Back again, on Monday as promised. See how much easier it was? :)
Kurtis leaned forward in his seat in the helicopter, spinning the Chirugai over and over again on his finger. This was the last place on earth he'd ever wanted to return. Madagascar held such terrible memories, he wouldn't even think twice about making it a vacation stop in the future. He wanted to do this and get the hell out – that was it. He drew in a silent, deep breath, closing his eyes as he leaned forward. God, help me, he begged. If I get trapped in Lemuria again...The thought alone made him nauseous, and the jerking motion of the helicopter wasn't helping at all.
Kurtis startled as he felt Lara's hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her with weary eyes as she offered a weak smile of solace. She wanted to tell him that all would be alright, but even she couldn't guarantee it – she was just as afraid as he was. Thousands of thoughts, worries, concerns, and fears rushed through their minds simultaneously. Was Emily okay? Where was Karel? Where was Siamak? What happened to Garin? Would the portal be open? Had Lemuria changed at all in the past few weeks? Would Kurtis be able to get in, and even more, get out?
The helicopter slowly descended to the ground, dropping them off at the eastern edge of the peninsula of Toamasina. Kurtis drew in a heavy breath, rising to his feet as he gripped the overhead railing. Lara climbed out of the chopper first, then was followed by Kurtis. They stared forward at the small, temple-like structure standing before them, knowing the portal lay just within. Lara drew in a deep breath, facing Kurtis. "Shall we go in?" she asked, trying to remain calm.
Kurtis continued to stare forward, then started moving, as numb as he was. His entire being cradled the fear he was already experiencing as he stepped closer and closer to the temple, descending the path into its depths. He wasn't even sure how he was going to open the portal, but he knew there had to be some way.
His entire body tensed once they rounded the corner and entered the temple where the portal had been opened. There was nothing there this time, but Kurtis was still on the edge. He and Lara paced about the room, trying to find a way to activate this hidden portal. Lara tapped into her headset. "Alister, how do we open the portal?"
"I'm not sure, actually," he admitted. "I'd hoped Kurtis would've had some ideas…"
"Without the daggers, what can we do?" she speculated.
"The daggers were composed of heavy psychic energy…" Alister said slowly. "Perhaps…perhaps Kurtis can use –"
"The Chirugai," Lara finished. She turned towards Kurtis. "Is there any way the Chirugai could open the portal?"
He thought about it for a moment, then removed the weapon from his belt. He activated it and let it float about the room, illuminating the darkness. He remained in place for a moment, apparently thinking over the possibilities. Then, the Chirugai began to spin faster and faster around the room, with lightning speed. Lara watched carefully, then marveled at the sight before her as the portal began to reveal itself in the wake of the Chirugai's flowing energy. She grinned subtly at Kurtis's accomplishment, but the smile faded when she saw the fear in his eyes.
A thousand thoughts were racing through his mind – she could easily see it. He met her gaze and held it for a moment, the Chirugai still rushing about the room. Then, they both stepped forward, eagerly meeting each other's embrace, and kissing with a ferocious passion. Lara wrapped her arms around his neck as he touched his forehead to hers, closing his eyes as if in the middle of a silent prayer. "I don't want to leave you," he whispered.
Lara tightened her grip around his neck, pulling herself as close to him as she could get. She could feel his heart pounding with anxiety, and could feel his raspy breath against her mouth. If I could do it for you, I would, she thought. There were so many things she wanted to say to him – Don't leave. Come back once you're done. Don't be afraid. It's going to be alright. Nothing was adequate enough. They were all things she wanted to say, but felt she had no place to speak them at all.
After a moment, Kurtis pulled away from her, then turned towards the portal with a heavy heart. He drew in a deep breath, stepping as close to the energy as he could get. Then, with lightning speed, he reached his hand up to retrieve the Chirugai, and quickly stepped through the portal.
Once he disappeared, the portal disappeared with him. No, Lara thought fearfully. Come back! She rushed forward, reaching through the air, as if she could will the portal to return. You'd better not leave me, she thought as tears slowly came to her eyes.
Kurtis quickly turned around, reaching his hand out as if he could simply step back through reality. The portal had closed. Nausea began to creep into his stomach. Here he was again, in the damned realm of Lemuria. He might as well have been in the tenth circle of Hell. He clipped his Chirugai onto his belt, clenching his fists at his side. Strangely enough, the place looked different. The trippy lights and colors were gone. He was surrounded by a black void below, above, and before him, yet stood on a dirt path. He exhaled relief for a moment, but knew it wasn't over.
After a moment, he stepped forward, only to see a small, blue mist of energy floating his way. He stepped back cautiously as it came closer, but relaxed as it merely stopped before him. It wants me to follow it…he thought. He slowly stepped forward as the elemental moved further down the path. Kurtis followed it down the winding path to a place he hadn't seen in Lemuria before. The apparition led him through a narrow corridor, and then into a large room. Then, it disappeared. Kurtis glanced around warily, unsure of what to expect. He startled at the sound of a voice, seemingly echoing through the room. "Glad you're here," it said.
Kurtis's face knit into confusion. "Garin?" he asked. From the darkness before him, he could see the silhouette of a figure emerging. As it drew closer, Kurtis relaxed at the sight of his lost Lux Veritatis brother. "How'd you manage to get in?" Garin asked, a soft smile on his face.
"The Chirugai," he said. "And some help from Lara."
He chuckled a bit. "The unstoppable duo," he said.
