by K. T. Hanna
Sin nodded, an obvious sigh of relief rippling through her, and Murmur could feel the tension leak out of her friend’s body. “Sorry. Thanks. I just thought you were dealing really well.”
Murmur laughed, and pulled away somewhat reluctantly. “To be fair, so did I?”
Sin chuckled softly, a slight haunt still lingering behind her expression. “Did you get any good spells?”
Murmur nodded. “Couple of upgrades to my buffs and then an energy regeneration spell, a hate generation transfer that I should probably only cast on the tank, an awesome intellect buff, and a magic cure.” Murmur glanced through her new list to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, noticing for the first time how fast her thoughts now connected to the interface, causing immediate information to appear. “You know, and my level twenty-five specialty.”
“Wow.” Sinister’s eyes rounded a bit. “What did you pick?”
“Something called Sinuous, and on second thought, it might not have been my best idea yet.” The unease still sat uncomfortably on her mind.
“Well, it kinda sounds like me.” Sinister winked, and Mur felt a little better. “What is this Sinuous thing?”
“Like it sounds I guess. Evil mindfucking shit.” Murmur shrugged.
“Well, if anyone can make it work for the good side, it’s you.” Sinister’s tone was upbeat, and she fluttered her eyelashes before laughing out loud.
“And I make it look good,” Murmur wiggled her hips, laughing as Sinister doubled over. Things like this could make her almost forget. Almost forget that this wasn’t real.
“If we don’t start killing again soon,” Havoc interrupted them, his arms crossed over his dark grey robes, “then my specter is probably going to forget which of you is our friend and just start gnawing on people’s bones randomly. Takes a lot to keep him going, you know?”
Murmur blinked at him. “Well, that’s blunt. No intelligence for you!”
Havoc shrugged. “I have more than enough.”
“But I could add twenty-five to that, if you’re nice to me.”
“Twenty what now?” His eyes grew big as saucers, staring at her incredulously.
“You heard me,” she said, and walked with Sinister back to the group, against the castle wall, ready for incoming.
By the time the others hit level twenty-five, Murmur had just clocked in on twenty-six. By thirty there’d barely be a difference in level. Also by the time her group mates dinged, she was sick and tired of fighting undead freaking dwarves. They were hardy little fuckers.
She waited, twiddling her thumbs while her friends went through their own spells and expanded specializations and spent her time scratching Snowy’s ears, running through the thousand and one thoughts that still plagued her constantly. He was a pretty magnificent wolf, really. Excellent at chomping down on those Achilles tendons long enough to distract said undead dwarf in such a way that it was easier to drop their health.
“Bet those nasty heels didn’t taste good though, boy, did they?” Murmur crouched down and ruffled the thick fur behind his head, and she could have sworn he rolled his eyes at her. It made her smile, and then sigh. She’d yet to use her new skills in combat—the new specialization anyway. For some reason she was hesitant even though there had been multiple instances during the last level where she almost felt compelled to use them.
“It’s okay to be upset, isn’t it, boy?” She didn’t really expecting an answer, but she needed to get out some of the thoughts tumbling through her head. And he really was the perfect listener. His tongue lolled out as if to tell her she was right and should continue.
“Kind of stupid to bottle it all up because I don’t want people to feel bad. It’s my mind I need to take care of.” Snowy nuzzled her, his big eyes never leaving hers. “Yeah, you’re right. It’s okay to be upset, as long as I don’t let their actions define my own.”
His wuff was beautiful, the perfect affirmation. It was time for her to make sure she listened to her feelings, and didn’t make excuses for other’s actions. They’d done her wrong by not telling her, by not trusting her to be able to deal with it, and by basically tricking her into believing nothing was different. Now she needed to deal with how she really felt about that, how much that simmering anger had damaged her, and how best to deal with it. Anger was fine when dealt with properly, and she definitely hadn’t. No more almost blowing her friends to smithereens. She’d calmly call them on it when they were being a dick from now on, and maybe practice those MA skills and get a handle on her kinetic abilities.
The whole train of thought sent refreshing feelings tumbling through her, like she’d just made one of the best decisions of her life. And while that might be an exaggeration, it was definitely good for her mental health.
She shook herself, as if shaking off the last vestiges of that exploded bottle she’d been using to hide behind. No more of that. She’d never felt more free. Time to check in with the other raid members.
How are you guys doing? She thought she should check in with the others now that she’d managed to free herself from her self-destructive cycle.
Rashyln: Just waiting on Exbo to hit twenty-five and we’re half way there too!
Murmur smiled. There were good parts to the game like her friends and her guild, regardless of everything else, and getting to experience new things with them all. She was going to work so hard on incorporating everything into a new mental awareness.
Excellent. How is everyone else doing?
For a few moments nothing came up in chat, but then a flurry of text flashed in front of her eyes.
Neva: I couldn’t make you level twenty-five gear, so twenty-six will have to do. Hurry up and come get it.
Ashfin: We just hit twenty over at the golems, and are picking our hybrid classes.
