him out of that strange day dream and back to the reality that meant his job was on the line if he couldn’t get his bosses the information he’d promised them.

  It wasn’t the best time to be daydreaming. Checking himself, James mounted his wolf now he was clear of the press of people, and made his way down to the road. He got as far as the fork in the road before being stopped by a hooded figure. How tropeish it was to see a cloaked figure awaiting adventurers to give him a quest or something. He tried to go around them, not wanting to waste any of his time on in-game quests, but a hand darted out faster than his eyes could follow and grasped a hold of his reins.

  The wolf stopped obliging the stranger, but James’s temper began to boil. “Who the hell do you think you are?” The anger stayed in his words instead of escaping, and it only made the emotion stronger inside him to the point where he felt it was going to spill over.

  A soft chuckle emerged from beneath the hood, and he caught a glimpse of cat-like eyes peeking at him from the darkness inside. Almost glowing orange in their intensity. “Who am I?” The words were almost purred.

  “Yes, who are you?” He’d thought he’d spoken clearly enough and tried to yank the wolf’s reins out of their hands, but their grip was steel. Not only did the cloak hide if this was a guy or girl, it also hid if this was a player or NPC. Had he triggered some sort of inane quest he had no intention of completing? His anger flared again, along with some nervousness as he began to scroll through his abilities trying to find something useful that hadn’t been blocked. “I have places to get to and things I need to do and I’m on a time limit.”

  He tossed out a Bolt of Darkness, thankful that the instant cast dev abilities were at least still available. It caught the stranger in the chest, sending them flying a good twenty feet down the path. A voice in the back of his mind told him how lucky it was they’d let go of the reins first. James hurriedly dismounted.

  The figure staggered back to a standing position, flinging out an arm in a definite spell gesture. It was all James could do to throw up a defensive absorbent shield that leeched away at his opponent’s life to heal himself if damage was taken. Leech Shield was aptly named.

  But that didn’t stop his opponent either. Instead, the stranger stepped with assurance, taking strides toward him while flinging spells his way so fast that it was all James could do to defend against them. Finally, standing in front of James, he could see the smile spread across their face as they held their hand up and clicked their fingers. James couldn’t move a muscle, whether to cast or walk; he was simply stunned.

  “This is a happy coincidence. I’m on a time limit too.” And this time the voice spoke enough that James was fairly ce
rtain this strange figure was female.

  “What’s happy about it?” he asked, and a moment later when he could move his jaw, only immediately afterward, he was frozen in place again. Suddenly, there was a loud ringing in his ears, and his fingers felt like they were spasming, twitching, and he couldn’t let go or he’d fall. His muscles constricted and his face twitched. The HUD in front of him glitched, static partially replacing the spells descriptions he’d been leafing through with nothing.

  Riasli giggled. “That. That’s happy about it. I just love it when you humans play with your headsets. Gives us so much leverage.” She moved forward to catch him when he eventually fell backward, cradling him in her arms like a baby.

  James stared up at her, his inability to move causing nothing but panic in his head. He should have spent more time studying what abilities he did have instead of wasting time trying to figure out how to get back the blocked dev abilities. Hindsight. Always so twenty-twenty.

  He couldn’t figure out what this was and knew it wasn’t a part of the game as designed. It couldn’t be. Nothing that could affect you neurologically was in the game. The headsets shouldn’t have allowed anything like that to get through to the players. That was their whole purpose, wasn’t it? It was why the original design had been so appealing to his superiors. No psychological effects.

  “Ah, you see. That’s where you’re wrong. Most of the headsets, yes. But some of them…the ones you tinkered with, the ones they tinkered with, and the ones he tinkered with, well, they pushed the boundaries, didn’t they? They bent the rules so much they snapped some of them.” Again, she laughed.

  His stomach lurched and a wave of disorientation washed over him. James looked around, but realized he was no longer on that path. He was under huge trees that spiraled into the air with massive leaves, and he still couldn’t move his limbs. Staghorns clung to the trunks in places, producing large and natural decorations. The humidity tried to eat through his clothes, drenching him in sweat in no time, yet his captor didn’t seem to notice.