Dododex

ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion

The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 56: Change of Plans

Original Post Date: Apr 18, 2024

Note: Story starts in Wyvern, Aerial ABC backwards filter and has a Prologue. Last chapter in Mosasaurus, next chapter in Otter.

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“Ha, that’s right!” the lady said with a pointed finger. Samuel spotted an implant on her left wrist. It remained dull and inactive at the moment. Andres waved at her again.

“Come on inside, the brew’s finished!”

Tiffany made her way inside the house, carrying satchels along with her. As she reached the dining table she dumped them on the table, and berries began to pour out along with large portions of meat.

“Easy catch today. I spotted some weakened Terror Birds in the area. Something must have gotten to them, surprisingly,” Tiffany said. Samuel winced. Tiffany glanced at Samuel.

“How are you liking that brew?”

Samuel stared at it, and shrugged.

“It tastes alright.”

Andres grinned, giving him a thumbs up.

“My brew always tastes delicious, Samuel!”

Tiffany’s eyes sparkled at his name.

“Samuel, huh? So… who are your friends’ names?”

Samuel looked around, and Tiffany laughed.

“Oh come on, don’t tell me you found me all by yourself? How’d you find us? It was probably through the Book Club, huh? Is Skyler with you? I’d be surprised. She’s not one to go out often. Maybe it’s Ben… Or perhaps Gary?”

“No. None of them. While they were… helpful, Skyler took charge when you were gone. She was a bit misguided and out there. Me and MY team couldn’t really rely on that, so we decided to find you on our own without them. We’re much better off without them,” Samuel revealed. Tiffany laughed, grabbing a glass and pouring herself some brew of her own.

“Of course, of course, I was expecting you heroes for a while now. It won’t all be those bookworms now will it?” Tiffany said, taking a sip of brew, “I prepared another chair for you, the leader of your team. Let’s negotiate.

She glanced over at the book on the counter, and so did Samuel. The book lay idle there.

“You must be here for the book. Well I’ll certainly give you the knowledge. I don’t think you’d be able to understand it anyway, no matter how smart you are,” Tiffany explained, “But, you must be wondering why I need you and your team, right?”

Samuel nodded.

“Yes, it seems you two are perfectly capable on your own.”

Tiffany leaned back in her chair, putting her hands behind her head.

“Well, escaping this place is going to be a lot harder even with that book on my side. And even with Andres and I’s implant attributes. We need someone smart enough to help us all escape…”

She turned to Samuel.

“That’s why I’m counting on you, Samuel. And you need me because I’m the only one with a copy of this book around.”

Samuel smiled softly. It was a surefire deal that he couldn’t miss. He held his hand out.

“Deal. I will help us all escape, and in return you will help us out with your knowledge and strength.”

Tiffany held her hand out, but didn’t shake Samuel’s hand yet.

“There’s just one more thing, Samuel,” Tiffany added on, “I don’t know what type of person you are. I’m assuming you’re a good person, but… I don’t want just me to escape. I want EVERYONE who was sent to this island to. No one else deserves to die here.”

Now Samuel was reluctant. Could he really do that? Not only would that hold him and the others back, but it would be a gamble too considering the population.

“What if most of the other surviving graduates were like that small gang?” Samuel asked himself, “And, do I really need to do that? Who… cares about other people anyway?”

But, through it all, Samuel figured he’d find a way around it at some point.

Samuel grabbed onto Tiffany’s hand and shook it.

“I accept your offer. We hereby and officially team up from now on.”

“Good, good,” Tiffany said with a soft smile. Andres slammed his fists into the table with glee.

“Woo hoooo a new friend!” Andres cheered with delight. Samuel looked at Andres and gave a small smile. Tiffany began to laugh. She patted Andres on the arm.

“Don’t scare Samuel now. Now, before we start with our first mission, do you have any concerns or requests?” Tiffany asked with a raised eyebrow. Samuel nodded.

“I sure do. First off, why’d you desert the Book Club camp? It sure did make me and the others’ times a bit more difficult.”

“To draw out the heroes who are smart and strong enough to find the way out of here. Besides, I always wanted to move here anyway. Settling too close to the obelisk was never a good idea. Too many people and things could come by and it would compromise our safety, but everyone insisted since it was close to the rivers, where food was easy to get. So, I left. Then I found Andres, surprisingly. He’s actually a good childhood friend of mine. I didn’t even know he attended Terran High. Then, we made our way to this shelter, set up, and bided for time,” Tiffany explained quickly, “We did run into some trouble a few days ago. Some scouts under a mysterious figure named the ‘Crimson Crusader’ tried to hunt us down, but we easily took care of them.”

“The Crimson Crusader… Who is that?” Samuel wondered. He asked, “Should we be concerned about this person?”

Tiffany shrugged.

“Personally, I don’t see the concern. They don’t seem to know how to tame anything, so they would have to rely on pure manpower, it’s something that is easily countered by me and Andres’ abilities.”

Samuel reached into his pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. The cryptic message from Star. Star looked up and clucked her beak. Tiffany looked at her, and Star winked at her. Tiffany’s eyes widened.

“I do have one request, though,” Samuel admitted, “My dodo friend, Star, well, she gave me this message. It’s morse code, I think. I was wondering if you knew morse code? It just feels weird to me. Star isn’t exactly normal, she, she never went through the taming process and she almost acts human at times. Plus, she has an ability like us humans, almost as if she has her own implant attribute. So, could you help translate it?”

Tiffany grabbed the paper out of Samuel’s hands and began to read the lines carefully. As she did, Star smirked. Tiffany spotted her smirk in the corner of her eye, and looked up at Samuel.

“Your friend sure is unusual. She has a lot of character, even though the creatures of this island should be emotionless,” Tiffany told them, “There’s more to Star than meets the eye, Samuel. And this message is morse code, she’s trying to tell you something.”

Samuel’s eyes widened, and Star licked her beak in anticipation, fluttering her feet. Tiffany handed the note back to Samuel, who held it in his hand, numb in shock.

“I won’t translate it for you just yet,” Tiffany declared, “I still don’t know what type of person you are. But I’ll find out soon. We’re going on an expedition to a cave that’s nearby. We have high faith that something there is waiting for us: an artifact. In that book, the main characters used artifacts to escape. So, once you prove you and your team are worthy, by helping me and Andres collect the artifact, I will translate the message for you. Do we have an understanding?”

Samuel nodded in affirmation. He gave her a salute.

“Of course, partner.”

Tiffany sighed, and cracked her knuckles. She waved at the air, and Andres followed.

“Let’s go down to the lake for a swim. You should come too, Samuel. You need to get yourself cleaned up, there’s mud all over you.”

Tiffany and Andres left the house, leaving the door open for Samuel to follow suit. Samuel eyed the book that lay on the counter again. Once again, he was faced with a decision. He could grab the book, and just leave.

But now with Star’s message on the line, and a potential translator, Samuel was no longer willing to make that move. He got up from his seat, got out the door, and shut it behind him. Star chittered happily, and Samuel looked down at her with a smile. He crouched down for Star.

“Hop on my shoulder, friend.”

Star chuckled and hopped onto his shoulder. Samuel got up from the ground, and began to walk off after Tiffany and Andres.