The Orb of Opar
Chapter 2
The future 2 days were spent by Lara mostly in waiting for when things will unfold, however it wasn't in the way of not doing anything. She by all accounts got used and accustomed herself to her surroundings as a cheetah citizen of Opar, never getting off her amulet, only once in the first night before going to sleep and after having to change back in the same painful way decided to rather wear it nonstop. She had integrated very well, every feline was seeing her as one of their own, an equal, they weren't considering her as a stranger from outside, during those days she was either gathering supplies walking or even discovering the hot springs where she could relax and even take a dip in the lake. By all accounts as the days were going, by a sense of comfort was growing in the tomb raider, not mentioning the fact that the activities she was doing with Ti'Maar made the 2 get closer to each other.
With all intents and purposes Ti'Maar really did became like a younger brother to her one who was trying to protect her and she did the same. She was by all accounts very revolted when she saw the felines made to vanquish by La because they weren't bringing her what she asked, but she was biding her time to strike at the best moment, since she alongside Ti'Maar and Sheeta the Panther. And so it happened that this day her third day here she woke up from her bed(Ti'Maar having a separate room) and did some stretching and some exercises ready to start the day again.
"Ahh good morning Lara hope you had slept well." Ti'Maar asked finishing their breakfast which included fruits alongside some well cooked gain meat alongside some cups of hot tea.
"It was just as usual like the others." She said.
"Well the evening wouldn't be like the others today." Ti'Maar said while Lara placed herself on the red carpet at the table.
"What do you mean?"
"Kaj had told me that tonight we must act, the rebellion must happen." He said taking a sip from his tea.
"And how it will happen?
"La will go on a stroll in the jungle leaving her staff, however in order for everything to go smoothly I will need to prepare a sedative from several plants, even she will need to drink."
"She will drink it and will fall into deep sleep." Lara said.
"Exactly, enough for everything to be done swiftly and with ease."
"Hopefully if not I surely will have to fight her surely with what you taught me during this time."
"And you surely are able to defeat her, by all accounts if you show everyone that you could be trusted and aren't like her they will follow you. Not to mention that all the exercises we had made were with the intent to wake your inner animal, meaning the cheetah spirit, and today should be the day while we go to fetch the ingredients." Ti'Maar said.
"It seems that lots of preparations are still there to be made."
"There are always preparations that must be made. And better they are made to be finished already." Ti'Maar said while they ate, after that the 2 went into the jungle to collect the necessary plants for the potion, it wasn't such a tedious task especially if some ingredients had to be taken from several, more hard to reach places like a cliff near a waterfall and climbing several tall trees, by this one could say that the training she had received from Ti really helped in this task especially when it came to the cliff where she had to run at full speed before jumping to get what was needed as well as climbing the tree whom he literally tried to motivate himself to not climb.
"Well I guess that some of the exercises that we had made had worked their thing." Ti'Maar said with a sense of pride carrying the bag of plants.
"You surely are a peculiar individual and you have to admit that in some cases I had to be the one to get them." Lara said with a bit of annoyance.
"Well it wasn't with bad intent if you ask me." He said with a smirk to her.
"You surely do fit in the category of an annoying brother if you want to know." Lara commented rolling her eyes.
"Wasn't it the point? We really did play our part and besides one has to say you also liked those days." Ti'Maar said.
"You really do try to come out with a positive thing from every." Lara said with a small smirk to him.
"Can't deny that." He said before sensing something alongside Lara.
"What was that?" She asked following the sound and both too fighting position looking around and looked for every sign of movement. It came from a bush, closing on it a normal jaguar jumped at them but they managed to dodge the attack.
"Can't we communicate with him?" Lara asked.
"Unfortunately not, I tried that before they don't respond to us." Ti'Maar explained.
"So it's a fight then." Lara said preparing herself "never thought we would have to fight, with our own brethren in their normal form."
"This is how things will be." Ti'Maar said preparing as well before the normal leopard jumped at Lara and she used her cheetah feet to jump from her attacker and to hit him before drawing her claws out preparing for another attack which came very quickly.
"Hiiiisssss." Lara hissed when the jaguar jumped and managed to scratch him right before catching him in her arms wrestling with it right before Ti'Maar intervened and hit it with a staff, giving the time for the tomb raider to throw him away right into a tree, getting back on its feet he looked at them again looking menacingly at him and from what one could tell it was enough for him and started to leave.
"It had enough." Lara sighted in relief.
