FlorianWind9 Posted September 23, 2023 Share Posted September 23, 2023 (edited) WE DID IT!!! We did it! Me by posting a new chapter once every week for the last 14 weeks, and you by taking the time to read them! It's been lots of fun getting to post my personal Ark Survival Evolved story for others to read, and I'm very happy to have seen that at least a few people seem to be interested in it. I hope that it has been as enjoyable to read as it was for me to write! However, as stated in the introduction section for chapter 1, I currently only have 14 chapters completely finished and polished ready to read. So, unfortunately, as this is chapter 14 it will be the last one that I post for awhile. Perhaps for a very long while; as it takes a long time to write and polish a story. Maybe if I knew in greater detail the extent to which others might enjoy further chapters I would have a higher incentive to work on more? Feel free to leave a comment on this chapter if you'd like to express to me whether you'd like me to keep going or not; and feel free to give me details on why you'd like me to post further chapters, or if not then even why you'd prefer I didn't post any more chapters. Constructive criticism is always nice. To give you an idea concerning how far into the overall story chapter 14 is, I have a working list of future chapter titles and it would take around 86 more chapters to completely finish Florian's story; equaling to about 100 chapters in all(coincidentally; 100 also being the level that I reached with Florian's character before the legacy server split, along with a few other issues, caused his story to come to an end). In any case, I've found it to be a happy coincidence that I'll be posting this last of my first 14 chapters just a week before ASE official servers permanently shut down; as I've somewhat been dedicating the posting of these chapters as something of a "memoriam" for ASE official. I think one last solemn week after this posting is a very fitting timing. Say what you want of wildcard delays, but for me in this case it turned out nicely; as if they'd shutdown ASE official servers on their originally planned date, then the posting of my chapters wouldn't have worked out so well. Still, it'd be even better if they weren't shutting them down at all... Also, I hope that my chapters have helped at least a few of you in regards to the "void" created by a lack of promised official animated episodes. I, like many others, have been very annoyed at wildcard's debut of the season 1 animated series trailer near the beginning of this year; only to then get no further information about it until their recent announcement that "maybe you'll get to see it sometime next year"... Do you notice what I did wildcard? I waited until I had all 14 chapters completely finished and ready to post, then I announced that I would post 1 chapter each week until I'd posted all 14, and then guess what? I did just exactly that; and hit the weekly deadline every time. Sometimes on Friday, Sometimes on Saturday, but a new chapter every week. Maybe you could learn from your own past experiences and do the same for once? I mean, I don't care if you have all the episodes for season 1 finished and that you want to tell me this and show off a shiny trailer; it means nothing to me unless you then also begin to show me those episodes. Don't tell me that you have something done, or are working on something, until you're actually ready to show it to me; cause showing me a shiny trailer, then going silent about it for months, then almost a year later telling me that you still aren't ready to show me the episodes (and even worse that you still don't even know when you will be ready) doesn't build hype or anticipation; no, it builds resentment. Anyways; so, you could consider these first 14 chapters of mine to be "season 1" if you like. The first 14 "episodes" of Florian's story. And, if you've been feeling like the past few "episodes" have been really short; well, then I've got some good news for you! Similar to how the "introduction section" of this chapter will be the longest one so far, chapter 14 is also BY FAR the longest of these first 14 chapters. So; if you've been wanting more story each time lately and not getting it, you're getting it now! And if you've preferred the shorter chapters due to not liking as much reading; well, then, good luck with this one I guess! Alright, so, with all that out of the way; how was the previous chapter? Hulk certainly was a strangely interesting character wasn't he? Especially for a pvp server; where you'd expect him to just murder me, instead of throwing his implant at me and asking me to remember him. I mean, he was like level 84 or so at the time and I was only level 34. He could have one-shot me with his bare fists! But, whatever the strangeness of his methods, I guess he managed to achieve his goal. After-all; not only did I remember him, but I remembered him so well that I dedicated an entire chapter of my story to him! And now...with the last of my first 14 chapters...the end of "season 1" if you will...it's finally time to truly "start" to get into the story of Florian's Journey! To Celebrate the Existence of This Game, and to Mourn the approach of its Death, I invite you to read the longest chapter so far as we conclude this "memoriam" and "season 1 of chapters" with a Grand Finale! 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! 102 102 Chapter 14 A Ghost-Face? And A Meat-Stick? I’d continued my Turtle hunt into the early morning…though sightings had remained few and far between. I now had just five Giant Turtles worth of harvested resources, packed into the storage boxes upon my raft; yet I figured that I would need at least five to ten more...just for a start. Irritable from the lack of sleep, along with a growing impatience over the long hours, I’d finally decided to give-up the hunt from atop my vessel…and instead search farther inland on foot. I docked my raft upon a wide sandy beach, strewn with large boulders, about a mile South of the huge swampland on the island’s Eastern edge. With a wooden spear in my right hand, and two more tied securely to my back, I jumped onto the warming sand; somehow managing to remain highly alert, despite my weary state. About a hundred feet in from the water, were a couple of small cliff-edged plateaus; with a wide, gently sloping, grassy pathway between them. The plateau on my right rose to about thirty feet above the beach beneath it, while the one on my left soared to around an eighty foot height; both seeming almost like barriers; set to separate the densely towering forest upon them, from the sparsely treed lowlands at their base. Quickly scanning the area, I could see that there were plenty of Trikes; Stegos; Parasaurs; and Phiomias; all casually moving about in their variously sized herds, grazing upon the low lying plants. But…no Giant Turtles. 