The rabbits watched in stunned silence as the battle between Joel and Jeremy unfolded, their twitching ears barely registering the clashing of steel and scale. As the dust settled and the gator lurched off into the water, the group began to murmur amongst themselves, their eyes still wide from the intensity of the fight.
“Well, that was somethin’ else,” said one of the rabbits, a scruffy-looking creature with a tattered leather vest. He scratched his ear, his eyes glinting with a mix of disbelief and amusement. “Did you see that swing? That wrench didn’t even dent that gator’s scales! Man’s got guts, I’ll give him that.”
“I thought for sure he was dead when Jeremy got him with that tail,” another rabbit chimed in, her long ears drooping with sympathy. “That tail’s a wrecking ball. I wouldn’t want to get caught by that thing, no sir.”
“Yeah, but did you see the way he kept moving? Like he had nothing left in him and still—boom, right up and back in it! He’s got heart, I’ll give him that.” A third rabbit, a tall one with sharp, calculating eyes, rubbed his paws together with glee. “That last hit on Jeremy’s leg? Beautiful. That gator’s gonna have a limp for days.”
The others nodded, exchanging looks of agreement. The battle had been bloody, violent, and raw. Jeremy was tough, but Joel was relentless. The thought of it made them shift uneasily, some of them glancing nervously toward the thick trees that lined the outskirts of the city, as if expecting some unseen threat to emerge.
“I’ll say this,” a rabbit with a patch over one eye said, “I didn’t think he’d last as long as he did. That gator could’ve swallowed him whole if it wasn’t for his tricks. Damn impressive.”
“Yeah, impressive,” a quieter rabbit muttered, his long whiskers twitching. “But now we’ve got a problem. Joel’s still alive, and he’s pissed. You saw that look in his eyes? He’s not the ‘roll over and play dead’ type.”
“Yeah, but he’s got no wrench now,” said another, with a slight chuckle. “Did you see the way Jeremy chewed it up? One gulp and boom, gone. So now we’re back to square one, right?”
There was a brief silence as the group mulled it over, the soft buzzing of distant insects filling the air. Finally, the tall rabbit spoke up again, tapping his chin thoughtfully.
“We’ve got a few options here. Either we let him go, he stumbles through the city like the lost little lamb he is, or we push him into the corner. But… I’ve got to say, that man’s got a fire in him. He didn’t just survive that fight; he enjoyed it.”
The others exchanged uneasy glances. The tension in the air thickened as they contemplated what would come next. Despite their jokes and banter, there was an undeniable truth: Joel was no ordinary human. And a small part of them knew, whether they liked it or not, that if he made it out of this mess, they’d have a hell of a time trying to keep him down.
“I say we test him,” the one-eyed rabbit said suddenly, his voice laced with challenge. “Let’s see what he’s made of. If he’s really that tough, maybe we can use him to our advantage.”
“Oh, so now we’re taking bets on him?” another laughed, but his voice was edged with caution. “I don’t know, the guy’s a wild card. I don’t think we want him as an enemy.”
“Relax, it’s not about that,” the tall rabbit replied, smirking. “We’ll see how he reacts. Give him a challenge. See if he cracks under pressure. If he can’t handle it, he’s no threat. But if he can—well, maybe we get something more than we bargained for.”
The rabbits all fell silent for a moment, their eyes flickering between each other, then back to the scene where Joel had taken on the gator. It was a brutal, bloody mess, but now, they saw it for what it was: a test. And if Joel could survive this city, they’d either have a new ally or an even bigger problem on their hands.
“So, what’s the plan then?” the scruffy rabbit asked, his voice eager now.
“We push him harder,” the tall rabbit said, grinning. “Let’s see if he bleeds out, or if he turns this city into his playground.”
----------------------------------------
As Jeremy's jaws snapped shut, the gator's massive teeth grazing Joel's shoulder, the pain seared through him like fire. His body went rigid, every muscle screaming for him to give up. But deep inside, a spark refused to die.
The creature's relentless assault was taking its toll, each hit chipping away at his last line of defence.
----------------------------------------
Personal System Notification:
Critical Alert: Armor Integrity Dropped to 40%
Armour is nearing a critical threshold. Recommend evasive maneuvers or repairs to avoid total failure.
----------------------------------------
“Please, no,” he started to beg. Pain and fear filled him. “God, don’t take them away.”
It wasn’t just the fear of death. It was the thought of his family, of the promise he made to get home. His survival instinct flared, raw and unyielding.
