Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

Playing with fire

“Zach, boost our defenses! Kawasha, protect the backline. And Mawanko, I want you with me.”

Aaron put away his knives and turned up the heat. His fingers glowed fiery red as he prepared to roast the enemy with flames.

Zach quickly took out a scroll from his inventory and read aloud, “Activate Elite Scroll: Greater Evasion!” As the brown parchment disappeared, the entire party gained a 50% evasion bonus. Zach quickly followed this by casting his 2 new skills. “Skill: Lesser Damage Boost! Skill: Stone Armor!”

The Hobgoblins readied their spears and rushed at them from every direction. Spears rained down on them by the hundreds. They would have been skewered by now, but Zach’s evasion boost helped them dodge the ranged attacks. Most of the spears missed and those which hit, merely brushed against their hardened skin without causing any severe damage.

Seeing their attacks miss, the Hobgoblin sent in the Elite Rangers. Though they were similar to normal Hobgoblins in appearance, these special units were lightly armored and trained in both ranged as well as melee combat. With their poison dipped daggers, they rushed at the intruders.

“Mawanko now might be a good time to call your friends!” Aaron shouted.

“Got it, chief!” The words slipped out of Mawanko’s mouth almost instinctively. He acted without hesitation and took out a bone whistle from his satchel. Pressing it against his lips, he whistled thrice. The sound was barely audible to humans, but the beasts heard it loud and clear.

Howls echoed through the camp, as bright red eyes emerged from the darkness. The dire wolves which Mawanko had tamed came running out of their kennels and pounced on the Hobgoblins. These beasts were smart and efficient predators and a pack of 12 was enough to wreck havoc in any camp. While they would never attack their Dark Orc masters, they didn’t have any loyalty towards the Hobgoblins.

Soon, the Hobgoblins started screaming and running for their lives. The hunters, being ranged attackers, had no way to fend off such agile beasts. Only the Elite Rangers put up a fight. Aaron took advantage of the panic and summoned a group of Firelings to add to the chaos. Together, he and Mawanko fought off the Hobgoblins, who managed to get close, while Zach bombarded the ones far away with his Crackler Gems.

The dire wolves had turned the odds firmly in favour of Aaron’s group. Most of the Dark Orc fighters had already been dealt with, but they only made up 50% of the camp’s population. Alarmed by the frenzied screaming and howling, the other Dark Orcs who were sleeping inside the huts awakened. Dressed in full battle armor, the Dark Orc reserve troops started marching out of the huts. Aaron knew they couldn’t fight both the Orcs and Hobgoblins at the same time and so he decided to nip the problem in the bud.

“Change of plans! Zach, Mawanko and Nashoba, I want you three to protect me.”

The three party members swiftly changed formation and formed a triangle with Aaron in the middle. They picked up what weapons they could find lying around and formed a defensive barrier.

Aaron gulped down an EP potion and channeled his powers. “Activate Skill: Fire Barrage!”

As the skill took effect, Aaron was lifted off the ground and his eyes burned brighter by the minute. Flames danced on his fingertips and his palms became as hot as burning coals. Soon, two flaming orbs appeared in each of his hands. They started at the size of small apples, but gradually doubled in size.

“You play with fire, you get burnt!” Aaron yelled, hurling the fireballs in opposite directions. The flaming orbs struck the largest Orcish huts and immediately set them on fire. Once his skill reached its channeling threshold, he was able to conjure fireballs almost instantly. He kept bombarding the whole camp with fire, indiscriminately targeting both the Orcish huts as well as the Hobgoblin tents.

The Fire Barrage skill was a pyromancer’s signature long ranged attack. Once fully charged, it had enough destructive potential to destroy an entire village. Aaron had already taken care of the elite Orc Riders and even the dire wolves were under their control. Without any fast attack units which could quickly close the gap, the Orcs had no way to get close and interrupt the skill casting. The fiery deluge wrecked everything in its path. Trapped inside the burning huts, the reserve troops burned to their deaths.

After obliterating all the huts and tents in the vicinity, Aaron finally came back on the ground. He had drained his whole EP bar and needed to gulp another potion.

Mawanko and Kawasha stood agape, staring at the destruction all around. There was fire and smoke as far as their eyes could see. Every hut was either burning or had been completely obliterated by the fireballs crashing into them.

“I think we’re done here,” Zach said, tossing the last Crackler Gem at a group of Hobgoblins.

Aaron took a few deep breaths and replied, “That’s one camp destroyed. Now let’s hope Edward keeps his part of the deal.”

Zach tapped on his Z-band and opened the quest tab. He expected a completion notification, but instead found the timer still running. Beside the quest, bold red letters displayed ‘In progress.’

“How is it still not complete?” Zach asked, looking at Aaron in surprise.

“I’m pretty sure we destroyed everything. Maybe it’s taking some time to update.” Aaron looked around to make sure he had destroyed every building and killed every last enemy. Suddenly, he remembered something. They still hadn’t encountered the Dark Orc Warlord who was supposed to be the leader of the camp. It was highly unlikely that he had been killed so easily. “We need to find and kill Rothnak to finish our quest. He must still be alive,” he said.

Aaron didn’t have to wait long. A loud booming voice echoed across the camp and a warning message appeared on his Z-band.

[*Warning: High Level Enemy Detected!*]

[Dark Orc Warlord approaching!]

[Threat Level: Severe!]

“Looks like you got your wish,” Zach said.

Aaron readied his weapons and looked straight ahead. Surely, someone or something was approaching from the other end of the camp. It didn’t seem like an Orc or even a Hobgoblin. “What the hell is that thing?”

“That looks....like a beast.” Zach’s eyes widened in terror and his mouth went dry as he made out the outline of a massive creature approaching from the front. “It’s...not possible.”

Nothing could have prepared them for what their eyes now witnessed. The Dark Orc warlord, Rothnak, was riding atop a massive dinosaur with three large horns jutting out of its skull. The beast was as large as an adult mammoth and walked on 4 thick legs. Around its neck, it sported a large frill which was fused with its enormous skull and its mouth was shaped like a beak.

“That’s a...Triceratops!” Aaron exclaimed.