103 103 Catching the glimpse of a swiftly moving Raptor, hunting a pack of Dodos several yards down the coast to my right, I decided to head off towards the left. The beach in this direction narrowed abruptly, as the land gradually climbed to a hundred foot tall cliff-face; overlooking the rocky sands below. This incline passed partly in-front of the eighty foot high plateau…creating a wide, smoothly sloping, grassy pathway; split in two by a large mound of earth about halfway up, which proudly displayed a single huge tree growing strong upon its surface. Deciding that the altitude would give me a good visual vantage point of the immediate area, I initially began ascending this convenient trail…but was stopped by a series of wooden billboards; which began just passed the large solitary tree. Carefully brushed in white paint, with bold lettering, they all read; ‘NO TRESPASSING! TRAPS AND TURRETS AHEAD! YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!’ I gazed up the path, as it wound around to the top of the eighty foot high plateau…and saw the form of a modest stone fortress; tucked away behind a dense covering of trees…with what appeared to be an elaborate fortification of wooden spiked walls surrounding it. ‘…Here was certainly someone who didn’t like visitors.’ Not wanting to get into any unnecessary trouble, I quickly hiked back down the moderate slant; and decided to try my luck along the rocky shoreline, beside the gradually rising cliff-face. After about Sixty yards of barren rocky sand, the hundred foot high cliff suddenly dipped inwards; as if a giant had taken a large bite out of it. The rock-face curved inland as a half-circle, so that it created a large sandy area…sparsely covered in palm trees and boulders at the base of the hundred foot high precipice; which extended about three-hundred feet in from the water, and stretched roughly a hundred-fifty feet across…before realigning itself with the rest of the vertical rocky surface. The far end of the towering crag, several hundred feet off in the distance, gradually sloped down into a flat sandy beach; near the point of the peninsula. On either side of this enormous indentation…sunk securely into the sand near the water…was a large wooden billboard, with a merciless threat smeared upon it in red paint…probably meant to look like blood; ‘Trespassers Will Be Killed!’ 104 104 Glancing into the inward curvature of the rock-face, I saw what appeared to be a large wood structure; nearly as tall as the towering cliff beside which it was built, and almost as wide as the semicircle space within which it had been constructed. The building appeared haphazard…with no logical design to its assembly, and no obvious means of entry…though the sheer size of it was quite impressive. Thinking for a moment that; ‘traveling this way had been a waste of time’, it was then that I spotted the armor-plated head, of my long sought after quarry, emerging from the surface of the water on the other side of the large sandy expanse; which lay between the threatening billboards! As I watched the form of a large, grey-shelled, Giant Turtle with teal colored hide slowly make its way onto the beach…just out of my reach…a couple of yards beyond the far warning sign…I knew that; ‘I couldn’t let an intimidating message, keep me from obtaining the resources I so desperately needed!’ Still…being careful to heed the billboard’s warning, I traversed the space between the no-trespassing signs by wading through the ocean water; so as to not step upon the actual land…hoping that this would be a good enough excuse, should their owner suddenly appear…and question my presence. …A few minutes later, I had finally made it to the other side of the sectioned-off area; to find the Giant Turtle leisurely walking around the beach, as it soaked up the warming sun. With a battle cry, I swiftly charged towards it from behind; and stabbed my spear as deep into its back left leg as I could manage, before promptly pulling it out! Uttering a pain-filled shriek, the Giant Turtle quickly turned around; snapping at me with its razor-sharp beak-like mouth! Dodging its attack, I rushed around to its back and stabbed it again! The Turtle continued to follow me with its head…slowly turning upon its four stout limbs…as it attempted to strike back with its only means of offensive action. …I merely kept dodging around to its rear; piercing its hind-legs over …and over …progressively amassing a series of steadily bleeding wounds. 105 105 I then accidentally jabbed my spear into its shell, striking the hard surface, thus causing my weapon to splinter into pieces! Further proof that its tough, keratin-like shielding was exactly what I needed to increase my own defensive capabilities! Its rigid, spikey covering protected the Giant Turtle’s major organs from harm…making it seemingly impossible to kill the creature easily. For most predators, this was enough of a deterrent to keep them from even trying…but unfortunately for the Turtle, it just meant that its death would come slowly…and painfully…at the hands of any who were determined enough to see their efforts through till the end. Grabbing one of my back-up spears from its holster upon my back, I continued in the same manner as before; being even more careful not to strike its shell again. After about a half hour or so of struggling in this round-about way, the Giant Turtle at last succumbed to fatigue due to its gradual blood-loss…and collapsed onto the sand in a dazed faint. Taking the stone axe which hung at my side, I firmly held the Turtle’s limp head down…and with a couple of swift chops, I quickly ended its pain …along with its life. I didn’t enjoy killing the more innocent creatures…like this one. The bloodthirsty beasts…such as Dillos, Raptors, and Carnos…I had no problems with; but I ached severely inside, whenever I Killed something…which hadn’t first been trying to kill me. ‘Still…I had no choice. For my own survival…I needed their natural protection to become mine…and there was no way for them to give it up willingly.’ Knowing that I would still have to do this at least another four times, I silently thanked the animal for its sacrifice…and prepared myself to begin processing its body. ~~~~~~~ A series of rapid thundering footsteps, sounding down the shoreline, then interrupted my actions as I turned; startled; to look into a cavernous maw of sharply glistening teeth, which were as long as my arm! The massive Tyrannosaurus-Rex let out a deafening ‘RROOOOAAAARRR’ straight in my face; amidst a flailing of huge spit globs, and the stench of rotting meat! Frozen in fear…I sat there…as the intense ringing in my ears gradually faded…certain that I was only seconds away from sliding sliced and bloody down its throat! 