Joel followed Gideon through the ruins, their footsteps quiet and measured. The city around them grew darker as night began to fall, the fading light casting long shadows over the jagged remnants of a world once whole. The air was thick with the scent of rust and damp stone, a reminder of how far everything had crumbled.


    Joel''s mind raced. He yearned for the quiet simplicity of Fort Saint John, a place far removed from the chaos and conflict of the Lizard Clan. He longed for the warmth of a hearth, the comfort of a hot meal, and the company of good friends. But here he was, caught in the crossfire, forced to fight this merge, this system, he didn''t fully understand.


    A sudden scream pierced the night, a desperate cry for help that was quickly silenced. Joel''s heart pounded in his chest. He exchanged a grim look with Gideon, a silent understanding passing between them. They followed the sound, their footsteps echoing through the deserted streets.


    The city was a haunting reminder of a lost civilization, its grandeur reduced to rubble. “Granted,” he thought, “Between the climate crisis and The Company, this place was slowly going downhill.” The fading light cast long, eerie shadows, obscuring the details of the crumbling buildings. A chill wind whistled through the ruins, carrying with it the scent of decay and despair.


    With each step, Joel felt the weight of his armour, he summon it from his heart card after training, the biometal pressing against his skin. His muscles ached, and his breath came in short, laboured gasps. Yet, he pushed on, driven by a sense of duty and a glimmer of hope. Every step felt heavier than the last. The ache in Joel’s muscles was a constant thrum, but he pushed through, keeping pace with Gideon. The rabbit moved with a purpose, his steps precise and confident, as if the crumbling terrain were as familiar to him as the back of his hand.


    “Keep your head down,” Gideon said without looking back. “Lizard patrols don’t like to stray far from their burrows at night, but that doesn’t mean they won’t.”


    Joel glanced over his shoulder, the faint sound of distant movement making his stomach tighten. Shadows seemed to shift in the periphery, shapes merging with the ruins, but when he blinked, there was nothing there.


    “Do they ever leave anyone alone?” Joel asked, his voice low.


    “Not if they think you’re useful,” Gideon replied grimly. “Or weak.”


    The words lingered in the air, sharp and unforgiving. Joel tightened his jaw, his thoughts returning to the boy in the cage. The haunting desperation in the boy’s voice had etched itself into Joel’s mind, a reminder of what was at stake.


    As they navigated deeper into the ruins, Gideon’s demeanour shifted. His posture relaxed slightly, and his tone took on a lighter edge. “The burrow’s not far now. Ren and Jace will be thrilled to meet you.”


    “Who?” Joel gave him a skeptical look. “Thrilled, huh?”


    Gideon smirked, the flicker of humour cutting through his otherwise gruff demeanour. “Okay, maybe ‘thrilled’ is pushing it. Let’s just say they’ll be... curious. Ren’s got a bit of a temper, but she means well. And Jace? He’ll probably just try to trade you for whatever tech you’ve got in your pockets.”


    “Great,” Joel muttered, though he couldn’t help the faint tug of a smile. “They sound like a bunch of teenagers.”The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    As they walked, Gideon began to talk more, his gruff tone softening as the oppressive silence of the ruins gave way to his voice. "You’ll like Ren," he said, glancing back at Joel with a faint smirk. "She’s got... spirit like you. Let’s call it that."


    "Spirit?" Joel echoed, raising an eyebrow. “And, you think I have it?”


    "Fiery temper, would you rather me say? If you want to be accurate," Gideon admitted with a low chuckle.


    “Na, I will go with spirit, but if you think I have a temper you should have seen the rest of my family.”


    "Awe, well.” There was another pause as Gideon passed a burned-out F150. “Anyway, maybe it is why I like you, you are just like her. She’s not big on strangers, especially ones I drag in off the street. Don’t take it personally when she glares at you like you kicked her dog."


    "Comforting," Joel said dryly.


    "She warms up eventually," Gideon added. "Just don’t try to tell her what to do. Or out-talk her. Or outthink her. Actually, just don’t try to win at anything. Safer that way."


    Joel smirked despite himself. "Just like a teenager. Well, at least me as a teenager. And Jace? Should I be worried about him too?"


    Gideon barked a laugh, the sound bouncing off the crumbled walls around them. "Only if you’ve got anything shiny on you. Jace has a thing for old-new world dimension gadgets—broken or not, it doesn’t matter. If it’s got screws and circuits, he’ll trade his left arm to take it apart. Don’t let him near your core unless you want him trying to reverse-engineer it while you’re asleep."


    "Noted," Joel said, though his hand instinctively brushed over his heart deck where the mechanical core hummed faintly under his shirt.


    Gideon kept talking, his tone growing lighter, almost teasing, as he wove fragments of stories about the two. "Ren claims she saw a lizard man once wearing sunglasses—thinks it’s proof they’re getting smarter. Jace thinks it’s proof they’re scavenging the same junk he is."


    Joel frowned. "Sunglasses?"


    "Yeah, ridiculous, right? But don’t tell Ren that. She’s got a theory about how they’re learning from the things we left behind. It’d probably be a good conversation starter for you two, actually."


    Joel snorted. "What about you? Got any quirks I should watch out for?"


    Gideon shot him a look, his ears twitching in mock indignation. "Quirks? I’m the picture of normalcy, Joel. You’re the one lugging around a mechanical core like it’s a fashion statement."


    “Well, you are the one who looks like you came right out of a Japanese role-playing game. Especially with a giant sword like that.” Joel rolled his eyes but couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips. The banter felt strangely normal, a brief reprieve from the weight of everything else.


    Gideon’s voice turned serious again. "All joking aside, Ren and Jace are family to me. They’re good rabbits—survivors like us. Just don’t expect a warm welcome right off the bat."


    Joel nodded, his expression sobering. "Got it."


    "Trust me, though. Once you’re in, you’re in. And if Ren doesn’t scare you off, Jace might even offer to fix your gear. For a price, of course."


    "Of course," Joel muttered, “Everything has a cost, just ask anyone from before the system. The Company, the governments, red or green it didn’t matter. There was always someone out there making us pay the price for someone elses mistakes.” Joel had to stop himself there, he let out a few deep breaths. He was starting to sound like his old man, and he didn’t know what terrified him more, that or the monsters.


    They turned a corner, and the skeletal frame of a collapsed diner came into view. Gideon stopped, crouching by a section of rubble near the edge. “Here we are.”


    Joel frowned, looking around. “Here? Looks like a dead end.”


    “Good,” Gideon said. “That means it’s working.”


    With practiced efficiency, Gideon shifted a piece of debris, revealing a narrow, reinforced hatch. He gave Joel a quick glance. “Welcome to the new burrow.”