[System Announcement!]
[Welcome back, Emily Vander!]
She gasped for air, coughing liquid from her lungs that wasn't there. Emily's eyes searched for the scientist, pointed ears twitching for the sound of his devices. Her unrestrained arms reached out, seeking life for the third time.
The announcement faded from her vision. The chair was gone and so was the white room. Is this another one of his experiments?
Her new surroundings were full of swamp lands. The bog engulfed her on all sides, and she stood on a lone rock. If not for the stone, mud would be coating her legs. Thick sludge surrounded her on all sides, and decrepit trees sprung up from the ground.
The sounds of insects buzzed in the air, making Emily look around vigilantly. Her eyes eventually arrived at a swarm of large bugs. They appeared like dragonflies and flapped their wings at a distance over the thick air.
Emily's eyes dragged down to her own body, covered in only a thin black veil. It draped her new body, and that's when she noticed the tail waving uncomfortably behind her. The dark fur was pristine with a crimson tip. Her ears wiggled again, and she reached up, poking the fluff with her fingertips.
What?
The voice almost left her throat, but she stopped it at the edge of her lips. No scientist or table? Where are all of the instruments? Is this his idea of a game? A simulation?
She climbed down from the rock hesitantly, her toes dipping in thick mud. The sludge dug in between her toes, and her foot sank in. She gritted her teeth and let the top of her foot lower before placing the other foot down. The nasty substance crept into her toe nails and over the top of her foot.
The smell of the bog swept over her, and she wrinkled her nose. The pungent scent brought with it a cool breeze. She hugged herself, crossing her arms, and gripping her shoulders. What if...
She shook her head. No, it's impossible.
Emily trudged through the mud, slowly digging herself even deeper. It didn't take long until it passed her ankles. The sloshing sound became more pronounced with each step.
The closer she got to the insects, the more she realized how huge they were. Their large translucent wings buzzed above the surface of water. Emily's feet sank even deeper into the slush, until some of the brown substance coated her thin veil. When she managed to reach the water's edge, the rank went up past her shins.
Her eyes narrowed towards the surface, but she couldn't see her reflection in the murk. Though, something else happened when she fixed her eyes. A screen popped up in her vision.
Race: [Sarcosuchus]Age: 14
Sex: Male
Level: 31
Health: 4,000
Stamina: 5,000
Mana: 2,000
Emily dove backwards, barely in time to miss huge jaws snapping at her head. Muck splashed all around and coated her veil. The ooze coated parts of her face, and the taste of gravel spread in her mouth. The hissing of the crocodilian sounded in the air. She rolled around in the mud, evading another bite, but her veil wasn't as lucky. The jaws clung to it.
She screamed as she was pulled closer to the Sarco by a piece of cloth. Emily was pulled to her feet with its assistance, but she resisted. The clothing tore in the creatures jaws, and Emily stumbled forwards onto her knees.
By now, most of her body was coated in mud. Though, her torn outfit gave her the out she needed. She pressed her hands deep into the mud and climbed to her feet desperately. Emily started regretting leaving the safety of her rock. Each step was a fight against nature. Gravity and swamp mud tried to pull her back down.
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
She looked back to see the Sarco gained his footing. He raised his armored body and spat out the back of Emily's veil.
The fox girl barely managed to get stable and started running, but the crocodile was fast for his size.
His large legs dug into his natural habitat. The Sarco’s adept body practically glided through the mud.
Even though Emily had her own fair share of experiences with mud in the military, she was nothing compared to someone evolved for the purpose. Adrenaline coursed through her veins, and her heart pounded with reckless abandon. The monster was gaining on her, and it wouldn't be long before his jaws found her body.
I don't want to die! Not again...even in a simulation.
The earth rumbled behind her, and she closed her eyes, diving to the side in a last ditch effort. She spun around on her elbows to get a great view of her pursuer.
He was even bigger than she'd first thought. His back was covered in armor and spines. His body was almost as long as a school bus, and she saw the inside of his mouth as it approached. She saw the large teeth that would spell her end.
The rumbling in the ground continued. Right before his mouth could find her, a serpent lunged from the mud. The gigantic jaws of a constrictor snake snapped around the crocodile's neck and swept it away from Emily.
Serpent and crocodile toiled with each other in the mud, and the snake started wrapping its body around the prehistoric reptile. The serpent was double the length of its prey, and it coiled all of its girth around the monster.
Emily didn't wait to see if it was her savior intentionally. She dragged herself back to her feet and bolted away from both of them.
"Let me out of this place!" She shouted but nobody answered her call.
In a way, it was a relief that nobody responded. Even if there was a chance of being eaten alive, torture was a much worse fate. Emily wasn't sure where she was running to. She figured that if she ran long enough, there was a possibility she'd reach the edge of the simulation.
When she was sufficiently far enough away from the carnage, she ripped off the front piece of her veil, exposing her bare skin. Emily let the clothing fall into the mud beneath her. She was now completely nude to the world, but her survival was a more pressing matter.
Memories from her life before constant torture flashed into her head. A platoon marched boldly forwards into mud. They wore green camouflage. A perfectly uniform blouse over a green shirt and green pants beneath that. Their brown boots pressed into the mud, and they sang out a cadence. An American flag graced the shoulder of all the uniforms, reminding them of the creed and allegiance.
That woman was long gone. There were no more marches or parades. Emily felt only a need to escape. She swallowed and leaned against a bog tree, her shoulders slumping.
She used to believe that the Army was the worst thing that could happen to her, yet here she was. She was a frail girl with new appendages. The tail behind her waved uncomfortably. It was caked in mud like the rest of her body and drooped against the tree. Even this new part of me wants to give up.
Adrenaline was the only thing that kept her alive, but she was beginning to wonder why she didn't let the crocodile eat her. Sure, it would have been a violent death, but it was better than suffering another second in that laboratory.
Emily moved her tail in front of her with instinct and wrapped her arms around it, seeking some kind of comfort from the fluffy appendage. It worked to slow her breathing and heart rate. She performed a series of practiced breaths.
In, 1, 2, 3, 4. Hold, 1, 2, 3, 4. Exhale, 1, 2, 3, 4.
She repeated this pattern a total of 5 times, until her heart reached equilibrium. The fox girl felt herself calming down and looked up towards the sky. Though, the thick hue of fog above mostly covered any semblance of it. I can't be sure if this is a game or not. The only thing I can do is try to survive.
Her odds were much better in here than with the doctor, she imagined. I guess this mud on my body can act as a scent insulator? The first rule of survival is shelter. I can't have this cold substance on my body too long, or I run the risk of freezing at night.
She looked around in her immediate vicinity, but it didn't take her long to find something. There was a wide tree that penetrated the fog above, and there was a bear-sized hole in its trunk.
Emily's eyes widened, and she made way for the structure. She walked into the entrance, and within seconds, she was enveloped in darkness. The inside was much larger than she could have ever imagined. She traipsed forwards tentatively down a slope and eventually towards light. After a sufficient distance, a ding sounded in her head.
[System Announcement!]
[You have entered a dungeon!]