Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

A moral dilemma

Zach’s stance on the matter was clear. He thought like a true rationalist, weighing a few losses against several lives which could be saved. For Aaron, however, the concept of greater good had never appeared too appealing. He valued every single life as much as the next.

The fact that these tribals were all NPCs, made very little difference to him now. After spending so much time with the Cayuga, he had come to regard them as real people. The borders between what was human and what was artificial had become blurry. These humans, though digitally coded into a virtual world, all possessed a degree of self- awareness and were conscious beings with feelings and attachments. There was absolutely no way for Aaron to treat them as expendable bots.

“We’re staying here. I’m not gonna abandon them,” Aaron declared, his immovable resolve clear in his unfaltering voice.”

“I had a feeling you’d say that,” Zach sighed, shaking his downcast head.

“You can’t just expect me to leave them to their fate. You know you would have saved them if this was a compulsory quest in a game.”

“But, it’s not! If both of us die here, there’s no getting back.”

“I’ll take my chances.”

“Well, don’t expect any help from me. I’m just a useless level 1 support right now.”

Aaron checked the timer on his Z-band and saw that 10 minutes had already passed. The event was about to start in 20 minutes. Just then, another set of notifications appeared on their screens.

[*Limited time bonuses have been enabled!*]

[Mystic Shop is accessible for the next 5 minutes!]

[All player abilities have been replenished!]

Without waiting a moment longer, Aaron opened the mystic shop and switched to the browsing menu. A long list of special items and rare weapons were on display. Currently, Aaron had 80,000 Sky Gems in his inventory, which meant he could afford some of the best high-tier weapons in the game. However, he put aside his personal preferences and chose an item best suited for this particular scenario. Using 30,000 gems, he purchased a rare level 15 scroll and the rest 50,000 he spent on a Superior Level Scroll.

“These two are for you,” Aaron said, handing over both the scrolls to Zach.

“You spent all your gems on consumables?” Zach frowned. “You could have purchased a rare weapon for that.”

“I can’t do this alone, bro. I need you to watch my back. Now go on and use the Level Scroll. I’ll help them set up the defences.” Aaron left Zach standing near the gate and marched into the settlement with Kawasha.

On the young chief’s orders, the whole tribe gathered around the totem pole. Aaron explained the situation to them as best as he could and assured them he would do his utmost to protect their settlement. But for that, he was gonna need help from all the able-bodied hunters in the tribe.

Headed by Mawanko, a group of 10 hunters reported to Aaron. They were not as strong as the warriors of the tribe, but were particularly skilled with slings. Aaron instructed them to bring out all the special items they had stored away in their shacks. He wanted everything they could get their hands on.

With just 5 minutes to go, the group of hunters assembled near the front gate. They had scoured all the shacks in the village and brought out all their secret stashes. There were two small pouches full of Frost Shards and a dozen conical vials of a strange yellow-green liquid.

“That’s all we could find,” Mawanko reported.

Aaron quickly went over the strategy and explained to each one their roles. Mawanko was asked to lead the hunters, while Kawasha was asked to support them with a group of gatherers. Aaron was going to lead the defence with Zach by his side.

Moments before the countdown timer hit zero, Mawanko got all the hunters in position, behind Aaron and Zach. And behind them were the gatherers led by Kawasha.

As soon as the timer ran out, dinosaurs started spawning in the distance. Aaron counted the number at 20. They were all adult Velociraptors —the fiercest and most cunning pack hunters of the dinosaur world. Not only did they possess razor sharp teeth and powerful curved claws, but they were also incredibly intelligent. Standing around 4 feet tall, with slender bodies, the raptors were agile killing machines.

The raptors in this game were far larger than the ones which existed in real life and a lot more aggressive. Aaron knew it would all be over quickly if even a single one of these beasts managed to get close enough. Without taking his eyes off the raptors, Aaron called out to Zach.

“I want you to use that scroll right now!”

“Use Rare Scroll: Summon Orc Riders!”

Zach’s voice was quickly drowned out by the loud screeching cries of the advancing raptor pack. Led by an oversized alpha Velociraptor, the beasts came running at full tilt.

“Mawanko, get your men ready!” Aaron yelled as loudly as he could. The hunters had already started panicking, their legs trembling in fear.

“Do this for your chief! For Nashoba!” Kawasha shouted, instilling them with newfound courage.

Zach’s scroll melted into thin air and soon a pack of Orc Riders appeared on the battlefield, riding feral black wolves and armed with light wooden spears. On Zach’s command, his summoned minions charged forward and prepared to rip into the Velociraptor pack.