Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

It’s a dinosaur!

Ever since Aaron had encountered the Pterosaur, he had a hunch that there would be several other pre-historic animals in the game. The Cayuga people had mentioned something about Great Beasts roaming the lands across the northern mountains. It all made sense now.

Aaron and Zach had read plenty about the dinosaurs and even seen their fossils during their field trips in school, but they had never expected to meet one up close. The Triceratops were hulking herbivores from the Cretaceous period, easily recognized by their three large horns and frilled neck. Though these dinosaurs were grazers, they weren’t pushovers. A thick hide and a huge skull which could sustain all blunt force traumas without cracking made it a formidable foe. Though it wasn’t a predator, it was known to be extremely aggressive when threatened. The fact that Rothnak had managed to tame such a beast was a clear indication of his power level.

The Dark Orc warlord was dressed in cured leather armor fastened with straps and carrying a large spear in one hand and a battle horn in the other. His huge muscular body put all the other Dark Orcs to shame. Even Grogath would have seemed like a dwarf in front of him. The Z-band’s warning had made it amply clear that Rothnak was at a much higher level than Aaron and Zach.

Aaron had just finished casting his Fireball Barrage skill, which made it unusable for another 30 minutes. With his most powerful ranged skill on cooldown, he had very few options to choose from.

“That thing’s gonna trample us to death if we get too close. We have to use ranged attacks against it!”

“I don’t think our skills and attacks will do enough damage to bring it down!” Zach exclaimed. “Just look at it! I’m f*****g sure it’s got 10 times more HP than even a mammoth!”

“It must have a weakness. All enemies have vulnerabilities.”

“I surely hope so, because this dinosaur just looks like a damn tank!”

“Well, at least it’s not a carnivore. We still have a chance.” Aaron put away his Deer Horn Knives and equipped his Polished Throwing Knives. “Mawanko, order the dire wolves to attack!”

Despite Mawanko blowing the bone whistle, the dire wolves seemed reluctant to attack. Though they had been tamed, they hadn’t forgotten their basic survival instincts. The Triceratops was not an animal they wanted to mess with. So, they held their ground and maintained their position.

“Why the hell aren’t they attacking?” Zach questioned.

“They are scared of the Great Beast,” Mawanko replied. He kept trying his best to connect with the animals, but their loyalty to him was nothing compared to the pack’s collective urge to avoid danger.

“Have faith in our ancestors,” a voice called out from behind. Mawanko felt a warm touch on his shoulder and looked around to find the chief standing with them.

Being a chief of the Cayuga tribe, Nashoba could think of no greater dishonor than just hiding far away, while his own tribesmen faced the danger alone. So, he had disregarded Aaron’s advice and joined them on the battlefield.

“I thought I told you to stay with the women,” Aaron said.

“They can take care of themselves. Cayuga women are not like delicate flowers, they are all proud descendants of the Mother Goddess.”

The chief joined Mawanko and together they called upon their ancestral spirits for guidance. Eventually, Mawanko was able to use his hunter skills to compel the dire wolves to follow his orders. A change came over the feral beasts and they howled at the half-hidden moon. Their fangs glistened in the moonlight and their eyes glowed with killing intent.

“Attack the enemy!”

At once, 6 of the dire wolves rushed at the Triceratops. These were the strongest hunters in the pack and it was up to them to deliver the first strike. A couple went for the dinosaur’s front legs, two more pounced on it from the sides and the final pair attacked from behind.

The Triceratops took a wide swing with its heavy tail and knocked away the two dire wolves trying to target its hind legs. Meanwhile, the Orc Warlord skewered the others with his spear. The wolves had pawed at the massive dinosaur and even tried to bite off its flesh, but its hide proved to be too thick to penetrate.

With the first group defeated, the remaining wolves became more wary of the dinosaur. They encircled the massive beast in an attempt to intimidate it.

