Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

An unexpected encounter

A faint tremor caused the ground to vibrate, disturbing the flaky grains of sand on the surface. Aaron slowed down the Ankylosaurus and did a quick Pyro Scan of his surroundings. There were no enemies nearby, and the only life forms around were the small crustaceans in the distance.

Initially, Aaron thought that this tremor had been caused by some massive carnivore prowling nearby, but his guess was completely off the mark. As he was looking around, another tremor shook the ground, almost throwing him and Zach off the saddles.

“What the hell was that?” Zach questioned.

Aaron stood up in his saddle and listened. Everything was silent, except for a faint vibration coming from beneath. A cold chill ran down his spine as he realised what was going on. He turned to Zach and whispered, “Something is moving under the sand. That’s what’s causing the tremors!”

The words were barely out of his mouth, when an enormous worm broke through the surface of the sand. Its sucker-like mouth was a gaping cavity filled with 5 rows of serrated teeth and had a large muscular proboscis hanging out from it. This massive annelid with creamy pink skin was over 20 feet in length and had a diameter nearly three times that of the largest oak tree in the forest.

Though the worm was blind, the 4 antennas attached to its head allowed it to sense the faintest of vibrations. Several lateral outgrowths extended from either side of its tubular body, helping it crawl across the sandy surface with ease. The annelid had been drawn to them by the vibrations caused by the Ankylosaurus running across the beach.

Aaron and Zach gazed at the squirming tube of blood and muscles and reeled in horror. It was so huge; it could easily swallow the Ankylosaurus whole. They had never before encountered such a creature on Solaris and it didn’t seem like a random enemy. Suddenly, their Z-bands started flashing red.

[*Warning!*]

[Zone Guardian nearby!]

[Boss encounter imminent!]

“That can’t be right! This thing wasn’t supposed to be here!” Zach shrieked.

“I think Gilbert swapped the Salamanca out for a new boss,” Aaron explained. “This must be a new Zone Guardian.”

“What the hell is that thing even?”

“Let’s find out.” Aaron clicked the scan button on his Z-band and held it up. Moments before the worm could dive into the sand, the Z-band finished its preliminary scan.

[Scan Complete!]

[Enemy: Mutated Bloodworm]

[Type: Zone Guardian]

[Threat Level: Extreme]

[Basic Stat Analysis:]

[Adult Mutated Bloodworm]

[Level: 25]

[20000 HP]

[0 EP]

The basic analysis only revealed the bare minimum. Aaron wished he had an upgraded version of the Z-band. Even a level 2 scan would have disclosed more about the Bloodworm’s stats. For now, he only had a rough idea of its level and type.

This was the first time they had encountered a mutated creature on Solaris. An ordinary bloodworm was supposed to be barely a few inches in length, but this monstrosity was bigger than an overgrown anaconda. It could swallow both the Ankylosaurus and its riders in one gulp.

“We have to keep moving!” Aaron yelled, spurring the Ankylosaurus forward. The dinosaur doubled down on its efforts and increased its speed.

The tremors ceased for a moment, but Aaron was aware that the threat was still there. He kept pushing his mount to speed ahead, all the while keeping his eyes glued to the ground for any signs of movement.

“Look out!” Zach screamed into Aaron’s ear.

The Bloodworm immediately re-surfaced on their left. It tried to ram its head into the Ankylosaurus, but Aaron tugged at the reins, making the dino take a sharp right. It was a close call as the worm missed by inches.

Before Aaron could turn around, the Bloodworm slithered back into the sand, disappearing from view. Aaron had no way of telling if it had retreated or was still tailing them. His Pyro Vision could only detect things above the ground.

A minute passed in fearful anticipation, but the creature didn’t re-surface. Aaron summoned his Firelings to see whether the Bloodworm would react, but the mutant didn’t take the bait. All the Firelings ran off in different directions without encountering any obstacles.

“Maybe it’s given up...” Zach whispered, struggling to keep his composure. The scorching hit of the afternoon sun had mellowed down now, but it was still too hot for an Aquamancer. His eyelids were heavy with sweat, which trickled down his forehead. The blisters covering his skin had worsened and his vital organs were beginning to feel the extreme heat.

Aaron handed Zach a couple of HP potions without speaking a single word. His eyes were still scanning the distance, trying to detect even the faintest movement.

The Ankylosaurus was beginning to tire now. It was true that it could traverse even the roughest of terrains without much difficulty, but it wasn’t built for speed. Sprinting across the sandy shore in such extreme heat had drained its stamina and it was starting to slow down. Aaron knew it would be unwise to push the dinosaur any harder. If the mount gave in at this moment, they would be in deep trouble. There was no way they’d be able to outrun the mutated bloodworm on foot.

Aaron gradually loosened his grip on the reins and allowed the mount to slow down. He still hadn’t noticed any movement and the tremors had completely died out.

“It’s an hour’s ride from here,” Zach revealed, looking at the map on his Z-band. They were getting closer to North Beach.

At the back of his mind, Aaron knew that sooner or later they would have to fight the mutated Bloodworm, since it was a Zone Guardian now. There were two ways they could go about it: face it now or come back later, better prepared and with a proper plan. His thoughts were suddenly disrupted by another tremor. This time, the Bloodworm didn’t come from the side, but emerged right in front of them, its gaping maw stretched open like a dark tunnel.

The Ankylosaurus was headed right into the mutant’s mouth when Zach made a split-second call. Charging up his Olive Staff, he fired a concentrated blast of magical energy which hit the Bloodworm straight in the head, causing it to sway ever so slightly to the left. That was room enough for Aaron to manoeuvre the Ankylosaurus and lead it out of harm’s way.

Having rushed past the hungry mutant, both Aaron and Zach looked back. The Bloodworm had taken little damage from the attack and dived back into the sand.

“I scanned it again. It’s HP dropped by just 100 points!” Zach exclaimed, staring at the holographic report. “How the f**k is this possible?”

“It’s a mutant. Of course, it’s not gonna take much damage from your attack. All mutants resist magic!” Aaron explained. “We have to hit it with physical attacks. Hold on tight!”