Distortion (Somnia Online Book 5)

by K. T. Hanna

  Maybe he was right. It could be acting like a gateway, feeding her addiction to gaming in a new way she hadn’t anticipated. Her mind raced, trying to figure out different vantage points to staying outside of the game, to remain here.

  All she could think of was that it was summer, and she had a whole other two months before she started at university. Two more months of playing the game, being in the world, running around with Snowy and her friends. Two more months to figure out what the hell was happening to her and to the game world and its sentient AIs.

  She looked up at her father and smiled, even if she felt a little sad. Though she understood his concern, she no longer feared being trapped. Mainly because she had the distinct feeling that not only would Telvar help her, but Somnia itself was on her side.

  “It’s okay, Daddy.” Wren took a couple of steps toward him and threw her arms around him. He returned the hug fiercely. Like he’d do anything to protect his little girl. She knew he would, right down to including problems she might have because of this into his curriculum so he could get multiple minds working on it.

  “Just keep yourself safe. Don’t let anything happen to Harlow either. Her parents wouldn’t let me hear the end of it.” He smiled, and reached out to ruffle Harlow’s hair. “We worry. Daily log outs, just like normal people who don’t have a capsule. And food. You need to eat properly and regain some of the strength you lost. A full meal before you dive back in.”

  His stern voice was back, even if his eyes were always kind.

  “Got it.” She smiled at him, feeling lucky to have the family she had, lucky to have so many people who cared for her. People, beings…now she just had to avoid a douchebag inside and outside of the game. She’d laugh if James and Jirald were related.

  Finally released from her father’s embrace, Wren stood back to examine her room. It seemed like she’d never left, and in fact, she actually hadn’t. Somnia seemed a world away right now.

  “Do you think I should still use the capsule?” she asked her mother.

  Laria shrugged. “You don’t need it anymore, and I don’t relish hooking you back up to its systems. Though at least this time you’re responsive.” The sadness in her mother’s voice gave Wren even more pause.

  “I might try to just lie down on my bed.” Wren looked at it wistfully, thinking of how comfortable it was. Completely different to the capsule.

  “I’ll keep it here just in case.” Her mother smiled, even if it was a bit of a downcast expression, and Laria gave her a brief hug. “You sure you want to go now? You’ve only been out of the game six hours. Your sleep barely qualified as a long nap. I want you to sleep some more.”

  Wren was about to say that of course she was going back in now, when her father stepped forward and reached for her. Except he didn’t reach for a hug. Instead, he reached for the top of her head and plucked the headset from its perch.

  Storm Entertainment

  Somnia Online Division

  Game Development Offices - Artificial Intelligence Sector

  Day Twenty

  Shayla crossed her arms and glared at Rav. The sleek black box stared back, lights blinking in perfect unison with the other two. It wasn’t any surprise that she wouldn’t win this staring match, but she was irritated, so it served some purpose.

  “What do you mean we need to replicate Wren’s headset?” She stood her ground, biting down on the impulse to simply yell at the machines. They weren’t going to change their minds; she’d learned from them already just how stubborn they could be. But she needed an explanation. Something solid she could take to Davenport. Telling him that the machines wanted her to do it, well, that wasn’t going to go down well, and would likely land her in some hot water.

  She should probably tell him that his AIs were becoming sentient, if they hadn’t already achieved it.

  “According to all the data we’ve gathered, and the replications we’ve run of Murmur’s exit from the game, those headsets provide a vital link if we’re to keep Somnia under control.” Rav’s tone was calm, with a distinctly robotic lilt to it. All the while reminding her that he was indeed a machine.

  Then what the fuck did he mean by keeping Somnia under control? A sneaking suspicion began to flit through her mind, and Shayla shook her head, because she already had enough to deal with. “And how is it that Somnia is out of control?”

  She couldn’t help but ask the question. It was right there, begging to be answered.

  Hesitation on the part of the AIs was never a good sign. She’d learned that the hard way. And this moment of hesitation drew out at least around ten seconds. So much that she was about to open her mouth again and rephrase the question.

  “Somnia has been directly affected by Michael’s initial actions. Programming he put in place, elements that he hid behind specific requirements. The world is not what it was intended to be.”

  “That sounds like a definitive non-answer, Thra.” Shayla turned her attention to the feminine of the three. Usually she only spoke up when tact was necessary. So apparently this type of problem was something they couldn’t or wouldn’t yet disclose to her.

  Being kept in the dark about her own game—or at least, Laria’s game—irked her. “I require more data.”

  There, she’d see how they reacted to that sort of directive.

  A metallic type of chuckle emerged from Sui’s end, before it cut off. Shayla could almost imagine the others shushing him.

  Rav’s box whirred, like a sigh in computer. “You know that Michael’s brain, Michael’s presence in here upset the status quo. It’s interfered in elements of the game world more than we’d ever anticipated. Mur’s presence helps balance that because her headset was a variation on his experiments. It interacted with the system in a way he hadn’t tested and thus resulted in accidentally sending her into a coma. But the thing is, she’s sort of still connected. Somnia, in a way, needs her.”

