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Post by BijuuGuy on Apr 14, 2023 17:03:49 GMT
The City - Croft Manor 25 hours, 13 minutes, 7 seconds until mission launch What is a word? By definition, it is a single distinct meaningful element of speech or writing. Something that has depth and purpose. Parts of a sentence that would bring everything together. Words and language were possibly the most crucial parts of any culture in defining identity. Telling stories, expressing oneself, documenting events and so forth. Many words have different meanings in various languages, yet they have distinct definitions nonetheless. This is why in certain contexts, words in a text have to be interpreted in a different manner than one typically would. Hidden subtexts and metaphors were everywhere, begging to be found by inquisitive readers, to have their secrets discovered. Luckily for her, Lara Croft was among the best in her field. Her skill and curiosity knew no bounds. Which is why she had been tirelessly rummaging through her father's documents, again and again, to find any and all additional clues about the artifact she was seeking. Lara had been in her office for... possibly days. Reading every piece of paper she came across an ungodly amount of times. She was so certain that Richard had hidden something additional within his texts, something that wouldn't come up in initial readings. Richard wasn't a poet or a philosopher, he rarely (if at all) spoke in riddles. He was matter-of-fact and tried to give everything its clearest meaning. Yet, Lara wasn't convinced. He had deliberately hidden information before. It was why she learned about the supposed location of the Scion piece in the first place. Now, she was determined to find anything additional regarding that piece or any of the other two still out there. Winston occasionally replaced Lara's cup of coffee or tea, whichever mood she was in at the time, and let her be. If needed, Lara rested in the chair or crawled to bed for a couple of hours, only to immediately get back to work afterward. The others had seen her exit the room perhaps once, to get additional books from the library. Over time, the words she read started to become meaningless. Lara had gone through Richard's journals and documents so many times that at certain points, the words seemed like gibberish. But she couldn't stop. She was too close. Lara would have to take a short reprieve, however, as Conrad Roth entered the office. Roth and Lara had known each other for years, him being the first of the team to have joined her. He often acted as a father figure or a mentor to Lara, though the two were equally viewed as peers. He had his classic stern look on his face when their eyes met, seemingly not letting out any clear intention. She knew exactly what he was trying to do though. "You would have found something by now."
"Perhaps. Or perhaps father hid his secrets better than I thought."
She looked exhausted. He didn't even have to look at her to know that, her tone was enough proof. Roth knew how much her quest meant to her. Finding the Scion was everything she had been thinking about for a long time. It was clear that obsession ran in the family. What Richard left, Lara took over, in more ways than one. It hurt Roth to see her that way, though it was even more painful that Lara herself couldn't see what she was like. Still, she needed to have her mind on one thing at a time right now. "We can get back to this when we've found the first piece. You need rest, Lara. The team is going to function much worse if you're in a state like this."
"The team? No. I'm going alone."
Lara couldn't help but sigh. He was right about getting sleep. If she couldn't perform, all of her work would have been for naught. She was still so certain that there were details she had missed. Still, she had enough intel to know where to go and what to look for. It would have to do. Lara noticed Roth's disapproval over her statement of going alone. They were a team, after all. She hadn't forgotten that. But Roth's words would do little to persuade her otherwise. "You need the backup. You don't know wh---"
"This is not up for debate, Roth. I am not risking anyone's life but my own. Not for this."
Her answer was resolute. Everyone knew why Lara was chasing after the Scion. They knew her loss. It was difficult not to understand why she needed closure and, most of all, the truth. Perspectives certainly change when things get personal. These circumstances were no different. Even more so, she would be going into uncharted territory. Her skills would possibly enable her survival, she couldn't say the same about everyone else. Roth finally understood the situation and Lara's, often infuriating, stubbornness, he reluctantly agreed. He only requested that she be on comms the whole time. Lara agreed, giving the man a warm smile and then sending him to finish preparations. Ms. Croft herself proceeded to take a long, warm shower and went to bed, as there was still some time until her departure. Somewhere in a Frontier jungle 3 hours, 8 minutes, 11 seconds after mission launch For the several hours that she had been driving to her destination, Lara was thinking about her quest. Really it was the only thing on her mind nowadays if any other missions weren't keeping her occupied. There was still plenty of exploration and tomb raiding to be done, but her main pursuit was still the Scion. There were times when she thought that it was not worth pursuing. Sometimes you just have to let things be. However, this was something that kept haunting her. She would see nightmares of what happened to Richard and Amelia. She would see nefarious forces, trying to hunt her down. Lara had certainly made a lot of enemies over the years, though she had crossed most of them out, as they knew little about her past. Most were simply treasure hunters, who cared little about who she was. Personal gain was the name of the game. Lara knew that she certainly fit that type as well. She wasn't delusional. Though she did believe that her adventures were more about preserving what she could while exploring the various cultures and civilizations of old. But perhaps some treasures weren't meant to be taken. At the same time, why were they created and left to be found? She would never know the true intentions of the people that came before. Suddenly, her earpiece crackled and Zip's voice could be heard shortly after.
