They were on another helicopter by the next morning. Lara was ready to end
all this crap with the nephili right now, but Kurtis was trying to come up
with a plan to do it smoothly. The sword was wrapped up and tied to his
back. He didn't know what kind of things were in the temple. A dead Karel,
Glen, Gunderson, and ... and God knows what else. Kurtis decided he'd have to
watch out for Lara. Not that she was incapable of taking care of herself;
he just felt he needed to take care of her. Because he was a trained Lux
Veritatis and she wasn't ... so he's more skilled than her... or something.
Yeah... He shook his head and stared out the window.
The temple was located in Egypt. "Why Egypt?" Lara had asked when Kurtis told her. So he had to explain. The nephilim were always of rare existence. Egyptians worshiped the nephilim race like they were gods. Of course, people also feared them because of the great destruction they were capable of. A small group of monks saw this as a problem. The monks found a way to deal with this by creating the Periapt Shards. The sword was made incase something ever happened to the shards or the shards weren't strong enough. With Karel, it was both.
"Here's the door," Kurtis called. He opened the small, heavy hatch on the side of a very small temple. The temple looked like there couldn't possibly be anything in it. It was that small. Lara joined Kurtis as he ducked under the door and down the narrow staircase. It wound down into a laboratory looking room. There was a small table in the corner covered in blood. "Whatever happened here happened recently," he told her.
"Well, what do you think the blood's from?" she asked.
"I have no idea, but we'd better watch out for Karel. Just incase." She nodded and they went through a hall that split into two paths at the end. "Figures, don't it?"
"Yeah," she agreed. "I'll take the path on the right, that way I'm likely to come back. Right is always better than left."
Kurtis said, "Hey! ... Best of luck to you too." With his gun ready he headed down the left path. It seemed like a long walk before he finally reached another staircase with a fresh blood trail. At the bottom was a door. The room inside was dark, lit only by a few candles. It was as small as a cell. The candles barely lighting anything were resting on a table around a bowl, traces of the substance that was once in it still remained. He looked at it closer and saw that it was blood. A painting of a nephilim hung on the wall behind the altar. Carefully, he pushed it aside and crossed over into another room.
The floor was marble, the ceiling was a huge mirror, and the walls were white. Glen's body was slumped in a corner. Kurtis scoffed, "Oh well." The room was empty other than that and looked like a dead end. He looked up at the ceiling, but saw no change in the reflection. "Suppose I'd better catch up to Lara then."
Lara had taken a winding staircase down and came to a room. Well, it wasn't a room really; it was a cave. Not far from the staircase was a deep pit. She found a place to get a firm grip and started to climb down. The farther she climbed, the more nervous she became. "You're almost there," she said to herself. She felt relieved when her foot touched solid ground. It's not like she hadn't climbed anything before, but with unpredictable people like Karel around, you never know what will happen. "This place is unbelievable," she sighed. The cave stretched out into another passage. Something hit the top of her head, making a quick, sharp pain. "Ow. Wha- Oh." Kurtis was climbing down the ledge. "How'd you catch up so fast?" she asked when he reached the bottom.
"Nothing but a dead Glen on my path," he told her. "They must've sacrificed him. ... Oh well. Here." He handed her the sword, which was actually pretty heavy.
"What do you want me to do with it?"
"Carry it. Come on, let's move it." Lara scoffed at his sudden seriousness and followed him into the tunnel.
"I don't think it's a good idea to separate again," she said.
"We shouldn't have to." He sighed, "I don't know how hard this is going to be, but we have to get rid of Karel, no matter what."
"And Gunderson?"
"Ah, we'll just shoot him in the head."
"Oh what a great plan."
He said, "Shut up." They continued down the passage, Lara dragging the sword behind her. Kurtis wasn't in front of her anymore.
"What are you doing?" She said turning around. He held his hand up to silence her. She whispered, "What?"
"Can you hear it?" he whispered back. Lara stood there for a minute, listening. Somewhere, at the end of the passage, people were talking. "Come on, I bet we're almost there." He walked ahead of her again, so she followed. The end of the passage looked like a throne room. Karel was sitting in the center.
Lara scoffed, "What a messed up place this is."
"I knew you'd come," Karel said, more to Kurtis than Lara.
