Wazup y'all!

Welcome to part 2 of the Ark Chronicles!

So this chapter is a bit short I know, the reason for that is we predict there not being as much content in Scorched as in the Island, and I kinda want about 60 chapters when all 6 parts are done so... you do the math. So we're probably gonna stretch out the content we have through about ten chapters, but we'll try to keep the chapters above 4k words at the least.

Anyway please enjoy and please review what you think!

PART 2 - Scorched Earth

(Omni's perspective)

I opened my eyes painfully, the teleportation does not agree with my insides either.

I looked down to my wrist, scratching at the implant as I did when I woke up on the Island. I also noticed that my implant has changed, it's slightly bigger with more detailing.

Care's groaning startled me back to the real world.

"Please don't make me do that again." He complained.

"Where… are we?" Mika asked hesitantly.

I looked around us to see nothing but desert and cacti. I even saw parts of massive skeletons and rock formations in the distance.

I then noticed we were in view of two new Obelisks.

"Ugh, a desert biome. I hate heat." Care groaned.

"Agreed, but desert also means scorpions so I'm fine with it," I replied jokingly.

"So? What now?" Crystal asked after a moment.

"Well, I don't see any trees nearby, I guess we have to mine some cacti?" Care presumed before a childish "ha, that rhymed."

I opened my crafting menu to equip my hatchet but it wasn't there.

"Our inventories have been wiped." I sighed.

"This is gonna suck," Mika muttered.

I walked up to a tall cactus and punched it. The pain from the thorns piercing my fist shot through my arm.

I cried out in pain, gripping my wrist examining my bleeding knuckles.

I pushed through the pain and kept punching until the cactus tipped over and I had a stack of wood and thatch in my inventory.

I immediately gathered a couple of stones to create a pick and ax.

"Great, no more bleeding knuckles." I mused aloud.

As we gathered resources, I noticed a creature ahead flying low.

It seemed to be some sort of beetle. Though it didn't have the weird shell as most beetles have, this one's wings were unprotected. And its eyes seemed fragmented, almost like its eyes weren't a perfect sphere, but something a bit closer to a fly.

"What's that?" I pointed out.

"Not sure." Thug answered.

"Wait, Thug doesn't know everything about everything?" Ash asked in a half-mocking tone.

"If we don't know what it is, then the easiest way is to check its corpse!" Crystal shouted as she jumped out from behind a cactus and hurled a spear into its underbelly.

It shrieked and then began to fly away leaving behind a large cloud of what looked like dust.

Care, who'd been standing under the weird creature, was blanketed in the dust. He coughed violently once and then shook off the dust. We then turned to gather resources again as the weird bug had flown away. Over time, Care's coughing became more and more frequent and exponentially more violent. Soon Mary spoke up.

"Y'know, Care hasn't coughed in a while," she noted.

We all realized that we hadn't heard the coughing up of lungs in a short while and went to where we'd last seen him. He was collapsed over a rock.

"Guys! Guys! Do not inhale that dust stuff." he hurriedly explained after the white light from his respawn had faded.

"No kidding, Puff the magic dragon. It's not like you didn't just appear in a flash of white magical light." Mika laughed.

"No fair, it's not my fault I was standing under the thing when Crystal burst its liver."

"In my defense, I was aiming for its head and I didn't see you… And do bugs even have livers?" Crystal retorted.

"How about we continue moving, hopefully, we escape this desert into another more hospitable area," Bria suggested, getting us back on track.

"And a cooler area." Crystal groaned.

"One with water would be nice," Mika added.

Soon we found ourselves standing on a small cliff, it wasn't a mountain, but it was the highest point near us. From there we could still see nothing but sand in all directions, and every five seconds someone would claim to have water, only for everyone to look in that direction hopefully… only to see no water, and have to explain yet again that they were seeing mirages.

"Wait a minute." Care said after a moment, "Shouldn't we have our creatures? We brought them, didn't we?"

"Yeah, weren't they supposed to spawn with us earlier?" Crystal added.

