In the Redwood Forests, I discovered a flock of Ovis under the threat of annihilation by a determined Thylacoleo. I wasn’t about to let this tree-climbing predator turn the party of five into a mutton buffet, so I decided to save them from impending doom. Four of them survived the ordeal, while the lowest-leveled runt wasn’t so lucky. That feline sprung at it first, and lacking any ranged defense, I went all berserker at the tree-lion.

It was an honorable sacrifice. Still, the majority of the flock survived, and after a quick domestication with the Veggie Cakes I stockpiled, I shepherded them back to the Weathertop with the rest of my tamed brothers and sisters. Rest assured, I now have enough Ovis to start breeding towards a productive wool factory for the Cluster. This can, in turn create a fledgling economy across multiple servers that can lead to the tide that rises all ships.

But wool is just one commodity among the vast others that survivors need. If you need munitions to keep the peace, you need metal. And there’s just one dino effective enough to mine it. But, that is a story for another day…

Chapter 98: Ultimatum

Original Post Date: Aug 29, 2024

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

~

“Press the button when you are ready.”

Samuel looked at the implant nervously. He had done this once before, when he and the others had fought the giant gorilla, but he still felt unease with this specific terminal.

“Judging from this giant futuristic metal door,” Samuel thought, “Pressing the button will open that door up. And there will be something waiting for us inside. Another boss? Who knows.”

Samuel placed his finger on the gem of the implant. It was coated in blood. After Alan had killed and disposed of Jerry, they had tossed his corpse in the lava. But not before taking his implant, of course.

Additionally, Landon had died in the battle. John, who had woken up from his unconscious state, had insisted they take his body along with them for proper burial. The others reluctantly agreed.

“Are we ready?” Samuel asked, looking back at everyone behind him. They all nodded, some eager, some nervous. Samuel felt both ways. Before Samuel could press the button, their implants flashed purple again.

“1 MINUTE REMAINING!” the robotic voice announced.

“There’s not enough time to dramatically stand around,” Nova grumbled, “Come on. Press the button already and let’s get inside.”

Alan nodded in agreement.

“Y-Yeah. Let’s just get this over with.”

Samuel turned back wordlessly, and then pressed down on the gem of the implant.

Beep.

“Activate final procedure?”

No sound came from the terminal.

Samuel pressed the button again.

The volcano began to rumble, and then the three obelisks scattered around the obelisks seemingly turned off, their power fading away. All nineteen of them looked around cautiously. And then, the door began to hum, and then opened up, making a weird clicking noise as it did. It sounded like a bug in the summer heat.

CLICK CLICK CLICK!

SHOOM!

The door opened up vertically, like something out of a sci-fi movie. Waves of heat instantly blasted out into the outside world. They could already tell that it was twice as hot inside there then it was in the crater of the volcano.

Rumble.

The lava inside the crater began to splash around and bubble, and Paige noticed this immediately. She was the first to walk through the metal door.

“Let’s go.”

Everyone instantly rushed in, and as they did their implants flashed purple again.

“EXTINCTION EVENT OCCURRING!”

The door closed behind them, and then they could hear the sound of the lava rumbling and spewing out onto the ARK. Chris winced at the thought. Ian and Patricia began to sweat.

From what it looked like, the nineteen of them had just walked right into some giant cavern.

“Woah,” Tiffany looked on at the sight.

It really was a sight.

The door had led them inside of a giant cavern filled with twisting paths, and a giant lake of lava down below. There were dinosaurs crawling everywhere. To say there were hundreds would be an understatement. Twisting metal veins seemed to create the sheer structure and volume of the cave. Lava poured in the form of falls down into the lava lakes, creating huge splashes and waves down below. Plants were barren, and the air was so hot and humid that they already began to sweat.

“Okay. So this is it, huh?” Neddy commented. Ruby nodded along.

“I guess we’re going to have to fight our way through to… whatever is at the end of this cave. Another artifact?” Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow. Ben shook his head.

