Warm, musty air filled everyone's nostrils as the mercenaries, tomb raiders, and tech traveled deeper underground. The walls on either side of the group continued to become more narrow as they pressed on; no one felt comfortable in such tight quarters, but Vladimir merely barked at them to keep moving. As they kept walking, however, the walls tightened horrendously, forcing the mercenaries to throw their packs behind them; some men even had to stay behind because they could not shuffle between the tight hall.
Lara took small, controlled breaths as the tunnel pressed tighter to her chest. Not being able to fill her lungs with pure air made her slightly dizzy, and the solidified lava that she faced and moved against scratched her arms and face. The soldiers that had been between the tomb raider and Bryce had stayed behind, so now Lara could hear her tech whine as he felt the effects of the cramped space as well.
The hallway seemed to go on forever; there was no room to talk, let alone breathe efficiently. Then, as if their every wish had been answered, the walls split and opened into a small, square chamber.
"It's a dead end," Bryce whimpered as he took deep gulps of air. "Where now?"
But Lara had already trained her eyes on Vladimir who was now pushing his followers back. The room was a relief from the suffocating corridor, but every person began to feel anxious and the body count made the already sweltering temperature rise. Croft couldn't even fathom how she managed to remain breathing as each mercenary backed her into a jagged corner; Alex and Bryce smashed up against her and she felt the first effects of unconsciousness.
And then the whole room began to shake. The panicked cries of the hired soldiers filled the crowded room to the point of deafening. Some even squeezed their way back through the narrow corridor to escape whatever wrath lied in wait for them. But as the rumbling progressed, a circular doorway formed per the result of Vladimir pressing the two amulets roughly into subtle markings that resided on the wall.
Suddenly, screams of anguish fluttered into Lara's ears. The corridor they had entered from was closing! Slowly, the walls pressed together until they finally joined; the sickening crack of bones and sloshing sound of bodily fluids were unmistakable as each mercenary who had attempted to flee, now became part of the tomb's grotesque decor.
In somewhat of a trance, Lara felt the tug of Alex's hand on her arm as he led her through the newly-opened doorway. Making sure that Bryce was in tow, Croft stepped over the threshold and into the darkness.
The silence of the remaining group only made the situation worse; the darkness enveloped them in mystery and terrifying suspense. What was in this new room? What waited for them in the foul recesses of this chamber? But Lara knew. Lara knew exactly what awaited them, and it wasn't going to be pretty.
Vlad felt his way through the caliginosity until he reached, what he thought was, a pyre of some fashion. Reaching into his pocket, he produced a single match, struck it, and tossed it into the metallic structure. In the blink of an eye, the pyre caught the match's flame and the fire sprung from the bowl and into the air; it finally settled, but still left a bright glow that accented the cabalistic chamber.
Lara found herself entranced by the radiance of the sights that she now beheld. As the commander lit each and every pyre, Lara watched the glow reflect off of the golden columns that were now visible. She now stood on the farthest point from Vladimir who was lighting the last pyre. Inspecting as she walked, the tomb raider made her way down a small set of stairs and found herself between two sets of golden columns. Both sets reached all the way down to the end of the chamber and each had a peculiar inscription on them. They were...
"A beauty to behold, is it not, Lady Croft?"
Lara's gaze now focused on the man a fair distance away from her. Her eyes narrowed as he smiled at her.
"I know what you're doing and it cannot be done, Vladimir! You do not know what you are dealing with- whom you are dealing with." She placed her hands on both of her pistols. "I'm afraid I cannot let you carry out this foolish act."
The commander's grin grew broader as he positioned himself on an engraved circle on the floor. As he did, the flames in each pyre grew steadier in their flickering; the heat that filled the room intensified, and so did Lara's grip on the handles of her guns.
Vlad wagged a finger at the tomb raider and then pointed to the shining rings of gold that he stood inside.
"You wouldn't want to spill blood on this engraving, Croft. If you do, the tables will not take as long to pass their mark on their journeys backward. Oh no, they'll do it in half the time. And you might be wondering why? Well I'll tell you." He gave her a smug look. "You might think I'm ignorant as to what is to be unleashed when I don these amulets, Lady Croft, but I assure you that I am not. In fact, I've carefully planned everything out; and trust me, it will be most fulfilling."
