For all the animals speed and power, it was not a graceful creature. As the three baby dinosaur scrambled away, the predator tripped over a big rock, and tumbled, using its long face as a speed break. It didn’t take long for the giant reptile to right itself and resume the pursuit, but it was long enough for the three of them to get out of the open and into their current predicament. Three baby dinosaurs jammed together into a hollow stump, hiding from the Kaprosuchus. The sounds of it digging through the undergrowth carried on for a while, the occasionally chuff sound of it inhaling, trying to scent them was audible. The noises drifted further and further off, until eventually it faded away entirely, to be replaced by the buzz and chirp of insects.
Marcus whispered, “What was that thing?”and his little rex made a barely audible rumble.
“Kaprosuchus apparently,” Erik whispered back.
“That’s one hell of an alligator.” Marcus grumbled, and Erik nodded, the crest around his head rubbing against the inside of the stump. Then, tired of being squashed in with them Marcus took his leave, pushing his way back out into the jungle with Erik and Sarah behind him. “So that had to be the biggest alligator ever right?” Marcus asked.
“No,-” Erik started to answer before Sarah hissed at them. Her chat and raptor both made hissing noises, lending her a harmonized sort of quality.
“Stop. Talking. So. Loud.” She whispered, biting off every word, while her raptor made small chirping noises. Erik, abashed, nodded to her. The jaws of Marcus’s rex opened as if he were going to tell Sarah off, but in the far distance something roared. He paused, and then continued in a whisper.
“This game is crap. We can’t fight, we can’t talk. What are we supposed to do?”
“Survive.” Erik replied, looking around. “It’s a survival game, give me a second.”
With a flip of his head, he opened the games menus.
Player: Little_Rik
Species: Triceratops
Gender: Male
Growth: Hatchling: 1%
Weight: Small
Attributes:
Speed: 2
Determines how fast your dinosaur can move, affecting travel speed as well as attack speed and reaction time.
Strength: 3
Measures the physical power of your dinosaur, influencing the damage dealt with physical attacks and the ability to move objects.
Agility: 2
Reflects your dinosaur's ability to maneuver and perform precise movements, impacting dodge chances and attack accuracy.
Endurance: 3
Indicates stamina and overall durability, affecting health points, stamina recovery rate, and resistance to exhaustion.
Defense: 4
Represents your dinosaur's resilience to attacks, reducing damage taken and enhancing resistance to physical and environmental threats.
Abilities:
Hatchling Charge: A weak but instinctive charge attack.
A basic charge attack that deals minimal damage but can disrupt smaller enemies.
Basic Bite: A simple bite attack.
A basic bite attack that deals consistent, moderate damage to close-range targets.
Basic Headbutt: A simple head attack.
A straightforward headbutt that deals moderate damage and can stagger small opponents.
Ability Points: 0
Points earned through gameplay that are used to upgrade abilities or learn new ones.
Evolution:
Next Stage: Juvenile (10% growth)
Reach 10% growth to evolve into the Juvenile stage, unlocking new abilities and upgrades.
Mutations: None
Special genetic variations that can enhance your dinosaur's attributes or abilities.
Biopoints: 0
Points earned through gameplay that can be spent on mutations or other genetic enhancements.
Erik took it in at a glance. He was familiar with character sheets, and nothing about this threw him off. The bigger problem was the lack of tutorials. The character sheet held two main points of interest for him. Ability Points and Biopoints. It was clear these were resources for improvement, but it didn’t say how to get them. Not for the first time, he lamented the lack of information on E.L.E. It was nearly unprecedented, a game's development being so secretive. It might as well have been a military special project.
“Points earned through gameplay.” was sufficiently vague enough it could mean anything, or possibly everything. Was actually playing the game enough, or were there specific objectives? They had escaped a large predator, which seemed like survival to him, but it had not netted them any kind of points as far as he could tell, both values showing a definite zero.
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At the top of the display was a 2D outline of a baby Triceratops as seen from the side, it's body broken into segments and each segment showing green. This also seemed self-evident. The game had opted to pass over health point values in exchange for a locational damage system, and he was at present, totally healthy.
