FlorianWind9 Posted June 25, 2023 Share Posted June 25, 2023 (edited) HELLO ARK COMMUNITY FORUMS!!! I have finally created an account for these forums for 1 reason and 1 reason only: To Post My Personal Story Within The Video Game Ark Survival Evolved! Some of you may remember, or perhaps not at all, that some long while ago wildcard put out a request to the Ark Players encouraging them to post their stories of their experiences within the game......Welp...I've finally managed to finish at least the first 14 chapters of my story...so, I've decided that with the game supposedly soon coming to an end that now would be as good a time as any to do so. Many of you may not think much of my personal story, as I'm sure that it'll echo the similar experiences that most of us have had playing this once amazing game that so many have loved, but I think my story is interesting enough to write about and share; and I've had a lot of fun writing it; I like it; and that's all that really matters. So, to Celebrate the Existence of This Game; and to Mourn the approach of its Death; I've decided that I will try to post at least 1 chapter of my story each week for the next 14 weeks until I've posted all 14 chapters that I so far have completed. While chapter 14 is FAR from the end of the story that I one day hope to entirely complete, it is what I have gotten to so far after discovering that writing a good story takes a LOT of time; and I felt that the end of chapter 14 was a good stopping spot even if I never end up finishing the rest of it. Sooooooo..........I guess.........here we go on this crazy ride? FIRSTLY: I would like to state that this story is NONFICTION, meaning that every event is completely true and really did happen. wildcard did not provide a nonfiction prefix for me to choose, only a fanfiction one, so I guess that's what I have to go with... SECONDLY: IMPORTANT CONTEXT!! The events of this story are Very Heavily based upon the true life events experienced through the perspective of the player character Florian, Nine, Wind. The events are marginally smoothed to convert video game aspects into real life description, and ever so slightly dramatized for entertainment purposes; to make the story more enjoyable. These events occurred within the online video game “Ark Survival Evolved” which is owned by “Studio Wildcard”. So…while the original life events occurred through Florian and the other player characters mentioned within this story; the world scenery and visual assets, as well as the in-game story elements, were created by and are owned by “Studio Wildcard”. These events occurred majoritively upon the “Official The Island Server 39”, with only the very ending occurring upon the “Official The Island Server 2”; and the planned Epilogue on the “Official Ragnarok Server 65”; all of which no longer exist. Server 39 and 2 would be considered "Legacy Servers" if they still existed. Server 65 would be considered a "Modern Server Soon To Be Ended" if it also still existed. The player created events of this story occurred between the time period of the game’s early access launch, on the online video-game hosting service “Steam” owned by “Valve”, which debuted on June 2, 2015; and just slightly beyond the game’s "full 1.0 release" on August 29, 2017. More specifically; the story of Florian’s journey, which would be depicted within the completed version of this book(If I ever manage to fully complete it), transpired approximately between November 28, 2015 and November 4, 2017. I am hoping that this story will be a way for people who love Ark; that have friends that don't like playing video games; or not open world sand box video games; but who may like to read; to show those friends what the game Ark Survival Evolved is really like; or at least what it CAN be. I am also hoping to convey to those who may read it what This Video Game Has Meant To Me Personally. So...Without Further ADO...I Hope You Enjoy! 1 1 To Whoever Finds This Journal To whoever finds their way into the Overseer’s lair…and discovers this journal…I hope that it may be of some use to you. I do not seek to gain sympathy with these writings…nor even necessarily to impart knowledge…but merely to give an account of my experience; in the event that it may serve some usefulness to whomever reads it…even if that may only be to fill empty time. This journal contains a series of events which depict my journey, to the best of my recollection, since first awaking upon the mysterious island. It does not contain years or dates; for the nature of the island, combined with the properties of the void, made it impossible not only to know when the events occurred…but even over what length of time they transpired. Though it is likely that whoever finds this book will be far more experienced than I…still, I must warn that it is not for the faint of heart; as I go into minutely descriptive detail…so as to convey the seriousness of these moments. Hardship and loss are no stranger to those who survive and persevere…a constant companion have they also been for me. Should you happen to overcome what finally blocked my path…and accomplish that which I could not do on my own…then I wish you good luck