Somnia Online

by K. T. Hanna

  “It’s not all scripted, which means different actions can trigger entirely different outcomes. Even unanticipated ones. We have no clue what we’re walking into. And, like any game, there are some bugs in the system, and we don’t know exactly what it’s going to throw at us at any given time.” Murmur pinched the bridge of her nose.

  “Somnia wasn’t designed on a linear playing path.” Telvar was suddenly there and speaking, like he was a real person. Maybe he was an informative NPC. Masha watched as he continued, completely fascinated.

  “The bugs in the system have put some bumps in that path, and we’ve been tripping over them.”

  Masha had to put in effort to keep from rolling his eyes at the analogy. “So what do you expect us to do?” The question was out before he knew it, directed at the lacerta like he was partially in charge. Murmur’s starry eyes watched him with an unreadable expression.

  But Telvar seemed unfazed, which was good, considering he was an NPC. Maybe this was what he was here for, assuaging the concerns of players. “When we journey to the places the keys unlock, the continuation of the quest will answer all your queries.” He bowed and left the hall.

  Masha turned to Murmur. “Guess it’s a nice perk to have an NPC as the owner of your guild island.” He meant it as a joke, but she seemed unsure how to take it.

  “Yeah. Telvar isn’t so bad once you get used to him. A bit eccentric, but generally nice. Plus, he can turn into a dragon.” She grinned, but there was hesitance in the expression.

  Masha tried to soften his response and let her know things were okay. If only he could remember why he’d been so angry with her, then maybe it would be easier. “Glad he’s on our side.”

  And he really meant that.

  Murmur ran over the stock list she got from Neva, making sure everything was in place. It seemed like an overwhelming amount of stuff until she compared it to the average usage list Neva had also handed her that detailed just how much stuff they’d been using in the dungeons they’d completed until now.

  She grimaced at the cost. “Good thing we insisted on all the crafting loot,” she muttered out loud.

  “Probably a very good idea.” Sinister stood next to her, on her tiptoes, trying to peer over at what Murmur was reading. “What’s the good idea again so I can be suitably impressed?”

  Murmur bent her knees slightly so Sinister could see better. Just having her close made everything feel more manageable. “Crafting. Potions. Flasks. Repair kits. They all cost a ton of money, and well, without the crafting materials we’ve been getting all going back to Neva, I’m afraid the guild would be broke.”

  Sinister laughed. “Nah, Neva would find a way for that not to happen. She’s amazing with finances, if you haven’t noticed.”

  Murmur raised an eyebrow, because she had noticed, but it wasn’t like Sin to point that sort of shit out. “Okay. I’ll bite. What’s on your mind? The tl;dr version please, because we have about five minutes before we get the information on what we’re doing with these three completed keys.”

  Sin smiled, but it seemed a bit forced. “So I know you have your own shit to deal with. Like we all do in a way, but…” She paused, biting her lip like she wasn’t sure how to proceed.

  “Come on, Sin. How long have we known each other? How many secrets have we shared? I’m not about to judge you for any reason.” Murmur wiggled her eyebrows, which she was fairly certain made her look comical given the nature of locus eyebrows.

  “Fine.” Sin took a deep breath, and Murmur wondered if she should have encouraged her friend to spill these beans. “My head. It feels all sorts of strange. This headset appears to take the powers I have and amplify them in ways I didn’t think I could. And sometimes…”

  Her eyes shifted to make sure no one was close enough to hear what she was about to say. “Sometimes it talks to me? I think, anyway. Sort of like an NPC in my head, but nicer. Not programmed. Like she talked to me a couple of days ago when you were floating in the air all freaky-like and stuff. And I get that it’s possible and stuff, considering what we’ve seen, but…I’m just feeling a bit like a floppy fish.”

  Murmur stopped what she was reading instinctively, mulling the words over in her mind. She knew the headgear had been altered but hadn’t been aware that it might reach the same brain centers as deeply as her own did. Part of the reason it had been altered was to give her guild a more solid connection to Somnia herself. “But the voice is nice, right?”

