Disclaimer: I don't own the characters from the Tomb Raider games or movies.
Riding a Bicycle
She had never been to Maui before but she couldn't deny that she liked the atmosphere. Lara really wasn't a person who liked to lie down an a beach and sunbathe. She was an adventurer and found museums and archaeological digs more interesting but sometimes, just sometimes, she loved the feeling of letting everything go and having some time just for her. She didn't want to admit it, but after living for weeks with the knowledge about a race called nephilim existing she would gladly take a break. After all she too was only human.
Konstantin had talked all the time they had sat in the plane about the way they should get to the volcano, like he had it all planned out in that secretive mind of his. Of course, he had been to Maui before and had some kind of idea how to climb to the volcano. Lara found it rather strange that defeating Karel was the only thing Konstantin talked about, like it was the very purpose of his life. Perhaps to him it was. Perhaps he was more similar to her parents that she wanted to admit. They had disowned her because she didn't want to live her life like them - visiting parties and living a life with no actual content. She wanted the painting too, not only the frame. Had Konstantin treated his son in a similar way? Because Kurtis didn't share his interests and way of life he was considered no good?
It was hard for him to understand that it was finally happening. All those years Karel had caused pain and agony upon mankind would end tonight and he, Konstantin, was the one who got to carry out the punishment, or at least see it carried out. He couldn't hide his excitement from Lara and, to be truthful, he didn't want to. Something he had waited for almost all of his life was about to happen. Finally he'd get to use his skills as they were meant to be used - for fighting the nephilim. He had had his share of fighting the Cabal but nephilim, like Karel, were something he had never met on a battlefield. It had been his dream from his early training days, it had been every Lux Veritatis' dream, everyone's but one - Kurtis'.
To Konstantin it had been a shock that Kurtis hadn't been thrilled about his abilities and skills. He hadn't enjoyed his training and especially the idea that he was to fight the Cabal, and perhaps someday the Nephilim. Instead of greeting his gift with open arms, he hadn't wanted it.
"We'd better find ourselves a guide," Konstantin said with a murky voice, and Lara could tell there was something bothering him.
"A guide?" Lara had had her share of bad experiences with guides. Some of them had been swindlers, some of them had died and some had run away. So in her opinion they were a bunch of untrustworthy cowards who had a tendency to get killed. They weren't much of a help, more like a burden.
"Yes. It's been over thirty years since was here the last time. Much has changed."
Lara had to admit that there was some reason in what he was saying. Time had a habit of consuming everything, flesh and lifeless things. It re-shaped the earth and bent the mountains to its will. Time was the beginning and the end of everything, and everything had its own time to walk and live under the sun.
The market place was full of life, selling souvenirs and snacks, but they passed it as if it didn't exist. There were so many other, more important things in their minds that they couldn't really care less. The world was filled with market places but there was only this one chance to save everything there is to save.
They finally found a tourist information center after some looking, and entered the building. There was no one behind the counter so Konstantin rang the bell. They heard someone dropping something in the back room and swearing afterwards before emerging holding his hand. Apparently he had been drinking some tea or coffee, they had scared him and he had spilled the drink over his wrist. Lara and Konstantin had turn away not to laugh.
"Yes. It's terribly funny. Now tell me what you want?" the man said with an annoyed voice.
Konstantin sighed. How come they had to meet all the people who didn't seem to like their jobs? First in the hotel and now here.
"We would like to hire a guide to take us to the volcano."
"Near it, or do you want to see the crater too?" he asked going through the thick book filled with scribbling and notes on the counter. Lara's eyes wandered to the book and she could only wonder how they could keep the track of days if their books were in such a sorry state. How could they even tell what day it was?
"We would really want to see the crater" Konstantin's voice brought her back to reality.
"There is plenty of room on a bicycle tour that leaves in half an hour."
