This is the 8th chapter. I don't own the series of Helluva Boss or the game of Tomb Raider.
Draconic Fan: Yes, but there's a Japanese underworld called 'Yomi', a different version of Hell. Look it up on Google and see for yourself.
Roadless Path
After Lara destroyed the fuel tanks and making a massive blaze for the signal, they watched the sky for a moment before they heard it.
"There it is!" Lara breathed, pointing it out as she started jumping and waving her arms, attempting to flag it.
But unfortunately, that's when things took a turn for the worse as the plane turned toward the island, the black clouds gathered behind it.
"No...we aren't going anywhere..." Antauri muttered as he, Millie, and Lara looked on in horror.
Two big blasts of lightning strike the plane, sending it hurtling toward the ground. A voice echoed behind the storm in Japanese, roughly translated to the white hellhound, which sounded like the voice was saying the message he'd been scrawled in many places on the island.
'No One Leaves'
That was when Antauri, Millie, and Lara realized the plane was heading for them.
"Fuck, RUN!" Antauri yelled.
They quickly turned and ran, hoping to somehow outrun the wrecking plane. They then found themselves sliding down the cliffside; rolled, tumbled, and avoided any obstacles before coming to a screeching halt, nearly fallen off some ruins into a canyon below had they not grabbed the ledge in time. They pulled themselves up but barely had a second to catch their breath before Antauri tackled Lara and Millie onto a neighboring structure, barely missing an impact from one of the plane's four engines. Lara and Millie coughed as they swayed into a sitting position on their knees while Antauri remained on his back in a daze as he landed, trying both to catch his breath and wrap his heavy head around what had just happened.
'A storm appeared out of a clear blue sky?! That's just not possible!' Antauri mentally shouts, yet they have witnessed it with their eyes. He decided not to think about it. 'Now isn't the time to for this. Got to keep moving!'
With a bit of effort, Antauri forced himself to sit up. He, Millie, and Lara looked at the sound of screaming in time to see the pilot parachuting down not far from them. Antauri then staggered to his feet.
"We're gotta get to him before the islanders do." Antauri suggested as Millie nodded.
They set off into the cliffside ruins. Upon busting through the weak wall of the house in front of them after using a banner as trapeze, but the whole cliffside became unstable.
"It's all going to collapse! Hurry!" Lara called over her shoulder to them as they broke into a run.
They jumped, slid, swing, and busted through everything in their path, desperate to avoid perishing in the destruction. Finally, they reached a section of the village that's not collapsing into the unknown below them. They froze at the sound of gunshots accompanied by the pilots voice, making Antauri turned into a human.
"What? What the hell?! Go away!"
They slowly walk and notice a pilot killed one of the islanders while the other slowly approaching with his machete ready. But just the pilot is about to shoot, Millie throws her knife at the islander in the head, killing him. The pilot turned and saw Antauri, Lara, and Millie.
"Go-"
"Calm down, we're the ones calling for help!" Antauri cuts him off which made the pilot eased up. "Were you the only pilot?"
"No, Jessop is my co-pilot. I don't know how the hell the storm came in, and next thing I know, we were out and landed in different locations."
"Lara! Antauri! Millie! You there?" The voice of Roth coming from the radio was heard and it got their attention.
"We're here, Roth." Millie replied, grabbing the radio. "The storm came out of nowhere and struck the plane."
"Millie, listen. We saw a crash from here, so you and the others are close to our position. Your boss and your husband are searching for another pilot. Just meet me there." Roth informed her.
"You got it." Millie replied, ending transmission when the pilot looked at the imp.
"Is she..."
"Yes, she's an imp from Hell." Lara cuts him off. "But not the time, we'll head for camp to take a breather."
"Can you use one of these?" Antauri inquires, extending the machete.
"Yeah, but I'm almost out of ammo."
"We'll look some, but you gotta make do." Millie told him as they make camp for a quick rest.
"I can't get it out of my head." Lara said, broke the silence. Antauri realized she was writing down as she spoke. "A storm that came out of nowhere, out of the clear sky, and brought down a place. It's not rational. You know it's not rational. There must be some explanation, I...I just don't know it yet."
"I have your explanation." Antauri growled.
