"Aunnng-roar—!"
The Indominus rex's roar suddenly echoed across the horizon. Charlie looked toward the distance, then back at Owen, before finally turning and sprinting away into the dark.
Owen's body slowly relaxed. He watched Charlie's retreating figure, only to catch a sudden flash of fire approaching in the darkness.
"Oh sh—Boom!"
The explosion rocked the earth. A rocket slammed into the spot where Charlie had just been standing. The resulting shockwave sent Owen flying backward, hitting the ground hard.
He slowly pushed himself up, staring at the scorched earth. To his own surprise, he felt a wave of relief when he saw that Charlie was unharmed.
Rustle...
Movement in the nearby brush caught his attention, and he instinctively raised his rifle.
"You're here."
Barry stepped out of the foliage, reaching down to pull the fallen Owen to his feet. Seeing his friend, Owen let out a breath and stood up, adjusting his grip on his weapon.
"The Raptors... they seem to have left," Owen said.
Barry didn't lower his revolver, his expression grim as he confirmed the suspicion. "Yeah. Blue took them and left."
Owen looked once more toward the direction Charlie had vanished.
"No. Maybe it wasn't her."
…
Carlo sat on the ground, watching Kafka, who was currently busy gnawing on a bone for fun.
He had finally figured it out: Kafka wasn't lazy; she was a natural night owl. If this were a game, Kafka would definitely have a "Nocturnal" trait.
To keep the little dino from wandering off out of boredom, Carlo had picked out a small bone for her to pass the time. Kafka pinned the bone down with her right foot, leaning in to gnaw on the other end, seemingly self-teaching the predatory habits she'd seen from her "parents."
Carlo slowly lowered his head to the ground, his nostrils twitching. He couldn't help but feel that babysitting was exhausting and incredibly dull. How did Mom and Dad ever... wait, they never actually kept an eye on me, did they?
Suddenly, Carlo bolted upright. He sniffed the air sharply twice.
The blood-scent trail he had laid out had been disturbed. This meant either humans or dinosaurs were lingering near the Southwest Gate.
With a low huff, he gestured for Kafka to stay put and rose, moving swiftly toward the source of the disturbance.
…
Delta stood at the gate, peering deep into the Primeval Ecological Zone.
Thud... thud...
Soon, heavy footsteps resonated through the earth. Carlo, sensing the chaotic scent in the air, materialized before her.
"Hrr-nnng..."
She let out a low, guttural growl, her feet instinctively shuffling backward.
Carlo recognized her. They'd had a brief encounter back at the Great Lake, though that "fate" had been delivered by Carlo's jaws. But why was she here alone?
Carlo lowered his frame slightly, wanting to get a better look at her.
"Aok! Aok! Aok!"
Without warning, she began to shriek at the top of her lungs.
Carlo tilted his head. What is she doing?
In the next heartbeat, Delta launched a "zero-frame" attack! She leaped directly onto Carlo's head, her sickled claws slashing at his face.
Then… one, two, three more Raptors swarmed him. Their claws hooked into his flanks, sending sharp jolts of pain through his massive body.
Are these things insane?!
Carlo began to thrash violently, trying to shake the insolent little creatures off. For some reason, he felt his heart beginning to race faster than it ever had before.
"Aunnng-roar—!"
Suddenly, the Indominus rex charged out from the flank with a roar. Her elongated snout clamped onto Carlo's neck, using her massive weight to drive him forward.
The Indominus's interference gave the clinging Raptors a chance to regain their grip. Seeing she couldn't easily push him over, the Indominus kept her jaws locked on his neck and began to pivot, swinging Carlo in a wide arc using herself as the center.
With his throat pinned and the Indominus's serrated teeth sinking into his flesh, Carlo couldn't find the leverage to counter the force. He was swung along by her momentum.
Sensing the right moment, the Indominus lunged downward, attempting to flip Carlo onto his side. But Carlo's unnatural strength manifested once more.
