Dododex
ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion
Tales of Pandora
Origins of Salizar, Chapter 17: ~extinction~
Sylver was writing on a piece of parchment as they rode to battle, she was writing a brief overview of “King Drake’s exploits” which included the spear throughout the story even though he had really just found it, the tale made him seem far more powerful and brave than he was and neglected to mention his daughter’s death or how broken he was afterwards. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay behind? We don’t know what will be in that obelisk, you don’t even know how to fight.” Grizzly said to her. “How can I write about this epic battle without witnessing it firsthand!” She said. “You did for the other two battles…” Drake said from high above on his carchar. “Yes and note how brief those sections are? I had to get people like Grizzly to tell me what even happened. I’ll be fine.” Sylver said. “Your funeral.” Grizzly said quietly.
Caesar marched along, he didn’t want to go into the obelisk for fear of his life, but he had no choice, he was bound, the man who was holding his leash snapped at him, he couldn’t understand the words, but he got the gist, “hurry up” he trodded on a bit faster.
“The humans march to the red obelisk as we speak.” The overseer said. “Good, all according to plan.” Salizar said. “I shall alert the dragon and his henchmen and have them prepared.” The overseer said. “Good … wait, is Caesar with the humans?” Salizar asked. “Affirmative.” The overseer replied. “Tell them to spare him, Caesar and I never got along, but perhaps he would be willing to help me rid the universe of the humans.” Salizar said. “Command acknowledged.” The Overseer said.
Caesar looked around him, the forest was destroyed, shattered trees littered the expanded path, huge dinosaurs surrounded him on all sides, armored for battle and ridden by humans, he could hear the cracks and bangs of trees up ahead getting bulldozed by the massive behemoths leading the way, behind him he heard the steady thrashing of the war-drums mounted atop wooly mammoths who trumpeted in support. The air stank of animal and pine. Eventually they reached the obelisk, towering above them like a shining skyscraper, its red glow barely visible in the daylight. The army crammed onto the platform below the obelisk and waited for King Drake. Caesar found himself shoved in-between a trike and a giga he wasn’t able to move but he could see Drake. He had dismounted his carchar and was now standing by the terminal, he raised his spear and began to give a speech, Caesar couldn’t understand but it was this; “MEN! WE ENTER THIS ARENA, NOT FOR POWER, NOT FOR GLORY … BUT FOR FREEDOM! WE WILL ESCAPE THIS HELL, EVEN IF I MUST DREDGE THROUGH THE MARSHES OF HADES AND FIGHT THE CERBERUS MYSELF!” The crowd cheered, “AFTER TONIGHT WE WILL HAVE CONQUERED THIS PLACE, AND WE WILL ESCAPE IT! ARE, YOU, WITH ME!” He boomed. The cheers and battle-cries riled up the savage tames who chimes in with bellows and roars, Drake grabbed his spear with both hands and said to himself, “for Dalia, for Esme…” before plunging the weapon into the terminal, the terminal sparked and the bubble appeared around them, they could see the volcanic landscape and some said things like “it is Hades!” And “what demon dwells here?” Then, the familiar white flash.
Salizar and his Overseer stood in the viewing room, looking out into the dragon’s arena, a bright flash shone and there they were, the humans. They stomped about for a moment, looking for their adversary, then they heard it, the roar of Apex, it put fear in even their biggest beasts, the dimorphidons and pterosaurs started to fly in, grabbing men off their mounts and getting shot down by their artillery. “Quite the spectacle eh?” Salizar said. “Affirmative.” “Is the drone ready?” Salizar asked. The Overseer turned slightly to look at him, “Affirmative, shall I-” “no, I want to do it myself.” Salizar said.
Caesar’s captor dropped his leash almost immediately to focus on the fight, Caesar on the other hand ran for cover, the dragon ripped through the human forces, decimating them with fireblasts, he finally landed to do battle on the ground, Grizzly was the first to charge riding on a deinonychus, his battle axe shattered on contact with Apex’s thick scaly hide, his mount jumped onto the dragon trying to tear at his scales, it did minimal damage, Apex grabbed the deinonychus with one arm, throwing Grizzly off the saddle and down to the ground, he crushed the raptor in his claw and swallowed it whole. Grizzly crawled away from the dragon, towards Ceasar who was hiding behind a rock formation, “you- help me..” he said, but Caesar couldn’t help a burning corpse, Apex blasted a red-hot beam of fire directly at Grizzly, eviscerating him instantly. Caesar lunged backwards in fear, right into a pteranodon, the flyer looked down at him, but then just flew off. Caesar feinted.
Salizar remote controlled the tek drone into the arena, using it’s cloaking technology to be unseen, he dodged through the carnage and fire of the battle, until he found Caesar, this was just before Grizzly crawled over to him, he shot Caesar with the microchip, so small Caesar didn’t notice it through the adrenaline he was experiencing. “Mission accomplished.” The Overseer said, Salizar cackled a bit happily.
The human forces were severely depleted, but so were all of Apex’s friends, he was red with anger. “You will pay…” he said looking directly at Drake. Drake looked back, he only heard a snarl but knew a challenge when he heard one, “YOU WANT ME? COME AND GET ME” Drake roared. Caesar woke up, a little lightheaded, but he was just in time to see the fall of a king.
Drake charged forward at Apex, who charged in turn, they clashed, Drake’s carchar, who was in full bloodlust, biting onto Apex’s forearm, Apex bit the carchar’s torso to match, and Drake stabbed at Apex’s neck with his spear, Apex opened his eye and looked at Drake, glaring at him with hatred, he let go of the carchar and grabbed onto its leg instead, the carchar continued to thrash at the dragon, he shook Apex’s talons off of his leg and did a spin attack, Apex was knocked back a bit, but it wasn’t enough. He snagged both legs of the carchar out from under it, toppling it to the ground, Drake tried to escape but his leg was caught in the tangled reins, which had torn when Apex bit at the carchar, the Dragon unfurled its wings with a mighty gust of wind which sent Caesar reeling. Apex started to rise, and rise, clutching on to the powerful legs of the carchar, Drake dangling by his leg below, they rose and rose, until Caesar could no longer see them through the cloud of smoke above, the carchar struggled to brake free or bite at Apex, but it was in no position to do either, when Apex was so high that they were close to the skybox, Apex released the carchar from his grip, with a mad grin he watched, the hopeless beast roaring as it fell. Drake accepted his fate almost immediately, he closed his eyes and prayed. “My girls, I’m coming.”
The thud blew dust throughout the arena, Apex slowly glid down to the surface, scorching the remaining soldiers with one mighty blast, Caesar ducked behind the rock just in time.
“Incredible.” Salizar said watching from the hidden window.
Apex walked over to the dead carchar, Drakes spear lay nearby, he grabbed it and walked over to the ledge of the arena, by all appearances there was nothing but sky and smoke beyond the ledge, Apex knew better, he thrust the spear into the border, the fake boundaries of the arena collapsing to reveal dull greyish-blue hexagons, energy circled out of the spear creating a gateway, the red obelisk terminal visible beyond. “Soon Father and I shall be reunited.” Apex thought. He walked through the portal and flew out into Pandora. Caesar had no choice but to make a run for it, he stumbled out into the forest and ran for his life.
The Ark, was doomed.