Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

Gone Rogue

Aaron clicked on his Z-band and opened the map of Solaris. There was no way they could reach the human settlement before nightfall. A long and treacherous road lay before them. The Smilodon had been defeated, but there were bound to be more enemies up ahead. Aaron wanted to see if there were any other safe zones nearby. He peered into the holographic map, which showed the entire island divided into 4 zones: North Beach, South Beach, West Desert and East Desert. The regions he had visited already were vividly portrayed in great detail, highlighting even the minor points of interest such as caves and fast travel points. However, there was no mention of any nearby safe zones. Dewdale Village was the closest human settlement and, apart from that, there was an unexplored cave dwelling labelled as Exile’s Grotto. With time running out, he kept searching for some secret shortcut which might help them reach the village before nightfall.

Nothing showed up on the map. Even if there was a shorter route to the village, Aaron had to discover it first before it could be recorded on the digital map. Zach was beginning to turn delirious now. His heavy eyelids were drooping, ready to shut down at any moment. He had lost so much blood that his weakened body could no longer maintain his balance.

“Hold on, bro. I’ll get you to a healer. You’re gonna make it,” Aaron cried in a trembling voice, holding Zach in his arms. The map was still in front of his eyes. There was nothing of importance around him, except for that little shrine at the side of the road. The crude stone statue didn’t look very special, but when he zoomed in on the map, he saw that it actually had a name—the Wayfarer Shrine. This meant that this shrine wasn’t just a random structure placed on the map, but actually served some purpose. The grand temples inside the human settlements usually offered some buff and they could also cure status effects. Aaron wondered whether this shrine could also grant a healing benediction.

Supporting Zach on his shoulder, Aaron walked up to the shrine and laid his friend down against a tree trunk. “Activate shrine!” Aaron repeated his words over and over again, but nothing happened. Then finally a pop up appeared before him.

[*Would you like to pray to the Travelling Deity?]

[Yes] [No]

“I almost forgot,” Aaron whispered to himself, before kneeling before the shrine. “Travelling Deity, I pray to you to give us your healing benediction.”

In response to his words, a large stone altar appeared before him, bearing the ancient symbol of the Travelling Deity. Aaron knew that this was his cue to present an offering. The deities of this world were known to give their blessings to those who sacrificed something special. Right now, Aaron didn’t have any jewelry or gems with him. The only thing of any value was the weapon he had just acquired. The Spear of Catastrophe was far more valuable than anything he could acquire in early game, because it had the special talent of harnessing the power of natural calamities to turn the tides of battle. With this weapon, the player could easily wipe out an entire army all by himself, but right now Aaron needed to save his friend. Breathing out a deep sigh, he made up his mind and placed the spear on the altar.

The spear glowed with a soft white light and then slowly disappeared. This was a good sign. It meant that his offering had been accepted.

“Your offering has pleased me, human,” spoke out a young male voice. “Come forth and choose a gift of your liking.”

As Aaron stepped close to the shrine, two enchanted items appeared before him. The one floating on the left was a bright red egg which glowed like a ruby and on his right there was a golden yellow saddle.

“The egg on your left will hatch into a powerful and loyal pet which will support you on your journey and help you in battle. And the saddle on your right will allow you to take control of a swift and reliable mount. You can choose only one to take with you.”

Without even so much as a second thought, Aaron grabbed the saddle. Though a pet was a powerful creature, right now he needed something which could take him to the village before nightfall. As soon as he made his choice, the egg disappeared. He slowly released the saddle and it floated up in the air.

“You have chosen well,” the deity’s voice spoke again. “May your mount carry you wherever the roads lead!”

As the deity’s booming voice faded into the twilight, a loud trumpeting sound shook Aaron to his core. The glowing saddle transformed into a gigantic Woolly Mammoth, towering over 10 feet. Its entire body was covered in snowy white fur and its glowing blue eyes were ablaze with liquid fire. As the last rays of the dying sun fell on its spotless white tusks, they glistened like polished steel. Each was over a meter long and curved upward. Aaron looked up at the gigantic beast and felt awed by its massive proportions.

[*Mount Acquired: Rare Woolly Mammoth!*]

Aaron had never encountered a mammoth in this game before. Looking at the enormous mammal, he wondered how he could possibly even get on its back, let alone carry Zach with him.

This was not the time to be indecisive. The mount should work the same way it always worked in the game. Aaron took a deep breath and commanded the mammoth, “We need a ride. Carry us.”

Immediately, the mammoth went down on its knees and lowered its head, stretching out its long muscular trunk like a furry carpet. Aaron walked over the trunk and carefully climbed onto its back. When he was seated carefully on top, the mammoth stood back up again.

“Hold on! I need to take my friend with me.”

The mammoth flapped its ears as if it understood everything Aaron said. It gently walked up to where Zach was lying and lifted its trunk in the air. As if by some magic, Zach was lifted off the ground like he was completely weightless. The mammoth curled its trunk backward and Zach levitated towards it. He floated straight over the beast’s head and landed softly on its back. Barely conscious and clinging on to dear life, he had little strength to question what was happening. Aaron, however, understood what had just happened. This beast was no ordinary mammoth, but a magical creature capable of using telekinesis.

Having secured Zach’s arm around his waist, he grabbed hold of the mammoth’s fur and commanded, “Take us to Dewdale village. Quick!”

