fanfiction Florian's Journal Chapter 10 (Sugarplum and Plumtail)

[FlorianWind9]

WELCOME!!!

So, through the past two chapters we've actually managed to retain access to a decent shelter; to a home. A friend has even stuck around longer than a couple minutes; providing much needed help, and rescue from loneliness. Still; in a video game where roughly fifty percent of the gameplay is centered around taming and using creatures, nine chapters seems a bit lengthy of a time period to go without having attempted to tame even one right? Well, remember that it took over seven chapters worth of difficulty just to get a roof to stay over my head. If managing to keep a few wooden boards held together for longer than a few seconds was that difficult, just imagine the difficulty of; finding a creature you want, figuring out what it eats, capturing it, knocking it out, figuring out how to tame it, keeping it safe while trying to tame it(from hungry critters and hostile humans), keeping it sedated while trying to tame it, deciding upon the perfect name to give your new friend(cause in this game you can even name your pets), transporting it back home after taming it, figuring out how to keep it safe once you get it back home, and making sure you remember to keep it fed so that it doesn't starve to death... 

Better start with something small and easy right? ...Like maybe a Dodo? ...Yeah...that's usually the typical first tame that someone acquires when they begin their early, meager attempts at befriending Ark's fauna... Probably would be a good, common sense, idea to start with something like that...

To Celebrate the Existence of This Game, and to Mourn the approach of its Death, I dedicate this chapter to all the Sugarplums and Plumtails out there!

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!  

 

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Chapter 10

Sugarplum and Plumtail

                I woke to the chilled air of early morning…and burrowed deeper into the warmth beneath my hide blanket.

              It had been a few days now since we’d made the decision to remain floating, about a mile or so, off the swamp-covered shoreline; which we presumed to be on the island’s Eastern side. We’d even made a few short trips to the coast…south of the swamp. We had managed to gather enough material there to construct a second traveling raft for Pqpe; as well as a few storage boxes for both of our simpler exploration vessels. Though; we had yet to travel very far inland.

               My eyes poking out from under the covers…I casually scanned the small room of our house-boat, to see if Pqpe had woken up yet. Seeing that his bed was empty…and finding no trace of him around the structure…I sleepily pressed my implant; “Hey Pqpe? Where are you?”

              A few seconds of silence…then Pqpe responded amidst exasperated breathing; and what sounded like…the clicking of insectoid mandibles?; “Can’t talk now! Busy!”

              Springing from my bed and rushing to the door, I asked again with a tone of concern; “What?! Where are you?! Are you in trouble?!” He replied swiftly and reassuringly; “I’m fine! Went to shore for a bit! I’m near the base of the large mountain to the North of the swamp!”

            Feeling as though I wasn’t going to get much, if any, more from him over the implant’s radio communication; I quickly stepped through the raft-house’s door, and onto my modest travel craft. After unhooking the mooring line…which was tethered to the boat-house…and unfurling the sail, I angled the rudder control so the wind would pull me in the direction of the massive mountain; which sat about a mile or two North of the large swamp.

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                As I approached the Northern edge of the marsh, I brought my raft into a course more parallel to the shoreline; rather than diagonal towards it. The wetland gave way to a huge, open, flat area of ground on its North; which very gradually rose into a large, forested hill-country farther inland.

               Just a short distance beyond this Northern edge of the mangroves was a big, rectangular, stone-walled fort; about fifteen yards in from the beach. Large banners were draped over its walls, which depicted a blue Star-of-David against a white background. Yet another huge fortification…one of a great many it seemed.

              Continuing down the mostly flat coastline, I soon came upon the towering mountain; which rose a couple miles or so up into the blue, cloud-speckled sky.

                 The mountain’s steep, rocky slopes were densely covered; both by large boulders of varying metallic purity, as well as a number of different tree species. While its Southern incline mostly continued the previous trend of a gentle slant, down towards a level beach…which dominated the coastline as a land feature to its South…the mountain’s Eastern side gradually rose into a hundred and twenty foot high cliff-face; which followed along a rocky shoreline below.

                  I began to scan the lower mountainside…urgently attempting to find any trace of Pqpe…as I sailed along this mile or so stretch of cliff-edged shore. I saw many Trikes…Stegos…Paras…Pteras…Brontos…and Giant Turtles…but no sign of human activity.

                 Navigating around to the mountain’s Northern edge, I saw a large; mostly barren islet, separated from the main island by about a mile of deep ocean water. The islet rose into a short, wide mound at its center; and looked to be covered by a multitude of large rocky surfaces.

