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

headset having led her astray again…Telvar just wanted to shut all the humans out and try to deal with it themselves. But he knew that wasn’t an option. Shutting out the humans would only make them prepared for if that virus managed to make it into mainstream internet. So far, they’d managed to contain the spread…

“Um…” Belius cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to be all doom and gloom and death of the world over here. But won’t Spiral and Exodus react poorly if we’re just standing here waiting for the raid to show up and hand us the keys so we can transform them?”

Telvar blinked. He hadn’t even thought of that. “Shit.”

“Stop worrying so much.” Emilarth stood in front of him. “We can go incognito, or even take on a guise of a well-known NPC and transform in front of them for effect. We could probably even just invis ourselves until such a time as we’re summoned.”

“Well, that would make much more sense, but we weren’t going to do it originally,” Belius grumbled.

“True,” Telvar said, kicking himself for the oversight. “It’s okay, though. We’ve got this. Thanks, Bel.”

Belius seemed shocked but didn’t say anything. Instead, a small smile crept over his face. He seemed pleased.

Emilarth threw her hands up in the air. “Okay, let’s get off the negative train. We have a lot of work to do over the next little while. As long as this team keeps their wits about them, we should be okay. Everything should be okay.” If only she didn’t sound like she was trying to convince herself too.

The ground began to shake as Murmur pulled the keys out of her inventory. Telvar could feel it. Maybe it wasn’t the ground, but the system, finally being activated for the first time outside of testing. This was the end of the game. Technically. Not that any boss in their right programming would ever drop all of the available loot on their table at once, but the gist was the same.

They stood there, waiting for the guilds to portal out. All three of them instinctively activated their invisibility. Not as simple as one from a spell, but one from the coding that would truly render them one with the environment. He couldn’t help but get his hopes up that maybe, just maybe, this group would be able to get them out of the shitstorm they were in.

Murmur watched the rogue walk away from her, a thousand questions crowding her mind at once. She’d just have to leave that up to Somnia, because there was too much to do right now.

And once she knew what the next step was they needed to take, she’d be able to sleep in peace without stress. Or without too much, anyway.

She pulled all the keys she’d gathered so far out of her storage. They held an array of different designs, and different colors, and she felt quite attached to them already. Lining them up in her hands, all nine of them felt heavier than she’d thought they would. Like they were made out of some ancient metal and that made them feel heavy and real, tangible…with consequences attached.

Havoc and Sinister sidled back up to her, their gazes riveted by the keys. Three of them were gold, ornate, and regal. Sort of matched Telvar’s lacerta coloring. Three of them were dark, obsidian and subdued. Those probably belonged to Belius’s dungeons. And three of them…well, they weren’t really discernible as a color themselves, but had more a pearlescent sheen to them that could be anything it needed to be at any given time.

Congratulations.

You have collected all nine keys that are available from the dungeons themselves. You have stocked up enough midia crystals to take the next step, though you might be wondering where the other three keys are. After all, there are twelve of them.

You must take the keys you have and summon their creators. You cannot be in a dungeon while you do this. That is the only restriction on how to summon them. Only that way can you obtain all twelve of them.

When you are ready, gather your closest group together, and chant the summoning ritual below as one.

Into the depths we dive, the prison is waiting to rise

We offer these keys in our hands, to protect the Somnian lands

We offer our strength as a force, to stay the world on its course

We offer our spells and our arms, to keep this world safe from harm.

Murmur raised an eyebrow, and glanced around, only just now realizing that everyone else in the cavern had received the update. Well, that little summoning sounded like Somnia only just came up with it.

Apparently including Sheladrios. The massive turtle was still holding his brother, who was shaking in his arms. There was something odd—and yet comforting—about the way they interacted.

Murmur clenched the keys in her fist, waiting as the rest of the notification scrolled across her view.

Once reunited, the keys will act as conduits to unlock the depths of this world. Be cautious, for no one can be certain of the outcome.

Her quests lit up in the corner of her vision, and for a few seconds her head spun. But she calmed herself with breathing and looked down at Snowy. His trusting eyes glowed back at her, full of secrets she’d have to beg Telvar to translate at some stage.

You have completed the collection of the keys and must now venture forth to complete the design of twelve. Be forewarned, this will not lead to what you expect.

Murmur cocked her head to one side. It didn’t appear as if anyone else got that message, only her.

Is that your way of warning me?

Mm? Somnia didn’t seem to be paying full attention. Sorry, I’m trying to do a million things at once here, so I was only half listening.

You’re a computer, you should process it, Murmur quipped.

No need to insult me. I’m still a baby, comparatively.

Thanks for all that protection, then. Murmur tried to keep the laughter