"I guess we could call this a victory. And you really proved yourself." Ti'Maar said.
"What do you mean?"
"Well for one to be considered as having the spirit of the animal I was thinking of making you hunt a prey. But I guess this one was quite enough for one to prove oneself." Ti'Maar said.
"You know I always considered myself rather an animal lover, I couldn't have brought myself to try and hunt one." Lara said.
"Even with that, I would say this was enough." Ti'Maar said taking his bag from the ground.
"Knowing how to defend yourself, is an even better proof especially if you are quick to react."
"You really have an interesting character Ti'Maar." Lara said before both started to laugh while walking on towards Opar where during the rest of the day Ti'Maar had prepared the sedative while Lara walked around the city. Later that day after everything was prepared when La was prepared to leave on her walk in the jungle inside the palace Kaj had given the signal to proceed and Ti alongside Lara that were watching from an opening on the rooftop proceeded to give Sheera the panther the small clay container that had the sedative.
"I shall go outside for a walk I expect to not be disturbed by anything and anyone." La said sternly before a panther maid came with a bowl of water for her.
"Hmm I am not too thirsty but I can drink some water." La said taking the bowl of water and everyone around was watching in anticipation while the woman, placing the bowl at her lips she drank some of it before throwing the bowl out at the floor.
"Hope you will gather those shards." La said before Lara deactivating and getting off the amulet starting to do her part.
"You know when someone breaks something, you should be the one who cleans up." Lara said appearing from a corner attracting La's attention.
"Who are you?!" She demanded.
"Someone who had searched for this place, and visited it for bit, thanks to some help from your subjects. Who kind of complained about how you treat them." Lara said with a calm smile.
"Who exactly are the ones?"
"I don't betray my friends." Lara said in a playful manner.
"I am their queen and I demand it." She hissed in anger.
"Too bad you are not my queen." She said admiring her staff while La lifter her scepter to strike he down. However another hand came on it along with others, the hands were from the leopards and La then realized it. It was a rebellion planned.
"So you planed this to make her your new queen. I wouldn't let you." La said trying to channel the power up the scepter but she felt that something was knocking her out, her arms were turning numb her eyes starting to give up on her however it was enough to see another person that came in Ti'Maar.
"You….bastard…..you drugged me."
"I would rather say that you tasted the medicine you deserved." He said before Kaj managed to take the scepter from her while she was caught by 2 other jaguar guards.
"Get her in her dungeon before she wakes up." Kaj ordered the leopards.
"What will happen to her?"
"You don't need to worry, as it happens she had been dependant on the scepter to remain as she is at this moment as it happens she is older then she looks, of course this is until the scepter is destroyed. But for now." Kaj started kneeling before Lara and knelt on her right knee he presented the scepter.
"We have to do what must be done." He finished closing his eyes while the tomb raider took the scepter and a surge of energy engulfed her feeling all the feline spirits in it that went into her. By all accounts it was a thrilling experience and at the end of it she noticed herself that her blue tank and loincloth changed to the clothes that La had alongside the black sarong turning to a mirror in the throne room she noticed how she was dressed.
"Hmm I have to admit that I don't look quite bad." Lara said with a smirk.
"Don't let that get to your head however." Ti'Maar said.
"I don't intend to since now I am able to free you all now."
"Wish to have been this quick." Sheera said tracking the tomb raider's attention.
"What do you mean?"
"Well as I happen when someone becomes a new queen with this scepter the full comes out in time meaning after 3 days." Ti'Maar explained.
"Meaning that for the moment, you will be the queen of Opar, which means we will do your bidding Your Majesty." Kaj said bowing to her.
"It is true that it is everyone's childhood dream to become a monarch of a kingdom no matter how small it might be or for how long, so another 3 days shouldn't be a problem." Lara said.
"You probably see your stay here as a leisure time I guess." Ti'Maar said.
"Leisure time on one hand." Lara said moving towards the stone throne "On the other it is also a place where I am trained in several more ways of martial arts and fighting styles." She said sitting on the throne that was by all accounts comfortable already, feeling like a ruler.
"In the meantime however I would say next in order of business everything I wish to go as it was before no change for the moment, as for other things I would like to see what the palace could give." Lara said leaning on the throne.
"And I will help you in this. There is no way the mighty tomb raider to leave empty handed." Ti'Maar said.
"Consider yourself as the scholar of the court now Ti, you have full liberty now to do so." Lara said.