              Making note of the landmass for future investigation…I continued along the rocky coastline as it curved meanderingly inland; opening into a huge bay area at the mouth of a hefty river. The bay’s other side appeared to be covered in a series of short cliffs and plateaus; blanketed by a dense forest behind a wide, sandy beach…while the mountain’s Northern edge transitioned from the hundred-plus foot-tall cliff-face into a steep, rocky gradient; more sparsely covered in tall trees.

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               And then I saw it…Pqpe’s raft…landed securely upon the beach near a break in the forest, along the mountain’s steepening incline!

              Closing my raft’s sail to slow its movement, I gazed searchingly throughout the mountainside…and finally spotted Pqpe moving amongst some large boulders; near what appeared to be a couple of Giant Scorpions!

              Swiftly pressing down on my implant, I shouted out towards him; “Pqpe! I can see you on the mountain from my raft! …It looks like you’re being chased by some Giant Scorpions?! …Are you sure you don’t need any help?! …What are you doing?!”

             He responded with a noticeable hint of excitement; “Oh! Hi! Well…I’ve been listening to the rare sound-bites that come over the Island Wide Chat…and I heard someone say yesterday, that there were some Giant Scorpion creatures on this mountain…and that they could be tamed by using Narco-berry laced, spoiled meat!”

                Pausing for a moment, as I could see him weave through an intricate assortment of boulders to put some space between himself and the scorpions, Pqpe continued with his explanation; “…We haven’t been able to eat all the muscle we’ve been harvesting while hunting animals for their hide, and a lot of it has begun to spoil… So I figured, it’d be better not to let it go to waste! I took some of the black berries we’ve collected…the ones that produce a narcotic effect…and mushed them into the spoiled meat! Then; I headed out here, to see if what I’d heard would work…to see if I could get a Giant Scorpion to become my friend!”

             Shaking my head with disbelief…I shouted back in frustration; “Are you CRAZY! Not only is what you’re doing extremely dangerous…but you didn’t even ask for my HELP! And as absurd as it sounds…what if it does work?! What use will we have for tame Giant Scorpions?! Where are we even going to keep them?! I doubt they can swim!”

              Pqpe spoke calmly; “I didn’t want to waste your time if it didn’t work…and I thought it worth a try; rather than wasting resources... I think it is working too! They seem to like my spoiled meat offerings…and I think the narco-berries are making them calmer! For usage; apparently they have decently strong venom in their stinger, which can put people and animals to sleep! So maybe we can use them for defense against dangerous entities?”

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               I watched, as Pqpe appeared to dodge one of their stingers while he persisted; “As for where to keep them well…that’s where you’d come in; if I actually managed to get them tamed! You did such a good job designing the raft-house, that I figured you’d be able to build a floating pen to contain them! Heh!”

               Letting out a long sigh of irritation…I replied; “Fine…but we could have at least figured out some kind of floating pen first! Do you know how long it’ll take to gather the materials for, and build, such a thing out in the ocean?! And I suppose I’ll have to do it by myself; since you’ll be busy with the Scorpions?! ‘Sigh.’ I guess I’ll get started on it then... Let me know if you need any help okay?” Pqpe responded quickly and simply; “Roger, roger!”

            Reopening the sail, I decided to explore a little farther down the coast; before turning around and heading back towards a beach closer to the raft-house. Curving around the shoreline, I’d only traveled another quarter mile or so; before my eyes grew wide with terror as I watched a Tyrannosaurus-Rex suddenly burst forth from the trees, with an earth-shaking ROAR, as it chased a swiftly fleeing Parasaur!

            The monstrous beast looked to stand about twenty-one feet tall, upon two extremely powerful legs; each with a large three-toed foot, containing claws as long as my forearm! The creature had two little arms, each with a couple of relatively small clawed-fingers, beneath an enormous head; which appeared to be about half the size of its torso, and filled with razor-sharp teeth larger than my hands; all between powerfully crushing jaws! The large predatory eye on either side of its head seemed especially fierce, beneath its ridged bony protrusion; surrounded by an armor-like red-and-purple leathery hide; which covered a forty-eight foot length from the tip of its long tail, to the edge of its ravenous snout!

            In a panic, I called out to Pqpe through my implant; “Look out! There’s a large Tyrannosaurus-Rex just a short distance down the beach from your position!”

              In my own defense, I quickly steered away from the shoreline; so that the Rex wouldn’t be able to reach me, even if it noticed me. Although, it appeared to be particularly focused upon the yellow-green Parasaur running down the beach; away from Pqpe’s location.

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              After about a minute or two of silence on Pqpe’s end…he finally responded, seemingly unconcerned; “Thanks…I see it! It’s a good distance from me…and seems to be moving farther away…but I’ll keep a look out for it!”

              On that clearly over-confident note…with the Rex stomping loudly after its desired prey…I decided to leave Pqpe to his reckless mission, and headed back down the coastline; stopping at an area about a half mile North of the swamp, just as the sun was reaching the middle of its daily arc.