Great! That’s fantastic. Thank you, Neva, too. I’ll get it as soon as possible. Murmur was impressed one of their other groups was already hitting the twenties. At this rate they’d have a full raid within a few days of each other at the top.
Lenor: We just finished the spiders and are heading over, since we have to skip Hazenthorne.
Excellent. Just remember to check the notes. Beast is popping up messages to make sure you all get to solid leveling areas. If you discover anymore of them, make sure you note them down. We level stronger together.
As an afterthought she added. And make sure you’re giving Neva all the crafting supplies unless you’re also a crafter. She’s a miracle worker.
Neva: You’re so lucky you said that.
But Murmur could almost see the blush on the girl’s cheeks. These were her people, even when they weren’t here. At least Somnia seemed to have sunk into their veins too.
“Hey Mur!”
She spun around from where she’d been looking off into the distance again. Damn it, she really needed to work on that whole attention span thing in here. Her mind worked faster than she was used to. Shading her eyes against the glare from the snow, she watched Sinister run toward her. “What’s up?”
“I got some really cool shit! Upgrades and all, but also a ticking DoT. Like it...” for a moment Sinister frowned as she obviously tried to scramble for the words to explain it properly. “For every DoT or debuff I have on the mob, this will increase the healing it pulls from it. It’s like a sort of exponential reward, ticks upward for everything on the mob.”
Murmur nodded. “It sounds freaking awesome.”
And it was. They’d started off with such rudimentary skills, with such a mess of tiny things that did almost nothing, and now? Now she was starting to feel like they were powerful.
“Do you guys mind if I quickly bind here and recall home so I can get my new armor? This stuff is level eighteen and it’s just...well. Let’s just say I’ve outgrown it.”
Sinister laughed. “Only if you bring us anything she’s made back too
.”
“Done deal.” Murmur wandered over and stood at the wall, in between where everyone was still organizing their set ups.
“I’ll be back in fifteen minutes,” she said as she bound herself to the spot. “Oh, and I’ll see what we need to figure out to get mounts to use, because this whole by foot thing is starting to wear on me.”
Hand on Snowy’s head, she recalled back to the island, trying not to think too hard about whether or not Telvar would be there too. The lacerta had saved her ass, and her friends, and she wasn’t entirely sure how to face him.
The disorientation wasn’t nearly as bad as it had been the last time, which hadn’t been half as bad as the first time. Perhaps she was just getting used to the mode of transportation, or else her brain was becoming far too entrenched in this world.
Petting Snowy absentmindedly, she walked around to the crafting section and stopped short.
There in front of her was a freaking industry.
Where once there had been one workbench, a small forge, and barely enough room for Neva, there were now eight hefty sized workbenches, a full-sized forge, several cutting stations, and other things she couldn’t quite identify. And over in the original forge’s place was a lovely little kitchen fireplace. Perfect for cooking.
Murmur smiled, and Neva spotted her, waving her arms around like mad.
“Murmur!”
Everyone’s head spun to look at her. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was the guild leader, or if it was because she appeared to be the only locus in the guild that was currently on the island, but they all seemed slightly taken aback by her appearance.
“Sorry to startle everyone. Just used the home recall.” She tried to keep her voice even and a little passive so as to put people at ease, and reached out without really thinking about it to soothe everyone around her. It worked before she even realized what she did. There was a part of her mind aghast in horror at what she’d done without truly thinking about it. She’d soothed them, without them knowing. Without their permission.
The smiles were worth it though, and that quieted that portion of her thoughts. Surely making them feel better was okay, right? Neva motioned her over, beaming with pride. “Here, I have your gear. You are going to love it! I got to make a cloak for it too! It’s amazing and a little darker than what you have now. I couldn’t quite get the same purple. I really hope you don’t mind.”
“Neva, calm down. It’s okay. I didn’t mean to fluster you.” Murmur felt a little bad. The girl was always sort of fawning over her. Had no one ever been kind to her?
“Sorry. I’m just—you were the first person to really take note of my crafting. I take a lot of pride in it, and even my brother just saw it as a way to make money, but not to make a name. You believed in me. So I want you to love what I’ve made. It’s a different sort of aspect.” Neva was blushing, her little nose twitching with excitement.
“Show me, then.” Murmur said softly, wondering why she felt such an attachment to her newest friend.
Neva didn’t disappoint and whipped out a full set, with even more intricate work on it, in the same style as what Murmur already had on. She let out a low whistle. “Oh, wow.”
The young luna had been correct. A dark purple luminescence glowed slightly as Murmur reached out to touch it. The material felt soft, yet hardy. Like it would take true effort and magical steel to cut through it. The design on the front of the tunic made it seem more like a breastplate even though it was quilted cloth.
“I discovered a process whereby I could harden the cloth by combining a few pieces with fabric glue and still have it count as cloth once I cured it in the oven. I may have set a couple of fires initially, but eventually I got it to work. So, ta-da, you’re the first person on Somnia to have this.” She paused, her nose twitching again. “Telvar mentioned you were particularly squishy, so I wanted to make sure you were well protected.”
Murmur smiled. “This is amazing. Thank you.”
