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

more off about him than about Jinna. I can’t get a proper reading on Jirald’s mind. Like his headgear has been tampered with but not quite in the same way yours and your guild’s is. Yet there are so many similarities. Like someone modeled this on yours but decided they knew better about certain things. This is complicated. Human brains could be much simpler.

Somnia sounded worried, as if she hadn’t contemplated any of this happening despite Murmur’s predicament. Murmur could sympathize. That was pretty much how the whole game had been to her so far.

Are you saying I can’t trust Jinna? That was the crux of it. Who were her friends, and who was pretending, and who had Jirald corrupted?

For now, don’t trust Jirald, Jinna, Masha, or Risk...although the latter, he is very strong willed. I think he’s noticed something.

Well, he was never my biggest fan anyway, Murmur half-joked, trying to keep her spirits up a bit. But I will be careful, I promise.

Somnia paused for a moment. I’m going to talk to the others. I think I might need their help.

Murmur smiled to herself. You know, that’s a good sign, to ask for help. I’ve been told it’s character building.

Shut up. You don’t even take the advice you receive.

But there was laughter in Somnia’s tone. Murmur was getting used to her, in a way that she wasn’t sure could be considered normal. But then nothing since she’d begun playing Somnia could be considered normal.

Rebuffs were done, Mellow and Cardishan had finished handing out one of their consumable abilities. They were hoping it would help when the special abilities were triggered, just in case they missed another interrupt.

“Want me to do the interrupts?” Karn startled Murmur slightly as Devlish began to order everyone out.

“Yeah. That’s probably the best.” Murmur couldn’t help but let her gaze wander over to where Jirald and Jinna swam, talking.

Karn glanced at her father as well before speaking. Her voice dropped a few more decibels, barely above a whisper. “My dad and a few of the others have been acting differently. I’m not sure why.”

Murmur nodded, wondering just how many people in the raid had noticed their behavior. “To be honest, you’re probably lucky you’re a girl. Jirald doesn’t really think you’re capable of much.” She laughed softly at her statement, not having realized just how much admitting that still hurt her.

Karn nodded, biting her lip as thoughts about the matter clearly ran through her mind. “My dad is usually protective. But he’s not being himself.” She seemed worried, and Murmur thought Karn must be much younger than she’d originally thought.

“It’s okay. You’re doing really well. Keep it up and you’ll give the others a decent run for their money.” Murmur smiled, trying to make sure she could help the girl loosen up a little. Karn seemed so tense.

“I think that’s a good goal to aim for.” Karn grinned, and some of the tension leaked from her shoulders.

“So only interrupt the Fountain at the eighty percent mark. I’m assuming it’ll be at the sixty percent and forty percent markers too, but can’t say so for certain until we get there. It’s all theory at the moment. Just get ready to adapt as needed. Okay?” Murmur watched as the girl took direction in and gave a final nod at the end.

“Got it. Thank you.” Karn swam off to join the melee fighters, leaving a contemplative Murmur in her wake.

“Seems like you’ve made a little friend there, Mur.” Merlin poked her arm with the tip of his bow. “Seems like a good kid.”

“Shut up. You were still calling me a kid four months ago.” She grinned at him and pushed his bow away.

He slipped it over his shoulder and sighed as the group began to gather in front of the temple that housed Pivya. “Well, there are things that make you grow up immediately in my eyes.”

“Like a coma…” Murmur beat him to it, unable to suppress a chuckle.

He laughed with her. “Yeah, like a coma.”

Storm Entertainment

Somnia Online Division

Game Development Offices - Shayla’s Office

Day Thirty-One

“So now he’s in a pod and being observed by our medical team, not by his employers?” Laria crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at her husband. “What am I supposed to do with that? Is Davenport trying to cover it up or something?”

“It’s not that simple. From what I can gather, Davenport has struck some deal that allows him to do this through James’s employers. It all feels very complicated.” David sighed softly.

“Laria.” Shayla spoke up. “Sit down and help me implement this. We need to make sure it’s influencing the servers at the same rate. And while I totally get your concern, right now I would appreciate it if we could just focus our attention on the game so we, you know, have a game world to salvage.”

Laria flushed, knowing Shayla was right. “Fine. Don’t think I’ve forgotten, David.” She sat down opposite Shayla, pulling up her interface, and began to synchronize her own actions with her colleagues.

She needed to calm down her mind and make sure she was at full capacity in order to follow the virus. The anti-virus was delicate but tenacious, and as long as they could make sure it survived the initial onslaught by the virus, it should be okay.

The coding painted such a picture, and the virus left Laria feeling dirty with the way it twisted and subverted the original coding. All they had to make sure of was that the anti-virus they were sending from outside could meet up with the one the AIs injected from the inside.

Laria bit her lip. This wasn’t what she signed up for. She should be making the next level of content instead of worrying about the massive and rampant glitches inherent in her world. Somnia had been her brainchild, backed by Shayla, encouraged by Davenport. It was falling apart, and she had to do everything she could to preserve as much as possible.

David’s fingers began to work