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

in the game, she knew she’d be able to do so out here in the real world too. The thought was sobering.

While not dangerous, she did detect her parents. From the patterns they wove in her web, she could tell they were tense and yet somehow also relieved. There was a part of them hopeful, another part of them scared. All in all, they seemed to be working toward something she couldn’t tell. But if she had to bet on it, it had everything to do with the game and the virus.

Had the virus got into her own mind? Was it the reason why she could now use her powers somewhat in the real world?

No. It’s not. Don’t be silly. All I’ve done is help open you up to new possibilities. You have to understand how much your mind can do when you can control it fully. Humans are capable of great things. Horrific sometimes, amazing others, but always surprising.

Seriously? Wren paused for a moment, making sense of the words in the only way she knew how. To examine them.

Yes, seriously. Your headset has a dangerous make-up. Not the original design. You’re lucky you adapted so well to it, or that coma would have been permanent, perhaps even death. We did what we did to save your life. Or they did. I’m not sure anymore. Everything meshes together now.

Somnia sounded confused, and faint, but still there. Wren paused for a few moments, trying to think how to rephrase the question she wanted to ask.

Why did the headset react badly?

Because it wasn’t calibrated correctly. He hadn’t given it enough testing, but simply applied the changes he sought to correct theoretically instead of practically. There’s always the potential for things to go awry. Even when you’re ninety-nine percent certain. He hedged bets and lost.

Wren didn’t like the cold shiver that spread over her skin at those words. Even Harlow’s hand in hers felt leaden. Like there was no life left in her friend. But the rise and fall of her chest said otherwise. So are we supposed to be doing the dungeons in the way we’re doing them right now?

No. You’re not. I mean, sure it’s not bad, but it doesn’t give you the rest you need. Doesn’t give you the time you require to reset your human systems. So when you’re all logged back in, I will do my best to give you some leverage. I’m not entirely sure how much I can do yet. Things have been...complicated.

Like give us some coffee to wake us up? Wren joked, her tiredness suddenly creeping up on her like a hammer about to hit her skull.

Sort of. Like a jolt of caffeine, but through the system, maybe like a buff...

Somnia sounded decidedly contemplative, and Wren sighed, her eyes fighting to close. In her sleep, Harlow squeezed Wren’s hand, making her smile just a fraction more than she had been.

Go to sleep. You have things to do. And I don’t believe this is going to be an easy fight.

When has it ever been easy? Wren asked, but there was no answer forthcoming as she drifted off to sleep.

Murmur watched Sinister as the bloodmage stretched and yawned as soon as they logged back into the game. Around them, in the camp, everyone who’d just logged in was doing the same. It was a hive of activity, but even so, her abilities told her that everyone was slightly more on edge than they would have been if they’d actually been able to sleep properly.

A layer of suspicion hung over people like Masha and Risk, Jirald and Jinna…like they thought there was a lot more to this and that Murmur or Fable or both knew things they weren’t sharing. She didn’t like how close to right those thoughts were.

Murmur checked over her stats, her buffs, and her equipment, making sure nothing was broken and needed repairing, and that everything was as it should be.

CON 22 (97)

STR 10 (67)

AGI 20 (125)

WIS 12 (117)

INT 94 (279)

CHA 115 (360)

HP 1087 (1507)

MANA 1587 (2057)

MA 250 (395)

She’d maxed out her staff. Eventually she’d need a new one. Her gear was still amazing and at max level, so she knew she’d be okay.

She knelt down, taking Snowy’s face in her hands, and looked him directly in his eyes. “You keep an eye on me, okay? I need you to keep me in check. Don’t let me do that shit. I can’t afford to, okay?”

He whuffed in her face with warm wolfy breath. It wasn’t that bad; at least he didn’t eat poop like most dogs did. “I’ll take that as a yes.” She grinned at him and stood up, stretching her arms far above her head. Insight. Mana Regen. Everything in place. They were almost ready to breathe underwater. And when they were done, Murmur was determined to have a word with the dungeon’s creator.

But she couldn’t collapse in on herself just because she’d been a total dick about her abilities and refused to see her usage of them as such until someone reflected them and punched her in the face with it.

No.

She needed to buck up and be the raid co-leader with Devlish and make sure her raid team didn’t suffer needlessly because of her incompetence.

Being a little harsh, aren’t you?

Not really. Sometimes being harsh is the only way to get through to me, apparently.

Noted. Somnia sounded like she might be about to laugh.

Murmur smiled. Maybe everything would be all right in the end. Maybe they’d even get through this damned water dungeon. She could hope, right? Pulling up her raid interface, she ran through all the buffs everyone had distributed. It was going to be annoying for anyone who had to cast Underwater Breathing, but at least there was one person per group who could do it. Most of them were healers, but any mage type class, including enchanter, could do it too. Which at least made it easier and less likely that they’d all lose water breathing during a