Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
The Riddles of the Phoenixes
The Lost World
Chapter twenty five: Familiarity
Camille watched as Willow washed her knife, with Daniel’s blood on it off into the river. They’d left Daniel’s body to rot, but not until after Willow had carved the implant out of his wrist and crushed it.
Camille watched with a slightly disgusted look. She never understood Willow. No one ever had(And if they had they were dead.). She was ruthless, a killer, once she became “attached” to something then it was a matter of “love me or die trying”.
Willow’s version of loving people was different than most others. She was heartless, and yet she had claimed to love Daniel. And then she killed him.
Camille didn’t know much about Willow’s backstory, except that she’d come to work for Tom at the age of thirteen. Camille had come right after her, at the age of fifteen. She had submitted to the younger girl’s authority, why? She was never to sure why she had, that one unlucky day. Now she didn’t dare standing up to Willow. Willow was even a killer back then.
It was unnerving how natural Willow seemed to think killing was. Unhealthy even. Daniel had come at the age of fifteen two years after. He was a lot softer than Willow but stood up to her whenever she bullied someone.
Camille guessed that’s why Willow liked him. They’re started dating at seventeen. Willow became rather obsessed with him. Especially when Hailey, or Josephina, came.
Josephina. There was something Willow had seemed to hate about the young girl. She despised that Daniel was her trainer, and that Josephina was treated like a princess. She took her hate to far.
But why? Why did she hate Josephina so much?
Camille studied her “teammate” as she washed the knife. After she dried the blade on her blouse, Willow lifted the knife up to the light, inspecting it for any signs of leftover blood.
She caught the look of disgust on Camille’s face and chuckled quietly. “You think me cruel, do you not?”
Camille shrugged, though it was true. She sighed.
“I just don’t understand Why you killed Daniel, like that. I thought-I thought you loved him.” Camille whispered. Willow laughed.
“Girly, there’s something you gotta understand. Love is not real. People claim to have it for things or…people all the time.
If you actually ‘Love’ something or someone then you are weak. To set your heart on something that can so easily, be destroyed makes you weaker then you already are.
“Sure, you can prize something but just remember, when the time comes to it, nothing can hold you back, not even that thing you ‘love’.” Willow sneered.
“Love is weak. Love is nothing. If you want to succeed in life, Camille you must create power. Power,not stupid ablities that those Phoenixes(Although they may be a bit useful) have. Power to destroy all and everything that stands in your path.
“You can’t do that if ‘Love’ is holding you back. Everything I’ve done. Every path I’ve taken was for me, for power. Use those who ‘need you’ for something, to get higher up on the food chain. Trust me. Daniel’s in a better place now.”
Camille lowered her head. “I just thought we a team.” She muttered under her breath. Willow can close to her and lifted Camille’s chin with a hand, then placed the blade of her knife gently against Camille’s neck.
“We are a team. A team that follows me. You don’t want to end up like Old Danny, right?” Willow whispered. Camille shook her head.
“Good. So when I tell you do something I need you to shut up and do it, okay?” Camille nodded. A cruel small smile(If you call it a smile) appeared on Willow’s face. “Good.” She took the blade away from Camille’s neck.
“Now let’s go.”
~
Finally they came to the base, or warehouse or whatever the person who’d called them there, considered the place. Armored guards led them up to the top floor.
The guards eyed them warily. Willow smiled cruelly back at them. Camille rolled her eyes behind her back. “It’s like we’re criminals or something.” Willow said in a joking tone. Camille sniffed. “Or Maybe just you..” She muttered under her breath.
The guards led them into the last room at the hall and opened it. Camille and Willow walked in, the door closing behind her.
The room was dark. The only light in it was a few lone candles set in random places across the surfaces in the room. A man(Camille could tell it was a man by his stature) stands in front of the large window.
Except it wasn’t a window. Well it looked a bit like a window. But each pane of glass was a tv screen, and they were overlooking something.
Willow cleared her throat, tapping her foot impatiently. “Well? We didn’t come here for nothin’, you know.” She scowls.
The man turns around slowly, a unnerving grin on his face that never faltered.
His hair was blonde, streaks of white running through parts of it, his eyes were a cold green. One eye had a horrible looking scar running over by it. It looked as if it had barely missed his eye. His face was thin, his jaw muscles showing easily through it.
Willow’s eyes darted down to the man’s left hand. It was thin bony looking hand, compared to the other. It took Camille a second to realize that the left hand was made of some type of thin metal.
A sly grin fills Willow’s face. “You. Didn’t think you’d invite us here, especially me. Especially after that…unfortunate incident.”
The Master shrugs. “Things change.” He says, but his right eye twitches slightly in either annoyance or anger. Camille couldn’t tell.
“Where’s Daniel?” He asks. Willow twirls her dagger around nonchalantly. “Oh..unfortunately Daniel didn’t make it.”
The Master raised his eyebrow. Willow shrugged it off. “Just collateral damage, honey.” She says, but her eyes flash briefly with something that Camille couldn’t decipher.
Grief? Was it possible that Willow wasn’t as cold hearted as she seemed?
“So tell me Morbax, why have you brought us here?” Willow asks. Camille shifts nervously. The Master leans against the table. “Why I need your help, of course. Why else would I send for y’all out of that prison cell?” He asked.
“Yes. But why do you need us?” Camille says softly. “Glad you asked. I need y’all’s help…taking some certain people out. So that we can topple a certain government.”
Willow tossed her knife upward and caught it, playfully pretending to fumble with it, catching it just as it was about to crash into her foot. She turned to The Master.
“And why should we help you?” She growls. “I could easily kill you here and now. I’ve beat you before and i can best you again.” She hisses. Again, more eye twitches from the Master.
“Because…I know that we all hate the Phoenixes. What they’ve done to us. I know that there’s a specific someone of them that you’re practically dying to kill.”
A slow cruel grin crept unto Willow, her eyes narrowing and lighting up with the thought. “So. What do I need to do?” Camille swallowed. She kind of wished that they were back in that cell it would be better than this.
The Master smiled back. “There is some… things I will need you and Camille to do. But first…let me brief you on everything.” He waved for them to come closer, turning back towards the tv screen that he’d been looking at earlier. A tray of brightly colored large buttons sat underneath the screens.
Camille and Willow studied the screens. Camille’s eyes widened. It looked like…some sort of simulation or something. Animals…long dead animals, roaming across lands. Humans, real people fighting to survive.
A strange look crossed Willow’s face. But it wasn’t one of horror, much to Camille’s disappointment. “Those are real people? Who-who all is in there?” The master chuckled. “Don’t worry. The rest of the Phoenixes, including…your..favorite will be there soon, hopefully.”
Willow nodded, a eager and cruel look in her eyes. “What do you want us to do?” The master smile again, tapping his metal fingers on the desk. “It’s a simple mission. There’s one person. One man who could jeopardize everything. Your job..is to kill him.”
Willow nodded, casually leaning on a dark red button. “I’m in.” Camille eyed the button. Large gold letters along with a warning sign shone across it..