“I doubt it,” Ben added, “I have a feeling that this is our way out and back home though.”

“If it’s the way back home, then I just wanted to say…” Alan announced, “It was really nice working with you all. Even if for a little bit. I hope we can all be friends after this.”

“If we’re still alive by then, that is,” Bobby murmured. Simon slapped him on the back of his head.

“We’re making it out alive. We’ve made it this far. Those creatures down below can’t stop all of us,” Simon told him.

“But what about Landon?”

“Landon’s death can’t let us down!” John snapped, his arms still carrying onto his body, “He sacrificed himself so that he could take down that monster outside.”

John’s eyes narrowed.

“Even if it didn’t do anything. He’s kept us safe more than I ever have.”

His pet Snowy Mole sniffled sadly, looking down at the hot, barren ground. Paul walked up to John and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“John. You’re a good friend and that’s all that matters,” Paul told him, “You’ll play your role eventually.”

“Right,” Patricia said, “I don’t know you well. But any friend of Ian's is a good person to me.”

Ian nodded along.

“Don’t forget you helped tame that big dinosaur outside. If it weren’t for you, we wouldn’t have made it to the crater in time and we would’ve all been dead meat.”

“You have played your role already John,” Chris reassured him, “You do have a purpose.”

John smiled at their words.

“I guess you’re alright. Well come on, gang. Let’s go. Let’s go home.”

“We’re Coming Home,” Rick smiled, unsheathing his knife. Ben looked at him weirdly.

“Could you repeat that?” Ben asked, a smirk tugging at his lips.

“I said… we’re Coming Home,” Rick repeated.

“Hell yeah we are! Let’s go!”

Everyone let out a battle cheer, and Paige looked around, a smile plastered on her face from ear to ear. Yellow blobs were covering everyone’s faces, something she had never seen before since her time on the island.

They were happy.

“And so am I,” Paige thought, pulling her club out. Ian flashed a grin and then snapped his fingers. Intense heavy metal music began to blast out into the air, and they all let out a scream as they charged down the pathway toward the incoming horde of dinosaurs.

“GO GO GO GO GO! For our futures!” Samuel howled out into the air.

“For the ones we’ve lost!” Ruby cried out.

A dilophosaurus that was wandering around aimlessly turned its head, and as it saw the horde of humans coming toward it, it squealed and its frill expanded. It was quickly met with a rock to the face.

“Ha ha!” Samuel, the one who had thrown the rock, laughed, “Take that!”

The other dinosaurs noticed the group and instantly charged at them as well. It was human against nature, one side fueled by a desire to kill and the other a desire to return home.

And within a span of seconds, the two sides clashed.

Two Carnotaurus ran in to attack from the sides, and Ruby aimed her crossbow and shot at the first few. Nova’s chest glowed, and her mind cleared. The shots hit right on.

PLICK PLICK!

The Carnos let out roars of agony as the arrows sunk into their eyes. Nova quickly transformed into a Carnotaurus of her own, and rammed her head into one of them, pushing them off the pathway and into the lava lake below. The other one was stabbed in the leg with a spear by Neddy, who was smiling as if he was having the time of his life.

Meanwhile, Gary was fighting off some Raptors. One pounced on him, and he quickly rolled to the side. Sunny reached for her hair and pulled out a hunting knife, tossing it right at one of their heads. The Raptor that was hit was instantly killed, and Gary used his revolver to blast their brains out.

John, who was carrying Landon and unable to fight, was weaving out of the way of a strange creature with long claw’s attacks with Snowy Mole. A Therizinosaurus. The herbivore let out a squeal and swung its claws at him, but not before being kicked in the face by Ian. The beast shrieked and stumbled to the side. Carlos slid in and whacked his frying pan against the creature.

TONG!

Then, Paul took his longsword and sliced at its foot.

SLASH!

