The Rat’s Gambit
Gabriel stared at the rat, and the rat stared back. The stench of alcohol only thickened as time went by.
A strange chittering sound escaped the rat's tiny mouth, and in response, the other rats emerged from the shadows, scurrying toward the slick black ooze pooling near the crate.
Their movements after that were oddly coordinated, almost ritualistic.
As they disbursed the lead rat tilted its head, as if inspecting the crate's surface.
Gabriel's brow furrowed. Something about their movements felt off. Some rats scuttled toward the electrical wires, their tiny claws scraping against the metal casing. Others disappeared into the darkness, only to return moments later, dragging with them a dull, misshapen object—something metallic. It looked like a lid, barely larger than the rats that pulled on it.
Then, Gabriel saw it—the wires stretched taut, the rats moving in eerie harmony.
The lead rat bolted toward the edge of the room, carrying the metal lid like a makeshift shield.
Gabriel's instincts screamed urging him to run, but it was too late.
Sparks leapt from the exposed wiring, catching onto the alcohol-soaked floor.
A violent flame roared to life in a jagged path, racing toward the crate's base where the flammable liquid had spilt from.
Gabriel's stomach twisted as the flames stretched deeper into the crate.
Boom!
The crate exploded.
The blast hurled Gabriel backwards. Bashing him against the metal door.
In milliseconds the door gave way, bursting forward in a rain of splinters and metal debris.
A burning sensation lingered on Gabriel's chest. When he looked down anticipating the worst, Gabriel was pleased to find his torso still in one piece. Only slightly reddened by the flames.
Even then, the bruise looked more like a slight kiss from a heated surface than what he had just actually survived.
It still hurts, though. He might not have turned to ash, but the force from the explosion still weighed on his every muscle.
He had crashed onto the concrete flooring with the crate's metal door beneath him.
With a weak groan, he rolled onto his side as he looked back at the blazing inferno behind him.
The unhinged crate door he lay beneath had thrown him several meters away from the burning wreckage, but it was still close enough to feel the searing heat.
Smoke curled toward the ceiling, the scent of molten plastic and chemicals permeating the air.
Gabriel coughed, pushing himself up with trembling arms.
Then he saw it.
The lead rat strolled out from the wreckage with its hind legs almost entirely unharmed. It moved with an unnatural grace, pausing for only a moment to inspect its surroundings before disappearing into the maze of crates. The other rats scattered in all directions too, fleeing on all fours, unlike the superior rat.
Gabriel barely had time to process the surreal scene before he felt it—danger.
His senses prickled.
When he turned, his blood froze.
Armed guards were flooding into the storage unit, their guns levelled directly at him.
Their sharp, commanding voices rang out through the thick air.
"Hands up! Now!"
Gabriel didn't move. His mind is racing.
He had no idea who these people were. What did they want from him? Could he trust them?
Then—
A rat scurried between the boots of one of the guards.
The man flinched.
His finger tightened on the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot cracked through the air, and Gabriel's instincts took over. He dove, snatching up the heavy crate door, and using it as a makeshift shield. The single impact rattled his bones as it tore through the metal door.
Those bullets weren't normal. They lit up when they met the air, their energy scorching the door on impact.
Unfortunately, there were more after that.
His shield wouldn't last.
Think, think!
Gabriel's eyes darted across the room. He timed his moment.
Then with a grunt, hurled the crate door at the guards, and lunged forward in the same instant.
What the?
He was fast—faster than he had expected. In the blink of an eye, he was already among them.
Not letting the initial shock get to him, Gabriel clenched his fist and swung.
Mid-swing he realized just how much weight his fists were moving with.
This isn't going to end well.
But just then, someone appeared between him and the guards raising his fists in defence.
The shockwave was deafening, sending the entire line of guards reeling.
That felt like… the explosion…
The realization barely had time to settle before Gabriel noticed the man who had caught his punch with equal force.
Tall, armoured, with a commanding presence. He pulled a massive mace from thin air, its dark metal gleaming under the dim storage lights.
A hero?
It was then that Gabriel noticed something was off. His body... sort of felt lighter than it did a couple of moments ago.
When he stared down at his body, a grim realization washed over him.
Gabriel barely had a second to react before the man charged.
The mace came crashing down in a brutal arc, and Gabriel twisted—just in time.
The weapon shattered the floor where he had stood.
Dust and debris explode into the air.
Gabriel moved purely on instinct, dodging again and again. But the hero was relentless, pressing forward with crushing force that pushed Gabriel to a corner.
I can't keep dodging.
But he didn't have any other option, he couldn't possibly hope to match the power in the man's mace. Since just his fist had managed to blow off Gabriel's right arm.
Gabriel couldn't believe it when he saw bone and flesh dangling off his shoulders.
He wasn't in any serious pain which was strange, but the fact he wasn't bleeding was even more disturbing.
Man meanwhile was still in one piece, with no inclination of stopping any time soon.
What do I do?
The pain from his missing arm wasn't interfering with Gabriel's train of thought so he was still level-headed– as inhuman as that seemed.
His breath came fast, as he danced around the man. The dull pain from his chest wound had somehow vanished, so he found it easier to evade as time went on.
The man wasn't letting up though, and soon Gabriel had no option but to meet the man's blow with one of his own.
Gabriel prepared to counter, but almost on instinct, he had accidentally moved with his right arm– which was nowhere to be found.
Dammit!
Gabriel cursed already bracing for impact, as nothing stood between his skull and the hero's terrible mace.
Bang!
The hall suddenly quaked.
Gabriel opened his eyes to find his knuckles pressed against the man's mace.
Both Gabriel and the hero stared at each other confused.
There was silence like the air was still reeling from the weight of their blow.
And for the first time—
The hero staggered.
Gabriel stared at his right arm with a stunned expression. Just as surprised by its sudden regeneration as the man before him.
What the hell?
From the moment he had woken up, he knew something was different
It wasn't just speed.
It wasn't just strength.
Something significant had changed in him. Something deep and internal, changing him from the inside out.
If not, what else could explain this?