Somnia Online: Fragments - Chapter Twenty-Two (Patreon)

Objective Changed

Somnia Online

Cenedril - Curet Jungle - Outskirts of the Cenedril ruins

Fifteen Days Post Launch

Telvar had been aiming for the front steps of the ruins, and yet he landed a significant distance from the entrance. Frowning, he pushed forward, attempting the jump again. The air around him warped, bending in like a thick bubble and gently bounced him back. Exasperation filled him, his systems double-timing to try and figure out what was causing the phenomena. He'd not had to deal with having his way blocked before. Ever.

The calculations he ran came back normal, perfect even. He narrowed his eyes, turning his sight inward to check several other regions of the game with a sudden idea that crossed his algorithms. It wasn't an idea he wanted to entertain, but if he was right, they were in for a whole world of a shitstorm.

Walking forward didn't cause the bubble to spring up. As long as he masked his overseer role, it didn't spring up. It seemed as if his being one of the main AIs was what triggered the defense. Warning bells sounded throughout his head, part of them the system and the other part he attributed to something like instinct. Because there were so many things wrong with this, he was beginning to panic. 

Now he knew how Laria and Shayla felt, because things about his equational enquiries kept returning data to him that were too perfect. Even tracing the results to their source only cemented just how faultless the results were. Which, was the ideal, but rarely ever the case when it came to a program as complex as their own. His first instinct was to call both Sui and Thra to him, and have them help him figure this out. But at the same time a portion of him cautioned against it. Because who other than one of those two could it be making this happen. 

Telvar took a deep breath, even if he might not need air, even if Somnia didn't technically have air, the action still calmed and relaxed him. Slightly, anyway. The vegetation leading up to the ruins was thick and crunched underfoot as leaves and blades gave way under his weight. He dampened the sound, hoping not to alert whatever it was doing this with a fluctuation in his presence. He masked it with a stealth ability pulled from the assassin line. What good was it being a god in the game if you didn't pull up some perks every now and again?

The closer he got to the ruins, the more a feeling of pressure seemed to squeeze his head. Not quite like the vice that people described migraines as, but still, a semblance of pain began in the base of his skull. It was a new sensation, and one that gave him pause. Even in his Telvar skin, there shouldn't be another line of coding capable of making him feel like a player would. 

As soon as he stopped his momentum, the pressure eased up. He raised an eyebrow. It wasn't directed at him, but at anyone entering the general area. Murmur would have noticed this type of thing wouldn't she? The girl was stupidly perceptive some of the time, even when he'd prefer she wasn't. It stood to reason therefore, that this subtle persuasion not to enter the area hadn't been present then. Or else, she'd put on her stubborn hat and moved forward anyway.

Both options were a distinct possibility. 

Finally, he arrived at the top of the stairs to the ruins, his gaze raking over the vastly changed facade of the structure and he frowned. How had this happened? Each of them had a dungeon on each continent. On Cenedril, Telvar was responsible for Glacier Lake, the only area in the whole island that was max level only. Sui was responsible for Hightower, and this was Thra's place. It had been regal before, beautiful. Which was exactly the sort of thing that Thra went for. So for it to devolve into this dark and dismal place didn't even make any sense.

She had to know it had changed, didn't she?

There was nothing for it. He took a step forward, placing his foot on the next step down, only to have the bubble reappear. This time it was a thick substance, and as he pressed down on it, he realized it coated the entire exterior of the ruins in the way shrink wrap might cover a dish. Except it was more rubbery. 

Forcing his way in could put Murmur in more danger from whatever algorithmic hell was causing this. And reluctant though he might be, calling on his brethren to figure out what the hell was going on, might actually be the better way. He turned around, and blinked back to Mikrum Isle. After all, he needed somewhere reliable and safe to leave his husk while he had words with his siblings.

#

"Since it's obviously not the noise that alerts the mobs in this zone, what do we think pulls the rest?" Merlin stood at the edge of the dust pile and peered into the darkness beyond. The soft golden light leant a beautiful green hue to his gear, and for a moment he looked like a male version of tinkerbell.

Murmur chuckled at the thought. He'd not appreciate it at all, so it was probably a good thing that he couldn't read her mind. 

"What's so funny?" He glanced back at her, a frown on his lips. "It's actually a legitimate question, not meant to be a pun."

"Sorry." Murmur sobered up. "Maybe it's proximity? Sort of like when we line of sight pull."

"Don't know about you, Mur, but I'm pretty sure those statues further down the way would be able to see us if they looked." Merlin took a few steps closer and hesitated. "But from here they seem to be almost sleeping, or hibernating."

Devlish went and joined the ranger, peering just as earnestly into the dark. Lacerta had their own form of infravision so Murmur didn't bother to offer her buff to him. "He's right you know. There's no movement, not even the rise and fall of their chests. They must be magically enhanced."

"You don't say?" Havoc drawled. "You mean those huge fighters made out of rock must be magically enhanced?"

"Shut it." Devlish snapped, glaring at Havoc. "I mean they seem to be magically triggered, and woken. Of course they damn well move because of magic."

