Joel's hammer scraped against jagged metal as he strained to pry the warped plate from Jeremy's massive side. The gator thrashed violently, its enormous tail whipping through the water and sending shockwaves that nearly knocked him off his feet. Sparks flew as his armour strained under the impact of the creature's thrashing.
With a final, desperate heave, Joel ripped the plate free, revealing a patch of exposed, pulsating flesh beneath. Steam hissed from the wound, mingling with the metallic tang of blood and oil in the air.
"Come on," Joel growled through gritted teeth, his breath ragged. He tightened his grip on the jagged plate, now dripping with the gator's blackened ichor.
Joel’s hammer made a wet, fleshy sound as it struck. His arms ached with exertion, his armour groaning as it absorbed the tremors from the gator’s relentless thrashing. Jeremy's massive jaws snapped dangerously close, each bite a deafening crack of teeth that sent shards of steel and water spraying around them.
“Come on, you overgrown scrap heap!” Joel shouted, his voice strained but defiant. “Is that all you’ve got?”
Jeremy snarled in response, his molten orange eyes blazing with hatred. The monstrous gator reared up, sending a towering wave crashing down on Joel. He braced himself, his armour locking in place just long enough to keep him grounded.
The moment the water receded, Joel swung again, the hammer denting another warped plate further. A hiss of steam erupted as the metal weakened, revealing more vulnerable flesh beneath. Joel took a deep breath and gritted his teeth.
“This is it,” he growled.
With a final, desperate heave, Joel jammed the claw of his hammer beneath the plate, using all his strength to pry it loose. The metal groaned in protest before tearing free with a sickening slimy crack. He stumbled back, holding the jagged armour slab like a makeshift blade.
The exposed flesh pulsed, raw and glistening, blackened ichor seeping from the wound. Steam hissed around the gator’s body, mixing with the acrid stench of oil and charred meat.
Jeremy roared, the sound shaking Joel to his core. “You think you’ve won, boy?” the voice rumbled, deep and guttural, echoing in Joel’s mind.
Joel froze, his heart hammering in his chest. Jeremy’s voice wasn’t broken English anymore—it was something else, something ancient and twisted by the void.
“No,” Joel said, forcing himself to stand tall despite the fear clawing at him. “But I’m ending this—right here, right now.”
Jeremy lunged, jaws wide, but Joel was ready. He dodged to the side, planting his foot on a submerged rock for balance. With a guttural yell, he leapt onto Jeremy's back, the gator thrashing wildly beneath him.
The jagged plate in his hand gleamed as he raised it high. “This is for Kevin. For Alex. For every one you’ve torn apart!” Joel’s logical mind knew that this monster hadn’t killed his coworkers or even pulled him apart from his family, but Joel wasn’t using logic at this time.
With all his strength, Joel drove the sharp edge into the exposed flesh. The plate sank deep, cutting through muscle and sinew as black ichor sprayed into the air. Jeremy howled, his entire body convulsing as Joel twisted the plate deeper, anchoring it in place.
“You don’t get to win!” Joel screamed, slamming his hammer down on the embedded plate to drive it further. The impact sent shockwaves through his arms, but he didn’t stop. Not until Jeremy’s thrashing began to weaken.
The gator let out one final, deafening roar—a sound of rage, pain, and desperation—before collapsing into the water. The impact sent a tidal wave surging outward, knocking Joel off Jeremy’s back and into the churning waters.
Joel surfaced with a gasp, coughing and spluttering as he dragged himself to the nearest piece of debris. His chest heaved, the glow of his heart card dimming as his armour powered down. He looked toward Jeremy’s massive, lifeless body, now half-submerged in the water. The monster’s glowing eyes faded, and the fire within them extinguished.
For a moment, all was silent, save for the faint lapping of water against the debris.
Joel let out a bitter laugh, his voice hoarse. “Guess you were all talk after all.”
Jeremy’s voice, though faint, echoed one last time in Joel’s mind, dripping with venom. “You’ve only delayed the inevitable, boy. The void... always takes its due.”
Joel’s smile faded as the weight of Jeremy’s words sank in, but he forced himself to stand, leaning heavily on his hammer. His body screamed in protest, but he couldn’t stop now.
“Yeah? Yeah?” Joel muttered, his voice shaking as much from rage as from exhaustion. “Well, tell the void to send someone tougher next time.” His helmet vanision and spat a mouthful of blood into the muck. “And… They void can wait its damn turn.”
Jeremy twisted his massive head, those burning, inhuman eyes locking onto Joel. The gator’s roar shook the world around them, deafening and primal, a final declaration of fury.
Joel didn't hesitate.
Joel roared back, his voice raw with fury, as he raised the hammer high above his head. With all his strength, he brought it crashing down onto Jeremy’s skull. The first impact sent a sharp crack reverberating through the air, splintering the gator’s thick scales.
He swung again, and then again, each blow fueled by desperation and rage. The hammer dented bone and split flesh, black ichor spraying across Joel’s armour. Jeremy’s head thrashed violently, but Joel held his ground, planting his feet as water surged around him.
With a final, bone-shattering strike, the skull caved in, a wet, sickening crunch echoing across the battlefield. The gator’s massive body shuddered once before collapsing into the murky depths, motionless.
Joel collapsed back onto his haunches, his hammer slipping from his hand and clattering into the water. Exhaustion flooded his body, but relief lingered just beneath it—a fleeting sense of triumph amidst the chaos.
