Oskar was mesmerized and didn't know what else to think. Getting to see the mansion was an honor and Lara Croft giving him the tour was very generous, but seeing this room was incredible, he couldn't take his eyes off all the treasures that were on display.
When he first met her in Scotland, he didn't think this would happen. But seeing the Croft Manor, after meeting the legendary archeologist, it was like stepping into a new world.
"That here is the tooth of a dinosaur I fought..." Lara said, pointing to a tooth inside a casing.
"Why do you have an urn here?" Oskar inquired, pointing to the large vase that stood on one of the small platforms.
"Looks like King Klumachi's ashes have gotten your attention, Mr. Bessington." Lara remarked, "I could tell you all about that adventure, especially with how those Arabic mercenaries fought hard to get the urn for themselves. I bet you probably can't wait to see whatever new treasure we find get added here after our next adventure."
Just then, Oskar turned to spot something gold and shiny on another dais. "I didn't know you had that too." He quipped.
Lara noticed what Oskar was looking at and tapped the display. "I see you're probably wondering how I got the Ark of The Covenant, Oskar." She said, "Perhaps I can indulge you with the story, but before I do, I'll let you know... that is not the real Ark. The real Ark is contained elsewhere, this is just a replica."
"How did your Lost Ark adventure go?" Oskar asked.
"Well, it certainly didn't involve Nazis." Lara chuckled, "That aside, I'll gladly tell you all about it, assuming you got the attention span to listen to stories."
"I could listen to my uncle speak stories of our family's ancient warrior days for hours, your story is probably a good one."
Lara just smiled, "Alright then, Oskar. Allow me to tell you of how I obtained the Lost Ark of The Covenant and tricked one of my enemies while ensuring the Ark itself never fell into the hands of those who wanted it for their... devious purposes. It all started a few years ago..."
Darkness clashed with light in the tunnel as torches flickered in their braziers. She walked through the catacomb, her torch in hand, as she looked at the ancient hieroglyphic markings upon the walls, depicting the crusades of those who held the ancient treasures. And among them all, she could see the golden casket itself in the hands of the robed Hebrews.
The archeologist heard panting and turned to see her Egyptian associate A'sak running to keep up with her, his hand shaking as he grasped the flashlight. A'sak looked at Lara, begging her to slow down, while their associates soon caught up.
Focusing on the task, they treaded through the tunnel, keeping an eye out for traps. Lara looked down at the floor, inspecting the ground for any suspicious markings that would serve as the sign for a trap.
She and her Arabic comrades looked ahead, seeing the branching path that awaited them. One led to a large hole, and the other went in a new direction, going right.
Out of all the choices, they chose to go right.
Lara and her companions turned, following the last path towards a large room, seeing huge statues and a golden casket sitting atop a dais in the middle; The Ark of The Covenant, long thought to have vanished, had been found at last!
"We could leave it." One of Lara's associates suggested.
"Not when it has historic significance..." Lara said, "...and we can't let anyone else have this sacred artifact."
"But what if certain parties do try to take it from us?" A'sak asked.
"It's likely we'll work it out."
Lara walked towards the Ark, ready to obtain it, but Chu'kila spoke; "You can't be sure."
She turned and smiled, "Trust me."
Not bothering to argue, A'sak and his group joined Lara, their eyes fixed upon the Lost Ark. Lara moved to the side of the dais, and grabbed it's handles gently on one side, while A'sak grabbed them on the other. Their partners joined, helping to lift the sacred artifact from its ancient resting spot. They made sure not to open it or drop it.
Lara gripped the Ark steadily and moved to the other side of the room, heading back the way they came. A'sak sweated from the forehead, his hands twitching. Lara could hear him and their friends chanting a tune in ancient Arabic to give themselves confidence, but she chose to be quiet.
She made sure to hand her torch over to one of A'sak's partners, who wasn't holding the Ark, and A'sak did the same with his.
They traveled through the Testament Shrine, keeping alert for some of the hazards they found on the way in, and watching their very steps. Lara kept holding the Ark, walking slowly and calmly, her eyes observing where they moved. The archeologist felt her knees shake a little from the weight of the Ark, but she kept moving forward, with no rest.
Another turn around the corner, and the exit was ahead. Lara, A'sak, and their group kept alert, just in case someone was waiting to ambush them. They stepped towards the opening, moving over the threshold once more, and returned to the world of the living with their prize in hand.
"Is this the true Ark of The Covenant?" Musag asked, "It may be a fake."
"We got the real one." Lara said, "Otherwise, we wouldn't be seeing those storm clouds."
She pointed with a free hand and everyone faced the darkened sky, observing the clouds as they loomed overhead. Lightning flashed in the distance and the heavens rumbled with thunder.