106 106 Then, just as I was sure the beast was about to devour me whole, the playful male voice of a human looking down on someone less advantaged called out from far above; “Heh-hey there little guy?! What-cha doin near my beach?!” Dazed and confused…I stared blankly up at the Rex……wondering for just a moment, if it had actually spoken to me; “Uh………What?” A pale human face, covered in shaggy black hair, then poked out from behind the Rex’s gargantuan head and shouted; “Up here little guy! Those are MY no trespassing signs back there…or didn’t ya read them?! I sure hope you didn’t step on MY SAND; cause then I’d have to KILL YOU!” Briefly pushing aside the mind-shattering fact, that someone had not only managed to domesticate a T-REX…but also rode about on it so casually…for future contemplation, I quickly stuttered back in response; “Oh, oh, oh, oh that wood building and those signs are yours then? No Sir, I didn’t step a single foot on your sand! I noticed the signs, and swam around the area out in the water!” Hoping to add some extra weight to my defense, I briefly glanced at the lifeless turtle carcass beside me; “I wouldn’t have even done that…but I saw a Giant Turtle on the other side…and I just had to get to it! See, I’ve spent the past thirty-six hours hunting them specifically…and haven’t had much luck in finding them…so I couldn’t let this one get away!” The man gazed at me with a look that said he wasn’t entirely convinced; “Giant Turtles eh? Ah, you mean the Carbonemys. What’cha doin hunting those things for?! It’ll take you hours to kill one with your little spears! …There’s plenty of easier animals to hunt for food around here; and much better tasting ones to!” Getting up off the ground…I decided it would probably be better just to be honest with him; “I need their hard keratin shells to improve my defenses, so that I won’t just get killed in two seconds by something! It’s the only way I can think of, to survive with all the dangerous stuff around here!” The man momentarily glanced at my kill…then turned his attention back towards me; “Do you want the meat then?! And does the shell have to be fully intact for your use?!” 107 107 Wondering what exactly it was, he was thinking of doing…I shouted back submissively; “No! I have too much meat to eat already from my previous kills…and I actually need the shell broken up into much smaller pieces to use properly…so I’ll have to spend a lot of time painstakingly cutting it apart later!” The man’s eyes glinted with a spark of blatant superiority as he stated; “That so? Well then, you better step back; so that you can get a good look at what this powerful beast does best!” I barely managed to jump out of the way, as the man’s Rex suddenly scooped the Carbonemys corpse into its drooling mouth at his command! It then proceeded to crunch the shell into shattering chunks between its massive jaws; letting the pieces rain down onto the sand like thick, shimmering, shards of glass. I marveled at the lumbering brute’s delicate precision, as it appeared to swallow none of the sharp fragments along with its meat…letting the entire cracked shell fall at my feet; while I swiftly gathered the pieces into a large hide carrying bag on my back. When the Rex had finally finished with its meal, the man again called out to me boastingly; “See?! Wasn’t that so much easier?! Say…out of curiosity…it doesn’t have to be Carbonemys shell does it? I mean, there are lots of animals around here that you can get forms of keratin from. The spikes and back-plates on Stegos…the horns on Trikes…the skulls of Pachys.” Staring up at him gratefully for his help, I quickly answered; “Not really! Long as it’s keratin, I can use it! But…Stegos and Trikes are so much more dangerous. I don’t really think I have a chance at killing them; which is why I started hunting the Carbonemys.” The man’s face acquired a patronizing grin as he replied; “Well shoot! I’m about to go on a meat run to feed my Carnivores, and I end up throwing away piles of the stuff every time I do! Hmmmm…. Well…I suppose as a favor, I could throw it down to you instead! That is…provided you can keep up with me on foot?!” Gazing at him with increased gratitude, I yelled back eagerly; “Sure! That’d be great! Thank you so much!” 108 108 Laughing gently at my enthusiasm for keratin, the man shouted back to me as his Rex began walking forwards with gradually increasing speed; “Sure thing! The name’s GhostFace by the way; learn it and respect it! I’ll allow you to cross between my signs just this once, so you won’t be slowed down by the water as you follow me! Well…let’s see if you can keep up!” With that, the Rex took off down the coastline with crashing strides of ten to fifteen feet; which shook the sandy ground beneath its massive black and grey colored form! Immediately realizing that this GhostFace individual wasn’t going to make it easy for me, I desperately sprinted after him; using all the strength I could muster just to keep up! We rushed passed his warning signs and down the cliff-edged shoreline; finally stopping near the thirty foot high plateau, as the Rex skillfully took off a Parasaur’s head with one chomp! The poor thing hadn’t even had a chance…the Parasaur had barely begun to pick up speed in its attempted escape, as the steadily jogging Rex had moved swiftly upon it. Finally catching up…I placed my hands firmly upon my knees to steady myself, as I gasped deeply with exhaustion, while the Rex effortlessly picked up the Parasaur’s headless body with its jaws; and swung it around onto a special carrying rack made of metal bars, which had been fitted to its back. Hardly managing to recover from the intensive sprint, I then caught a glimpse of movement in the corner of my right eye; as a Raptor raced swiftly through the grass in my direction! Thinking for a moment, that I’d be done before my keratin gleanings had even begun…as I had no strength within me to run or fight back…I simply closed my eyes; and awaited the familiarly inevitable pain. Hearing a loud crunch, followed by an agonizing screech, I then opened my eyes to see that the Rex had deftly caught the Raptor in its crushing maw just before it’d reached me! Lifting it up, the Rex casually tossed it into the air; and then caught it again with a deadly cracking of bones. 109 109 Looking down from his large leather-hide saddle, GhostFace called out jeeringly; “You’re going to have to do a lot better than that little guy! We’ve barely begun, and you’re already out of breath! From here on the meat run will only get more difficult; so follow or not at your own discretion, as I can’t be constantly looking behind me to check if you’re still there!” Not waiting for a response, he directed his Rex to stomp up the sloping pathway between the two plateaus; into the forested region beyond. Not wanting to give this guy the satisfaction of my surrender, and still very much desiring that otherwise wasted keratin, I chased after him into the dense vegetation! We went up and over a large forested hill, then down the other side towards the bay-like inlet of ocean water; which ran along the peninsula’s inner flank. Here, amongst a wide scattering of enormous boulders, the Rex stopped again; as it engaged in combat with a lone green-colored Stegosaurus! Panting heavily a few yards away, I watched as the Stego whipped its spiked tail at the Rex’s lower jaw; lightly scratching its thigh instead. The Rex then shoved hard with its oversized cranium; smashing the Stegosaurus against a giant boulder near the sand, which was as large as the Rex itself! The Stego wobbled painfully from the impact, then rushed towards the Rex with another jabbing strike of its tail! This time; the Stegosaurus managed to scrape a couple of long, yet shallow, cuts into the Rex’s chest. Seeing the opening it was waiting for, the Rex clamped down hard upon the Stego’s immensely smaller head; using its huge left foot to press strategically against the Stego’s side until it fell over…twisting the Stego’s neck in the process. With the full weight of its left leg keeping the Stegosaurus pinned down, the Rex severed its head from its body with a hard wrenching yank! It then proceeded to skillfully rip out the Stego’s large back-plates and tail-spikes with its teeth; leaving them on the ground for me to pick up, while it swung the rest up onto its carry rack; to lay beside the Parasaur. As I scrambled to stuff the keratin chunks into my now bulging hide backpack, the Rex abruptly continued on its hunt; stomping in the direction of the inlet bay’s inland side, amidst a scattering of frightened Dodos! 