Dododex

ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion

I’m going to start cycling between Dilath, Quint, and Joseph for the POV. This one’ll be Quint.

And maybe one of those three will die…

Tribe of Shadows

The Nameless Demons

I could hear Dilath draw his daggers. I heard the thud of three bodies drop to the ground.

I heard a demonic snarl.

I heard Dilath’s cry of terror.

I heard him be dragged away by something.

I awoke, instantly grabbing my crossbow. It was too late. My brother in arms was gone, a trail in the snow from where he was dragged. Judging by the blood from where his head would be, he was knocked out. My eyes scanned the ground, seeing gaunt roughly humanoid beings wearing mismatched chunks of armor. They were dead, but a trail of blood followed an escapee, presumably the one who took Dilath. I cursed quietly, looking for Joseph.

I checked his tent. Nothing. I looked through the surrounding forest. Also nothing. They must’ve gotten him while he was asleep. From my satchel of books, I grabbed a leather-bound volume. Its title was: Myths & Folklore: Fantastic Beasts of Pyrrhia. I looked for one that matched the bodies on the ground. It had one entry on them.

‘The Nameless Demons: A race of primitive, intelligent humans mutated by the demon Rockwell, the Nameless are deadly and fast. They are blind due to traditionally being seen in caves, but their senses of smell and hearing are second to none. They have long, tapering tails. Their feet have four claws: three in front and one dewclaw. A Nameless has two thumbs and two forefingers. Similar to Grimlons. (See page 40), these creatures have tusks jutting from both their upper and lower jaw. They are carnivorous. ‘

‘Nameless. But how…?’ I wondered. Then it struck me. For the first time in three years, I’d be fighting alone. Ever since the war with the Atak Clan, I always fought with a team. My memories of those four years ago haunted me like the spirits of the Ataki I had slain. Now tired, I scanned the small chunk of sheltered ground that was our-no, my camp I noticed one of Dilath’s knives on the snowy ground. I gently picked it up and stuck it in the sheath I saw next to it. The Nameless tried to disarm him, I assume. I stuck the sheath under my left hand, as I had noticed Dilath do while he was on watch. I had stayed awake and wrote in a journal I always carried with me. ‘Rockwell! I only got, what? Two hours of sleep?’ I said to myself. I knew I couldn’t just go back to sleep, so I followed the trail of blood.

Twenty minutes after I started the trail, I smelled burnt flesh. Whose, I didn’t know.

Five minutes later, I found the body. The armor was unmistakable.

Joseph. My friend. My brother. He lay, armor unaffected. But he himself? I pulled off the helmet. Or tried to. The fire had grafted it to his skull. ‘Oh Overseer.’ I whispered. My mind raced, wondering if whoever set the flames to kill him is nearby. Judging by the smell, it was recent.

Very, very recent.

An arrow whizzed by me. I saw the direction the arrow came from. A return bolt was on its way before the Nameless Demon could fire another shot. It gave a cry of surprise, the went ‘dead’ silent. (AN: I know, I’m so funny!

That was sarcastic). A familiar, chilling voice called out. ‘Well, well, well. Hello, former General of New Reagath.’ Lydia Serothane said. The Yurkan wore basic armor made of chitin. She had two Nameless standing next to her, holding double-bladed swords. A third Nameless stepped out from behind her.

In its claws was Dilath.

-Ranger