"Thank you, my queen." He said with a smirk while several cat people started to make wind to their new queen with palm leaves. Later that night Lara went to her new bedroom in the palace by all accounts it was a very large one much larger than the one she got at her manor and around it was filled with blankets and pillows made from leopard and other animal skins nearby was also a bathing and sauna place where she could either take a bath or stay in the steam by all accounts she has to agree with the fact that La and possibly every ruler that inhabited and ruled the place, really knew how to indulge themselves.
"No wonder La wanted to be a queen here. The rulers really knew how to indulge themselves." Lara said stretching herself getting off the black cape and went on the bed, stretching again on it; she placed her head on the pillows and drifted to sleep.
The next day Lara began her new temporary job as the new queen of the feline people, for the most part she stopped the 'hunt' for potential kings for the city while showing understanding and kindness to the felines alongside indulging herself in combat training with different felines like was the case with Kaj and the leopards, Ti'Maar and the cheetahs, panthers and lions. Another activity was swimming skin deep in the giant lake on a special spot that no one could see her or in the present case taking a hot bath surrounded by feline maids. Although that part was unpleasant for her since it didn't felt right since surely the now imprisoned former queen surely did the same alongside the fact that she felt unpleasant of other seeing her body.
None the less she got out from the warm water of the basin and the maids immediately went with towels to dry her up before she placed her 'royal' outfit and went to see Ti'Maar who was studying the scrolls of in the palace.
"So Ti what did you managed to find during your research?" Lara asked.
"By all accounts the city was really made by refugees from Atlantis however it was abandoned long ago, like I have said. This entire library by all accounts contains a lot of knowledge regarding what they knew, especially about medicine." Ti'Maar explained to her.
"Medicine you say? Hmm." Lara started interested "From what I know they were very advanced and also their medicine could be the envy for the modern world of the 21st century."
"Indeed." The cheetah said before taking another scroll "However there is another interesting thing to know, the people also had a special treasure that might be hidden somewhere I don't know exactly where but, you might be interested."
"I really am interested to hear." Lara said moving closer.
"It is called the Orb of Opar, according to legend it has the power for one to gain the atlanteean knowledge of healing and medicine as well as longevity and youth. A prime treasure if I have to tell. It is related however to the staff that you have, it gives the ruler longevity and even immortality aside from power."
"Meaning with the orb one is able to access the knowledge of medicine and longevity it could help a lot of people if you tell me. That while the staff allows one to control Opar and rule as much as it wants. And it also depends on the ruler how one would act with such power, it could turn into a power of good or evil depending on the person." Lara said.
"Yes indeed and also one could use it depending on how the person is. The staff of course is the thing that hold the city together, if lost everything could collapse."
"Hmm this is an information that needs to be kept in mind. As for the Orb it really could be something." The tomb raider queen said. "But even with that I would first try my best to acquit my promise that I made to liberate you and the others."
"If you want I could try to look around to find where it is while you do the business of ruling."
"I would appreciate that and between us Ti'Maar I do have to admit something." Lara said taking a seat on a stone chair nearby. "If I were here to be either a citizen or the queen I would have indeed stayed, it is like what you said. This place might be like a Shangri-La, with all the worries and the noise of the 21st century been very far away, since I had spent my time finding the relics of the past and now I am living like one myself in a matter of sorts. And by all accounts, one gains a degree of comfort, harmony and calm that I really did searched."
"The only difference is that we would at least let people go in the outside world as well. Well it depends on the ruler now and mostly the queen would be allowed to go whenever she would please. And also you might need a king or a mate."
"True." She said getting back on her feet going to him leaning a finger on his chest. "And between us I do have to admit that I would have like someone like you to be my brother or my mate if I remained in that cheetah form."
"You can be again if you keep the medallion."
"I don't intend to dispose of it besides it might help me get to my ship when I have to go back to the coast." Lara said taking the cheetah aback.
"So you didn't go to a human city first?"
"Indeed, because I don't want to attract attention from robbers and shady people who would have surely gone to pillage this place and La would have probably had to deal with them."
"And how far is your ship anchored then?" He asked out of curiosity.
"You don't need to worry, it isn't too far from here just near the coast if you go for several miles, which reminds me I think I will go on a stroll before nightfall in the city and then around the jungle. I do have to say that once here I really do gets used to been wild like a wild cat."
"I then bid you good, walk. I will take a break soon anyways." He said.
