Chapter 11: Breaking Point

"We send 25 people to assault her. But we returned to the base only 7 people. The waterfall now quiet, full of tranquility feeling and petrified people because of her. Her rage has took all of us in here, leaving only the remnant rebel to fight againts her power."

Nathan fill his notebook with the war journal that he just encountered. He feels like nothing can stop Jonggrang from reaching her perfectivity. He now know that only miracle can stop this nightmare. It's impossible for anyone to stop her. Not even Lara or Nathan. When Nathan fill his journal, Lara starts her consultation to Nathan about Kaz.

"Nathan, how many people have to be sacrificed just to atone my mistake?" Nathan know that Lara still has a heart that keep blaming herself for what happened. So Nathan not giving Lara her answer, but questioning Lara abaout extraordinary question.

"Lara, do you ever ask yourself why are you becaming a human? Why are you becaming a tomb raider? And why are you becaming a Croft?" Lara shake her head to left and right slowly, indicates she wants an answer from Nathan.

"Listen to me, everyone who lived can only do one thing in their life: Making mistakes. Everything that we do, is a mistakes. A simple one everyday, once a fatal one. But sometimes in every mistakes that we made comes out a wonderful things that made everyone change their mindset, even their life. You know what, I join you in this expedition. That's a fatal mistakes for me, but I learn that I have to forgiving people who once break my heart. You may not see every wonderful things in every mistake that you made. It's only a matter of time till you see what I mean. Just wait and see, and believe that everything's wonderful in the end." Lara can only nodded at Nathan's reflection. Then she look at the team and talk to Nathan about them.

"I once made a fatal mistakes by bringing my friend to the grave danger. It's the second time for me to bring back the same fatal mistakes. I can't run away from this, it's my responsibility about them, and I will do anything to bring them home. But I'll need a little help here. I need you in my side Nate. Help me to help them reach their home."

"I won't help you alone Lara, everyone here is going to help each other to get all of us home. Just believe that everything has it's good end."

After they both done reflecting each other, they come to Eddy to talk about Jonggrang and her purity plan. They found Eddy in the control room saw the waterfall from distance.

"Did you guys got any plan?" Eddy talk to both of them, as Lara and Nathan enter the control room.

"That place is a sacratual place. There must be some ritual held before they start purifying her. I mean like She must read some old spelling book, or like somekind an enchanted book. That only my speculation anyway." Nathan explain his oppinion about the purifying pool.

"Wait, you said about enchanted book right?" Lara ask to Nathan about what he just said.

"Yeah, what about it? You get inspired from it?"

"No, no, no. Before I start these expedition, I read about some books and references about legends of purifying ritual. It is say that if anyone wants to be purrified, he or she must read an ancient codex filled with Sanskrit word. The codex itself was a pillow, it's so thick, and it's made of wood. Jonggrang must be busy reading the codex, and it takes time for her to read it. We used that time to ambush her inside the waterfall."

"Lara, are you sure about the codex? We can't just use that tactics to againts them, Locke got a supranatural woman on his side. Jonggrang must be stay alert too inside the waterfall." Eddy try to deny Lara's plan.

"What other choice do we have now Eddy? I know it's a crazy plan but if you got a better plan, start explain it now."

"I know her plan are crazy Ed, but right now crazziness is all we got to fight againts her."

"Fair enough, I let you both know if we got any rebels available to fight alongside with you guys. Just tell me when we're going to strike."

"No Eddy, we're going to do this in a stealth option." Lara then open the cartography map that they found on the radio shack.

"If you see in here, there's an old dried underground tunnel that lead into the waterfall. We can use the tunnel to get inside the waterfall. But only me and Nathan who can get into it. Wait for my signal if we get pinned down by Locke's men."

"You never know about the tunnel Lara, what if Locke's men guard the waterfall?" Eddy back to deny Lara's plane.

