Tomb Raider:
Lara Croft and the Order of the Dragon
The roar of a motorcycle disrupts the quiet of the village. It winds around the street corners lined with small but firm houses riddled with cracks from past earthquakes. The roar of the motorcycle collides with the ocean drowning all other sounds out. The sound even reaches the quiet of the farmland that lies amongst the hills. The volcano watches the motorcycle's progress from the peak of the island.
The rider soars so fast, all that can be seen of them is their long braid of hair. The rider nears the harbour narrowly avoiding the people that line the sidewalk.
"There goes that mad man again," an old and withered Portuguese fisherman says in his native tongue to his friends. The men laugh at their inside joke and continue gutting their fish. The motorcycle reaches the docks heading out to the ocean. Near the end of the dock a rustic transport boat is leaving its port. The motorcycle picks up speed, heading for the ocean. The bike leaves the dock, riding on air, suspended in motion. The rider pulls off the impossible jump, landing comfortably on the boat.
The rider dismounts from the bike. All the sailors ogle the lean body of the rider, her curves hugged by leather. The helmet comes off and it is none other than Lara Croft.
"You weren't going to leave without me, were you?" she says in her crisp British accent.
"We would never dream of it, Lara," the captain bellows through his moustache, in a deep voice. "I could only dream of leaving you behind."
"Captain Vinez, always such the charmer," Lara replies in a sarcastic tone.
"Don't talk back to me girl, without me you wouldn't be going anywhere." Vinez then turned away from Lara, dismissing her, "Jose, show Lady Croft to her cabin."
Lara is led to her room which resides in the belly of the ship. Lara takes in her surroundings before settling herself in, placing her dual pistols beneath her pillow. She passes the time by taking a leisurely nap.
A short while later Lara is awoken from her dreams of treasures and tombs by a persistent knocking upon the door to her cabin. One of the crewmen is there, carbuncular and nervous. He is looking down at the floor when he mumbles, "The Captain wishes to see you on deck".
"Why thank you, here," Lara leans in giving him a kiss on the cheek and a healthy tip. The man runs away before he has a chance to spoil the moment for himself, as he somehow manages to always do. Before going to meet Vinez Lara changes into her comfortable black Legend outfit, which consists of a tight black t-shirt and tight black shorts. To complete the outfit she straps on her holsters and her guns.
Above, the Captain awaits Lara with a disgruntled look rippling across his face, "So, Lara, what brings you to the Azores?"
The Azores: nine islands hidden away in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the hidden gem of Portugal. Covered in green farmlands and volcanoes next to the glistening blue sea. To the rest of the world they are a mystery, but to the locals and wealthy tourists they are a familiar sight.
"What? Can't a girl take a vacation every once in a while?' Lara chimed.
The Captain bellowed an exasperated sigh through his moustache, "Lara, when it comes to you it is never that simple. I don't believe I've ever heard of the Great Lady Lara Croft taking a vacation. Now, tell me, why are you really here?"
"Vinez, I'm not in the custom of lying, I'm just here in order to relax."
The Captain sighed again, "Well, knowing you, you'll end up stumbling into some sort of trouble," he continued, rolling his eyes all the while, "Try to be careful will you? I don't need my island sinking down into the ocean!"
"Oh Vinez, you really should lose that sigh. And you should know I'm always careful," Lara said with a coy smile and a sparkle in her eye.
"If you're careful then I'm a blonde supermodel in a bikini!" Vinez said but, as he turned to face her, he found she was already gone.
Later on in the day, as the boat docked in the port of Terceira, Lara jumped off onto the docks.
"Lara!" Vinez called from his boat, "If you need a place to stay you could always stay with me. It may not be Croft Manor but, at least you'd have a bed to sleep on."
"I'll be fine. I know of a place." And with that Lara gave a final wave and headed towards the village.
It was early evening and samosa scented the air with a spicy flavour. The sky was red and the sun was quickly fading. There were still many people out in the streets finishing off the chores of the day and preparing to settle down for the night. Lara's stomach began to grumble at the scent of all the food cooking so she decided to stop at a small restaurant for a quick dinner.
