[WIP] The Second Level

The Second Level

It had been ten hours on Phobos, the local scenery absolutely covered in various demon blood and viscera. A short, stocky pink-furred anthropomorphic cat clad in green and ragged plasteel armor and forest camouflaged fatigues held a double-barreled shotgun over his shoulder, the weapon still wisping smoke out its charred barrels. He took a seat next to one of the writhe, brown spiked demons sprawled in pieces across the Phobos dust, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. The cat scanned his surroundings, content in his handiwork of the wholesale slaughter of a demonic invasion. "Fenrir, save and quit," spoke a much more feminine voice from the green-clad hero. "Affirmative. Welcome back to Earth, Tyr."

All is black but a message saying "It is safe to remove the headset."

Something felt off, however. As "Tyr" pulled the headset off of her face, the four blank white walls surrounding her in her living space looked craggy, bloody, or otherwise shot full of holes. Ghost images of the demons she once slayed dotted her peripheral vision, making her glance every which way. With no weapon within arm's reach, the pink cat slipped on the floor as she distanced herself from Fenrir, her personal computer. She thought she slipped in blood, before blinking and seeing only the blue shag carpet, stained by a months-old cola spill. "Ahh!" She'd come to realise that she'd twisted her ankle somewhat. Pain jolts up her leg and through her body, shocking her into more of the gory scenery of Phobos. "Fenrir, IDDQD!"

Nothing happens. All Tyr can hear are the echoes of demon howls and the faint crying and screaming of innocents. She closed her eyes and shook her head after a minute of waiting for something to happen. Another minute passes and the visions are ever so slowly fading, the howling and screaming steadily transitioning to the muffled sounds of the outside traffic. She reached for a medical kit that wasn't there, grasping at nothing but a pillow from her cot. It wouldn't magically restore her health this time, only to be soft and maybe comfortable to hug. She looked around more, seeing the visions of Phobos strengthen again. The sounds of suffering would not continue, however. "Fenrir?" she asked again.

"Yes, Tyr?" the computer spoke with a very soft, deliberately machine-processed female voice.

"I... I need help... I can't see my surroundings clearly. Where am I?" Tyr spoke with desperation in her voice.

With calm, Fenrir spoke, "You are in your dormatory room at East State Medical University."

"But... Fenrir, I can only see dirt and blood and bodies," she replied before sitting down on a flat piece of rock, she thought. The carpet wasn't exactly plush. "Where's my armor?"

"You are not playing Doom 3000 anymore, Tyr. Shall I call the local nurse for assistance?"

"P... Please, I twisted my ankle. I can't get up," she mumbled. Even after trying to blink the hellish halls away, they only strengened. She felt like she was not alone with Fenrir, constantly looking over her shoulders. The actions of her paranoia only made her more dizzy.

"Affirmative. I am sending help now," Fenrir said.

Tyr laid down on her side and closed her eyes, but even that was not enough to hide from Phobos. With the sounds of normalcy now very much returning outside of her dorm, visual and audio ambiance would juxtaspose. Her head spun. Nothing felt real anymore, not even herself. She felt her breathing constricted, aware now her green armor was gone; off her nightshirt and binder came, exposing modest breasts covered in an off-white color of fur. Tyr's focus shifts from her surroundings to her chest, blinking several times in surprise. I thought I set my player character male, she thought, but reality is slowly settling in once again. It would be then that she'd notice she was hyperventilating, with her arms crossed tightly over her breasts to the point of constriction. Tyr began to cry as everything seems to be hitting her all at once, just as someone knocked on the door.

Tyr whipped her head around to a big metal and mechanical door, striped with caution tape at the bottom lip. "Wh-wh-who is it?" Tyr stammered out.

They didn't reply with a name, but with the door swinging open and two bloodied former soldiers rushing in towards her. Still clutching her chest, she screamed in distress as they came after her. Tyr backed away as best as she could with a bum ankle before she quickly found one of the rock walls. It took her several agonizing seconds to realize that they were not armed, but the two thought quicker than she did: she was rapidly restrained against her will, perhaps for their safety, maybe for hers. "Lancaster! Lancaster! Relax, it's just us!"

"You're lying!" she cried, her blue eyes welling up with tears. "You're taking me to Hell, I won't let--"

"LANCASTER," the other yelled into her ear, "Your computer called us up here!"

"F-Fenrir?" She blinked several times. Tyr tried to get to her feet, only to fall over sideways under the restraints and into her cot. She's fortunate that her ankle wasn't further injured.

"You are suffering from a Virtual Reality-induced hallucination," Fenrir spoke plainly. "Please allow the professionals to treat you." To which, they pick her up by the knees and shoulders, as she just withdraws herself to her Doom. Tyr passes out to the hyperventilation before the three have left her dorm room.