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

it is likely Wren’s mind will be torn apart, unable to exist only in your world. While not damaged, I would venture the hypothesis that Wren’s mind operates on two levels now, one of which is fed by my world. It may not be ideal, but for anyone who has followed his headgear plans, it’s likely best to make sure Somnia survives no matter the cost.”

Apparently, there was a huge disconnect in what Murmur could do and what Riasli was permitted to when in her boss form. In one way, Murmur was relieved. Maybe it was like the genie and the “phenomenal cosmic power” type thing. Or else they’d just chosen different paths within the enchanter.

The first thing that hit them at ninety-six percent was a massive buffet of wind, more like a brief stun. Even with Murmur’s additional mental fortitude she’d cast around the group of raiders, it wasn’t enough for all of them to withstand the effects.

You have resisted Whirl Until You Hurl.

You have resisted the accompanying vertigo and dazed effect.

Gee, she thought, thanks for that.

You’re welcome.

Speaking to me now? Murmur muttered in her brain as Veranol managed to ward the five people who hadn’t resisted the spell and were very obviously sort of…spinning in place until they threw up.

Murmur attempted her AoE nullify but couldn’t remove the effect.

Your Annulment has been resisted. It cannot remove this effect.

I’ll be there when you really need me.

Somnia sounded apologetic, and Murmur kind of got it. After all, they’d been working together for a long time. She was sure the world would come out and tell her what this had all been about when she was ready.

Hopefully sooner than later.

Riasli cackled with laughter, her voice now an octave deeper than before as she grew larger and her creatures attacked groups of players seemingly randomly. The guttural growl of her new voice lingered in the back of her throat with any syllable she uttered. Claws extended from her paws like wicked curved blades of bone, and her pretty calico fur covered a leathery skin in tufts. Murmur rather thought she looked somewhat like a failed taxidermy attempt but wisely kept it to herself for now.

To add insult to injury, it appeared her creatures could, well, disappear.

“You should have all joined me when you could,” Riasli growled out, drool dripping from the left-hand corner of her mouth. She didn’t seem to notice. “Now I’ll devour all of your power, all of your magic…”

“Probably something that happened to Fable.” Murmur heard Etriad whisper to one of the rangers, who nodded in agreement.

“Stop lollygagging,” Risk grunted from where he engaged a mole creature. He shot Murmur a withering look, and she knew she was going to have to explain a lot more before they reached the end. She couldn’t be upset about it, though. After all, she had dragged them all into this.

Murmur continued to pull in MA to feed her pool so she could keep the shielding over the entire raid. But her conscience provided her with plenty of needling about not having filled her whole raid in a lot sooner.

Either way, she couldn’t understand how any of this made sense in any world.

At ninety-two percent, Riasli hunkered down. A slimy, greenish-purple outline surrounded her skin, almost like a forcefield that only sharp objects like the arrows the rangers were firing could penetrate. Ice spells managed to get through too, but they seemed to melt as soon as they came into contact with the hide portion of her skin.

The outline began to pulse as her health dropped to ninety percent, and the pulsing grew larger, hitting those in immediate proximity.

“Fall back!” called out Devlish, but they’d needed to be a split second faster.

Jinna and Karn were caught up in the pulse as others scattered around. Luckily it was just the rogues, and they had been some of the only members of the raid capable of harming the thing while the outline initially dropped into place.

It didn’t pulse much, or far, perhaps in about a ten-foot radius from where she stood. Casters, healers, bards, rangers…all of them stood outside of it as it suddenly disappeared. Everyone returned to their places, but Jinna and Karn all stood there, huddled together like there was nowhere for them to go. Like they were scared for their lives.

Disturbed has cast a sickness on the following raid members: Karn, Jinna.

This sickness must be cured within the first twenty seconds, else they will go down.

Murmur snorted, and watched as Masha, Sinister, and Veranol all cast their cures before she could say a thing. The mole creatures reappeared with the barrier gone and began their attacks once more.

The only good thing to come out of Riasli casting Disturbed appeared to be that the attack drained five percent of her health. She was already down to eighty-five percent, even though that in itself gave Murmur one of those lovely foreboding feelings. Like it was all far too random.

As if in answer to Murmur’s thoughts, Riasli began to hum, her eyes turning white as she looked up to the ceiling. A ball of light began to coalesce on her chest—or at least, that’s how it looked at first, but it wasn’t. It was a ball of murky light, almost like it had been drained from the muck of a pond. Her robes, torn where muscles had bulged through them, fluttered in the wind that howled around the feles enchanter.

The staff glowed, floating to her left-hand side like someone else held it for her. And that ball of light grew bigger as she chanted. None of the attacks they directed at her interrupted it. In fact, the ball just kept growing larger and larger as the chant continued and as she dropped another few percent. Murmur began to wonder if she was just trying to drain them of mana the way Murmur consistently drained hers.

When the ball reached the size of a medium beachball, it suddenly exploded outward in an arc in front