Lara sat at a solitary table tucked away in the corner of the restaurant. There were a few couples scattered around the room but, the atmosphere was a private and intimate one. She sat alone nursing a goblet of water and nibbling on a biscuit as she waited for the waiter to bring her meal.
"Would you like another glass?"
"Yes, please," Lara intoned, looking up expecting to see her waiter hovering over her but, saw instead a dark-eyed stranger.
"Good evening, Lady Croft. May I sit?"
"No," Lara said but, the stranger was already in the process of seating himself. The waiter arrived with her dinner and asked the gentleman sitting with her if he needed anything; he politely declined and the waiter moved away.
"Who are you?' Lara asked while looking down at the steam rising from her food, failing to reach for her fork having now lost her appetite. She took the moment of silence caused by the evasion of her question to identify her dinner partner. He was a dark-eyed man of medium build with a permanent smirk on his face that Lara was dying to punch off. His skin was a deathly white in sharp contrast to his dark brows and hair save for the streak of white to one side. He has full lips and a strong nose and jaw line; there was a redness beneath his eyes that hinted at a lack of sleep. One of his small hands reached out to the candle on the table and twirled it around as he spoke.
"An ally. With a proposal for you."
Abruptly Lara got out of her seat and prepared to walk away. "A marriage proposal, how sweet," she replied sarcastically, "but I'm sorry I don't have time for this"
As Lara was turning from the table she felt the grip of cold, hard steel encircle her wrist. She gazed into dark, fathomless black eyes that revealed nothing, save her own reflection.
"Excuse me, Lady Croft, but I believe you will find it wiser to remain seated until you have heard my proposal."
Though she did not fear the man she cooperated with him anyways. "All right, I'm listening," she said as she resettled herself. She again looked down at the food awaiting her, the steam beginning to ebb off. Though her body craved it her mind was too preoccupied with the situation facing her; she was incapable of engaging in the mundane act of eating.
"As I was saying," he shot her a writhing glare that would have had a lesser woman quaking in fear, "I am here on serious business. I believe that we are of similar minds and I am in need a partner for a task I am about to undertake. The benefit to you would be a sizeable profit and…"
Lara leaned forward with a look in her eyes that proved her resolve was an equal match to his, "I'm not a mercenary for hire, money is not a motivation for me, so you'll have to do better than that."
"Now, Miss Croft, if you would stop rudely interrupting me," Lara rolled her eyes at his tone and choice of words, "Where was I?" He continued to twirl the candle around as he thought, "Oh, yes, well the completion of this task would also be a huge ego boost," he chuckled at her venomous glare, "And more than that it could possibly avoid the outbreak of the third World War," he paused to emphasize his point and to assure himself of her attention, "As I said before I believe we are of similar minds in terms of wanting to avoid such catastrophes and, to be honest, I seek revenge and will do whatever I can to obtain it," he finished with a flourish of his hands, causing the candle flame to go out, plunging himself into darkness.
"I am a very busy woman…sir. I hear these offers on a constant basis. What is so special about your case?" She quirked an eyebrow, "Why should I help you?
"Well because…" the man paused as he thought his answer over while studying his hands, "I could recite many reasons, but I fear you will simply dismiss them. Because you need to see to believe." He gazed at Lara for a long moment; she felt as though she were being tested. The dark-eyed stranger nodded to himself, convinced of something. "Go to Romania, Poenari, study the Devil's castle. See if you find anything that convinces you of my sincerity."
Lara was about to utter her doubt, but as she searched the shadows hiding her table partner the glitter in his eyes told her he fervently believed in what he was saying, "And you won't tell me anymore than that?"
"I'm afraid not. When you have made our discovery," he leant over into the light again and placed a card before her, "you can contact me here." For the first time that night he smiled at her with not only his lips, but also his eyes, "I anticipate the day we commence working together." With a salute and the echo of his boots he exited the restaurant.
Lara looked at the card before her. It had the name William Burton etched upon it and a telephone number. As she sat there, Lara felt consumed by numerous questions and the sudden desire to discover the answers.
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