Neva blushed again. “You’re welcome. But don’t forget your cloak either. And make sure you take these packages with you.” She pushed a couple of bound packages across the table.
“I made Sinister something similar to yours, although she’s a healer so it was a little more difficult, and there’s some other garments in there for her too. Also for Havoc, and Mellow as well. You’ll need to see Davin back there in the corner for your staff upgrade, and if the others want their weapons, they need to come visit us themselves.” Neva moved forward and hugged Murmur so fast, she almost missed it. “Please take care of yourself.”
Murmur nodded and tried to make sure she smiled reassuringly. But then she looked over to where this Davin stood and saw him talking to Telvar. They were examining a gorgeously carved and intricate staff, with a crystal twisted into the top of it, held in place by four dragon heads. She took a few steps involuntarily toward it before realizing and stopping herself, hugging her new gear to her chest.
She watched as Telvar frowned and made a few intricate gestures with his hands, trickling what looked like liquid mana into the crystal. Not that she knew explicitly what liquid mana was, but that’s what she imagined it would be like.
As it finished dripping onto the crystal, it lit up like a thousand suns had coalesced into one point for just a brief moment. Its light was blindingly blue and Murmur gasped as she shielded her eyes.
When she managed to look back, blinking away the black spots in her vision, Telvar was watching her, a thoughtful look on his face.
“Well then, I guess we can’t surprise you now.” He picked the staff up gently and brought it over. “For you, from Davin and myself. This weapon will grow with you for a while, and help attune your mental waves and ground you with your druidic influence by tapping into the small earth component of your hybrid magic when you need it.”
Murmur accepted it, trying not to cry at how beautiful it was.
“Thank you.” She whispered. Telvar smiled, and inclined his head, before making his way back toward his lair.
Murmur let her fingers wander down the smooth staff, and could practically feel the power emanating from it. Gripping it tightly, she gathered her gear and grinned, bearing her sharp teeth. Time to make those undead dwarves in that castle pay.
Storm Entertainment
Somnia Online Division
Game Development Offices Artificial Intelligence Server Room
Day Ten
Shayla stood in front of the server room door, her palms sweating more than she liked. It wasn’t that the room wouldn’t let her in, she was sort of worried about it letting her back out. But unlike Michael, Ava, and Wren, she wasn’t wearing headgear. It even sounded like a protective mantra to ward off evil each time she thought it. Surely that had to count for something. Or maybe nothing at all if the weird ideas in her head weren’t true at all.
Most people would think her crazy for even suggesting what was on her mind. Sentient servers, sentient AIs. Like it was really a possibility.
Taking a deep breath she entered the room to whirrs and beeps, to the soft hum of the fans working overtime to keep the servers cool. It was now or never. What was the worst that could happen—that the AIs just didn’t answer her and she spent a few moments trying to talk to herself?
Shayla tried to convince herself that talking was all they could do.
“Hey. So. I need to talk to you all about something.”
The room was silent apart from the operation noises. It went on so long that Shayla started to feel stupid, but then she noticed the pattern in which the lights were blinking and the cadence of the different whirrs, and she waited, hoping against hope she wasn’t just going insane.
“What is it you need?” Sui’s voice came out grating, extremely metallic with an odd sense of sullenness attached to it.
The way he spoke helped cement the theory Shayla had been working
on. But questions burst through, inundating the analytical part of her mind. Why would an AI choose to speak with a sullen voice, unless they were in fact reluctant to do so? Who had made Sui have to answer her? How on earth could an AI be aware enough to be sullen?
“I need to talk to you about Dr. Michael Jeffries, Ava, and Wren.” She almost held her breath at the end of those three names, hoping against hope they didn’t view her as hostile. Hoping against hope that they didn’t go all Hal on her. She’d seen that old movie once with her parents when she was very young, and wasn’t partial to having an AI unit turn on her, even if she wasn’t in space.
“What about them?” But this time it wasn’t Sui, this time it was Rav. And Rav never seemed irritated. He seemed rational and contemplative, like he thought over everything he said and did very carefully—or computed or analyzed, whatever.
Sui seemed to be impulsive, irrational almost, but Rav...Rav was very deliberate. With Thra left over as the enigma, the one who rarely spoke, Shayla decided that Rav was the boss, even if Sui didn’t think so. She went over her thoughts carefully once more before speaking.
“I think Michael figured out you were on the verge of becoming sentient, or that it was something you’d achieve in short order. Knowing him and his brain, he wanted to understand how you could achieve your amazing knowledge of humans in such short time.” Now was the crucial moment. Not to blame them, because and especially with Rav’s calm countenance, she didn’t for one second believe they intended to maliciously harm him. “He pushed it, didn’t he? Sort of fried his own brain?”
She let the thought lie there, hoping she hadn’t gone too far, wishing she could read these strange monoliths of computer genius. It took a long while, of flashing lights, and whirs that changed pitches. It took an age of standing as still as she could to not seem like a threat, to seem calm and willing to listen. And it took an inordinate amount of willpower not to bolt out of the room and never return.