by K. T. Hanna
Table of Contents
Title Page
Map
Storm Entertainment Presents
1: The Gift
2: Anticipation
3: Jacked In
4: The City
5: The Slums
6: Delivery Service
7: Together at Last
8: Train Wreck
9: The Guild
10: Camping
11: Figuring It Out
12: Double Digits
13: Psionicist
14: Open Dungeon
15: Beauty in Numbers
16: Darjin - Bandit Leader
17: Boss Fight
18: Rumbles
19: Sinking
20: Globuled
21: The Event
22: Dragons
23: Fortifications
24: Leveling Up in the World
25: Deals with Devils
26: Kill the Gnolls
27: Via Frangit
28: Lo and Behold
29: Off to Kill the Dark Elves
30: Good Grudges Die Hard
31: Epiphany
Glossary
Characters
Murmur
Newsletter & Links
Acknowledgments
Like LitRPG?
Landmarks
Cover
Title
Author: K.T. Hanna
Cover Artist: Marko Horvatin
Typography: Bonnie Price
Formatting & Interior Design: Caitlin Greer
Map Design: Cat Scully
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.
Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Copyright © 2018 Katie Hanna
All rights reserved.
ISBN-13: 978-1-948983-01-3 (Paperback Edition)
ISBN-13: 978-1-948983-00-6 (Hardback Edition)
ISBN-13: 978-1-948983-02-0 (E-Book Edition)
For Jami
For believing when I couldn’t
For knowing my strengths before I did
For being there
Thank you
Storm Corp
Storm Technologies Division—Theoretical Neuroscience Arm
Countdown: Five years before Somnia Online implementation
Doctor Michael Jeffries was, again, impressed with his own genius. He ran his hands over his precious prototype. The headset wasn’t as streamlined as he wanted of course, with its sharp edges and slipshod adjustments, but these were only the early stages. A thin graphite band held its arms in place, which reached out to tangle fingers into the hair of the wearer, digging down to secure themselves to the scalp and allow for deeper immersion than ever before. While it dug a little more than he liked at the moment, he’d been focused on what it could do rather than how it looked.
If everything went right, he knew Storm Corp would lavish rewards on him. After all, obtaining military research grants and the benefits that came with them were the epitome of success.
He leaned back and looked out of his window, still cradling his prototype like it might shatter at any moment. It was the key to everything he’d been working toward his whole life. Knowing a person, not only as a person, but as an infinitely complex set of neurons and synapses firing back and forth and creating the individual.
To know a person better than they knew themselves? It was the culmination of decades of devotion. Dr. Jeffries smiled and stood up, resting the headset on its podium with a reverence reserved only for it.
All they had to do was get the grant, and then begin the testing phase. The AIs he’d been using would be perfect for implementing the first stages, but then they’d have to widen the test.
They’d need more power, but that could wait until later.
There was still so much to do. He turned toward his office door, anxiousness simmering at the edge of his frayed nerves.
“Still no word...” he muttered. “How can that be?”
Jeffries walked to the window and looked out over the view of the parking lot. No view in sight, just a small office in the back of the building, but at least he did have a window, facing more buildings which showed the wear of time.
The knock on his door barely reached his ears before the door flew open with a bang.
“Michael!” His assistant, Jessa, yelled his name, waving a piece of paper in the air. “We got the grant! You did it!”
Michael stepped forward slowly, and then faster, and grabbed her hands, whirling her around before letting go and dancing a little jig himself.
“Thank you, Jessa. Let’s get this started!”
“You’ve got it!” She closed the door in a whirlwind, and Michael watched her go, wondering just how his headset would read Jessa. She wasn’t really the assistant type...
Walking over to where his prototype rested on its perch he stroked the rough carbon fiber surface and stared out of his window again. It was time to move on up in the world.
Time to know everyone better than they knew themselves.
Summer Residence
Home of Laria, David, and Wren
Two Months Prior to Somnia Online Launch
Running over the percentages in her head, Wren frowned as she navigated the staircase to the lower level. If she’d done her calculations right, she’d taken all the pre-requisites she needed to tackle her neuro-engineering degree in the fall. Even though sonogenetics was still tickling at the back of her mind, neuro-engineering was where the future lay. Biting back a disgruntled sigh, she made her way into the kitchen. After exams she could dive back into her virtual worlds with Harlow and execute a bit of therapeutic violence.
Her parents stood behind the kitchen table, ridiculously excited grins on their faces, and she blinked her notes away, disabling her augmented vision with a thought. It made multitasking in life so much easier to just have the internet right there in your eyes all the time.
“Mom, Dad... you’re not at work?” Seriously, if they’d gotten themselves fired, there was no way she could afford to go to college regardless of how many scholarships she managed to Tetris together. They never covered full tuition these days, so amassing a few scholarships would still only work if her parents helped.
