[Cafe] 110 – Crazy Strats

[A/N: A bit smaller than usual, sorry, not feeling well]

As the SHIELD trio started building in a secluded area unopposed,  several players, including Validia, the Wyvern Rider from the previous round himself, attempted yet another risky play as four separate players made their way down to the Grave of the Lost, but stepping just before the massive ravine. It was crawling in hidden Rock Drakes, Seekers, Nameless, and more dangerous dinosaurs. Its hazardous terrain made the use of climbing picks and ziplines necessary for survival.

However, one of these players decided to take the risk and tank the plunge, making himself a few parachutes, tools, weapons, and supplies to bunker down in the Grave of the Lost if trouble arose. This player, named Xerxes, charged headfirst without a worry as they jumped and pulled one of their parachutes, gaining momentum and getting quite far into the Grave of the Lost before he found a secluded corner and began building several spike walls by hand to act as a barrier to keep the dinosaurs down there with him away while he worked to make better tools and level up before he would attempt to hunt down a Rock Drake egg and make his escape. 

Of course, Xerxes did not know that he was already surrounded by Rock Drakes, invisible to the naked eye and waiting for the chance to strike.

...

It didn't take long for the participants to notice the difference between Abberation's dinosaurs compared to the two previous rounds, Scorched Earth and the Island. For one, the Dinosaurs were much more vicious in their attacks. Most herbivores, who were once passive, now started becoming aggressive upon approach, typically deciding to end the threat a player might have on their being or threaten their offspring. This was especially true for the herbivores that already fought back upon being attacked, such as Therazions, with their claws that shredded through Flak and Hide alike as if they were butter, and Triceratops, with their long horns, could easily pierce through a man. 

As for the predators of Aberration, they were far more dangerous, generally being a higher level, more deadly and cunning, and boasting more numbers, rarely ever not traveling and hunting in packs. Diplos became ambush predators, hiding in bushes and tall grass and attacking unsuspecting prey with a very accurate acid spit right into a prey's eyes, blinding them enough for the Diplo to pounce and tear the prey's throat out. Even Compys, tiny carnivorous lizards, would swarm their prey in massive numbers, their serrated teeth bleeding out their prey. 

These changes had already led to the deaths of multiple unsuspecting participants and led to many having difficulty obtaining enough food and hide to continuously progress, many having to spend more time hunting to obtain enough meat and food to last a day or two before the meat would be to spoiled for consumption.

However, for those that took the time to make a preserving bin fueled by spark powder, flint, and stone, which let the meat last a day longer at the most.

...

Meanwhile, in another part of Abberation, two friends worked together to kite a Carnosaurs to a trap. One lay in wait out of view, while the other got the Carno's attention with a few good tranq arrows, slowing the Carno down but not by much, as it began to chase her. She easily kept her distance from the Carno by using trees, boulders, and shrubbery, and each time the Carno lost sight of her, she would hit it with another tranq arrow.

Eventually, she took a turn as the Carno charged after her, rushing through a narrow opening between two boulders and a rather noticeable stone gate. 

As the Carno charged headfirst into the boulders as it gave chase, it couldn't react in time as the gate behind it closed, trapping it inside and unable to flee. It roared in anger as it repeatedly began to slam its head into the gate door, slowly chipping away at the reinforced wood. That's when the Carno felt pain from behind, as the girl it was chasing after began to fire at it from the other side of the narrow opening.

Arrow after arrow pierced the Carno's hide, slowly sapping more and more of its strength. Its headbutts slowed down and became weaker with each arrow, which was only made worse when another human revealed themselves from atop the two boulders.

With both women shooting the trapped Carno with tranq arrows, it didn't take long before the rather strong Carno was knocked unconscious. 

"Nice Job, Harley," Pamela, aka Poison Ivy, called out from the top of the boulder before jumping down to the ground and ending with a roll to mitigate most of the fall.

"It was easy; Carnos are not exactly known for their intelligence, after all," Harley shrugged as she stepped through the narrow opening towards Pamela, "Besides, it's not its intelligence we're after. This big guy will be a good brute for us," Harley continued as she patted the Carno.

"I know, Harley," Pamela sighed after hearing Harley's second comment, getting a shrug in reply.

"What's the plan now?" Harley suddenly asked as she turned around and began placing some raw meat next to the Carno's mouth.

Pamela hummed before answering, "Well, we should probably get another Carno, if possible, or a few Ravegers. If we find any, we should also get a few Raptors in case we come across anyone that rushed to get a large tame."

With Carno's acting as the vanguard and Ravegers being relatively fast and making anything they clawed and bit bleed very severely, Raptors would be quite valuable for their ability to grapple onto the side of the larger dinosaurs around Abberation and pull off a Rider if needed. 

"Don't forget about Bulbdogs; they can easily ride with us and give us a light we can turn on and off at will," Harley suggested.

"If we find some, sure, though they've likely been hunted to near extinction already for their hide and meat," Pamela retorted, knowing that the passive nature of the small, adorable creatures made them easy targets for the other players.

[62/75]

Glancing at the number in the corner of her vision, she knew that they'd have to be careful with how many people still remained despite three days have passed. What made it worse was that they could be hiding anywhere through the use of climbing hooks and ziplines; even now, they could have someone watching them, waiting to strike.

At least Pamela had someone by her side to watch her back.