Wake up to reality folks, tomb raider the legend of Lara croft is out. I was so excited to watch that series when it came out and boy was it a masterpiece. I got so excited when they mentioned Yamatai. Go Lara! ()
How awesome is that? Well anyways it really got me looking forward to other game series or movies about to come out. I really can't wait for twisted metal season 2 next year.
Anyways this is the latest chapter of a stepping stone. Please enjoy. ,-)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the effort and time taken in writing this fiction.
…….
The cold breeze travelling across the sea washed over Naruto accompanied by the salty smell of the sea causing his body to shudder slightly.
"Is this for real?" Naruto couldn't believe the sight before him. The ship they stood on was almost wrecked beyond recognition. After it sank at sea, the current had destroyed parts of the ship. It was a mystery as to how it came washed up in land. Because he fell unconscious during the storm in the Dragon's triangle he didn't know that the endurance had also gone through worst, to the extent that it split into two halves.
However, after leaving the PT boat with Lara he had seen the sight of more than a dozen wrecked ships which frightened him. Just how many people had fallen prey to this island?
Their greatest fortune or misfortune was when they stumbled upon those waters. He could still remember the happy moments they shared on the Endurance while searching for this God damned island.
The laugher, the happiness. Hell, they were already thinking of how they were going to become rich and famous after discovering the island.
However, ever since He awakened on this island he hasn't had one single good memories about it. Rather than the paradise he pictured it to be, it was hell on earth. Death was lingering at every corner waiting to claim their lives. It was a miracle that he actually managed to survive up to this point.
Currently he and Lara were making their way to the Endurance. Speaking of Lara, she hasn't said a word since they both left the camp. He couldn't tell what she was thinking.
But he knew that she was dealing with worse than him. Probably the only other person who understands the things he had been through on this island is Lara. And the same could for said for her.
"I still can't believe that we are stranded here"
Lara sighed dejectedly. The sight in front of her alone was enough to make her despair. This all happened because of her eagerness to prove herself.
Just how many lives has been lost because of her? Grim, Roth, the crew members. And the worst part is that she was there to witness both of their deaths. As if she was being punished for her sins.
"We should get going. The sooner we find Alex and the tools, the sooner we can get off this fucking island"
Naruto nodded and was about to say something when he heard sound coming from somewhere on the ship.
"Shh. Can you hear that?" Naruto asked as he looked around cautiously.
Lara immediately became vigilant when she heard Naruto's words. If there is one thing she has noticed since her time with Naruto, it was that he has extraordinary senses. Even though she couldn't hear anything she immediately reached for her gun and prepared for a life and death battle.
She quietly followed behind Naruto. Halfway to the front deck they saw two scavengers conversing.
Fortunately, the scavengers didn't seem to notice them.
Naruto promptly reached a hand to stop Lara when he saw her aiming her gun at one of them.
Lara looked puzzled at Naruto and asked. "Why are you stopping me?"
"Let's keep it down. We don't know if there are others close by" Naruto quickly explained. The life and death of the scavengers doesn't matter to him, but they still had to be careful whenever they encountered a scavenger as others might be lurking nearby.
Lara frowned slightly when she heard Naruto's explanation. True to what Naruto said, they don't know if there are others here as well.
Realizing her mistake, she nodded gratefully at Naruto before switching her gun out for her bow and arrow. Alex was still somewhere on the ship. What if the gun shot ended up putting him in trouble?
Deciding not to dwell to much on what might an fight not happen. Lara took aim and shot one of the scavengers in head. Watching the man that he had been conversing with just few seconds ago falling limb to the ground with an arrow in his head startled the other one.
However before he could make sense of the situation, his vision suddenly turned black as another arrow hit him in the head and claimed his life.
"That should do it" Lara muttered after killing the last one. "Now let's go find Reyes tools. And hopefully Alex too"
Naruto was about to say something when he noticed a scavenger taking aim at Lara from behind a mast.
"Lara. look out"
BANG!