  A shiver passed down Shayla’s spine as she imagined Laria realizing this. “Does that mean she can’t log out anymore?”

  “No,” Thra interjected. “It means it’s helpful for the system when she’s inside. Helps regulate what Michael broke. While she still allows for some equilibrium when not actually logged in, it’s far more beneficial when she’s actually inside.”

  “Why?” Shayla didn’t mind sounding like a five-year-old asking questions if it meant getting the answers she needed to fix this. To fix everything.

  Again hesitation, but it really began to grate on her nerves. They were computers; they should process faster than this.

  “We apologize.” Rav’s words clung through the room like he’d been able to read her thoughts.

  “What for?” she snapped, angrier with herself than with them for all the suppositions she was making.

  “For not being able to quantify this yet. I had an inkling that casting her out of the game would work, but I wasn’t entirely certain. I took a calculated risk, and while it’s worked, I’m still not certain exactly what the consequences have been.” Rav actually sounded like emotion was clogging up his voice.

  It would be remarkable if she didn’t have a billion-dollar project balancing on all of these factors. “Is anything else wrong?”

  She needed to clear her head. Stick to the facts, the numbers, give herself a bit of breathing room.

  Sui reported, his own voice somewhat dull. “Phasings are working great. The servers are handling the load of people. We’ve increased population allowances in each in order to make sure the world remains vibrant and full of life and interaction.”

  “Excellent.” But try as she might to distract herself, Shayla couldn’t seem to get Wren’s predicament out of her head. “If Wren dies in-game now, she’s okay, right?”

  “So far.” Thra’s board lit up like a string of holiday lights for a moment. “It seems to affect her slightly differently, but we
’re working on that too.”

  Shayla resisted the urge to laugh. “You’re working on a lot. Make sure you get it sorted.”

  “If there’s one thing we can do, it’s multitasking,” Rav spoke again, and then paused before continuing. “We need Murmur back in the game as soon as Laria lets her. Preferably before that.”

  Shayla sighed, hating that something she didn’t understand hinged on a single person. And on someone she wasn’t sure could shoulder that burden. “Can the world still function without her in the game?”

  “Of course.” Sui sounded offended. “She just provides a level of manageability that we can’t currently access with the remnants of Michael still lingering in places we haven’t determined yet.”

  “Good.” Shayla sighed, already regretting what she was about to say. “I’ll talk to Laria about letting Wren log in as soon as possible. No guarantees, but I imagine I’m not the only one who’ll be begging.”

  Somnia Online

  Exodus Guild Raid - Illinish Threshold

  Day Twenty

  The black sludge octopus was the worst monster Masha had encountered in the whole game. He hated it. With a passion. His heals barely seemed to make a dent once the boss had done its damage, and his full heal took way too long to cast.

  Flash of Life was his instant, no cooldown heal, but damned if it didn’t suck the mana like no one’s business. FoL was far too necessary in this fight, though. He was grateful for the mana regeneration of their two bards. Though he wasn’t certain the developers had thought the effect would overlap, it more than made up for not having a high-level enchanter at the moment.

  Inner Life was a strong heal over time that he never let fall off their tank. Without it, Eslan probably would have died already this fight. So Masha gave himself over to the routine of healing the main tank in his little raid group, while trying to keep his eyes on the rest of the fight.

  Jirald led the melee DPS without being prompted. As much of a shit as he could be, he knew how to fight. Sighing, Masha healed up Eslan again, sure that they’d have been long dead with any other tank. But his friend was godlike, and Masha was grateful for it.

  Tower shields blocked the bulk of the tentacle attacks, but the octopus was tricky, and its special attacks came with a speed and frequency that Masha couldn’t seem to anticipate. A flurry of tentacle lashes appeared at differing percentages and time lapses, so Masha couldn’t place when to prepare for it.

  He barely managed to jump out of the way as one of those tentacle lashings careened down where he’d just stood. It left a slimy, wet reminder of how volatile it could be fighting something with eight limbs. Masha shook himself, checked his HoTs and continued to assist in debuffing the damned mob that wouldn’t quit.

  Inner Life up on both Eslan and Jirald, he cast a quit Flash of Life heal to top the tank up before reinforcing his own defenses with his personal shield. As far as he’d seen, most classes had one of these. His own had saved his life more than once.

  The tentacles waved above him, appearing to flail in the air. But he knew better than that.

  “Brace for impact!” Masha magnified his voice to boom around the chamber, doubly glad he’d just reinforced his protections as he took his own advice and waited for the attack.

  Four of the appendages smashed into the ground, causing the rocks beneath them to crack and some to even splinter. They were sent high into the air and rained down in a cascade of sharp rock shards. Their off-tank, having been hit for a chunk of damage the first time the attack happened, was waiting for it.

  She enabled one of her hidden abilities, creating a shining temporary shield that covered most of the affected area. The splintered rock bounced harmlessly off and splayed out to the sides. Masha allowed himself to breathe, though he never stopped casting and keeping his eye on the health of his raid.