"We aren't stealing..." A'sak remarked, "This will be in safe hands, safely stored away, where no one else can touch it. It'll be guarded and respected. Let us hope The Lord shows us mercy on our journey with His treasure for we mean no offense."
"And hopefully, we can get the Ark out of here before trouble comes our way."
"Hey, uh, what's the plan aside from getting the Ark out of here?" Chu'kila asked.
Lara decided to explain while they transported the Ark. She told the crew to have patience and they made haste towards the jeep that was close by, driven by A'sak's friend Su'lav. After loading the treasure into the back, they climbed in and drove across the desert while Lara began explaining her plan, aware of the fact that certain rivals of hers would soon be onto her...
-Later—
"Let's sure hope this goes smoothly." Lara remarked to herself as she studied the Ark. She'd managed to make it out of the desert and transport the artifact to England with the intent of handing it off to a museum. However, before giving it up, the archeologist decided to keep it at her mansion for a while, despite knowing that her enemies would come snooping for it.
Ding-dong!
"Well, I wonder who that is." The British adventurer said sarcastically.
She left the Ark in the living room and went right to the door. When she answered, she found a man in a black coat and a hat waiting, staring at her through thick glasses. A woman in a catsuit stood at his side, staring at Lara with a wicked gleam in her blue eyes.
"Lara Croft, you have something very particular that we want." The man said to Lara, "Word has it that you got the Ark of The Covenant here at your mansion and you know how valuable it is."
"There's no Ark here, Merc Fainro, you and Ereynda Korvo have the wrong mansion." Lara replied.
"Oh, we HAVE the right mansion, Croft!" Ereynda kicked Lara in the gut and walked into the house with Merc walking in front of her.
Lara recovered from the attack and drew her pistol, firing at the two intruders. Merc wheeled around and fired back at the archeologist before Ereynda knocked over Lara with a twirling kick to the head. Lara grunted and watched as her two "guests" strolled through the house, knocking over a potted plant. She managed to catch it and placed it back on the table.
By the time she'd saved it, her intruders were heading right for the living room. Lara screamed "no" and ran in, shooting at Merc and Ereynda, trying to keep them away from the artifact as hard as she could. She pounced on Merc and punched him in the face, only to see Ereynda reach the Ark.
"Do we open it, boss?" Ereynda asked.
"Oh, yes. I want to see ALL the knowledge inside." Merc sneered, grabbing Lara's hair, "As matter of fact, you could say this Ark is a radio for speaking to God. OPEN THE ARK!"
Ereynda grabbed both sides of the Ark of The Covenant and Lara braced herself, watching as the lid came off. The archeologist closed her eyes and Merc grinned maniacally, eager to enjoy whatever awaited him and Ereynda inside. Ereynda placed the lid on the ground and peeked inside the Ark as a chill filled the room, and then...
"There's nothing in there."
"WHAT?" Merc yelled.
"And, I just realized, the Ark is... a little smaller than its described size."
Lara kicked Merc and knocked him over, staring at him and Ereynda with a smirk. "Did you really think I'd actually keep the Ark of The Covenant in my house?" She said, "The real Ark is safely stored away somewhere and you'll never get to it. If that was the real Ark, you would be responsible for a not-so sacred mess in the mansion."
Winston entered the room, chuckling at Merc and Ereynda. Lara pat the butler on the back and her two uninvited guests stamped their feet furiously, Merc drew a gun, but Lara shot it out of his hands. She then shot Ereynda in the leg and she yelped, limping out of the room and whimpering. Lara then punched Merc in the face, prompting him to run off.
"And you tripped the silent alarm when you 'opened the Ark'!" Lara called, "Say 'hi' to Scotland Yard on your way out of the mansion. You'll have a lot of time to speak with The Lord while in jail."
Merc screamed at Lara to shut up. Just then, Lara heard sirens in the distance and smiled. She looked at the fake Ark and walked over to it, she gripped both sides and tipped it over, revealing a device underneath; a trip alarm.
"Blimey." Oskar remarked, looking at the replica, "And you kept the fake Ark ever since."
Lara pat her Scottish associate on the shoulder with a smile, seeing how enthralled by the story he'd been. Perhaps she could share so much more about her adventures with Oskar in the future, maybe they could travel to the museum and see the real Ark on display. Something told her that Oskar would want to see the real deal for himself.
"Why wouldn't I keep it?" Lara said, "The Ark is still treasure and I've collected treasure over the years and I've either given it to a museum or kept it at the mansion."
She turned to look at the display, looking at the fake Ark, and once again remembering her efforts in keeping the real version out of the wrong hands. In the end, it was another adventure worth remembering in many different ways.
The End