Havoc put his hands up, a resigned expression on his face. "Sorry, man. I'm just frustrated."

"We all are, but there's no need to be a sullen dick about it, Hav." Devlish pinched the bridge of his nose with his fingers and took a deep breath before continuing. "I just -- I'm not sure how we go about this. We don't want to wake more than one at a time. Did anyone try to get out while the other one was activated, or do we just need to assume it's like every dungeon ever, and we can't escape while a fight is in progress."

"And speaking of escape." Sinister spoke up, her gaze focused directly onto Murmur, her eyes fierce. The enchanter backed away a couple of steps. "Stop it, Mur! You heard what she said about the key, right? They'll pry those keys from our cold dead corpses. And since you're not allowed to die, you need to give one of us the keys so we can hold them. That way you won't be the target for the NPC mobs at least. Not that we seem to be able to deter you from being Jirald's target. The least we can do is this."

"You don't know that wasn't just bravado." Except in a way, Murmur already knew exactly that. The statue might have been an NPC, but her motives were muddied by the mind control performed on her, and those last words had been full of a vile hatred so strong, she spoke as she turned to dust. 

"Don't be an idiot, Mur!" Rashlyn crossed her arms too, her ears twitched in irritation. "You know as well as we do that Sin is right. Give one of us the key so we can take the hit if we need to. I'd prefer to hand over the keys to them than to see them kill you for them."

Sinister high fived the monk, but her victorious grin was more like a grimace. "You know how I feel about all this. I won't lose you Mur, and you can't stop me from protecting you."

Murmur looked at her friend, and burst out laughing. "Oh, my God, Sin! Would you listen to that melodrama you're wearing. Look, I get it, okay? I've been getting it for days now. But all this chivalry is making me uncomfortable. I'm not about to stop any of you protecting me, as long as you don't smother me in the damned process, okay? Stop it with this ridiculous posturing, and let's just play the damn game."

She hadn't quite meant to say all of that, and really hoped it didn't come back to bite her in the butt, but as she finished, she noticed Sinister's smile turning sheepish, and the girl rubbed her nose in that adorable way she had when she was unsure of herself.

"I get it, I guess that did sound a bit pompous, didn't it?" Her tone held a portion of uncertainty, like there wasn't room in the glass for more.

"Pompous is an understatement, Sin." For once, Beastial wasn't riling her up. He seemed genuinely concerned for her, and his smile was a kind one. 

Sinister laughed. "Enough about me, let's move onto these statues, huh? Anyone got a plan on how to defeat them quicker, better, faster, stronger?"

Murmur moved forward and gave the other girl a quick hug. "Sorry if that was harsh. Up until a few days ago I thought everything was normal. So, I'm dealing with a lot up here right now." She tapped her head self-depreciatingly. 

"Yeah, I know." Sin's attempt at a smile was more wan than usual, but a slight sparkle did enter her eyes.

Murmur sighed with relief. "Oh! Speaking of statues. Mellow, you know you can reach into the guild stores from here, right? I'm not sure how your class works, I haven't got around to researching it as much as I'd like, but is the acidic attack one you need to pull from stores from?"

Mellow nodded. "I have basic brews, and specialty brews. All in my witch's cauldron. Basic brews are pretty much just my spells. Easily incanted, and there's a level I'll reach with my hybrid and specialty choices, where I'll be able to simply cast them without a cauldron. But right now my specialty brews require that I've hoarded a heap of stuff. Sadly, I don't have all that many acidic spider or scorpion glands on hand right now. And yes, there's a difference between them and normal ones."

"Oh." Murmur ran over the guild interface again, making sure she wasn't about to put her foot in it. "You have access to the guild stores as one of the senior members. I'm pretty sure we have some more shit in there for you."

Mellow perked up, their face blushing a pale pink that made the locus look sort of pretty for a moment. "That's fantastic, and also, I have no idea why I didn't think of this before."

Murmur grimaced, pushing the interface aside. "Well, we didn't exactly think we'd have to figure out what could eat through rock now, did we?"

"Bet a mage could explode that shit to smithereens." Havoc mumbled, the sullen tone present again in his voice. Mur knew it was because he missed his class, but necromancer was close. 

"Probably could, but we can always improvise." She tried to put enthusiasm in her smile, but it didn't seem to work. 

Jinna piped up. "You know, the rangers have traps, and I have a few from my assassin tree, so, between us we should be able to come up with something to make it go quicker."

"Thank you." Rashlyn stood up from where she'd been sitting on the ground, and stretched her left leg out behind her, balancing perfectly on her right. "It's not easy fighting those things, and I hate spending this much time on fucking trash mobs."

Murmur tended to agree with her. Flipping through her arsenal in her mind once more, she came to the conclusion that there was indeed no way for her to actually contribute to the taking down of the stone giants other than buffing and debuffing, and throwing the occasional damage dot on it, which ticked for far reduced damage. 

Snowy nudged her hand, and she ruffled his fur. He had a good point. "Let's move forward then, shall we?"

"Best way to head." Merlin grinned and jumped down from his ledge, out in front of the others.

