Driven by a mix of caffeine and raw curiosity, he double-clicked it.
"I didn't mean to— I was just downloading a game!" Elias tried to shout, but it came out as a series of frantic squeaks and chitters. He reached for his throat in horror.
The air was freezing, thick with the scent of wet fur and iron. He looked down. His hands were covered in thick, dark fur, tipped with sharp claws. He was wearing a heavy, rusted chainmail shirt that weighed down on his chest. Strapped to his back was a broadsword, its blade notched and scarred from countless battles.
The file was named Tails.of.Iron-CODEX.torrent, and it sat on Elias’s cluttered desktop like a digital Trojan horse. It was 3:00 AM, the exact hour when the line between the glowing monitor and the dark, silent bedroom began to blur.
Elias realized with a jolt of panic that he wasn't just looking at the game Tails of Iron . The game was looking at him. On the screen, a small rat in heavy plate armor stood in the pouring rain. The rat didn't move according to a pre-programmed idle animation. It turned its head, its black, bead-like eyes locking directly onto Elias through the webcam.
Redgi didn't look surprised. He stepped forward, placing a small, heavy paw on Elias's armored shoulder.