Prehistoric Adventure
Lara continued swimming down the dark rocky tunnel as she continued losing oxygen. But to her great relief, the tunnel was not as long as she initially thought and she was able to surface in a small pool in a tall cavern where a small waterfall was pouring in from a large crevice in the ceiling. Next to the pool was a large tower of white sandstone rock which Lara could easily climb up. At the top, Lara could see a small space made of brownish granite rock that seemed to carry some unknown significance. She was about to climb out of the warm water when something made her drop back in. Waiting for her above the water was another red raptor, but he did not seem to notice the archaeologist floating in the water. Instead, the dinosaur started down another passageway that was seen to the right of the towering rock and left Lara treading water. When she figured that the coast was clear, Lara pulled herself out of the water and quietly walked around the tall cavern, which did not have a very large perimeter. Suddenly, the dinosaur ran back into the cavern and Lara was forced to jump on top of the sandstone rock to escape the deadly bite. Lara climbed to the very top until she reached the brown stones where there was more room for her to move around and heard the raptor shriek below her. She was about to draw her pistols when she noticed something on the ground to her left. Lara crouched down and examined the hand-sized circular object. It was made of stone and it had teeth around the outer edge as well as a hole in the very centre.
"A stone cog gear?" Lara said. "How did this get all the way up here?"
Lara took a look at the gear once more and realized there was a connection. The system of gears that Lara encountered before she entered the prehistoric valley were missing three gears, all of which left spaces that were exactly the same size as the gear she was holding in her hand. In other words, she would be able to use the gear to activate the gear mechanism at the head of the large river back inside the caves. If that really was the case, Lara would be one step closer to reaching her ultimate goal. All she needed to do now was find two more gears.
"This could be my ticket to reaching the tomb." Lara said to herself. "Now I have a real excuse to explore that prehistoric building I just saw not too long ago. However, I still have to find a way to kill that bloody t-Rex!"
After putting the gear inside her backpack, Lara carefully made her way back down the tower of sandstone and drew her pistols as the raptor started charging at her from inside the connected passageway leading out of the cavern she was in. She was quick to dodge another bite attack and was able to shoot down the creature before anything else could happen to her. Then, Lara could feel the faint vibrations of the shockwaves created by the t-Rex as it trudged through the open grass fields. She could even hear the giant beast give off its mighty roar as it continued running outside. Lara knew just by the sounds and vibrations that she was close to another opening leading outside. After making her way down another passage and climbing onto rocks, Lara emerged into the sunlight once again in a green ivy-filled opening that was located somewhere between the waterfall with the lake containing an underwater passage and the passageway located just below the now destroyed bridge. Lara could see the t-Rex running aimlessly around the valley floor, pounding away and creating a ruckus among the palm trees. Lara took out her shotgun and started aiming at the giant creature at it got closer to her.
"That's it big boy, you come here so I can shoot you!" Lara said. As if the giant dinosaur could hear Lara, it started running towards Lara's position and spotted her standing in the green opening. Lara cocked the gun and pointed at the t-Rex's face before delivering a painful shotgun blast to the dinosaur's face. The t-Rex groaned in pain as its left eye started to bleed out blood, as well as vision in that eye. Now half-blind, the t-Rex was having trouble with depth perception, but did not have trouble trying to tear Lara apart as its jaw lunged toward Lara and managed to break apart some of the rock surrounding the opening with its hard jaw. Luckily, Lara was able to escape and run back towards the pool of water in the tall cavern where she found the gear piece. She then retraced her steps by plunging into the water and swimming her way back to the small lake with the waterfall where Lara had the great view of the temple building. She climbed out and took out the shotgun and aimed at the t-Rex again, who was still near the other opening. Closing in for a better shot, Lara cocked the gun and delivered another painful shotgun blast, this time to the dinosaur's chest. However, the shot only seemed to make the dinosaur angry, causing it to let out a horrific roar. The t-Rex spotted Lara and started charging after her, so she started sprinting over to the large temple made of brown stone, her heart pounding wildly as she tried to escape the dinosaur's enormous speed.
Come on Lara, you can do this! Lara thought to herself. You've already blinded him in one eye! See if you can blind him in the other!
