The ruins were beautiful.

Images fit for calendars and desktop backgrounds were in every direction. High pyramids like Machu Picchu, buildings overgrown with wild flora, and long stretches of antique stone carvings adorned every wall, depicting great warriors, vicious battles, and countless dinosaurs. The intricate carvings stretched into the distance, helping the ruins perfectly blend with the surrounding forest.

The setting nearly took his breath away at its combination of wildness and promises of civilization long past.

Torbin guided them toward the massive pyramid stretching high in the distance, sneaking down side streets and ducking into buildings as they worked their way through the ancient city. An emphatic gesture from the party leader put the team into a tense moment of stealth, where Arron caught his first glimpse of “the locals.”

A completely average-looking man around six-feet tall meandered his way down the road, walking a small dog-sized dinosaur on a bright red leash. The tiny reptile ran on two legs, scampering left and right as it appeared to “hunt” various pieces of debris. It would sniff until something caught its attention, and then stalk the shiny piece of trash, hunkering down with a tiny growl, going perfectly still. With a squawk, it would launch itself onto its quarry, kicking at it with its back feet and chomping with its jaws. Arron witnessed the adorable little beast do this three times, each time dropping its prize and moving on to whatever caught its attention next.

The man didn’t seem to mind. Decked out in an official-looking tan vest over a monochrome shirt, he wore a large red and white name tag that read “Hello! I’m Jeff - Ask me about my Coelophysis.”

Occasionally, Jeff would reach up to his shoulder and speak into what looked like a walkie-talkie attached to his vest.

This was a fearsome local? Some dude named Jeff? Seriously?

As if reading his mind, Torbin caught Arron’s gaze, an intense and serious look on the dwarf’s face. Slowly he lifted his finger to his lips, reminding Arron that silence was key.

Arron, wanting to be a good teammate, nodded in affirmation.

Stealth Check – Abject Failure!

A cacophony of racket erupted around Arron. Pots and pans banged together, a baby cried, and even an impossibly loud train whistle all pummeled forth in response to his simple head nod.

The group jumped into action.

Iris manifested right behind the local, driving her knife through the radio and into the man’s shoulder, eliciting a cry of pain.

Torbin drew his blunderbuss and fired three darts into the Coelophysis, causing it to stumble around drunkenly before collapsing asleep.

Mercutio stepped out of the building, stomping his feet and kicking at the ground. He hummed a little tune as he kicked his feet left, then right at incredible speed. A rhythmic quality emerged from the foot-stomping that seemed to meld well with the Celtic tune the bard was humming. He started to stomp harder, the staccato of the strikes enhancing the spins the bard began to take as he swept back and forth.

Torbin and Iris silently moved into a better position, while Sonya started channeling as Jeff stared at Mercutio askance, complete confusion on his face.

With a shout, Mercutio leapt into the air, crashing down into a deep bow with a booming declaration, “Riverdance!”

Silence stretched for an entire minute before Jeff shook his head and started yelling at the bard. “Hey, you can’t be back here! This is restricted access!”

“Talk to the game designer,” Mercutio shrugged.

And the street lit with a blue light as Sonya threw her spell.

Before Arron’s eyes, the man’s movements slowed, his skin turning a deep blue as he froze solid. The creeping white of cracked ice flowed across his body like spilled paint.

“Sorry, guys, I didn’t mean to—” Arron began, standing now that the danger had passed.

“You failed a Skill Check. It happens,” Torbin replied quickly, waving away Arron’s apology. “Now, RUN!”

And the party did, leaving Arron staring confused behind them.

What the hell were they running from? Jeff and the tiny dinosaur were clearly incapacitated, what was—

A quiet rumble started to build around Arron. The tremor in the ground was evident even through the soles of his boots. The sound of thousands of little reptilian feet running together echoed off the buildings to either side. Looking behind, Arron’s blood ran cold as he saw an avalanche of vicious, adorable little dinosaurs flowing down the street toward him.

“SHIT!”

