CHAPTER TEN
The trio continued to move as inconspicuously quick as they could, desperately trying to figure out where this Slizer was holding the ceremony within the base. Fortunately after what felt like ten minutes, they overheard some random security patrols discussing what the whole fuss was about and proceeded to follow close behind. To the mercs, it seemed so sudden and out-of-the-blue for their mysterious benefactor to be so willing to come out of the shadows.
One merc even commented that those who do manage to sneak a peek at Slizer, tended to never be heard from again. And for the few that do make it and live to tell the tale, were left in a perpetual state of constant paranoia, requiring weeks of therapy sessions to recover. This evidently made the Laras and Jonah all the more concerned, about the mess they'd found themselves wrapped into as they continued to follow the mercs into another room.
What happened next, took them completely off guard. In the center of the room was a massive portal which seemed incredibly intricate in its design. Mercenaries surrounded the general area on both the ground floor and upper levels, as they chatted away amongst themselves about what they were all called in for.
It didn't take much longer for their curiosity to be sated however, as Eliza Muti opened a side-door and entered the crowded room, standing in front of the portal. The trio noticed that he seemed to be sweating all over. If what they had heard about Slizer was true, this showed how much of an authority he had on not only Eliza but of his vast team of mercenaries as well.
'I don't like this,' Core Lara said. 'All these mercenaries in one place, just seems too convenient.'
'What's your gut telling you Lara?' Jonah whispered.
'It's telling me that we should get out of here while we still can.' Core Lara said in response.
But before they could have a chance on opening the doors, sounds of locking mechanisms could be heard, suddenly sealing them all inside and trapped amongst an army of mercs. What happened next didn't do their predicament any favours.
The room inexplicably went dark briefly, as flashes of dark-red lightning started to generate in the middle giving Eliza quite the start as he collapsed on the ground in fear. What later spawned in as the bulbs generated lighting once again, revealed a seemingly normal-looking businessman in a black suit, with brown eyes and blond hair. Everybody stared in confusion at what had just transpired.
'Is this some kind of late April Fool's joke?' a random merc said. 'I expected someone actually intimidating! Not some weak-looking wuss. Boss, you really didn't call us all out for this, did you?'. Eliza could only stand up and try his best to maintain his composure, as he read out a piece of paper.
'Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our generous benefactor in the flesh, Mr Slizer Bowman. He... has seen fit to thank you for your great services and appreciates the... noble sacrifices you are about to make... Oh god.'
'Eliza, keep reading.' Slizer said to his terrified-sounding employee in a confident yet unnerving voice.
'...Do not fear what now awaits you. For you will merely be reborn somewhere else in the vast multiverse.' Eliza finished.
'That's better,' Slizer said. 'Now that we've got the introductions out of the way, its time I got this out and started the ceremony'.
Mercenaries watched in horror as the being they previously dismissed as a weak pencil pusher, started to change before their eyes into an orange-skinned demonic creature with similar-coloured eyes, continuing to grasp his own Mirror of Perception all the while in his now clawed-looking hands.
'Another Mirror of Perception?!' Survivor Lara said. 'But how can that be? We've got it right here!'
'It's because that's the one from my realm,' Core Lara said. 'Slizer must have snatched it from my person during my transportation to this world. There's just no other logical explanation for how he obtained another one.'
'Think we'd best find some cover,' Jonah said. 'Who knows what other kinds of power that Mirror bestows on those with the technical know-how.'
As the Laras and Jonah found cover behind a stack of metal crates, Slizer could be heard muttering demonic chantings as the Mirror of Perception started to glow in blue energies.
Some mercenaries tried to make a break for it, attempting to force the doors back open whereas others tried firing at this monster who had so easily played them for fools. Alas, Slizer seemed to have generated a powerful energy field around himself during the confusion and sparks of blue lightning zapped all of the exposed mercenaries and seemingly drained their very lifeforce from them into the Mirror of Perception, as they quickly decayed into dust.
The few mercs still left standing(including Eliza), did not escape an equally as cruel fate, with the trio hearing gruesome slaughter from behind. They didn't dare expose themselves, for risk of meeting their enemies' fate.
Slizer laughed in a demonic-sounding voice as he expressed to a dying Eliza, 'Thank you for your support, gullible mortal. You humans are so easily bought, it's little wonder you're barely taken seriously and seen as the joke of whatever universe you're a part of. Rest assured, your sacrifice will empower this device to transport me to wherever I desire, for the next 100 years. Farewell!'
Slizer then walked to the massive portal, activated an unseen setting on the Mirror and mumbled to himself, 'Ah, Earth 2. A world where Lara Croft is grieving over the conclusive loss of her mother and how pointless her entire life was in the grand scheme of things. It will prove an easy universe to conquer first.'
The Laras and Jonah poked their heads out from their hiding place, as they heard Slizer laughing to himself as he seemingly faded away into the massive portal device. They tore their disguises off and made a leg for the still active portal, but not before Eliza called out to them.
'Wait!,' Eliza called out, coughing up blood as he tried to speak whilst covering his open chest wound. 'You aren't going to get that double-crossing snake without knowing where he went...,' He coughed up even more blood, as Survivor Lara bent down and tried to support Eliza, while Core Lara and Jonah looked on in slightly visible distress. 'You have the other Mirror, don't you? Turn it on and scroll down three times... That's where Slizer is going to next and likely fool more easily-bought idiots like us into following his dogma... Kill him when you next see that bastard, would ya?' Eliza let out a weak laugh, before he finally died from his wounds.
Survivor Lara closed her eyes briefly and frowned, as she gently placed Eliza's head back on the ground. She then turned to look at her older counterpart and Core Lara knew exactly what to do, as she pulled their own Mirror of Perception out of her backpack.
'I'm not sure if it'll be able to transport all three of us easily. So you're gonna have to hold on to me.' she said.
Survivor Lara and Jonah each placed a hand on one of Core Lara's respective shoulders and braced themselves as Core Lara activated the Mirror of Perception, according to Eliza's instructions.
Suddenly, they found themselves all blinded by bright light and knew no more as they faded away into the unknown.