Blood spilled out onto the stone, sizzling and boiling at the touch.

“There’s still so many more coming our way!” Rick cried out, as he stabbed a Microraptor directly in the head. A Terror Bird lashed out at him, but not before being punched away by Simon. Simon gritted his teeth and shook his fist around, the pain slowly subsiding.

“There sure is a lot,” Simon replied. He turned to Bobby, “You think we could build a wall to block them off?”

“I mean, we could,” Bobby responded, “But we gotta get past them and get to the end of the cave eventually.”

Bobby looked on at the second oncoming horde. Mixed and intertwined within were three Rexes and a Yutyrannus. Bobby got goosebumps, and he began to rub his biceps.

WHAM!

Bobby jumped in shock, and turned to his left to see Paige pressing her foot against Purlovia's head, her club resting on her shoulder. The Purlovia writhed around frantically, and then Chris walked in and pressed its open jaws against the floor. Chris’ dodo let out a squawk of approval. Patricia, who was behind Paige, walked up to Purlovia's head, raised her boot, and then slammed it into the back of its head.

CRACK!

The Purlovia’s jaw instantly shattered, and teeth spilled out onto the floor. It was starting to become a mess.

Alan equipped his hatchet, and Tiffany clenched her fists. Spikes made of bone shot out of her knuckles, and her muscles began to grow at an alarming rate. Her heartbeat rang out into the air, drowning out the sound of the lava falling in the distance. Ben snapped his fingers, and hundreds of vines and flowers shot out of the ground. Flowers began to grow out of his skin.

The Rexes ahead let out a roar, and it was time for Round 2.

Samuel turned to Nova.

“Nova, transform into that thing, now!”

Nova looked back and nodded.

“With pleasure!”

A bright white light flashed into the air, and then, standing amongst the crowd of humans was a giant gorilla with black fur and red eyes. It let out a roar and began to pound on its chest. Nova had just transformed into the boss they had defeated at the blue obelisk.

“GO GO GO!”

Together, Alan, Tiffany, Nova, and Ben plowed through the incoming dinosaurs with ease. It was a massacre. Blood and guts were flying everywhere, and the rest of the horde was taken care of with ease.

And once the last Rex was taken care of, the enemies were no more.

Nova transformed back into a human, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. Alan let out a sigh of relief, and his stomach began to grumble. Carlos nudged him on the shoulder and handed him a piece of steak, which he devoured instantly. Tiffany’s adaptations slowly disappeared, her heart rate returning to normal, and the flowers that surrounded Ben wilted and died.

“That’s the last of them,” Samuel stated, wiping the blood off his spear with his robe. Gary put his revolver back on his belt, and Paul sheathed his sword.

“We must continue. The journey is not over yet,” Ben exclaimed.

“Right. Let’s go,” Sunny said solemnly.

The group traveled down the path. In just a matter of minutes, they turned corner after corner and got closer and closer to the lake of lava.

Eventually, they reached the very bottom of the path. It was rising out of the lava, which bubbled eerily close to them as they walked along. Samuel looked ahead. There was one more turn in the path.

“This is it, I suppose,” Samuel thought.

And as soon as they turned the corner, their hopes were raised.

There was a large, bubbly like film that seemed to be covering an entrance to another part of the cave. It was blue and was like water flowing. It was an odd sight, really. They couldn’t see beyond it. But they knew that this was their ticket out.

Silently, the group walked up to the strange bubbly layer. Neddy and Ruby squinted their eyes. Beyond the film was a strange, large cavern with a floor made of a blue, fluorescent material. The strange metal veins that filled the cave seemed to be present in this area as well.

“Who would like to step in first?” Neddy asked, looking back at the group.

Nova stepped forward.

“I will.”

She walked past the bubbly filter, and it glowed as she made it to the other side. Nova turned around, and tried to walk back out, but the strange film prevented her from doing so. She pressed her hand against the layer of bubbles. It seemed to turn solid as she did. It was as if you could enter, but you could not exit. It was the point of no return.

