Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

If you can’t burn it...

Aaron was the first to climb onto his mount, with Zach following next. Madeline, however, was not prepared to leave Isabella behind.

“Izzy, get away from the T-Rex. I’ll—”

“I can do this!” Isabella cried out. “Please, sister, give me a chance. I won’t fail you.”

“Izzy...”

The words stuck in Madeline’s throat as her voice cracked up. Isabella marched right up to the T-Rex and equipped her special weapon: the Grim Hammer. She didn’t look afraid anymore and there was nothing Madeline could say to call her back.

The T-Rex whipped its tail, hoping to knock down Isabella, but she blocked the blow with her heavy shield. Lifting her right arm, she raised the hammer above her head and struck a powerful blow.

“Giga Impact!”

The earth shattered as the hammer made contact, leaving a crater where Isabella stood. The shock wave knocked back the T-Rex, reducing both its movement speed and defence rating.

Madeline’s heart wouldn’t listen, but she turned away and climbed the mount waiting for her. Her little sister meant the world to her, and she swore to herself if anything happened to Isabella, she’d never forgive Aaron.

“Where are we going?” Madeline called out, trailing after Zach.

“Just follow my lead!” Aaron shouted without looking back. He pushed his dinosaur hard, making it speed up.

Isabella’s mount was standing a safe distance away from the T-Rex. She could still catch up to them if she tried, but she had a job to do. Her team mates were counting on her for support and she was the only one who could stall the Zone Guardian.

The T-Rex came charging, ramming its hard skull into Isabella’s shield. She tried to hold her ground, but the dinosaur kept going at it. Blow after blow dented the steel, and it became so deformed that it could no longer block any attacks. She caught a glimpse of the long spiked tail as it came lashing across her right, whipping her away like a ragdoll.

Isabella’s battered body bounced across the plain, finally coming to an abrupt stop as she hit her head on a tree trunk. Her face, bloodied and covered in dirt, was bruised in several places. She saw her mount still standing ready. At that moment, running away seemed like the best option. But Aaron and her sister were still within range. Now wasn’t the time to show weakness.

Picking herself up, Isabella rubbed the dirt from her face. Her shield arm was badly injured and the shield itself deformed beyond recognition. She slowly unclasped the leather strap and let her shield drop to the floor. With only an oversized war hammer in hand, she approached the raging Primal T-Rex.

Several terrifying thoughts went through her head all at once. What if the re-spawn mechanic didn’t work or the save file was corrupted? This was an untested game where even a major bug might cause it to crash. Dying here could send her body into shock and put her in a comatose state. She looked out on her far right and watched Madeline disappear in the distance. That gave her a little sense of relief which made it possible to face the horror before her.

As the T-Rex came charging at her, she gripped the hammer using both hands and lifted it high in the air.

“Hercules Aura. Fortification. Greater Defensive Barrier!”

A golden aura spread out from her, forming a protective circle around her in a 10 meter radius. Her physical attack and defence increased greatly and she gained 50% damage resistance.

“Stone Enchantment! Bone Breaker!”

This time Isabella threw the hammer at the dinosaur, hitting it square in the head. It was a blow meant to shatter the defence, and when coupled with the Stone Enchantment, its stopping power was enough to leave the dinosaur stunned.

Isabella quickly brought her palms together, closing the gaps between her fingers and shouted, “Imprison!”

Large slabs of rocks emerged from the ground. Each one stacked up perfectly on top of the other, forming a cage around the T-Rex. A total of 3 layers of rocks joined together to create a prison for the massive carnivore.

The T-Rex wasn’t going to stay stunned for long and Isabella knew the stony cage wouldn’t be able to hold it inside for long. She had done her job and now she had to get back to her team. Mounting the duck-billed dinosaur waiting nearby, she took off. Aaron had marked a waypoint on her map before fleeing. That was where they were supposed to meet.

Aaron and the others were still riding hard. Neither Zach nor Madeline had any clue where he was headed or what the plan was. All Madeline could think of was her little sister, facing the T-Rex all alone. And it made her hate herself.

“Where the hell are we going?” Madeline shouted after Aaron, riding right up to him.

“Look ahead.”

Up ahead in the distance, something was shimmering. The cool waters of Silver Spring Lake were reflecting the bright rays of the midday sun. The lake stretched for two miles across and its waters had a silvery hue, giving it the name.

“How are we gonna cross that? I don’t think any of us can fly.”

“Zach’s gonna take care of it.”

“What? How the hell am I gonna take care of it?” Zach said. “I don’t have any flying summoned creatures. Don’t tell me you didn’t know that!”