He muttered to himself, his voice barely audible over the settling quiet, "We survived... somehow."
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Personal System Notification: # EXPERIENCE GAINED
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If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Source: [Jeremy, Apex Mutated Gator]
Class: [Elite Tier Beast]
Experience Earned: +1750 XP
Additional Rewards: Unique Loot Drop Enabled
Condition Bonus: Sustained Heavy Damage Without Heart Weapon +250 XP
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Level Progression: 89% → 100% to Next Level
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Joel straightened. A low hum coursed through his armour, almost like a heartbeat syncing with his own.
System Notification flashed across his HUD, vivid and immediate.
LEVEL UP!
A sudden warmth surged through his body, a rush of newfound energy that soothed his battered frame and sharpened his senses. His armour shimmered faintly, the plates rearranging themselves with a satisfying click, reinforcing weak spots as if alive. He felt lighter, faster, and stronger all at once.
"Absorptive Core Armor... Level 3," Joel muttered, the words barely audible over the faint hum of his surroundings. His gaze flicked around, but his eyes were drawn back to a pulsing icon in his peripheral vision. It hovered persistently in the bottom-right corner of his sight, glowing with a faint blue shimmer, starkly visible even without his helmet's HUD active. The words "Character Sheet" glowed in crisp, white letters, framed by a subtle, rotating halo of light. No matter where he turned his head, the icon remained fixed, a silent invitation.
Taking a deep breath, Joel focused on it and willed it to open, just as he would activate his helmet's interface. There was a brief, almost imperceptible delay—a sensation like a soft click in the back of his mind—before the system responded. The air seemed to shift around him, and his field of vision dimmed slightly, drawing his attention inward as the character sheet unfolded before him.
CHARACTER SHEET: JOEL LEVEL 5
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GENERAL INFORMATION
* Name: Joel
* Level: 5
* Occupation (Pre-Merge): Heavy-Duty Mechanic
* Core Heart Card: Adaptive Mechanized Armour
* Rarity: Rare
* Description: Allows Joel to absorb the features of creatures, monsters, and beasts he encounters. Upgrades features based on his mechanic level.
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ATTRIBUTES (BASE STATS + SYSTEM BUFFS)
* Strength: 12 (Above average for manual labour)
* Dexterity: 10 (Normal)
* Constitution: 15 (Highly resilient from years of physical work)
* Intelligence: 14 (Problem-solver, skilled mechanic)
* Wisdom: 11 (Street-smart but emotionally guarded)
* Charisma: 9 (Socially awkward, reserved personality)
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HEALTH AND RESOURCES
* HP: 120 (High durability due to Constitution stat)
* Stamina: 60 (Moderate, reflects a labour-intensive job but lack of athletic finesse)
* Mana (or equivalent): 30 (Low, used only for system abilities)
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ABILITIES & FEATURES
1. Armour Adaptation (Heart Core Ability)
* Absorbs features from encountered creatures and integrates them temporarily into the mechanized suit.
* Upgrade the suit to increase this ability
* Current adaptations (level 5)
* Energy Absorption: Converts a small portion of absorbed energy (e.g., electricity, steam or impact force) into stamina regeneration. Overuse risks overheating the armour. (Gained from the fight with Jeremy the Gator.)
* Past Adaptations (Level 5):
* Void Resilience: Reduced damage from eldritch and void-based attacks (gained from void creatures).
* Lightning Capacitor: Absorbs and redirects small amounts of electrical energy (gained from lightning otters).
* Enhanced Grip: Stronger grip strength for climbing or holding onto tools.
2. Mechanic’s Ingenuity (Passive)
* Grants +2 to problem-solving when dealing with mechanical or technical challenges.
* Reduces resource cost for repairing equipment by 10%.
3. Overclock Armour (Active Ability, Cooldown: 2 minutes)
* Temporarily boosts speed and strength by 20% for 15 seconds, but doubles stamina drain.
4. Field Repair (Passive)
* Can restore 10% durability to armor or tools without additional resources.
5. Perk: Rig Survivor (Passive)
* Increased resistance to environmental hazards like water, oil, and extreme temperatures.
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HEART DECK- 10 SLOTS, 3 IN USE:
* Adaptive Mechanized Armor (Equipped)
* Rarity: Rare
* Level: Three
* Description: an armour interface that adapts to his environment and incorporates unique abilities from the creatures he encounters.
* Shelter Card
* Rarity: Legendary
* Level: One
* Description: It grants the ability to create a temporary, durable shelter for up to 6 hours. The shelter is resistant to harsh weather and moderate physical attacks.
* Cool Down: 24 hours.
* Grit of the Forgotten (Mack’s Card) (In Memoriam)
* Rarity: Common
* Level: One
* Description: Provides resilience against despair and fear-based effects.
* Cool Down: 10 Minutes
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PERSONALITY TRAITS
* Loyal: Committed to his family and the survivors.
* Determined: Stubbornly pushes forward, especially when survival is at stake.
* Reserved: Often keeps his thoughts and feelings to himself.
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BACKGROUND (KEY EVENTS)
* Before the Merge:
* Joel worked tirelessly on an oil rig, supporting his family.
* Post-Merge:
* Forced to survive the chaos of the system’s integration, Joel quickly adapted to using his heart card and relying on his mechanic skills to stay alive.