"Maybe not, I'd say our best bet is one of the Obelisks. They might be in there." I suggested.

"Fair enough, there might be water there too." Care sighed.

We walked for a while in the burning heat. I really wish I had my Tek armor right now, I could really use that suit's air conditioning.

We walked on for a bit as Care began to groan loudly.

"What's going on with you? We are all suffering but you don't need to be so loud!" Crystal complained.

"Oh sorry, hahaha. I'm just really hot." He replied in almost a slur.

"What's up with him?" I asked.

"Heatstroke. It has similar effects to being drunk." Mary replied.

Then Care began to chuckle wildly before a slurred, "good one Mary."

We made it near the base of this ark's Green Obelisk. Once the bottom of the beacon was in view, we noticed a small pool around it.

We all rushed in and began to guzzle it while Care just collapsed into the pool face first.

His head quickly jumped out of the water as he asked, "What just happened?"

"Heatstroke. Now drink before you get annoying again." Crystal replied.

Once our thirst was quenched, I approached the beacon and accessed the terminal at the bottom.

In its inventory menu, I saw 35 symbols of different creatures. As soon as I saw an Arthro named Caustic I knew what this was.

"I knew it," I said aloud.

"Our tames? You have them?" Mika asked.

"Yep," I said as I clicked the button with each name and a strange symbol on it.

The Obelisk above us powered up with a whirr and a lot of clunking due to the sand probably in its systems, then it glowed blue.

"How did you already summon a Guardian!?" Crystal exclaimed.

"Umm… well… you see… I saw Arthro, Pulmino, and Araneo… and well… I just kinda went a bit button happy…" I half explained.

"So now we are gonna have to fight three bug-based bosses, already incredibly difficult creatures to deal with, but now their Guardians and we have no armor weapons or tames." Ash snapped.

"Umm… so… funny thing… there were more than three buttons…"

"How many were there?" Bria asked warily.

"I honestly... don't… know… probably... thirty or so…"

"Screw it, I'm outta here," Ash exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

Just as she began to walk away the Obelisk stopped whirring. She paused for a moment before there were dozens of flashes of light all around us. Suddenly there was an Arthro in front of Ash. It reared up looking almost like it was gonna attack, which caused Ash to scream quite loudly, but suddenly it instead ran right over her, literally trampled her, and rushed to me where it coiled around me defensively.

Ash stood up and brushed herself off as everyone began to look around at everything around us.

I then saw all our tames together and took note of who brought what.

I brought Caustic my Arthro, Weaver my Araneo, Stan my Tek Pulminoscorpius, Nova my eerie scorpion, along with Drago one of our Rexes, Snowflake our Yuty, and Blackbolt one of our Argy's as extras for Care.

Care, however, decided to bring all 6 of his Gigantopithecus, Kong, King Louie, Bigfoot, Yeti, Sasquatch, and Abominable along with Nightwing, Blackbolt's twin sister, as his 7th. Yeti and Abominable were actual Yeti's he tamed.

Mika seemed to bring most of our Tek creatures, Arsenal our Tek Carno, Grimlock our Tek Rex, Nymeria her Tek Dire Wolf, along with two of her other wolves, Ghost, and Spirit, and two of her Allo's, Artemis and Apollo.

Ash didn't have many tames for herself seeing as she joined our tribe later on when we were still on the Island, so she took some miscellaneous Rex's and Allo's her and Mika tamed together. 4 Rex's and 3 Allo's.

Thug and Bria each brought 14 creatures together, Thug's Tek Sabre which has yet to be named, Bria's eerie Griffin Borealis, 4 Allo's, and 8 other Sabre's.

Mary brought her Dire Bear Maria, her eerie Argy, and 5 mutated Theri's.

Crystal brought her eerie Griffin Deanermu, a Rex she tamed of which she named 'Fish'... don't ask me why… 4 Spino's, and a Compy.

The creatures we didn't bring to the Overseer fight seemed very confused, they were probably fulfilling the mission I gave them of hunting down those psychotic raiders and now they've suddenly been teleported to a desert biome.

