Sinister clutched her sides with laughter, and Murmur barely managed to walk upright for several seconds. She sent a silent thank you to the wolf, who didn’t seem impressed by her amusement.
Murmur was still wiping away her tears of laughter when Sin placed her hand on Mur’s arm to stop her from walking into a group of their raid.
Devlish stood with Masha, Risk, and Veranol and looking at the huge sandbank in front of them, it rose gradually from the bottom of the lake, like a ramp. After inspecting it closer, it rose up from each side of that ramp, too. Murmur approached them.
“Island?” she asked, trying her best to ignore Risk and Masha’s stares even as she made sure to suck her forcefield close to her skin for a layer of added protection.
“Sort of looks like it.” Devlish pursed his lips in thought. “Just sent Jinna to scout it out. Karn went with him.”
Murmur didn’t ask about Jirald. He’d probably gone up there too, but just not told anyone. “Probably the home of a boss. This zone is odd, and considering its…origins, I would have thought it would be planned out a bit better.”
That was close. Somnia sounded smug.
Murmur shrugged. Give me a break. It’s hard to dance around when people don’t know which AIs made what. And it’s true. This zone isn’t what I thought it would be.
Anymore, Somnia said smugly.
What? Murmur paused running it through her head.
It’s not like it was anymore. It’s infected; everything is infected, Mur. That’s why we are on such a strict deadline. Now go ahead and kill some monsters so we can finally throw that damned virus out of the system.
You’re getting more and more human each day, Murmur muttered at the voice.
I’m NOT taking that as a compliment. Somnia almost sounded offended.
Just about to say something else, Murmur noticed the others returning. Her net sensed as they left the island and waded back down into the depths. She could also feel the subtle change that kept taking over Jinna. There was anger around him and running through him. Subtle, and not completely furious yet, but something she’d not realized he had a lot of before this. Very strange.
“Island. Three pillars, one at each corner of an equilateral triangle.” Jinna’s report was crisp and clear, and yet there was an odd edge hovering around his aura. Black and dark, angry and something else she couldn’t pinpoint, even if she dug in with her calm sense, trying to see into it.
What is wrong with everyone? Is it this zone?
Somnia didn’t answer straight away, and when she did, she somehow managed to sound puzzled.
I can see what you mean. As in, I can see what it is you’re sensing, and yet when I scan through my system I can’t detect any direct anomalies. It`s like whatever it is isn`t being funneled through the system...somehow. I’ll see what I can figure out.
Murmur didn’t like not knowing, but at least Somnia understood her concerns.
“There’s a small cave in the middle, and inside is something amphibian. I think crocodile, perhaps?” Jinna offered.
Karn, whose feelings toward Murmur seemed as friendly as ever, continued listing what they’d seen. “It’s not a cave like you think, but a sort of middle section that seems to sink slightly back into the water. We didn’t dare get close to it for fear of aggroing the boss. We’ll probably have to use the pillars for something. It’s not like they’re holding up the ceiling or anything. They’re just large and round, and they sit there for no reason that I can see.”
“Of course, there’s a reason for them. It probably spits out razor teeth or something, and you have to be out of line of sight so you don’t die.” Jinna’s jolliness came to the fore, directed at Karn just like he was being his old self. It all just compounded to confuse her more.
“All right, then.” Devlish checked his shield over, double checked something in his inventory, and then turned to Murmur. “Guess it’s time to get this show up the ramp, right?”
He winked at her, and her worries fled for a few moments. She hadn’t realized how much Jinna’s attitude toward her was bothering her.
“Sounds like a plan,” she answered, pushing her worries to the back of her mind. Obviously, they’d just need to sit down and have a chat later on so they could sort out whatever it was. At the very least, she’d apologize if he was still angry about her misuse of power. Not that she’d blame him for being upset. She was still angry at herself.
“Buff up, check your stocks,” she called out to the raid, firmly allocating no brain power to worrying about friendships right now. She’d continue to check herself and her usage of her mind influence, and they’d kill this next boss. And she’d bloody well worry about sorting out feelings between friends when she’d had a decent damned night’s sleep.
Somnia Online
Cenedril - Darshin Docks
Day Thirty
James pushed through the throng of players in Darshin as he got off the boat, wishing he’d realized he wouldn’t have mod powers before he logged in. Maybe he’d have thought of something even more brilliant. Still, at least the docks were on a solid timetable. Couldn’t leave all those paying players waiting too long, after all. There was a balance that had to be struck between realism and capitalism. He smirked at the thoughts. Capitalism was a large part of his presence in the world too.
The cave-like city impressed him, even against his will. The way the rock was hewn, almost artistically. So many species bustled here and there, and their levels ranged. There were low and vulnerable people who’d made the trek straight after creating their characters, risking death as they ran their level fives down to the major city. Then there were seasoned characters who topped out around his
