Death Raids A Heart

Pt. I

From one different climate to the other, the expedition to search for the tomb of the Divine Prophet seemed rather surreal to David Gardner, for someone who studied far more ancient studies than that of his female counterpart, Lara Croft. But due to the events of Yamatai and the media believing nothing that Lara said, only that she had gone insane, which was why the purpose of the expedition was to prove that what she saw actually happened as well as to restore her father's reputation and complete his search for the Divine Prophet.

It took two days for Lara, David and Jonah to arrive at where they were sure they needed to be. The other travellers that accompanied them refused any further pay in return for a very dangerous trek over the mountains to where Lara strongly believed the lost city of Kitezh in Siberia. Towards the mountain peak, the trio followed a thin, unstable path where the strong winds didn't help their conditions. Through a tunnel, they continued their climb where they had to connect rope to one another with Lara leading and David behind Jonah. 

Once at the top, Lara stared at the ruins of the city when an avalanche was caused by the storm. Unconnected from their ropes, David and Lara looked over the mountain behind them where the avalanche threatened to sweep them away. Despite their best efforts, they could not escape the avalanche that caught up to them. After discovering the Prophet's Tomb in Syria, Lara finally knew that her father was right. All she wanted now was to prove everyone wrong. Fortunately, neither explorer was trapped under heavy snow, only enough to keep them cold, but separated due to the sudden quake. 

"Lara, David, are you there? I've made it to shelter." Jonah reported via their radios. 

"Jonah?! David, can you hear me?!" Lara replied. "David, If you can hear me, go back. Please don't try to find me. I don't want to lose you in this snow. I need to do this alone." 

As the blizzard began to settle, Lara crawled through snow in search for shelter where she could start a fire and warm herself as well as craft a bow to help her survive on deer or whatever she could find. After half an hour, Lara settled by the fire as the snow did the same as night began to fall. 

"... men are scouring the ruins in the mountains," said a familiar voice to Lara. "If the artefact is here, we'll find it." 

"And what of the Remnant?" A mysterious voice loomed. 

"They continue to resist us. But we'll have the situation in hand soon enough. We found someone searching for the city. We think he knows exactly where the Prophet is - taking him to the old Cold War installation." 

"Good. Trinity has faith in you." 

"Trinity... Damn." Lara muttered to herself. 

In search for food, Lara crafted herself some arrows before setting out to hunt deer to feed herself with. After surviving a bear attack, Lara knew she needed to find something more to get the bear out of her way. Rest was what she needed. Though she didn't get much of it, it was more than enough when a gunshot startled her awake. Men were about chasing people as more gunshots went off. A man was badly injured while his female companion fired what few arrows she had left at her pursuers when her friend was shot dead. 

Knowing that the trouble that followed the woman would fall onto her, Lara hid in the shadows and disposed of the trouble lurking. With the mysterious woman absent excluding the bodies killed by Lara and more of those that were killed from snares, Lara sought to kill the bear to proceed through a cavern to reach the Soviet installation. The sun had risen at the time Lara exited the cavern, arriving at an already lit campfire where she was united with the woman. Both women had their bows primed at each other, anxious to know of the other's allegiances. 

Lara lowered her bow and said, "I'm not your enemy." 

"That remains to be seen," replied the woman who still had her bow pointed at her. "You killed those men back there." 

"I killed them to survive. I suspect you did too. How long have they been here?" 

The woman lowered her bow, now no longer seeing any possible hostility within Lara. 

"Days, at most. The invaders took many of my people prisoner. You should leave this place before it's too late." 

"I can't do that. I came here for something important." 

"So did they. If I see you again, I'll put an arrow in your throat." 

"If David were here, he certainly would not allow her to speak to me like that. In fact, he'd probably chastise her for even threatening me." Lara thought to herself before speaking aloud. "You and I are on the same side. I hope I can prove that to you." 

An explosion at the facility erupted, startling Lara to the fire lit behind the walls of the compound. When she turned around, she discovered the woman's absence as she took the opportunity to sit by the fire and craft. 

"So, there are people who live out here, and they appear to have been here for a very long time. Living in isolation for decades, maybe even centuries. I noticed elements of her dress, small adornments that would not have been out of place in the Byzantine Empire. Could they possibly be descendants of the Prophet's people? How much do they know about the Lost City or the Divine Source? It's clear Trinity will do anything to find out. I'm afraid that whoever they are, they're in grave danger. Let's hope the old proverb about the enemy of my enemy remains true." 

Taking a zip-line downwards, Lara made her way along a path until she was able to climb over a wall into the compound. Silently, Lara took out the guards around the building that was on fire and collected supplies to help her upgrade her axes and bow and arrows. A slight commotion didn't worry Lara as she examined a pale corpse where a revolver laid on the ground. 

"This is David's. He's still alive!" Lara whispered to herself when a gunshot scared her again. 

A glass wall revealed three men on the other side, completely aware of Lara eavesdropping as she pointed the revolver at the two guards and fired at them, completely shattering the glass before the prisoner gave away that someone was in the prisons before he succumbed to his wounds. A shutter door opened while a few men that were recovering from a fight continued to converse with one another except one who approached his superior, a man familiar to Lara. 

"I left you in charge here," said Konstantin. 

"Yes, sir. But we didn't expect such heavy resistance." The soldier replied nervously as the blonde man's hands held the sides of his head. 

"You were to be my eyes. I expected you to see. You must know what is at stake with this operation." 

"Yes... but... no, no, no." 

"How could someone like you?" 

Digging his thumbs into his eyes, Konstantin left his recruit in pain as he lectured his men about obtaining their goal, only to be called back to the prison in regards for information on the artefact Lara was also seeking. When the shutter door closed, Lara was left to dispose of the men inside. Lara planted a flammable liquid to destroy the fuel tank to open the shutter door. The disturbance alerted the guards in the vicinity to the disturbance where only a few guards were in her path, nothing she hadn't dealt with before. She had to pursue Konstantin and find out what he knew about the artefact.