"You should be arriving right about now. Sam and I could only map out small parts of the ruins since most of it is deeper underground than we thought. Expect the usual death traps that you love so much."
"Excellent. I would be dreadfully bored without them."
"Sometimes, you really worry me."
Lara couldn't help but chuckle. Even in the midst of the most dangerous and personal situations, Lara rarely lost her humorous side. It was that and Zip's own natural charisma that kept often kept her from losing herself in the field. Particularly when facing dire circumstances. She had to do this on her own, but Lara couldn't put into words how much her team meant to her. They kept her alive for the most part. They were something she could come back home to. For a time, it was simply her and Winston. It was certainly liberating to be in a large mansion with just your butler, but even for someone like Lara, the emptiness would get to her. Not to say that Winston wasn't a grand company. Quite the opposite. He knew her better than anyone. Nobody else could match the history those two shared. Yet still, when she formed her team, the mansion (and by extension, her life) felt more filled, more alive. It was something she would be eternally grateful for. She was now in the Frontier's unknown jungle, thick foliage covering everything the eye could see. The distinct sounds of insects, reptiles and other creatures enveloped the space. Her motorcycle had most likely scared off the larger predators, but she still had to keep her guard up. Never know when a wild animal was unseen nearby, ready to pounce. What had the majority of her attention, however, was a vine-covered stone arch that she stopped in front of. It wasn't particularly large, possibly because most of it had been swallowed by the ground. There was a set of stairs and a doorway leading underground. The whole thing was inconspicuous enough by foliage and vines that unless you knew what you were looking for, something like this would seem like just another ruin in the jungle. There were plenty of those around, or so Lara could speculate. The Frontier was still vastly undiscovered, so who knew what sort of mysteries it was keeping. Lara was currently focused on the one in front of her, however. She shot and cut down the vines blocking the entrance, and stood at the entrance, turning on her light. Looking below, Lara saw a significant drop ahead. But she still managed to see an additional doorway at the bottom. She placed her grapple on the ledge she was standing on, firmly attaching it to the stone and proceeded to rappel down. Reaching the bottom, Lara looked around, with unremarkable stone walls greeting her. So far, the promised traps and obstructions were nowhere to be found. There was only one doorway, however, meaning she would have to go through it. Going into the unknown was something that had lost its fright a long time ago. Everything she did predicated on the fact that she was willing to explore the unexplored. To set foot where no man or strange furry creature had set foot in for possibly a millennia. It was certainly a privilege for Croft. One which she knew too well. Even with her selfish desires playing a big role this time, she saw this opportunity as one of learning. Why was the Scion created? What does it really do? There were plenty more questions in her mind, but she had to focus on the task at hand. However, one thing that had been bugging her during the journey and her brief time in the jungle was the fact, that someone may have followed her. She couldn't confirm it herself, as it may have just been a wild animal, but her instincts kicked in after having entered the jungle. It was like a tingling on the back of her neck, even as she was driving. Perhaps they began following her before the jungle, but she couldn't be certain. The only thing she knew was that if whoever it was (if there really was anyone), they wouldn't want to get in her way. "Zip, has someone been following me?"
It was mere curiosity that lead Lara to ask for Zip's expertise. She was hopeful enough that nobody would follow her down in the ruins, yet possibilities know no bounds in this world, as she had learned over the years. Of course, curious minds were welcome to join her, as long as they didn't get in her way, but Lara was always cautious about working with people she didn't know. Too often people had ulterior motives, ones that conflicted with her own ideologies. "Other than wildlife, haven't noticed anything too weird. What are you thinking? Rival hunters? Indigenous people?"
"I'm not sure. Just keep track of any additional anomalies. I can't have anyone jeopardize the mission."
"Will do. Good luck, Lara."
With that well-wish and a cautious attitude, Lara stepped forward into the dark doorway, leading into a corridor. She wasn't sure where it would lead, but it was the only way to the Scion's first piece, so that's where she needed to go. |
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Post by Bixir on Apr 14, 2023 20:14:15 GMT
The corridor did not lead anywhere special. There was no grand, open foyer or antechamber waiting for Lara, or even an imposing labyrinthine array of paths for her to pursue. Only a long, lonesome tunnel, which, at first did not seem to have an end to it. Its gradual incline pointing ever downward hinted well enough that Lara would find something soon.