  Sinister raised an eyebrow. “Sort of. Well, yes, it is. Other times it’s like I can almost hear it, but it’s whispering, so it’s not quite audible.”

  I didn’t realize you were actually speaking to the others. Are you meaning to? Murmur asked, trying to keep her frayed nerves under control even though she knew it wasn’t Somnia’s fault.

  I’m not right now, but I do sometimes. I try to make it more in a suggestive way. I’m just making use of the tools that have been put in front of me, and with the headgear adapted, it helps me amplify the abilities your friends possess. I thought you knew that’s why the headgear was tweaked. Allowing me to interface directly with them was one of the perks.

  Of course she’d known that, but she’d just not thought it through all the way. Sorry. Just juggling a lot at the moment. Will she be okay?

  Of course! You really think I would hurt Sinister?

  Somnia did sound rather offended at the idea, and Murmur sighed, wondering if the headache was ever going to go away. “You’re okay, Sin. It’s just the world communicating with you.”

  “Okay. So.” Sinister frowned, clearly thinking. “I knew I heard her when you were in trouble. But I thought that was a sort of once off. And I know you hear shit, but I thought that was an ability that came with your class.”

  Murmur shook her head. “Nope, not at all. That’s a nice unique ability given to me by the bastard who tweaked the crap out of my headset. Luckily, you’re all wearing safely tweaked ones.”

  Sinister hesitated. “Probably better not to fight or ignore it?” Her voice quivered for a moment, like she was intimidated by what Murmur had told her but was trying to put on a brave face.

  “Definitely better not to. This AI can be a little more persistent than you’d expect.” She laughed and headed over to the entrance of the keep where everyone was gathering.

  Telvar stood there, the early sunlight reflecting off his golden-bronze scales and making him look as regal as a dragon should. He was talking to Emilarth and Belius, and all of their expressions made Murmur hope to high whatever that they weren’t going to give a lecture or something equally as tedious.

  Tel cleared his throat and kept her waiting no longer. “As your quest dictates, you must raise Gefängnis, and I am here to deliver instructions to you all. Gefängnis requires the turning of keys in three separate locations in order to activate the mechanisms that raise it. To this end we will disperse into three mostly equal groups, and you will all be required to use the portal activated by unlocking the zone.”

  Murmur muttered as well as everyone else around her. This was news to her, and she sent Telvar a small glare for not having forewarned her. Although, she guessed everyone had been busy in their own way.

  “We will fan out in groups of eleven; one of us will need to be with each of you. It is our keys you will present, for we cannot wield them ourselves. Thus, we must ask this of you, noble adventurers.” Emilarth’s voice rang out clear in the gathering, and Murmur had to give her credit for her own regal appearance. Stick with these guys for long enough, and they’d all surprise her.

  Right then, Emilarth offered her a very subtle wink, and Murmur had to stop herself from groaning.

  Belius still sounded so old when he spoke, and Murmur still wasn’t sure what had possessed him to use such and aged voice. “Each group will journey to one of the three major cities. Pelagu. Darshin. Multagen. You will move inside the city walls to the fountains positioned in the middle of them. Each fountain will have a corresponding key
hole. It is there the keys must be placed and turned at the same time in order to activate the mechanisms. The prison will raise, and all monsters within must be defeated.”

  There was a mumbling from the crowd as they listened to the NPCs, all of them thinking it was just another quest, while Fable at least had an inkling of what was really at stake. They’d seen it in Mur, and in the dungeons, and even in the headgear they now wore. Not to mention they were all aware that Telvar and the other two were much more than NPCs.

  QUEST UPDATE:

  You will journey to the three pillars and activate the mechanism with the obtained keys.

  You must subdue all of the prison monsters, lest the world as you know it fall.

  QUEST UPDATE: The Fountains

  You’ve come a long way since those early days. Keep your eye out now more than ever. The fountains literally hold the keys.

