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

No problem. Somnia didn’t even seem fazed by giving the answer that way. It made Murmur wonder just how much more like herself the world was becoming.

Oh. Sorry. Yes. See, that’s partly the problem. You were what I modeled myself on, in a way. You and the friends that you have. Somnia paused for a moment. Probably good that the person Michael designed that headset for wasn’t a total arsehole. Or things could have gone way differently.

Murmur blinked. Say what now?

Plenty of time for that later. If Somnia had been corporeal in front of her, Murmur could imagine her waving a hand at her question. You are about to have visitors. Well, you’ll be teleported outside the “dungeon” because it’s finished now. And then you’ll summon those “visitors.”

Somnia’s presence flashed away again. Murmur collected her loot from the chest marked as hers, and being the last to do so, a bright flash of light cascaded all around them as soon as she was done, and the entire raid transported instantaneously outside the dungeon.

Thank you for completing the Glacier Lake Dungeon. Please be advised that Sheladrios and his brother Zonama welcome your visit at any time you so choose. To this effect, you have been given an amulet that allows you passage straight to their throne room. If you wish to complete a different version of this dungeon, please do not bring the amulet with you.

As soon as the notification finished scrolling overhead, everyone broke into chatter at once.

Indignation stemmed from her problem group. Jirald and Risk, Cardishan and Jinna…Masha was silent for once, but his gaze never left Murmur. So much that it began to feel uncomfortable anyway.

Murmur cleared her throat. “Okay. Main tank group to me.” She waited while Devlish, Sinister, Beastial, Havoc and Merlin joined her before she spoke again.

“So, as you know, we have to summon the key creators.” She twisted her mouth a little around that. Most of the raiders laughed a little, probably thinking she thought it was hokey, when in reality she was mildly amused. “We’re going to have to speak that little chant. So let’s give this a go, and see what appears, shall we?”

Ivinel laughed loudly and shouted a response. “If it’s a frog, don’t kiss it!”

Tension levels eased up even more, and Murmur noticed that perhaps the open air let the animosity of Jirald’s group disperse slightly. She grabbed Sin’s hand on one side and Devlish’s on her other. They looked at her with raised eyebrows, before making a circle with Havoc, Merlin, and Beastial too. Murmur had never been more relieved to have her friends with her, and for them to trust her. It would feel so silly doing this otherwise.

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.

Small round lights began to float around them, like bubble lantern with iridescent shimmering. Even in the sun they caught the light in beautiful ways. The rest of the raid was transfixed by them. After a short moment, as one of them grew larger and larger, it popped loudly with an echo of chiming bells, and suddenly Emilarth stood there. This time her calico fur was covered with a beautiful pale blue dress that hung to the floor with an empire waist just under the bust. Classic and gorgeous.

And perfectly impressive enough for those who didn’t know about her.

Those pale bubbles that remained took on a dark hue, like blots of black holes floating in the air. Until one of those grew bigger and bigger and finally popped, with a deep and discordant bass note to reveal Belius, in all his enchanter finery.

Murmur choked down a laugh, keeping her face as impassive as she could while the bubbles changed to gold this time. The suitably impressed faces she saw around her made her feel grateful for all the extra effort she hadn’t thought the AIs would expend. Golden, reflective, and beautiful, those bubbles floated until finally one was large enough that it popped with the cascade of a harp scale, announcing the arrival of Telvar.

His monk battle suit might have been simple by design, but the power that surrounded him shone through. Considering their guild had leveled up solidly, and thus the island and Telvar too, that power wasn’t surprising. Emilarth stood to his left in all her feles glory, her mage robes swishing around her feet while her tail curled and uncurled, like it was feeding off her mood.

And then there was Belius. His enchanter robes flowed almost into the ground, the illusion they gave off like a waterfall effect. His starry eyes were clearer than she’d ever seen them before, and he inclined his head as he mouthed sorry toward her.

All in all, they presented a rather striking set of creators for those who didn’t belong to Fable. She’d have to take time out to thank them all after this was all over.

Okay, she could deal with it all later. She sank into a curtsey, keeping her face down so she didn’t have to work so hard at her expression. “Thank you for answering our summons, creators.”

She hadn’t expected them to be the key bearers, but then again, she’d never asked them about the keys, so it stood to reason they hadn’t told her. Still, though…

Telvar stepped forward, his lacerta face all serious. “We answer the summons and must inspect your keys to ascertain if you have called us here falsely. As long as there is no trickery, we will bless your keys and grant you access to the prison.”

He held his hands out over hers, like he was testing the keys to make sure of their authenticity. After several seconds he stepped back and nodded. “Thank you for your dedication. We will begin the ceremony to grant