Somnia Online

by K. T. Hanna

This sickness must be cured within the first twenty seconds, else they will go down.

  Murmur snorted, and watched as Masha, Sinister, and Veranol all cast their cures before she could say a thing. The mole creatures reappeared with the barrier gone and began their attacks once more.

  The only good thing to come out of Riasli casting Disturbed appeared to be that the attack drained five percent of her health. She was already down to eighty-five percent, even though that in itself gave Murmur one of those lovely foreboding feelings. Like it was all far too random.

  As if in answer to Murmur’s thoughts, Riasli began to hum, her eyes turning white as she looked up to the ceiling. A ball of light began to coalesce on her chest—or at least, that’s how it looked at first, but it wasn’t. It was a ball of murky light, almost like it had been drained from the muck of a pond. Her robes, torn where muscles had bulged through them, fluttered in the wind that howled around the feles enchanter.

  The staff glowed, floating to her left-hand side like someone else held it for her. And that ball of light grew bigger as she chanted. None of the attacks they directed at her interrupted it. In fact, the ball just kept growing larger and larger as the chant continued and as she dropped another few percent. Murmur began to wonder if she was just trying to drain them of mana the way Murmur consistently drained hers.

  When the ball reached the size of a medium beachball, it suddenly exploded outward in an arc in front of the enchanter. Spreading out about twenty feet, it missed the rogues and their backstabbing blades.

  It hit everyone else dead on at chest level, even the dwarves and gnomes in the group. Murmur waited to see if an effect hit her, but with her MA and her mental protections all in place, she was well-grounded enough that she got the resist message yet again.

  You have resisted Innermost Fear.

  Your innermost fears have been left dormant and will not affect you or those around you.

  Oh, fantastic. Because that meant anyone who’d been affected was going to be doing a whole lot of affecting to everyone else.

  She glanced around and caught sight of Masha, who’d stopped healing. He was looking at his hands in a horrified way, like he had blood on them or something she didn’t understand. She tried to Nullify him but got her friendly neighborhood resist message back.

  Your Nullify could not remove this effect. Please try something else or wait the timer out.

  She couldn’t even express how exasperated that made her feel. She took a deep breath, knowing the mages had possible other spells able to strip debuffs, and had to let the others do their jobs. There was enough for her to focus on with draining as much of Riasli’s mana as she could. With no mana, the other enchanter couldn’t cast. She glanced at Belius, who already appeared to be assisting her.

  A thought struck her. How the hell did Riasli’s mana pool manage to stack up against two enchanters draining her?

  The other enchanters’ attacks didn’t seem to be on any percentage timer. She just cast them when she felt like it. It made judging them difficult and avoiding them even more so. Murmur wanted her to use that damned Disturbed spell so she’d help kill herself.

  Idly, Murmur wondered just what the fight originally intended for this location would have been like, but that was something she’d never find out. To her left, Belius flickered, and she realized how not there he actually was. No. No. That wasn’t a good thing.

  She glanced over at Telvar, noticing his significant drop in DPS, and Emilarth’s similar performance in healing. It wasn’t that they required them for victory, it just helped. Especially since Jirald had taken off to the gods knew where to sulk.

  Riasli’s health continued to drop. First seventy-five percent—where she cast another Disturbed. Only Etriad was caught by it this time, even though Murmur barely refrained from asking why he’d been in melee range in the first place. The action meant Riasli’s health plummeted to seventy percent, and she had to ask herself why the feles would use something that used up her life.

  Finally, Risk roared with triumph as he managed to lasso one of the damned mole creatures. Caught in his trap, slowed and DoTed, the thing was finally properly targetable, and thus killable. The melee made short work of him eliciting a scream from Riasli as her life plummeted another twelve and a half percent. Murmur blinked as Innermost Fear and Disturbed went off again, catching a few of the raid in their radius.

