I Am The Apocalypse Chapter 1

I fell out of bed.

That is the first thought that came to me. After all, what else should I think after waking up on a hard floor instead of my own worn-out bed? Still, this never happened to me before, so my second thought was obvious:

How and why, in Absolute Hell?

But something felt strange…like my body was stiff, and in all the wrong places…like I had an extra joint in my legs. What did I do last night?

There was work, there was home: I microwaved leftovers, a bit of gaming, and watching random gaming videos on the internet. Nothing that should make my body feel any worse than normal.

Maybe old age caught me early? My grandfather always said it would.

Well, it's my day off anyway, but lying on the floor certainly isn't going to make me feel better.

I rose up my front and let out a mighty yawn-

And heard a terrifying growl.

I immediately shut my mouth, eyes wide as they darted around the room for whatever wild animal was here and wanted to eat me.

Only, there was none. More alarmingly, this wasn't my bedroom or my house. Actually, I wasn't sure I was even in the same state anymore.

Because I think I would have heard of this place if it was anywhere near where I lived.

It was a large room with no windows, all made of this light blue, cobalt stone. Sharp indented lines flowed and bent through the walls, making it look as if the room was made of squares and rectangles, with the crevices containing something crimson within them. All in all, it made me think of a circuit board for a computer.

Was this some kind of modern art museum? If so, I had to admit, it is kind of cool. But how did I get here? I don't do drugs or drink beer, so I don't think I wandered in myself. And what was that growl anyway?

I raised a hand to rub my very bewildered skull. That's when everything got crazy.

I froze as I realized two things. First, this is not a hand on my head. It is a paw. A dog's, I believe, but that's not important! And secondly, I realized that my nose is a lot longer…and furrier. Black fur to be precise, but again, not the important part!

I tried to stand, and immediately toppled over with a yelp; a very, very, canine yelp. I craned my head to look down at my body in alarm and confusion.

My new body, at least.

This is not a human's body. This isn't even a dog's body! Because dogs don't have leathery wings! Or scaly lizard legs in the back! Or a tail that-wait, is that a damn anaconda?!

"The Absolute Hell?!" I cried out, trying to scurry away from the large serpent, my wings flaring out against my will. Try being the keyword, as the snake was somehow dragged back with me. It didn't wake up, thankfully, but snakes don't move backwards like that! "Is...is its tail in my ASS?!" I exclaimed, morbidly alarmed.

Turned into a demonic wolf and sodomized with a snake. This is definitely in my top three of the worst ways I've woken up.

Still, despite that horrible visual, I don't actually feel...violated or anything. To be blunt, I don't feel anything up my asshole; which either means I've gone numb to it already, or this isn't what it looks like at all.

Please don't be what it looks like. Please.

I move again, the snake brushing along the floor. I pause, realizing that I can feel that. I can feel the cool floor beneath that snake's scales. A very strange suspicious comes to my mind as I don't see a fluffy dog tail. So either I'm tailless or...

The snake moves and I can feel my jaw drop open in shock because "I" am the one moving the giant snake! Apparently, I have a snake for a tail. Not a snake-tail, but a whole snake for a whole tail. The movements are very jerky and I keep getting the directions backward, but I manage to get the snake-head to look in my direction. The most immediate thing I notice is that its eyes are glazed over. Or my eyes are, I guess? Don't snakes have clear lenses or something instead of eyelids?

At that very thought, a lens unfolded from the snake's eyes, showing their clear, green eyes. And suddenly I am staring at myself from the snake's point of view.

Well, I certainly have the head of a wolf, but those horns are big and pointy. Also, my eyes are red. Why do the snake head and wolf head have different eye colors? I don't know why that's bugging me right now, but it is. It bothers me a lot.

I quickly learn that having a staring contest between your own two heads will give you a headache, very quickly. I shook my head to clear the dizzying sensation, finding my snake-eyes had recovered themselves.

Okay, so I am apparently a snake-tailed, wolf-dragon hybrid thing. And I am in a place I have never seen before. I am beginning to get an idea for what's going on here. "Yeah, still at least top five worst ways I've woken up,"

Look at that, I can talk. Good, I was afraid I imagined my outburst earlier. Also, my voice is deep and rumbling. I have to admit, I find it just a bit awesome despite the situation.

I breathe deep and long through my nostrils, trying to calm my nerves.

