Dododex

ARK: Survival Evolved & Ascended Companion

Descended

Chapter 1

Moons on the Island nowadays were always forlorn for the lowly.

Even those Southernmost, Saur and Sapien alike, indubitably suffered daily. Howls and rustling fill the air this night, unnatural noise surrounding the firm, stone structure. A tiny skirmisher encampment. Counts as only our second real infiltration mission.

Gosh, you’ve got to be grateful for all the noise tonight.

It’ll cover the ambush easily.

Swift and silent footsteps pitter-pattered through the bush, followed by the sound of two other Saurs, all three advancing through the trees and straight to the camp. Its walls were primarily of wood and stone, crafted to stand, but poorly built. A few brutish Sapiens endlessly and pointlessly walked around the spiked walls, armed with sharpened spears made from branches, covered in leather made from dodo hide.

A synchronized dart behind the closest rock to the camp.

Only two of my Saur fellows - Swiftfoot and Kage - came with me to the camp. We had to leave Perniene behind. She was getting too paranoid. One mishap would make her shriek louder than a volcano would erupt.

“DODOS of all choices for their hide slacks! Little bastards!” Swiftfoot growled in an almost outburst, quickly followed by a “shush” from me and Kage.

Swiftfoot was a Galliminus, impeccably fast, impeccably skinny, and impeccably whiny. He’s a vegan like all herbivores I know of, and any reference to herbivore Saurs being harmed in any way sickens him. Mostly intolerable, but a precise scout, and, well, no one can outrun him.

“I’m going to be sick,” he clattered, nervously clashing his claws together.

“Hey, just, do your thing and get us past these chumps.” I replied, refraining myself from making too much noise.

I, myself, am a Raptor. One of the cleverest ones around, too.. all you need to know, right?

“Alright..” Swiftfoot stepped up into the clear. He snapped his jaws loudly a few times to catch the attention of the leather guards. Sure enough, they chased after him with malicious intent. I tried to tell him to make sure they get as far away from the camp as possible, but he darted too far away already. His sense of hearing wasn’t the best.

“That stubborn Saur, he’ll have them run in a circle all over the camp at best.” Kage growled, running over to the gate and gesturing for me to follow. “HURRY.” Then, he reared back and spit at one of the doors, and easily enough, it melted and corroded away. Me and him dashed through, and the guards didn’t notice a thing.

Kage is a dilophosaur, and a pretty big, muscular one for his type of Saur - he’s around my size, to be exact. He had an absence of joy in his life, too. Kage doesn’t even wag his tail like all other Dilophosaurs. The Bane Empire can be held responsible…

Like every other moon, Kage is wearing the allosaurus skull he uses to protect his head and cover his face, as well as the leather belt made from allosaurus hide, carrying his “hotbar” of naturally-made weapons - riverrock daggers, a longbow, a long-edged sword made from the rib of a Carnotaur skeleton. He still hasn’t told me his beef with Allosaurs yet.

Once we got inside, we dashed for the hut carrying the weapon the Bane Empire was most despised for.

Bombs.

Explosive little creations that kill the land.

Kage stood there for a while, staring..

“Well then, Ember. Let’s dump these bloody bombs while we still can.”

I quickly nodded with a straight face, and we started deactivating the explosives…