Lara croft in… Tomb raider and the temple of dampness.
Chapter 1.
Lara walked through the darkness of the ancient corridor, reminiscing about the many fond memories, which she had shared as a young girl in the once magnificent school where she had received her education. She had regretted not coming back to visit sooner as many of the teachers and pupils which she had shared her time there with, were now just distant memories from the past.
She let her hand slide against the smooth finish of the antique balustrade as she climbed a once grand stair well to the second floor of the building. As she passed a group of worried looking pupils, rushing and whispering in hushed voices, the mighty roar of the dreaded school bell billowed through the cracked walls of school. This brought back memories of times when she would skip class to smoke cigarettes in the bike shed with her boyfriend Sam; she smiled fondly at the thought of those steamy rendezvous.
She walked towards the marble arch doorway of the head teacher's office and paused briefly before knocking on the hefty wood of the door. She felt an air of tension drift over her body as she heard a familiar voice billow from inside the room. "Looking for something?"
Lara gasped and popped her head around the hefty door.
" Oh its you, come in, come in Lara, I have been expecting you."
She hesitated, remembering the many times she had been summoned to the room and the many times she had felt that same air of tension as she heard those same deep unremorseful words drift through the thick wooden exterior of the door. She took one last deep breath as she shrugged of the uncomfortable feelings and pushed the door open.
Dr Werner Voncroy, was now a shadow of his former glory. It seemed hard now to believe that this disheveled old man was the headmaster of the exclusive university. And even more so that he was a world renowned archaeologist and explorer, as he sat at the same wide oak desk which he had been sat at the many times she had entered the room in her time at the school.
She had always been Voncroy's favourite pupil and he had taken a special interest in her. She respected him for his inspirational approach to his adventurous pastimes and now as a tomb raider herself she knew she owed him this last favour for pointing her into the right direction as a pupil at the school.
Voncroy's unsteady hand reached into his old blazer pocket and pulled out a large cigar, which after four or five attempts he managed to light and lift to the crumpled flap of skin which once resembled his lips. He cursed under muffled breath as he burnt his worn and ancient hand on the match, which he used to light his mammoth cigar. He pointed his cigar in the direction of the leather seat opposite his own as if to invite Lara to talk a seat. She obeyed his silent command and sat on the cold leather of the chair. He then lifted his cigar into the air and poofed out a large cloud of smoke before taking a tired breath to clear his dry throat in an effort to speak.
"Thankyou for coming to me so quickly Lara, I knew you could be relied upon to attend to my needs at this most urgent time, even after all these many years." Voncroy took another drag of his cigar, "And even after these many long years you are still as beautiful as a rose in spring", He sighed, "and unfortunately Lara my flower died long ago."
He frowned as her turned away from her and bitterly took another draw of his now receding cigar.
Lara broke the silence that followed in a soft reassuring voice, "Dr Voncroy, as you know it is always my pleasure to assist you."
Voncroy smiled and joked, "You have assisted me more than enough in the past Lara. Especially since the accident" he proceeded to stroke the stump which remained in place of his left leg; the leg which he lost when he and Lara went on a field trip in her time as his pupil. He remembered how she had single handedly assisted him with the severed limb and knew if it wasn't for her he would of perished that fateful day.
"As I've said before doctor it is always my pleasure to assist you in your times of need."
"Thankyou Lara, it is a comfort to know that you are only a telephone call away, thanks to this era of new technologies."
"Yes doctor, and it is reassuring to no that I can help my wise mentor in his times of need. So doctor you wouldn't tell me over the telephone what it was that you have summonsed me for. How may I be of assistance to you."
Voncroy's expression suddenly changed with that question, he became animated all at once and jumped from his seat as he began. "Lara, as you know I am an old man whose life hangs in the balance of time. I have called upon you to ask you to partake in an urgent task which only someone such as skilled as yourself could accomplish in my place."
"Of course Werner, What is it you require of me?"
Werner fell back into his chair and solemnly continued. "Many years ago I was told by my father of a temple far away among the mountains of Asia. In this temple lies an object so powerful that it could bend time and space itself. I dedicated my life as a young explorer to finding this sacred object, but alas to no avail I could not find the temple. Years have passed and I grew weary of my search. Only to days ago a parcel arrived here at the university containing this." He handed her a rolled up piece of paper. As she unrolled it he said. "Please Lara you must help me find the object, take this map and embark on this endeavor to find the damp crystal!"