*A/N: I'm sorry that I haven't been updating! I really am! I hope you enjoy the rest of the story!

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Nothing happened. As Lara looked on, her eyes darted across her adversary, trying to make the slightest connection of victory. But none could be found. Could she have just damned the world indefinitely? What was to happen now that the amulet lay lamely on the demon's neck? But Lara was too smart for that. Before she even knew what she was doing, her hand flew to her boot and snatched a small dagger. In seconds, it flashed a brilliant silver and flew in front of the Tomb Raider, directly for the monster that threatened the fate of the world.

Connection.

A howl of pain reached the survivors' ears as contact was made by the knife that Lara had thrown. The Pacific Amulet made the beast tangible! But for how long and for what reason? These were new factors to consider. Could the demon now be killed, and the world spared? With newfound hope, Croft un-holstered her weapons and cracked her neck. She knew that only one of them was getting out alive. And that one would be her.

Pistols blaring, pyres burning, demon screaming, the battle commenced. But a huge change had taken place- the beast was on the defensive.

Can it be killed so simply? Lara thought. Can we destroy the amulet?

Carefully, the Tomb Raider aimed for the chain that held the circular artifact. Pulling the trigger, she watched as the bullet sailed through the air and hit her mark dead on.

The beast's howling slowed somewhat and the color of its body darkened. Lara now knew the answer to her question.

"West!" She yelled. "Don't shoot the amulet, it will only make it stronger!"

Her comrade nodded nervously. Now the weight on his shoulders was even heavier. How did Lara deal with this?

Suddenly, a tremendous blow sent Alex hurtling through the air. SMASH! His body collided with the thick stone wall behind him. All he could feel was agony and something was coming closer to where he lay...

The beast turned from Lara's fire and took great steps in the opposite direction; Croft kept firing, watching as each bullet sank deeper into the demon's so-called flesh. But where was it heading? Hastily, Lara's eyes followed its path; it led to Alex.

"No!" Lara screamed. A new wave of energy hit her and she found herself sprinting toward the monster. Its back still turned toward her, she leapt onto it, reaching into her boot for another dagger. Fumbling only for a minute, the tomb raider freed her metallic weapon and plunged it into the beast's neck. She twisted with all her might and drove it deeper, but it still advanced on Alex. Tears began to blind her. How was she to stop this?

Physical attack does no good, Lara thought desperately. Then how can it be destroyed?

Just then, a glimmer of realization caught Croft's attention. There, just a small distance away was the engraving, its borders shining in the firelight. The demon had been apprehensive to step into the circle before. Could it be that it was afraid instead of unable?

Violently pulling the blade from her enemy's neck, Lara jumped over the beast's head and grabbed Alex under the arms. Hurriedly, she raced toward the engraving, the demon trailing behind her. It was so close, she could feel its hot breath on the back of her neck. The red wisps that tangled inside of it, she could see in her peripheral vision. Her ears picked up the haunting sound of the Pacific Amulet as the chain clattered on its captive's neck. Alex's weight slowed Lara down, but there was no way in hell that she was stopping. Failure was not an option.

Finally, she was upon the circular configuration; it gleamed brighter than before, but not as result of the fire, but from the closeness of the demon. The engraving was robbed and it wanted back what was stolen.

With all her strength, Lara threw West over the circle, careful that neither of them had body parts inside of it. She spun around and faced the monster, its eyes searching hers intently. The tomb raider felt an aching pain in her chest, something like a hot knife being thrust into her body. Unable to help herself, Croft found herself on her knees, clutching at her heart in anguish. But how was this? It wasn't touching her!

This was it; Lara could do no more. She had defended the world from evil countless times and this particular event would claim her own life. Such a cruel injustice. No matter how she wanted to get to her feet, she couldn't. Her strength fettered underneath the invisible weight that encumbered her; everything was lost. Everything was in vain. Croft prayed for one last miracle.

Suddenly, a loud shriek sounded in front of her; her strength was back and her head immediately snapped up to catch what had just happened. The demon's insides swirled dangerously as it arched its back in pain. Lara followed her eyes and saw that the beast's legs were broken, shattered into multiple pieces. It wavered in front of her, threatening to fall directly upon her. Eyes wide, Croft rolled out of the way as her enemy fell to its knees, just as she had moments before. Behind it, stood Bryce.

A smile appeared on Lara's lips as she gazed at her exhausted tech. His eyelids grew heavier as each drop of blood ran down his face; his hair was messier than usual. His breathing was hard, but he did not gasp. Slowly, he fell to the ground.

"Bryce!" Lara cried. She ran to his side and turned him onto his back. But he didn't reply. His lips barely trembled. Lara could do nothing but watch her friend slip from her grasp into darkness.

"No," she whispered. "Don't do this. Come on, Bryce, you'll make it. Please don't die." But his body fell limp.