The bleak situation they were all in, the pain he felt from his injuries, and the overall experiences on the island had him finally reaching his limits with patience. Lara and Millie looked up, startled by his sudden angry tone.
"Your explanation is nothing, I mean fucking NOTHING on this damned island makes any sense!" Antauri snapped. "You saw what we saw, too! I think it was established a while back that whatever the fuck is going on here is FAR from normal! Not everything in this world has a rational explanation and we aren't going crazy, yet at least. Not everything was built on scientific facts, Lara! Understand that and accept it!"
Then, he stormed off just ahead. He hoped he would cool off in the time he would be alone.
"Lara, just take the pilot and go to Roth. I'll handle this." Millie said calmly as she went on ahead to look for him.
With that, Lara and the pilot head to Roth's camp to regroup, but his words still echoed in her head.
'Not everything was built on scientific facts, Lara! Understand that and accept it!'
In a way, she understood. The situation they were in and things they'd seen so far, there really was no way to scientifically prove the irrationality of it all.
"Lara, Millie told me what happen between you and Antauri." Roth said from the radio with the sound of a touch of anger. "Normally, I'd give him an earful, but since Millie is with him, I'll let her do it for me. But I want to hear him myself when she's done with him."
"But he might right, Roth. Maybe I should accept to face the facts that not everything can be explained rationally." Lara said, still shaken up for what happened.
"Lara, listen. He might be right about it, but it doesn't give him the right to snap at you. Just get back here safe and we'll talk." Roth told her as they ascended some stairs.
"Alright. On our way." Lara replied, ending transmission.
As they reached the top, she found herself upside down in a snare trap and the islanders caught their attention.
"Over here!"
"There! We got them!"
"Rush them!"
"Stay back!" Lara and the pilot yelled as they fired at the survivors.
When they had shot enough of them to get a moment to reprieve, she next shot the pulley that held her up in the snare. Once on the ground, they behind a crate as more survivors fired at them from above. Glancing down next to her, she saw some rope. Getting a crazy idea, she tied the rope to her arrow and used it to down the support beam to bring the hut down, killing two of them. The pilot advanced to get a gun from the dead body while Lara gives him cover fire by firing two arrows at them, but the third was about to throw a molotov at her, which causes the pilot to fire his gun at him to the head.
"Thanks." Lara said to the pilot, who loots some ammo and materials.
"No problem, you'd do the same for me. So, how do we get up there?"
Lara then thought of an idea, utilizing her new rope arrows, she fires a roped crate and pull it out of the platform. She and the pilot then jump, grabbing hold of the rope and climb up the crate. While there's no route to take, there were plenty of materials to salvage. Again, Lara even remembered a certain white hellhound telling her about salvaging which it's amazing how much he had affected her in such a short time. She wondered how he was fairing or what he was even doing on his own.
"Do you think he's okay? You know, after storming off and snapped at you."
"Well, couldn't say I blame him for that. And I'm sure he's fine. He's with Millie, after all." Lara replied after founding more materials and realized they passed the route they need. Chuckling to herself, they made their way down the little path to a river with no bridge which made her notice a wooden pole and the post. "That looks like a good spot to hook into."
She then uses her rope arrow to make her own bridge. Crossing over by using the rope, they pressed on. Pulling down the old door with the rope arrow, they then followed the enclosed tunnel. After a short slide end, they were back outside, where Roth was waiting for them, and it got her noticed he's using a makeshift crutch.
"I'm really glad you moved." Lara said as she and the pilot approached him.
"You and me both, girl." Roth replied with a chuckle, given her a one-arm hug and noticed a pilot. "Good to see you alive."
"Couldn't say the same with the plane. Just hope Jessop is alright."
Roth understands after what the pilot has been through.
"One moment they were fine...the next...there was this storm. It came out of nowhere..."
"It's not your fault, Lara." Roth assures her.
"I called them here, Roth!" Lara remarked.
"Hey, you didn't know this would happen. We'll find another way to get out."
The pilot is right about it, but the voice from another pilot named Jessop came from the radio was heard.
"Mayday, mayday! This is co-pilot Jessop of aircraft N177A..."
