Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
The Isle Of the Griffins Chapter 26
(Yes, it's me, I not ded)
The armoured Griffin hissed, not in the catlike way Lolite would expect, but an empty, reptilian sound, a forked purplish tongue flicked from a chip in its discoloured gold beak as its slit-pupilled serpent eye flicked around to settle briefly on the invisible Lolite.
He froze in place, hardly breathing as he listened to his hearts beating, resonating inside the crystals on his skull.
The serpent looked away, however, within seconds, returning its gaze to Goldenbeak. \/\/ |-| /\ T ... D() ... |-| E R E ... ? It asked hesitantly, in a stilted, shaking voice that hardly pertained to Draconic.
In response, Goldenbeak casually and certainly flicked from her beak a small, exquisite bamboo throwing blade, the serpent tried to dodge her throw, but Goldenbeak was skilled with the weapon, and the jerky movements of the snake unpractised; the knife found a joint in the expertly forged iron and stabbed the animated corpse.
The body of the Griffin jerked, turning to observe the knife, and turned its snake-eye back to Goldenbeak /\ T T /\ ( K ... /\/\ E ... ? It hissed emotionlessly.
Goldenbeak nonchalantly nodded, seemingly caring very little for any strategy beyond angering the snake.
The controlled Griffin then seemingly became ill, retching and opening its beak until it's jaw bled. Finally, the entire lower beak of the corpse-like being ripped out at a right angle in a fountain of congealed blood, and out with it came the Snake itself, a hideous grey animal about ten metres long, it's facial tentacles writhing with electrical sparks as it leapt from its Griffin body's mouth, catching Goldenbeak without resistance and sinking it's paralyzing fangs into her right wing.
Several more dead Griffins flew down in embossed leather armour, moving jerky and puppetlike, they looked at the snake. P R | S () |\| E R ... ! Choked the serpent, still wrapped around Goldenbeak until it leapt off, writhing back down the slumped body of its puppet's bleeding gullet and resuming its place staring from its empty eye socket.
The others, Lolite counted three, then surrounded the immobile Goldenbeak and picked her up over their shoulders, one of them screamed up to the slit windows, and the vast gates slowly opened, allowing the Griffins carrying Goldenbeak in. Lolite, camouflaged, quickly leapt in behind, into a colossal, intricately arched entrance hall lit by elegant cast iron chandeliers.
Lolite was inside.