Arron ran. Perhaps faster than he had ever run before. Certainly as fast as he could. It only took seconds to gain on the group at that pace.

“The Colopy’s are always in groups,” Sonya panted. The mage was breathing a bit heavier than the rest of the group, something he hadn’t seen before. Her class definitely didn’t have the physical Stats of the rest of the team. “But that’s not what we’re running from.”

“Wait, the huge group of dinos chasing us isn’t what we’re running from?” he asked incredulously, sparing a glance at the rampaging horde.

“Nope. We’re running from the crazy-ass locals.”

“Man, I hate those guys. Soooo creepy!” Iris muttered.

“The locals? They seemed regular enough. And we incapacitated that guy. Iris even took out his radio,” Arron protested, smacking aside an industrious Colopy that had gotten ahead of the group.

“Yup,” Torbin agreed, his stout frame surprisingly fast for its size. “Bought us a little time. No chance it stalls them for long, though. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if—”

Sirens started to scream throughout the ruins.

“Shit,” Torbin grumbled. “I swear, sometimes it feels like the damn game is listening. Pick up the pace! We have to get to the arena before they catch us.”

“But why, Torb? That last guy wasn’t so difficult to deal with,” Arron asked.

“True. Did you get a chance to Inspect him?”

“No. Why?”

“Here, I’ll share.”

Inspection: Shared!

– “Volunteer” Big Animal Worker – Human – Level 21 Capitalists United, the corporation that initially established Jurassic Classic, pulled their funding from the venture with little to no notice for their staff. Stranded on the island, the staff devolved into a cult, featuring a strange mix of history, zoology, and a fascination with bloodsport. Traits Health Pool: Normal Damage: Moderate Speed: Normal Constitution: Normal Specials: Animal Companions

“See the issue?” Torbin asked.

“Those people are cultists?” Arron asked.

Torbin nodded in confirmation. “But that isn’t the issue. The issue is we are about to have a few hundred of the crazy bastards, each with their own not so fuzzy dino buddy. And most of those dino buddies… not as cuddly as the Colopys.”

“Oh,” Arron said, pumping his legs to match Torbin’s pace. “So we’re about to be over-run by a combination of crazed cultists and terrifying lizards.”

“Yup.”

“And the arena is safe?”

“Well, they won’t go in. It’s restricted for them.”

“We should run faster then,” Arron said matter of factly, putting on a little more speed.

The wail of the sirens was a constant pressure as the group sprinted through the endless abandoned city, chests heaving as they sucked in deep breaths of air. Even with his Constitution and the Pain Tolerance adjustment, the strain of the run throbbed in every muscle. His calves burned and his lungs ached. Apparently, the rest they’d taken hadn’t entirely sorted his exhaustion. That or the up and down nature of the cities hills was more taxing than he anticipated.

The group refused to stop, though, desperately fleeing to safety.

Arron began to catch flashes of movement. Brown vested people or green-skinned reptiles flitted in the gaps between the buildings to their left and right. Their pursuers running parallel to them on side streets and along rooftops.

“For Tina!”

The manic scream grabbed his attention just in time to dodge as a short woman with a head of freshly styled brown hair leapt at the group from between two buildings, trying to tackle him. He barely avoided her grasping fingers and she fell to the ground behind the fleeing party. Her screams of rage and frustration were cut short by a massive dinosaur foot crushing her beneath its colossal tread.

A solid bone dome lined the creature’s back, with spikes sticking out at the sides. The armored pieces broke through the walls to either side of the alley as the beast exploded into the street. Arron’s gaze locked on its flat, domed head hovering over square jaws. Eyes that burned with hatred filled the gap between.

“Look out!” Arron yelled as a car-sized knob of bone at the end of the creature’s tail erupted from the neighboring building, spewing bits of stone and rubble through the air.

Inspection: Meager Success!

– Angered Ankylosaurus – Beast – Level 20 A rage-filled, van-sized, spiked ball of destruction.

