We arrived back in the game world directly in the shadow of the Death Wall—a fortress of snow and ash extending into the distance on either side of us, quickly lost to sight through the jungle canopy. Thankfully, it wasn’t moving yet, though I could feel the chill wind snaking along the ground past my feet, as if the wall were daring us to remain near it.

Announcement:

Sub-Boss and Boss-Level threats have now spawned on the map. These aberrant dinosaurs are exceedingly dangerous, even for the most powerful players. Defeating them will reward every individual participant according to their contribution. Good luck!

- Primarch

As soon as the words faded from Erik’s vision, a roar echoed in the distance—a sound like a demon shrieking into a concrete tunnel. The reverberations carried through the air with such force that it was impossible to gauge how far away the source was.

“What the hell was that?” Marcus whispered. His Rex grumbled quietly as he spoke, a low, rumbling sound that only added to the tension. The two stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting in total silence. As one minute stretched into the next, the jungle’s ambient noises gradually returned, and Erik realized for the first time that they had been completely absent.

“Come on,” he said, his voice low as he tried to keep quiet. His triceratops body turned the words into a chuff, the sound promising to be far more intimidating once he grew larger. Leading the way deeper into the jungle, Erik took stock of the situation.

He and Marcus had caught up to Sarah in her juvenile state, and just as her growth had been dramatic, so it had been for them. Marcus was nearly twice as tall at the hip as he had been the day before. Though he was still far short of his eventual size, there were hints now of the terror he would one day become.

Marcus’s head had taken on a more rounded shape as his iconic jaw muscles began to develop. Erik could feel the weight of Marcus’s steps reverberating through the ground beside him. His teeth, long and curved, jutted out slightly from his upper jaw, and the claws on his toes had hardened, taking on the glossy black sheen of obsidian. Just yesterday, Sarah might have had a centimeter or two of length on him, but now she wouldn’t have made half his weight soaking wet.

Erik’s own changes were no less dramatic. His shoulders and hips were broader, and he could feel the newly enlarged muscles resting on them. His body had shed its previous potato-like roundness, and the nub at the end of his nose had grown into a dangerous-looking horn. While he wasn’t as tall at the back as his T-rex friend, Erik was willing to bet he outweighed both Marcus and Sarah combined—at least for now.

“I don’t think we’re going to have much luck with the stealth approach,” Erik muttered, his voice low as he tried to move without giving away their position.

“Good,” Marcus growled in response, his voice translating into an eager, thrumming vibration that Erik felt through his bony crest. “If I see that alligator bastard again, I’m going to take his head off.” The growth, along with the additional muscle points Marcus had allocated, had clearly gone straight to his head.

Literally and figuratively, Erik thought, casting a side glance at Marcus’s thickened jaw muscles. While they were certainly larger and more powerful than they had been after hatching, Erik doubted any of them could take the Kapro in a fight—not even together.

Erik paused mid-trot, tilting his head back until he could feel the edge of his bony crest resting against his shoulders. He sniffed the air experimentally.

“Uh, Rik?” Marcus’s Rex tilted its head to the side, one large amber eye fixed on Erik. “What’re you doing?”

“Using the sniff mechanic to locate water,” Erik replied. Pulling air deep into his nostrils, he focused on the sensation. Slowly, a droplet icon faded into view on his HUD, marking the direction of water.

“Sarah,” Erik said, thrusting his nose forward to indicate the direction of the water. “Check ahead. Try to be stealthy, and don’t use the chat unless you have to.”

Sarah clicked her jaws together sharply in confirmation and vanished into the undergrowth in a blur of movement. Erik watched her go, marveling again at how naturally they all seemed to fit into their new bodies. He and Marcus, too large and cumbersome to follow Sarah’s agile trail directly, opted for a more circuitous route toward the water. Erik kept one eye on her dot as it moved across the unexplored terrain on his map. While he could see her position, her exploration didn’t reveal anything for him.

When Sarah’s dot stopped moving, Erik initially thought she had reached the river. Then, to his confusion, her dot bolted in the opposite direction from the water.

“Sarah, what’s wrong?” Erik asked aloud. There was no response, but his question got Marcus’s attention who stopped to check his map.

“Looks like our most valuable asset has gotten herself into trouble,” Marcus said with a chortle before taking off at a gallop, angling to intercept her.

“Marcus, wait!” Erik called after him, huffing as he trotted to catch up. “We don’t know what she’s doing!”

“She’s running from a predator,” Marcus said dismissively, tossing his Rex’s head to the side as if physically flinging away Erik’s concern.

Erik had to admit it was a likely explanation, but Marcus’s attitude was troubling. He wasn’t just spoiling for a fight—he was trying to show Sarah up by “saving” her.

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Despite his size, Marcus’s Rex was significantly faster than Erik’s juvenile Triceratops body. It wasn’t long before Marcus began to outdistance him. Even from far behind, Erik caught a glimpse of Sarah darting through a clearing ahead. She moved so quickly she was nearly invisible. For a moment, Erik felt a flicker of relief that Marcus hadn’t caught up to her.

The relief was short-lived. Heavy, rapid thumping footsteps pounded through the ground, and the animal producing them crashed through the trees moments later. Spotting Marcus barreling toward it, the creature roared.

In the dinosaur world, Erik might have considered Ceratosaurs to be on the smaller side of medium-sized carnivores. Dangerous, certainly, but not much of a threat compared to their larger cousins. Yet, as the red-snouted predator opened its jaws wide, roaring a challenge at Marcus, Erik realized just how pointless such relative measurements were.

