I do not own ARK: Survival Evolve or Horizon Zero Dawn. Only my OC.
Ark's shores...
(Alan's POV)
"Well, that's about it." I said to myself as I patted the dirt off my hands, grinning at my masterpiece of a boat, which looks more like a pirate ship than anything else, but it was worth a shot.
It's been about around, what, 10 years since I came to this world I decided called Ark because of the supposedly extinct prehistoric creatures roaming about and has alien-like tech that contains valuable and helpful resources. Was about 9, I believe, when that damn, huge, triangular-shaped device taken me from the cruise ship, took me here, and embedded this diamond-shaped device on my left wrist that made me a different version of the Gamer. Sure, it was awesome, seeing Dinosaurs and all that, but I love home better, thank you very much! So, after years killing, eating, finding all the Dossiers crafting them into a book, and level upping, I finally made a pirate ship that will help me find that stupid triangle! Hopefully, I won't encounter any Leedsichthys, for they hate boats for some reason.
I hadn't attempted on taming any creatures. Honestly, I find it awesome, but I'm rather wary of it, despite the many Narcoberries and Narcotics the boat is carrying along with many other weapons, food, and armor crafted from dead creatures. As a kid, I wanted a Tyrannosaurus Rex for a pet. Now, I don't whether a tamed T-Rex would give in to its natural instinct and betray me for its stomach. That would not be awesome.
"Bye bye, Ark. Hello, Earth, I'm coming back." I said with a grin, excited to be coming back home to my family.
After some hours of traveling through the sea, the water began the bubble, and that triangular device from before had risen from the sea, having detected my presence. Just when I thought what can go wrong, those words just had be a bitch when I felt the boat rocked. Dammit, a Leedsichthys found me! Well, doesn't matter, the boat is starting to float up anywa- HOLY SHIT, THE STUPID TRIANGLE IS TAKING THE DAMN FISH WITH ME! Well, at least I'll bring proof at home to where I've been gone all this time... and a feast.
(No one's POV)
Little did Alan know that his return home along with his ship and the Leedsichthys will cause the portal device some... technical difficulties. A person, it's fine. A group of people, sure. A 19 year old, a boat, and a thrashing Leedsichthys? Well, the creature's thrashing tail did hit the device's side's, so the numbers and sizes of its detected targets weren't the problem in the least.
The Leedsichthys foolish defiance unknowingly caused the machine to shake and hover higher in the sky. After it seemed to have fixed itself after hours of malfunctioning, the device gently lowered itself down, but not into the ocean. Well, it is in the ocean like protocol states, but it doesn't posses an AI to know that it is between the ocean and Ark's river, where aquatic creatures from both sides can easily enter. And due to its size that slightly surpasses the mightily Titanosaurs themselves, creatures from the land are no different. Creatures from the snow north, swamps, and scorched deserts are also no different due to migration instincts, signs of the lack of food, and even weather and temperature changes.
Earth...
(GAIA's POV)
I have detected something... odd.
An energy unfamiliar to me has reached my detectors. I began checking the files, history before the Faro Plague, before even hover-vehicle technology, and discovered something that may relate to this unknown phenomenon. There was this single and only report of a triangular device that hovered out of the ocean and captured this boy, Alan Drake, and was never seen again since. As a smart AI such as myself, I theorized that this mysterious device has sent this non-artificial, natural-born Human from the past to the future for reasons yet to be known. But whatever the reason is irrelevant to me now, for this boy may be this artificial Humanity's hope for-
Query: Wasn't he supposed to be 9, and not 19? Is that a pirate ship? And... is that a Leedsichthys problematicus?
For the first time in my life, I feel emotions only Humans usually feel: Shock, confusion, and utter bafflement. Perhaps when the 'boy' finds me, he's hopefully willing to answer a question or 2 I may actually have right now to satisfy my curiosity. But for now, I must watch.
Nora, Mother's Heart, nightfall...
(Aloy's POV)
I was about to sleep on this too-comfy-for-comfort bed, ready for the Proving tomorrow, when I felt the ground shake.
