by K. T. Hanna
Murmur lost track of Snowy, but if she wasn’t mistaken, from the trail of bloody paw prints, whatever he was doing, he was having fun.
Fable only had two to four levels on most of Exodus, whose levels spanned from twenty-two, to twenty-three, but level twenty-five was a huge skill level, and it showed.
Plus, the fact that Fable had a dozen or so Loch’ni’dar guards on their side majorly skewed the odds.
All in all, they didn’t even last five minutes. Hyptnotic Suggestion hadn’t even refreshed its recharge. They couldn’t just let them go—they had to teach the guild a lesson, had to show them that fighting other sentient races was a bad option. Fighting Fable’s allies was a bad idea. Although Murmur already had a bit of an inkling which way Exodus was leaning in relation to guild politics, it wasn’t negotiable. And giving up Michael’s brain Shard was even less of a possibility. For the sake of the game and the people in it, she couldn’t let Belius get his hands on more of them.
Halfway through the fight, Forshin slipped the Getashi to her, and she pocketed it, now having retrieved four of them. All she had to do was get it to Telvar, which sounded far more simple than it was.
You have recovered another piece of the Getashi. Since discovering the origins of this small black Shard, you have gathered many of them. Double check that your thoughts aren’t clouded on exactly what must be done with them. There are all sorts of keys all over Somnia—make sure you’re not missing one of the most important ones.
She ignored the message as best she could, knowing she’d have to deal with it later, and stood off against Ishwa. Murmur realized that the little wizard or mage or whatever he was, was a damn good player. Not only was he skilled, but he had a fantastic set of reflexes. Even low on life, he stood proud and defiant.
Murmur shielded herself, and Veranol tossed a shield over her as well. Dealing with Ishwa was one thing, but she had to deal with her antagonist first. “Jirald, you don’t need the Getashi for you. I know that.” Maybe if she tried reasoning with him.
He spat on the floor at her feet, barely missing her boots. “I thought you didn’t have that quest.”
She shook her head. “I don’t have the same quest as you, I have a different one which requires the same items, likely for a different result.” She’d seriously need to consider that perhaps just asking for the Getashi from some of the world’s inhabitants might work as well as it had in this case.
His sneer gave his alien face a different sort of vibe, making him even more evil in light of the sharp little teeth. “Sure you do. A different quest that lets you gather those Shards. Bet you’re hoarding them for yourself when you could get far more for handing them in. Stupid girl.”
Murmur laughed. The little shit never learned, did he? “Fine. I’m a stupid girl, but at least I’m not a moron.”
She waved a hand at him and his spluttering, already sick to the stomach with the malice in his mind. So much that she didn’t even like trying to reach out to sense thoughts around him. It was tempting to Feedback Loop him, but she didn’t want to touch his thoughts, and she’d not yet established any planted visions.
“You know we can’t let him go. Most of their raid is dead. We’re going to have to make an example.” Rashlyn stood close to her, with Devlish on the other side now Exodus was backing off. The few survivors were sporting dangerously low health.
Murmur sighed. “I guess we have to.”
Jirald suddenly grinned, his eyes fixating on Murmur. “I was really trying not to come after you, to do my own thing until we hit fifty. Really, I was. But you just had to butt in here. In a way, that’s good. I guess you’re my target after all, Murmur. Just you wait.”
The rain of arrows from the guards, Exbo, and Merlin cut off the hysterical laughter emanating from him, but not before it sent shivers down Murmurs spine.
Had he really been trying to avoid her and not make her life in here hell?
It felt decidedly like that one tornado movie, and she moved to pet Snowy, drawing comfort from his proximity. And your little dog, too or something, wasn’t it?
“You okay?” Sinister asked, laying a hand on her shoulder.
Murmur nodded, not trusting herself to speak for a bit. A cloud of ominousness descended on her, and all her gut would tell her was to run. All she could do was try to talk herself into not doing so. She had nowhere to run to. She was stuck in here, with someone who wanted her dead in-game and had yet to realize it could result in murder.
Hi there! K.T. Hanna here.
I want to thank you for reading the Somnia Online series. Due to meeting my partner in EQ2, MMORPGs have a huge place in my heart. You know, in case you didn’t notice.
If you enjoyed the book, I ask you, please take a moment to leave a review. Reviews are an author’s lifesblood. Without them, our books sink into obscurity. With them, most algorithms allow well reviewed books to self-promote in some way.
I hope you love the world of Somnia enough to want to find out more about it! Here are some of the ways you can stay in contact with me:
Want to read more about Fable? Sign up for my Reader’s Group and get the short story for free!