The most confused looking were the other 4 monkeys Care didn't bring, but once they got their bearings they greeted the other monkeys like they had just been resurrected from the dead.

After all the tames were calmed and back to their senses, we gathered everyone together and plotted our next move.

"Base locations." Thug started. "We need a somewhat open area with closure. Like a cliffside. That way we won't need to protect all sides of the base. We'd be safer."

"Agreed, let's find a spot like that for now," Bria responded.

We built a somewhat large wooden base big enough for all eight of us at the base of a cliff near the green Obelisk with wood spike walls and standing torches around the front. We finished building when it started to get dark.

Thug then came back from hunting atop his Tek Sabre and gave us some hide for beds.

"So I discovered something." He started.

"What?" Care asked.

"There are creatures that can give you water. There's water Jug bugs that you can drink from while they are still alive and these giant camel Trikes that you have to kill to extract their water."

"That's nasty. The bug part." Mika replied.

"If it means water, I'd do it." Care replied.

Thug each tossed us a bottle of water from his journey as we all began to get settled in. We all made beds for each other and placed them across the room. All we had in our four-by-six room were the eight beds we just placed and a campfire to keep us warm. Believe it or not, the desert actually gets pretty cold at night.

We all settled in for bed for the night with our creatures outside, listening to distant roars and screeches.

"Yep, missed this." Care mused.

…

We all woke to a knock on the door.

"Am I the only one getting Deja Vous here?" Care asked in haste.

"Nope," I replied as I deployed a spear.

I slowly opened the door to see a familiar face.

"Hey, guys." She greeted with a warm smile.

"Autumn!" Thug exclaimed from behind me, "you're not dead!"

"Of course not! Do you really have such little faith in me?" She quipped.

Thug chuckled in reply.

We invited her in and talked for a while, our main topic of conversation, however, was her dossier.

"How did you even know anything about the Overseer before teleporting to his chambers? You don't come back from that." I asked.

"You're right, that's why I gathered information to help myself and others after me. My source, however, was the Enforcer."

"Wait, the evil robot person that's basically the Overseer's errand boy?" Care asked.

"Yes. The Enforcer's main objective is to protect the ecosystem, what he means by that is he is basically a mini-boss that everyone needs to encounter at some point to study your progress on the ark, but his job is to keep you at bay and make sure you're not hunting new survivors or cheating the system in any other way. Basically the more you piss him off the more he hunts you. The Enforcer is also like the manager of the Island, whereas the Overseer is the CEO. The Enforcer does his dirty work. This also means that he isn't all-powerful, his Tek is limited. So, I threatened him with the unleashing of the Guardians if he did not give me information. I was the only one with the knowledge to create such chaos, so he knew I wasn't bluffing. The Enforcer had no choice but to comply, but he did not give me much information."

"It was enough to help us. If it weren't for you, we may not have been prepared enough to survive." Bria replied.

"Well, hopefully, I can help you here too. I only arrived here a couple of weeks ago so I don't know everything about this place yet. I know about most creatures here and a little bit of geography, but that's about it."

"That's enough, we'll work together like in the old days." Thug smiled.

"I look forward to it." She replied. "If you want to survive, I suggest moving to my base, it's better protected."

"Are there any others?" Ash asked.

"Yes… but he's very annoying." Autumn sighed.

"Oh don't worry, we're used to that." Mika chuckled glancing at myself and Care.

…

We followed Autumn to her base to be intercepted by a man in maroon red flak armor with two scorpions at his side.

"Greetings Autumn." He said in a British accent.

"Hello, Maxwell." Autumn sighed.

"I see you have acquired new companions." He observed in almost a mocking tone, "Fresh meat from the Island?"

"Yes, but they are very skilled in their crafts."

"Ah, the Arthropleura. A man of taste." Maxwell interjected, referring to Caustic.

"Why thank you! Finally, someone who shares my insight!" I exclaimed.

"Indeed, the Arthropleura is exceptional in battle considering the use of its acid spraying attack. Very powerful against Tek I must say." He replied.