"No!"

Croft clenched her fists and rose to her feet. She turned her attention toward the demon on the floor and furiously kicked at its broken legs, each blow moving it slightly forward. Every ounce of hate and loathing poured from her body as she resumed her attacks. On Lara's fourth kick, however, the ground around her began to shake. This quake was unlike the others; this time, the ground beneath her began to fall apart. Lara's tear stained face turned toward the engraving on the floor. Unknowingly, her kicks had nudged the demon closer and closer to the circle until finally, the very top of its head broke one of the fine, golden lines.

Flash!

Dark red light leapt from the ground; magnetically, it grasped the demon's head and pulled it closer, ever so slowly. As each new inch entered the circle, more of the floor fell away; it was like a timer. Frantically, Lara searched for a way out, her lungs waiting for a breath of fresh air to enter the dank chamber. The door from which they entered was sealed shut and the surrounding rocks hardly budged as the quake continued to tear apart the golden chamber.

"Oh no... West..." Lara breathed as she remembered her comrade on the opposite side of the circle. Leaving Bryce only for a moment, she found her way safely to the other side and locked her hands underneath Alex's arms. Down the few steps, she dragged him to where her other friend lay... dead or alive, she did not know.

"Are there any survivors!" The Tomb Raider called. Listening intently, she heard three separate moans come from different end of the chamber.

"Follow my voice!" She instructed. "We're going to find a way out of here!"

In a daze, Croft observed the demon inch closer to the engraving. Now, not only was the floor giving way, but the ceiling began to crumble. This was what Lara was waiting for. Turning to the other survivors, Lara spoke to them hastily:

"Remembering our journey into the chamber, I deduce that fresh air can be no more than thirty feet up. But that is from the floor. If the ceiling was to break away in the right spot, we could possibly see sunlight and escape. Now, I want everyone to aim their fire at that mark right there."

Lara pointed to a specific spot high above them all. Each man nodded and everyone began to fire.

In no more than two minutes, debris began to collect on the floor, some falling into the unknown abyss that was beginning to claim the entire chamber. Each man and Lara continued to fire, their very hopes and dreams wrapped around each bullet casing. As if their prayers had been answered, a ray of sunshine spilled through the hole they had just made.

"Quickly!" Lara exclaimed and pointed to two of the survivors. "I want you two to go first and carry these two men here. Be careful!"

One of Vladimir's former cronies threw his grappling hook above him and let it grab hold of firm ground. Throwing Alex over his shoulder, the man in black climbed toward the hole.

Lara watched with an awaiting smile; she knew that she must save her emotions of victory until after they had surely won. Now four men were out, including Alex and Bryce. Only she and one man remained.

"All right, you head up and I'll go up after you. Hurry now!"

But the man didn't move. Amidst the falling debris and collapsing floor, he stood in front of Lara, a black mask hiding his face. Lara sensed a confrontation was about to occur that would prohibit her from surviving. But nothing would stop her from climbing out of this hellhole.

"Move, soldier," Lara said firmly. But the man started to laugh; he removed a hand from behind his back and revealed a long blade.

"You're so clever, Lady Croft. But that won't save you when you're dead!" He lunged toward her only to be flipped over her back. His entire body now hung over into the darkness; the only thing that stopped him from falling was his grip on Lara's wrist. The blade that he used now lay next to Lara; she picked it up and inspected it.

"I don't have time for this," she spat. And in one fluid motion, she sliced the blade across her assailant's wrist, detaching it from its grip and the rest of its body. The solider in black screamed as he fell into the unknown.

Shaking the hand off that still held onto her wrist, Lara ran to the wall, that ensured her escape, and scaled the rope. Below her, the demon's body was nearly completely consumed by the mysterious engraving. Sliding on her stomach, the Tomb Raider finally breathed fresh air, untainted by years of confinement. She collapsed in exhaustion as the hole that she had just climbed through crumbled, never to be opened again.

But her body wouldn't allow her to rest, nor would it let her be at peace. Breathing hard, she rejoined the rest of the survivors and knelt between Alex and Bryce. Silent tears traveled down her flushed cheeks. With one hand upon each of her friends' faces, Lara Croft cried.

"Lady Croft, we have a helicopter waiting."

Lara acknowledged the voice and wordlessly followed, making sure that Alex and Bryce were picked up and taken care of. Even on the helicopter, she did not leave their sides. The other survivors urged her to rest, but she just couldn't. Not until she knew they were all right.

"Miss Croft, you're bleeding!"

The tomb raider looked down at her shirt and noticed that it was soaked with blood. Her hands were cut up; slashes in her pants revealed large gashes in her legs. Nausea washed over Lara and her head seemed to float above her. Only now did she feel the effects of blood loss. Clutching the wound in her abdomen, Croft unwillingly lost consciousness.