Somnia Online by K.T. Hanna (reading strategies book txt) 📕

with predatory intent as if nothing he could do would stop him from being eaten alive.

“That’s just it, young Jirald the rogue. You can’t ingest a part of the world, a part of its evolution, and come out unscathed. And we all know your brain’s ingested far more that your share of the getashi.” She began to pick at her teeth with her claws, like she was pulling out some other schmuck who’d gone against her.

Jirald didn’t panic. Whatever this quest line was supposed to be, it had definitely piqued his interest. He was fine and still alive, so this feles had to want something from him, which meant that until he knew what it was and gave an answer, he was perfectly safe. He crossed his arms and eyed the feles disdainfully. “What the hell is this questline?”

The damn game chose his class; it put him in direct opposition to her, and now it was taking away his ability to play in the game the way he wanted to? He’d had it. Struggling against the binding that held his feet, he glared daggers at Riasli as she watched on, a slow and amused grin forming on her kitty features. Jirald had to clamp down on his anger toward the NPC. After all, he had much more convenient places to direct it.

“Really, maybe I need to rethink this. I truly thought you were smarter than this.” She made that tsking sound and slowly approached him, looking so far into his eyes that he thought she could see his core.

He stood there, eyeing this feles. There was something about her that stood out. She didn’t act like an NPC, nor did she act like a dev or any player at all. He wanted to know what the endgame of this whole interaction was supposed to be. So he didn’t react but stood there, watching her, wishing he was an enchanter so he could read her damned mind.

“That’s much better,” Riasli purred, misreading his curiosity for compliance. Her eyes glowed with a strange phosphorescence. “All you need to do is watch me, listen to me, and let me in. I promise you won’t regret it.”

And then she peeled off with laughter. “Who am I kidding? You’re going to regret this and the choices you’ve made to get here for the rest of your very short life.”

Her teeth lowered like something mechanical controlled her jaw, and her eyes grew to a wild and uncomfortable orange. His mind lit up with images, with visions of death and blood, of the entire raid force strewn before him. Some on their knees with missing limbs begging him for mercy. Others couldn’t because headless corpses couldn’t do much.

More than anything else she begged, while holding the body of her dead bloodmage…

“Is that all you’ve got?” he asked, his voice soft and, to be honest, quite bored.

“What?” She didn’t seem to understand what he’d said, so he tried again.

“That?” He waved his hand quickly in front of his face indicating the visions she’d sent his way. “Is that the best you can do? Some errant limbs, a few headless and respawnable heads rolling around? Seriously, what are you, an amateur?”

Riasli seemed taken aback. She didn’t answer immediately, which only confirmed for him that this wasn’t a scripted exchange. There was weird shit all throughout this game, and he loved that about it. The broken bits he’d found, the bits that made no sense. The oddly overpowered sense of hidden and hybrid classes when mixed just right.

“Cat got your tongue?” he asked, sinking into that gritty feeling he got whenever he knew he was about to land a killing blow on a target. It was all he could do not to cackle at his own pun.

She scowled at him, like a cat about to scratch him, but they both knew it would do nothing, and she backed down. The uncertainty hung over her like a neon sign. He’d unsettled her. Yet another thrill raced up Jirald’s spine.

“Are you going to tell me how I get to make that vision a reality, or are you still trying to pretend you’re all mysterious and powerful?” Jirald spoke in his best bored voice, while inside he suppressed gleeful laughter. Finally, something to have fun with, something to challenge him and rip everything else apart. He wanted to know how to take the vision she’d shown him and amplify the effects tenfold.

Riasli scowled. “Fine. It’s with your consent, then.” She waved a paw at him as if he’d sucked all the fun out of her task.

Pain struck through his body as his limbs began to morph, but he refused to scream. This would give him the power to fight back against everything that had ever gone wrong to him in this game, in other games, and outside of them. But it wasn’t enough.

Just as she was about to walk away, obviously thinking he’d have to take a while to deal with the power she’d just gifted him, he grabbed her arm. “Not so fast.”

Riasli blanched. He hadn’t even known a feles could do that. She tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go of her forearm.

“What?” she snapped at him, and even without being able to read her mind, he could practically taste a hint of fear.

He smiled. Not just because he was giddy with anticipation, but because he knew the effect a perfectly timed locus smile could have on someone.

“You’re going to tell me everything I need to know to achieve those lovely results you showed me. But I want more. Scale it up a level or three.” She scowled at him and tried to yank her arm away again, but Jirald only held on tighter, the darkness in his mind egging him on eagerly. “I don’t think so. You’re going to tell me, and you’re going to tell me now.”

 

Storm Entertainment

Somnia Online Division

Game Development Offices - Shayla’s Office

Day Thirty-Two

Updated Headgear Verification - Version 8.293.42. Process going live in…

Three.

Shayla