  Merlin huddled on the ground, his head in his hands, his bow discarded. Beastial and Mellow faced off against each other, coughing with remnants of Disturbed, all the while circling each other as if they were mortal enemies. Karn and Jinna locked themselves into a cycle of battle that had eyes for no one but each other.

  Murmur knew Nullify wouldn’t work and was glad when she saw Veranol at least cure Disturbed. Esolan and Ishwa were yelling at each other, and it took a moment for Murmur to realize it was the Fear spell and not just them having an argument.

  The whole raid had been thrown into disarray because they killed one of those mole creatures. Next time, they’d have to use it to their advantage. Riasli was close to fifty percent life now, and her howl of rage echoed that of a wolf more than anything feline.

  If they could get her angry and off guard—and stay out of the range of spells—they could probably win this fight.

  Storm Entertainment

  Somnia Online Division

  Game Development Offices - Shayla’s Office

  Late Day Thirty-Two

  “That’s not possible.” Davenport put his foot down as he leaned against Shayla’s desk and crossed his arms like that was the end of the discussion.

  Before Laria could jump in and comment, he continued.

  “I don’t care what sort of theory you’re going to throw at me. Be it string, quantum, gravitational force, power, just…no.” Except he seemed to be fidgety, which meant he knew there were possibilities according to physics.

  “We’re not saying we’ve even seen it at this point, or expect to see it soon, but we are fairly sure the AIs and Somnia have done the correct calculations.” Shayla tried her best with that soothing voice she often used to diffuse difficult situations.

  For a couple of seconds, it seemed like it might even have worked on Davenport.

  “There’s just no real proven science about what you’re insinuating out there. Theories about and a few maybe fringe experiments, but…” He sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Are you saying that the world—the virtual world you created—has somehow become aware enough to want to separate herself from her servers?”

  “Yes,” Laria ventured a little hesitantly. “I mean, pretty much. Herself and the three AIs.”

  “Wait, those too?” He seemed like he might be counting to ten under his breath before he continued his questions. “And you haven’t told me about this for their own good, or for my own?”

  “Maybe a bit of both?” Laria answered in a mousy voice.

  To her relief, Davenport chuckled. “I’m not processing this properly yet. My brain is in a bit of a freefall. I did say this project was yours and you had free rein. This is what I get for that, I guess.” He paused for a moment before his expression turned completely serious.

  “We’ve got our contract with our investors worked out now. We’re not in any danger of being shut down by them, and I’ve negotiated that our gaming division make actual training programs and simulators for them. It’s a huge deal. Taking care of James while he was in the game was a large part of that.” He frowned, as if a thought had just occurred to him. “But just so you know, with James out of the game, his employer will be taking custody of him soon.”

  Laria couldn’t help the gasp that escaped her. She didn’t like the sound of that deal at all. “Shouldn’t we…” she wasn’t sure what they could do, or what they could say.

  Davenport held up a hand, and she could see the businessman underneath the person. Ruthless when he had to be, compassionate only out of necessity in dealings. There was a reason Storm Corp was what it
was. He cleared his throat and avoided her lack of question entirely. “Somnia has already been used as the testing ground for the headgear and may require more data to be shared simply because of the nature of the equipment. However, if they have their own software to work with, it’s unlikely they’ll care where the adjustments come from.”

  “So…you’ve lost me.” Shayla looked like she was ready to fall to the floor from exhaustion.

  “Just—let it be what it will be, and we’ll figure it out. Just make sure no one dies…and try not to let anyone else slip into a coma, please?” He stood up from his perch on the desk and dusted his jacket off. “I have a meeting to prep for early tomorrow morning, and I’ll only get about five hours as it is now. I have faith in you. Do what you think is best.”

  Laria stared at his back as he walked out of the door, unsure what she should say to him, when Shayla just let herself fall back into her chair. “That man will be the death of me, or something like that,” she said as she buried her head in her hands.