Why am I not surprised when literal fire flares from my nostrils?

I'm tempted to just go back to sleep. Maybe this is just a dream and I'll just wake up in bed, my alarm ringing as I drag myself out of the warm sheets to grab toast, coffee, and whatever else I feel like snacking on before work.

And even if it isn't a dream and this is real, I'm not sure I want to deal with this right now.

So I compromised, lying down on my stomach with my head resting over my crossed paws. It took a few tries to get my wings refolded though, instead of just flexing and twitching randomly. How do bats live with these things?! After shifting this body about, I found a position that felt natural enough.

Now, I can just lie down and think.

If this is a dream, then I accidentally unlocked lucid dreaming, which is basically like having creative mode in a game and not knowing how to use it. More frustrating than fun at first. And why a wolf? And why am I not questioning the entire demonic motif first!?

In summary, if this is a dream, I'm probably wasting time and should just enjoy myself.

This of course, ignores how utterly real this feels and how I don't think you can fall in a dream without waking up. Or am I thinking about something from a movie? Either way, I'm pretty sure this is too much even for a lucid dream.

Assuming this was reality, I had a suspicion about my situation. It was an absurd idea that should have no basis in any rational train of thought, but neither should anything else I am experiencing right now.

Still, I refuse to believe it until I am sure. And the only way to be sure involved getting up.

And I just got comfortable too.

With a sigh, mercifully flameless, I sat up on my hind legs and began to test this body of mine. The wings were somehow the easiest to control in some ways. Getting them to stay folded against my back is no issue. It's getting them folded in the first place that bites. The snake tail likes to wander back and forth a bit when I'm not focusing on it, but I'm not sure what to do about that…or if I really need to do anything. If it doesn't lick anything, it should be fine.

I pushed said tail away when I realize it was rubbing my brow like a hand that I wished I had.

Now just came the accursed part…trying to walk.

I'll admit it, having four legs instead of two is easier than I was initially dreading. Sure, it takes some getting used to, but it's a lot harder to trip and fall with double the limbs. Plus the tail is working like a counter balance, all on its own. I'm not sure if that's instinct or this thing has some kind of mind of its own. I'd rather not think about that too much.

It was a slow thing to learn, but I wasn't in much of a hurry; the opposite in fact, as I took the time to study this place. Not that there is much to study. It's just a large square room. I'm not sure how big even "I" am, but each wall is at least five times longer than me, minus the tail. So assuming I'm normal sized for a wolf, maybe twenty feet?

Still, there is no obvious way out of this place. Is this a prison? A cage? Shit, is this a zoo? I really hope not.

Finding nothing in the walls, I did a quick look for anything obvious on the floor and ceiling. "Jackpot," I said, spotting a circle above the middle of the room. Its curved nature and more creamy color made it stand out against the rest of the room.

In hindsight, standing below it, I realize that I might have awoken near this spot. I'm almost positive that isn't by chance. Still, the roof was high up, for a wolf of my size at least. It was at least thrice my height! I'm not about to try flying just yet and I don't think I can jump that. "So, how to get up there?" I asked myself.

Sometimes, the universe provides.

I blinked owlishly as the circle glowed with strange symbols around the edges and at its center, instantly engulfing me in light. I can't even process what is happening as the brightness fades away, leaving me in a similar yet distinctly different room. "Was...that a teleporter!? Was that magic?!" I exclaimed as my tail hisses at the floor and my wings flapping briefly in alarm.

My outrageous suspicion is quickly becoming more and more likely. Regardless if this was magic or science, or even techno-magic, teleporting is beyond any science I've heard of in real life! And since I'm a horned, winged wolf, I'm betting on magic being the source right now. Which means, somehow, magic is real.

Swallowing that rather large pill, I brought myself out of my stupor and looked around the room. It was longer in size than my last one, making it more of a rectangle, but the ceiling is a bit shorter. I could probably touch it with my nose if I leaned up on my hind legs, or close to it.

I glared at my tail, which was trying and failing to raise itself high enough to touch the ceiling. I really need to get that under control.

Looking down at my f- paws, there was an identical circle at my feet. Definitely a teleport circle then. I glance around to spot two exits on either side of the room, thankfully. But in the back was another surprise.

There was an ornate throne made of gold and lined with precious gemstones of all kinds. On either side were two poles holding bowls at the top, blue flames burning majestically in them.

