Death Raids A Heart

Pt. XII

After barely escaping death by a very thin margin, Lara Croft and David Garnder had once again. The travesty of the tremor took more lives and left houses half collapsed, large holes in the ground and muddy slides from where people were swept away and killed. In the lake, David and Lara clung onto floating objects as they waited for someone to pick them up. 

By the time someone did, they were already on their way back to Paititi with Jonah driving them in a speed boat. Now that Trinity had the Box, the plan to fight Dominguez' army was about to commence as the fate of Paititi rested in the rebel's hands. Upon their return to the Hidden City, Lara, David and Jonah were met by Uchu, who escorted them to the rebel base. Etzli was waiting for them as he looked to them for a review of the plan to attack the Kukuklan. 

"How's the plan coming along, Etzli?" Lara asked in a soft voice. 

"We have options," answered the young prince. "Uchu?" 

The man with a scar over his left eye took ahold of a broken stick and pointed it at certain parts of the map. "Kukuklan's army will follow the sacbe to the great stone bridge, to reach the pyramid. If we approach them head-on, we have the best chance to intercept them, but we could easily be overwhelmed." 

"If we go in this way, it'd be more secure but our timing would have to be perfect or they'd slip through our fingers." Jonah added.

Lara stared at the map before saying, "Can we do both? If we approach head on, I can go around the other way and act as a sniper." 

"They'd be trapped." 

"No approach is without risk, but... I believe this is the best option." 

Uchu nodded. "Good. Then, on your order." 

"Gather the troops. Commence the operation. Mr Gardner, I have a gift for you." 

David's eyebrows shot up, surprised that he was called out for such an offer that the young prince, Etzli, who presented to the older man a crossbow with plenty of wooden arrows where he also noticed the limbs of the weapon were sharpened at the end as a means of using it in close combat should he enter a tough situation. Respectfully, David bowed and accepted his gift before everyone prepared for battle. While everyone got prepared, Lara made off to reach her vantage point where she would come to lay witness to an onslaught while Trinity mowed through the rebels. As the battle broke out, the warriors of Paititi fought those siding with Trinity as David and Jonah remained on the front lines supporting the rebels in dispatching the enemy leader. 

Despite the weaponry Trinity brought, it was a rough battle that all took part in. With a tap on the shoulder, the location of Rourke was revealed when a flood of the Yaaxil intercepted the soldiers. Relieved that now they had the upper hand in the battle, the rebels let out cheers as they continued their volley, both David and Jonah keeping track of the enemies they slaughtered without remorse. As the fight raged on, Lara Croft climbed her way to the top of the temple to combat Dominguez. An armoured truck broke through a barricade where a gunman manning the turret fired at the Yaaxil - little to no regard with the depletion of ammunition - when the gunman was added to the massacre. 

On the roof of the temple, Lara overheard Dominguez preaching as he unlocked the power of the dagger and the Box. The dagger shone which then coursed through to his hand and the rest of his body until he was glowing with the power of Kukuklan. There, he channelled that power to create a magical dome around himself, ordering his men to protect him without knowing that Lara had already begun to dispatch his Cultists. Making haste, Lara released the energy trapped within the icons around the centre of the roof. Once all the idols were shattered, Dominguez turned his attention to Lara where the two fought hard, Lara more so evading his attacks that let out sprays of fire. 

Until she shot him enough times, he emitted an energy repulse where she charged at him and slammed her knife into his shoulder, only for him to grab her by her throat when she stole the dagger from him. Now that the power coursed through her arm, she felt stronger now that she allied with the power of Kukuklan before she finally stopped Dominguez by embedding the blade of the dagger into his chest, his body laid on the ground as he coughed up blood. 

"I'm sorry," whispered Lara. 

Placing the dagger in her hand, Dominguez choked out words as he asked her to protect Paititi with his dying breath. As the power took over her entire body, Lara was granted a vision of her deepest desire: to live a new life with her parents by her side. As the temptation grew strong, Lara bravely declined and turned away from what could have been and returned to what would be. The eclipse now began to fade away, the battle for Paititi won by the rebels as what remained of the Cultists were either killed or converted from their old ways now that Dominguez was no more.