"What the...!" I heard Bast before I turned to saw, much to my satisfaction, him fallen on the floor from his own bed, having been more than startled by the small earthquake.
Me and the others that were with me in the bed-bunk ran outside to see more villagers, both Nora and Carja, running to one direction, having as well felt and heard the noise.
"What's going on?!" I inquired to a male Nora whose wrist I grabbed.
"There's..."
Of course he would hesitating answering an outcast's question, but is this really the time?!
"For All-Mother's sake, answer the question! What happened?!" thank Goddess that Vala was backed me up here.
"A strange light flashed in the night sky and, well..." he hesitated again, thankfully not because an outcast (me) is here, but because he seems like we won't believe what he'll say next. "... and big boat and the most biggest fish I have ever seen fell from the sky!"
And others and I looked at each other. A boat? And a fish? From the sky? Did I heard that wrong, or did All-Mother do something we probably won't understand? Sure, we have Machines, but this is a whole new level of weird.
"I'm... sorry. A ship and fish had fallen from the sky?" even Bast couldn't believe this nonsense.
"Yes! C'mon!" the man resume following the crowd.
We looked at each other again before we decide to heed the man's words and ran after the villagers. When we arrived at the center of the village, I was utterly shocked to the core, more so than the time I discovered my Focus and first seeing the Sawtooth. That man was right, there is a ship and a fish here, but while the former is simply big, the latter is absolutely huge, probably able to feed the village for months or even over a year! It is - well, was, because it's dead now - by far bigger than any Machine known in history besides the Metal Devil himself! Did All-Mother herself brought us this potential feast?
But... that doesn't explain the ship and... is that what the ocean smells like, 'cause I think that's what probably the entire village and I'm smelling from it and the fish right now.
While the villagers surrounding the ship and the dead fish were a little more than just wary of approaching, I couldn't help my curiosity as I walked closer to them, ignoring the cries the protest behind me. I looked at the fish first, analyzing its appearance. I'll admit, this thing is a spectacular sight for any probable deep-diving survivor. Nothing less than an enormous fish, the beast's cavernous maw is almost as huge as its size, hopefully not capable of swallowing Humans whole (A/N: Thankfully, the Leedsichthys only feeds on minuscule fish and plankton). Its head bears light armoring to protect itself and a powerful tail that looks capable of turning the village's bunks into splinters if it thrashes it.
Now, looking at the ship, I could only think that All-Mother either saved someone on it from this probably dangerous sea monster, or she accidentally brought him or her here along with this potential feast. But I could not ponder anymore of this, for I heard someone coughing from the ship. I ran toward it and climbed on it just to see this boy around my age, unconscious and wearing a strange set of clothing. If I wasn't an outcast such as myself, I would only assume that he's an outsider... someone who's treated with more unfairness than even an outcast. With those thoughts, I couldn't help but feel sympathetic and also worried and concern for him, but I couldn't ponder more of this yet as I grabbed his arm and wrapped it around my neck, pulling him up on his feet.
I saw some kind of book fall from his hands and, out of reflex, I caught it in my other hand. Looking it over, the cover seems to recently made while the pages seem surprisingly more ancient than the Metal World itself. My Focus scanned the title on the cover, translating this strange language for me.
"The Creatures of Ark...?" I read, making me more curious of not only the book, but of the boy as well.
Deciding to read it later, I tucked the book in my pocket and brought him out the boat. While I carried his, my Focus detected an, in its own words, "Unknown Device" on his left arm. At first, I thought it was a Focus, but Focuses are usually attached to their wielders' ears, so I'll ask him about that when he wakes up. The villagers seem to be more wary than ever when they saw what - who - I found and brought. Coincidentally, the High Matriarchs arrived and, boy, does Lansra not look happy to see what - who - I have.
"OUTCAST! What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, causing even her fellow High Matriarchs to wince at the volume of her voice.
"I, uh, well..."