With a loud trumpeting noise, the mammoth puffed out a stream of foggy white clouds from its trunk and set off in the direction of the village. It started at a slow speed and then gradually picked up pace. The path cutting through the forest was just wide enough to allow the massive beast to pass through without crashing into the trees.

Aaron scanned the forest around him constantly with his Pyro Vision to check for any threats. While most small carnivores weren’t foolish enough to attack such a huge beast, the pterosaur roaming these lands wouldn’t be deterred by its size. Aaron could only hope that they didn’t run into any such pre-historic predators on the road.

While Aaron was looking around, he suddenly spotted something in the distance. It was a group of dwarfish green creatures armed with lanky wooden spears. Aaron immediately recognized what these creatures were. They were Hobgoblin hunters, probably the same ones who had attacked Zach. These elite hunters had probably tracked him down using his scent and were now lying in wait to ambush him.

As the hobgoblins spotted the mammoth, they gathered on the road to block the path. Aaron was furious now. “You little shits will get what’s coming!” He leaned forward and shouted, “Don’t stop. Charge right at them!”

The mammoth heard the command and immediately increased its speed. It puffed out even more white fog from its trunk and hurtled towards the hobgoblin formation. Spears came flying towards Aaron, but they narrowly missed his head. A couple of them went straight through the mammoth’s fur and penetrated its chest, but it showed no sign of slowing down. Its thick hide prevented any serious injury and it charged forward, ramming through the Hobgoblin formation and tossing the stragglers away with its large trunk.

Aaron was impressed by the beast’s strength and breathed a sigh of relief. He could already see huts in the distance. The mammoth slowed down as it approached the settlement and eventually came to a halt outside its crude log fence.

As Aaron’s eyes fell on Dewdale village, a change came over him. There were no huts here, only little shacks made by tying bamboos together and covering them with animal skin. Even the people looked different from what he remembered. They didn’t look like villagers from Dewdale, but tribal nomads. The men were dressed in animal hide, with some even wearing skulls of small predatory animals on their heads, while the women wore clothes made out of leaves. This wasn’t the Dewdale village he remembered. It seemed like the place had gone back in time by several centuries! Now Aaron was pretty sure that this was no damn bug. Someone had intentionally tampered with the game and changed it from within!

[*You have discovered Dewdale village!*]

[+1500XP]

“No! This isn’t Dewdale village!” Aaron shouted out in frustration. Nothing made sense now. He couldn’t understand who would make such a change to the game and why. The village where he thought he would find the answers to his questions confused him even more. Getting out of this game world now seemed a lot more complicated.

While Aaron thought about what to do next, the warriors of the tribe approached his mammoth, unsure of whether he was a friend or a foe. The others cowered inside their little shacks, too afraid to come out. Before the tribesmen could talk to Aaron, a 3D holographic model of a masked human face appeared before them. It had been magnified to ten times its original size and even the voice had been deepened to sound more commanding.

“Welcome to Evolution Island, gamer!” the 3D face spoke. “You are one of the lucky few who have been chosen to try out my revolutionary new immersive gaming technology!”

“Who the hell are you?” Aaron asked.

“Watch your tone, dear player. You wouldn’t want to anger the God of this world, would you?” the booming voice rebuked. “I am the one who has revamped this game and made it even more thrilling! I am the genius who has made it possible for you to experience the game in person. It is my brilliant innovation which has brought you to this world! You no longer control a character on screen, but you are now the character which you have chosen!”

“So, you are one of the game developers?”

“Ah, you do catch on quickly! Yes, I am the creator of this great fantasy world!”

“Please help us return to our own world. We don’t want to play this game anymore. I do not like this experience so far. I’d rather play games on screen than literally be teleported inside them.”

“How disappointing! I thought you would applaud my genius. Alas! Not everyone can appreciate real talent,” the face sighed. Then it immediately emboldened its voice. “I brought you into this world so that you can enjoy my new update. I cannot let you return home.”

“Our bodies are still in the real world! We can seriously die if we don’t go back!”

“Do not worry; your physical bodies are being safely preserved in life pods now. There is no hurry. My assistants will monitor all your vital signs in the real world. Just enjoy the—”

“I don’t want to enjoy the game like this. My friend is bleeding to death! What if we die in this world?”

“Well, if you die here, then you’ll go into a comma. There’s nothing I can do about that. It’s just one of the small technical glitches they say, but I think it makes the game more realistic.”

“You’re f*****g crazy! Let us go back to our world right now!”

On hearing Aaron’s audacious demand, the voice broke off into a loud chuckle. “You’re not going anywhere bro. I don’t care if your friend dies. You two are expendable. But please do enjoy the experience while it lasts. I need to see how far you can make it.”

“You’re gonna be arrested! You’re a damn lunatic. When our parents find out, they’ll call the cops!”

“And you think they can find me so easily?” the voice enquired. “Oh boy, you clearly are a noob. I always plan ahead. They can never get their hands on me.”

“What the f**k do you want from us?”

I want you to play my game!” the booming voice declared emphatically. “Listen up, Aaron Smith. If you want to get out of this world, you have to beat the game. Become the new Apex Predator of this world and I will allow you to leave. But if you fail, it’ll be game over for you and your friend. Good luck Pyromancer. You’re gonna need it!”