"So you're alive and well, huh?"
"Didn't Mr. Trent here tell you what happened to Glen? What were you expecting? I see you have the sword." Lara's grip tightened on the handle of it. She lifted the blade and swung at Karel. He jumped out of the way and struck her in the back of the neck.
The temple was located in Egypt. "Why Egypt?" Lara had asked when Kurtis told her. So he had to explain. The nephilim were always of rare existence. Egyptians worshiped the nephilim race like they were gods. Of course, people also feared them because of the great destruction they were capable of. A small group of monks saw this as a problem. The monks found a way to deal with this by creating the Periapt Shards. The sword was made incase something ever happened to the shards or the shards weren't strong enough. With Karel, it was both.
"Here's the door," Kurtis called. He opened the small, heavy hatch on the side of a very small temple. The temple looked like there couldn't possibly be anything in it. It was that small. Lara joined Kurtis as he ducked under the door and down the narrow staircase. It wound down into a laboratory looking room. There was a small table in the corner covered in blood. "Whatever happened here happened recently," he told her.
"Well, what do you think the blood's from?" she asked.
"I have no idea, but we'd better watch out for Karel. Just incase." She nodded and they went through a hall that split into two paths at the end. "Figures, don't it?"
"Yeah," she agreed. "I'll take the path on the right, that way I'm likely to come back. Right is always better than left."
Kurtis said, "Hey! ... Best of luck to you too." With his gun ready he headed down the left path. It seemed like a long walk before he finally reached another staircase with a fresh blood trail. At the bottom was a door. The room inside was dark, lit only by a few candles. It was as small as a cell. The candles barely lighting anything were resting on a table around a bowl, traces of the substance that was once in it still remained. He looked at it closer and saw that it was blood. A painting of a nephilim hung on the wall behind the altar. Carefully, he pushed it aside and crossed over into another room.
The floor was marble, the ceiling was a huge mirror, and the walls were white. Glen's body was slumped in a corner. Kurtis scoffed, "Oh well." The room was empty other than that and looked like a dead end. He looked up at the ceiling, but saw no change in the reflection. "Suppose I'd better catch up to Lara then."
Lara had taken a winding staircase down and came to a room. Well, it wasn't a room really; it was a cave. Not far from the staircase was a deep pit. She found a place to get a firm grip and started to climb down. The farther she climbed, the more nervous she became. "You're almost there," she said to herself. She felt relieved when her foot touched solid ground. It's not like she hadn't climbed anything before, but with unpredictable people like Karel around, you never know what will happen. "This place is unbelievable," she sighed. The cave stretched out into another passage. Something hit the top of her head, making a quick, sharp pain. "Ow. Wha- Oh." Kurtis was climbing down the ledge. "How'd you catch up so fast?" she asked when he reached the bottom.
"Nothing but a dead Glen on my path," he told her. "They must've sacrificed him. ... Oh well. Here." He handed her the sword, which was actually pretty heavy.
"What do you want me to do with it?"
"Carry it. Come on, let's move it." Lara scoffed at his sudden seriousness and followed him into the tunnel.
"I don't think it's a good idea to separate again," she said.
"We shouldn't have to." He sighed, "I don't know how hard this is going to be, but we have to get rid of Karel, no matter what."
"And Gunderson?"
"Ah, we'll just shoot him in the head."
"Oh what a great plan."
He said, "Shut up." They continued down the passage, Lara dragging the sword behind her. Kurtis wasn't in front of her anymore.
"What are you doing?" She said turning around. He held his hand up to silence her. She whispered, "What?"
"Can you hear it?" he whispered back. Lara stood there for a minute, listening. Somewhere, at the end of the passage, people were talking. "Come on, I bet we're almost there." He walked ahead of her again, so she followed. The end of the passage looked like a throne room. Karel was sitting in the center.
Lara scoffed, "What a messed up place this is."
"I knew you'd come," Karel said, more to Kurtis than Lara.
"So you're alive and well, huh?"
"Didn't Mr. Trent here tell you what happened to Glen? What were you expecting? I see you have the sword." Lara's grip tightened on the handle of it. She lifted the blade and swung at Karel. He jumped out of the way and struck her in the back of the neck.