Compared to Marcus, the Ceratosaurus was enormous—easily a third larger, with rugged, pebbled hide and the powerful musculature of an adult in its prime. In a straight-up fight, Marcus was roadkill. Erik opened his mouth in order to call Marcus back, but nothing came out.

Silenced

You have been affected by the Ceratosaurus Adult’s Terrifying Roar.

Terrifying Roar:

You are unable to use verbal communication for 30 seconds. This effect has diminishing returns when reapplied shortly after the first use. The second application will last 15 seconds, and the third will last 7 seconds. You will be immune to further applications until the encounter ends.

Erik’s HUD displayed a small timer next to a debuff icon, counting down from 23.

Well, that explains why Sarah didn’t warn us, he thought grimly as he set off after Marcus, his lumbering body ill-suited to speed.

“You goddamn idiot!” Sarah yelled, her raptor shrieking like some kind of cyborg dolphin as she reappeared from the forest. Her mute effect had apparently ended, though it did her no good—Marcus ignored her completely.

The Cerato, momentarily startled by Marcus’s bold charge, quickly recovered. It was no timid animal and accelerated into a charge of its own.

In a small clearing bracketed on two sides by fallen trees, the two predators collided with a meaty thud. Marcus stumbled from the impact, losing the battle of momentum, but managed to stay on his feet. His toes splayed wide, digging into the loose soil as he lunged forward fearlessly, snapping his powerful jaws in an effort to force the taller dinosaur’s head upward and expose its throat.

It was a solid strategy, Erik thought as he hurried closer. Probably the best approach Marcus could take in such a disadvantaged position. Still, Erik doubted it would be enough for the brash Texan.

The Cerato stepped back, evading Marcus’s lunging bite. Rather than snapping back, it turned its head to the side. Marcus thought he had an opening and pressed forward, his eyes locked on the throat as he went for the kill.

The Cerato tilted its head, exposing the flat, bony protrusion on its snout. With a sudden snap of its powerful neck, it slammed the horn into the side of Marcus’s face. Erik watched, horrified, as several teeth flew from Marcus’s jaws. Marcus’s head snapped to the side, and he stumbled, dazed from the blow.

If Sarah hadn’t arrived at that exact moment, leaping hard into the Cerato’s side, Marcus would have been finished before he could regain his footing.

The reprieve was brief. The Cerato, proving more agile than it looked, pivoted sharply on one ankle, the force of the turn throwing Sarah off. She slammed into a nearby tree with an audible thump.

In a reversal, Sarah was saved by Marcus reentering the fray. Blood poured from his injured mouth, but he didn’t hesitate. Lunging forward, he sank his teeth into the Cerato’s flank.

The Cerato roared in pain, pivoting again to slam its long, thick tail into Marcus’s side, knocking him down.

Finally, Erik arrived at the fight. Now fully committed to this suicidal brawl, he threw his entire weight into the Cerato’s side. Though Erik guessed the Cerato outweighed him, a charging Triceratops was no easy thing to stop.

Erik rammed his head upward, his nose horn piercing the Cerato’s side just below the ribs. He felt the predator’s teeth latch onto his crest, puncturing the thin pebbled skin but stopping at solid bone beneath.

Out of momentum, Erik came to an abrupt stop. The Ceratosaurus, lifted off the ground by Erik’s horn, slid forward. Its own weight tore a long gash in its side as it flopped to the ground, trying to roll back onto its feet.

Marcus, though unsteady, moved in before the Cerato could recover. Lunging forward, he clamped his powerful jaws around its throat and jerked his head back with a sickening tearing sound.

Your team has defeated: Ceratosaurus Adult.

You have been awarded 6 meteorite fragments.

When the Cerato died, Erik’s silence debuff still had 10 seconds left. Marcus shook his head, grumbling.

“Holy hell, that feels weird,” Marcus complained, his Rex giving a piteous moan as blood streamed from his jaws. Erik noticed he was favoring one leg where the Cerato’s tail had struck him. Almost without thinking, Erik inspected Marcus.

Debuff:

Fractured Jaw:

Bite force reduced by 30% for the rest of the day. Continued use could cause further damage.

Fractured Hip:

Walking speed reduced by 15% for the rest of the day. Continued use could cause further damage.

“You colossal idiot,” Sarah growled as she rolled back onto her feet. Erik glanced her way and noticed she had her own debuff.

Debuff:

Bruised Spine:

Mobility reduced by 50% for the rest of the day. Further spinal injury could be fatal.

“Erik,” Sarah snarled, her voice sharp with anger, “is there a Latin word for ‘idiot’? Because this Rex might be a whole new species—an apex moron deserving of its own damn taxonomy!”

“Idiota,” Erik said just as the silence debuff faded. Giving Marcus an unimpressed look, he added, “Tyrannosaurus idiota. Idiot Tyrant Lizard.”

“Yes!” Sarah said, hobbling nearer with awkward, halting steps. “Because you’re so big and dumb, it’s tyrannical! It’s goddamn perfect!”

“Okay, okay,” Marcus said, turning his head toward them. “I’m sorry, alright? I thought I could take him.”

Sarah looked ready to tear into him further, but Erik gave a loud snort, drawing their attention.

“Settle down. We’re not alone in this jungle. Both of you need to eat this guy, and then we need to get out of here.”

Sarah gave Erik a raptor version of a grimace—terrifying in its own right—but said nothing further.