"I can tell you everything, High Matriarch Lansra." surprisingly, it was Karst who answered. "I was merely looking at the sky when, all of a sudden, there has been a flash of light, and this ship along this gigantic fish fell from the sky as if the All-Mother herself sent us a feast for our devotion, even though that doesn't explain the ship and this... outsider... Aloy seems to have found on."
While High Matriarch Lansra frowned at the boy I'm carrying, I frowned at Karst, who frowned at the boy as well. I guess even outcasts don't treat outsiders fairly. That disappointed me greatly, seeing a fellow outcast - well, former outcast - acting no better than the people who treated him with the same unfairness. Now I know that outsiders get treated more harshly than outcasts can. That made me concern for the boy even more.
"He could be more than just an outsider." I heard Teersa speak, making me and everyone else look at her. "He did fall from the sky as well after all. Who knows? All-Mother herself must've sent him here for a purpose, whether he knows it or not."
"... Outcast, send him to your bed. Since you found him, he's your responsibility for now on." Lansra must be trying to make my life more difficult, but I don't mind, just as long as at least nobody tries to make a move on him. "For now, breakfast will be served!"
What did she mea- oh, the sun is coming up. That means the Proving is today. Eventually, the crowd reluctantly left to their own business while most of them went toward the fish with knifes, going to cut it into small pieces to cook and eat it. As much as I wanted to know what it tastes like, I got an unconscious person to apparently take care of. After going inside the bed-bunk and putting him on my temporary bed, I took out the book and opened it.
To my surprise, the first page I first find is a picture of and information about the fish itself!
"Leedsichthys conviviumbrosia is probably the largest fish in the waters around the island. Its meat is also extremely succulent, a surprise given its size. It is often traded with the same value as Prime Meat, and colloquially called 'Prime Fish'. Of course, not all of Leedsichthys' meat is this high quality, but most of it is!"
Damn, now I'm hungry for that... Leedsichthys... did I pronounce that right?
"Despite its large size, and the fact that it may well be strong enough to carry heavy loads, Leedsichthys does not appear to be intelligent enough to tame. Never the less, some large tribes keep an enormous pen with a few Leedsichthys trapped inside for cultivating purposes, as bits of Prime Fish can be repeatedly scraped off the gargantuan beast without killing it!"
Wow. I never knew you can eat a creature without even killing it. Does it even hurt them?
"While the demand for Leedsichthys meat is high, the fish is notoriously difficult to track and hunt. Between its large size, powerful attacks, incredible speed (when it turns to flee), and humankind's general ineptitude on open water, actually killing a Leedsichthys is one of the Island's more difficult tasks. The hunt for an extremely elusive breed of the fish, the fabled 'Great Albino' Leedsichthys has been known to drive otherwise-sensible men and women mad with obsession, as if all evil were visibly personified and made practically assailable in this one creature."
Yikes. Now I'm glad I don't live on an... what's an "island"? Apparently reading my thoughts, my Focus showed me the definition of "island".
"is·land
/ˈīlənd/
Noun
Noun: island; plural noun: islands
1. A piece of land surrounded by water.
Synonym(s): Isle, islet; atoll; archipelago
Example: "She lived on an island."
- A thing resembling an island, especially in being isolated, detached, or surrounded in some way.
Example: "The university is the last island of democracy in this country"
a freestanding kitchen cupboard unit with a countertop, allowing access from all sides.
2. (ANATOMY) A detached portion of tissue or group of cells.
Verb (literary)
Verb: Island; 3rd person present: Islands; Gerund or present participle: Islanding; Past tense: Islanded; Past participle: Islanded
1. Make into or like an island; place or enclose on or as on an island; isolate.
Example: "Islanded among the new stores, these houses were valuable property."
Synonyms: Isolate, cloister, seclude; separate, detach, cut off
Example: "He was islanded from the problems of real life."
Origin
Old English īegland, from īeg 'island' (from a base meaning 'watery, watered') + land. The change in the spelling of the first syllable in the 16th century was due to association with the unrelated word isle."