  “You know?” Sinister said beside her, her fingers intertwined with Murmur’s. “So when you said you could hear voices in your head, I’d always thought that was a remnant of the coma, your class, or you were just kidding with me, but it wasn’t, was it? It’s a remnant of that modification he did to your headgear.”

  Mur nodded, still trying to follow the discussion the AIs were having. She didn’t really need to. She’d already marked the to-do list on her calendar. Telvar told them to go and unlock the three sluice gates, so to speak, that would raise the lost continent or something and bring about the destruction of Somnia unless the wee adventurers decided to be magnanimous and stop it.

  Something like that. Somnia sounded partially amused.

  Might be nice to actually give me an answer every once in a while, Murmur commented dryly. Just one more dungeon. She could do that.

  Somnia hummed in the background, sort of like a set of servers communicating with the internet, so Murmur waited for the inevitable lecture or speech or explanation that was obviously on its way.

  About that. See—the connection we have can’t be severed anymore. I’m amazed you humans are so bad at understanding your own brains, really. It’s all so interconnected. It’s not like firing on one area is going to only change the portion located in that exact spot.

  Murmur rolled her eyes, not really wanting a science lesson right then. Give me the short version. I’ve got a raid to plan.

  Oh, the others are fully capable of doing it, and you know it. You’re just a bit of a control freak. Somnia sounded like she was smirking.

  This coming from a virtual world who decided she wanted to be real?

  Touché. Somnia chuckled, but she didn’t sound happy about it. Look. The short version is: when I shorted out your connection it sort of...rewired a portion of your brain, and now you’re kind of stuck with me. There’s so much we can do together. At least, the more information I gather, the more I realize it`s possible, anyway.

  She sounded so excited, but Murmur felt a coldness spread in her stomach. Her brain was totally rewired, and it wasn’t just the headgear. What did that mean? Wasn’t she still her own person, though? Does the headset provide me some protection at all?

  Definitely. You shouldn’t go crazy while wearing it, at any rate. Somnia laughed and had probably attempted to be comical, but Murmur couldn’t shake the feeling of dread in her bones.

  “Mur?” Sinister tugged on her hand, looking up at her with worried eyes. “You sort of blanked out. You okay?”

  Murmur nodded and then squeezed Sinister’s hand. “Yeah, I’ll be okay. I have to be. I’ve just got a lot to sort out once we finally get this next raid over with.”

  Sinister continued to look worried. “You really need to stop bottling shit up, remember?”

  A stab of guilt hit Murmur. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I’m just worried about how my connection to this headset has altered aspects of the way I think. There, better?”

  Sinister laughed. “No, not really. But I’m glad you told me. Now we can both worry.”

  Murmur couldn’t help but smile, even if something about this quest nagged at her. She busied herself with making the groups they needed to go and unlock the prison.

  Murmur stood in front of the fountain in the center of Darshin, Telvar by her side. For some reason she always felt safer with him close.

  Thanks.

  You’re welcome, you crazy little self-actuating AI.

  My pleasure.

  These fountains had always been sort of creepy, and Murmur didn’t think it had changed. In fact, they felt even more odd now. Like something was lurking beneath and waiting for them. She guessed, from what the quest had said, that it was true.

  Murmur smiled as she waited for the rest of her team to make it to the center of the city. It was weird not having Sinister with her, but since Veranol had wards and Murmur had stuns, they’d figured sending each of the other two groups with two healers each was more conducive to survival should they get portaled into different sections of the prison.

  Murmur glanced at the gold key in her hand. It was sort of pretty. The large key dangled the three smaller ones beneath it, and she glanced up at the fountain to check for holes but frowned when she didn’t see any immediately. Sinister had Emilarth’s key, and Mellow had the black one.

  Each key was held by members of Fable so they could communicate on time with each other over guild speak. That was the excuse she’d given, anyway. With the rampant infection running through some of the other guilds’ players as well as her own, she’d had to pick people she was certain she could trust, for now.