And on the throne itself was a skeleton, clad in armor with a staff on one sides of the throne and a sword on the other.

"Well, shit." was all I can say, staring at the corpse awkwardly. Partially because I'm polite enough to not want to disturb the dead, but also because I think this dead-man might just stand up if I upset him. After the magi-port and new body, that would just be one more nail in the coffin, pun mostly unintended.

Okay, entirely intended.

The bones don't suddenly start creaking and moving, so I count that as a win. "Am I in a tomb or something?" I wonder out loud, scratching my brow. It took me a moment to realize I did that with the "elbow" of my wing, or whatever that joint was called. I eyed the limb oddly as I managed to get it closed again. Getting used to these limbs will be a chore.

With nothing else here at first look, I decide to just slowly make an exit to my left.

I'm disappointed to say that this next room is just another version of my first room, but smaller all around, with some kind of tiny statue at the center. I leaned down to observe that it was made of something black and shiny, in the shape of an oval. It was too thin to be an egg, or at least I think so. No egg I've ever seen, even online. Then again, I don't look up too many bug eggs, and it looks like it's that size or it might have been a frog's…

Being a different size has seriously destroyed all sense of scale I had, and it was already bad to begin with.

A hissing sound drew my attention to my tail, the snake head hovering next to me, staring at the statue curiously as well. It slithered back behind me now that I was aware of it.

Scratch that, it wasn't going to be a chore, it was going to be an entire shopping list.

Regardless, as with the corpse, I decide not to mess with the maybe-egg statue.

There is another exit, to my left again. Through it, I found a much longer room. I think I could actually try running in here! It's a bit slanted too, taking me downward as I go. I almost slip more than once, but there are these square spaces on the ground that are level instead of tipping down, helping me catch myself. I'm just happy none of them triggered a trap.

Hmm, was this place built for this new body in mind? If so, that raised questions. Was there another wolf-dragon-thing down here somewhere? If not, then who knew I'd be here, like this?

I pushed away that idea as I reached the bottom. This exit just went forward, and so I followed it.

After so many squares and rectangles, I was surprised to find that this room was circular in shape; And that there was nothing else remotely interesting about it…which just made me more suspicious of it. I look over every inch of it and don't even try to control my tail as it does the same, but I ultimately find nothing of note in the room.

I glanced to my left and found the next opening. It was very close to this one, practically a U-turn in directions. Was this just going to loop back to the throne room?

I eyed this unremarkable room with distrustful eyes one last time before slowly making my way out, my tail hissing at the room as we did.

I approve of that hiss. Because I am very, very sure that this entire place is loaded with traps! But for some reason, I didn't set anything off. So either they were broken or weren't meant for me. Or I was being paranoid and they didn't exist in the first place.

My musing ended as I literally fell over in shock of the next room.

This place is "massive" and that was an understatement! If I knew how, I could actually fly in here!

To my left is a wall made of cube-shaped fragments that are stacked unevenly atop one another. Many are jutting out to create platforms, like misshapen stairs or some kind of obstacle course. And they look just big enough for me to try jumping up. Though, falling from the top ones would be painful. That would be what, thirty, forty feet? A wolf was less than four feet tall, right?

At the base of the wall is some kind of water feature. I'm not even sure what to call it, other than a strip in the ground that water poured into. It was long, nearly half the width of the room, but too thin to even sit in, but it might be big enough to take a drink from. The water came in from three small waterfalls that start half way up the blocks, streaming out from some hidden source.

More importantly, that water seemed to be sparkling. That isn't normal, right? Water shouldn't shine like that, especially without sunlight!

To my right is a series of pillars, skinny yet about the same height as me, reaching to hold up a much lower ceiling that my horns would definitely bump against. I raised an eyebrow at that, another suspicion crawling into my mind, but filing that away until I was done exploring. Midway across the room, there's a gap in the pillars. Down that path is a long hallway that is just a bit wider than me. At the end of it, there is some sort of door. Maybe an actual way out of here? But first, I decide to confirm what is at the other side of this room.

Leaving this room for now, I head to the end and found another passage. Identical to the one I used to enter this room. Within, I find what I suspected: a circular room that mirrored to the other one. Peaking around to the next room, I spied a long hall with an upward slanted floor.