"Make sure you do." Lara said walking out of the room before the anthro cheetah turned to a wall that had a ladler nearby. Pulling it down and the wall started to move revealing a chamber full of treasure and the cheetah then took a mischievous smile on his muzzle.
"Lady Lara Croft, sister like said I wouldn't let you go empty handed. This is a wish that I will acquit myself." He said before turning to the window watching as Lara was walking the road of the city and been greeted by the feline citizens of the city with respect while she returned the gesture in kind to each of them till she reached the jungle to prepare for her walk. Dismissing the guards she started to move around the jungle by all accounts she does admit that she would have liked to have some shoes, however she made sure that she wouldn't go in place that had rocks or things like that that could make her feet itch. Her walk brought her to the place where she first spotted the city before falling in the lake, she made however sure that she would not be too close to the edge as she on her feet looked in the distance looking over the city, the sight in her mind was always one to behold.
"And to think that I had become the queen of this place, not only living but also ruling an ancient site could be declared as the pinnacle of my own career." Lara said to herself while looking in the distance and noticed a cliff that was close to the water and it wasn't even too far away, seeing that a thought came to her mind, going down on that path she went to that small cliff, the path however wasn't very which had the things she didn't wanted pebbles and rocks.
"Ouch, hope it wasn't a bad idea." Lara said to herself reaching the cliff and the edge, looking intensively holding the staff she made a leap directly into the water of the lake and started to swim.
"Ohh that is lovely, how many times do I get a deep?" She said to herself while swimming and also saw a cavern and she moved in to swim and came into a hidden catacomb. Going out from the water she started to move on the fine stone and started to move through an exit that was lit by torches that went upwards, walking through it she reached another exit that was covered by a finely made tapestry removing it she noticed that she was again in the throne room.
"A secret passage, it seems the atlantians really had thought of every way of escape." Lara said to herself while entering in and was greeted by Ti'Maar.
"So you found one of the passages that the rulers used to enter and escape." Said the cheetah.
"Indeed it seems the atlantians really had thought of everything when it came to escaping danger." She said.
"It deed, the thing that couldn't however be stopped however was the fact that they had to abandon it after a civil war between them and then having to disperse and became part in other tribes and civilizations."
"Can already tell that, that is why this place is declared as a lost city." Lara said walking to the throne before going to sit.
"And maybe some places should rather stay lost especially with the power of such artifacts." Lara added sitting on the throne crossing her legs.
"Indeed, the stuff however can be hidden however in a special chamber the one that contains the Orb."
"Are you still looking for it? I can try to do the searching as well if you want." She said.
"You don't need to worry I will figure it out." He said with a smile before bowing and leaving the chamber. The remaining 2 days went on without anymore other activities aside from the ones that Lara took for herself. She decided however for the fourth day to do the liberation since she wanted to do a last skin dip swim and also to make another round of training and fighting with each of the felines. But for now it was the day, she gathered all the people she knew in the throne room to begin everything while the ones that she considered her friends were near her and also she found out what happened to La, as it was expected she had vanished in the dungeon, by all what Ti'Maar had told her she was really older than she looked and the magic of the scepter kept her youth.
"I believe it is time." The male cheetah said.
"I know but first I shall do another thing before we start." Lara said turning to the felines in the room.
"Dear citizens of Opar, my friends as you all know I first came here not to become the Queen, I came here with the intent of discovery and research. However as I stayed here before and even after I became the ruler I had experience something that I am glad and privileged that you had shared with me. You had seen me as an equal, as one of you, despite everything been made artificial here, you had all showed me a sense of community which I was privilege to be part of. Long had I been with the discovery of ancient sites and artifacts of long forgotten civilizations only to become and live as one myself. I am very proud to tell you all thank you for everything you had shared with me, it was my pleasure and a privilege to be here both as a citizen and as your Queen." Lara said and thunders applauses and roars came from the felines to cheer her.
"And now it is time, to set things right." Lara declared as she lifted the staff and the orb in the mouth of the feline started to glow and engulf ever feline in the throne room and in the city and in just several minutes they were all back to their original selves as simple animals all except Ti'Maar immediately after that all the animals roared in what appear cheers and delight as they all started to leave for the jungle including the ones known as Kaj and the other ones that brought her the throne.
"All is well that ends well." Ti'Maar said to Lara while watching all of the other leaving.
"Now I guess it is your turn although it really was great to have you as a brother." Lara said to him in sadness looking down before the male cheetah lifted her face and smiled at her warmly.