Her mother laughed. Laria Sommers never failed to be bright and cheerful, something Wren had not inherited from her.
“Sweetheart! We have a present for you.” Her mother’s grin was so wide she could rival a Cheshire Cat for the part. “Open it, open it!”
Only then did Wren’s eyes fall on the box sitting neatly wrapped on top of the table. It was quite large, a nice silver wrapped cube a little over a foot high. The thing was, her parents weren’t the most observant of people. They were sweet, worked long hours, and even though they made it a rule to eat dinner together five nights a week, they were often vague. Since they were MMORPG sweethearts though, they’d encouraged her love of virtual worlds. Not to mention they both worked in the industry. It was the one escape she had from an otherwise dull existence.
Approaching the package cautiously, Wren raised an eyebrow at her parents. “What’s the occasion?”
“You!” Even her father seemed excited. His stoic IT professor personality was obviously on vacation. Or else they’d been drinking. Maybe they’d pulled an all-nighter. It wouldn’t be the first time.
“Stop looking at us like that.” He chided her, his brown eyes filled with a warmth only he ever exuded. It calmed Wren, making her smile despite her best efforts. “You’ve been working so hard, you’ve got acceptances from five colleges with as close to a full scholarship as possible, and you’ve refus
ed to take part in the after graduation trip. You deserve this.”
Wren didn’t have the heart to mention that her invite to the graduation trip hadn’t been entirely on the up and up—she didn’t have much, if anything, in common with her classmates—still, why spoil things for him? He was obviously trying hard, and considering they both seemed to think she’d love it, curiosity got the better of her.
With a hint of childish abandon, she ripped the paper off the box and turned it over in her hands, barely daring to blink, just in case it disappeared.
Recommended headgear for best virtual immersion.
“Seriously?” She blinked up at them, and could feel her face cracking into a grin even wider than her mother’s. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Yes! I finally got my hands on it. You’ve got it earlier than most. It’s not exactly the one people will get from the stores.” Her mother practically shone with excitement. She’d been working on the development of Somnia Online for years. It was the biggest title she’d ever been in charge of, but it was so hush-hush, even Wren knew little about it. This headset cost a pretty penny. For her mom to have gotten her hands on one two months before release, even though she was lead designer on the game—it was probably courtesy of the design team.
“Can I...” She hesitated, unsure of herself. It was one thing to constantly pretend she knew exactly what she was doing, and it was another entirely to actually be confident. “Can I take it out of the box?”
“Of course.” Her mother sidled over, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Wren. Their hair was nearly identical, smooth black waves that hung down just past the nape of their necks, often pulled back in a no-nonsense ponytail. Together they opened the box, and Wren reached in with delicate fingers to retrieve the headset. It was glorious.
The arms of the connections gave it a fragile appearance but she knew from the online specifications that it was made of tough carbon fiber. The sleek silver design fit easily over the head, sort of like a headband. Small branches shot off the main piece and settled over her forehead, tracing back through her hair like an intricate headpiece. It was beautiful, if a little delicate.
“But you can’t play with it until your finals are done. Your suit won’t arrive for another few weeks.” Her mother kissed her cheek and dashed over to pick up her purse.
“Wait...” Wren was shell-shocked. “You got me the suit too?”
“Of course! Except that’s just standard issue.” Her mother beamed another smile. “I have to go, or I’ll be late for a meeting. Love you! I know you’ll ace those finals.”
Wren blinked as the whirlwind that was her mother slammed the door in her wake. It was still early, and the lightweight headset in her hands had a surreal quality to it, so unlike the bulky glasses contraption she had upstairs in her room. “Thanks Dad.” She whispered, knowing he’d probably helped pull the strings too.
Nothing was cheap. Even public schooling cost money, and so many kids didn’t seem to care. It was the bone of contention that didn’t exactly make her popular with her peers. Somehow she’d inherited a sense of responsibility from her parents. Even though the world had largely gone to shit in the last sixty years, her parents were still ridiculously optimistic.
Her father enveloped her in a warm hug, pulling her back to the days before her mother got so busy, when they’d all curl up in the living room together and play stupid games. “Just approach the finals like you always do. Maybe we can let you scan early as added incentive! I’ll talk to your mother.”
Wren smiled, suddenly a little emotional. Just wait until she told Harlow!
“Kiddo, I’ve got a class to teach.” Her Dad’s voice suddenly took on a somber tone. “Just remember, you have to tell me if this game is worth your old Dad trying his hand at it.”
His grin disarmed Wren, and she smiled. “Don’t worry Dad, I’ll be your guinea pig any day.”
“No way!”
Harlow’s voice echoed so loudly through the earpiece, that Wren had to dial down the volume for a moment.
“Yes way. You’ve preordered it, what are you so jealous of?” It was difficult to keep the resentment out of her own voice, which wasn’t fair since Harlow had paid for most of hers herself. Harlow was what people called a go-getter. She put her mind to something, and fucking did it. Be it school, a part time job with a goal, or playing her ranger or hunter characters in any given massively multiplayer roleplaying game and kicking everyone’s ass at it.