Towards the bottom he saw the screen names of his party.
[whiteRabbit: Utah Raptor]
[TheBIG_t: Tyrannosaurus Rex]
He flicked his nose and opened Sarah's profile.
Player: WhiteRabbit
Species: Utahraptor
Gender: Female
Growth: Hatchling: 1%
Weight: Tiny
Attributes:
Speed: 3
Strength: 2
Agility: 4
Endurance: 2
Defense: 1
Abilities:
Quick Pounce: A rapid leap towards an enemy, aiming to knock them off balance.
A basic pounce attack that deals light damage and can temporarily disable smaller foes.
Sharp Claws: A swift slash with razor-sharp claws. A quick claw attack that deals consistent, moderate damage and has a chance to cause bleeding.
Keen Senses: Heightened awareness of the surroundings. Increases detection of nearby enemies and hidden objects. Enhances evasion capabilities and reduces the chance of being ambushed.
Ability Points: 0
Evolution:
Next Stage: Juvenile (10% growth)
Mutations:
None
Biopoints: 0
It was as he’d expected, and with another motion he proceeded to Marcus’s sheet.
Player: theBIG_t
Species: Tyrannosaurus rex
Gender: Male
Growth: Hatchling: 1%
Weight: Small
Attributes:
Speed: 2
Strength: 4
Agility: 2
Endurance: 3
Defense: 3
Abilities:
Basic Bite: A simple bite attack.
A basic bite attack that deals consistent, moderate damage to close-range targets.
Tail Swipe: A sweeping tail attack.
A wide attack that deals moderate damage and can knock back foes.
Heir to the Throne (passive): As a hatchling those animals smart enough to recognize your species will avoid you, for fear of your parents being nearby.
Ability Points: 0
Evolution:
Next Stage: Juvenile (10% growth)
Mutations:
None
Biopoints: 0
Heir to the Throne? That doesn’t say much for the intelligence of the Kaprosuchus. Erik thought, even his mental voice was bitter. The long limbed crocodile cousin had not seemed to give a damn about any Heir to Throne ability, though now that Erik was considering it. It had seemed that the Kaprosuchus may have had trouble seeing them properly. Its initial ambush had come after a tense standoff, and a fake withdrawal. Only launching its attack when Marcus had made a noise.
“Alright.” Erik whispered, and Marucs snickered, a sound that translated to a growly huff noise from his T-rex.
“I love it when Erik says ‘alright’ like that.” He said, not as quietly as Erik would’ve liked.
“Yeah,” Sarah agreed, to Erik’s surprise. Her agreeing with Marcus had been rare enough, even before she’d signed on with a pro Battle Arena team. Since the falling out, Erik wasn’t sure if it would ever happen again. Gladdened by the moment of camaraderie, he set aside his annoyance with the tangent, and played along.
“What?” He asked, and they both snorted. “Keep it down,” He reprimanded. Glad they’d chosen to get along, if even for a moment. He had no desire to try and outrun another predator on his stubby little hatchling triceratops legs.
“It’s just that whenever you say ‘alright’ like that, it means we’re about to do something really stupid.” Sarah said, and if a raptor could smile, hers was certainly attempting it. “Something stupid that’ll probably turn out okay for us, but stupid nonetheless.”
“What she said.” Marcus said, though this time he made an effort to whisper. Erik would’ve liked to revel in the moment. It had been so long since his friends had been friends with one another that he’d forgotten what it could be like. Marcus and Sarah were recalled to their circumstances, As they turned slit pupiled glares on one another, and the humor melted away to be replaced with tension that hung perpetually between them.
“Thanks for that glowing review of my plans.” Erik said, trying to seem annoyed as he did so. That would’ve been his part to play, back before everything had gone wrong. “And while I wish I could say I was going to disappoint you, I’m afraid I’m more likely to meet your expectations than not.”
“Why, what’s the plan?” Marcus asked, and Erik tipped his head back to look up at the taller theropod hatchling.
“Well, we’re gonna have to kill somebody.”