Though he was forced down as she intended, he didn't crash completely. He rapidly adjusted his posture, kicking his hindquarters up, though his forequarters remained pinned low by the Indominus's weight.
Thump-thump, thump-thump...
His heart rate accelerated further. The Raptors were still latched onto him, raking his hide, but the sensation of pain began to fade.
What is happening? Why are the Raptors and the Indominus working together? Why...
His thoughts cut off abruptly. The blood in his veins began to boil. His vision shifted, locking onto the Indominus at his side.
The Indominus was still trying to use her muscular arms and jaws to pin him to the dirt, when she suddenly locked eyes with a pair of glowing yellow pupils.
Instinctive terror flooded her. She tried to release her grip, but it was a second too late.
BOOM!
Carlo's tail whipped up and slammed into the ground with devastating force. The turf split, mud sprayed, and a massive shockwave erupted in every direction.
The Raptors clinging to his body were thrown off by a sheer, invisible force. Even the Indominus was knocked completely off-balance.
"GROOOOOAR—!"
Carlo unleashed a deafening cry toward the sky. He didn't know why he was doing it, it just felt right.
Thud... CRASH!
The Raptors were sent flying. Blue hit the ground hard; Echo and Charlie were launched sideways, slamming into trees. Delta, caught in the worst possible position, was flung six meters into the air before crashing down.
Thud...
The Indominus scrambled to her feet, intending to stall Carlo so the Raptors could strike again, but she felt the ground shudder beneath her in a rhythmic, earthquake-like tremor.
Thud...
Carlo stood his ground, raising his massive feet high and alternating—left, right! He slammed them into the earth with bone-shaking force. The ground groaned under the pressure, cracks spreading out like spiderwebs.
Thud!
The Indominus could no longer maintain her balance. Her legs gave way, and she rolled onto her left side, crashing into the dirt.
She tried to roll and right herself, but she felt a splintering agony in her right arm! Then her side!
Carlo had lunged, his jaws snapping shut around the end of her long, muscular arm near the shoulder. He planted a foot firmly on her torso and pulled outward with every ounce of his prehistoric strength.
Crack... snap... crunch.
The Indominus's arm emitted a sickening sound of splintering bone as the joint was forcibly dislocated. Blood sprayed from where Carlo's teeth were buried, the wound widening inch by inch.
"Aunnng-roar—!"
The Indominus shrieked for the Raptors to help, but no response came.
RIP... SNAP... THUD!
Skin tore. Bone snapped.
Blood sprayed from the Indominus's shoulder as her entire right arm vanished, now clamped firmly in Carlo's jaws.
"AUNNNG-ROAR—!"
She let out a piercing, shrill wail. Blood gushed from the stump of her shoulder, but she didn't stay to fight. Scrambling with her legs and her remaining arm, she desperately pushed herself up and fled the area.
Crunch... crunch, crunch...
Carlo stood there, methodically chewing the severed limb as if it were just as loathsome as the Indominus herself.
Tear, snap, swallow.
…
[Currently Disclosed Traits]
Giganotosaurus: Carlo
[Clumsy Stealth]: While in stealth, your movements will not disturb flora, and your breathing becomes silent. However, your scent remains, and you can still be detected by other forms of observation.
[Gnashed]: Attacks apply a bleed effect. Lasting 5 seconds, this causes the target to lose health equivalent to 5% of their maximum HP.
[Enraged]: When taking massive damage in a short burst or losing 9% of maximum health within a certain timeframe, Carlo will slam his tail into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocks back all creatures within 5 meters, followed by a roar toward the sky.
Duration: 35 seconds (includes 5 seconds of invulnerability during the transformation).
Effect: Restores 1% of maximum HP per second and unlocks [Ground Stomp]. If three or more adult Giganotosaurus are present, it triggers a Group Rage.
[Ground Stomp]: A special move available only during [Enraged] state. Carlo raises a foot and slams it down, dealing damage and causing enemies within range to lose their balance.
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