Congratulations! Your world has been successfully integrated by the System!

  Winston stood, utterly still, his maw ajar as he stared at the screen. What were those symbols? Why could he understand them? As he stood there, still in shock, trying to process what was happening, the messages just kept coming.

  All species of your planet have been transported to the Tower! You are now a citizen of this instance of the tower and will be given a guidebook upon being assigned to a role and floor!

  Still unsure of what was happening, Winston stood with his head tilted as screen after screen flashed before his eyes, each one only adding to his confusion. What was ‘the Tower’? What were these screens? What happened to his humans? As his mountain of questions continued to grow in the back of his mind, another screen appeared in his vision, this one the most confusing of all.

  Assigning role… *Error* Entity not within tower…

  Attempting to assign entity as Contender… *Error* Species not recognized…

  …

  Entity successfully assigned as Contender!

  Winston woofed gently, trying to deal with the constant stream of information. Alas, before he could even begin to get a bearing on what was happening, a message came, different from all the others.

  Congratulations on starting your journey as a Contender in the Tower! Please prepare to select a class!

  Winston blinked. ‘Select a class’? What did that mean? Why did the screens keep mentioning a tower? He didn’t see anything!

  Just before he broke out in a furious storm of yips and barks, he felt his vision shrink, flashing black once, twice, before he finally collapsed, unconscious.

  ?? ′?? ? ??` ??

  Winston stirred, not wanting to leave the warm embrace of sleep. As his dreariness slowly faded away, he strained his ears for the familiar sounds of his humans, only to find silence. Had they left while he was sleeping?

  Please select a class!

  Generating available classes… *Error* Non-Humanoid Species…

  …

  Available Classes (Modified for Species):

  Beast Caster (Uncommon)

  Beast Warrior (Uncommon)

  Beast Ranger (Uncommon)

  Corgi Mage (Unique)

  Corgi Combatant (Unique)

  Relentless Consumer (Unique)

  And Winston stood, staring blankly at the screen. It was just too much! He barely understood a thing the screen was saying; he wasn’t even sure why he understood it. What was a class? What was a mage?

  As he stood, his thoughts drifted back to his humans. Why had they been taken? Where had they been taken? The one thing he knew was that whatever it was that was behind these screens was the one who had taken them. It had come out of the blue and taken his humans. His! Suddenly panting, Winston launched himself towards the screen in a fit of anger, hoping to hurt it.

  Alas, Winston's pitiful attempt at revenge was futile, his small, furry body not even passing through the screen as it moved with him. Glaring at the screen again, Winston scrunched up his face, preparing to lunge once more, only to freeze upon seeing the screen.

  Class selected: Relentless Consumer (Unique)

  Winston’s anger was gone in an instant, replaced with confusion. He hadn’t selected anything! Why wouldn’t the screen just let him hit it?

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Congratulations on being the first non-humanoid creature of your world to be recognized as a Contender in the Tower!

  Title gained: Non-Humanoid Progenitor

  As a dozen jumbled emotions clashed within him, anger flared up once more, stronger than ever.

  He snarled. What had happened to his humans? What did this all mean? If he was being recognized as a Contender, shouldn’t he get an explanation for what that meant?

  As the screens before him flickered away, he marched towards the door, his paws thumping on the floor, but when he got there, he found the door not just closed, but even locked. Turning back around, he searched for a way out, but found himself yawning. He was tired, so very tired. And hungry. But mostly tired. Whatever had happened to him earlier that had knocked him unconscious for who-knows-how-long had left him exhausted, and the bout of unconsciousness had done nothing but exacerbate it.

  Wandering over to the new couch his humans never let him sleep on, he heard a notification in his mind, but his eyes were already closed. He would read it later. He would save his Humans later. He would even eat later—something he was rarely willing to do. But first, a nap.

  ?? ′?? ? ??` ??

  Winston woke, feeling refreshed. Blinking away his weariness, he felt the weight of his current situation truly settle on his shoulders. He had no more excuses; it was time to save his humans.

  Clumsily leaping onto the arm of the couch, Winston caught his balance as he turned his attention towards the window before him. Focusing on the small lever that was the only thing between him and his freedom, he prepared himself. Reaching out with a tiny paw, he pressed down with all his might, but to no avail. Forehead creasing as he grew increasingly frustrated, he placed his other paw on the latch as well.

  As he put all his strength into forcing the handle down, he felt a subtle shift, but nothing more. Knowing he had to take more drastic measures, he began jumping onto the handle, putting his full bodyweight behind each push. Slowly but surely, the handle edged downwards before finally freeing the window.

  Letting out a happy yip, Winston slammed his full—relatively unimpressive—body weight against the window. The window ground open, wood swollen from the recent rains. Satisfied, he strode forward and attempted to squeeze his way out.

  Halfway through, he found himself stuck, unable to move in either direction. He let out a sad whimper. He may have been tiny for a corgi, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t fat—he was very fat. Squirming forward, he pushed off the windowsill with his hind legs. Inch by inch, he squeezed farther.

  With his miniature paws flailing in the air like he was trying to swim, Winston landed with a plop. Looking around, everything was…different. Trying to grasp what was wrong was like trying to recall a dream, always just a step away. Were the plants bigger? Had the hue of the sky changed?

  Winston wandered through the suburban neighborhood, weaving through white-picket fences that seemed just a little too far apart. As he crossed the street, he finally realized what was wrong. Everything was…bigger. But at the same time, not everything. The abandoned cars and homes stayed the same. It was almost as though Earth itself had changed.

  Suddenly, his eyes widened in alarm and confusion. Darting through a nearby garden, he found his way to the site of a terrible crash. He tilted his head, unsure of what to do. Cars could crash? He’d never seen such a thing! After spending a few more moments inspecting cars, he turned away.

  As he wandered, he realized he had two problems: First, he had no idea how to save his humans. Where was the tower? How would he even get there? Second, and most important, food. He didn’t have any food! How was he supposed to do anything on an empty stomach?

  As he continued wandering through the empty streets, devoid even of birdsong, he received a new message.

  All Contenders will be transported to the base of the Tower in: 11:59:59

  Although most have already been briefed by their species, upon arrival, all Contenders will be given a basic guide to the tower.

  As Winston read through the message, a smug look crept onto his face. If he was going to be transported in a day, why should he keep wandering? He could lounge all he wanted and gorge himself on anything that he found.

  Feeling as though a weight had been lifted from his shoulders, Winston headed for the nearest house. He circled the building, searching for an open window or doggy-door. Finding nothing, he moved to the next, and then the next, until he finally found a suitable entrance.

  Stubby tail wagging in excitement, he pushed through the doggy door, ready to answer his stomach’s call.

  Finding his way into the pantry, Winston zeroed in on the bag of dog treats in the cabinet. Leaping onto a chair, he closed his tiny maw around the handle. Pulling back with all his might, he nearly fell off the chair as the cabinet swung open, leaving nothing more in the way of him and endless bliss.