Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

A re-match?

“Don’t we need snow dogs to pull them?” Isabella asked.

“Snow dogs?” Zach repeated, confused.

“She means huskies,” Madeline quickly corrected.

“Nope, we don’t need any huskies.” Aaron opened the mount shop on his Z-band and spent all his remaining gems on two pairs of dinos. “Attach sleighs to mounts.”

Once the purchase was complete, a pair of duck-billed dinosaurs appeared in front of each sleigh. Their reins automatically attached to the ropes and the rides were ready. Aaron pointed his right hand in the downward direction and ordered the beasts to proceed downhill.

The 10 foot-long primitive beasts ploughed through the snow with their thick sturdy legs. Both sleighs raced with one another, spraying snow all around. It was a gentle slope, and the dinos had no trouble finding their footing.

“f**k, yeah! They are way better than huskies!” Zach yelled excitedly as he watched Aaron pulling the reins and steering the dinosaurs in the right direction. This was unlike anything he had experienced before. Though his heart still pumped like crazy, his fear was now overshadowed by the thrill of the ride.

Madeline and Aaron kept weaving around the scattered pine trees and shrubs and avoiding the bumpy outgrowths of sedimentary rocks. Riding a sleigh pulled by two enormous dinosaurs was as thrilling as it was scary, but it was the quickest way to the bottom of the mountain.

“I can see the foothills up ahead. We need to slow down!” Aaron alerted Madeline.

Madeline immediately tightened her grip on the reins, pulling in the ropes. Her sleigh slowed down as the dinos felt a tautness on their necks. Aaron and Madeline pulled up side by side as their sleighs slid to a rough halt on a hard rocky surface.

All four of them dismounted from their sleighs and caught their breaths. The ride downhill had left them all jittery and shaken. Aaron untied the beasts from the sleighs and dismissed them. They had served their purpose and he felt it was best to go on foot from there.

“Why’d you let our mounts go?” Zach asked.

“Because we are heading to a safe zone. They can’t come inside with us.” Aaron pointed towards the east. “There’s a cave behind that Hackberry tree.”

“I thought caves weren’t safe zones,” Madeline cut in.

“This one’s different. The cave ahead is an ancient shrine dedicated to the Resting Deity.”

“How do you know that?”

“The shrine of the Resting Deity is the only shrine which has a save point and beds. It was a recent addition to the game. I read about it online, when the second patch was added.” Aaron showed her the half-feather symbol on his map. “That’s the identifying mark for all Resting Deity Shrines. And they are always located behind hackberry trees.”

Madeline and her sister consulted in private, before returning to Aaron and Zach. With just 5 minutes left till nightfall, they had no choice but to seek immediate shelter, even if it meant spending the night with a rival team.

As the group made their way to the cave, the great moss-covered boulder rolled over and opened the entrance to the shrine. Aaron and Zach were the first to enter, followed by the two girls. The boulder slowly rolled back in place, closing the only exit.

Aaron quickly took out a torch from his inventory and lit it with his flaming finger. The cave had two small beds and a couple of animal skin mats on the floor. There was an unlit campfire in the middle and a few logs placed around it like seats. Aaron walked up to the campfire and tossed his torch into it.

As soon as the campfire was lit, the cave was illuminated with a soft yellow glow and the carving of the Resting Deity was visible on the wall at the other end. The campfire activated the save point and enabled the use of beds and mats to fast forward the time.

Isabella had already started trusting Aaron and Zach, but Madeline was a tough nut to c***k. Aaron could tell that she wasn’t going to let her guard down, even for a second. Madeline didn’t like the idea of spending the night with complete strangers. She just wanted to go her own way as soon as possible.

“I want to make things very clear,” Madeline declared, stepping forward. “We are not buddies or pals or even allies. We will rest here for the night and then go our separate ways in the morning.”

“What the hell is your problem?” Zach frowned.

Madeline scoffed and turned away without uttering a reply. This time Aaron knew he had to solve this problem once and for all. “How do you plan to kill the T-Rex?” he called out.

“I don’t think I need to tell you about it. We’ve already repaid your favours in full.”

As she turned to go, Aaron called out once again, this time with firmness in his voice. “I didn’t save you, so you could just run away at the first chance you get. You don’t have to be friendly with us, but we must work as a team to defeat the T-Rex.”

“We can handle—”

“You can’t handle s**t! Stop being a stubborn arse!” Aaron snapped back. “You’re both level 25. That T-Rex is level 30 and most probably a mutant. We need a full party of 4 if we are to have any chance against it.”

“We are not teaming up with you guys. We don't need your help.”

“Then you’ll end up dead, along with your sister!”

Aaron’s reply left Madeline stunned. She felt the anger boiling inside her veins as her fist shook with fury. Clenching her teeth tighter than ever, she tried to hold back, but what Aaron said next broke all her barriers.

“You’re a god damn, selfish prick. You don’t give a f**k about anyone, even if it’s your own sibling. All that matters to you is your arrogance!”

“You don’t know me,” Madeline retorted sharply, pulling out her dual axes. “I love my little sister more than anything in this world.”

Isabella feared the worst as she saw her sister preparing to lunge at Aaron. She didn’t think Aaron and Zach were bad guys and it made her gut twist to see the situation come to this.

Zach was ready to use a summoning scroll. His eyes fixed on Madeline.

“Please stop it, sis!” Isabella cried out.

“This fight will be over quickly. I’m warning you for the last time.” Aaron channelled his powers, igniting the dormant embers in his eyes. “I won’t be holding back this time.”

“I’m not scared of you!” Madeline snapped back.

“Then you should be!” Aaron pulled out his Naginata and cried aloud, “Transform: Blazing Form!”

Aaron’s true power awakened, unleashing the raw energy of the fire element. His pupils turned flaming yellow, a bright red aura encased his body and his Naginata was set ablaze. With the flames dancing on his blade, he leaned forward and assumed an attacking stance.

Even though Madeline and her sister were several paces away from Aaron, they could feel the sweltering heat emanating from his body. The red aura which enveloped his body was expanding every second, making his core temperature increase by several degrees.

"I was wrong to save you. I should have let you die when that cave collapsed."

"You really should have, but you were too damn weak!" Madeline crossed her axes in front of her and locked her eyes on Aaron.