A ripple of orange light ignited from the point where he landed, easily a dozen feet beyond the area where the last mob died. The light flowed out several feet, coming to land at the foot of not one giant statue, but two.

The resulting rumble that echoed through the cavern shook it so much that dust and small rocks fell from the ceiling, mixing into their hair and giving everyone a fine layer of powder over their skin. The statues bent in unison to duck their heads under the small overhang of their alcove, and stepped into the middle of the corridor at the same time, planting their staffs firmly against the floor. 

Vibrations echoed across the stone surface and through to the bones, setting Murmur's teeth on edge, and Merlin slowly rose from his landing position, and glanced back at the group.

"Oops?" he cringed, probably knowing everyone else was ready to punch him. "Think these are Mezable, Mur?"

"We're about to find out." She hoped against hope as she released her spell toward the left mob. 

#

Her Mez caught the mob around the head, swirling like a halo.

Your Mesmerize spell has landed. This creature has a powerful force controlling their mind. You will need to fight for dominance and your spell is not reliable as it could break at any moment. Make sure you debilitate the mob as you can. Diminishing returns apply.

"Fuck." Mur muttered under her breath, but before anyone could ask her what she meant, she focused on the second statue and called out to Rashlyn. "Pull it back to the front of the dungeon."

She was going to need all the help she could get, and all the distance too. As Rashlyn began to comply, Mur watched the slow moving statue follow her, not foolish enough yet to debuff it because Rashlyn's aggro was tentative at best. "Merlin. I need you to keep this thing rooted. If you have to interrupt damage to do so, just do it."

Merlin nodded. "Not like I'm contributing all that much anyway. I'll stay in the middle between them. Can I ask why?"

Murmur watched as Rashlyn grew in size, still somehow so tiny against the bulk of the statue. She threw some debuffs its way, and watched Snowy take off after it, even as he kept looking back at her. "My Mez on this thing will work, but I can't let my guard down. Mez will break, and will take effect with diminishing returns. I need everything I can use so that it doesn't make it to the group before I can refresh the Mez."

"Got it." He sounded so business like, so much different from his usual carefree self. But it was Merlin in a nutshell. All pun and games until something got serious. 

Mur cast her Nullify on the target, followed by a slow and weakener, while bringing up her Mez timer to keep it front and center so she could see it break. The way it ghosted over her eyesight was cool in a way, and yet eerie in another. But she knew the split second it broke, because it broke about three seconds early, and it had barely blinked once before she renewed it. Riasli wasn't going to let them make it to her easily.

She kept her eyes on her group. With the Mez timer pulled up, the fight was oddly accented through the transparency of colors it provided her vision. Jinna maneuvered his way around the mob, planting something against the ground she couldn't quite see, what with the dimness of the lighting in the area. "What's he doing?"

Merlin shrugged. "Not sure, I couldn't catch his muttering from where I was perched. Speaking of which. Sorry about this."

Murmur grinned, her adrenaline beginning to flow. "Please. On the level of our screw ups over the years, this one is way down on the chain."

She paused to refresh Mez, as the statue once again broke it, before continuing. "Seriously though. This could have been worse, and we don't know that just progressing down the hall wouldn't have triggered both at the same time too. Looked pretty even from what I saw." 

And then she noticed what it was Jinna was doing and a smile spread over her face as he laced the thick rope through the intricate little stakes he'd prepared. When he was done, Rashlyn turned the statue, tripping it as the ropes pulled tight, just around the ankles, up, higher than the dwarf himself. 

It tumbled to the ground in what seemed like slow motion, and Murmur watched as it hit the ground with a smash while her guild and group mates scrambled and gathered behind Veranol's shield. Rock shattered against the stone ground, as its spear wielding arm detached and became rubble. A cheer of victory went up, but it was short-lived as the huge mob began to try and right itself with the one good arm it had. 

Murmur almost missed her Mez break, and thanked the foresight that her vision changed in time enough for her to nab it. She wasn't sure how well Merlin's root was going to hold stone feet. This last Mez had only lasted twenty seconds. Diminishing returns was an understatement. 

In the pale light given off by the fine rock dust of the first statue they'd fought, Murmur noticed something glint on the statue's forehead. Being as high as they were before, she'd not noticed the gem. "Smash the gem!" she yelled suddenly sure that was how to defeat them.

Beastial reacted first, stepping forward and smashing it with his giant mace, not quite avoiding the gnashing of stone teeth against his ribs as he did so. He grunted in pain and stepped back, a portion of his breastplate caught in the teeth, and watched the fissures spread throughout the gem as Veranol hurried to heal him

As the gem fractured, so did the statue, and an inhuman sound rose up from it, as it rapidly broke down, presenting them with the same golden dust even as the gem left the red behind and turned back to gold. 

"Let's try that again, shall we?" Devlish grinned, as the tension lifted visibly from everyone's shoulders. "Except next time? I get to smash the gem."

Everyone laughed, that is until Merlin called out. "Root broke."

And Murmur's Mez chose the same moment to fall.

<<<<>>>>