The sound of metal clashing against the rocks woke Lara up. She rubbed the
back of her neck. Kurtis and Karel weren't within her view. She stood up,
feeling a little shaky. Heavy footsteps approached quickly behind her and
she was struck down to the ground again. She looked up. Gunderson loomed
above her. She got to her feet and thrust her fist into his face. He
faltered back a step, then hit her in the stomach. She staggered back into
the wall. Quickly, she drew her gun and shot, nailing him in the head. He
fell to the ground. Leaving Gunderson's dead body, she started back up the
passage. Kurtis was swinging the sword around and dodging Karel's attacks.
Kurtis threw his Chirugai, but Karel caught it. Kurtis noticed Lara
standing there. "Get back," he yelled to her. She didn't move. He gave her
frustrated look. A metal blade of the Chirugai pierced through Kurtis's
shoulder and Lara couldn't help letting out a startled scream. He walked
over to her and she helped him sit down.
"Give me that sword," she said. He handed it to her and leaned his uninjured shoulder against the wall. Lara tightened her grip around the handle. "Come on, Karel. Get your ass over here and fight." She swung the sword at him and he caught it. A kick to the stomach pushed him backwards. He knocked her to the ground without touching her. She rose to her knees and knicked his leg with the sword. She tried to run back to Kurtis, but was knocked down again and slid toward Karel. He took the sword from her. She rolled out of the way as it smacked the ground.
Kurtis was trying to think of a way to help Lara. He extended his hand out and mentally gave Karel a shove backwards. It was all he could do, being as his own weapon was jammed into his shoulder pretty good. Karel started toward Kurtis. Lara picked up the sword from where it was dropped and made a slash in Karel's back. He turned around to hit her and she stuck the sword through his lower back. Blood dripped from his mouth. He fell forward to his knees, wavered a bit, then fell on the ground. Lara sighed a little.
"Kurtis, are you alright?" She asked. He only nodded. "Let's get out of here and we'll fix you up." He told her to take the sword. "What? Whay?"
"Please, just do it."
"... Okay, if you really want me to." She stepped on Karel's body,pulled the sword out and stabbed him one more time before handing it to Kurtis. "It's going to be a hard climb," she said. "I can try to help you though. Too bad we didn't bring some rope."
"I don't know if I can make that. There's got to be another way or something."
"Like what; a secret elevator? Perhaps an escalat-"
"Lara shut up! I don't know what to do, but I doubt I can make it back up!"
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I don't know what to do either. ... I could go get a rope or something, but I don't want to leave you here. Let me look around down here, you just wait. Ok?" He nodded and she wandered around the passage, inspecting things. There was a blood trail she never noticed before that ended at Karel's throne-like chair. ("A little over dramatic, isn't he? He isn't that important. Better for his ego I guess.") The sound of a sword tearing through skin reached her ears. She turned around and saw a headless Karel fall to the ground. "Ugh, Gross. You cut his head off."
Kurtis said, "I had to. He was going to kill you. You find anything yet?"
"Not yet. Hey." She walked over to the tapestry hanging on the wall. It looked similar to the one hanging in the Lux Veritatis vault. She pushed it aside and rammed her shoulder into the wall. "I found a staircase. This gets more and more like a movie every second."
"Ah, just go." He pushed her up the stairs. They came out the wall Glen's body was slumped against. "Here's Glen." Lara looked at his bloody body for a second, then shook her head.
When they finally came out of the temple, Kurtis flat out refused to go to a hospital. Lara kept insisting. "Please, Kurtis?" she begged. "You have to do something. Let me take you to a hospital." He said no. "At least let me call someone I know that can help. You can't walk around like that." He thought about it for a minute.
"All right," he finally answered. "I guess so." They reached Lara's house in what seemed like hours. Lara helped Kurtis inside and had him sit down while she used the phone.
"He'll be here in a minute," she told Kurtis.
"He'll be here in a minute? Oh no. Is this guy going to try to kill me too?"
"No. His name is David. He was a friend of my father's, so there's nothing to worry about. How's your shoulder?"
"I could use some pain killers, but I'm holding," he said. "How long is he gonna take to get here?"