“Holy crap!” Arron yelled as they dove under the deadly strike, rolling past the beast. A quick glance and Arron saw the foe turn, slowly building up speed to join the mob of lizards already in pursuit.

Focusing back on their destination, Arron just caught Torbin pulling his blunderbuss and shooting another local who was poised to spring on them from above. The man fell limply from his perch on a bridge above, landing with a soft thud as they ran past. “Hello! My name is Todd” was on his chest.

Iris let fly a flurry of darts, downing another small group of locals preparing to try their luck, and Sonya threw up a wall of ice behind them, stalling the incoming horde.

“Keep your guard up!” Torbin yelled. “This is just the first group!”

“Endurance is starting to run low!” Arron called back as he saw Sonya stumble and his lungs screamed for more air.

Mercutio started singing in response, confusing the hell out of Arron. Until he recognized the song and felt a surge of energy flood through his body. The bard sang at the top of his lungs, musical accompaniment joining in from some unseen source.

Laughing at the euphoric rush, Arron started singing along. “It’s the ‘Eye of the Tiger!’” Images of old training montages from boxing movies flashed through his mind as he temporarily forgot his terror.

“I love when you use this skill, Merc!” Sonya cried, singing along to what she clearly heard as “Bye Bye Bye” from the band that gave President Timberlake his start before politics.

The group ran faster, smiles on each of their faces as the rush of the game flooded their systems with endorphins. They dodged several groups of locals and dinosaurs, each trying to slow the party. They were too fast for the moment, though, moving quickly enough to begin to outpace their pursuers.

For the briefest moment, as the pyramid began to grow noticeably closer, Arron thought they might be through the worst of it.

“I think we’re gonna make it!” Arron called to the group.

“You idiot! Never say that!” Iris called back, flashing a disbelieving look his way. “You’ll jinx us!”

Showing truth to her words, a group of fifteen or so locals rushed out of a side street. Bunched around a clearly annoyed larger dinosaur with a knobby head, the group was trying to direct the creature to vent its rage in the direction of their party.

Inspection: Success!

– Pachycephalosaurus – Beast – Level 22 A boneheaded, head-smashing brute. Traits Health Pool: Normal Damage: Low/High Speed: Fast Constitution: Normal Specials: Head First Crash

The beast rushed forward, smashing its head into an unfortunate local and the stones behind. A red streak and newly disembodied appendages were all that was left of the volunteer.

With a sinking feeling, Arron realized this group was large enough to present an actual problem.

“I’ll remember that, Iris. My bad. Ummm… Torb!” Arron shouted.

“Crap!” Torbin glowered at the group. “We need to deal with the dino first. It can one-shot us. Sonya, can you mud it? Or Iris, maybe a drilling dart?”

“We have to run over where it’s standing. No go on the mud,” Sonya replied between gasps.

“Darts won’t penetrate before we get there!” Iris called.

“Shit. Anyone got any great ideas?”

The group wracked their brains on how to deal with the beast without having to stop and fight.

“Well… I don’t know about great…”

Arron did what he always did. With a grunt, he slammed his feet into the earth, projecting himself far into the air, gripping Mule high overhead.

Shocked expressions crossed the faces of the locals as they watched the incoming maniac. Those gazes quickly shifted to looks of determination as they removed the leashes.

The dinosaur let out a scream of triumph at its freedom, lowering its head and charging the group of players.

With an animalistic roar, Arron brought the head of Mule down directly on the boney skull of the dinosaur. The momentum from the blow knocked its nose into the dirt and formed a small crack in the thick layers of bone.

The dino tumbled end over end at the surprise attack, its face pushing up earth and causing it to trip. Its long tail collided with several of the locals, sending them flying through the air.

Quick blasts from Torbin’s blunderbuss and the scent of ozone told Arron what he needed to know about the battle with the Pachy, and he focused his attention on the remaining locals. Three seemed to have avoided the combination of the falling dinosaur and his team’s best sniper efforts. Arron smiled as he dashed in, and they spread out in front of him.