When the t-Rex was within biting distance, Lara side-flipped to avoid the attack and took a new cartridge of shotgun shells from her back and quickly reloaded the shotgun to lessen the changes of running out of shots during the battle. By this point, the t-Rex had realized that Lara was nowhere to be seen and so he started running the other direction and spotted her with ease. Lara shot the gun and gave the dinosaur another bloody wound. This time, Lara shot the kneecap in its right leg, causing it to walk with a slight limp.
"How do you like that?!" Lara shouted at the dinosaur, who was still groaning in pain. "Not so tough now are you, big boy?"
The t-Rex turned its head and gave out another large roar and began running at Lara with its large set of teeth once more. Lara quickly jumped out of the way and did not realize that she was standing in front of a palm tree and the dinosaur was unlucky enough to run right into it, causing the whole plant to go crashing into the ground. Meanwhile, Lara continued running towards the ancient structure past the giant arch of rock. After recovering from its momentary blow, the t-Rex started searching the landscape around him to regain sight of Lara. The creature was quick to spot her running to the large temple and so it started running after her again. Lara was now approaching the stairway leading into the temple when she turned around and saw the t-Rex charging straight at her once again. Although she was tired from dodging and running, Lara still had energy left for what she was about to do next.
"Come on, you bloody bastard!" Lara said. "I don't have all day!"
The t-Rex roared as it got ever closer to Lara. When the timing was just right, Lara dove out of the path of the giant dinosaur to the left, drew her shotgun and shot the t-Rex in the other eye, causing him to go completely blind. The creature continued running forward and the sound of crumbling rock was heard as the dinosaur smashed right through one of the large square columns that supported the temple and got crushed by the falling debris that resulted from the demolition. After a few moments, the t-Rex eventually gave in and stopped trying to free itself. Lara watched as its body went limp and then ceased to move altogether as the giant reptilian beast took its final breaths before it met its fate. Lara had won the battle against one of the most fearsome creatures to ever walk the Earth.
"I did it." Lara said as she fell to the ground trying to catch her breath. Lara took the canteen from her backpack and started drinking from it until almost three-quarters of the water was consumed. After that, she took a snack bar from her back and started eating it to regain some energy lost during the chase. Finally, after a few more minutes of resting, Lara got back on her aching feet and climbed up the broken staircase and stepped into the mysterious temple.
Lara entered through the entryway and came across a magnificent sight. Inside the temple was a pool of water where water was pouring down from the ceiling on both the left and right sides of a tall carved structure, which the carving took the shape of someone's face. The light shining in from the ceiling created beautiful reflections on the walls, creating an atmosphere of serenity throughout the temple's stony interior. Looking around, Lara could see the distinct Incan line markings that were present in the City of Vilcabamba as well as the fact that both the side walls and the back wall (the wall nearest to Lara) was made of darker rock. Other than that, there was nothing else that seemed to pop out at Lara. She walked over to the water and kneeled down to stick her hand in it. It was lukewarm, not the ideal temperature to refill her canteen. Besides, she had a very hard time trusting the prehistoric water for fear that there could be harmful forms of bacteria lurking in it, even though the water was perfectly crystal clear. However, it was not enough to stop Lara from taking a refreshing dip in the relaxing water. After all, she had just killed a t-Rex! She dived into the water and felt the mist from the two waterfalls splashing in her face. It was so relaxing, Lara almost wanted to fall asleep, but she knew she had a tomb to find. So she climbed out and made her way towards the doorway leading back outside.
"Dang! I was starting to think that I've found the tomb!" Lara said as she approached the doorway. Then, she stopped in her tracks as she looked down at the ground as something caught her eye. It was another stone gear.
"Why are these gear pieces scattered around so randomly?" Lara asked as she compared the gear with the one she already had. "It's almost as if the builders of this temple or someone who lived here during the reign of the Incas deliberately threw these out into weird locations to hide whatever is hiding behind that waterfall in the giant cavern. But it's not stopping me from finding out!"
Lara put both gears back into her bag and stepped out into the bright sunlit 'veranda' where the supporting structures for the temple were located. She looked over to the giant pile of broken stone and saw the dead t-Rex still lying there. Lara smiled and shook her head at the same time as she examined the large dead creature.