Then sharply snapping his fingers, the mercenaries who still retained their guns, immediately directed their aim toward their latest capture- Bryce.
"I'm afraid to gain is to lose, Croft. And unfortunately, to be in possession of the world means a small sacrifice will be in order; but do not fret! You won't be alive long enough to suffer through too much pain."
Gritting her teeth, Lara watched as her friend was hauled to the other side of the chamber by five burly men; held at gunpoint, she was unable to help. She knew that the situation must have been terrifying for Bryce, but he uttered no cry for help. Lara admired him deeply for his bravery. Then she watched as they threw the tech into the circle; one soldier pulled back Bryce's unkempt hair and forced his head back to expose the tender flesh of his neck. They were going to slit his throat.
"I'll give you a moment to say your last goodbyes, Croft," Vladimir said haughtily. "And then I'm afraid it's time for this little boy to die. Didn't I mention this before? Blood spilt on this engraving is wonderful, but if there is a true sacrifice in this very circle with the live victim's bloodshed, the tables will take no more than ten minutes to fully corrupt the entire world. Sorry if I forgot to mention it."
Thinking quickly, Lara traversed the length of the chamber and paused when Vladimir would let her no further. Standing a good ten feet away from Bryce, Lara smiled at him and watched as the pained look that he was giving her tried to fade away; but he could not hide his fear and Croft understood. Lowering her voice, Lara spoke almost in a whisper:
"I'm sorry, Bryce."
But before the mercenary could run the blade across the tech's neck, Lara rapidly un-holstered one pistol and pulled the trigger a single time. When the echoing of the fired bullet died, everyone in the chamber stared at the female tomb raider as she looked into Bryce's eyes. A shocked expression appeared on his face as sudden tears spilled from his eyes; then without another sound, Bryce's body fell over with a soft thud.
Lara could feel the heat of the room and it wasn't from the fire. Vladimir was fuming; Lara had ruined his plans.
"You bitch!" He screamed at her. "You've ruined everything!"
Lara gave him an ironic look.
"Oh, you mean you need a live sacrifice to speed up the tables? Dreadfully sorry, old chum. I'm afraid I didn't know."
Pure acid leaked from the commander's mouth as he tried to speak; no words formed, only stuttering and maddened screams. But then he narrowed his eyes at Lara Croft and grinned maliciously.
"No matter," he said, trying to compose himself. "We always have that other Tomb Raider, what's-his-name. Men, grab hi..."
"I don't think so," Lara said, stepping backward and drawing her second firearm. "Your plans have failed, Vladimir. Give it up while you're still alive."
But as stubborn as the commander was, he kicked Bryce's body aside and let it roll limply down the small set of stairs; if he had waited a moment longer, the first drop of Bryce's blood would have fallen. But Vlad himself now entered the protection of the engraving and crossed his arms in arrogance. Lara briefly remembered their previous conversation about that particular issue, but decided to drop it. She had to do what she must to prevent anyone from unleashing the terrors of those amulets.
"As you can see, Croft," Vladimir spat. "It is you who have lost; not I. Now put down your weapons like a good girl and this will all be over very, very soon."
And then he donned the Amulet of Ilse.
As before, the room began to shake, but now it became so violent that it threw the mercenaries and tomb raiders from their feet. The flames in the pyres became dangerously low as the very walls of the underground structure began to crack from the intense force of the quake. Taking this time, Lara holstered her weapons and scrambled as fast as she could toward her tech. Grabbing him underneath his arms, she struggled with him until he was safely in a back corner of the chamber, far away from the falling debris and soldiers. As she situated him, she heard him moan in protest.
"You shot me," he mumbled.
Lara smiled and felt a warm tear slide down her face. She ruffled Bryce's hair and let her hand come to rest on his cheek.
"It's better than being a sacrifice to the unspeakable to further the destruction of the world," she said evenly as he continued to moan. "Oh, don't be such a baby. You'll be fine; I promise."
"I don't think I will. Bloody hell, it hurts! I'm not letting you shoot anyone ever again! I never realized how much pain was involved..."
Lara simply shook her head and ordered him to be quiet as she made her way toward Vladimir once again. The room had stopped shaking, but the tables had just begun to spin.