“Not like this, it won’t end like this.”
He gritted his teeth, and a shift and snap seemed to happen. Joel's throat burned as he let out a scream—ragged, primal, the kind that echoed through the ruins like the roar of a beast. He wasn’t going to die here.
Not today.
And not like this.
“You will burn!”
The scream reverberated through him, and something inside Joel snapped into focus. The armour on his body hummed, vibrating with a low, mechanical growl as it shifted, adapting to the violent struggle. His breath hitched as the pain in his shoulder seemed to dull, and his hands clenched around the remains of his wrench.
He tosses it into the muddy water.
But there was something different now.
“Rawr!” Joel’s scream filled the streets.
----------------------------------------
Heart_Card_Activated = True Absorptive_Core_Armor_Stage_2 = True Boosts = { "Agility": "+35%", "Absorption_Capacity": "+50%" } Armor_Stats = { "Durability": "Enhanced", "Strength": "Reinforced", "Flexibility": "Increased" } Status_Update: "Armor adapts. Energy consumption is optimal. Movement parameters increased."
Personal System Notification:
[Heart Card Activated: Absorptive Core Armor, Stage 2]
Boost Granted: Increased agility and absorption capacity.
----------------------------------------
Joel felt it, the surge of energy pulsing through the organic circuitry embedded in his armour. His body responded, the pain easing as his agility shot up. The mechanical plating around his chest, arms, and legs clicked into place, tightening and reinforcing, growing sharper, stronger. The light in his visor flickered, and his vision sharpened, honing in on Jeremy’s massive, bloodstained maw. The gator’s mouth was still wide open, inches from his face, but Joel’s reflexes had already kicked into high gear.
In a cold, almost unfeeling tone, he said, “You are nothing but blood and bone, all I have is my will, and that is fucking enough.”
With an almost supernatural speed, Joel rolled backward, using his enhanced agility to flip out from under the snapping jaws. He landed on his feet, his boots splashing in the shallow water, and before Jeremy could react, Joel was already on the move. His movements were fast—too fast—and every step felt like a calculated strike.
The armour’s hum deepened as it adjusted to his every move, like a second skin, melding to his body as if it were part of him. Joel felt more connected to it now, more dangerous. His senses were heightened, and his awareness dialled up to an almost inhuman level. The fight wasn’t over.
"This isn’t over!" Joel roared, his voice ragged with fury as he drove his armoured fist into the gator’s massive snout. The impact was brutal, a collision of flesh and steel that sent a sickening crack through the air. Blood erupted from Jeremy’s nostrils in dark, pulsing streams, splattering across Joel’s chest and the ground below. The gator's head snapped to the side, the force tearing through the tough, scaly hide and exposing raw, glistening muscle underneath.
The monster let out a guttural, enraged bellow, his mouth opening wide enough to show rows of jagged teeth slick with saliva and gore. A human finger stuck between the teeth and gums, like a piece of popcorn.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Rawr!” Joel felt the spray of warm blood hit his HUD. His fist throbbed from the impact, the armour steaming faintly where the friction had heated the metal.
The gator reeled back slightly, shaking its massive head in a daze, leaving the scent of iron and rage hanging thick in the air. Joel didn’t stop; he couldn’t. He swung again, his fist connecting just beneath Jeremy’s eye. This time, the blow tore through the beast’s scaled hide entirely, sending shards of bone and flesh flying in a grotesque spray. A low, primal growl rattled from deep within the gator’s throat, vibrating through the ground beneath Joel’s feet.
“Come on, you bastard!” Joel shouted, blood streaming down his armour as he prepared for the next strike. The fight was far from over.
It had just begun.
Joel crouched, ready for the next strike. His eyes locked onto Jeremy’s shocked face, watching the gator’s blood seep into the water, mixing with the remnants of their battle. He could feel his pulse racing, but now it wasn’t just panic. It was power.
The beast’s roar echoed in the ruins as it turned to face him, but Joel’s eyes never wavered. He was ready. And he wasn’t going to stop.
“My will is unstoppable!”
The pain in Joel’s shoulder still burned, but the activation of his armour gave him something more: clarity. The roar of Jeremy’s gator jaws snapped the air, but Joel was no longer paralyzed by fear. He studied the beast’s movements, noticing the slight lag in its turns, and the heavy strain it put on its legs as it tried to turn quickly.
Too slow, Joel thought, his eyes narrowing.