"Wow, you know a lot about bugs. Which do you value the most?" I asked.

"The Pulmonoscorpius thrives in heat, although the Arthropleura can also be found in the desert plains, the Pulmonoscorpious is faster and stronger in this climate."

"There are desert plains… filled with bugs..?"

"Most definitely."

"Alright, see you guys later!" I called out abruptly as I started to walk with Maxwell toward said plains.

"How do you know so much about this place and these creatures?" I asked.

"I know everything about everything. I am an expert on everything about these arks and even their inhabitants' predecessors."

"Oh? Like who?"

"The great Sir Edmund Rockwell. A visionary in our time. Known for his talent of creating brews and recipes."

"I'll admit I never got into that stuff, but it sounds very interesting," I replied.

"I'll teach you. I don't expect you to understand, but from what I observe you may be able to get something out of it."

"Excuse me?" I asked, slightly taken aback by his tone.

"Don't take it personally, it's not your fault you're not on the same intellectual level as I am." He replied with a smirk.

"How do you know that? I literally just met you!" I replied, offended at this point.

"Oh please, I am much more enlightened than any Island dweller."

"Ummm, I don't know if you've noticed, but this isn't the Island. I beat the Overseer!"

"So needy." He muttered as he turned and continued walking.

"Hey! This conversation isn't over!" I called out.

"By my standards it is, this conversation is pointless. Now do you want to come with me or not? I don't suggest the latter unless you want to die horribly."

I growled and followed him anyway.

(Mika's perspective)

"So Maxwell huh?" I asked, trying to ignite a conversation.

"He's a proud, narcissistic jerk. Omni will be done with him within the hour." Autumn replied.

"How so?" Ash asked.

"He views himself as the best survivor ever next to Rockwell. He basically worships him."

"And Rockwell is…?" Crystal asked.

"He was one of the first survivors, a genius scientist who created broths that heightened abilities or senses as well as some moderate biological observations, that was a bit closer to Helena's forte."

"And Helena was another of these early survivors?" Ash asked.

"Yes. There were several around that time such as Mei Yin and Gaius Nerva."

"Can you explain who they are as well?"

"I'll tell you everything once we get to my base."

…

We arrived at a large behemoth gateway with metal spike walls surrounding the area it led to. We walked in to see a very good-looking stone fort, it almost looked like a normal house with sloped roofs.

"Wow, you are quite the architect." Care mused.

"Why thank you." She replied as she lit a fire ahead of us.

We all sat near the fire and listened as Autumn explained everything.

"Edmund Rockwell was a 19th-century chemist from London, England. Honestly, I don't remember where or what that is, but that's what the note said. Anyway, when he joined the ark, he used his skills as a chemist to create narcotics and potions. He allied with Helena Walker, a fellow scientist with her study focused on biology and paleontology. They were good friends for a time, that is until she and another friend of hers visited an Obelisk without notifying Rockwell for which he took offense. As time passed, Rockwell encountered a tribe called the New Legion. Their leader, Gaius Nerva was basically a warlord from ancient Rome. His motto is literally 'Victory Through Discipline'. He was repulsed by the other survivors' animalistic behavior and was bent on recreating his empire with the New Legion. Anyway, Rockwell actually found him to be 'intellectually engaging' in his words and joined their tribe.

Rockwell manipulated theoretical facts to make Nerva think that the Obelisks could be weaponized so that they would build their base near them to be around them more. Rockwell developed an obsession with the Obelisks and the Tek cave, trying to learn more about them and the mysterious material found within it, no matter how many times he sacrificed Nerva and the New Legion to do so. This material is called Element. It's basically what makes Tek, Tek. It's an unknown material not native to Earth as far as I know. Many assumed its origin derived from extraterrestrial life."

"AHA!" Crystal shouted, "I KNEW IT!"

"That theory, however, was never proven as far as I know," Autumn concluded.

Crystal's excited expression dropped immediately.

