Somnia Online - K.T. Hanna (best black authors .txt) 📗

guarantee it. But it’s the only real possibility for a solution that we’ve come up with. So I want to go with it if you’ll let us, Shay.”

She studied him for a few moments. “You know, for a younger brother, you can be a real know-it-all shit sometimes.”

“It’s my specialty.” He inclined his head and squeezed Laria’s shoulder. “Looks like we’re good to go, then.”

Laria beamed. “First things first, let’s go visit the AIs. There are instructions and timing we need to get down for this. Not the least of which involves the finishing of the zone the kids are currently in.”

“Yeah.” Shayla shook her head as they exited the room, taking the projected holograph and tablet with them. “Not the least at all.”

“Careful!” shouted Esolan as Devlish almost backed into what appeared to be a jellyfish that had flopped or slithered onto the cobblestone surface. It happened just as they defeated the crocohusks. Defeating all six-odd waves of them had been painful. Fifty-four damned crocodiles on crack.

Followed by these weird, see-through, apparently jellyfish mobs. Whether they functioned through something else’s mind control or not, or were just in fact there to piss raiders off, Beastial found out the hard way that they were full of electricity. Probably a reason it didn’t go off in the water, because it would fry everything in there, but it definitely gave the beastmaster quite a shock, literally. He was still recovering despite being healed back to full.

And that’s when they realized they weren’t jellyfish, but some type of octopus, capable of moving in and out of the water. The fact that the majority of their bodies were clear or perhaps morphed to what they were sitting on didn’t help locate them as they fought. Instead, it was easy for the creatures to move silently into a position where the raiders weren’t aware of them until it was too late.

“Devlish! Watch out!” Esolan yelled out in warning as he managed to catch another one of the creatures on his shield. The way he staggered under the weight made Murmur realize how much larger their opponents were than she’d originally thought.

Devlish barely avoided the one Esolan warned him about. There weren’t that many of them, but they were scattered all throughout the raid, hiding in plain sight as they blended into armor, weapons, and the stone floor. The best way to get them gone was to blast them with fire or freeze them with ice. The rangers were having a ball firing fire arrows into the creatures, and even Mellow seemed to be having fun with their potions.

Those who were being accosted by the creatures were another matter entirely.

“Stop firing at me, you idiot!” Ishwa yelled across the room as Merlin loosed another fire arrow squarely into the one that had attached itself to Ishwa’s robe. “I can freeze it off myself!”

Merlin just grinned and switched his aim.

Murmur stepped back, trying not to laugh. Watching the tiny gnome jump around in anger shouldn’t have amused her so much. But she was pretty sure his irritation was mostly for show as he now seemed to be having a great time blasting the creatures off himself and others with an ice bolt.

There weren’t many of the creatures left anymore, or at least not many she could sense, and the fight began to wind down. She heaved a sigh of relief, not noticing any other immediate threats in their vicinity, which meant they could make their way into the actual dungeon shortly.

“What do you think now?” Karn stood next to her, and Murmur almost jumped. She’d not expected the young assassin to come and talk to her. The girl’s stealth levels were obviously off the charts.

“Not much. Finish these off and then into the water we go.” Murmur wondered if she’d said it as unenthusiastically as she felt.

Karn chuckled. “I hate underwater zones too. Doesn’t everyone?”

“I think that’s why they make them. Just to piss us off.” Murmur grimaced. Nothing made sense in underwater zones. Spells shouldn’t work, neither should arrows, or even sword or axe damage. The trajectories weren’t even possible given the density of the water…but if she started down that path, she’d go down that burrow of never-ending labyrinths.

“Have you noticed anything strange about my dad?” Karn asked the question hesitantly, her eyes darting to where Risk stood talking in low voices with Masha, Jirald, and a few others Murmur only recognized because she knew they were in the raid.

For a moment Murmur wasn’t sure what to say. Karn wasn’t laying a trap for her, that was sure, because there was genuine concern in the girl’s countenance, and her emotions were an open book. She worried at her lip and had her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Karn was definitely worried about her father.

“I don’t know him that well, but he does seem to be a bit shorter tempered now than he was at the start. Could it be lack of sleep?” Murmur knew her own father could be unbearable if he didn’t get at least six hours sleep every night.

“Maybe?” But the assassin sounded doubtful, and her brow creased with irritation. “He’s just not acting like himself. Usually he’s strict but kind, if firm. His raiders love him, even if he’s blunt and makes some horrible puns. But right now? He’s grumpy and extremely disagreeable. Almost illogically so.”

“Heh.” Murmur reached down and scratched Snowy’s ears. “Sounds a lot like someone else I know.”

That’s when it hit her. The description of how he was acting sounded exactly the same as Jirald’s recent behavior. Reckless. Disagreeable. No logic to it at all. It couldn’t be him, could it? He had no magic and no way to pass something of that magnitude on. Surely, he couldn’t be orating with success and just turning people against her and Fable with words?

“Who?” Karn asked, her eyes bright as she studied Murmur.

Murmur hesitated. Karn wasn’t a member of her guild; she wasn’t even someone she’d met before