"It has to be the natural order of things, but even with that, there is something that I have to do." Ti'Maar said taking her by the hand and started to run through now empty palace till they reached a wall.
"Why did you brought me here?" Lara asked.
"You will see soon." He said pressing one of the stones for a stone door to start to come down revealing a secret chamber with treasures, in it was a blue sphere that glows on a pedestal, the Orb of Opar.
"I told you that you will not leave this place empty handed." Ti'Maar said.
"Are you sure about this?"
"There are actually 3 orbs that literally contain the same knowledge, this one is only one of them. By all accounts if there will be another tomb raider like you coming here I believe that each one has the right to have one. And this is also the best hiding spot for the scepter, the magic like before will go in time and the city will be again claimed by nature." He explained while Lara giggled.
"Ha-ha you surely thought of everything." Lara said with a smile to him before a smirk appear on her face.
"Say Ti'Maar before I change you back, what was one thing that you wanted to experience while been sentient?" Lara asked catching him by surprise.
"Hmm, well I do admit that I always wanted to experience kissing someone to be honest is something I never tried." Ti'Maar said.
"Really?" Lara asked still with a smirk on her face leaning her hand on the back of his head "Well in this case I can help you with that."
"huh?" He didn't had another response since Lara immediately brought herself in and pressed her lips on his shocking him for the moment before he closed his eyes and brought his right furred hand to her head while the other one to near the lower part of her back. It didn't took long before she pulled away from this.
"Wow that wasn't something I expected to be honest, no wonder I had said about the idea of mate as a second option."
"I still am glad that we took the first one to be your sister, even with that adopted siblings or step siblings could sometimes come to this kind of relationships, of course I don't know personally about this, but I heard it happens."
"Interesting information I have to admit." He said.
"So you are ready to return to normal?" She asked while he smiled to her.
"Do it." He responded and Lara again used the staff and immediately Ti'Maar turned back to been a normal cheetah, what clothes he wore was now on the ground before she turned to the Orb in the secret room thinking how she could carry it and an idea came. She had used the clothes that Ti'Maar wore to make a sachet to place the orb in, immediately after that Lara had lifted up the staff to resign the powers it gave her and from the 'regalia' that she wore came the clothes she wore before, the red loincloth and short sarong alongside the red short crop top that revealed her mid rift.
"Well then I guess it is time for us to leave." Lara said while cheetah Ti'Maar rubbed her right leg purring while petting him. "And don't worry I will get you back to the savannah." She said taking up the sachet up and started to walk outside the now empty Opar by all accounts it now looked like the same lost cities but frozen in time as it was intact. She did however noticed that she was still barefooted and since the journey to the boat might take some time and so she stopped by the house where she stayed before going to the palace remembering that she had given Ti'Maar the medallion that she found on the table.
"Well then brace yourself." Lara said to herself before placing the medallion on her neck and activated it.
"URGH." That was the part that she resented the most, the change that was very painful, the bones cracking and changing to be feline like alongside the itching coming from the fur that came to cover her body as well as her nuzzle, luckily it was taking too long but the experience seemed like that.
"Well then this might help me go faster now for sure." Lara said to herself before turning to the cheetah. "Race you Ti'Maar." She said as both started to run into the jungle but nor before the cheetah made a final look to the city making a smile before following her. They reached Lara's concealed yacht near the evening, once on the beach she deactivated the medallion before both swam to it and to the tomb raider's surprise she saw all he clothes and belonging there alongside her clothes followed by a pile of gold and silver treasure inside the bedroom.
"You really said that I wouldn't go empty handed isn't it." Lara said to the cheetah who only leaned it's head on her leg purring.
"You are such a silly one." She said with a laugh before going to the controls of the yacht to start the engine to set sail. Took one day till they reached the savannah area immediately on the shore Lara now in her regular clothes gave Ti a last kiss this time on his forehead to bid him farewell before.
"Good luck Ti'Maar, may you have a long free life on the savannah." She said with a smile before the cheetah this time made a last bow to her before leaving while the tomb raider looked in the distance as the cheetah made a last look at her with a smile knowing that the magic of Opar saw in her a righteous soul and as reward the magic created statues inside a temple that were dedicated to her, one in the center was her as the tomb raider while on the right was one showing her in her cheetah for and on the left as the queen. She by all account is the queen goddess of bravery and adventure.
This is the final chapter, hope you all had enjoyed this story, as you call all admit I am a fan of the classical Lara Croft and Tomb Raider series. Even if there are fans of the reboot hope this story was for your liking.