Dododex

ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion

The Arks: Over Heaven (by Ben)

Chapter 80a: Abdication

Original Post Date: Jul 6, 2024

Note: Story starts in Wyvern, Aerial ABC backwards filter and has a Prologue. Last chapter in Terror Bird, next chapter in Stegosaurus.

~

Ben and John continued to roam the forest, looking for their humble home. They could hear the sound of fire crackling and the smell of ash. It was as if a fire had just happened. Ben brushed the thought aside. It was probably just a small bushfire.

Just then, they saw something sparkle deep within the treelines. John’s eyes turned to it.

“Hey, is that a beacon?” John asked, pointing at the sparkling light. Ben squinted his eyes at it and nodded.

“Seems to be so. Let’s go.”

The two of them along with the capybara they found on the walk back home stepped over to the beacon. It was wedged in the grass and was glowing red, unusually enough.

“Aren’t they usually green?” John said.

“Yeah they are. Kinda weird how this one’s red.”

Ben stepped over to the beacon and pressed his hand on it. Ben began to glow red, and John looked on in awe as a strange gem manifested within Ben’s right hand. A set of flak armor spat out on the ground next to him.

“Woahh! That’s such a good drop! Man all we get are some lame crop plots or whatever Carlos calls them. Hey, can I see that?” John asked. Ben was staring at the gem, his eyes didn’t leave it.

“I… Think you should have the flak armor. I’m keeping this,” Ben firmly decided. John shrugged.

“Whatever you say. This thing looks cooler anyway,” John said as he began to put the armor on. Ben stared at it some more, as if he were reading instructions. Then, suddenly, he crushed it within his palm. His implant began to glow.

“You are now capable of Attribute Amplification,” a voice beeped inside Ben’s head, “Amplify the effects of your implant attribute to destroy your enemies in a last-ditch effort. This will lay out a zone where the amplified effect takes place. Use a hand signal that represents your attribute, and utter the words of this ability along with a designated name to lay out the zone. Following the use of Attribute Amplification, you will be unable to use your implant attribute for 48 hours along with this move. After the 48 hours are up, your implant attribute will still remain weak until you kill enough creatures or humans. You must have killed at least one human being in order to use Attribute Amplification. For every person you kill you will be granted 30 seconds on the zone. Good luck.”

“Hmm,” Ben thought, looking up at the emerging thatch hut, “Sounds cool, but kind of useless. Considering I haven’t killed a single person since I’ve landed here.”

The smell of ash lingered. The two looked around to see burnt down trees and logs everywhere. John let out a scream of terror as his eyes laid on the house.

“OH MY GOODNESS WHAT HAPPENED?! WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR HOME?!” John screamed, “Please don’t tell me we have to clean all of this up! Please please please!”

“Ughhh,” Ben groaned as he looked at the sight. Their thatch hut’s roof had seemingly caved in, and the walls were knocked down. They heard chatter come from the back of the hut, and then Carlos and Paul came out. They were covered in river water and sweat.

“What the heck happened here?!” John asked as the two approached them. Ben opened his mouth to speak when Paul shushed him.

“Shhh,” Paul hushed him.

“What are you hushing me for?” Ben whispered with a raised eyebrow.

“Um. Some weird woman just came by and destroyed everything. Because apparently you died. So, it’s not a good idea for her to know you’re here. Got it?” Carlos said.

“Wait a minute, who is this woman?” Ben whispered back, a bit of annoyance in his voice.

“You aren’t gonna believe it bro… It’s the Crimson Crusader!” Carlos replied, waving his hands in the air, “Yeah. The person that sent those guys after us and captured Ian. Crazy, huh?”

“No, I mean what’s her name?”

“I just told you bro it’s the Crimson Crusader.”

“Her REAL name.”

“Ohhh, yeah, I don’t know-”

“She has orange-brown hair and a fierce attitude. And pretty muscular, I guess,” Paul answered him while squinting his eyes at Carlos, “Do you know her?”

Ben seemed to be even more irritated. He shoved his hands in his graduation robe pockets and licked his lips.

“Yeah. I do. We met ONCE. And for some reason she has the hots. I would think playing dumb would get her off my tail but I suppose not.”

“I didn’t think someone would like you this way Ben~” John teased him, “Do you at least like her back?”

Ben whacked John on the head.

“Shut up. What are we doing now?”

“Well, we’ve gotta fix up this house. But, as for the woman, we don’t know,” Paul said, “I guess we’re just going to keep her there. We can decide what to do with her after we rescue Ian and Chris.”

“It sounds like a plan. So I guess we should fix this place up, huh?” John said.

~

It was late at night. They had finally finished rebuilding the home, which was looking even shantier than it did before. All of them were relaxing inside their hut, rediscussing their plan about raiding the castle.

“We managed to tame this huge beast thing. Mosasaurus or whatever it’s called,” John replied, “I say we put a bunch of cannons on that bad boy and just blow it all to shreds from the sea where they can’t reach us.”

“That’s not that bad of an idea… Then afterwards, when all the guards are distracted the herbivores can rush in and attack the castle straight on. They’ll run down any stupid guards. We can infiltrate the castle and begin to search for where they’re being kept prisoner,” Carlos said. Paul kicked back in his seat and looked at John.

