Chapter Text
Elliot had grown numb to death. It surrounded his every waking moment in this hellhole, smothering all his senses as he tried to fix the damn generator. The wires sparked angrily, causing him to wince as the machine shocked his fingers. Swearing to himself, he quickly finished repairs as he heard footsteps approaching. Quickly gathering his supplies, he started sprinting in the opposite direction. Judging by the clicking sounds, he was guessing that the killer was 1x1x1x1. Hoping to avoid the long range attacks, he dove for a patch of foliage as the footsteps continued to approach.
He focused on his breathing, trying to keep quiet as his heart rang heavy in his ears. He could see the sickly green glow of 1x growing closer as he raised his left hand to his face in an attempt to muffle his shaky breaths. He was so focused on the threat in front of him, he didn’t notice the presence sneaking up behind him.
Sharp teeth dug into the flesh of his right hand, crushing the bones in the process. He screamed in pain, trying to look behind him to see the threat, but a blackened hand quickly gripped around his throat. He quickly forgot about the threat behind him as 1x lifted him from the bushes. He desperately clawed at the hand as he was lifted to eye level, struggling to breathe around the crushing force, but his struggle was short lived as a sword pierced his abdomen.
The venomous blade cut cruelly through the soft flesh before being yanked out, bloody hands trying desperately to hold the organs in. The killer dropped him to the ground in an uncaring matter. He looked to the bushes one last time, catching a glimpse of a heavy paw walking away as death claimed him yet again.
The first thing he noticed when he woke up again was that his hand still hurt, which was a first. Normally injuries sustained during a round would heal, along with most of the negative effects, yet his hand burned, feeling as though hot lead had been poured directly into his veins. He idly scratched at the tender hand, but decided to push through to make sure his teammates were okay. After all, if something like this happened to him, something could have happened to the others.
Sluggishly, he took a moment to stretch, bones popping as he shook himself off. He decided to start looking in the main lodge, as the others would usually congregate there after each round. It felt safer, and it allowed them to take a moment to regroup and talk things out. He winced when trying to open the door with his dominant hand, gingerly shaking it out before using his left hand instead.
Entering the building, he did a scan of the common area. Noob and Two Time were having a conversation on the stairs, the former nervously scratching at their upper arm. Guest and 7n7 were sitting in silence by the fire, the former exploiter fiddling with the c00lgui. Builderman, Shedletsky, and Dussekar were deep in conversation at the table, with Taph observing from a few feet away. Meanwhile, Chance stood in the corner on his own, still flipping that damn coin. None of them seemed to be acting out of the ordinary, meaning he was on his own with this issue. He gingerly rubbed at the injured hand as Chance noticed his entrance. The gambler smiled at his entrance, waving him over.
”I was wondering when you’d show up.” The gambler smirked at him as he approached, but frowned when he noticed the way he was holding his right hand. “Didn’t take 1x as the type to pointlessly maim.” His comment made Elliot roll his eyes.
”It wasn’t 1x.” Elliot said in a deadpan tone. He noticed the question forming on Chance’s lips, and spoke again. “I tried to hide in a bush, that’s all.” He didn’t like the idea of the others worrying about him, he was supposed to provide for the team, keep them safe and healthy. Never the other way around. Wanting to get away from the pitying gaze of the gambler, he excused himself, making his way to the “kitchen”.
Calling the area a kitchen was generous, but the oven worked at least half the time, and the refrigerator usually kept things cool enough. He washed his hands before opening the fridge, grabbing the dough he prepared earlier. He went through the motions, the process was familiar and comforting. For a moment, he was back at Builder Bros, just preparing orders for customers. He winced, hand throbbing as he forced himself through the motions. The smell of yeast was stronger than usual. He quickly rubbed at his nose with his arm, but the smells still felt way too strong. He waved it off though, and finished preparing the pizza. He was sure it was probably nothing.
Everything burned.
He had retired to his cabin, trying to relax despite the pain, but then the burning began. Fire ran through his veins, sitting just below his skin. He scratched and clawed at his flesh, not noticing how sharp his nails had grown. His teeth felt too sharp in his mouth, his bones feeling wrong as they shifted. He thrashed in the corner, panting heavily through the pain. He couldn’t register the knocking at his door, too caught up in the pain to notice the concerned gambler on the other side. Something was growing from his tailbone, pressing painfully against the fabric before tearing through. His ears shifted into something more animalistic, and fur began to grow across his body.
He screamed as the door swung open, shocked to see the figure outside his cabin.
Chance knew something was off. Elliot was acting off earlier, and he was worried for his friend. He was originally just going to drop by for a chat, but once he heard the guy screaming, he felt the need to take drastic measures, although now, he was unsure of what to do.
Elliot was hunched over on all fours, eyes full of fear. His friend had a pair of tall, canine like ears, which were currently pinned against his head. A fluffy tail had broken free from his slacks, the fur a soft, golden color. Along with the new additions, his arms now supported that same yellow fur, while his fingers now ended in sharpened claws. In addition, his legs sat oddly in his pants, bending in places that a human’s would not. It took him a moment to realize that his legs had become digigrade, the joints shifting upwards to resemble that of a dogs.
He didn’t realize he was staring until he heard Elliot growling(?) at him. He was initially shocked, but soon noticed the yellow fur on Elliot’s neck standing on end. Was Elliot… scared of him?
Dog man or not, Elliot was still his friend. He slowly kneeled down, trying to make himself seem smaller to the frightened man. He offered one of his hands to the pizza delivery driver, much like how one would offer their hand to a dog. Elliot was still frightened, but in that moment, he sought comfort. He began to slowly approach the gambler, cautiously sniffing his hand. He smelled of cologne and gunpowder, causing him to sneeze as the scent filled his nostrils.
Chance was unsure if Elliot was still in there, but seeing as he hadn’t been mauled yet, he decided to push his luck. He gently reached behind his new, fluffy ears, scratching near the base.
This was… nice. The scratching was calming, and unbeknownst to him, his tail had started wagging. The man was stifling a laugh, but Elliot did not care, and simply leaned into the touch. He allowed himself to get closer to the man, knocking him down slightly as he rubbed his head against him. The gambler yelped slightly, but was quickly wrapped up in a tight embrace. He felt at ease with the man, barely noticing the fog rolling in. Chance squirmed in his arms when he noticed, but Elliot seemed to be oblivious to the start of a new round.
Well, this was sure to be interesting…