  “Did he, like, move the call center supervisors from your office?” Laria looked around noticing they were the only ones in here, even though she’d realized it from when they walked in with Davenport but hadn’t really thought about it.

  “Oh, that?” Shayla waved a hand dismissing any concern. “Yeah, he does shit like that all the time, but it’s welcome. Means I have less clutter. Still, I guess we now have to figure out just what it’s going to entail if Somnia sort of moves servers. I mean, I don’t know about you, but we didn’t cover alternate realities emerging from alternate reality games and becoming their own entity in any of my classes.”

  Shayla had a very valid point, and Laria had no idea what they could do about it.

  At fifty percent, Riasli let out a maniacal cackle. Murmur frantically pulled up several of her spells, watching as the air around Riasli seemed to gust frantically, like it was trying to get away from her. As a part of the system, maybe Riasli wasn’t solely anything anymore. Because that right there, was no enchanter ability.

  Three spells, she could mix those together and form a super sort of spell thing. Right? Snowy wasn’t even there to lend her his sturdy encouragement. With the wind whipping around her, she was having difficulty concentrating. That and Limit was really putting a damper on which spells she’d be able to engage.

  Forcefield Barrier

  This is the first in your kinetic line of spells. Once triggered by luck, you can now activate it at will. It allows you to form a bubble of mental energy and transform it into a tangible forcefield.

  Effects: This can prevent some physical damage. The damage amount depends on the strength of will and caster behind the barrier. Size is increased by MA level and usage.

  Cost: This shield requires your MA to be at 60 but will not use MA to cast as it is a kinetic ability.

  Caution: This spell can create a backlash when used too much. Do not use it as a crutch.

  That could work. Maybe one or two of her mana-based spells too.

  Mana Block

  Type: Specific mana-aimed stun

  Duration: 6 seconds, recast 45 seconds

  Effect: This is, effectively, a stun which blocks the use of mana of an opponent. It will also interrupt any current ability being cast when it hits. For its duration, the target will be unable to utilize any of their mana-based skills for 6 seconds. Be cautious with timing this spell as it has a 45-second recast, and if you cast it at the wrong time, you might just kill everyone.

  Mind Healing

  Cast: Instant - 5-minute recast

  Type: Restorative

  Duration: 20 seconds or 75% of the caster’s level, whichever is greater.

  Effect: You may create and insert a vision for the target to experience—it’s best to have some of these pre-prepared. This will not cause any damage but instead assist in soothing a tormented mind. Use with caution and be aware that people who could benefit from this skill might be closer than you realize.

  The tornado around Riasli built up higher, whipping her tail and her tufts of fur into a frenzy. Her eyes glowed a dull orange, and she began to float again as her body morphed yet again. She grew, but not into a bulky beast like she had been, this time into a more refined version of her original self.

  Even as the fur around her body morphed and grew, giving her calico coat a brand-new healthy sheen, her size increased. She had to stand at least ten feet tall now, floating just above them with her tattered robes almost hanging off her.

  The mini tornado around her made getting close impossible, and her one remaining mole creature seemed to have gained one for himself too, not that Murmur blamed her. That thing was good for about fifteen percent of her health. Not ideal now the raid knew about it.

  Limit cast out again, hitting Belius this time. Murmur glanced at her own debuffs and frowned. She’d really hoped it was a one target thing, but instead it must just be one target at a time until the cooldown was up.

  Ishwa, Etriad, and the other casters had begun to carefully orchestrate their attacks. They didn’t stay in one spot, but instead they moved constantly. A couple of them cast while the others moved, rinse and repeat. Clever tactic, considering that mole creature was constantly trying to surprise them with a stun and a brief mana drain.

  Archers positioned themselves at different points around the room, releasing their arrows in a wave of attacks, alternating through different shots every turn. At first Murmur couldn’t tell why, until she realized that as long as they did that, Riasli’s shielding couldn’t defend the way it needed to. The more variation, the less opportunity her defenses had to adapt to the shot or spell used.