on discovering the answers you seek. Contained within the index of this written work, I have also amassed a collection of applicable notes and dossiers from other survivors who had come before me; a richness of reference that I hope will serve you, as well as it has served me. May you find a path forward through the fog of enigma that surrounds us all; and discover a way to escape whatever prisons you may find yourself in… 2 2 Chapter 1 Naked and Afraid In a flash of blinding light I awoke, naked and afraid, upon a warm sandy beach. The ocean water gently caressed my feet as I lie there in a daze; unable to remember anything beyond how to breathe and wiggle my toes… I groaned softly in agony as I slowly explored how to move my stiff body. Grasping desperately at the delicate grains, my hands sunk deep into their warmness. The cooling ebb and flow of the water at my feet, along with the cozy white sand beneath, were my only comfort as I sluggishly rose to my hands and knees. I gasped for air as my muscles gradually recalled how to support my weight! Moving into a kneeling position, my eyes adjusting to the bright mid-day sunlight beating down upon me, I tried urgently amidst panicked breaths to remember anything about where I was; who I was; how I had gotten here! Carefully, I surveyed the shoreline before me in the hopes of seeing anything familiar; but there was nothing to be found beyond the typical beach landscape. As I gazed helplessly upon the many unparticular palm trees, bushes, pebbles, boulders, and seashells that sloped gently up towards an ever deepening; and ever more complex forest of mixed tree species…I began to remember the words and uses for various objects…but; nothing about who or where I was. I then rose slowly to my feet…my only course of action, it would seem, to choose a direction and walk down the beach in search of anything that might help me. Perhaps I might find the wreck of some ship run aground…or a crashed plane that tore a path through the trees…or even a lifeboat of some kind which might have carried me from a sinking vessel…anything which might tell me more about how I had gotten here… It was then that I noticed a diamond-shaped, metallic object implanted deep into the flesh just below my left wrist! 3 3 The skin around it looked red and irritated…as though it had just recently healed and regrown around it. I quickly gave into my impulses and scratched it; both to relieve the sudden itchy sensation, as well as to feel the smoothness of the intricate metal…so that I might assure myself it wasn’t a hallucination. There was a white, diamond-shaped crystal embedded into its center as well; which seemed to glow faintly with some kind of latent energy…though I reasoned it must have been the sunlight reflecting off its mirrored surface. Still…as my fingers lingered upon the expertly cut gem…a name suddenly whispered into my consciousness; ‘Florian, Nine, Wind’; as well as a number; ‘Three……Nine; Thirty-Nine’. The name felt so familiar that I knew it must be my first, middle, and last name! Florian…my name was Florian! A great wave of relief washed over me as at least I had remembered my name! It gave me hope that perhaps more of my memory might return; given enough time. As for the number however…I had no idea what the numeral Thirty-Nine might represent. ‘Perhaps it was my age?’ I couldn’t be sure but…I didn’t feel quite that old. ‘Perhaps it was part of the serial from a plane or some other vessel which had carried me to this place?’ ……I didn’t know. Just then, a terrible gnawing sensation gripped and twisted my stomach! I doubled over in pain as the dry empty feeling inside threatened to consume my entire being! Thirsty! I was deathly thirsty as though I hadn’t drunken anything in days; and…hungry! I was so terribly hungry that I felt like gnawing my own foot off!! Franticly, I tossed my head from side to side; scanning the beach for anything which might relieve this pain…but there was no food of any kind to be found, and no water besides the ocean at my back! In desperation, I looked at the cool clear liquid; marveling at the deep, refreshing blueness as it stretched on towards the horizon. ‘I couldn’t possibly drink ocean water……wasn’t it full of salt? …Didn’t drinking salty water only cause a person to become more dehydrated and hallucinate?’ “Gwah!” I let out a pained groan as the dry, cramping sensation within brought me to my knees! I didn’t care if the water was salty! I didn’t care if drinking it would only hasten my death from dehydration! The pain was simply so great that I would do anything to escape it! 4 4 Amidst the intense pain…I crawled out into the water a short ways to where it was deeper and, like an animal, plunged my face into it; quickly gulping down as much as I could! With every recession of the waters I would take a breath, and with every gentle wave I would let it fill me until it receded again... After a few repetitions of this, I felt the gnawing pain within leave; replaced instead by a refreshing coolness. I then rose to my feet once again, to stand calf-deep in the ocean’s waters; a profound sense of confusion filling my every thought as the pain slowly subsided… A deeply concerning sense of confusion…for the water had not even had the slightest hint of a salty taste! In-fact, the water had been more pure and delicious than I would have ever thought possible… Looking out towards the horizon…straining my eyes against the bright reflection of the crystalline waters…I expected to see the hazy indication of a shoreline far out on its edge. ‘Surely…if this water was so fresh…then it must be a lake and not the ocean after-all!’ I thought. However, strain as I might, all I could see was a seemingly endless plain of blue all around. As I continued to stand there, straining my vision to its limits, I began to feel a bit weak and light headed. A new twinge of pain then gripped my stomach, as I remembered not only had I been extremely thirsty; but hungry as well! Giving up on my search for an alternate shoreline, I made my way back out of the water in hopes of finding anything which might be edible. ‘If the ocean water was fresh and safe to drink…then perhaps the large leaves of the bushes might be safe to eat?’ I mused. ‘Or’, I seemed to recall; ‘some types of tree bark were edible’; if only I could find a way to boil it until soft enough to eat. Although, at this point, even sand and pebbles sounded tolerable; if only it would relieve my hunger pains, as the ocean water had my thirst. Fortunately; as I rummaged through the many bushes, collecting their leafy fibrous tissue with intent to try it out as a meal, I was overjoyed to discover a sparse variety of berries growing upon many of them! 5 5 There were very few growing upon each individual bush, but the shoreline was so thickly covered with them that I soon had many handfuls of differently colored berries; all sorted into small piles. There were six colors in all; white, black, red, yellow, blue, and purple... I was wary at the possibility that some, or all, might be poisonous…but considering my intense hunger, and the fact that they seemed my only option as searching the palm trees had yielded no sign of coconuts…I was willing to take that chance. Kneeling down, and with just a little hesitation, I ate a blue berry first; my muscles tensing up as I instinctually prepared for the potential poisoning and……; to my great delight I sat there in a shocked state of drooling bliss, while feeling the rich sugary juice flow over my tongue and down my throat! Certainly the taste had been enhanced by my extreme hunger, but it was a most delectable berry and I felt no ill side-effects after having eaten it! In a ravenous flurry I stuffed my mouth full of the remaining blue berries, having no care for the sticky rivers which flowed freely from my bulging cheeks, and fully enjoyed every last bit of their juicy goodness! Afterwards, still hungry, I turned my eyes to the red berries... Repeating my actions with even less hesitation, I found them to be just as delicious; though with a slightly different, somewhat tarter taste. Having eaten both the blue and red berries, I no longer felt so hungry; though decided I may as well test the other colors, so I would know which were safe for eating. ‘Such knowledge would surely be very useful; considering they might be my only source of food for a long time.’ I tried the yellow berries next. They were also good…though not quite as good, with a slightly blander and less sugary taste. The purple berries however were far better than either the blue or red; with a deeply rich, syrupy juice which coated the mouth in a delectable gooey delight! And then, all that remained were the white and black berries… 6 6 I tried a white berry first. It tasted somewhat salty; almost as I had expected the ocean water to taste earlier. Otherwise, it didn’t seem to have any other side-effects at first…but I then felt a sudden surge of energy combined with an extreme thirst! Quickly, I ran back into the water and drank many handfuls before the feeling of dryness subsided! ‘Apparently…these berries could produce a stimulant surge of energetic alertness…similar to the effects of coffee…but made one extremely thirsty.’ Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be any other side-effects. Deciding to avoid these in the future I then turned my attention, somewhat more hesitantly, towards the last of the six colors; the black berries... The first four hues had been very good for eating, but the white had certainly not been agreeable. Not life-threateningly dangerous perhaps, but still not so good to eat. ‘So then…’ I hesitated. ‘….what might the black berries be like?’ Still, determined to do a thorough testing of all six colors, I carefully placed a black berry into my mouth and…bit down slowly. In contrast, this berry was quite juicy; and had a syrupiness similar to that of the purple berries…though with a tarter taste closer to that of the red. However, shortly after eating just the one, I began to feel quite drowsy… Apparently, in contrast to the white berries, these seemed to produce some sort of a narcotic effect... The black berries may appear better for food than the white ones…though it was very clear they would cause me to pass into a deep and uncontrollable sleep; should I eat too many at one time. Therefore, understandably, I decided to avoid these for eating as well. Although… I did question their potential use for knocking out, and capturing, small animal life for food; should I happen to find signs of any. My thirst and hunger finally sated; my mind gradually growing calmer from the effects of that black berry; thoughts concerning the potential capture of animals and the uses that doing so might serve, led my mind to thinking of the fur or feathers which covered many. This…in turn…caused me to suddenly realize the fact that I, myself, was naked! Of course…I had known I was naked since the moment I gained consciousness, but the pains of thirst and hunger…as well as the initial confusion laced panic…had overwhelmed any concerns for clothing. 7 7 Once again looking down the beach in both directions, I briefly questioned the need for clothing; as the sun was quite warm and, to my dismay, it began to seem increasingly unlikely that I would encounter any other people here… Still; deciding to be optimistic of either rescue, or reconnection with other stranded survivors, I delved deep into the bushes once again…this time to collect an armful of their fibrous leafy tissue; from which to construct the best semblance of a garment I could manage! Weaving the leaves and fibers into a rough, primitive covering actually wasn’t as difficult as one might think; though it was quite time consuming... The weaves and knots took some trial and error to accomplish with my fumbling, uncoordinated fingers... The process of twisting and tying such small fibers, into coverings large enough to conceal my various regions, also took no short amount of time... Even so, through many setbacks and a fair amount of frustration, I managed to complete my task! ~~~~~~~ When finally I had managed to make a covering thick, and sturdy enough that I was certain it wouldn’t easily fall off; the bright golden light of mid-day had turned into an ever deepening shade of evening red... Seeing that it would soon be dark, I briefly considered finding a cozy spot to lie down within the still very thick covering of bushes along the tree-line. However, with my desire to search for clues concerning my sudden appearance on this beach ever rising, I instead decided to explore a short ways down the shoreline; while there was still light to see by. The softly warm sand beneath my still bare feet was a comfort amidst the swiftly cooling evening air. Keeping a watchful eye for anything that might be useful in my current situation, I began to notice what appeared to be many traces of small animal life. Tiny imprints in the sand; which looked as though they might have come from tiny feet. Torn up leaves upon the bushes, and smashed berries on the ground…even a few droppings. 8 8 Just as I began wondering where and what these creatures might be; I heard a quiet chortling coming from the nearby undergrowth. It sounded almost like a mixture between a turkey gobble, and a chicken cluck. Excited, I quickly turned towards the direction of the sound; in hopes of seeing whatever it might be! Unfortunately, the vegetation was too thick for me to see the animal from the beach. So, since its call didn’t sound in any way threatening, I decided to creep carefully into the brush; in attempt to find it! Fortunately, the creature wasn’t very far away, and I soon found it waddling about; casually snapping berries off various bushes. It was a strange looking bird; with proportionally tiny wings…a plump body about the size of an overinflated basketball…and a large head, with an equally large beak. The poor little thing didn’t appear as though its anatomy would ever allow it to fly... The bird knew I was there watching as it waddled a mere foot or two away, but didn’t seem easily frightened or concerned with my presence. It was a somewhat ugly looking bird; standing about two feet high with its fairly large, and unfocused eyes; but…in an innocently cute kind of way; with a beautifully colorful covering of thick, fluffy feathers! After a minute or so of watching, I became curious as to whether it would actually let me pet it; considering that it hadn’t run away despite me being so close. So slowly, I crept closer through the undergrowth…and stretched my arm out towards it. Without so much as a wiggle of acknowledgement, the bird simply continued to nonchalantly snap berries off branches; as I brushed my hand gently against its soft feathers. However, even though it hadn’t made any indication that it had disliked my petting, after merely a few strokes it seemed eager to waddle slowly away beyond my reach… Desiring to continue feeling its soothing warm softness, I crept closer once more to touch; as it began eating from another bush. But, after only two strokes, it again waddled off; even though there were still many berries left upon the branch it had been eating from... I supposed that perhaps though it appeared tame and unconcerned…still it didn’t like being bothered while it was eating. 9 9 As I continued to watch…taking mental comfort in its velvety feathers; while resting my body upon the soft, sandy ground…a thought slipped into my mind…a thought which caused me to chuckle quietly... I realized that my head was still very foggy, but even so, looking at the bird…if I hadn’t known any better… ‘I could’ve sworn it was a Dodo.’ That couldn’t possibly be however; because the Dodo bird had been declared extinct for hundreds of years to my recollection. Still……‘what if it was a Dodo? What would that mean?’ While pondering the odds of having washed up on an unmapped isle where the Dodo had managed to survive extinction, and where somehow the ocean water had managed to lose its saltiness, I suddenly heard a different kind of quiet rustling in the bushes nearby. I was a bit startled by it at first; but since the bird still didn’t appear concerned, I figured it wasn’t anything dangerous. ‘Perhaps it was another of its kind, come to join in this birdie’s feast of succulent berries?’ This naïve assumption was a bit careless of me however; I should have realized from my own interaction with this bird, that it was no good judge of imminent threat... A moment later, I heard a menacing hiss; followed by a high-pitched screeching, as some new creature suddenly pounced from the nearby shrubbery! To my shock, it landed hard upon the bird; wrestling it to the ground, and closing its jaws tightly around its fragile neck! With a swift and skillful twist, it snapped the bird’s neck; bringing an end to the struggle…and in my horrified dismay…then turned to glance in my direction. In a fearful panic I scrambled to my feet and ran towards the ocean; my every step sliding in the loose sand as I stumbled in frantic flight! When I had gotten to the water’s edge, I swiftly turned back to see if the creature had followed me; and saw it standing there a mere four feet away…looking at me with a curious gaze. I froze; unsure of what to do as there seemed nowhere really that I could run to for safety…and further, the creature itself simply continued to stand there; bobbing and tilting its head inquiringly, while making odd chirping sounds…as though it wasn’t quite sure what to make of me... 10 10 Now, it wasn’t the size of the creature which concerned me; as I myself attempted to figure out what IT was. For while the bird had stood about two feet high, this new animal perhaps stood only around three feet high; although it did appear somewhat hunched over, as it continued to quizzically stare… Neither was the fierceness of its look necessarily what concerned me at this moment; as it almost appeared cute with its innocently inquisitive gaze. No! What concerned me most, was that by the entirety of what little logic I did possess within my mind at the time; ‘this creature… this creature shouldn’t exist!!’ For it had the appearance of a DINOSAUR!!! The animal had a very long tail; and looked to be about six feet in length from tail tip to nose. It had two lengthy, powerful looking hind legs; upon which it stood with a pair of smaller, though still strong looking, arms up front; each appendage having three long-clawed fingers or toes with which to make use of that muscle. Its mouth was filled with tiny razor-sharp teeth, and it had a beady little eye upon either side of its head. Two prominent frills rose stiff along the bridge of its extensive snout; and its entire body was covered in a scaly orange-green, reptilian hide. By all typical definition…it looked like the long extinct Dinosaurs which had become a favorite of movies and video games in the modern era! As I continued to stand there, shocked at the appearance of this creature, it began to slowly raise its body while quietly hissing... Then…when it had reached its maximum height of about four feet or so…a pair of bright, orange-green splotched, spikey frills suddenly sprang out from either side of its head; and began vibrating like that of a rattle-snake’s tail! I back-stepped slightly in surprise; but continued to face it, for fear of what it might do should I turn my back and run! Then, without further warning, it shot a glob of thick green goo out from its throat; which hit me square in the eyes! I swiftly brought my hands to my eyes, and began rubbing them franticly as the goo had caused an intense burning sensation! 11 11 Continuing to rub my eyes desperately, I then heard the dreadful sound of the creature’s shrill screech; shortly before feeling its weight slam hard into my chest! I fell to the ground…landing hard upon my back…my head touching the ocean’s water; just shallow enough that my mouth stayed above as its waves rippled in and out around me… …The unbearably intense burning of my eyes kept both my mind and vision blurry…as I felt the pain of the creature’s claws piercing the skin at my hips and shoulders; while it positioned itself to keep me pinned down… Overwhelmingly terrified and shocked with disbelief…frozen by pain and horror as well as held down by its weight…I could do nothing but lay there; as I felt its jaw close securely around my neck. I felt it clamp down hard…its teeth slicing easily through the skin and meat. And then…with a quick jerking motion…it ripped out my throat... As it began gnawing on what it had ripped off, I simply lay there; choking on my own blood as I felt it gush out from my neck... And then……blackness… Edited July 16, 2023 by FlorianWind9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now