The gator’s monstrous jaws lunged again, but Joel was up and moving. His feet splashed through the shallow water as he darted to the side, dodging the snapping teeth by inches. The heavy weight of the gator’s body thudded against the water as it turned to face him, and Joel’s enhanced reflexes allowed him to stay one step ahead.
With a growl, Joel sprinted toward a collapsed building nearby. The structure groaned as his boots hit the rusted metal, but it held firm, offering him a vantage point. He jumped onto a rusted girder, scaling it like a spider, his body light but steady, his bio-mechanical armour giving him the boost he needed.
From above, Joel could see everything. The gator’s massive body, its armoured scales glinting in the faint light, its vicious movements too slow to catch him. Joel’s heart raced, but his mind was calm—focused.
A sharp beep echoed through Joel’s helmet as his HUD flickered to life, projecting a crimson overlay in his vision. The translucent screen displayed a sleek, angular frame around Jeremy, outlining the massive gator in vivid red with pulsing warning indicators.
----------------------------------------
Personal-System Notification:
[Target Identified: Jeremy - Apex Predator]
Threat Level: High
Attributes: Strength (55), Agility (30), Endurance (50)
Abilities Detected: Crushing Bite, Tail Sweep, Death Roll, Adaptive Hide
Combat Strategy: Exploit turning lag. Vary attack points to bypass hide adaptation. Avoid close-range grapples.
Recommendation: Engage with caution.
----------------------------------------
Each is highlighted in yellow with a caution icon. The words Threat Level: High blinked ominously at the bottom, with a line of tactical advice scrolling beneath: "Exploit turning lag. Vary attack points to bypass hide adaptation. Avoid close-range grapples." The entire display hummed with an electric urgency, syncing with Joel’s racing heartbeat.
However, he didn’t have time to take everything in. The gator turned, and Joel leaped. He soared through the air, landing with a crash on Jeremy’s back. His hands gripped the cold steel of Jeremy’s armour sending a rush of exhilaration through him. He swung his fists down like a hammer, the metallic clang of impact filling the air. Sparks flew, and the sound of metal on metal rang in his ears as he collided with the reinforced scales on Jeremy’s back.
The gator roared in fury, its tail thrashing like a wrecking ball. It whipped across the battlefield, its massive appendage smashing into a nearby pillar, sending chunks of concrete crashing into the water. But Joel didn’t back down. He twisted his hands, gritting his teeth as he swung again, aiming for the creature’s joints, its weak points. Each blow sent more sparks flying, the sound of grinding metal filling his ears.
The armour on his body hummed louder, as though feeding off his anger and determination, reinforcing his strikes. His movements were swift, calculated, and brutal. He slammed his gauntlet into Jeremy’s back again, this time forcing it deeper into the metal plates. Blood and sparks sprayed into the air, mixing with the rancid, briny water as Joel continued to hammer away.
Jeremy’s body jerked under him, and the gator let out a deafening scream, thrashing harder. Joel could feel the power of the creature beneath him, the immense strength of its body struggling against him, but the armour kept him steady. The gator was powerful, but Joel was no longer just a man with a wrench.
Well, he had lost his wrench, so he was just a man with a will to live.
He was a force in himself.
Joel drove the fist down one last time, smashing it directly into the soft, vulnerable spot between Jeremy’s scales, deep into its back. The metal plating splintered under the force, and a gush of blood exploded from the wound. The gator’s roar faltered, replaced by a sickening gurgle as the blood mixed with the dark water around them.
Joel didn’t stop. He continued to slam his gauntlet-covered fist down into the creature’s back, each hit making the air vibrate with intensity, each blow shaking his very bones. The gator bucked violently, but Joel held on, digging his heels into the gator's spine, refusing to let go.
Finally, with a final, bone-shaking punch, arm lodged deep into the beast’s spine, and Jeremy’s body went rigid before collapsing into the water with a massive splash.
Joel didn’t move for a moment. His breathing was heavy, his chest heaving with the adrenaline and exhaustion of the fight. The gator’s blood swirled around him, turning the water dark and viscous. His heart hammered in his chest, the armour humming as it tried to stabilize his pulse.
It was over.
Joel on top of the broken body of the creature, chest heaving, hands shaking. The stench of blood filled his nostrils, mingling with the sharp tang of saltwater. The silence after the battle was almost worse than the fight itself. All that was left was the sound of his heavy breaths and the faint hum of his armour slowly powering down.
He had won.
“What the fuck, no experience points,” Joel said while holding his hands up to the sky.