The design of the ruins was also something of an anachronism. On its exterior, including the marks that Lara and her team had used to locate this structure in the first place, had all the telltale signs of the usual ruins that they explored - archaic moss over stone, waterlogged trenches and parapets, runic engravings that, while not decipherable, lended in the same direction as the Scion, and so on. Yet upon entering the first corridor of this place, there was much more going on than even what Lara may have expected. There were industrial mechanisms in place with that first door, and the lighting in this corridor, dim as it was, spoke to a more sophisticated system than even what the Croft mansion used. There was even
Click!
The door behind Lara slid shut with an ominous shift of stone and metal. There were no hinges or holds for Lara to grasp onto, nor any obvious mechanisms that facilitated its recent openness or current closedness. More strangely, after Lara's sudden entrapment within this corridor, there were no followup triggers, for traps or otherwise.
The dark quiet of the ruin - and the occasional activity from her line with Zip and the rest of her time - was all Lara had for company now.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Apr 14, 2023 20:17:20 GMT
It seemed to go on for an eternity. A lengthy, dark corridor, slowly descending into the depths of the earth. She initially felt compelled to turn switch on her light, yet she became quickly accustomed to the ruins' atmospheric lighting. She gradually made her way down the path, examining her surroundings, taking everything in. The camera was, naturally, recording everything she saw, heard, and said. Her occasional quiet ramblings resulted in Zip asking her to clarify, only to get no answer initially. Lara was in her own mind space now. Thinking her own thoughts, letting the murmurs within her ear fall to the background. Her mind was at work, trying to decipher every possible inkling of a clue. What truly caught her eye, was the seeming sophistication and modern nature of these ruins. If they even were ruins, considering the condition the place was in. After a while, she decided to directly address her companions and share her thoughts.
"This is interesting. Notice the construction of it all. This is much more modern than I would have expected. I wonder--"
Her musings were interrupted by the considerably loud closing of the door behind her. Lara stood immediately at the ready for any unwelcome surprises, but none came. After a minute, she relaxed once more and continued down the path. It was quiet, something Lara had grown to enjoy in many of the ruins she had explored before. Aside from the sounds made by their various devices and traps, that these places typically held within.
"Well, at least I won't be joined by any uninvited guests."
"You think you're getting any closer?"
"I believe so. This is definitely leading to... something. The sophistication of these mechanisms isn't merely for show."
She continued, determined, walking in a manner that she knew exactly where she was headed. Lara had really no idea at this point, but she was still certain that this place hid much more than advanced door mechanisms.
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Post by Bixir on Apr 14, 2023 20:21:21 GMT
Moving forward, Lara would have no immediate evidence, be it to the growing suspicion of being followed, further tells towards her mission here, or to menaces yet unseen. The downward path became increasingly so, as did Lara's frame of reference. It was leading down, deeply, into the earth, leading to lower elevations that seemed to be much more developed than the outward ruin had suggested. More importantly, it was leading somewhere... but first, Lara had more pressing matters.
As Lara moved through this declining corridor, at one point she would have felt an uneasy sensation. It had nothing to do with her senses, too sharp and attentive to have missed something affecting them, which there wasn't. It was a tingling feeling, as if something was passing over her, or that she had passed through something. Whatever it was, it prompted the path Lara was on to immediately become sheer. With nothing to firmly plant herself, Lara began to slip into a lower position and accelerate downward at increasing velocity. That in itself was not a threat. The numerous beams of white-hot energy that started shooting out of the walls, floor, and ceiling into Lara's path, were.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Apr 14, 2023 20:22:03 GMT
The moment Lara felt the strange tingle, she slowed her step, placing a hand on her holster. She definitely passed through something. A field perhaps? Whatever it was, she didn't see any signs of what could've been emitting it. It was simply there, which left her with increasingly more questions. No time to ponder on them, however, as she had to face a more immediate problem. It was as if the ground beneath her almost shifted, because in a moment's notice, she was struggling to retain traction. Sliding downward, she noticed the energy pillars emerging from practically every direction. A fairly clear security measure.
Analyze later, survive now, Lara.