Now I know I'm glad I don't live on an island. To be trapped on land surrounded by the ocean must be challenging to one's mentality. I wonder what other "creatures" lived on this island this boy came from?
Turning to another random page, I was shocked to see what can be described as a smaller, non-Machine-version of a Sawtooth.
"Smilodon brutalis is a solitary predator, generally found in cold, lightly wooded areas. The island's mountains are the perfect habitat, as the mammal's fur keeps it safe from the bitter temperature. While its huge fangs are excellent for delivering deathblows, the creature's claws can be just as deadly."
Comparing this "Smilodon" to the Sawtooth, the former is no doubt more smarter than its mechanical counterpart, the difference between the intelligence of a Machine and the intelligence of an animal very much varies. The Sawtooths, as long with any other kind of Machine, do not acknowledge a Tripcaster's Shock Wires while these Smilodons can tell a trap when they see one and only have the brains to at least jump over or duck under them. I know Rost said that hunting beasts is one thing and hunting a Machine is another, but whatever beasts he had to hunt must be a whole new level.
"While not as fast as Raptors, there's no denying the Sabertooth's increased resilience and power. In addition, well-trained Sabertooths can be taught to use their claws to flay corpses. This may sound morbid, but it is among the best ways to quickly gather large quantities of hide from the giant beasts of the island."
Guess even predators have their own usefulness.
"Despite normally being a solitary creature, Smilodon brutalis are not opposed to hunting in small packs. In fact, they have to do this to take down larger prey such as Mammoths. Enough Sabertooths can take down a Carnotaurus, perhaps even a Tyrannosaurus. Either way, Smilodon brutalis should not be underestimated."
Yikes again. If that's true (whatever Mammoths, Carnotaurus, or Tyrannosaurus are), then I must really be careful incase I ever encounter a pack of them. For all I know, a pack of Sabertooths may be more dangerous than even a pack of Sawtooths.
Deciding to read one more page, I turned to a random page and-
"Holy shit..." it's rare for me to curse, but when I coincidentally found the "Tyrannosaurus", the picture of this giant monster of a reptile alone startled and intimidated me, and I hunted Machines for All-Mother's sake!
"Among the deadliest creatures on the island, Tyrannosaurus dominum is a killing machine. Active mostly when hunting for food or defending its nest, a reasonable plan is to avoid every Tyrannosaurus. I've seen no creature on the island that can contest Tyrannosaurus for sheer dominance. It is pure power - from its bite, to its stomp, to its tail, to its arms."
Even its arms?! But they're so small! And they have 2 fingers on each hand!
"Taming a Tyrannosaurus is without a doubt a primary goal for any aspiring warlord or warring Tribes. There is a reason Tyrannosaurus is considered the king of the Dinosaurs (or with this genus, the 'lord'). A Tribe that actually manages to tame one has almost nothing to fear to challenge their power."
Note to self: Find the War Chief and show this picture to him or her, if he or she is willing to have one of these to protect the tribe.
"Despite being a different species of Tyrannosaurus, everyone I've met still refers to them as a "Rex" or a "T-Rex". I've long since stopped trying to convince anyone, especially the few who I've seen wearing Tyrannosaurus teeth as necklaces."
Another note to self: If possible, find a "Rex", hunt it, and get myself another necklace so I can rub it on Bast's and Resh's faces. Chuckling to myself at the thought of what their shocked faces would look like, I decided that was enough reading for today as I put to book on the desk next to the young man's bed and left the cabin for the Proving. But I hesitated for a moment, looking back at his sleeping form, as if leaving him alone was a little irresponsible of me, and I might be, considering he is my responsibility, and the tribesmen might make a move hurting him in his sleep. Making a wary sigh, I internally begged the Goddess that he would forgive me when he finds out about me as I went outside and closed the door. Besides angry people and Machines, what could go wrong?
Tsk, tsk. Famous last words, Aloy. So, anyway, please review, fav, follow, and/or like whenever you feel like it. :)