Kurtis glanced about the room cautiously, then dropped his gaze back on Garin. "Are you real?" he asked.
"I'm…" he said slowly. Garin sighed. "I'm dead, but I stayed behind to help you."
"Yeah, Emily said something about that…"
"I'm assuming you already have an idea as to why you're here…?"
"The Sword of Light," Kurtis said. "You knew about it, didn't you?"
Garin nodded. "I thought I could get to it and leave you out of it. I didn't want you to have to come back to this God-forsaken place, though now, it's obviously not an option."
"You should've told us," Kurtis said.
"It was for your protection," Garin explained. "I'm sorry for what I didn't do, but you must know, it was all supposed to work out."
"Supposed to," Kurtis muttered. "And it didn't, did it?"
Garin dropped his head, feeling guilty. Then, he looked back up at Kurtis. "It's the only thing that can stop the Black Angel."
"We figured that out," Kurtis said. "Where is it?"
Garin slowly lowered his head, and Kurtis caught the glimpse of another figure emerging from the darkness. His eyes turned towards the figure's direction as Kurtis looked up to see – Karel?
Kurtis's fists balled at his side, and his glare fell hard upon the enemy. He quickly removed his Chirugai and sent it forward to slice Karel's throat. The Chirugai merely went through him, falling limp behind the holographic image. "It seems that once again you're in a predicament where you can't kill me," Karel sighed.
Kurtis summoned the Chirugai back into his grasp, then returned it to his belt. "That won't last long." He turned to Garin. "So you two are having a little party in here?"
"He's harmless in here," Garin said, eyeing Karel.
"Then he's not dead?" Kurtis asked.
"Your friend, Siamak Lachesis, sent me here," Karel muttered angrily.
Kurtis couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, how's that for irony? Look how the tables have turned."
"Irony indeed," Karel agreed.
"So how long will he stay locked up like this?" Kurtis asked Garin, keeping his hateful glare on Karel.
Garin shrugged. "I don't know," he admitted. "It's a lot more peaceful out there, though, knowing Karel's trapped in here and can't wreak any havoc."
"If peaceful is what you call it," Karel chipped in. "The Black Angel is twice as dangerous as I am."
"And that must really hurt, having to admit that, right?" Kurtis asked, a sly grin on his face.
Karel glared at him angrily. "Just remember…it's your daughter who's stuck in his clutches."
Kurtis balled his fist at his side. "Just tell me what I need to know."
"Siamak has no desire to rebreed the Nephilim race," Karel explained. "He wants to return to Lemuria with the girl and rule from here, just like he'd done thousands of years ago. And do you know why?"
"Enlighten me," Kurtis muttered.
"If Siamak rules Lemuria, he'll have complete control over all psychics. He can only rule Lemuria with the Sword of Light at his side."
"Then why does he want Emily so badly?" Kurtis challenged.
"She is the tenth child of the Montsegur lineage," Karel said. "She'll make him twice as powerful." A sly grin crossed his face. "Not to mention the fact that he's a teenage boy – of course, he has his true underlying intentions…"
Kurtis's anger exploded, and he dived forward to tackle Karel. He fell through Karel's figure and crumbled to his hands and knees on the other side, glaring up at the bastard before him who stared down with a challenging smirk. Kurtis slowly rose to his feet. "Don't talk about my daughter," he ordered in a low voice.
"It's not me you should fear having advantage over her," Karel said simply. "It's Siamak."
"That's enough!" Garin interrupted. He turned to Kurtis. "He's just taking the shots he can get while he's trapped in here with nothing to destroy and no one to kill. Pay him no mind, Kurtis."
Kurtis knew Garin was right – for once, Karel was powerless. Well, powerless, outside of the manipulative comments he made about Emily and everything else. Karel was only as powerful as they allowed him to be. Kurtis met Karel's evil smirk, then faced Garin. "So what do I have to do now?"
"Take the sword with you," Garin said. "Leave Lemuria, and find the Black Angel. Kill him."
Karel stepped forward, removing the sword from the strap over his back. He extended it towards Kurtis, waiting for him to take it. After a moment, Kuris took the weapon from Karel's hand and strapped it over his own back. "Where is Siamak?" Kurtis demanded.
"In the Strahov fortress," Karel said. "You should hurry there if you'd like to save precious Emily."
Kurtis glared at him. "When you get out of here, I'm going to kill you slowly," he said coldly.
"If you're fortunate enough to still be alive when I get out of here," Karel countered, "I'll make sure you suffer honorably for your nobility."
"Hollow promises," Kurtis commented. He turned towards Garin. "How do I get out of here?"
"Follow the elemental," Garin instructed. "It will lead you to the exit."
"Will you be okay in here?" Kurtis asked, glancing Karel's way.
"I'm leaving," Garin said. "I was only waiting for you. He can sit here by himself in timeout and think about what he's done."
"Yeah, it does get pretty lonely in here," Kurtis said hollowly, directing the comment towards Karel.
Kurtis turned away, pushing aside the menacing thoughts he wanted to turn into actions to exact upon Karel. He followed the blue elemental as it moved forward. "Send Lady Croft my regards," Karel commented. Kurtis stopped, slowly facing the voice. His stomach dropped when he realized Garin had already left. It was just Kurtis and Karel in Lemuria, like it had been for twelve years. He's harmless, Kurtis tried to remember. He can't hurt me.
Kurtis faced away from Karel, then continued forward, following the energy as it floated down the corridor and towards the exit.
How much should we trust Karel? I guess we'll find out!! =D See you all on Monday!