"The legend says that a person who wants to be purify must read the enchanted book alone, with no one around her, or the process will be delayed. We use that condition to take out the princess, how about that Ed?" Eddy starts to think about Lara's plan

"Well the ritual, and the enchanted book, hmmm... This might work Lara." Eddy respond to Lara's plan positively

"Sure it works." Lara respond back to Eddy.

So they're starts to gear up again with weapons, and body armor. Lara prefer night assault so they won't be noticed by Sam or Sully, because they know either Sam or Sully won't let them both near that waterfall again, since the death of Kaz.

"Alright the tunnel is about 500 meters, we leg it from here. Let's move Lara." Nathan gives order to Lara, as they ready to move, but before they're going, Eddy call Lara and gave her something.

"Lara, here take this bow, I've been keep it for a long time, waiting for someone who has it right to wield this bow. I want you to use it." Eddy gaves Lara a carbonized compund bow. The bow was lightweight and versatile.

"Thank you Eddy." Lara retrieve the bow as she say thanks to Eddy.

"Alright Lara, go and destroy the princess, best of luck in there Lara." Eddy gave his gratitude to Lara, followed by Lara and Nathan start walking to the tunnel.

They followed the tunnel for about 20 minutes. The tunnel was long and narrow, but when they're on the way to the waterfall, they saw a shrine bulded on the edge on the tunnel. While the waterfall just ahead of them, they agree to visit the shrine.

"These shrine, someone built this to grant for purity. Anyone who built this must worship the pool, to get some purity from it." Nathan describe his oppinion about the shrine to Lara.

But there's something much more valuable than the shrine. There's an old kris blade that forged in wavy style, a sanskrit word was engraved on it.

"I was forged to sacrifice anyone who killed by me." Nathan translate the sanskrit word that forged on the blade. Hearing Nathan's translation, Lara got a brilliant idea for the princess.

"Nathan, we keep the blade, we can used it to escape this island, just trust me." Nathan just give Lara his smirk, as Lara explain her secret plan to Nathan for the princess and to escape from the island. Shortly Nathan understand her plan then he holstered back the blade and enter the waterfall.

When they enter to the chamber inside the waterfall, they saw the princess was levitating in praying position based on Hindunese way. It's time for them to kill the princess, Nathan then wield the spelled kris blade that they found on the tunnel shrine, and start to sneak to the princess. But when Nathan starts to walk, Locke shows up to the chamber.

"It's too late Nathan, she's already finished her reading. Now she just need to reflect her self and purify herself. Nothing you can do right now. It's over, I win."

"No you don't, I can kill her right now." Nathan then starts throw the kris blade to the princess, but when he ready to throw, the princess eye opened and her body moving slowly to the pool, and gone beneath the pool, leaving them in confuse watching the princess entered the pool.

Few seconds later, the water on the pool then blubbing around, like there's something beneath the pool that rage out. Suddenly, the princess levitating from the pool and dressed finely in a very beautiful outfits and her skins isn't a stone again.

She's a perfect, make three of them looking the princess until they're jaw drop because she's very pure more than a human. But suddenly, the princess fade and gone just in a blink of an eye, leaving Locke in confuse and panic.

"Wha... No way! How could she's gone?!" Locke was confused and looking an answer how the hell this could happen.

"I told you Locke. There's no use to summoning the princess, she's a perfect now and ready to enslave every one in here."

"No way, there's no way she leave me just in here. 10 years I wait for the perfect moment, she won't betray me."

"You searching for logical reason when there's not. I made the same mistake once, just like you Lo-" Before Nathan complete his speech to Locke, suddenly three of them hearing an inhuman roar just like a dragon or a monster outside th waterfall.

When they get out from the waterfall, they surprised saw the princess ride the same dragon but this dragon also perfect too, it isn't a stone-skinned anymore. Quickly, Locke get to the princess and ride the dragon together to the sky, as Locke's men surrounding both of them outside the waterfall, and starts assault both of them.

"Eddy, we're surrounded in the waterfall. Come to us now! We need your support!" Lara request for Eddy's support

"Copy that, mortar crew on, here comes the rain. Take cover Lara!" Eddy respond to Lara's request and command the mortar crew to attack Locke's men.