             There, I spent the better part of the afternoon and early evening; gathering all the wood, thatch, and fiber I’d require to supplement what materials we already had stockpiled on the raft-house…so that I’d be able to construct a large enough floating holding pen of some sort, for these potentially deadly pets; which Pqpe was deadest on acquiring. Loading the last of the resources I figured I’d need, the sweat heavy on my brow, I then made the long weighed-down journey back to the boat-house.

            Once I’d arrived at our slowly drifting home, I got right to work constructing the Scorpions’ enclosure. Though I hadn’t seen them up close…I had gotten a good enough look at them; to have a general idea of the minimum size required.

             Rolling a series of large, buoyant logs into the water so as to create a foundation; I lashed them together with fiber cord, as well as to the raft-house, so that they wouldn’t float away. I then attached a floor of rough wood boards with wooden nails; which measured about eighteen feet wide by thirty feet long. From there I built a wall of wooden planks, thatch insulation, and fiber ties all around the rectangular base; up to about twenty-four feet high, and placed a flat roof of the same materials over it…using wooden ladders as scaffolding to reach the desired height.

              The large, rectangular, box-of-a-raft wobbled somewhat awkwardly upon the gently bobbing ocean surface; but I was confident that it’d stay afloat.

                Finally…I constructed a huge double doorway about twelve feet wide, by twenty-four feet high on one side; along with a wooden ramp, which jutted out a short ways into the water from its bottom. As I didn’t figure in the need to move this structure separate from the main house-boat…I didn’t bother taking the extra time to fit it with a sail or rudder.

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~~~~~~~

                I’d just finished securing the entry ramp, when I saw Pqpe sailing up with a couple of pacified Giant Scorpions on board. Slowing to a stop right beside the ramp, he turned towards me with a triumphant smile; “Nice work! …See? I knew you could come up with something to hold them, even way out here on the ocean! So, what do you think?”

                  Finding an un-amused look on my face, Pqpe decided not to wait for a response; “The taming trick seems to have worked…they treat me like I’m their mother or something; even though they’re already fully grown! …They go wherever I tell them to…although it did take a bit of coaxing to get them onto the raft. …I don’t think they can swim very well, so they’re a bit scared of deep water... I got me a male and a female; named them Plumtail and Sugarplum! …They are kinda cute…from the right angle…when they aren’t trying to kill you…don’t you think?”

            The creatures looked to be about six feet wide, and stand about three feet tall at their torso; upon eight long, segmented legs. They seemed as though they might measure about twelve feet long…if their lengthy, upwardly curving tail and two large front-pincer arms were fully outstretched. Their pincers were about as large as my head, and torso combined; and they had a few extra spikes poking out along the tops of their claws, as well as on the larger segments of their arms. On their heads, the creatures had a pair of small two-fingered grabbers by their mouths; beneath a couple of dark, buggy eyes. The tips of their tails were like a large round ball with a sharp, slender stinger about the length of my forearm curving out from it. Their entire bodies were covered in an armor-like, insectoid carapace; with one having a bluish top above a greenish undercarriage, and the other a reddish back alongside a pinkish abdomen.

            Casting Pqpe a disapproving look, I replied with my voice full of skepticism; “You sure those living monsters aren’t just waiting for the right moment to kill you? And Plumtail and Sugarplum…what’s with those names?; they seem a bit sweet for waking nightmares... Male and female…how the heck you even figure that out?”

              With his smile just slightly diminished, Pqpe responded cheerfully; “Well…I wasn’t sure what to name them, and the tips of their tails look like toothpicks sticking out of giant plums…so I just went with it.”

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               Suddenly looking a bit flustered, Pqpe continued; “As for male and female …eh…um…well I can’t remember for sure now which is which; so I’d have to, ‘lift up their skirts’, so to speak and check again; but I think that’d be best done when they’re narcoed out... I think the red and pink one is the female.”

                With a resigned sigh, I unlatched the large wooden door and stepped through as it swung open; “Well in any case…you tamed them…so they’re your responsibility. I built their new floating home for you…so you make sure to feed them, and pick up after them. I don’t want to go anywhere near those sharp pincers!”

            After about a half hour or so of gentle persuasion, along with a good deal of trial and error, we eventually managed to get the two Giant Scorpions firmly settled into their new home. They didn’t seem to feel entirely confident on the unfamiliar wooden ground, as it moved jerkily beneath them above the passing waves. However, true to Pqpe’s word, they seemed to heed his every command; so long as he held a delectable piece of raw meat in his hands at least.

              Only time would tell if they’d actually be of any use I supposed. I just hoped that Pqpe would warn me in the future…before going after any new pets.