"Anyway, Maxwell claims that he actually knew Rockwell from before they came to the ark. I think he's lying just to attempt to gain fame and glory, nobody here remembers their past."

"So what happened to all these people like Rockwell and Helena?" Bria asked.

"Well, I have come across a few explorer notes in this biome and discovered that they have all moved on from this ark. Rockwell acted very similar to how Maxwell does, belittling and manipulating. Rockwell actually helped a tribe fight and kill the Overseer of this ark called the Manticore, only to poison them all afterward. What makes that even more depressing: one of them had just become a father."

"Wow, this guy is ruthless," Ash muttered.

"Yes, I don't know what has happened to any of the first survivors since they left this ark, I've told you everything I know."

"Do you think we might encounter Rockwell in the next ark?" Care asked.

"I certainly hope not, he's a brilliant master manipulator known for backstabbing. He is not someone you want to ally with." Autumn replied.

"I'll keep that in mind should we ever meet him." Thug answered.

"Well," Autumn started after a moment, "considering you guys just got here, and I could use some help as well, why don't you join my tribe?"

"I don't see why not, we could help each other," Bria replied.

"Great! I saw a few of your tames at your place, want me to bring them over?" She asked.

"That would be appreciated." Thug replied.

…

After about ten minutes of gathering resources, Autumn returned.

"These are some nice tames, I see you took my advice from my explorer note about the Tek Carno." She mused, referring to Arsenal.

"That was my idea." I joked.

She laughed a little in reply.

"You have good taste in Gigantopithecus', these are very combat efficient. We must have plowed through two herds of Raptors on the way here without me or the other creatures interfering."

"Why thank you! That was the intent." Care replied.

"What baffles me though, is how you tamed two Yeti's and then made a monkey Yeti hybrid…" She trailed off.

"The taming of Yeti was done out of trust. I utilized the factor of being on a mount in a cave to blend in. When Yeti saw me riding Kong, I offered him food, and then Kong communicated with him in a respectful way. This then led Yeti to want to join my horde out of trust. Abominable, however, was actually tamed by accident. When we got the artifact from the strong cave, I noticed she was attracted to it. Basically, some artifacts have the ability of taming certain creatures either permanently or only for a time." Care explained.

"Or only for a time? What did you tame that you lost?" Autumn asked.

"I'll let Omni explain that later." Care chuckled.

"Fair enough." She shrugged.

"Hey Autumn, I have a question." Crystal started.

"Sure, what's up?" She asked as she herded our creatures into a large pen with the rest of her creatures.

"Most of us had been getting small remnants of memory when we were still on the Island. Have you experienced the same thing?"

"I have. Barely anything though, I only remember a couple of names and a few very fuzzy pictures."

"So I have a question." Care interjected, "You said Rockwell and Helena are both from England and Australia right?"

"Yeah?" She replied.

"I don't remember where I'm from. How the hell did they know that never mind everything else they mentioned about their past lives?"

We thought about that for a moment.

"He has a point. Maybe it's something that only happens to new survivors?" Ash suggested.

"Here's something else I don't get," Care interjected again, seemingly ignoring Ash's suggestion. "If Rockwell was from the 19th century, and Gaius Nerva was from ancient Rome… Listen I don't remember anything from my past but I do know that I wasn't born in the dark ages. Shouldn't they be dead? How did they get here? There's no way the arks are centuries old, the tech is too advanced, if it even is of Human origin."

"These are all questions I have contemplated myself, with no definitive answer. We need to find answers for ourselves, only then can we begin to paint a picture of our pasts and why we are here." Autumn replied.

"And how do you suggest we do that? We can't control our memory's regeneration." Crystal replied.

"But they can," Autumn replied.

"Who's 'they'?" I asked.

"Whoever runs this place, it had to be created and organized by somebody, whether it's an Alien hive or an advanced futuristic Human organization. If we beat all their challenges then we will get answers, I'm sure of it."

"Well then? What's our next step?" Mary asked.

Then Autumn turned toward Mary.

"You guys ever heard of Death Worms?"