  “So. What do we do now?” she mumbled to Telvar, out of earshot of everyone else.

  He grinned at her, no doubt holding back a smart remark. It was like she could feel it emanating from him. “We hope the keys work.”

  “Oh, fucking fantastic planning, Tel.” She rolled her eyes.

  He laughed softly. “Blame our little Somnian friend, why don’t you? Everything worked fine until she woke up.”

  “Maybe, but I woke her up, so that’s my fault.” The realization made her feel oddly down on herself.

  “Shush. Stop that. If he hadn’t tinkered with your headgear, you wouldn’t have triggered Somnia, and I think we’d all be worse off. Sure, this seems dire now, but I have a distinct feeling—one of those gut feelings you’re always on about—that everything will turn out just fine.” He gave her forearm a squeeze, as if reminding her he was always there even when she forgot about him.

  Stepping forward, Murmur searched for the keyholes. They weren’t that hard to find once she got closer, and they weren’t even under the water section of the fountain. Instead, they were embedded into the central support of the fountain, as a part of the actual statue. In fact, the positioning on the thigh of the elf statue made her feel oddly suspicious. But she leaned forward and began to insert the key into its pattern.

  Once she was done, she admired how it looked like a pretty 3D tattoo. She took a deep breath and spoke over guild. Everyone ready?

  Mellow: Aye, captain.

  Sinister: Of course!

  Trying to steady her nerves, Mur counted to three and closed her eyes. Okay, turn after three.

  One.

  She admired the fountain in all its glory, the way the water almost seemed to be arranged with magic. The realism of the statues of the races that inhabited Cenedril was potent. The elf, the feles, and the dwarf all seemed more lifelike than she’d remembered them being the first time she passed this statue. Any other times they’d come through this city, she had to confess she hadn’t really looked, despite her fountain quest and her curiosity about them.

  Two.

  The key, even inserted into the statue, felt like a heavy weight in her hands. Like it was meant to do something she hadn’t even contemplated. For a split second she wasn’t sure they should be doing this at all.

  Three.

  Her hand grasped the strange key design and turned it, feeling the teeth catch with each millimeter of precision. Golden light like glitter powder streamed around the key as
it made its rotation before clicking into place with a finality that surprised her. There was no going back now.

  A huge grating sound made the ground under her feet rumble. It sounded from somewhere beneath her and all around her at once, shaking everything. She could hear the water splashing against the rocks outside the city like it was angry at the continent. The walls began to strain and shake around them, and Murmur glanced up to see small, spiderweb cracks appearing in the beautiful stonework of the city.

  Screams echoed from all through the city proper. Fear seeped through Murmur’s mind as she felt the anguish of the NPCs. Anguish she shouldn’t have been able to sense from non-sentient, non-sapient, not real people.

  Are you sure? Aren’t they real? Aren’t I real? Somnia’s stray thought caught Mur by surprise. Of course the AI was right. So much of this world was becoming aware of itself, including Michael in whatever form he’d been sunk into. So what did that make them for hunting him down?

  If he truly existed in here, wouldn’t that be akin to murder? The ramifications started to pile up in her brain, beating at her until anxiety rose. Except she couldn’t let that in right now. She breathed again, in and out, focusing on the clarity that came with sensing Somnia as the world she was, the world she had become. Peace didn’t last for long though.

  The cranking of gears underneath them—far, far below—settled in Murmur’s ears, distracting her from any other conversations. Her sensing nets warned her of danger, from all around her as the stone structures moved uneasily, cracking in so many places it would take the dwarves years to repair.

  Mellow: Hell! What is happening?

  She could hear the panic in their voice over speak and called out, trying to sound soothing herself. It’s just the mechanism triggering, I think.

  Murmur realized she probably shouldn’t have added the I think part to it. Because the tension levels from her guild members in her little group didn’t exactly go down. So that was great lack of thinking on her part.