Naruto pulled Lara out of the way causing the bullet to miss it target while at the same time he shot at the scavenger hiding behind a crate. With deadly precision, the bullet tore through the air and pierced through the scavenger's forehead, giving him a one way ticket to the afterlife.
"That was close" Lara's heart beat heavily against her chest as she looked with a face full of fear at the bullet hole in the wooden frame.
From the angle, she could tell that the bullet had been fired with the intention to kill. And the scariest part was that it had been aimed at her head. There was no coming back from that if it had hit.
"Let's quickly find Alex and get the out of here " Naruto said snapping Lara out of her daze.
"Alex?" Previously when she had inquired about Alex, Jonah told her that he had went to get tools from the Endurance for Reyes. And that was long before they arrived.
"I can't believe he made it pass this place" Naruto said as he stood on a high ground overlooking the rocky formation and ocean below. They were surrounded by rocky green mountains. Almost everything was covered in mosses.
Moreover they had fought and killed more than a dozen groups of scavengers. Unless they had suddenly lost their minds or gone senile there was no way they would let Alex go unharmed.
Lara sighed when she heard Naruto's words. Truth be told she doubted that Alex could have made it all the way out here on his own. But there was one possibility that she could think of.
"Maybe he found another way around"
"Makes sense" Naruto agreed. Lara's word made a lot of sense. It wasn't that he was trying to downplay Alex but with what he had experienced he found it hard to believe. Suddenly Naruto's eyes caught sight of a ship in the distance and he excited pointed out to Lara.
"Hey look over there!"
"The Endurance?!" Lara gasped at the sight of the ship. She felt complex emotions at that moment. The ship where she had made the most fond memories on this trip laid in ruins in the distance. "We are close"
"Lets not waste any more time. Alex is waiting for us" Naruto urged Lara. After all, they didn't come all this way for sightseeing
"You are right. We should get going" Lara promptly agreed and the two of them hurriedly slide down the zip line connecting to the area opposite them.
At this point there was a metal bunker in front of them and a wooden bridge to their left. They were left in a dilemma but Lara being the curios cat that she was, chose to enter the metal bunker first. Fortunately there wasn't any scavenger inside, instead all they found was an old relic, which was a stained old jade head rest inside a box and a dead end.
"Are you sure that's an headrest?" Naruto couldn't help but wonder how it could even be considered an head rest. From it texture and look alone he could already imagine how uncomfortable it would be when compared to a fluffy pillow.
Lara rolled her eyes at him for being uncultured before placing the head rest back inside it box. As much as she wanted to take it back with her she knew that it would only be an hindrance in their journey to find Alex.
However, if they were to stumble upon this path in the future then she would come back for it.
Seeing as there was nothing more to discover, the two of them made their way out of the bunker and across the wooden bridge. Where a lone scavenger was patrolling the bridge. The scavenger didn't even know what hit it as an arrow pierce through his forehead, spilling out blood and brain matter His corpse hit the cold ground, staining it red with his blood. His killers didn't even spare it a second glance as they walked passed it.
It was strange but they both had to admit that their had come s long way. This island has changed them in more ways than they could ever imagine.
Their journey so far had require them to cross wide gap to reach the other platforms which was somewhat difficult. If it wasn't for Lara's compact bow and the rope she had on her they would have been forced to find another way to reach the endurance.
"It's quiet" Naruto pointed out as he and Lara slowly walked inside a short tunnel. They decided against using their flashlights as that would attract unwanted attention or give them away if there was any scavenger on the other end of the tunnel.
He suspected this to be the calm before the storm arrived.
"Please don't jinx it" Lara glared at Naruto. Naruto laughed sheepishly when he saw the look Lara was giving him.
It wasn't his intention, really? He was just stating the obvious. So why was she making look like he had just sentenced them to death?
Tsk
Lara clicked her tongue at Naruto but before she could say what was on her mind they heard voices coming from the other end of the tunnel prompting them to halt their movements.
"That should do it" A voice said before they saw a man walk passed the small exit of the tunnel with his back turned to them completely unaware of their presence.
"Alright try now."