110 110 A towering, hundred foot-high, cliff-face rose along the peninsula edged side of the inlet at our backs; with a large grassy slant leading up to its summit far down the wide beach, as it stretched towards the ocean. The far side of the bay rose into a large forested hill, with the beginnings of a lofty rock-face creeping just around the bend of shoreline; which marked the inlet’s outer reaches on that side, as it merged into the wider ocean. Flattening the smaller palm trees as it charged ahead, the Rex turned to rush down a series of large elongated mounds of dirt; sparsely covered in massive rocks and dainty trees…with variously sized, shallow streams continually splitting and reconnecting around them; as they raced out to join with the inlet bay. Hastily stuffing the last few bits of keratin into my pack, I once again chased after the Rex; my bare feet feeling refreshingly cool as I splashed through the shallow streams, and comfortingly warm as I ran over the earthen mounds. ~~~~~~~ Eighty foot tall cliffs began to rise on both sides; as the numerous streams gradually converged into a single, shallow river farther down. The cliff-faces narrowed into a thirty foot wide canyon; with a sheer rock-face to our right; and a gently inclining pathway, leading up to the precipice’s densely forested peak, on our left. The Rex again stopped, as it caught another Parasaur in its teeth; above a frantic scattering of the rest of its herd. The fleeing Parasaurs honked loudly with decrees of danger, as they dashed wildly into the lengthy ravine! While the Rex gently tossed its latest kill onto the slowly growing pile of victims upon its back, GhostFace glanced over his shoulder just as I was catching up to him; “That all you got man?! Come’on…can’t you run any faster?! I’m even going slower than usual for you!” Amidst a series of coughing gasps, I sputtered back; “I’m trying my best! But I’m running on foot! That Rex can take ten foot strides…compared to my two foot sprints! …I can only run so fast for so long!” 111 111 Commanding his Rex to begin walking down the river carpeted canyon, GhostFace shouted in reply; “Sounds like a you problem! I’ve got a schedule to keep, so I can only accommodate slowness to a point!” I said nothing, as we continued splashing down the deep gulley; the Rex causing a wave of water half my height to rise with every step. A few tens of yards in, the shallow river was suddenly split in two by a soaring cliff-edged plateau! GhostFace steered his Rex down the left path, which continued on for several tens of yards more; after which it gradually opened as the cliffs descended into gently sloping, rocky inclines. The waterway again was split into two narrow creeks by a lengthened mound of soil; shortly before joining with a larger river which extended meanderingly inland far off into the distance on my right, and curved around an eighty foot high cliff-face to my left…a narrower, shallow stream also branched off from this wider river near to where the creeks joined with it; which flowed straight out into what appeared to be the ocean, about a half mile or so to my left. Letting my eyes wander to the top of the eighty foot tall rock-face, I saw that a large stone fort had been built at its peak; overlooking the valley below as a steadfast sentry. After only a brief moment’s pause, the Rex suddenly jerked to the right; and headed down the large, meandering river. Chasing after him; we passed by another couple of small creeks amidst a series of long, earthen, rocky covered hillocks as the rest of the previous winding brook met up with the broader waterway. The huge river flowed lazily along a path of gently winding curves. It appeared to be about eighty feet wide from edge to edge, and ten feet deep at its center; though thankfully we kept to the riverbank, so I didn’t need to worry about trying to keep up with the Rex while swimming. The land touching the river’s margin on our right, upon which we hastily traveled, consisted of a large grassland; sparsely dotted with trees, that gradually transitioned into a series of forested knolls far off into the distance. The shore to our left, in contrast, immediately rose into a series of large wooded hills; which were occasionally laced by variously sized cliffs. 112 112 To my visual delight, there were a vast multitude of creatures moving throughout the wide prairie before us; as they all went about their daily routines. I saw large herds of Parasaurs, Stegos, and Trikes as they either grazed upon the grasses or drank at the water’s edge…flocks of Pteranodons soared through the sky overhead; occasionally dipping their long pointed beaks into the river for a drink, or to catch a big wriggling fish…various groups of Carbonemys moved slowly about near the water, as packs of Dillos and Raptors chased after fleeing Dodos and Phiomias respectively…towering over them all, rose a small herd of lumbering Brontos; which seemed unconcerned with the commotion around them, while they drank from the river and searched for tall trees to casually graze upon. Looking more closely…it even seemed there were a few species I hadn’t yet seen upon the island. There were what appeared to be a light scattering of Diplodocus throughout the savanna…a smaller cousin of the Brontosaurus. They stood about thirty feet high; upon four stout legs, with massive four-toed feet. Tiny spikes followed along the entire hundred foot length of their spine; from their bulbous head, sporting a pair of alert eyes above flat herbivorous teeth, down their ridiculously long necks…all the way to the tips of their exceedingly lengthy whip-like tails; all encased in a thick leathery hide of blues and greens. Droves of Gallimimus darted skittishly between the other animals upon two lengthy legs, with large three-toed feet; designed for extreme sprinting speeds. Their twelve foot height, and twenty-six foot length, caused them to appear something of a mix between a Parasaur and a Raptor…their heads seeming almost predatory with long narrow mouths filled by tiny sharp teeth, and a pair of slightly forward-set eyes; expertly alert beneath a tuft of long feathers which sprouted from the back of their heads, all set atop a very extensively curving neck…their two long, slender arms each with three lengthy clawed fingers made them look as though they could be quite deadly; along with their swiftly slender form, and lengthily slender tail all covered in a hide of