  Which meant that if Murmur hit her with an amalgamation of the spells she wanted to, there would be no way for the feles to defend against it.

  But pushing them all together would turn it into a sort of Frankenstein monster’s spell, and she had to make sure that what she had pictured in her mind was what she’d be able to create. Still exerting what few abilities of her own she could, Murmur waited for the moment to release the concoction of spells she held firmly in her mind’s eye. It was going to be as dangerous for her to execute correctly, as it was for Riasli to combat.

  As Riasli dropped below fifty percent, she began to glow. Not one of those soft and subtle glows that soothes everyone in sight, but one of the pulsating evil glows that means an electrical connection somewhere is wonky. The wind and tornados around both her and her final remaining mole died down. In fact, it became so still and stifling, Murmur started to wonder if the air had somehow been sucked out from around them.

  Riasli grabbed her staff in both hands, and her gaze shot upward, tilting her head back at an unnatural angle. Words that sounded more like gibberish than spells spilled from her lips, like a chant that shouldn’t be spoken. Every second sconce winked out in that specific moment, eliciting a collective gasp from the raid.

  And then Riasli’s head snapped back up to look at everyone, her eyes now a bright and glowing orange, flickering with the same rhythm as the rest of her body. While she had regained her feline form, that was where her similarities with the original Riasli ended.

  Her tail lashed, but it had a different weight to it than before, and her staff began to pulsate, oranges and reds melding together into a bubbly carafe of blood. She rose a few more feet, and instead of the air twirling into mini tornados, her body began to spin.

  Like a dancer, though, with her head spinning rapidly in time in order to keep her eye on that spot. She spun and she spun, gaining momentum, even as the DoTs ate away at her health. First hitting forty-eight percent, and then dwindling her down to forty-five. It wasn’t even as if they could attack her with anything other than spells.

  The spinning made anything projectile that wasn’t magic-based simply spin off her. Murmur could feel her power building, even as the rogues and bards cut down her last mole. Even as her health dropped down to twenty-eight percent. The speed and the darkness gathering around her felt l
ike it had a life of its own.

  Murmur wove her protective shield, readying it for release, grateful that she had enough backing to be able to pull this off, to be able to stand sure in the face of the gods-knew-what Riasli was working up to. If she got it just right, released it at the correct time, it should theoretically protect the entire raid.

  Riasli continued to glow as her spinning sped up so fast Murmur could barely discern that the blur was the feles. Round and round, the glow became brighter—so much, in fact, that it was blinding. A whirring began, like something building up to release.

  Snowy head butted her hand, and Murmur released her spell.

  You have created a new spell.

  Mind Block Barrier

  Type: AoE defense buff

  Cast: Instant - Recast 60 seconds

  Duration: 12 seconds

  Effect: This spell allows you to ward off any dangerous mind magic directed at your group or raid for a period of (but not exceeding) twelve seconds. Got someone wanting to play around in your head? Look no further than this.

  Her wave of protection funneled out, encasing every single person in the raid. Sure, they took damage, but their minds were safe from whatever Riasli had planned for them. In response, the feles screamed with frustration as her life plummeted down to twelve percent.

  Using some of her abilities drained her life. That wasn’t a sort of class Murmur would enjoy playing.

  Riasli alighted on the wrecked cobblestones, stumbling as she came down. Blood matted her face completely now, running down from her ears and overshadowing the blood on her face she’d come into the battle with.

  “I will take you all with me. None of you are getting out of here alive.” She spat the words, blood bubbling on her lips. Murmur drained more of her mana, determined not to let the cat get any devastating spells off.

  But the melee classes and ranged, they didn’t care what their opponent was saying, they simply laid into her now she was in reach. Brutally, even. But at five percent, a shadow descended on them all, cloaking the entire ballroom and extinguishing the last of the sconces, leaving only the dim light of the overcast spelled sky above them to give them light.