Suddenly, so many round of mortar was fired through the sky at the waterfall. A few shot of mortar managed to clear Locke's men from the waterfall and make all of them falling back to Locke's compound.

"Nathan, Jonggrang must gone to the Bandung tomb to avenge her curse to Bandung, we got to get there, and fast."

"Okay Lara, okay. We're going to the base to get some gears from Eddy, then we're going to the tomb."

Both of them then running to the base to explain what just happened at the pool. When Eddy heard what they experience and what they want, Eddy starts his offering for them both.

"Listen to me. The tomb located in the far east of this island. A day if walk to there, I will borrow you my old PT boat that I fix a year ago. You can get to the tomb from the inlet on the southeast of the island. But you won't going alone in there." Eddy borrow his PT boat to Lara, with a condition they both must be accompanied alongside the trip. So Lara accept the condition, and saw Sully and Sam went to them.

"Kids, I'm with you to the old tomb. You need a parent to get there, and so I'm with y'all. Especially you Nate, you're my boy, and I can't lose you." Sully then lean his arm at Nathan's left shoulder, just like a father and son, as Nathan start to lean his arm too to Sully's right shoulder.

"Lara, I'm with you to the end. We're going to end this now, and we're going home together. I promise." Sam promise to Lara as she hold Lara both hand together, followed by Lara nodded at Sam.

"Anyway, where's Travis and Mason?" Nathan ask to Eddy about Travis and Mason.

"They become one of the rebel forces now, and they're waiting for your order if you need help on the tomb. Take care of yourself Nate." Eddy then shake his hand to Nathan, as Nathan give him a friendly hug to him. Slowly, they starts to enter the boat and cruise the river to find back Bandung's tomb. While on the way to the tomb, Lara start to talk with her new mentor.

"Sully?"

"What is it girl?"

"I'm still thinking about Kaz. I just can't believe she just gone in a blink of an eye."

"Come here kid, sit down. She was a good kid Lara, but when we talking about the ambush that we did last night, she was to radical with what she do, but she's too naive too about what she shouldn't do in a right time."

"I still remember when she save me from my expedition when we're raiding a tomb. What I say is, she's got more potential than me, but her time was just too early."

"Lara, what I say is, you got something that Kaz don't have and Kaz don't have but you have it. Both of you has a great capabillity, the only thing that different is the time, is it too early or not. If its just too early for Kaz, it means it's time for you to search for another person like Kaz."

While they talk about Kaz, a flash of sunset shone on their face, making their head turn to the direction of the sun, and reflect themself. There's still hope that make them keep moving even in their darkest moment.

"You know what Sully? Something flashed in my head: Great people like Kaz, is never dead. They're just reloading" Lara shares what she's just thinking when they saw the sunset. Both of them then stares in the eye, reflecting something to learn from Kaz, that hope always with them, they just need to believe it.

The night's come and wipe out the daylight to the eternal darkness for the next 12 hours. Shortly after the sunset, the rain's coming in rogue ways, with thunderstorm and rainwater pouring densely, it's almost impossible to see anything in this rain like hell, even with the PT boat search light is turned on.

While they enjoying the rain, Sully's satellite phone ranging. It was from Eddy, and Eddy wants to speak with Nathan for something important.

"Hello, what? For Nathan? Okay. Hey Nate, it's Eddy. He said its important." Nathan the get the satellite phone and talk to Eddy

"What is it Ed?"

"Nate, I got a morse code message. The morse code says the senders was from Chloe Frazer, she mention that she's your friend."

"What did the message say?"

"The message says that Chloe asking where are you right now. She heard that you stranded on the tropical island on Indonesian waters, she's just too worried about you and your team, so she will send a SAR team and military if you won't contact her. You better contact her right now Nate. We don't want anyone get stranded in here again."