tans and greens. However, despite their immediately dangerous appearance, I somehow knew that Gallis were among the most nervous of herbivores…being more likely to run from a Dillo, than attack it. 113 113 The Rex casually snapped up a few Parasaurs and Phiomias, as their comrades fled for their lives, while we continued down the riverbank. Occasionally, it would crunch up a Carbonemys or two; letting the keratin shards fall to ground, where I rapidly snatched them from the dust amidst its stomping feet. It tried to catch a Galli every now and then…but they were far too agile to be worth chasing after; not when there was so much easier game to be had. Whenever a Raptor or Dillo would charge towards us with intent to kill me, the Rex would nonchalantly bend over and snatch it into its crushing maw; as if to remind me, that I’d be dead without its protection. Eventually…we came upon a lone Triceratops; which had wandered a good distance away from the safety of its herd. Seeing a worthy challenge, the Rex lunged at it; barely scratching the Trike’s back, as it swung its horns around in defense! The Rex then backed a few yards away from it…and waited…as the Trike decided whether it would stay and fight, or rush back to the security of its herd. Being a young and naïve male, the Trike charged towards the Rex with intent to drive its horns deep into the Rex’s chest! The Rex on the other hand, seemed a veteran of dinosaurous combat; which had been well-trained by its human masters. Waiting until just the right moment, the Rex stepped quickly to the side; unharmed as the charging Trike rushed by! Then, seeing the opening it’d been waiting for, the Rex lunged swiftly forwards; aiming for the Trike’s weakest point at the base of its neck, which would otherwise have been hidden by the large armor-like frill atop its head! Clamping down hard, the Rex stopped the Trike in its tracks by pinning it with its weight…and after just a few seconds of struggling, it managed to snap the Trike’s neck between its powerful crushing jaws! Pulling out the horns for me to collect into my pack, it tossed the corpse onto the ever growing pile upon its back; which seemed to me to be getting a bit too heavy, and awkward, for it to carry effectively. Continuing onwards; it was then I realized how close we’d gotten to the enormous, floating, green-glowing metal tower! From my vantage point on the ground, it looked as though the area around its base might be similar to that of the red tower’s; as I could see seven colossal pillars of rock curving like claws towards the center of a circular region beneath. 114 114 Akin to that of the red tower, these claw-like rock formations pulsed green with a peculiar energy within a strange technology; which had been embedded inside them. As I gazed distractedly towards the floating tower, the Rex stopped abruptly to rest amidst the grassy plain. Standing here, we were only about a quarter mile away from the enormous obelisk; with just a few short, cliff-edged plateaus in front of it being the only obstacles to traverse. ~~~~~~~ As I was about to inquire if we might possibly head over in that direction, a gigantic bird suddenly blocked the mid-day sun with its massive wings; as it descended upon us! Franticly looking towards GhostFace to gauge the threat, I saw him waving up to the bird familiarly; as though he were greeting a long-time friend. My abrupt panic slowly easing off, I began to see the fowl more clearly; as it landed a few yards away from the Rex, with a deep reverberating ‘HONK!’ The great bird appeared to stand about twenty feet tall upon two large, five-clawed hind legs; and a couple of even larger five-clawed front arms. It had a pair of enormous skin-covered, orange-colored, wings which stretched between its limbs; and looked as though they would provide a forty-five foot wingspan if fully extended. Its head consisted of a long, pointed, cream-colored beak; which appeared to be even larger than the Rex’s cranium, with a huge eye about the size of my head on either side…and a thick Mohawk of purple feathers fluffed along its top…this all sitting upon a lengthy giraffe-like neck of blue skin; which connected to a large body of small, black feathers; with a little Pteranodon-like nub-of-a-tail hanging between its back legs. By all description…I knew it to be a Quetzalcoatlus! The Quetz stood there warily…its eyes flickering, and its head twitching slightly… as it constantly shifted its gaze about its surroundings; ever vigilant of potential threat. To my astonishment, it carried a large metal platform saddled to its back; with a long metal ramp sloping almost to the ground on the side which faced us! 115 115 A large muscular man, wrapped in a deep ebony casing, and wearing a complete set of hide-leather clothing with close-cut raven hair; then stood from his seat upon the Quetz’s back, and called out to GhostFace; “Hey! What you got for me?!” GhostFace shouted back in friendly banter; “More than you can carry, since the Rex can hardly lift it! But you’re welcome to try!” The man grinned, bellowing back; “That so?! Well; you better get to work loading up the Quetz then, so we can find out!” The man then glanced briefly in my direction, as he noticed my minute presence beneath the massive Rex; “Hey GhostFace; who’s the noob?!” GhostFace looked around confused for a moment, as the man’s question had distracted him; from his task of loading the harvested animals onto the Quetz’s metal platform with his Rex; “Huh?! Oh; yeah…I found him killing a Carbonemys with a wooden spear near my beach! He gave me the meat, cause he said he just wanted the keratin shell! I don’t really know why he wants keratin so much…but I told him that I waste a lot of it on these meat runs, and said he could have all that I collected today if he kept up with me! Heh, heh, heh…So he’s been following along and picking up the pieces I drop!” The man’s face then took on a sternly irritated visage…though I could see a smile of amusement just a few centimeters beneath it; “Come’on now! That’s not a nice way to treat noobs! Making them run behind you on foot so they die of exhaustion! You could just as well have saved up the keratin, and traded it to him for something later!” GhostFace replied critically, as his Rex tossed one of the dead Parasaurs onto the Quetz’s back; “Well…it’s not like I was forcing him to do it! He could have chosen to give up, and go do something else at any moment! I thought I was being quite charitable; since the keratin was just going to be thrown away…and I even made sure to keep him from dying! Besides…I doubt he’d have anything I’d want to trade for!” As the Rex threw its final carcass onto the now heavily weighed down Quetzal, the man looked down towards me and shouted; “Hey you down there! It’s a long way back to where you were! If you can manage to get yourself onto the Quetzal, and don’t mind riding near a pile of dead meat, then I’ll give ya a lift back alright?!” 