"Killing a t-Rex is not as easy as killing a yeti!" she said. "It's also not as fun as killing a yeti, that's for sure! Hopefully I don't have to go through that again!"
Right as Lara started walking down the stony stairs to the grass fields below, she saw two raptors coming her way. Lara took out her pistols and fired at the creatures, killing them before they could even bite her. Even so, Lara was frustrated.
"Now I know something that I find more infuriating than a pack of wolves running after me, and that is a group of dinosaurs running after me!" she said. "That's the only reason I can think of why I can't wait to get away from here."
Then, Lara thought about the bridge that went across the valley. Where could that lead? How was she able to get up there? At the same time, Lara was quick to spot a small cave passage leading inside the cliff to her right as she walked away from the temple. She went over the large rock that was sitting below the passage and jumped up to grab the ledge before pulling herself up. Alright, let's see where this passage leads.
Lara walked into the small cave, only to find that it was a passageway with a carved stone path leading over a huge rocky hill down to another entrance. The ceiling of the cave was made of sandstone and the walls displayed a darker bluish-grey shade. Lara followed the dark and gloomy tunnel and emerged into another small passage that seemed to take her upwards. Lara began climbing large rocks and started pushing thick strands of ivy plants out of her way to reach the top of the tunnel, where sunshine made its way in. To her great surprise, as well as her great satisfaction, Lara was now standing next to the broken bridge overlooking almost the entire lost valley and its sheer greatness. The view was absolutely incredible. On the other side of the bridge, Lara could see what looked like a trail that had since been overgrown with huge tropical plants. Just to the left of the opposite side of the bridge, Lara could also see a small clearing that was covered with brown granite stone. As with every new area Lara finds, she decided to go and explore it. But first she had to deal with the large gap in middle of the bridge. Luckily, the parts of the bridge remaining were still being held up by large ropes that were tied to large ancient posts. Lara took one small step on the bridge just be sure it was stable enough for her to walk on. To her relief it was safe and she immediately readied herself for a huge jump to get to the other side. She knew that if she missed, it would more than likely be the end of her journey.
"You can do this Lara." she said to herself. "It's just like what you've practiced in the gym many times. You're the master at this."
Lara took a deep breath and took a few steps back from the edge of the bridge to get a good running start. When the time was just right, Lara sprinted towards the edge and soared through the air as she jumped to the other side of the broken bridge. Lara caught the wooden panel with just one hand, but was able to reach and grab it with other hand, despite the fact that her body could not swinging back and forth from the sheer force of the grab. Finally, gravity was able to stabilize Lara's body and she was able to pull herself up onto the other side of the bridge. A large dragonfly flew past Lara's head as she neared the small suspicious-looking clearing. It was there that Lara found the last stone gear that was needed to complete the gear puzzle back at the head of the rushing river near the large cavern with the waterfall. Lara felt a smile come to her face as she put the gear in her bag with the others.
"Yes! Now I can use these in the giant gear mechanism! Hopefully it still works after all the time it's been there." Lara said as she started pushing plants out of her way to see where the trail would take her. "I wonder if this trail will take me back to where I came from."
Lara continued following the green trail, catching sight of a few more tropical birds as well as a couple of previously unknown brightly-coloured spiders among the plants that displayed brilliant shades of red and blue on their bodies. There was no doubt that the insects were deadly, so Lara made sure to stay clear of them. At last, Lara cave to a cave opening that lead downwards at a sharp angle, but had stepped rock that formed a natural staircase making it much easier for Lara to go down safely. She ventured downwards for about a minute until she came to a point where the rocky ground levelled off and Lara was able to walk normally. However, she was dismayed to see that the underground tunnel ended abruptly, for the tunnel was blocked by large boulders and rock fragments. However, Lara was able to hear the faint sound of a waterfall just beyond the giant rock slabs, so she decided to try and clear the path of debris. Lara was careful when moving the giant rocks as they were very heavy and she did not want to get crushed by any large boulders. After a few minutes of pushing, pulling, and heavy lifting, Lara was finally able to clear a path that was large enough for her to squeeze through. Then she realized she was emerging into previously explored territory.
