The arena was quiet.
As her gasps broke the silence, Lara struggled for air, gripping her stomach. Had that really just happened?
It didn't matter how many times she was faced with supernatural, apocalyptic events. Each time she was faced with the end of the world, she was overcome with a sense of disbelieving horror. How many near-misses was that now? She'd lost count. Nevertheless, she had learned that life went on. The people of Prague were, for example, no doubt oblivious to how close they'd come that night.
Lara's gaze fell on Kurtis' weapon, lying in a pool of blood on the arena floor. Her gut lurched. Although she barely knew him, she didn't imagine he'd have left it behind willingly.
Scanning the room, she noticed the corpse of the creature that was once Kristina Boaz lying on the floor near Kurtis' blood. He clearly hadn't gone down without a fight. Advancing carefully, it occurred to her that this could be a trap. Years of bitter experience had taught her never to assume it was over, that she was safe. She may have succeeded in defeating Eckhardt and Karel, but the Strahov still held many dangers, not least the abomination that took down her partner.
Creeping closer, she noticed the pod was empty, as it had been when she had witnessed Boaz being devoured by it. Nearby lay another body, something between a woman and a huge locust, with claws like a preying mantis. Boaz. Feeling a twinge of sympathy for the woman, Lara decided it was safe to assume Kurtis had finished the creature off.
At last she crossed to the pool of blood, kneeling to pick up the disc-shaped weapon Kurtis had wielded so skilfully. She slotted her fingers into the holes in the disk and almost dropped it when the blades sprang free. The weapon began to hum. She felt it pull, almost like a magnet, and standing up she allowed it to direct her movement. Spinning around, she felt the object pull her with urgency towards a tunnel leading out of the arena. Maybe Kurtis wasn't done just yet, then. The blades snapped back, satisfied, as Lara began to move cautiously towards the tunnel. She found herself smiling a little, hopeful that she might find her partner alive somewhere in the Strahov.
Clipping the weapon to one of the hooks on her utility belt, she pulled a flare from her backpack to light her way. The tunnel was wide, almost cavernous. The sickening, iron smell of blood reached her and she began to fear the worst.
All other thoughts fled her mind as she turned a corner and found what she was looking for.
Kurtis was propped against a wall, face a mask of agony. He was clutching his middle, and she could hear his shaky breaths from where she stood 100 feet away.
"About time, Croft. I'm bleeding out here."
Ignoring his smart remark, she closed the distance between them in a few short strides and knelt beside him.
"Show me."
His hands shook as he removed them from the wound, and Lara hissed in sympathy when she saw what he was hiding. The front of his t shirt was soaked through with blood, which was spurting from a significant hole in his abdomen. Leaning closer, she quickly understood what had happened. He'd been run through, probably with one of the claws she'd seen on Boaz's corpse. She had to act fast, or he had no chance.
"Right. I'm going to wrap this, and then we're going to get you to a hospital."
She took his hands and pressed them back to the wound on his front. "Keep pressure on this while I get my first aid kit."
He nodded, and she set about her task. As she worked, she glanced up and saw his eyes focused on the weapon clipped to her belt.
"I found it in the arena. Figured you'd like it back."
He gave her a knowing look. Realisation dawned as she tore off a strip of bandage. She glanced back at him.
"You made it move, you guided me to you, didn't you?"
He nodded. "Handy little thing, isn't it?"
He almost seemed afraid to ask the next question. "Eckhardt…?"
"Dead. I'll tell you the whole story…later."
After wrapping gauze and bandages tightly around him, she gently leaned him back against the wall.
"Can you move?"
He nodded, eyes closed.
"Ok, we need to find a way out of this hell hole. Preferably a quick and easy one. Any ideas?"
"Teleportation?"
"Not an option today I'm afraid. Unless that's another one of your special powers?"
"Afraid not."
"Right. Guess the only thing for it is to get moving then. Ready?"
She gently slipped an arm around his shoulders and helped him to his feet. He stood up with surprising ease for someone with such a serious injury, and they made their way slowly down the passage.
Lara was strong, but she wasn't sure how long she could go on supporting his weight like this. More to the point, she wasn't sure how long Kurtis would last. Knowing it was crucial for him to stay conscious, she kept conversation going between them.
"So what's it like being a knight of the Lux Veritatis?"
"I don't feel like that title really suits me."
Hmm, sore spot? She filed it away for later, trying a different topic.
"How do you control this thing?" she asked, referring to the weapon still clipped to her belt.
"My Chirugai? It's hard to explain. It's linked to my telekinesis, but it's also sort of in my blood. It can't be controlled by anyone outside the Order. And by the way, I know what you're doing."
She glanced at him, and suddenly noticed how close their faces were together. His was getting paler by the minute, and appeared glossy with sweat. She felt a flash of guilt, and not for the first time she wondered why he had saved her, and faced Boaz alone.
"Good, then you know it's important you keep talking. Tell me about the…Chirugai. What's it made of?"
"It's a meteorite alloy. It's extremely old, and from my experience so far it's virtually indestructible. I haven't had it very long, so I'm still learning really. Been meaning to do a bit of research into it actually, if I make it out of here alive…"
Lara was about to tell him to think positively when she noticed the tunnel getting brighter. Was it possible? Could there be an exit somewhere down here? They were so deep underground she found it hard to believe.
Shortly, they came to a dimly lit section of tunnel, and finally there was an end in sight. There was what looked like a service elevator at the other end of the corridor. Hallelujah, thought Lara. Not a moment too soon. Hoping the collection of security passes she had been gathering over the past few hours would activate the lift, she scanned the sides of the thing as they reached it. Sure enough, there was a card reader to the right hand side. Kurtis transferred his weight to the wall, allowing her to search for the right swipe card. She breathed a sigh of relief when the high security pass she had stolen from one of the guards brought a green flash from the card reader. The sound of cranking machinery told her the elevator was on its way to them.
Lara supporting Kurtis' weight again, they entered the lift, and she selected "0". As the lift rose, she started to worry about how they would get to the hospital - she had very limited knowledge of Prague, and no clue how she was going to find one in time.
When the elevator doors sprang open with a ping, Lara realised that was the least of her worries. The pair found themselves staring down the barrels of several guns as they were confronted by police in riot gear, and after that, everything was chaos.