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Game Terms
Aggro—When you walk too close to a monster, you get in its aggression radius, thus causing aggro. Once engaged in combat, players must be cautious not to exceed the tank’s threat level. Buffs, debuts, and damage output all contribute to the mobs aggro meter.
AOE—Area of Effect. Spells or abilities that effect an area and not just a single target.
Binding/bound—When someone/you bind(s) to an area, you affix your soul to that place in order to Gate back, or else respawn when you die.
Boss—Nope. He doesn’t employ you, he employs all the mobs trying to kill you. He hits HARD, and often has special group wiping abilities if not handled correctly by the tank and raid as a whole.
Buff—Most classes will get buffs that strengthen at least themselves if not others. These are effects they can cast which enhance aspects of their character.
Camping—When a group finds a spot that will yield good money and experience, they tend to stay in its vicinity. This is called camping.
Con—To consider a mob and see how difficult the fight could potentially become.
DoT—Damage over Time. This is an offensive spell that applies damage to a target over a period of time at regular intervals.
DPS—Damage Per Second. Usually used in conjunction with offensive classes, or damage output.
Debuff—This is the opposite of a buff and is usually used on mobs to detract from their strengths and make them easier to kill.
End Game—Every game has a goal. In some there’s a max level and events and fights only accessible once that level is reached. For Fable, the end game is everything.
Gank—When someone tries to player kill you without forewarning. Often succeeds in taking the victim by surprise.
Gate—You create a Gate to your binding point and travel there instantly.
Grinding—Sometimes gaining levels requires so much camping that it becomes tedious. That’s known as grinding levels.
Healer—Well...they heal.
HP—Hit Points. The amount of damage a character can take before death.
Kite—This is a tactic often employed by ranged classes such as the ranger. It entails slowing a mob, and running ahead of it, slowly picking down its health. Can also be used as a diversionary tactic to split multiple mobs if no Mesme
rize is available.
Line of Sight (LOS)—If a mob can’t see you, but knows you’re there, it will have to run around the obstacle to gain access. This is often used to split up larger groups of melee and casters, so it’s more manageable for the group. The puller will line of sight the casting/ranged mobs to pull them around an obstacle for easier access and closer contact.
MA—Mental Acuity. A type of power generator specifically for Psionicists.
MANA—Mind juice, used for spells.
Meat Shield—The character who takes the hits in place of the rest of the group. The tank.
Melee—Those fighters who stand in close range and use weapons to fight with are often referred to as melee classes.
Mez—Mesmerize. Freezes in place.
MMO—Massively Multiplayer Online.
MMORPG—Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.
Mob—an aggressive monster. Can be humanoid or animal.
OOM—Out of mana. Literally what it says.
Newbie—Also known as noob. Someone who has rarely, if ever played an MMO and has no clue what they’re doing.
NPC—Non Player Character. Usually not aggressive unless you fuck up.
Pull—Often one person in a group/raid will be designated as the puller, the person who attacks the mob and brings it to camp.
Ranged—A class that can damage (usually) a mob from a distance. Like mages or rangers, etc.
Ranger Gating—Rangers were often known for getting themselves into trouble by kiting mobs in a solo setting. Or else, pulling aggro when DPS-ing. They’d die and resurrect at their bind point, making it what’s known as a Ranger Gate.
Respawn—When a mob or a person dies in-game, they will reappear at the spot where their soul was bound. The more powerful the mob, the longer it takes for them to respawn.
Root—A spell obtainable by multiple classes that causes the target’s feet to affix momentarily to the ground. They can still cast, but they cannot move until the root breaks.
RPG—Role Playing Game.
Tank—The meat shield aka the person who takes the bit hits for the group. Often needs to be swapped in and out with another tank during larger raids depending on a boss’ abilities.
Tether—In some worlds monsters have a specific area they’re confined to, and thus stop and don’t pursue their prey past a certain point. In Somnia, mobs do not tether. This does not apply to specific purpose NPCs.
Train—When a player or group has managed to aggro a large number of mobs who don’t tether, and leads the following of mobs to a specific spot, or through a spot, they call it a train.
Utility class—these are classes whose prime function is to support the group, through abilities that protect or strengthen them as a group or raid.
VR—Virtual Reality.
VRMMORPG—Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game.
Wipe—This occurs when the entire raid or group die to an encounter.