"Did I just make a complete circle?" Lara said as she looked around the cavern. Sure enough, she was standing in the very place where she saw the wolves run away from her as well as when she first felt the pounding vibrations through the ground. She walked forward and then right where she reencountered the rocky wall that she had climbed in order to enter the lost valley. Lara was glad she was not dealing with large dinosaurs anymore. Lara made another left down the small dark cavern connected to the large cavern with the giant waterfall. She climbed over the rock and once more found herself inside the large cave.
"Time to head back upstream!" Lara said to herself as she started climbing back up the rocks to the large opening leading to the water tunnel up above. When Lara reached the top, she immediately headed back over to far wall and started making her jumps back and forth across the river on platforms before pulling herself back up to the dark tunnel entrance where she kept her flare. But to her great surprise, the flare was missing!
"Where did my bloody flare go?!" Lara said. "That's just too odd! I guess I'll have to make my way through the dark for just a minute."
Lara would light another flare, but she was worried that she might later venture into an area where she would really need one, so decided to be conservative about her flare supply. After all, she only had a few of them to use. As much as she did not like walking through the dark, Lara was able to make her way through the tunnel and make her way across the bridge over the roaring river to the large gear mechanism.
"Alright, let's see how well these things fit on here." Lara said as she took the three cogs from her backpack. She took one and fitted it on the first peg to find that number of teeth and the spaces in between the teeth on the gear fit perfectly with the ones that were already on the mechanism. Lara put the other two gears on the two remaining empty pegs and walked over to the switch on the left wall.
"Here it goes!" Lara said, pulling the switch with heightened determination. A large click echoed through the waterway and the gears slowly began to pivot along their axes and then eventually gain speed. Suddenly, another loud noise was heard in the waterway, only it was coming from further downstream. Lara turned around and watched in amazement as the large dam structure started to slowly work its way against the oncoming rush of water and divert the water down the previously dried up riverbed. The other riverbed was now beginning to drain away, therefore erasing the large waterfall in the large cavern beyond that was previously blocking an otherwise accessible passageway. Once the dam was completely in place, another large click was heard and the gears in the mechanism came to a complete halt.
"Yes, it worked!" Lara said. "Now I can finally find out where that passage will lead."
Lara once again retraced her steps back through the dark tunnel and across the small platform jumps before she was walking along the now dried-out river bed. Emerging from the large opening overlooking the large cavern, Lara looked down at the small lake where the waterfall once poured down and saw the small opening clearly. Lara decided to take another shortcut down to the water. From her vantage point at the top of the large rock 'stairway', Lara jumped off the edge and performed a magnificent swan dive into the water below. She surfaced and swam over to the opening in the wall and pulled herself out and struck another flare before venturing into the dark tunnel ahead. Along the way, Lara discovered a carved stone door that was already open which lead down another tunnel branching off to the right, where the ambient lighting seemed to get a little brighter. Nonetheless, Lara relied on the reddish-light to see where she was going. At the same time, Lara's instincts were beginning to tell her that something amazing was waiting for her just around the next corner up ahead, and she could only imagine what it could be…
Hey there, everyone! I'm happy to say that Lost Valley is finally complete! The next chapter is when things will really start to become interesting. For those of you who have played the game before, original and/or remake (which I'm assuming is about 99% of you guys), it should be of no surprise as to what will happen next. However, for those of you who may have not played the game and don't know what will happen next, I won't spoil it for you!
There was a part where I kind of got inspired by Tomb Raider: Anniversary in regards to how Lara manages to escape from the valley. In the original, all Lara had to do was retrace her steps and work backwards to get out. But in Tomb Raider: Anniversary, Lara was required to take a higher route over the valley cliffs in order to make her way back to the cavern with the giant waterfall. For this, I decided to bring that element into Lara's exploration, while at the same time keeping a lot of the original elements from the first game. Not only that, but it would've been really boring just to have Lara go back the way she came from and not encounter anything new along the way. Anyway, I hoped you enjoyed it and I look forward to sharing the chapter with you guys! Until then, I'll see all of y'all later :)
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