"This is Kurt! Can you hear me?" A pilot named Kurt asked with his own radio.
"I got badly hurt when I landed and need urgent aid! Is anyone there?"
"Captain Jessop, do you read?" Kurt said again but heard static.
"I've deployed a smoke signal. Please respond."
"Shit, he can't hear me." Kurt cursed, ending transmission.
"Just stay with Roth, I'll go and get him." Lara suggested, about to leave.
"No." Roth said which made her stop.
"His signal's over there." Lara points out, noticing the smoke signal.
"We've got our own people to worry about." Roth objected. "We'll need to regroup as soon as they find Sam."
"I can't just leave him out there alone. I need to get to him." Lara said, and hopefully she gets to both Antauri and Millie as well.
Roth grabbed her arm after she's about to walk away.
"Sometimes, you've got to make sacrifices, Lara." Roth told her. "You can't save everyone."
"I know about sacrifices." Lara retorted, jerked her arm out of his grip.
"No, you know about loss. Sacrifice is a choice you make; loss is a choice made for you." Roth told her again.
"I can't choose to let him die, Roth." Lara said as she then turned away and began planning to get to the pilot.
Unknown to them, Antauri and Millie had heard everything as well and was already en route to Jessop's location. Of course, the white hellhound had stormed away quite a distance from their camp, so much that he actually much closer to Jessop than she and Roth, and now he was thinking with a clear head, but he regretted a lot it. Firstly, he regretted for snapped at Lara or even being in a bad mood with her. After all, none of this was her fault and neither of them knew this would happen. Secondly, he regretted for leaving her alone. Sure, she's getting a lot better at fighting and using her weapons, but she's still inexperienced, and that put her in danger being alone. He should've never left her alone, under any circumstances. Millie was able to find him and decided to give him a good scolding, but when she noticed he felt regret for leaving Lara alone and for snapping at her, which it was enough for her to understand that. She also reminds him that he and Lara are adopted siblings, shouldn't go alone. Yet, she doesn't blame him for snapping at her after what has happened, but it didn't excuse him for leaving her and the pilot alone.
But now it's not the time because he and Millie knew Lara would be en route to Jessop's location. They wanted to get there first and maybe now they can get to him. Antauri didn't want another innocent death here on his conscious.
"Mills, what the fuck happen?! We saw a plane crashed here!" Blitzo yelled through the radio.
"We had a problem! The storm came out of nowhere and struck the plane!" Millie replied with her radio.
"I bet it was that undead bitch causing a storm and struck that plane! Goddammit, Himiko!?" Blitzo snarled angrily. "Anyways, where are you? You're heading the same place we're heading?"
"We're close to get the pilot. Antauri is with me, after he...separated and leaving Lara alone." Millie told him.
"Yeah, Roth told me and let me you, he's a bit pissed. Anyway, we're heading that direction, see you guys there." Blitzo said, ending transmission when Roth came through the radio of his own.
"Antauri! Where are you? Why aren't you with Lara when we regrouped?" Roth questioned, sounded tired and a bit angry.
Antauri felt grimace, knew that this was coming as he grabs the radio.
"We had a spat of sorts at one of our camps. I got pissed and stormed off." Antauri explains. "I'm assuming she and the pilot went on ahead without me because I heard your conversation. Millie and I are closer to Jessop then she probably is, so we're punching in to get there first."
"That's not the problem! You shouldn't have left, Antauri." Roth snapped. "What if Lara got captured while you were running off fuming somewhere? Or worse, killed? She's not as experienced with this sort of situation as you are or I am."
"But she's experienced enough at this point to survive." Antauri snapped back. "I know she's not your typical live day-to-day person, but she's not stupid. She knows how to get out of a sticky situation. She can do this, Roth. You said it yourself, so have a little faith in her."
"You're every bit as stubborn as she is...maybe vice versa." Roth said with a groan. "Just stay alive long enough to regroup with her at the pilot's location. And this time, do NOT separate again. It's not safe wandering around in this place alone."
"Understood. Tell Lara we'll meet up at Jessop's location. We gotta get moving." Antauri replied, ending transmission.
"And this time, do what he said. And stay with Lara, ya hear." Millie said in a motherly tone which the white hellhound went on ahead and it got her noticed. "Hey! Wait up!"
