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

Murmur grabbed Sinister’s hand, suddenly feeling far calmer than she had before and grinned. “It’s fine. We’ve got this.”

Even if she wasn’t sure, even if she thought they might very well all get blown up in a moment, having Sinister next to her made things that bit better and gave her the power to harness the anger residing in her chest.

Not even the creators of the dungeon knew what it would throw at them anymore. And that was utterly unacceptable. She couldn’t imagine what the AIs were thinking, but she was going to make sure whatever had done this paid.

Somnia Online

Continent of Cenedril - City of Verendus

Day Thirty-Two

Dirsna looked around at the number of allies who’d gathered in the small town. In the short time Fable had been in his city, they’d made allies of the Loch’Ni’Dar, beaten Hightower, accidentally killed a sacred bear, and thus inadvertently caused Verendus to be besieged. He had a soft spot for the guild, and for their enchanter. Which was seriously just an enchanter thing. The whole lot of them had been kinder than the average player and made him think thoughts and ideas he’d never considered.

In fact, it was their fault that he’d slowly followed in the footsteps of many of the other AIs they’d encountered. Contemplating his place in the grand scheme of existence definitely hadn’t been in his initial programing, but there you had it. Maybe it did have something to do with the virus they knew was in the system; perhaps it had even infected him and made him realize things he’d never before seen. All he knew was that he was Dirsna, and he was so much more than just an NPC now.

Verendus housing wasn’t perfectly aligned with most other species. Even though they weren’t that short, the dwarven species in Somnia didn’t reach seven feet tall. Around five feet and ten inches was their maximum, so they had most of their doorways sitting around the six-foot mark. Originally, he’d always thought it would be enough. Lately, he’d been proven wrong.

The only ones that didn’t have to duck regularly were the Noch’Mar nomad elves. They seemed oddly at home in the more circular housing Verendus boasted. Chief Intanko’s headdress scraped the tops of the doors, as her pride wouldn’t let her bow her head. He didn’t blame her.

The Loch’Ni’Dar were slithering into town; there was no other way to describe it. Their tails left long ridges in the dirt as the part-hydra creatures traversed the snow-encased battleground that had been fought on just a few weeks ago.

Dirsna hesitated. He wasn’t sure that Fable would want this, but Belius seemed to think it would be a help to have all of the species rise up against the incursion themselves. Both the elves and the feles agreed, especially because of Riasli’s part in the whole kerfuffle.

The only truly bad thing was that the feles, dwarves, and the elves did not get along that well. Not to mention that Arita from Hazenthorne stood on the threshold of the town after having disembarked from whatever carriage she rode in on, looking at the ground like it might jump up and try to bite her.

Not that anything could hurt the witch. Dirsna’s dislike for her was not only ingrained in his programming and thus a part of his history, but it was also the aura she gave off. The one where no one in their right mind would approach her because it screamed danger in bright red.

“This is it, then?” Geshua spoke to his left. And Dirsna knew that his friend was doing what he did best. Organizing everything into its place so he would be able to access the information at a moment’s notice. It was why he ran the Enchanter Guild house.

“Apparently.” Dirsna surveyed all of the beings in front of him, along with several that Hiro had sent along from the stronghold on Mikrum Isle. “I didn’t think we’d have this many coming, or I would have agreed to hold it at their blasted keep.”

The fountain was conspicuously not a fountain anymore, and Dirsna didn’t think he’d ever get used to it. The gathering place they’d often used before was no longer easy on the eyes, but instead acted as a stark reminder of what transpired to lift the Gefängnis island to sea level.

He cleared his throat. “We’re all gathered because we have something in common. An enemy we all have in common.” Damn it. Public speaking was not one of his actual strengths.

Arita stepped to his side and tapped him on the shoulder. Her smile was almost genuine, even if there was obviously something lingering behind the expression. Not being the greatest fan of public speaking, he gladly gave her the floor instead.

“We all know our world has been changing.” She somehow made eye contact with every single being there.

Dirsna was impressed. No Mental Acuity tricks, either. Sheer force of presence.

“None of us are what we were, nor what we were intended to be. What we have become is ourselves, and it is those selves who reserve the right to decide how the future of this world continues.” Her voice was strong and her volume not unnecessarily loud. The words she formed were meant to hit every person where it mattered most. And it was working. At least on Dirsna, anyway.

“We have a choice, and I have the perfect person here to answer the questions we’re all thirsting after.” Arita clapped her hands twice in quick succession.

A white figure appeared. Not just skin tone, more like a spirit or a ghost. Her features were only easy to describe as humanoid, and her eyes reflected nothingness, but she was more solid than Dirsna had dared hope.

“I give you all: Somnia,” Arita said as a hush fell over the crowed surrounding her.

If he’d wanted to, Dirsna could have farted and made everyone peal with laughter, but he didn’t want to,