Her own thoughts jolted her into do-not-die action. The beams were lethal from a mere visual observation, but they weren't all as closely positioned as one might have expected. Giving Lara the option to maneuver between them. Though even that proved challenging with the layout of her current environment. Nevertheless, Lara pushed herself off the floor and twisted her body to make herself as long and thin as she could to pass between the gaps of the beams. The heat emitting from them was impressive. So much so that she felt it burn various parts of her body. Hopefully nothing lasting, though scars were said to be a sign of a warrior's mettle. Again, a thought for another time.
Maneuvering with expert athleticism and remaining stiff when necessary was a difficult feat, though not impossible. Lara's expertise in the too many tombs she had raided wasn't notorious for nothing. She continued evading the beams as best she could, being fairly certain that wherever the lethal corridor was leading would reach its end soon. She reminded herself that she had her grapple on her, should the exit lead to an additionally long descent or fall.
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Post by Bixir on Apr 14, 2023 20:23:55 GMT
Lara's quick thinking, quicker reflexes, and even quicker agility made short work of the first of many hazards. And the lasers were, indeed, merely the beginning of Lara's problems on his descent. It remained unclear just how far this stretched on for, but as far as Lara could tell, she would have to deal with mortal danger until she reached the bottom... and even then, one could not be too sure.
The details of those traps soon became evident. Once Lara had evaded the storm of burning energy - with only a few burns to remember them by - spikes began to intermittently jut out from the platform that Lara was sliding down. There was a certain pattern to them, though they were protruding and retreating rather quickly. Beyond this Lara would notice a subtle lever on the right wall, well within reach...
...if she didn't get impaled, that is.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Apr 14, 2023 20:24:29 GMT
eing burnt by laser beams wasn't a first, though it always hurt just the same. Lara knew she would later feel the burns in force, when the adrenaline would wear off. Luckily for her, she had plenty to go around, since the traps weren't done with her. And it was a classic: spikes. If she had a buck for every time spikes threatened to kill her in a tomb, she wouldn't ever need to use her inheritance again. But she respected it. If it's not broken, don't fix it, right? Unless the spikes would break her in the next few minutes.
Not ideal.
The spikes moved in quick succession. Almost too quick, but she evaded them as best she could. Lara felt a sharp jolt of pain in her left leg, letting her know that one of the spikes had managed to slice a lengthy wound into it. Damn it. She was lucky that she noticed the lever on her right, despite not being sure if it would actually stop the traps. She didn't have many choices though. Figuring it easier (and maybe safer? can never be too sure with Lara), she used her handy grapple to grab the lever and pull it down as she tried to keep herself suspended and not get impaled further by the spikes.
So far, this was run-of-the-mill, but it still got her blood pumping. Literally.
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Post by Bixir on Apr 14, 2023 20:25:20 GMT
Though Lara sustained some injuries in this impromptu descent, it could have been far worse. Her grapple found purchase upon the lever in question. When it pulled taut, the hazards behind her did not relent. Rather, noises in front of and below her alerted Lara to what the lever was for. Similar to the field that had prompted these traps to begin with, there was a subtle field of energy ahead, which she would have fallen through had the lever not been activated. It was unclear what would have happened, though given how it crackled with unknown energy as it was deactivated, it was probably for the best. The way through where the field had been was a complete vertical drop, and a pretty long one at that. With that said, the full length of Lara's grappling equipment reduced that distance significantly as she relaxed the cord to safely descend into the pit. As Lara made her way downward, it would not take long for Lara to realize the enormity of this place. Lara was in a massive, open chamber. And yet it was not so much a chamber as it was an underground valley. What remained of pristine structures - including where Lara would be touching down - covered the landscape. Despite their damage from what was ostensibly time and weather, they did not appear to have aged at all. Far across the way, twin waterfalls roared. It was difficult to discern at this distance, though there appeared to be more beyond those falls. What lied below was a gaping void, into which the waterfalls poured their torrents. A body of water rather like a lake pooled below, though its volume was so great and tumultuous that it could ust as well be a cause of gradual flooding, if those waterfalls were actually waterfalls at all. As of yet, Lara could make out no signs of further traps, or other life for that matter. She continued to be alone in this place , wherever, whatever this was. And, as ever, Lara was with untold secrets that rested, in this room, and whatever else was in this temple. This was only the beginning. |
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Post by BijuuGuy on Apr 14, 2023 20:25:33 GMT
A relief. Despite the other traps continuing their fury, an additional one was thwarted in its likely attempts to injure the intrepid explorer any further. An energy field, peculiar. So this place was likely even more advanced than met the eye. Too many typically mistook ancient ruins and elaborate carvings as signs of a prior civilization being likely developed but "not like us". That couldn't be further from the truth. Even the designs of the few corridors she had been in showed that whatever place was holding the Scion piece was highly advanced. As Lara descended, it was made all the more clear.