"Just a few minutes. Anything I can do for you?" He just shook his head. They waited in silence for ten minutes. David was an old man. He wore glasses and what little hair he had left was gray. He took a look at Kurtis's shoulder.
"We're going to have to remove your shirt," David said. "Lara, bring me a pair of scissors." Lara handed him some scissors. Kurtis noticed how shaky the old man's hands were. David leaned close to Kurtis. He tried to put the scissors under the neck of Kurtis's white shirt, but ended up poking him.
"Ow! Shit," Kurtis swore.
"Here I'll do it," Lara offered as she took the scissors.
"Why do we have to cut my shirt off?"
"Well, you can't really take it off with that blade in your shoulder, dumb ass. Use your head." Kurtis watched Lara as she finished cutting the sleeve of his black shirt. She met his gaze. "Don't get too excited, Kurtis. I'm just helping to get the blade out." He gave her a snotty smile and she smiled innocently back. "All done." She took a step back and said, "Now, I'm going to go talk to Larson."
"No, wait. You have to stay here with me," he protested.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can handle watching this." She went upstairs, leaving him pleading for her to come back. She found Larson in the music room, reading. "What are you doing?"
"Reading Moby Dick," he told her.
"Well, that's great, but ... that's a history book."
He looked at it for a second, blinked, then said, "So it is."
"Larson, you're going to have to go home." She proceeded to convince him to go home with his girlfriend because of Kurtis's condition. "And he wont be in the mood to deal with you, so if you don't mind..." Surprisingly, he agreed and went on his way. Lara waited for Kurtis in her room.
The next day, Kurtis swallowed some aspirin for the pulsating ache in his shoulder. He was careful how he moved his arm so he wouldn't tear the stitches. "Lara, I uh-"
"What?" she asked when she came in.
He cleared his throat and continued, "Do you have the sword?"
"Yeah, here. May I ask why you want it?"
"I don't know. Just in case maybe. It's not like we can put it back or anything." He laughed a little, then cleared his throat again. "I should probably go home. Have to get plane tickets or something." Lara just nodded. He put the strap of his duffel bag around his shoulder. An uncomfortable silence hung between them. "Well," Kurtis finally said, "guess I'll see ya."
"Bye, Kurtis." He just nodded in what seemed to be slight disappointment. Long after he had gone, Lara realized the mistake she made in letting him go.
Kurtis had to wait around the airport for a few hours. He sat impatiently in a chair, looking at the people around him. A couple with a baby stood at the counter having a conversation with the woman behind it. Suddenly, he missed Lara. But, he had to go home. He sighed, trying to block out any thought about her from his mind. When the time came, he grabbed his bag and boarded the plane.
"Give me that sword," she said. He handed it to her and leaned his uninjured shoulder against the wall. Lara tightened her grip around the handle. "Come on, Karel. Get your ass over here and fight." She swung the sword at him and he caught it. A kick to the stomach pushed him backwards. He knocked her to the ground without touching her. She rose to her knees and knicked his leg with the sword. She tried to run back to Kurtis, but was knocked down again and slid toward Karel. He took the sword from her. She rolled out of the way as it smacked the ground.
Kurtis was trying to think of a way to help Lara. He extended his hand out and mentally gave Karel a shove backwards. It was all he could do, being as his own weapon was jammed into his shoulder pretty good. Karel started toward Kurtis. Lara picked up the sword from where it was dropped and made a slash in Karel's back. He turned around to hit her and she stuck the sword through his lower back. Blood dripped from his mouth. He fell forward to his knees, wavered a bit, then fell on the ground. Lara sighed a little.
"Kurtis, are you alright?" She asked. He only nodded. "Let's get out of here and we'll fix you up." He told her to take the sword. "What? Whay?"
"Please, just do it."
"... Okay, if you really want me to." She stepped on Karel's body,pulled the sword out and stabbed him one more time before handing it to Kurtis. "It's going to be a hard climb," she said. "I can try to help you though. Too bad we didn't bring some rope."
"I don't know if I can make that. There's got to be another way or something."
"Like what; a secret elevator? Perhaps an escalat-"
"Lara shut up! I don't know what to do, but I doubt I can make it back up!"