Brad, Karen, and Clint, at least according to their name tags, all looked at Arron with dark scowls, wrapping their leashes around their hands like a boxer’s wraps, preparing for violence.

Arron didn’t give them the chance.

With a scream, he brought Mule up in a vicious underhand swing directly into the chin of Brad, snapping his head back and making a click as his jaw snapped shut, fracturing a few teeth.

The sound of the cracking bones set Arron’s nerves on end, giving just enough time for Clint and Karen to get the jump on him. Clint, having seen too many wrestling movies, wrapped his arm around Arron’s neck, putting a knee into his back as he tightened, cutting off Arron’s air.

Karen kicked at Arron’s groin over and over again, fighting to connect with his sensitive bits as he shifted his legs and hips back and forth to protect himself and future children. Well, fake video game children.

Karen aimed for a devastating strike, and suddenly went slack in front of Arron. Collapsing to the ground, she revealed Mercutio standing behind, inspecting his nails. The final six inches of his rapier were coated in blood as he leaned on the weapon nonchalantly. With a start, he looked over at Arron, faking surprise.

“Why, Arron, I didn’t know you frequented these parts.”

“A little more help please?” Arron managed to choke out past Clint’s tightening bicep.

With an eye roll, Mercutio waved behind Arron, and Iris stepped out of nowhere and sliced the man’s throat.

“There, happy now?” the bard asked petulantly.

“Not especially,” Arron retorted, rubbing the soreness from his neck.

“Good. It’s important to have a thick skin.” The bard smiled.

“Enough lollygagging!” Torbin shouted as he ran by, his miniature legs pumping for all they were worth. “We’re in the final stretch, but they’re going to try to cut us off. Move it!”

And with that, they were running.

Arron marveled yet again at the details and beauty of the ruins as they turned a corner and a massive pyramid stretched up in front of them. The greenish stones and carvings gave the place a ritualistic, malevolent feel.

And in the distance, he saw an entrance into the base of the pyramid. A nondescript tunnel disappeared into the massive structure, deceptive in its simplicity.

Swarms of locals and dinosaurs rushing in from the sides of the street threatened them ever reaching that tunnel. What had to be five-hundred locals and nearly as many dinosaurs of various sizes and shapes charged into the street.

“Excuse me!”

“You can’t be here!”

“This is a restricted area!”

“I’m calling security!”

The scripted calls from the locals came so fast it became difficult to identify which were speaking as the party raced through the narrowing gap, fear, adrenaline, and Mercutio’s renewed tunes giving them speed.

“It’s the ‘Eye of the Tiger!’” Arron screamed in time.

“We aren’t going to make it!” Iris shouted

“Then run faster!” Torbin shouted in reply.

“‘Bye Bye Bye!’” Sonya belted at the top of her lungs.

But the rogue was right. Their window was collapsing, and they weren’t moving quickly enough.

Someone had to buy them a few seconds.

Without thinking, he leaped through the air, Mule over his head as he flew forward thirty feet. Thought wasn’t a part of the action. Arron was guided by instinct. Some primitive force pushed him on, focused his will, bringing the head of his faithful hammer down with a crack onto the stones between the collapsing mob.

Thunder erupted from the hammer’s head. A three-foot-tall wave of stone and shrapnel rolled out from the blow, striking everything within fifteen feet of the impact.

The locals tripped and fell on the moving earth, thrown off their feet by the great blow.

And Torbin’s party narrowly dodged through the thin opening Arron’s strike opened, the dwarf grabbing his shocked team member as they passed.

New Skill Gained

– Seismic Slam –

With a boom, twin doors thirty feet tall and seemingly constructed of stone closed behind the group.

Darkness descended, leaving the team in silence.

New Area Discovered!

– Great Temple of the Sharp Tooth –

Home and feeding hall of Tyrannical Tina.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire.

“Sharp tooth?” Arron asked. “Why do I remember the name Sharp Tooth?”