116 116 Nodding my head in the affirmative, I ran up to the Quetz and carefully climbed up the somewhat slippery metal ramp to its back; being careful to avoid the small trickles of blood, which flowed down from the corpses above. As I steadied myself near the pile of remains, just a few feet behind the six and a half foot tall man, he gave me a nod; then took his seat by the long, hide-leather reigns and yelled at GhostFace; “Take the Rex a little ways into the ocean on your way back to wash off some of that blood! I don’t want the base smelling like rotting meat again!” I could hear the faint reply of ‘Yeah, yeah!’ from GhostFace, as the Quetzal unfurled its gigantic wings with a thundering whoosh of air! Then, with a snap of the reigns and a loud holler, the Quetz began to flap against the ground with a mighty force; causing us to slowly lift into the air! I wobbled slightly amidst the whirling gusts, and flattened myself against the metal of the platform to keep from being blown off; clinging tightly to my overstuffed pack of hard-won keratin, so that it wouldn’t go sliding off! Once we’d reached his desired altitude, the ride began to feel a little smoother …but I remained flat against the hard metal; for fear of slipping off, as there were no safety lines to cling to! Weighed down by the heavy load, we flew low to the ground…just barely brushing against the towering treetops, as we steadily headed back towards the peninsula. Once we’d been in the air for a couple minutes or so, the man at the reigns called loudly over his shoulder; so as to be heard above the Quetzal’s booming wing-flaps; “My name’s MeatStick by the way! …Bet this is the first time you’ve ridden a Quetzal huh?! Heh…probably the first time you’ve ever flown! …It might feel a bit bumpy at first…but you’ll get used to it! So…why do you want so much keratin; if you don’t mind me asking?!” While trying desperately to focus on not falling off, I respectfully replied; “It’s nice to meet you! …I’m Florian! …Well…I just figure that the tough substance would be really good for increasing my personal defenses! …There are so many dangerous things around here…that want to kill me…so I’m trying to think of ways to help keep me alive!” 117 117 Correcting the Quetzal’s course slightly, MeatStick shouted back; “I suppose that makes sense in your position! It could help you out, if you made armor-plating of some kind with it maybe! …Would chitin perhaps be of any interest to you?! That’s the hard carapace around things like Pulmonoscorpius, uh, the Giant Scorpions!” Considering my experience with them…I felt that chitin might be similar enough to keratin for it to be useful, so I responded quickly; “Sure! If you have any spare chitin, then I could certainly use it!” MeatStick happily yelled back; “Great! We’ve got a few boxes of the stuff just taking up space back home! I’m not going to just give it away like GhostFace though! …If you’re willing; let’s do a trade?! …If you can gather and bring me twenty bundles of fiber, then I’ll give you all the chitin we’ve got; alright?!” My enthusiasm building due to the recent turn of events, I gleefully agreed; “Okay! You got a deal!” MeatStick angled the Quetz’s trajectory slightly to the right as he responded; “Excellent! I’ll drop you off near the point of the peninsula then; okay?! There’s lots of bushes there for you to collect for fiber, and it’s close to where GhostFace found you…if you have a raft or something to put the keratin you’ve already collected into! Our base is near there to; when you’re ready to trade! You can’t miss it! In-fact…you’ve probably already seen it! It’s the large, stone, rectangular box against the cliff-face with a wooden spiked wall around it!” My smile widening, and not just because of the airstream blowing into my cheeks, I simply shouted back; “Sure! Sounds good to me!” ~~~~~~~ A few minutes later, I felt the Quetz slow its forward momentum; and begin to lower as it descended towards the peninsula’s point. It dropped till the bottom edge of the metal ramp was just a few feet above the ground, and then hovered there as MeatStick waved me off with a final instruction; “Okay; here’s your stop! Just slide down the ramp and into the sand…it should cushion your fall! Just walk up to one of our outer wooden gates, and give it a hard knock when you’re ready to trade okay?! Or give us a shout if that doesn’t work!” 118 118 I nodded, then slid down the ramp with a soft thud into the sand below; my backpack full of keratin making a loud rattling noise as it rolled down the glistening metal! MeatStick took off on his Quetz towards his stone fortification, which was just a few tens of yards down the beach, as I covered my face; shielding it from the spiraling sand, which flew up amongst the mighty gusts of wind the Quetzal produced in its wake! As the whirling grains settled, I confidently stood; hefting the hide pack full of keratin shards onto my back. MeatStick had dropped me off near the peninsula’s outer most point; just a few feet from the large wooden scaffolding, which resembled the letters ‘FU’. Now standing at its base…the entire structure appeared to be about thirty-six feet high, and forty-eight feet wide…as it faced sternly towards the crescent shaped islet, which sat about a mile or so out from the main island. Glancing briefly about my immediate surroundings, I found myself to be on a wide…flat…sandy area which was indeed densely covered in a blanket of little fern-like bushes; along with a sparse scattering of small trees. The beach curved gently into the ocean’s softly glistening water, all around the long finger of land; aside from a few large boulders…including a massive fifty foot tall slab of rock near its tip; which seemed strangely out-of-place amongst its otherwise flatter surroundings. As the ground moved inland along the peninsula’s length…it gradually sloped into a grassy, boulder-strewn hill; with hundred-foot high cliffs on either side…overlooking large sandy beaches beneath. A small jut of earth split the slope into two paths part way up; with a single, large tree growing firmly on its crumbling surface. I first made my way to the raft; which was about a mile down the peninsula’s rocky outer edge…being careful to skirt around GhostFace’s ‘No Trespassing’ signs…and stashed the substantial pile of keratin into a wooden storage container upon it. Once that was accomplished, I sailed the craft back to the peninsula’s point; docking it near the fifty foot tower of rock. Reminding myself to remain alert, I quickly set off upon my work of collecting fibrous plant tissue from the field of bushes around me; all the while enjoying a sing-song, chortling chorus from the many variously colored Dodos waddling peacefully nearby; as they fed off the differently hued berries. 