“We are going to ride across the lake on our dinos,” Aaron replied, slowing down.

They all came to a stop near the edge of the lake. Aaron kept the mounts close by and turned to Zach. “You are the ace in our deck. Use your Rapid Conversion skill. That should freeze the lake solid.”

“That’s a whole damn lake. I’ve never tried freezing something so large. Even if it works, it may take hours!”

“Not if you and Madeline work together.” Aaron looked at her and she stared back in confusion. “You are an evolved Aeromancer. You must have access to the chilling wind skill. That will help bring the temperature down faster. If you and Zach work in tandem, the lake will be frozen in no time.”

“So that’s why you left my sister behind. Because she didn’t have a purpose here. I hate —”

“Your sister’s fine.” Aaron showed her his friend list where Isabella’s name still had the solid green dot next to it. “She’s alive and probably on her way to us.”

“How do you know that?”

“I’ve marked a waypoint on her map. We are not leaving her behind. Now, can we just focus on the task? We have a limited time before the T-Rex catches up to us.”

Zach quickly approached the water. Holding his downward-facing palms over the water’s surface, he began casting his conversion skill. As much as Madeline hated Zach, she had no choice but to work with him this time.

“Rapid Conversion: Solid state.”

“Wind Boost! Chilling Breeze!”

Their combined efforts soon yielded the desired result. The surface of the lake froze solid in just a few seconds, forming a thin sheet of ice. They kept going without pause, making the temperatures drop rapidly. Madeline’s Chilling Breeze skill prevented the ice from melting and increased the conversion speed.

While the two were busy freezing the lake, Aaron’s attention was caught by the sound of something approaching from behind. He spun around alarmed. It was Isabella riding full tilt towards them. Aaron signalled her to slow down and she acknowledged at once, bringing the dinosaur to a halt near the lake.

“What are you guys doing?”

“Izzy?” Madeline turned around, relieved to see her sister still alive.

“Hey! Focus here!”  Zach called her attention back to the lake.

Aaron explained everything to Isabella while Zach and Madeline finished solidifying the rest of the lake.

“It’s done!” Zach exclaimed.

Almost immediately, the ground started rumbling. The Primal T-Rex had broken free from its rocky prison.

“Let’s go. Madeline and Isabella first.”

Madeline took the lead this time, her sister riding alongside. Zach followed behind while Aaron rode slowly at the rear. They rode across the frozen lake at a gentle pace. It wasn’t easy to control the dinosaurs on such a slippery surface. One mistake would cause them to come tumbling down. The ice looked solid enough to bear their weight, but there was no way to know what was happening under the surface.

The T-Rex was rampaging across the plain, still chasing after them. Aaron had played enough survival games to know that this Zone Guardian would not allow them to flee. They had to see the battle through to the end.

Aaron waited for Zach and the others to cross the lake, but he himself stayed behind. He had chosen to stay behind to slow down the T-Rex and stop it from crossing the lake till the whole party was safe on the other side.

“Aaron!” Zach called out, looking behind. He couldn’t understand why his friend was just standing there in the middle of the lake.

“Don’t look back! Just cross the lake!” Aaron shouted back.

Channelling his fire energy, Aaron rose from the ground, his fingers flaming hot. As the T-Rex was about to reach the lake, he began his fiery assault. “Ability activate: Adrenaline Rush Fireball Barrage!”

With his boosted attack speed, Aaron was able to throw fireballs at an astounding rate. He kept peppering the dinosaur with fire attacks, targeting its face. The T-Rex was forced to stop in its tracks as it winced in pain. When the fireball skill came to an end, Aaron immediately used his Firelings to keep up the attack.

By this time, Zach and the others had already managed to cross the lake. Aaron jumped back on his mount and hurried across the icy surface. He was just a few paces away from the shore, when the ice started cracking. The T-Rex had reached the lake and was stomping at full speed.

“Flame Barrier!” Aaron cast his skill, without looking back, putting up a wall of flames between him and the raging T-Rex.

As soon as Aaron reached the shore, he jumped down from his mount and pointed his open palms towards the frozen lake. The flame barrier only slowed the T-Rex down for a few seconds. It came charging through the fiery wall, taking minimal damage.

“You’re not getting across!” Aaron focused his eyes on the lake and shouted, “Scorching Heat!”

A wide ring of fire blazed across the icy surface. Then the flames rose many metres high, melting the ice on the surface. As the T-Rex came charging, the thin ice cracked under its feet. Due to the extreme heat of Aaron’s AOE fire attack, the ice turned back into water. The solid ground beneath the T-Rex melted in an instant and it fell right through. It wasn’t any good at swimming and its body weight made it sink like a stone.