Evolution Island: Kill to Survive

Get out!

The volcanic floor in front of them was the only thing between them and the gem. No defensive spells or shielding abilities could protect them from the steam geysers. Stepping into the hot jet of air would deal fatal environmental damage, similar to drowning in the sea or falling from a height. Their only hope of survival was to avoid stepping into the steam.

Timing was the key here. The steam pits weren’t going off all at the same time. The pockets in the centre were the most active, while those at the back were the least. And the ones nearby all went off at erratic intervals.

Madeline knew they’d only get one shot at this. There was no auto-save feature here and dying to environmental damage wouldn’t automatically respawn them outside the quest area. She had to make the most precise calculation to get across.

Since there were no enemies in the vicinity, Madeline thought she could take her time to study the geyser cycles. But she hadn’t anticipated the sudden rumbling deep inside the volcano, which sent tremors all the way to the surface.

[*Warning: Magma overflow!*]

[*Eruption imminent!*]

“This was an active volcano! We won’t survive if it erupts!” Madeline exclaimed.

“We’ve come this far. We can’t go back without the game!” Zach voiced his protest, expecting Madeline to back out that very instant.

Madeline didn’t respond to Zach, because she was too busy trying to calculate the perfect path. As soon as the window of opportunity presented itself, she called out to him. “We have to go now. Follow my lead.”

Zach reacted almost on instinct, without giving it so much as a second thought. He sprinted across the scorching plains, taking the same path which Madeline took. The steam pockets had temporarily stopped blowing off hot air, which gave them just enough time to dash to the other end.

The timing was just perfect. As soon as Zach jumped over the last pocket of hot air, he heard the hissing of steam behind him. If he had hesitated even for a second, it would have been game over for him.

Madeline pulled Zach up and together they hurried towards the treasure chest glowing in the distance. The ground was shaking feverishly under their feet, splitting wide open at every step. They had to break off into a desperate sprint to make it to the chest.

As the magma started rising, the cracks on the surface bled open with scalding red liquid. Zach and Madeline were in for another shocker when they finally managed to reach the treasure chest. It was sealed with magic and couldn’t be opened like normal loot chests.

Time was in short supply, with the volcano threatening to erupt at any moment. Zach didn’t bother trying to get the gem, but put the whole chest in his inventory. This, however, created a whole new problem—he was overburdened now, which reduced his movement speed by 75%.

“You get out of here. Don’t wait for me,” Zach cried out to Madeline.

“I’m not leaving—”

“I’ll use my ability! Just run!”

Madeline felt something was wrong, but she had no time to argue—the steam pockets were now spouting out burning debris. She downed a Greater Luck potion and made a desperate dash right through the smoke and burning debris. Even without any calculations, she managed to dodge the debris just fine, but it burnt her ponytail to a crisp.

“Izzy, we have to get out of here! Make a run for it!”

The two girls sprinted at full speed, scrambling along the rocky climb which led to the crater’s surface. Isabella lost footing and was about to slip, but Madeline grabbed her hand at the last moment and pulled her up.

“Where’s Zach?” Isabella asked, with concern written all over her sweaty face.

“He has teleported himself to safety,” Madeline responded promptly, before pushing out the rocks blocking their path downhill.

As thick black smoke bellowed out of the volcano’s gaping mouth, the girls quickened their steps, rushing downhill without looking back.

Deep inside the volcano, Zach was still trapped. He used his Second Chance ability repeatedly, but it didn’t teleport him out of there. It took him way too long to finally realise what was wrong—he was carrying a special treasure chest this time. This was a hidden game mechanic which prevented players from teleporting out of dungeons and caves in the middle of an important quest, when carrying a special loot box. There were only two options left for him: drop the chest or try to extract the Revival Gem from inside, thereby completing the quest.

“I have come too far to give up now. I’m not leaving you behind, bro.” Zach took the chest out of his inventory and tried to force it open with his magic missile attacks. When that didn’t work, he charged up his staff and went at it again with a much stronger magic blast. Even that was absorbed by the magic seal protecting the chest.

There were just 3 ways to dispel such potent magic: using an unsealing ability, taking the chest to a mage or using a dispelling scroll. Unfortunately for Zach, he had no such scrolls in his inventory and he couldn’t learn unsealing abilities before reaching level 30. He was still level 28, with no access to such high-tier magic.

“Fuck...this is really where it ends,” Zach cursed, suppressing the urge to laugh out loud. Dying inside his favourite game wasn’t how he had pictured it. He looked at the rising lava and thought if he should have taken Madeline’s advice and never accepted the quest. He could still hope that the two girls would try to revive them, but deep down he knew how unlikely that was. As the lava flooded the hollow, he looked up and held up his middle finger. “f**k you, Gilbert. Those game devs should never have trusted you! To all the viewers out there...you’re all neurotic little pricks. I hope you all rot in hell, bastards!”