"That will do fine," Lara said, before Konstantin could object. He wasn't in any condition to ride a bicycle up the mountain, and perhaps down too, later on. After hearing where the tour started from they exited the building and Lara could feel Konstantin's eyes on her back.
"What?"
"Cycling? I haven't cycled in over thirty years!"
She turned around to face him. "I don't care if you can't ride a bike! We're running out of time and it was the best option there was. Live with it!"
Half an hour later Konstantin wobbled his first metres with bike for a small eternity. In the beginning it was hard for him not to fall down, but then he seemed to remember how to do it. Lara had to look away so as not to laugh every now and then, but once he remembered how to do it there was nothing more to laugh about. Perhaps the old saying that you could not forget how to swim or bike if you've learned it once was true. It was strange how there was a small seed of truth behind them all, just like there was a piece of truth in all the myths and legends.
The group in which they were biking sure did have room, in fact it had plenty of room, for she and Konstantin were the only ones there. At first they were biking asphalt road but soon it turned to one that was made of gravel. She paid no attention to what the guide was saying, since he was talking only about the surrounding area, the history of Maui as a holiday resort and something trivial about the surrounding nature.
After riding almost an hour Konstantin began to be quite worn out but he kept on going. Nothing could make him miss the most important event in Lux Veritatis history.
It had been a while for Lara too since she had ridden a bicycle but she was in far better condition than Konstantin and enjoyed the ride. Her attention was drawn to a person walking at the side of the road, a person with dark brown hair and, if her eyes weren't failing her, and a dark blue shirt with white sleeves. She blinked but the person was still there. As they overtook him she turned to see, only to meet a gaze of deep blue eyes. Lost in them she didn't watch where she was going.
"Watch out, Ms.Croft!" Konstantin yelled as her bike almost hit his. He was only saved by turning his bike sharply to right and almost falling down himself.
Lara looked behind her once but there was no one to be seen as if the man she had seen hadn't even been there. Was she going mad?
"I'm terribly sorry, Konstantin."
He only nodded, and they were on their way. It took a long while for them to reach the crater and the rest of the journey they had to walk their bikes because Konstantin was exhausted. Once they stood on the top of the volcano looking down into the crater, the guide began talking again.
"This spectacular shield volcano covers over 75 percent of the island of Maui. Looking from the summit the crater is 11.25 kilometres across, 3.2 kilometres wide and nearly 0.8 kilometres deep" It sounded like a speech that had been recorded. Lara guessed one grew bored of repeating it so many times in their lives, or that after a time they just lost interest. "Haleakala has been called the largest extinct volcanic crater in the world, but we still aren't sure whether or not it is extinct. The last time it erupted was around 1790. For human beings that is a long time, but we can't say with any certainty that this volcano wouldn't erupt again."
Lara nudged Konstantin a bit further away from the guide.
"Erupted? Not extinct?" she whispered. "How can we find the Halls if they're covered in piles of dried up lava?" Konstantin just shrugged, and they listened as the guide continued speaking.
"An interesting legend tells of Maui, a Polynesian demigod. He snared the sun as a punishment because it was moving too quickly across the sky and didn't give enough time for the fruit to become ripe and women's clothing to dry. Maui climbed Haleakala and lassoed the sun's rays at dawn as they struck the mountaintop and held them fast with his strong ropes. When the sun promised to move more slowly across the sky, Maui released it, but left the ropes attached to the sun's rays to remind the sun of its promise. In the evening as the sun sets, the ropes can be seen stretching from the land to the sky."
"Is it possible to... explore the crater closer?" Lara asked.
"In fact it is." The voice made Lara turn around and face the coldest light blue eyes in existence. Karel. He had hidden himself behind the same woman Lara had seen while Karel had told her what he wanted her to do, the same woman who had been Konstantin's wife and the very same who was Kurtis' mother. In the blink of an eye Karel re-aimed and shot their guide, directly between the eyes. Guess that one was the dying type. "To be frank, you have no choice."
