Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

The land of fire and smoke

The sea was as calm as a sleeping lake, its waves barely visible in the distance. It was safe to make the crossing now.

Aaron was the one who had to be most careful here, since he was playing a Pyromancer. One little slip would extinguish his flames forever.

“Maybe I should go first,” Zach suggested. His Predator type was most suited for a journey across the sea. Even if he fell into the ocean, it wouldn’t cause him any harm. His passive skill would let him breathe underwater and let him swim without expending any energy.

This time Zach led from the front, checking to make sure the ground was stable, before his friends followed. The corals were damp and soggy and the sea shells brittle. It wasn’t exactly solid, stable ground. The sea was already leaking through the numerous gaps on the surface.

As the 4 players trekked across the coral bridge, they heard strange gurgling noises in the distance. It was coming from the red island in the distance. They kept walking in a straight line, with Aaron in the middle and the girls at the rear. The closer they got to Ashenfort, the louder the gurgling noise became. The waters near the volcanic island were boiling due to the extreme heat.

“I should have stayed back on Solaris,” Zach stuttered, looking at the volcanic plane before him. Even from a distance he could feel the heat.

This island was a haven for a Pyromancer like Aaron. His Predator had complete mastery over the fire element, which granted him immunity against all kinds of fire damage. He could dive right into a bubbling magma pool and come out unscathed.

For others in the group, this island was a terrible place to be. As soon as they set foot on the volcanic plane, they were all hit with the ‘scorched’ debuff which reduced all healing effects by 50% and made them more vulnerable to fire damage.

The entire island was made of solidified lava, with no trace of soil or vegetation. Not even the seagulls dared to fly nearby. There was no way any living organism could survive in these harsh and unforgiving conditions.

All around there was a crust of barren black rocks, and the air smelt of sulphur. A gray-topped volcano, fuming with smoke, stood in the centre, sporadically spewing out black ash and debris. This was the largest active volcano on this island. All the others were merely molehills compared to this angry giant.

“I don’t think there’ll be any human settlements nearby,” Aaron remarked.

“That means no save points either,” Madeline added. “If anyone dies here, we have to return to Solaris to revive that person.”

“That’s not an option either. Look over there.” Aaron pointed to the timer on his Z-band. The coral bridge connecting the two islands was going to go underwater in 30 minutes.

As the group turned around to look at the sea, they found the coral bridge already starting to break. The water level was rising now and the sea was becoming violent again. Going back this way was not an option any longer.

“What about the Fast Travel orbs?” Madeline asked.

Aaron shook his head. “Fast Travel Orbs only work within a particular island. I can’t even access the Fast Travel points on Solaris.”

“Well, there could be some other save point here. Maybe some shrine?” Zach asked.

“Let’s hope there is. But we don’t know anything about this island right now. It’s best to avoid dangerous encounters for now.”

Aaron opened the map of Ashenfort on his Z-band and tried to look for any objective markers or points of interest nearby. There were a few places marked as ‘?’, and a nearby lava pool labelled as ‘Lake Inferno’. The map also showed that the island was divided into two zones: Ash Pit and Scorching Plains. Since every zone on Solaris had its own boss, Aaron had no reason to believe it would be any different here in Ashenfort.

As of now, no new missions had appeared on their ‘objective’ tab. This was rather strange for a survival game. It was supposed to keep them on their toes and here they were standing on a barren volcanic plain, without a single foe in sight. This could either mean that there was some sort of bug in the game or this island hadn’t been planned well.

“This doesn’t make any sense. There’s nothing here,” Aaron said.

“It just seems like Gilbert rushed things just to get the update up and running as soon as possible. He tried his best to copy stuff from other games and failed miserably. We can just walk across—”

[*Warning: Seismic activity detected!*]

[*Volcanic eruption imminent!*]

The warning was immediately followed by a rumbling sound from deep within the central active volcano. Its gray top started bubbling with magma, some spilling over and flowing down its rugged slope.

Aaron quickly cast Radiant Protect to shield his team mates, though he doubted it would be able to save them from a volcanic eruption occurring in such close proximity. Isabella, too, joined in the defensive effort by using her 'Fortification' skill to increase their defence stats.

The island had no caves or grottos where they could seek shelter and the coral bridge behind them had already gone underwater. They were sandwiched right in the middle of the danger zone, with nowhere to run.

Seconds later, the volcano erupted with all its fury. It wasn’t lava that came out of its raging head, but smouldering boulders. The blazing rocks were launched high into the sky and came crashing down all over the island. It was just like standing in the middle of a meteor shower— the only difference was that these rocks were large enough to crush them.

Isabella used her Gaia’s Shield skill to conjure a crystal dome over them, protecting them from the volcanic barrage. They huddled together and waited for it to stop.

After several minutes of pummelling the island with burning boulders, the volcano went silent again. Isabella dispelled her protective shield and breathed a sigh of relief. The danger, however, was far from being over.

Zach pointed at one of the red-hot boulders in the distance and gasped, “That rock....it’s, it’s moving!”