Yep, just as I guessed, these rooms went in a loop. So this would just take me back to the skeleton king. Which I'll do later, but first thing first: Time to explore that last hallway.

Turning about, I pace back to find myself at the long hall once more and traveled down it. I find myself shivering in my fur, because this is actually a little claustrophobic! I don't normally have that kind of problem, but these walls are a bit too close for comfort, especially with this form. Any tighter, and I might get stuck in here! As it is, I'll have to back up instead of just turning around, unless I decide to literally spin on my fluffy ass…which would probably make my snake hit the wall head-first

If one of my heads gets a headache, will both of them feel it? Not a theory I want to test out.

It takes a minute or two longer than I thought to reach the door. This hall went deeper than it appeared to, or needed to in my opinion. I look at the door and frowned as one key detail struck me. This door, like the pillars, was about the same size as me. I had been assuming all this time that I was a normal size for a wolf, despite the extra parts. But if that was true, a person wouldn't fit through this door. Come to think of it, that skeleton and throne seemed a bit short, but I thought it was just distance and my new body screwing with my perspective. But if I'm huge for a wolf, a bit taller than a person at least, then these rooms are even bigger than I thought.

There isn't much I can do with that, but it's something to keep in mind. It didn't help me get through this door though, which is being rather rude with its lack of handles or knobs. There's clearly a crack down the middle, so it does open, probably. But how? If I had hands, I could try prying it open, but I doubt that would do any good. This door is clearly heavy and thick as hell. Though, maybe I could push it open?

Carefully, I rear back on my hind legs and push forward with my front limbs. And holy shit, I did that harder and faster than I thought I could! I swore I could feel my body trembling from the impact! But the door didn't move or break. I tried clawing at it. I'm a bit clumsy with them, but not even a scratch was left in the surface. Damn. Maybe it only opens from the outside?

I snort again, almost ignoring the flames this time, before I start to back up and return to the Grand Entrance, as I'm calling this room in my head. Once there, I sit down to take stock of my situation.

Okay, I woke up in a strange room in the body of wolf with horns and wings. I also have a whole-snake for a tail, giving me eyes out of my ass. There is a magic teleporter that brought me to a throne room with a skeleton, and a series of rooms that led to a hallway that I currently can't leave.

I groan, whimpering almost, as the situation hit me like a ton of bricks. I haven't played a lot of RPGs, but I knew enough from watching anime, TV and gaming videos to know what this place looks like. And what I look like.

This place was a dungeon. Not one of those medieval torture places, but a game dungeon filled with loot and monsters. And I just happened to look like a monster; given where I woke up, some kind of boss monster. And that would mean that anyone coming through that door is probably going to try and kill me, if that's true.

But if all that IS true, it also means one entirely ridiculous thing.

I've been isekai'd. Or, in more layman's terms, transported to another world…as a monster, no less. Why, who knows? I certainly didn't get hit by a truck and I don't think I was dying last night. It really doesn't matter how or why right now, just that it happened.

"Shit!" I cursed, trying not to smile and laugh at the absurdness. Honestly, this was real? And me? This happened to me of all people? "Okay, is some god screwing with me? At least be nice enough to say so!" I call upwards, as if someone would answer.

No one did, but it wouldn't surprise me at this point if they did.

I sigh as I sit on my new haunches, gazing blankly at the floor while my mind wandered. While using fiction as genuine examples for dealing with real life situations was normally something I considered fairly stupid...this was the situation I was in, something that only happened in stories. And in all stories like this, people either decide to stick with their new life or try to find a way to their old world. Some didn't have a choice either way. Do I want to find a way back?

I...don't have a good answer for that. I wasn't unhappy with my old life on Earth. I was content in most ways. There are people I would miss, friends and relatives. But there was nothing big in my life keeping me there. No immediate family, no dream job. Just existing, day by day, taking the little joys in life as I go.

I suppose it depended on what it is like in this world, outside this dungeon.

Granted, either way, I would absolutely love to have a human form back at some point! I'll settle for just humanoid if I have to.

That is neither here nor there though. I can't do anything right now, stuck in here. So, I have to find a way out…hell, I'll make one if I have to.

Well, first place to look is the throne room. That's usually where the secret stuff is hidden anyway.

I travel back up on the other set of rooms, just to confirm that they are indeed identical. If there's a difference, I don't spot any. Minus the oval thing on this side, it's white instead of black.