"Okay, thanks Ed. We owe you a lot." Nathan then end the conversation with Eddy. They turned off the boat engine since the rain pouring down, because they know these rain could decrease engine performance and waste more fuel. So they let the boat moving using river stream energy.

"Alright people, we need to move now. We can't use the stream forever it's too slow. Sully, I need you to connect the sparkplug. Sam, you grab the wheel. Lara, crank the engine." Nathan then try to contact Chloe on number 555-0932. Turns out it wasn't Chloe who answering."

"The number you called is temporary busy, please try again later." Nathan can only rant and try again when he heard the operator guy talked on the phone.

"Nathan, the engine stalled. It can't be started." Lara report the engine problem to Nathan, while he try to call Chloe.

"Keep trying Lara." Nathan replied to lara's report, but his reply denied by Sully.

"There's no use Nate, the water damaged the sparkplug. We need to force choke to start the engine, but it would damaging the engine moreover." Sully deny to Nathan's order and explain it why.

"Just do anything to start the engine, the stream is too slow, we need to use the engine and escape this river." They heard what Nathan's order so they do anything to start te engine. But they didn't know there's something under the water following them. Nathan then try to contact Chloe again. Thankfully, this time connected.

"Chloe, it's Nate."

"Nate, I'm worried about you. I heard you stranded on some tropical island on Indonesian waters. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, the whole team alright. You don't need to se-" Before Nathan finish his talk with Chloe, something hit the back side of the boat so hardly until the whole crew tripped, and the satellite phone forced end the call with Chloe. Suddenly a giant rise from the bottom of the river. It was the Boko people who destroy Sully's plane at the beginning of the expediton.

The great Boko then swing his arm and hit the cockpit bay of the PT boat, destroying the rudder make the ship permanently incapacitate bcause it can't be steered no more.

As the whole crew got the boat uncontrollable, the giant the starts to hit the boat again. With his giant knuckle, he cleave the PT boat into two postion, and left all of the crew barred on the open water. But Sully was separated from the crew, but Sully saw a little boat post on the river, with a mounted gun on the post, that post looks like an old abandoned WW2 post. Sully the swim to the post and used the mounted gun on the post to kill the giant.

"You dead prehistoric bigfoot! You may survived the evolution but now you dead, D-E-A-D! YOU HEAR ME!?" Sully rants to the giant and shoot him. The guns sure dealt a lot of damage to the giant, but the giant way more powerful than Sully. The giant rage out then destroy the post with only one hit. Sully got throwed to the river but he can't swim to the land because the stream was too strong, turns out in front of him, there's a waterfall.

"Sully! Hold on, I get to you, hold still!" Nathan then try to swim to the river to save Sully but it is too late. Sully then fall from the waterfall with the giant too.

"SULLLLYYY!" Nathan can't believe for what has happened to his 'dad'. He kneeled down to the waterfall and sob. He's just lost his only parents, who has looked after him for the last ten years, when he met with Sully for the first time on the Francis Drake museum. Lara and Sam know that this need to be ended, so Lara comfort Nathan for what happened to his mentor, and slowly ask him to leave this place.

"Lara, I never admit him as my mentor. I always treat him just like friend." Nathan feel sorry because he never admit Sully as his mentor, and just treat him like a friend be. Lara know that Nathan are free to regret about Sully.

"Nathan, you may regret for what happened to Sully. But if you really want to show Sully that you admit him as his mentor, help us to get out from here. I'm here, I can encourage you if you tired of this feeling. You can do this Nate. You're the descendants of the great Francis Drake. If someone manage to get us out alive from here, that someone is you. But you can't do this if you keep regreting for what happened to Sully, tears won't bring back Sully back to life Nathan. So let's do this, I'm with you." Lara then offer his hand to Nathan to rise him up. Nathan then rise up and ready to do his rescue mission, for everyone who stranded on the island.

"They have the right to take Sully's life. But they must know, I will take theirs too." Nathan then start to walk to find Bandung's old tomb, and to rescue everyone who stranded on the island.