"I'm sorry," she sighed. "I don't know what to do either. ... I could go get a rope or something, but I don't want to leave you here. Let me look around down here, you just wait. Ok?" He nodded and she wandered around the passage, inspecting things. There was a blood trail she never noticed before that ended at Karel's throne-like chair. ("A little over dramatic, isn't he? He isn't that important. Better for his ego I guess.") The sound of a sword tearing through skin reached her ears. She turned around and saw a headless Karel fall to the ground. "Ugh, Gross. You cut his head off."
Kurtis said, "I had to. He was going to kill you. You find anything yet?"
"Not yet. Hey." She walked over to the tapestry hanging on the wall. It looked similar to the one hanging in the Lux Veritatis vault. She pushed it aside and rammed her shoulder into the wall. "I found a staircase. This gets more and more like a movie every second."
"Ah, just go." He pushed her up the stairs. They came out the wall Glen's body was slumped against. "Here's Glen." Lara looked at his bloody body for a second, then shook her head.
When they finally came out of the temple, Kurtis flat out refused to go to a hospital. Lara kept insisting. "Please, Kurtis?" she begged. "You have to do something. Let me take you to a hospital." He said no. "At least let me call someone I know that can help. You can't walk around like that." He thought about it for a minute.
"All right," he finally answered. "I guess so." They reached Lara's house in what seemed like hours. Lara helped Kurtis inside and had him sit down while she used the phone.
"He'll be here in a minute," she told Kurtis.
"He'll be here in a minute? Oh no. Is this guy going to try to kill me too?"
"No. His name is David. He was a friend of my father's, so there's nothing to worry about. How's your shoulder?"
"I could use some pain killers, but I'm holding," he said. "How long is he gonna take to get here?"
"Just a few minutes. Anything I can do for you?" He just shook his head. They waited in silence for ten minutes. David was an old man. He wore glasses and what little hair he had left was gray. He took a look at Kurtis's shoulder.
"We're going to have to remove your shirt," David said. "Lara, bring me a pair of scissors." Lara handed him some scissors. Kurtis noticed how shaky the old man's hands were. David leaned close to Kurtis. He tried to put the scissors under the neck of Kurtis's white shirt, but ended up poking him.
"Ow! Shit," Kurtis swore.
"Here I'll do it," Lara offered as she took the scissors.
"Why do we have to cut my shirt off?"
"Well, you can't really take it off with that blade in your shoulder, dumb ass. Use your head." Kurtis watched Lara as she finished cutting the sleeve of his black shirt. She met his gaze. "Don't get too excited, Kurtis. I'm just helping to get the blade out." He gave her a snotty smile and she smiled innocently back. "All done." She took a step back and said, "Now, I'm going to go talk to Larson."
"No, wait. You have to stay here with me," he protested.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think I can handle watching this." She went upstairs, leaving him pleading for her to come back. She found Larson in the music room, reading. "What are you doing?"
"Reading Moby Dick," he told her.
"Well, that's great, but ... that's a history book."
He looked at it for a second, blinked, then said, "So it is."
"Larson, you're going to have to go home." She proceeded to convince him to go home with his girlfriend because of Kurtis's condition. "And he wont be in the mood to deal with you, so if you don't mind..." Surprisingly, he agreed and went on his way. Lara waited for Kurtis in her room.
The next day, Kurtis swallowed some aspirin for the pulsating ache in his shoulder. He was careful how he moved his arm so he wouldn't tear the stitches. "Lara, I uh-"
"What?" she asked when she came in.
He cleared his throat and continued, "Do you have the sword?"
"Yeah, here. May I ask why you want it?"
"I don't know. Just in case maybe. It's not like we can put it back or anything." He laughed a little, then cleared his throat again. "I should probably go home. Have to get plane tickets or something." Lara just nodded. He put the strap of his duffel bag around his shoulder. An uncomfortable silence hung between them. "Well," Kurtis finally said, "guess I'll see ya."
"Bye, Kurtis." He just nodded in what seemed to be slight disappointment. Long after he had gone, Lara realized the mistake she made in letting him go.
Kurtis had to wait around the airport for a few hours. He sat impatiently in a chair, looking at the people around him. A couple with a baby stood at the counter having a conversation with the woman behind it. Suddenly, he missed Lara. But, he had to go home. He sighed, trying to block out any thought about her from his mind. When the time came, he grabbed his bag and boarded the plane.