Murmur
Class: Enchanter – Psionicist
Species: Locus
Real Name: Wren
Sinister
Class: Blood Mage
Species: Dark Elf
Real Name: Harlow
Devlish
Class: Dread Knight
Species: Lacerta
Real Name: Darren
Havoc
Class: Necromancer
Species: Dark Elf
Real Name: Evan
Beastial
Class: Beastmaster
Species: Viking
Real Name: Selwyn
Merlin
Class: Ranger
Species: Elf
Real Name: Mike
Rashlyn
Class: Monk
Species: Feles
Veranol
Class: Shaman
Species: Viking
Mellow
Class: Witch
Species: Locus
Exbo
Class: Ranger
Species: Human
Jinna
Class: Rogue
Species: Dwarf
Dansyn
Class: Bard
Species: Dark Elf
Base Stat Sheet: Level TWenty-Six
CONstitution: 22
STRength :10
AGIlity:20
WISdom: 12
INTelligence:50
CHArisma: 66
HitPoints: 424
MANA: 540
MA: 100
Abjuration:140
Alteration:143
Conjuration:132
Divinition:142
Evocation:137
2H Blunt: 102
1H Piercing:72
Mental Acuity Abilities:
Thought sensing.
Class: Enchanter only.
Level—not applicable.
Developing your inner senses you’ve awoken your latent kinetic powers. With constant use your skills will increase, while the opposite will occur should the skill not be used. See your trainer for specifics when you reach Thought sensing (25).
Thought shielding.
Class: Enchanter only.
Level—not applicable.
Developing your inner senses you’ve awoken your latent psychic powers. With constant use your skills will increase, while the opposite will occur should the skill not be used. See your trainer for specifics when you reach Thought Shielding (25).
Thought Projection.
Class: Enchanter only.
Level—not applicable.
Developing your inner senses has further developed your psychic powers. Thought Projection can be tricky. Make sure you never use it in anger, or the results might be surprising. With constant use your skills will increase, while the opposite will occur should the skill not be used. See your trainer for specifics when you reach Thought Projection (25).
Mind Bolt.
This ability allows you to cast a spear of mental anguish into the depths of an opponent’s brain.
Effects: Opponents will be unable to concentrate enough to use spells or abilities for four seconds. This time increases as the caster’s level does.
Cost: Requires Mental Acuity to be at 18.
Caution: Use sparingly. Backlash from overuse, or improper use can cause the same effect in the caster...or worse.
Phase Shift
This ability allows you to negatively affect your opponent’s mind. Believing they are a second or two apart from reality, they will reside there for up to 15 seconds.
Effect: Target’s mind is encased in a phase of illusion. The target will be convinced they’ve shifted to a different time pocket, and thus are incapable of moving. This effect begins at 15 seconds duration, and levels with the caster through to a maximum of 90 seconds.
Cost: Requires MA to be at 38—for larger castings, the cost will double.
Caution: Phase shift may be utilized on single or multiple targets at once. Weigh the amount of targets carefully, else it backfire and shift you. Sometimes the shift in time can cause ruptures near the caster. Make sure the voices you’re hearing are your own.
Forestall Death
It applied before potential death takes place, this will enable you to maintain your health at 0.5 hit points as long as you are receiving some sort of healing effect.
Effect: Target is able to ward off death for a limited period of time and will not die when they should have, as long as heals are actively channeled in their direction.
Cost: Requires Mental Acuity to be at 60
Caution: This spell can only be used on one person at a time. Attempting to use it twice at once is not recommended. This will usually result in th
ings worse than death.
Clone Warp
This ability allows you to produce a clone of yourself used for distracting your opponent. Depending on your tier of mastery, you may be able to produce more than one clone.
Effect: All enemies around you will believe that your clone is you for the next 45 seconds, directing their attacks accordingly. The ability expires when the 45 seconds are up, or else, the clone’s minor hit point pool has been depleted, whichever comes first.
Cost: Requires Mental Acuity to be at 45 or more
Caution: This ability can be used on as many enemies that you have who can potentially see it. Keep in mind though, a clone is just like you. Make sure you remember who the real one is.
Charming Cooperation
This ability allows you to use your charisma and your mental acuity to persuade monsters, animals, and sometimes even beings to join your cause.
Effects: When using thought projections to make sure your target understands the charming process, before you activate this type of charm. They will work together as allies instead of coerced foes. You may release them whenever you or they request it.
Cost: Requires MA to be at 35 for each ally. Diminishes current total MA for the duration of the cooperation.
Caution: You can use this on multiple targets. But each ally costs, and you can never utilize Charming cooperation on more mobs than is equal to 20% of your level. Also, don’t try to charm raid bosses. Even small ones. Like... just don’t even attempt that shit.
Mental Acuity (MA) Level Three (3)
Mind Wipe
This ability allows you to reduce your targets threat for you or whoever is at the top of their agro list
Effects: Change aggression list, or make the opponent forget their tasks for a few seconds. Range and duration may be increased as the caster levels.
Cost: Requires MA to be at 55
Caution: This spell can increase in both range and severity. From a single target, to a full raid—it’s all possible. Just remember someone else needs to take that agro, or else you’ll be the main target.