Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

A side quest

The Cayuga were a tribe of wandering nomads who had somehow managed to put together a small settlement. They had thought this new lifestyle would help them grow as a tribe, but they hadn’t taken an Orc invasion into account. Grogath and Nashoba were old enemies who had crossed paths quite a few times in the past. In fact, the reason why the Cayuga tribe had moved to this part of the island was to avoid being discovered by the Dark Orcs and mutants. If Aaron and Zach hadn’t been there, their whole tribe would have been subjugated by the raiders.

Though many brave warriors had perished in the battle, the women and children were safe. Nashoba thanked the spirits of his ancestors and slowly picked himself up. A couple of leaf clad women came up to him and escorted him back to his shack where a healer was waiting to with his healing salves and ointments. The rest of the tribe felt deeply indebted to these two strangers who had saved them from the Orc raid. In fact, many men and women claimed that these 2 youngsters were probably children of their first Gods, who had been sent here to save their people. They were ready to sing their praises and throw themselves at their feet, but felt rather afraid to interrupt their current conversation.

Slowly, the dark night made way for the beautiful morning. The first rays of the orange sun banished the darkness and forced the creatures of the dark to run into deeper parts of the forests or scamper to the safety of their caves. The Z-band notified them about the change and greeted them on a new day.

Nashoba had his doubts about trusting strangers, especially ones who could use such powerful skills. He didn’t believe Zach and Aaron were Gods, but he knew quite well that they had become the saviors of his tribe. He felt unsure about how to deal with the situation.

The same was the case with Zach. Though he promised to never leave Aaron behind, he wasn’t too convinced that staying here at this settlement would accomplish anything. He didn’t feel any sympathy for the Cayuga people. To him they were just NPCs who had been programmed to behave in a certain way. He had watched many villages burn in his games. Brutality was a common theme of any survival games and it didn’t affect him anymore. He was more concerned about building up his character and dealing with the next challenge which lay before them.

“Are you sure you wanna stay here instead of exploring the island? Maybe we can find a bigger settlement with blacksmiths and merchants. We could definitely use some decent gears right now,” Zach said.

Aaron thought about it for while and replied, “I think there’s a lot we can learn from these people. Dewdale was supposed to be the starting location. It’s where players used to come to get a hang of the basics.”

“But we don’t need to know the basics. We’ve been playing this game for over a month now. We’re not beginners!”

“As far as I can see, we are both below level 10. And this game isn’t the one which we used to play. These people maybe tribesmen, but they look like they’ve been living here for a long time. Perhaps they can tell us more about the different creatures which have been added to this game.” Zach didn’t seem too convinced, so Aaron decided to come up with another argument. “We can use this settlement as a temporary base. I say we try to explore the nearby places of interest during the day and return here before night fall. Then once we have gathered sufficient information about this region, we can move on.”

“I still don’t like your strategy,” Zach sighed. Aaron was planning a slow and cautious approach, but Zach had no intention of wasting more time here than necessary.

Aaron noticed the look in Zach’s eyes and knew he expected him to come up with a solid plan to help them conquer the island. “I know what you’re thinking, Zach. I do have a plan. But we are not going to the Temple of Shadows anytime soon.”

“So what exactly is your plan?”

“We are gonna need a new mount. That’s number one on our priority list. After that we have to get our hands on a either a Rare or a Legendary weapon. And then we scout the surrounding area to find out more about this region. I don’t wanna run into a damn pterosaur again.”

Aaron bent down on his knees and drew a rough map on the sand along with a couple of small cross marks. “The first Zone Guardian lives in Zittorac forest. The Flame Barghest is weak to water based elemental attacks and high level magic. We should be able to take it down once we hit level 15. It’s the weakest game boss on this island. Killing it will allow us to advance to the next rank and modify all our skills. And with the South Zone guardian defeated, all the fast travel points will become unlocked in this region. Then we can easily explore all ruins and secret stashes. Once we’ve taken care of this zone, we can think about the others.”

“It seems like we’re gonna be here for a long time,” Zach sighed. “I swear to God, if I get out of this place alive, I’m gonna f*****g kill that asshole Gilbert.”

“I’m pretty sure he can hear you,” Aaron reminded him.

Almost immediately, Zach’s Z-band auto-accepted a communication request. The voice on the other end was Gilbert’s

“Now now, be a good lad and show some respect to your elders. You don’t want to increase the game difficulty, do you?”

Zach was about to burst out in anger, when Aaron shushed him. He knew that this was Gilbert’s world and pissing him off would only cause them even more problems. So, he decided to make amends for his friend’s behavior.

“I’m really sorry about that. We will do as you say. You want someone to test your game and we are perfect for that job. We will conquer this island and become Apex Predators.”

“That’s like a good boy!” Gilbert chuckled. “Alright, let’s put this little conversation behind us. I have a mission for you. Let’s say it’s a side quest! Complete this quest and I will gift you a Rare level 10 pet!”

Aaron looked at Zach for his opinion, but he looked utterly clueless. After a bit of hesitation, he finally spoke asked, “What do you want us to do?”

“I see that you fared quite well against the Dark Orcs. So, I want you to keep up the good work. You see there’s a Dark Orc camp located deep in Zittorac forest. All you have to do is destroy that camp and kill every single Dark Orc present there.”

“We are only level—”

“I’m sure you can find a way. True gamers always enjoy a challenge. Come on now, don’t be a spoil sport.”

It was clear that they had no option. If they turned down this quest, there was no telling what Gilbert would do next. Aaron kept quiet and tried to think of some way to make Gilbert change his mind.

“I think you two aren’t feeling motivated enough. Alright, let me sweeten the deal. You do this little quest for me and I’ll make sure that you pass in your final exams.”

“But how? We’re stuck here,” Zach cried out.

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. I’ll just have to pull a few strings. Zachary Finch, I have your last year’s grades in my hands and it doesn’t seem like you did well. I believe you can use my help.”

“You can’t just make us pass a test which we won’t even be appearing for.”

“You have no idea what money can do, Zachary. All you have to do is complete the side quest and I assure you that you’ll pass with flying colors. And then once you get back to the real world, you’re gonna have that degree on your wall. Your parents are gonna be proud of you.”

“Alright, we’ll do it. We’ll destroy the Dark Orc camp,” Zachary replied without a second thought.

“That’s excellent! You do your part... and I’ll do mine.” Gilbert paused for a while, before filling in a major detail. “Oh, I forgot to mention this. The Dark Orcs have joined forces with the Hobgoblins. So, you’ll have to kill them too while you’re out there. But I’m sure that’ll be no problem for pros like you two. You have 2 days to complete this quest. Au revoir.”

Before Aaron or Zach could utter any word of protest, the call ended and the Z-band went silent once again.