Lara pulled her gun and aimed.
Riding a Bicycle
She had never been to Maui before but she couldn't deny that she liked the atmosphere. Lara really wasn't a person who liked to lie down an a beach and sunbathe. She was an adventurer and found museums and archaeological digs more interesting but sometimes, just sometimes, she loved the feeling of letting everything go and having some time just for her. She didn't want to admit it, but after living for weeks with the knowledge about a race called nephilim existing she would gladly take a break. After all she too was only human.
Konstantin had talked all the time they had sat in the plane about the way they should get to the volcano, like he had it all planned out in that secretive mind of his. Of course, he had been to Maui before and had some kind of idea how to climb to the volcano. Lara found it rather strange that defeating Karel was the only thing Konstantin talked about, like it was the very purpose of his life. Perhaps to him it was. Perhaps he was more similar to her parents that she wanted to admit. They had disowned her because she didn't want to live her life like them - visiting parties and living a life with no actual content. She wanted the painting too, not only the frame. Had Konstantin treated his son in a similar way? Because Kurtis didn't share his interests and way of life he was considered no good?
It was hard for him to understand that it was finally happening. All those years Karel had caused pain and agony upon mankind would end tonight and he, Konstantin, was the one who got to carry out the punishment, or at least see it carried out. He couldn't hide his excitement from Lara and, to be truthful, he didn't want to. Something he had waited for almost all of his life was about to happen. Finally he'd get to use his skills as they were meant to be used - for fighting the nephilim. He had had his share of fighting the Cabal but nephilim, like Karel, were something he had never met on a battlefield. It had been his dream from his early training days, it had been every Lux Veritatis' dream, everyone's but one - Kurtis'.
To Konstantin it had been a shock that Kurtis hadn't been thrilled about his abilities and skills. He hadn't enjoyed his training and especially the idea that he was to fight the Cabal, and perhaps someday the Nephilim. Instead of greeting his gift with open arms, he hadn't wanted it.
"We'd better find ourselves a guide," Konstantin said with a murky voice, and Lara could tell there was something bothering him.
"A guide?" Lara had had her share of bad experiences with guides. Some of them had been swindlers, some of them had died and some had run away. So in her opinion they were a bunch of untrustworthy cowards who had a tendency to get killed. They weren't much of a help, more like a burden.
"Yes. It's been over thirty years since was here the last time. Much has changed."
Lara had to admit that there was some reason in what he was saying. Time had a habit of consuming everything, flesh and lifeless things. It re-shaped the earth and bent the mountains to its will. Time was the beginning and the end of everything, and everything had its own time to walk and live under the sun.
The market place was full of life, selling souvenirs and snacks, but they passed it as if it didn't exist. There were so many other, more important things in their minds that they couldn't really care less. The world was filled with market places but there was only this one chance to save everything there is to save.
They finally found a tourist information center after some looking, and entered the building. There was no one behind the counter so Konstantin rang the bell. They heard someone dropping something in the back room and swearing afterwards before emerging holding his hand. Apparently he had been drinking some tea or coffee, they had scared him and he had spilled the drink over his wrist. Lara and Konstantin had turn away not to laugh.
"Yes. It's terribly funny. Now tell me what you want?" the man said with an annoyed voice.
Konstantin sighed. How come they had to meet all the people who didn't seem to like their jobs? First in the hotel and now here.
"We would like to hire a guide to take us to the volcano."
"Near it, or do you want to see the crater too?" he asked going through the thick book filled with scribbling and notes on the counter. Lara's eyes wandered to the book and she could only wonder how they could keep the track of days if their books were in such a sorry state. How could they even tell what day it was?
"We would really want to see the crater" Konstantin's voice brought her back to reality.
"There is plenty of room on a bicycle tour that leaves in half an hour."
"That will do fine," Lara said, before Konstantin could object. He wasn't in any condition to ride a bicycle up the mountain, and perhaps down too, later on. After hearing where the tour started from they exited the building and Lara could feel Konstantin's eyes on her back.