"I guess it's just you and me, Skelly King," I joke as I approach the throne. And yeah, I had him beat in the height department. If he's about average size, I'm at least seven, maybe eight feet tall. "Don't suppose you can tell me anything?" I ask, only half-joking. Though, I'd probably piss myself if the skeleton suddenly answered me.

Looking him over, I decide to keep to my rule of not disturbing this corpse any more than I already am. But besides the weapons on both sides, I don't see anything standing out. Looking around, I scowl at the vacant room. Had it been ransacked already, or just left this sparse?

Or, perhaps, there was a hidden room. Maybe even a secret exit to go with it.

I come around to the space behind the throne and look over the walls, but I have no idea what I'm really looking for. What even are these red lines in the wall? I squint and study them, these crevices in the walls.

["Rochi: A magic-rich liquid of unknown origins used to enhance magical power, in both living and nonliving objects."]

I stumbled back in shock, freezing as I bump into the throne. Hastily, with instincts I didn't know I have, my snake tail coils up to peer over the shoulder of the ornate throne and stare at the skeleton. I relax a bit as I see through my tail-eyes, seeing that I haven't provoked the dead into rising from an eternal nap. Good, that was goo-

"Don't you dare!" I bark at my tail, knowing it was about to nudge the skeleton with its snout. The snake moves back and I find myself hating my subconscious for being this hard to manage.

But what in absolute hell just popped into my head!? It wasn't even something I saw or heard. It was more like I suddenly remembered something I haven't thought about in years. But I definitely didn't learn about this stuff, ever! I'd remember any series or game with a devil-wolf rather vividly.

Of course, there is another trope that could be in play. Taking a shot, I focus my attention on the walls themselves, wondering if this is what I thought.

["Avirium: A purified, magic-infused solid that was used in the creation of ancient fortresses. Lesser purity dilutes defenses capabilities, but is easier to create. Purity: 100%."]

Right, so I have a "Magic Sight" ability of some kind, giving me information on whatever I focus on. Question is, what kind of information can I get with th- wait, back up, what did that say?!

["Lesser purity dilutes defenses capabilities, but is easier to create. Purity: 100%."]

I blinked at that, realizing this stuff is supposed to be rare and there is a lot of it. Were all dungeons in this world made of this stuff? I hope so. Because while I'm not an intense gamer, I'm already putting the dots together. Speaking in terms of levels, this dungeon might be this world's version of an endgame boss level. Which probably means everything coming in here will be very powerful and expecting a death battle.

"Shit," I mutter while wiping a paw over my face, deeply wishing I still had hands to massage my eyes. Shaking my head, I head back towards the circle at the front of the throne room, hoping I can find my way back into that first room. I haven't done much, but I need some time to...adjust, let this all sink in properly…because my head is starting to hurt a bit.

"Now, how do I get down?" I muse half-heartedly. I stare owlishly as a familiar light washed over me, and I found myself in my...room? I suppose I can call it my room. More importantly? "What is this thing, voice activated?" I asked myself before groaning and allowing myself to slump to the floor.

Yeah, I'm done with this day.

I'm in another world. If that sight-knowledge ability I just discovered is anything to go by, this world probably did work on some kind of RPG system. I might not be entirely right about that, but that really wasn't the point.

The point is that I'm a monster of some kind. And I'm probably going to be attacked by the first person I see.

I've never been in a fight in my life. Which isn't to say I'm a coward, just that no one ever tried to pick a fist-fight with me. Now I had to worry about people trying to outright kill me.

That was more nerve-wracking than trying to adjust to a new body. Even if I avoided that situation and somehow get out of here, I don't have the most welcoming of appearances.

Oh, who am I kidding! I'm something out of a horror film! I'm one of those creatures Christians use as a reason to say a franchise is "inviting the devil into your lives" or crap like that. At best, people will run from me in terror instead of trying to slay me.

I suppose it's a good thing I'm not one of those people that crave human interaction. Still, I am pretty much at a loss for what to do. So with nothing else to do and my head too overloaded to think properly, I'm just going to take a nap and see if the situation doesn't somehow seem better afterwards.

NOTE: Well, here is the first chapter. Writing in first-person wasn't my first plan, but most of humor from this fic is the MC's thoughts on everything. Hope you all enjoyed this. Next month should be an update for Among the Amazons. I appreciate any feedback on this.