The valley and its stunning mixture of resilience and injury, along with the buildings' gorgeous architecture made it clear that whoever inhabited this space before was likely of immense wealth or splendor by other means. Lara was definitely in the right place. The dual waterfalls only punctuated the elegance. Nature mixed with man in the most perfect of ways. At least seemingly.
As she gained hear bearings, Lara began to make her way towards the temple and the waterfalls near it. It was the most grandiose building in the vicinity, and typically such constructions were of great importance one way or another. While she didn't notice any immediate obstacles or puzzles to overcome, Lara was certain that those were bound to come her way eventually. If a place was as difficult to get to as this one was, there was little chance the original inhabitants wouldn't implement more fail-safes to protect whatever it would be that they possessed. It was simply the natural order of things.
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Post by Bixir on Apr 14, 2023 20:26:01 GMT
The structure was indeed grand. Structures, even. The one that Lara was closest to was one of the smaller ones, relatively speaking. The main structure was far in the distance, though not nearly so far as the opposite end of the chamber. The central building (palace?) loomed, dwarfing everything else in this place. Even the waterfalls, roaring and overwhelming, paled in comparison to the scale of the thing, and to an extent, the smaller thing that Lara had arrived at. The architecture here was unlike anything Lara had seen in her experience... and yet, not quite. Parts of the design were recognizable, if only in part. While Lara had yet to parse together the full complexity of these ruins, there was no mistaking it: there were traces of the Scion civilization here.
Lara would not need to venture far for her senses to give her pause. There were no tripwires or sensors that she could see, but parts of the floor - nay, the entire floor of the first room she could enter appeared to feature pressure plate tiles. The grooves in the floor suggested that they could be pressed deeper, though whether that meant additional weight was required to traverse safely or if that would set off traps remained unclear. From the outside, Lara could note that this room featured a variety of furniture, on some of which were items, though at this distance they were difficult to make out with the naked eye. There was an open doorway that led further into this structure, though next to that doorway was what could only be some kind of sophisticated control panel. It appeared to be closed off, and even made of stone, but like the rest of the room, its distance prevented Lara from inspecting it normally.
Though, that was only this building. The way the ground she was walking on was structured, it appeared that there had once been a long walkway that was used to traverse the gaping void, or some other mechanism that had become dormant or worn away (or destroyed) over the ages. The grand building in this open valley, however, seemed to be more reachable. Lara would be able to trace a path from here to there... sort of. It had the kind of tells that she was used to by now: a running jump here, a quick shimmy there, and even some cases where she would need to get creative with the environment in order to get around, but nevertheless possible to find a way towards that destination. At this distance, there was no way to tell if any of that was trapped like what she had explored so far, never mind how cautiously she decided to be in a more open environment.
The falls continued to roar.
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Post by BijuuGuy on Aug 23, 2023 20:43:28 GMT
Lara scanned the area briefly with her binoculars, though found nothing new of note. The smaller building's features seemed to beckon her into another trap. Or perhaps a puzzle she would need to solve. It was deceptive in whether it could hold something actually useful or if it was simply an inert remnant of the previous occupants. As such, Lara voted in favor of the grander palace. She would, hopefully, find a way back if needed. If not, she would have to improvise. A familiar concept.
The pathway required athletics, though looked fairly easy to cross still. The explorer shook her hands for a moment while slightly jumping around, getting herself ready for the long jump. When she began running, the eventual jump was a breeze. Lara grabbed onto an edge that would allow her to shimmy her way to a nearby stone pillar that would get her some height, before having to descend to the other side of the once intact walkway. She would use her grapple for easier access and a faster ascent. The pillar wasn't too high up, but any method that would help save time was acceptable. Climbing and traversing the environment was old hat to Lara. It was where she enjoyed to be the most. On the cusp of danger. The rush of climbing a seemingly unclimbable mountain, for example. This seemed much more conventional, however.
The large building loomed still, slightly coming closer with every shimmy and eventual climb atop the stone pillar. Reaching the top, she took in the sight once more. Truly magnificent. In a moment, she was back on a ledge, now on the other side of the pillar, her back facing the building. The way down seemed longer than it was, yet anything could go wrong at any given time. Should her landing prove successful, Lara would make her way gradually towards the grand building, trying to find a way inside. Something her initial observation showed to be more difficult than she would have hoped for. Yet, again, nothing too surprising. Civilizations like that had their intricate systems, which most people could only try to fully understand.
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