119 119 I tied the fibers into bundles of a hundred strands each…and once I had twenty of them all set aside into a pile, I carefully gathered them up into a towering heap…cradled strategically in my arms…before striding warily towards MeatStick’s imposing dwelling. The cliff-face on the peninsula’s inner side rose gradually to my right, as I cautiously made my way down the half-mile or so stretch of coastline to their outer gate…trying my best not to trip over anything, as the awkward stack of fibrous bales made it difficult to see where I was going. The sun had long since dipped into the evening portion of its daily travel across the sky; causing a deep lengthening of shadows to blanket the terrain in a darkening precursor of the night to come. Walking up to their exterior fortifications, I felt a slight twinge of unease…as I still wasn’t certain how far I could trust them. The external perimeter of their land, on this side, consisted of a large wooden gateway about twenty-four feet high by twelve feet wide; which was connected to a twelve foot tall barricade of huge tree-trunks, that had been sharpened into deadly points…then angled out towards any enemy which dared approach. The bottom of the spiked wall appeared to have been securely sunk into the sand for added support, and the wooden beams were firmly lashed together with hide straps. To my right, the pointed barrier fit snuggly against the base of the rocky cliff; while to my left, it curved as it followed the shoreline around to the other side of their fenced-off domain. On either side of the wood gate, was a great wooden billboard which read in brushed white paint; ‘No Entry Without Permission! Trespassers Will Be Killed On Sight!’ Taking a slow…deep breath…I shifted the fibers’ weight to my left side; and pounded hard upon the wood gate with my right fist shouting loud as I could; “Hello?! It’s Me! …I’ve Finished Collecting The Plant Fiber You Wanted!” ……Silence. After a few minutes without a response, I was just beginning to consider whether I should give another shout; when the large double-doors of the wooden gate slowly creaked open, to reveal MeatStick standing on the other side. 120 120 Looking at me with a half-intrigued, half-confounded gaze…he called out in a deep, booming voice; “Oh Man! Are you actually still collecting fiber?! It was getting dark, so, to be honest I thought you’d given up and gone somewhere else! …Did you really collect all that by hand?! …Well…a deal is a deal. Come on in and set that pile down by the building’s entrance! I’ll get ya the chitin I promised! Don’t worry…none of my Dinos will hurt you; since I invited you in.” Continuing to balance the precarious parcels of fiber, I followed him through the gate into a wide sandy area; dimly lit by the crackling flames from a sparse scattering of five-foot high standing torches, which had been firmly secured in the ground. I scanned around to see if GhostFace was here as well, but saw neither him…nor anything else of interest along the barren shoreline. The singular structure within their semi-circle of spiked walls was a massive, stone, rectangular box; which hugged the cliff-face all the way up to its hundred foot height, so that if someone had been standing on top of the rocky precipice; they’d be able to easily jump from it, onto the flat roof of their building. The impressive construction looked to be about a hundred and eighty feet long, by forty-two feet wide, as well; with a behemoth stone gate, reinforced by metal bracing, as its main entrance. Glancing around the structure…I saw a stone, behemoth-sized gateway fitted into the perimeter barricade on the other side of the building as well; which looked to serve as the inland entrance to their claimed area. Placing the fiber onto the ground near the building’s entrance as instructed, I then stepped back and waited to see what MeatStick would do. I watched, as he strode casually up to the behemoth gate…and gave it two hard whacks with his right fist. A few seconds later, the massive doors groaned slowly open; just wide enough for two humans to step through side-by-side. He then walked over to the pile of fiber, and gathered it up as he instructed; “Wait here a few minutes…and I’ll be out with your chitin. I’d invite you inside…but I’d rather not take the chance of my Dinos getting spooked by someone they don’t recognize.” 121 121 As I nodded my head to show that I’d understood, he carried the heap of fiber through the doorway; disappearing into an enormous room, faintly lit by firelight…and smelling strongly of animals. With curiosity getting the better of me, I carefully peeked through the opening after him; to see what could only be described…in the dim light that I had to see by…as a massive stone barn. I saw rows and rows of stalls…all filled with various creatures; some of which I recognized, and some that I couldn’t quite make out in the weak light. I also noticed that there appeared to be three floors in total to the structure; with the larger land animals making up the majority of those stabled on the bottom, while the two upper floors consisted mainly of flyers along with smaller land critters. A few minutes later, MeatStick reappeared from the smelly twilight; holding four large hide sacks in his hands, which he promptly dropped to the ground at my feet with a clatter; “There you go! As promised! That’s all the chitin I could find stored around the base... Don’t worry about closing the wood gate on your way out; we’ll get it later... And don’t be a stranger okay?! If you ever need anything else, just give us a holler; and if we can help, then we’ll be happy to trade! Especially for more fiber! Difficult as it may be to believe…collecting fiber has actually become far more difficult and tedious a task for us than most other resources these days……and damned if it doesn’t seem like we need it to craft just about everything we use around here.” Picking up the bags, hefting them onto my weary shoulders, I felt emboldened by his unexpected extension of friendship; “Well…actually…there is one thing. I could really use a safe and out-of-the-way place to build a shelter for myself……if you know a good location where wild creatures, or other humans, won’t just demolish it the next day? …I’ve been trying to get a stable lodging setup for quite a few weeks now…but something always comes along and flattens it no-matter what I do…or where I build.” MeatStick looked at me with an intensely inquiring gaze…as though he were trying to discern who I fully was as a person... He then abruptly reached out and firmly grasped my left arm; pulling it towards him as he double-tapped the diamond implant below my left wrist. 122 122 ‘VROOOM!’ A holographic panel displaying my personal statistics appeared above my implant; which he then reviewed intently, before saying with some disappointment; “Quotient thirty-four eh? …Yeah…sorry…I can’t really use you in this state... But uh…if you want; it’d be okay with us if you built near the tip of the peninsula... We more or less own this whole stretch of land; and the peninsula’s point should be far enough out of our way.” As he let go of my wrist, an uncontainable excitement suddenly burst forth; “Really! You mean it?!” Taken aback somewhat by my intense enthusiasm, he simply replied; “Yeah… sure... Long as you don’t build too big…and long as you keep your distance from our no trespassing signs. Dangerous animals rarely show up around here, and few people come by, so it should be perfect for you to get a start.” Thinking back to the other, ‘no trespassing’, signs I’d seen near the start of the peninsula on its other side…and the small stone fort I’d noticed above them…I quickly glanced in that direction as I questioned; “What about your neighbor who lives on top of the peninsula’s hill? Will they be okay with me living here…since the place is already crowded between the two of you? …Or is that stone fort I saw another one of your buildings?” MeatStick seemed confused by the query for a moment…but then appeared to remember something as he laughed; “Oh! That’s just old Grognok The Bewildered’s place! Heh…Nah…he’d be fine with it…as long as you keep away from his signs. He’s just an old……mostly harmless…hermit, who prefers to live alone behind his complex fortifications. The guy rarely leaves his place anymore…prefers the solitude; and doesn’t like interacting with other people much. We tried to get him to join us a while back since he lives so close…but he stubbornly refused. I’d just stay out of his hair if I were you; then he won’t be a bother. If you do ever have the misfortune of getting into a conversation with him however; then I’d highly suggest you plead with him to tell you some stories from his past. Supposedly…he was one of the first humans to set foot on this island; and is one of an extreme few who are still around from that time! Getting him to tell you some stories, should distract him from whatever you did which might have angered him…and I bet they’d be fairly interesting for you to hear as well!” 123 123 A look of pride then swiftly covered his face as MeatStick continued; “Otherwise, if anyone comes knocking on your door, just tell them that you’re under our protection; alright? Long as you live on our territory, if someone messes with you, then that means they’re messing with us; and we’ll rush to the rescue! Oh…and ah…I don’t know if you know…but be careful sailing past that little islet out there. The island’s Alpha-Tribe has a heavily fortified base on it…with auto-turrets……and we’re actually in the middle of a tiny dispute with them at the moment. But…long as you keep your distance…they should be fine. Oh; and also……” I stood there…gratefully absorbing all the information he was giving me…simply overwhelmed by the moment… Though it was happening right before my eyes……I could barely believe it. ‘To go from the devastating events of just a single day ago…everything I’d worked so hard to build…swallowed up in an instant within the crashing maw of the deep sea…to now having someone strong who would not only allow, but even protect my existence?! Perhaps…just perhaps…I would finally be in a position where I could make some meaningful progress……and obtain the answers that I sought.’ When at last we parted ways…MeatStick back into his fort, and me back to my raft…we both had smiles on our faces; warm grins brought on by the prospect of having gained a friendly new neighbor. To Be Continued! As stated in the above introduction section, these first 14 chapters comprise just the very beginning of Florian’s story; what I would consider to be the “Introduction” for a series of varying events ahead. There are ups, and there are downs. There is progress, and there is setback. There is peace, and there is hardship. But always, there is the continual struggle forwards; always, the persistent act of survival! To complete the story of Florian’s journey, as it currently stands, there are another 86 or so chapters envisioned; as well as a final Epilogue chapter, to bring the story full circle. Will the rest of these chapters ever be written? Who knows? We’ll have to wait and see. It takes a long time to write and polish a story, though perhaps I might have a greater incentive to spend time working on them if I knew in greater detail the extent to which others might enjoy further chapters? Feel free to post a comment on this chapter if you would like to express to me whether you'd like me to keep going or not; and feel free to give me details on why you'd like me to post further chapters, or if not then even why you'd prefer I didn't post any more chapters. Constructive criticism is always nice. In the meantime; I'll be posting a Map of The Island that I put together, below this chapter, which shows all the major points of interest that Florian experienced throughout the entire 100 chapters or so of his story. This way you all can look upon the areas that you might get to read about someday, and anticipate the stories they might involve; or if the rest of the chapters never get posted then alternatively, you'll be able to look upon the locations of the stories you never got to read. Either way, you'll also be able to look upon it for reference concerning the locations mentioned in these first 14 chapters; if you were curious about their exact locations. Also, also; if anyone who has read this story wishes to experience more of the world which has inspired and influenced these true life events; then one need only search YouTube, along with the wider internet, for the video game: “Ark Survival Evolved” by “Studio Wildcard”. Or...if you happen to feel bold enough to do so...especially after all the events which have transpired surrounding this company over the last year...one might purchase the game itself; through the online PC hosting service “Steam”; or on any of the consoles which carry it; and create your own unique story! (Make note however that the Official Ark Survival Evolved Servers will be permanently shut down by the end of this coming week. So, if you are newly acquiring this game, you'll either have to play on unofficial servers; host your own unofficial server; play on single player alone; or potentially wait for the remastered release of this game as Ark Survival Ascended which may or may not release at the end of this coming October; and which may or may not have its own new official server network to play on. Also, just to make aware, the "free" mobile version of this game on the App Store and Google Play also does not have any official online servers for you to play on.) So, until a possible next time, keep on surviving! And I hope you will have a great rest of your day! Edited September 23, 2023 by FlorianWind9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorianWind9 Posted September 23, 2023 Author Share Posted September 23, 2023 A FULL AND COMPLETE MAP OF FLORIAN'S ADVENTURES UPON THE ISLAND PART 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorianWind9 Posted September 23, 2023 Author Share Posted September 23, 2023 A FULL AND COMPLETE MAP OF FLORIAN'S ADVENTURES UPON THE ISLAND PART 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorianWind9 Posted September 23, 2023 Author Share Posted September 23, 2023 A FULL AND COMPLETE MAP OF FLORIAN'S ADVENTURES UPON THE ISLAND PART 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorianWind9 Posted September 23, 2023 Author Share Posted September 23, 2023 A FULL AND COMPLETE MAP OF FLORIAN'S ADVENTURES UPON THE ISLAND PART 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorianWind9 Posted September 23, 2023 Author Share Posted September 23, 2023 Sorry I had to post the map in 4 pieces. The maximum file size of a post on this forum wouldn't let me post it all in one. You can always copy/paste and reconstruct it yourself if you'd like to see it as a whole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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