“John you said you uh, discovered your attribute?” Paul asked.

“Yeah I did. I can insta-tame anything I touch. But it comes at the cost of my energy. Even the smallest creatures, like this little guy, make me super tired,” John explained as he pet the albino capybara. The albino capybara was resting on the floor and closing his eyes.

“I was thinking you could just insta-tame a bunch of creatures on the way, but that would be kinda tiring, so that’s off the table,” Paul said. Ben let out a yawn. He leaned back in his seat.

“I’m tired. Let’s just go to bed. Tomorrow, we can raid the castle.”

“Ben’s right. I think we have a solid plan. Good night, everyone.”

Everyone went to bed. Except for Paul. Paul sat up from his makeshift bed, and then got up. He walked out the door, to the back of the hut, and to the wooden cage where the Crimson Crusader was. The Crimson Crusader was drenched in water, and her hands were bound behind her back with rope. She looked up with a glare at Paul.

“What do you want?” she snapped at him. Paul looked at her in disappointment.

“Why? Why kill?” Paul asked.

“Are you mad I killed your stupid friend?” she smirked. Paul rolled his eyes.

“I know you didn’t kill him. You needed him to find where we were. It is too risky to kill him,” Paul declared, “I just want to know why you kill. Why you’re… like this.”

“Because it’s just how life works… You do what you want. Now get out of my sight. This is humiliating as it is.”

“I’m glad it is. Now answer my question. Do you think even the worst person can change? And that you can be a good person if you just try? Do you think everyone is born good or evil?”

“What a stupid question to think about. Being good? Being good doesn’t help,” the Crimson Crusader said, “No one cares if you’re good. But everyone cares when you’re bad. Isn’t that funny? People like you tell others to do good, but you don’t care either way.”

Paul’s gaze dropped to the dripping water on the grass.

“I guess you’re right in some way,” Paul admitted, “I think you can change though. I think anyone can because deep down, we all have good in our hearts. And I think someone who’s capable of loving others is someone who can become good. I think you’re just… doing the wrong things for the right cause. Does that make sense?”

The Crimson Crusader smiled, and then it turned to a smirk.

“You love someone, huh? That’s how you know all this.”

Paul frowned at her words.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“I can’t love, after all. Maybe I’m a bad person. But, I’ll try my best to do good. And I think you should too.”

Paul peered into the cage and into her eyes.

“So. Are you gonna change? Because if you’re willing to change… I’ll be willing to let you out. After all this is over, that is.”

“Hmm,” she said, “I think I should. Maybe… Yeah. I definitely should. Ben would like it, wouldn’t he?”

Paul softly smiled at her.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to become better.”

The Crimson Crusader smiled back. She wrapped her hands around the bars of the wooden cage.

“Me too.”

Paul looked down at her hands, and then a look of horror struck his face.

“Wait-”

Fire instantly shredded the wooden cage to bits. Paul fell backwards, and the Crimson Crusader stepped up to Paul with a grin. She held a piece of burnt rope up.

“Idiot. You didn’t think you could just hold me hostage that easy? You’re a fool. In fact, you’re a fool to think I’d even change. You should’ve just killed me when you had the chance,” she snarled. She grabbed Paul by the neck and began to lift him up. Then, she plunged her fist into his stomach. Her fist ended up going through to the other side, and Paul let out a groan. Blood spilled from his lips and onto the Crimson Crusader’s hands, coating her skin in his blood. She began to laugh, and then dropped Paul to the ground.

“It’s kill or be killed. And you’re just gonna have to learn that.”

The Crimson Crusader began to walk up to the door of the hut. She looked back at the writhing Paul, his blood seeping out onto the ground. She smirked at the sight, and winked as he looked back at her.

“Name’s June, by the way. Maybe you wanted to hear my name before you die your pathetic death.”

June walked up to the door and walked inside. He could hear loud snoring come from one of the men. No wonder why there was no commotion. She didn’t recognize him though. He must have been another ally. But he saw the one with the frying pan sleeping on his bed peacefully.

“I should finish you off, and leave the other to grovel,” she thought with a sinister grin. But as her eyes darted around the room, another man caught her eye. She looked on in shock.

“Ben,” she whispered. She walked up to him. She wrapped her arms around his body, and then holstered him up onto her shoulders as if she were carrying a bag.

“I’ll be taking you with me dear, away from these freaks,” she whispered into his ear. She looked back at the men. And then an idea dawned upon her.

“Let’s see how you react to your dear friend dying on the ground.”

She spat on the new man’s face, and he began to stir in his sleep, slowly waking his eyes. But by the time he fully woke up, she and Ben were already gone. And all he could hear were Paul’s groans for help.

“Paul?” John asked as he looked around, “Ben? Oh crap.”

John rushed out of the hut to see Paul laying on the ground, tears running down his face, blood spilling from his abdomen. John let out a cry of sadness and anger. He rushed back into the house and began to shake Carlos up.

“Carlos, please wake up! It’s Paul! It’s Paul he’s hurt! That lady, that lady must have gotten him!”

Carlos instantly jolted up.

“WHAT?!”

“Paul’s hurt, we need to help him, now!”

The two rushed out and to Paul. They tried to shake him, but his eyes were glazing over.

“Help,” he groaned.

And then he stopped breathing.