“But I don’t have mine, yet. I won’t get it for ages!”
The whine in her tone made Wren chuckle. It’s not like they lived far apart, but hopping into their games was just easy... well, not until finals were over. Good thing they’d already defeated all the content available in their last adventure.
“You’ll get yours when I get my suit.” Wren paused, preemptively dialing down for the squeal she knew was coming.
“You’re getting a freaking suit?”
There it was.
“Yeah. Mom and Dad said it’s because I studied my ass off. I guess being the pariah of my grade finally paid off.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her tone. It wasn’t like she was bullied as such, just constantly snubbed, and selectively ridiculed. It helped to have online worlds to escape into every night. She continued before Harlow could sympathize. “Still though, two more months and we’re done!”
“Forever! Well, until the fall and college anyway. Can you believe we’re going to get to play with full immersion gear, Wren? Can you?” Harlow’s excitement was contagious, and Wren found herself bouncing on her ball chair as she searched through sites, her contact monitors allowing her to multitask while talking.
“Dad’s trying to get mom to let me try the headset out as an incentive, but when I get my suit, want to meet up so we can undergo the full scan?” Wren thought it would be that much more fun if it was both of them. After all, she did have a king-sized bed. She frowned at an article that popped up in relation to the full immersion experience and Somnia Online, and bookmarked it for later reference.
“You bet. It’s a date! I’ve got to go now. My brother’s home.”
“Ciao.” Wren laughed as she disconnected the conversation. She pulled up the articles she’d found and perused them again. Just the same old warnings about how suits and chairs couldn’t be guaranteed to keep your body from degradation while spending unhealthy amounts of time in virtual worlds. The headgear was also highlighted for producing irregular neural activity. Groups were up in arms about them... but gaming had always been a pretty convenient target.
Wren smiled. At least, despite the absent mindedness and forgotten occasions, her mom didn’t try to stop her from gaming. Wren flipped through several pages, before she came to the promotional footage of Somnia Online.
She activated it and watched the familiar interaction with the Storm Entertainment Logo proudly front and center. The voiceover began.
Imagine a world where you can be everything you’ve ever wanted to be. Where you can taste the food, smell the air, and feel the pain that keeps us alive! Befriend or repel a dragon. Build your guild’s reputation and establish a base. Wage wars with other guilds, or other species. Find the twelve keys and unlock the secrets they hold.
Every choice you make will shape the world. Give in to your deepest desires.
Rip away your masks, your fears, and everything that’s holding you back... Discover the class you were born to play.
Mist swirled around snow-covered mountains, through dark dungeons with savage looking beasts whose eyes held far too much intelligence in their eyes for a game. Bustling cities flashed by, NPCs changed their expression based on directional conversation, rare spawns beat the living shit out of poor newbies.
The music thundered, swords clashed, mages threw fireballs, while rogues assassinated. Lively footage with a raw dose of reality. Ending with the sigil for Somnia Online. Pre-order now!
Wren smiled. She couldn’t wait to play the game, to be wh
at she was born to be
Storm Corp
Storm Technologies Division—Theoretical Neuroscience Arm
Countdown: Five years before Somnia Online implementation
Dr Jeffries placed his box on the large mahogany desk in his brand new laboratory. The wall in front of him was sixty percent glass, allowing him an uninterrupted view of the fleet of people who’d be working under him whenever the blinds were open.
Taking the prototype out of its box, he placed it in the center of the desk, stroking the rough metal reverently as he studied the still empty lab. He could see the smaller, metal desk with the large leather swivel chair he’d requested for times he would work out there with his minions.
The thought made him smile. Minions was the wrong word, and yet somehow so suitable. He walked over to the windows, placing a hand on the glass and enjoying the cool sensation that touched his skin. Would the world they created in order to test the headgear feel as real? His headset was definitely capable of producing realistic sensations. Not to mention much, much more.
“Dr. Jeffries?”
He turned to find Jessa at the door, carrying two boxes stacked together. They seemed to be heavy, and he could see her muscles straining to carry them. Perhaps he should have packed lighter. He motioned over to one of the matching mahogany cabinets, and watched as she placed the boxes there, the cardboard bottoms making a louder thud than he found acceptable.
“Be careful, Jessa.” His impatience was showing, and he took a breath to curb it.
“Sorry,” his assistant said, and he heard the door close behind her.
It was easy to imagine the candidates he’d chosen to fill the lab. So easy to imagine them all out there working at making the headset perfect, at achieving his lifelong goal. In a matter of years they’d have yottabytes of data to pull from, hundreds of thousands of brains feeding into his hardware’s further development.
Michael smiled and opened his eyes as the thrill of scientific progress ran through him.