Outside of the game, I could hear the faint sound of a door opening and closing, followed by a shrill voice calling out my name. "Shit, my mom's back!"
"So what?" Sam growled, clearly eager to get moving. "We can't leave now, we have to escape this dungeon!"
"I know, I know..." I considered my options. I could ignore my mom, and figure a way out of this labyrinth. Or I could abandon the game, and see what my mom wanted. Both options had dire consequences... My mom called for me again, her voice more urgent this time. I sighed, and reached for the game options. "I'm sorry, man. We're gonna have to cut things short."
"Ray, don't," Sam grabbed me by the shoulders. Even now, the lycanthropy was taking effect, his ears a bit pointer, his teeth a tad too sharp to be human. "You know I can't get out of this place by myself..."
"Maybe you don't have to," I said. I looked at the countdown under my stats. There was less than an hour until stage 2 kicked in. What that entailed, I didn't know. But I knew it wouldn't be wise to find out. "Do these counters work in game time or real time?"
"Huh?"
"If we quit the game now, and came back tomorrow, would we still have an hour left to figure stuff out? Or would our characters be full-blown werewolves?"
"I don't know... I've never encountered anything like this yet..."
I stroked my rough chin in thought. "If it's just game time, we could do some research, see if anyone else has encountered this Mugrel Isnim before, and whether they managed to escape the labyrinth intact."
"Maybe... But what if it is real time?"
"Unfortunately, it's a risk I have to take." I take one last look at my game, then give a quick goodbye to Sam before shutting things down. After taking my headset off, I glance around my room in a haze. It always felt weird coming back to the real world after spending time in virtual reality. But this time felt different. I had a queasy feeling in my stomach. I'd never experienced motion sickness before. Then again, I'd never been utterly thrashed in a VR game before...
Sam still had his gear on, lying down on the bed beside me. I hadn't noticed how big he looked until now. I thought he was shorter than me, although judging by his legs dangling off the bed, I was clearly mistaken. His hair was a mess, in that awkward stage of growth where it was too short to tie back, and too long to leave unstyled. And his beard was filling in nicely, I didn't even remember him starting to grow one. It's almost as if it appeared overnight. Much like his brawny build. His clothes looked so tight, they could rip to shreds. Part of me knew this wasn't right, Sam was always a short, scrawny kid. Yet the other part ignored those discrepancies, eager to keep taking in his overgrown form. He was becoming quite the hunk. My eyes were drawn to his rounded bubble butt, two perky mounds just ripe for the picking.
I couldn't help myself. I reached out, both hands outstretched, desperate to cop a feel. But just as I was about to touch his ass, my bedroom door opened with a bang, and gave me a fright. My mom stood on the other side looking very displeased. "Raymond Rafael Redfield!" she snapped.
I cringed, I hated when she used my full name. "Mom," I whined, "We were just getting up now. C'mon, Sam." I gave my friend a little nudge, but he seemingly ignored me.
My mom rolled her eyes, and shook her head. "You and that silly game," she denounced. "It's making monsters out of the lot of you... Even your father's playing it now. He doesn't think I know, but I know..." Her eyes narrowed at the accusation.
"Well, I'm not playing it now," I said, and fell back into my chair. "What did you want?"
"I need to go out shopping for a few things, and I'm going to need those strong muscles of yours to carry the bags." I sighed and nodded my head. I was basically at her beck and call now, thanks to her buying the game for me. She glanced over to Sam on the bed. "I don't want to be inhospitable, but Sam can't stay here. Unless he wants to come with us, I could always use an extra hand."
I shook my head. "I think he's a little busy with something," I replied, watching as he made little kicks or swings to match whatever he was doing in-game.
She nodded her head, her lips pursed. Her eyes glanced at me, and she added "You should freshen up first, you look a mess. Did you go to school like that?" I looked down to see my clothes were ruffled and creased. I blushed a little, that fight must have been pretty intense. "And when was the last time you shaved?"
"Uh, I don't know..."I reached up, and felt my scruffy stubble. Did it feel thicker than this morning? It certainly felt like it covered more of my face, as if I had an actual beard instead of just chin hairs. My chest leapt a little at the thought.
"Well you'll have to deal with it when we get back, or you're going to look like your father," she sighed. "I can't have two bearded men in the house."
Once my mom left the room, I turned my attention to Sam. He was still on the bed, still playing the game. I felt a little hurt that he'd continue without me. "I know you can hear me," I say aloud. "You heard my mom, you're going to have to take your game back home if you're that desperate to leave me stuck in that dungeon, alone." Still no response. I sigh and walk towards the console. "It sure would be a shame if I accidentally unplugged your headset from-"
"OKAY! Okay!" Sam screeched, fiddling with his controls for a few seconds before taking his headset off. I leapt back in shock. Not just from his sudden aggression, but there was a bloodlust in his expression. His eyes looked manic, his lips turned into a snarl. Then he rubbed his eyes, adjusting to the real world, and tossed his set onto the bed. His menacing aura was gone, replaced by his normal, chill expression. He turned to me and said, "Just so you know, I was *this* close to getting out on my own. I'm gonna be so pissed if I'm back in the dungeon when I re-enter."
"I'm sorry, man. But you don't want to cross my mom," I said as I began putting away my gear. "We could drop you back at your place if you'd like."
"Nah, I know a shortcut back." He gathered his gear and put it in his backpack. "Don't listen to your mom, I think the beard suits you." He gave me a kiss on the cheek, and I blushed red, stammering to myself. "Hit me up when you get back in the game!" he called out before leaving my room, and hurrying down the stairs.
After he left, I undressed, and gathered some fresh clothes. But not before taking a look at myself in the mirror. I did look scruffy. My hair was like a bird's nest, and my facial hair was definitely denser. It covered my cheeks, and even my upper lip had the beginnings of a mustache. It made my jawline look stronger, and I appeared more grown-up than usual. I even noticed some hairs dusted between my pecs, and a small treasure trail down my abs. Which was even weirder since I definitely had a small belly a few days ago. Now I looked like I actually worked out, with a lean build and significant muscle mass. Even stranger, I had bruises, and was that a scar? A slash across my chest, similar to where my armor was damaged...
I dismissed the whole thing as me worrying about my situation in-game. Besides, whatever was up, I didn't have time to think about it. I couldn't keep mom waiting any longer. I put on some clean clothes, ran down the stairs, and joined her at the door. But before leaving, I quickly got my phone out and sent a text to Sam.
"you still gonna escape without me?? lmk how it goes"
As we got into the car and pulled out of the driveway, the text was still unread. I wondered whether Sam would wait for me, or if he'd jump straight back into the system. I checked my watch, nearly twenty minutes had passed since getting that worrying lycanthropy countdown. I wouldn't know if it was passing in real time or not until it was well and truly too late to do anything. I drummed my fingers on the car door, anxious for what was due to happen.