And apparently, they happened to be on another cliffside village while still being separated with Lara. Scaling down the rocky walls, they heard more Solarii talking as they reached the bottom.
"This hut looks clear."
"We ain't gonna find anyone up here."
'You're about to be surprised.' Antauri and Millie mentally thought.
"You're probably right, but we got orders."
"I'm gonna head down and join the others at the plan. You keep checking these ruins."
"Yeah. I'll get right on it. Waste of fucking time."
"Not likely." Antauri muttered as he shot the first guard, who'd start making his way down from the ruins.
When his friend came to investigate, the white hellhound shot him as well while Millie advanced forward and the white hellhound follows. Millie noticed the third guard at the distance, she quietly pressed on for the kill. Reyes suddenly came through the radio.
"Anyone out there? Roth?" Reyes asks.
"I'm here, Reyes. What's your situation?" Roth asks after Millie killed the third guard.
"We followed a group of men to some kind of...city." Reyes explains which made both Antauri and Millie confused. "This place is insane, Roth. What the hell are they doing here?"
'Good question.' Antauri mentally thought briefly.
"I don't know, and I don't want to know." Roth told her. "Any sign of Sam or Whitman?"
"Nothing yet. Are you with Lara and Carl?" Reyes asks.
"Yes...we'll be heading down the mountain soon to meet up with you." Roth answered, which lying about the white hellhounds name.
"Carl?" Millie inquires, raising her eyebrow.
"Hey, it's better than Blitz coming up with names." Antauri remarked which made Millie giggled.
"Okay, we'll try to get in a bit closer." Reyes replied, ending transmission.
After the transmission ended, it was clear what Roth was implying, and they were sure Lara heard as well. At least they had the next destination while having the same goal on finding Jessop. After looting from the bodies, both Antauri and Millie ran up the stairs, zipline down the cliff, looking for the materials, and made his way across the village to the path that should take them to where they're aiming to go. It got Antauri noticed the diary which happens to be Reyes', reading through it and it got him stunned that her daughter is actually Roth's which he never told him or Lara about it. However, he can tell Reyes made plenty of mistakes and needed help and support from her family, but she wants to tell Roth when the time is right. Millie glances up to look around after she reached the hut, overlooking the rest of the village, she realized the blue smoke was very close by now.
"Antauri, there's the signal!" Millie called him, earned his attention as they head that direction by climbing up on the cliffside with his axe.
'Please let either of us reach him in time.' Antauri mentally thought.
That's it for the chapter.
Sorry about the confusion, but to let you know, both Antauri and Millie are at the different side of the village while a few steps ahead of Lara after the crash. So, here are Reyes' diary and I forgot about the Solarii along with the science project back at the 1940s, my bad.
The Best Job
For better or worse, I now follow Father Mathias. If I'm going to be stuck on this island, at least I have the best possible job. He calls me his first Solarii. Mathias might be insane, but he's smart and dangerous. He knows things about this island. I believe he's our only chance of ever getting out of here. Mathias keeps us happy. We control the guns and the food. Anything the storms bring to this island is ours and we decide the fate of any new survivors. Any who defy us are killed. We're masters of this fucked up prison.
Scientist: Secret Project
Expedition Field Report:
Despite loss of two cargo ships to intense storms, the expedition has made landfall. We've established a communications center high in the mountains and coastal base construction has commenced. Initial surveys have revealed several possible excavation sites. The island is much larger than we originally anticipated and layered with many centuries of history. The task of identifying the source of the storms will be long and arduous, but if we succeed in our mission here, our victory in this war will be certain.
Reyes: Dear Roth
Baby, I don't even know how to begin this, so I'm just gonna come right out with it. Alisha is yours. Maybe you've known it all along, but since I signed back on board the Endurance, I just can't keep the truth from you any longer. You've got to understand, I never meant to cut you out of her life. But I know you, Roth. I know how you live and what you want. Staying in one place and raising a kid is not on your agenda. Maybe I screwed up. Maybe I should have let you make a choice. But I made it for you. For what I thought was best. After the expedition, when the time is right, let's talk about the future. Take some time to think about what you want, okay?