Jeremy’s body spasmed under the barrage of blows, but the monstrous gator wasn’t finished. With a deafening roar, it twisted violently, snapping its jaws upward. The sudden motion flung Joel off its back like a ragdoll, sending him hurtling through the air. He crashed into a rusted car partially submerged in the water, the impact sending pain shooting up his spine. The metallic tang of blood filled his mouth as he coughed, struggling to catch his breath.
The gator turned with terrifying speed, its eyes glowing with primal rage. Its massive tail swept through the water like a tidal wave, slamming into Joel before he could recover. The blow sent him skidding across the ground, his armour grinding against the wet concrete, sparks flying from the friction. Joel groaned, the force of the hit leaving him disoriented and vulnerable.
Jeremy wasn’t about to let up. The gator surged forward, its jaws snapping open, revealing rows of jagged, bloodstained teeth. Joel barely rolled out of the way in time, the monstrous bite slamming shut inches from his face. The sound was like a steel trap clamping shut, and the shockwave rattled through his bones. He scrambled backward, his hands slick with blood, mud, and water.
"Come on!" Joel spat through gritted teeth, his voice raw and desperate.
The gator lunged again, its claws ripping into the ground as it closed the distance. Joel managed to grab a loose piece of rebar, swinging it wildly as Jeremy’s jaws snapped down. The improvised weapon caught the gator’s mouth, jamming it open just long enough for Joel to roll away. The strain on his arms burned as he held the gator at bay for mere seconds, the metal groaning under the beast’s immense strength before snapping in half.
Joel scrambled to his feet, blood dripping from a gash on his forehead and mixing with the rain that had begun to fall. His vision blurred, but he forced himself to focus. He spotted a pile of rubble nearby—a jagged slab of concrete jutted out, sharp and deadly. An idea formed in his mind, reckless but his only shot.
“Alright, you overgrown handbag, let’s dance,” Joel growled, his voice trembling but determined.
He bolted for the rubble, weaving through the shallow water as Jeremy barreled after him. The gator’s claws tore into the ground, chunks of debris flying as it closed in. Joel could feel its hot breath on his back, and hear the guttural growls vibrating through the air.
As he reached the slab, Joel pivoted sharply, using the momentum to swing his fist at Jeremy’s face. The impact landed square on the gator’s snout with a sickening crunch, sending a spray of blood and mucus into the air. Jeremy reared back, momentarily stunned, giving Joel the opening he needed.
He scrambled up the pile of rubble, the uneven surface threatening to trip him with every step. Jeremy roared, shaking off the blow, and charged after him. Joel reached the top just as the gator lunged, its jaws snapping toward his legs.
With a desperate yell, Joel jumped, narrowly avoiding the crushing bite. He landed on Jeremy’s back again, this time gripping the base of its neck with one hand while slamming his fist into the vulnerable joints where its scales didn’t fully cover. Blood spurted from the fresh wound, the smell metallic and sharp, mixing with the gator’s earthy stench.
The system's urgent tone cut through the chaos, the weight of the warning driving home how close he was to the edge.
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Personal System Notification:
Emergency: Armour Integrity Dropped to 20%
Armour integrity is severely compromised. Extreme caution is required. Collapse imminent without intervention
----------------------------------------
Jeremy thrashed wildly, throwing its massive body into the rubble. The motion dislodged Joel, sending him tumbling down the slope. His armour absorbed most of the impact, but the sheer force left him winded and vulnerable.
The gator was relentless. It didn’t hesitate, lunging after him with its jaws wide open. Joel managed to roll onto his back just in time to shove a metal bar from the rumble into Jeremy’s mouth. The beast’s teeth clamped down on the metal with a deafening crunch, enough pressure to warp the sturdy tool.
“Not yet,” Joel growled through gritted teeth, every muscle in his body screaming as he held the bar steady against the gator’s crushing bite. The sound of metal bending filled the air, and Joel could feel the metal being pulled from his hands.
And then, with a horrifying snap, Jeremy bit through the bar as if it were nothing. Shards of metal flew, one slicing across Joel’s cheek, leaving a searing line of pain. The gator spat the broken piece aside, its glowing eyes locked on Joel with unrelenting hunger.
Joel scrambled backward, his hands grasping blindly for anything else he could use. His heart pounded in his chest, the adrenaline coursing through him like fire. His armour hummed faintly, struggling to keep up with the relentless assault. Jeremy advanced, his hulking form casting a shadow over Joel, who was now cornered against a crumbling wall.
This wasn’t over. But Joel knew the fight had just gotten a lot harder.