Aaron already knew how this was going to end. A pack of trained dire wolves was great for hunting smaller animals and could even fend off attackers, but they were no match for a dinosaur, which could give the most powerful carnivores a scare. Its large horns and thick fleshy tail served as perfect weapons for battering any predator foolish enough to get too close, while its thick hide provided sufficient protection from attacks. Aaron realised his knives would never be able to get through the beast’s tough skin. So, instead of using such low level weapons, he switched to using skills.

“Summon Firelings!”

Aaron sent off his minions to attack the Triceratops and retreated to a safe distance. Both the dire wolves and the Firelings attacked together to bring down the dinosaur, but the beast proved to be too powerful. It gored the wolves and trampled the Firelings under its massive legs, before charging straight towards Aaron’s group.

“Get back!” Aaron thrust his right palm forward and shouted, “Flame Barrier!”

A wall of flames sprung up in front of him, cutting off the Triceratops on the other side. He hoped it would be enough to deter the dinosaur, but to his great shock, the beast charged straight through the wall of fire. Its thick hide suffered only minor burns, and the Dark Orc on top remained completely unharmed.

“You will pay for killing my brothers!” Rothnak thundered, rushing at the group. He was about to ram right through them, when Zach took out all the remaining frost shards and tossed them at the enemy. The Triceratops slowed down at first and then its legs froze solid. Nashoba and Mawanko picked up spears from the ground and hurled them at the dinosaur. Their throws were deadly accurate and hit the beast right in the head. Despite the spears going through its hide, its thick skull prevented any injury to its brain.

“Why is the Orc not frozen?” Aaron asked Zach.

The answer came from Rothnak himself. “The elements cannot harm me, for I am blessed by the Dark Deity. Come meet your end!”

Aaron now noticed, for the first time, a string of ancient letters etched onto the Orc’s leather breastplate. “He is wearing an enchanted armor set. Low level attacks won’t do any elemental damage to him. We need to use normal weapons!”

“And how the hell are we supposed to get close enough?” Zach retorted, his voice quickly changing from frustration to panic. “The ice is cracking! It won’t hold it back any longer!”

Aaron noticed it too, but instead of panicking he kept his cool. “Change of plans, bro. Bait and switch!”

As soon as the Triceratops broke free from its icy prison, Aaron pulled out his polished steel knives and activated his Adrenaline Rush ability. Instead of running away from the Triceratops, he ran straight towards it.

Aaron dodged the spear Rothnak hurled at him and jumped right up in the air. “Catch!”

In the blink of an eye, Aaron chucked out all 20 polished daggers at Rothnak. Due to Aaron’s increased attack speed, each dagger hit the Orc with the same force as an arrow shot out from a crossbow. The knives went straight through his leather armor and the impact threw him off balance. He was thrown right off the Triceratops’ back and rolled over on the hard ground.

“Zach, the little one’s all yours!” Aaron shouted, running straight at the dinosaur. “Activate ability: One with the wind!”

While Aaron attacked the Triceratops from up close, Zach and the others flanked the downed Orc Warlord. As long as Aaron’s ability lasted, the Triceratops’ melee attacks would pose no threat to him. He deftly dodged the large horns and jumped right over its tail. To make sure the beast’s attention was focused on him, he turned up the flames and hit it right in the face.

“Incinerate!”

Aaron’s close ranged fire attack burned the dinosaur’s face, turning it partially blind. He slowly lured the massive beast away from the group and led it to the western end of the camp. As the dinosaur neared the gate, he unleashed a flurry of punches and followed this with an Ember Kick, straight to its skull, causing the beast to be stunned for a few seconds. Just then, Aaron’s dodging ability came to an end.

The Triceratops had barely lost a sliver of HP. Though its eyes had been damaged by the fire, it could still see well enough to make out its prey. Aaron knew he had to think fast or it would all be over in one hit.

“It’s time to improvise!” Aaron pulled out his smoke bombs, equipping one in each hand and jumped back. “Come on! Come and get me!” he taunted, leading the beast farther away from the camp.

As the Triceratops recovered from the stun effect, it pointed its horns forward and prepared to charge at Aaron.

“I’m standing right here, you pea-brain!” Aaron jumped back and threw the smoke bombs all in front of him, covering the whole area in smoke.