"What?"
"Cycling? I haven't cycled in over thirty years!"
She turned around to face him. "I don't care if you can't ride a bike! We're running out of time and it was the best option there was. Live with it!"
Half an hour later Konstantin wobbled his first metres with bike for a small eternity. In the beginning it was hard for him not to fall down, but then he seemed to remember how to do it. Lara had to look away so as not to laugh every now and then, but once he remembered how to do it there was nothing more to laugh about. Perhaps the old saying that you could not forget how to swim or bike if you've learned it once was true. It was strange how there was a small seed of truth behind them all, just like there was a piece of truth in all the myths and legends.
The group in which they were biking sure did have room, in fact it had plenty of room, for she and Konstantin were the only ones there. At first they were biking asphalt road but soon it turned to one that was made of gravel. She paid no attention to what the guide was saying, since he was talking only about the surrounding area, the history of Maui as a holiday resort and something trivial about the surrounding nature.
After riding almost an hour Konstantin began to be quite worn out but he kept on going. Nothing could make him miss the most important event in Lux Veritatis history.
It had been a while for Lara too since she had ridden a bicycle but she was in far better condition than Konstantin and enjoyed the ride. Her attention was drawn to a person walking at the side of the road, a person with dark brown hair and, if her eyes weren't failing her, and a dark blue shirt with white sleeves. She blinked but the person was still there. As they overtook him she turned to see, only to meet a gaze of deep blue eyes. Lost in them she didn't watch where she was going.
"Watch out, Ms.Croft!" Konstantin yelled as her bike almost hit his. He was only saved by turning his bike sharply to right and almost falling down himself.
Lara looked behind her once but there was no one to be seen as if the man she had seen hadn't even been there. Was she going mad?
"I'm terribly sorry, Konstantin."
He only nodded, and they were on their way. It took a long while for them to reach the crater and the rest of the journey they had to walk their bikes because Konstantin was exhausted. Once they stood on the top of the volcano looking down into the crater, the guide began talking again.
"This spectacular shield volcano covers over 75 percent of the island of Maui. Looking from the summit the crater is 11.25 kilometres across, 3.2 kilometres wide and nearly 0.8 kilometres deep" It sounded like a speech that had been recorded. Lara guessed one grew bored of repeating it so many times in their lives, or that after a time they just lost interest. "Haleakala has been called the largest extinct volcanic crater in the world, but we still aren't sure whether or not it is extinct. The last time it erupted was around 1790. For human beings that is a long time, but we can't say with any certainty that this volcano wouldn't erupt again."
Lara nudged Konstantin a bit further away from the guide.
"Erupted? Not extinct?" she whispered. "How can we find the Halls if they're covered in piles of dried up lava?" Konstantin just shrugged, and they listened as the guide continued speaking.
"An interesting legend tells of Maui, a Polynesian demigod. He snared the sun as a punishment because it was moving too quickly across the sky and didn't give enough time for the fruit to become ripe and women's clothing to dry. Maui climbed Haleakala and lassoed the sun's rays at dawn as they struck the mountaintop and held them fast with his strong ropes. When the sun promised to move more slowly across the sky, Maui released it, but left the ropes attached to the sun's rays to remind the sun of its promise. In the evening as the sun sets, the ropes can be seen stretching from the land to the sky."
"Is it possible to... explore the crater closer?" Lara asked.
"In fact it is." The voice made Lara turn around and face the coldest light blue eyes in existence. Karel. He had hidden himself behind the same woman Lara had seen while Karel had told her what he wanted her to do, the same woman who had been Konstantin's wife and the very same who was Kurtis' mother. In the blink of an eye Karel re-aimed and shot their guide, directly between the eyes. Guess that one was the dying type. "To be frank, you have no choice."
Lara pulled her gun and aimed.