As he observed the scavenger from inside the tunnel Naruto felt Lara burning gaze on him almost as if blaming him for their situation but he dare look at her. He hurriedly reached for a small dagger from his belt. The dagger looked very old and historic, there was no denying that it had a story to tell since he found it in an ancient tomb but for now it only had one purpose.
Lara had a look of contempt on her face when she saw the rusty old dagger in Naruto's hands, especially when she thought what Naruto was going to use it for.
That was an ancient relic, it probably had a history dating back to the early 1000CE. She could already imagine how archaeologists would have gone crazy just to study that sword for a few hours. But that same treasure was going to be used to commit a crime.
Lara sighed dejectedly but she didn't try to stop Naruto. After all, the relic only had value to the living and not the dead.
Naruto stealthily walked up to the man like a ghost, his footsteps went unheard in the noisy room.
And like a snake once he got within range of the man he sprung into action and his dagger dug hilt deep into the neck of the unsuspecting man.
The man who had been quietly standing guard was suddenly assaulted by a truck load of pain as his neck was punctured by a sharp object. He opened his mouth to scream but a hand clapped tightly over his mouth preventing him from doing so. He let out muffled screams as he choked on his own blood. He tried his very best to fight off his killer but there was no strength behind his attack. His clothes was dyed red with his blood and his skin turned pale from blood loss. He soon went limp in Naruto's hands as he died from blood loss.
Naruto gently placed his body on the ground before checking to see if anyone saw him or if anyone else was close by. He heard gentle footsteps behind him but he didn't bother to turn around as he knew that it was Lara approaching him.
Lara knelt down beside Naruto, she cast him a few glances before looking away. She wasn't bothered by the fact that Naruto was stained with blood or that he had just heartlessly killed a man, after all, she had seen worst.
More importantly, they could still hear voices coming from further inside the large room. There was no ceiling so the room had a natural lighting. They could still hear more voices echoing inside the room. Judging by the voices there was at least five scavengers somewhere inside this huge room.
"Try not to make too much noise" Naruto whispered as they sneaked towards the door at the other end of the room by using the pillar for cover and avoiding the light.
They also avoided the middle of the room as the scavengers were pulling up a generator with a pulley from the upper floor.
Maybe because of the loud noise generated by the working scavengers and how busy they were, the two of the them went unnoticed. If it continued like this they would be able to leave there without a fight.
"What do you think they need that for?" Lara asked as she fixed her gaze on the generator being lifted from behind a pillar.
"Beats me. I can't imagine what purpose it could serve, it's not like they need it to charge their phones or other electronic devices. It's pretty useless here, unless they need it for a ship?" Naruto remarked however Lara's eyes soon widened when she heard his words.
"That's right! A ship" Lara snapped her fingers in realization. Father Mathias once said that the only way they could get off this island is by unleashing the Sun Queen. However one thing those puzzle her, why leave after spending so much effort to bring back the Queen? What could father Mathias possibly need a generator for?
However, they were the only ones puzzled by this situation, the scavengers were also starting to question the motive behind their actions. They have always done whatever father Mathias has asked of them without question no matter what it was.
But this past few days it was like he had lost his rationality and was now having them salvaging junks and hunting some stupid teenagers. His decision has led to the death of many of their family and friends which left them all in a bad mood.
Naruto and Lara quietly eavesdropped on the scavengers conversation. From what they heard they concluded that the scavengers were unaware of father Mathias true motives and were only carrying out his orders even if they didn't want to.
It made a lot of sense. After all, just like them the scavengers have. Lost a lot of people since they started hunting them. Naruto was certain that if they could they would have called a truce but it was unlikely now as the two sides were already past that point. Neither side would rest until the other is completely annihilated.
After taking in a eye full of what the scavengers were doing the two of them stealthily left the area, not daring to linger around.
Right now Alex was still their main goal
…….
That concludes this chapter.
I apologize for the late update. It wasn't my intention I was just busy is what I'd Say.
Well I hope you guys enjoy the update. Ill try to finish this story up by the end of this month.
I will be seeing myself out.
Until next time.