“Alright everyone, let’s go,” Samuel said, ushering them to enter.

One by one, everyone passed through the barrier, until eventually it was only John, Snowy Mole, Ian, Carlos, Paul, and Tiffany left.

“Okay. Let’s go gang-” Carlos was interrupted by the sound of a roar shattering the air. Loud footsteps echoed throughout the cavern, and then a gigantic head of a theropod peeked out from the corner, its blazing orange eyes staring down at the group hungrily.

“Juliet?” Carlos asked, his eyebrow raised. Snowy Mole sniffled and began to quiver.

The Giganotosaurus turned past the corridor, its tail swishing around playfully. It opened its jaws and let out a low rumble that reverberated throughout the walls.

More loud footsteps approached, and a horde of carnivores walked up behind the Giganotosaurus, their eyes pinned directly onto them.

“There’s still more of them?” Tiffany asked, turning white, “I thought we killed them all already.”

“Apparently not,” John muttered, gritting his teeth, “There seem to be even more than last time.”

John suddenly shoved Landon’s body into Ian’s arms. Ian let out a grunt, holding onto his body tightly. Ian felt goosebumps ruffle down his arms, and he stepped forward with a raised eyebrow.

“What are you doing John?” Ian questioned.

“Nothing,” John replied. He turned to Tiffany, “Hey. You said your friend… made some sort of energy brew, right?”

“Yeah. He did,” Tiffany answered, her eyes drifting down to the ground in shame.

“Give me all of it.”

Tiffany looked back up, confused.

“What?”

John looked back at the horde, which was approaching at a slow rate.

“Just give me the brews.”

“I only have one bottle though,” Tiffany protested, taking one out of her pocket, “And I need it-”

John snatched the bottle out of her hand and popped the cork off. Before Tiffany could say anything else, John kicked her hard in the stomach, and she went flying through the thin barrier. Before Ian and Paul had time to react, John grabbed them both by the collars and shoved them through the filter.

WOOSH!

“JOHN, NO!” Paul screamed, pounding his fists on the barrier.

“GIVE THAT BACK!” Tiffany howled, trying to push through.

John looked on at them solemnly, when Carlos suddenly grabbed him by the bicep, tugging him toward the barrier. John tugged back, his stare filled with self-pity.

“I know what you’re trying to do. I’m not going to let you do it! We’ll fight them together!” Carlos shouted. John reached forward, pulled a medical brew off his belt, and then with unrealized strength, hurled Carlos through the barrier.

WOOSH!

Carlos went tumbling to the ground.

Snowy Mole began to whimper, and John looked down at his pet sadly.

“It’s time for you to go buddy.”

“It’s about time I made a difference.”

John nudged Snowy Mole with his foot through the barrier.

WOOSH!

“JOHN YOU CAN’T DO IT ALONE! YOU’LL DIE!” Paul howled, “PLEASE… COME THROUGH THE BARRIER!”

Ben grabbed Paul by the wrist roughly. Paul turned back to see that most of them had already gone, except Ian and Carlos.

“Paul,” Ben whispered, his eyes tearing up,

“There’s no fighting this.”

Tearfully, Ben dragged Paul away.

The last thing they saw was John marching toward the horde of dinosaurs, his implant glowing at its brightest.

So I decided to breed my Oviss for the first time and I waited 30mins and pop here comes a baby awww I give it three berrys run outside get some more and as I’m heading back on the top of screen it said baby ovis died because of saber tooth… i was so sad and mad 😭😡 I don’t even know how he got in there threw the doors in my house?:(

I tamed one named shep, and I turned around to take her home and got notified that Shep had been killed by a level 90 Yuty. 7 second lifespan. Woohoo. Anyway, I was riding a 270 dire bear with an ascendant saddle, and the fight was over as quickly as it began. #prayforshep, she was a good girl and I will miss her.