  Just under twenty percent. If they could just hack one of those tentacles off. Since two of them were starting to flail randomly, he guessed they were close, but he couldn’t see because of his positioning needed to keep most of the field in view. Being healer and raid leader wasn’t something he enjoyed. Too much to keep track of. He was going to have to have words with Ishwa. The little gnome had been delegating far too much lately.

  Jirald fought like the little demon he was. Flurries of attacks directed with pinpoint accuracy, executed so fast Masha could barely follow his movements. Backstabs, Bleeds, and Multi-attacks hit their target over and over. But what truly made him formidable was that ability to blink behind the target, confounding its ability to track him.

  They were lucky it didn’t have a stun. Good thing the assassin barely needed healing. For the most part, Inner Life seemed to tide him over as long as it didn’t fall.

  One particularly nasty move let Jirald leap high into the air. Instead of hitting the tentacle though, he embedded his blades up to the hilts in the side of the octopus’s head. With a heave of leverage, he used his body weight to pull the blades through the soft, thick rubbery exterior that housed its brain. Not even arrows had been able to reach up there, and Masha wished he’d been watching the beginning of the move.

  Even though he knew it happened fast, Masha felt like he was watching time slowed down. Limbs thrashed around in the water, on the land, blindly hitting whatever they could.

  The wail it released sent out a shockwave, big enough to make even Eslan stumble. Black ooze began to bubble from the creature’s mouth as its health plummeted down from the nine percent it had been. Death was imminent, and the raid gained renewed energy, attacking with everything they’d been saving for killing blows.

  Finally, the monster heaved itself up, tremors running through its remaining limbs as it keeled over with a resounding smack onto the tar-like surface. Eslan’s silver armor was already dirty and flecked with sludge, but now he stood there, covered head to toe in black goop.

  Despite everything else, Masha had to choke down laughter that threatened to overwhelm him. He was tired. They’d been up almost twenty-four real world hours. Two whole days in-game. He was getting far too old for this shit.

  Jirald grinned as he sauntered up to the cleric, twirling his blades in each hand. “See. That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  Masha shot him a withering look, not kindly inclined right then. Jirald might have made a huge difference at the end, and he desperately wanted to know what that move had been, but the fight hadn’t been tidy at all.

  They weren’t going to be able to finish the dungeon in one go. If he looked around, he could see everyone was on their last legs. Most of the players were sitting already, their character’s heads in their hands, like they wanted to sleep more than anything. Even though Jirald had saved the day in this fight, it was his fault they were all exhausted.

  “Would have been a might better if your explosives hadn’t killed half of us for a day of body retrieval. We’re going to have to take a break.” Masha finished healing up Ishwa before he finally looked at Jirald. “You have great ideas and shit execution. Maybe you’ll be amazing if you ever get a hold of both, but right now, consider yourself lucky you’re still in the guild.”

  “What?” Jirald’s eyes opened wide with shock, and he scowled more fiercely than Masha had ever seen.

  Masha sighed, trying to seek out Ishwa to come and talk to the rogue, but the makeshift guild leader was deliberately avoiding his gaze. “Stunts like the one you pulled today aren’t something we can weather all the time. This was lucky. Hundreds of gold in repairs and potions, probably verging on thousands. And heaps of time lost. I don’t know about you, but two other dungeons have been finished while we’ve been mucking around in here. We didn’t plan to spend this long down in this hole. Next time you decide to go it alone, make sure you’re not dragging an entire raid full of people into your crap with you.”

  Jirald gulped, and for a moment Masha was worried he’d gone too far with his w
ords. When he was tired, he couldn’t always control his disdain. But the boy surprised him. All he did was nod.

  “Got it.” And Jirald turned to set himself in a corner, where he logged out shortly thereafter.

  Which only made Masha wonder exactly what he was up to, but he was too tired to give a fuck.

  Summers Residence

  Home of Laria, David, and Wren

  Day Twenty

  “What the hell, Dad?” At least that was what Wren wanted to say, but her head spun so much with the sudden removal of her headset that she had to sit down on the bed and take a few deep breaths.

  “David!” Laria called out, half angry and half curious. Wren could hear it in her mother’s voice. She wanted to know if it mattered.

  Hell, if they were going that far, so did Wren. She just had to stop the room spinning for long enough to see if she still had that connection. Harlow’s hand on her shoulder gave her some comfort, but it didn’t help her head. If it had just been the headset, Wren didn’t want to admit that she’d be frightfully disappointed.

  It’s not just the headset. Not for you anyway.

  What? She phrased the question inside her head, not wanting to worry her parents or Harlow by talking to herself.

  The headset is required for most, but since I managed to override your safeties, we are connected. In a way.

  Who is we? The question chilled Wren. She’d never asked directly before, perhaps fearing what the answer might be. Either she was going crazy or she had some element of the computer game sitting in her head and chatting to her. She wasn’t entirely sure which of the two she preferred.

  I’m the world you yearn for. I’m all of Somnia. Sort of. I think. Really, I’m not quite sure yet. Not quite that advanced.

  Say what now? Wren shook herself and opened her eyes she hadn’t even realized she’d closed. Sorry. That was rude. Can you explain?