Chapter 9

Achylis knew what she wanted to do and she didn't want any thing to go wrong. She wondered why everything was quiet but she honestly didn't care. Marion hid but she definately hoped someone would stop what was happening. Marion watched at the same time wishing she could call Indiana Jones which saddened her again. Achylis didn't have to do much with the darkness she could create as she used it a lot. Darkness consumed the area with black broken columns as her black throne stood before her. she didn't just create the darkness she was darkness. She could feel something shifting and she knew a group was trying to find something that could stop her all the while their friend had the other object and they didn't know. She wanted to ruin what they were doing but she wanted to see how exactly this would play out. if anything they were going to need help getting out of what she was even going to do to them. She laughed while barley thinking of the worst way to even kill them off. She still didn't know it yet what was to come as she only thought of herself. " Citus, Bring back their heads." She smiled devilishly at her creature she had made with her mind. She watched her pet flying through the air as she went to Aizora laughing telling her what she had done all the while Aizora looked worse than death. j. Nathan Drake looked out at the valley below them thinking of how beautiful it was. They walked up the stairs as more led to the top, apparently they would see where to go next. Lara had it all figured out after she looked at her map but she needed a better advantage point. The first time he heard the noise Nathan thought it was only the wind he stopped when he heard it the second time. Marie and Drew walked ahead of Nathan up the stairs as he stared heard, then he saw it, it was large very large as it got closer he realized it was a snake slithering towards them. " run!" Eyes wide he thought this was the first and how The hell were they supposed to even kill it. adrenaline coursed through him as Lara stared off behind him" why is it huge?" The snake had talons the detail through out the way it slithered towards them as it got closer to them hitting the side of where they were before they ran in fear as it hissed. They ran before hurriedly climbing up into what seemed to be a cave as light shined through from the other side before the snake slammed through as Drew felt like he didn't just shit himself before the Snake hissed shaking itself before slamming itself against the wall. Drew next to the scales as it slithered freaked out as he couldn't even think as he fell hard against the stone ground as it crumbled because of the snake. It snapped out as Drew shrieked freaking out as the snake didn't attack just yet. Lara and Nathan stepped in front of Marie wondering what to do as Marie feared for their lives. h. Everything around Marie seemed odd as the snake turned is head towards her as her hearing faded out. She saw the floor around the Snake crumbling but Drew was in the middle of the Chaos as it took iTS sweet time pulling itself around it's prey. Lara saw above them at the wooden stakes hanging from the wall. Grabbing her grappling hook she threw it. " Nathan this yours over there." Lara was going to distract it and she knew what to do. Marie didn't see Achylis but Marie heard here while Lara did her thing all the while Marie couldn't stand the voice of Achylis from the snake. " you think you know what you're doing when you're friend doesn't even know what he has, he's been hiding it from you. You can't trust Nathan or Lara. you can't even trust yourself, you won't win." Marie shuddered as goosebumps formed and the hairs on the back of her head stood on edge. The snake wasn't just distracted but it looked at her as she felt like it alone was trying to speak before it slithered and hissed again. instead of hearing Achylis she heard her old friend Aizora. " Help me, please. " it was as if Achylis let Aizora speak to her. Marie didn't know what Achylis was planning but she knew they needed to stop her.

The room too Drew was getting smaller then again the ground he was on was sinking in and every breath was getting harder. Nathan finally found something steardy as he hooked it before trying to yank on it just to make sure all the while the floor finally caved in as it fell hundreds of feet below from where they were. Marie didn't think before grabbing the rope as she jumped through the open hole and towards Drew. Drew on the other hand in shock didn't scream as he wanted to, it was as if he excepted what his death would be as he fell closing his eyes before something grabbed him hard as he heard screams from up above.

Lara and Nathan pulled the rope hard trying to pull them both up as the snake seemed to disappear from sight. " Drew hey. it's okay. I'm here." Drew wasn't planning of letting go, He wanted to cry if anything as he looked up into her eyes climbing up facing her before pulling her too him kissing her hard, not in a living way, but as if it were to be their last. once up and laying there Drew didn't want to get up and they knew he must be going through everything in his mind. Everything was saying this was just what he was seeing as he was almost dead in the snakes stomach or so much worse. " You going to be okay?" Nathan pulled Drew up as Lara held Marie's arm as she felt light headed. " That was crazy, but cool. You going to be okay?" Marie only nodded hunched over before she collected herself as she breathed shaking. Marie looked back at Drew as she thought back to how that kids effected her greatly. She wished they could do it again but she was also glad it ended. After getting their bearings they heading out before coming to a huge massive door. symbols seemed to be carved into it, like man made, one symbol looked like a flying horse only she couldn't tell. She wasn't sure what half of them were till she saw the same symbols from Aizora's coin. " I know these. " Marie explained to Lara and Nathan as Drew already knew.

" it's always affected someone. " Nathan said as before he could say anything Lara spoke on what she went through before all this. the only problem was Marie wasn't sure what to do. " wait she as in your friend is inside of this, what Demon? " Nathan thought way to much as if what the hell. He had only always had to kill the person before it could expose or go into him or worse. It was never satisfying to him if anything he hated killing but he had no chose and neither did Lara when it came to the bad guys trying to get something. The floor wasa different design as the door but in a way it looked the same. The Death symbol laid the the right only in the corner right across it laid the power symbol. To the left the other two laid out across from each other only there was another symbol in the middle, it looked more like a slot of some sort. Drew and Nathan spoke at the same time as they both looked at each as they both had the same mind set. " we need to stand on the symbols. " Nate on the other hand didn't know what went into the slot but knew as he grabbed his pack and took out of white snake that easily fell into place. Something shifted before they all looked back at the door and at the symbols as they quickly stepped onto them. The door itself as it shifted and clicked pushed out by itself before it pushed open on its own.

Drew grabbed the snake that Marie knew that's what Achylis was talking about, but everything as they walked through the doors felt spooky and not just because she knew what was going to really happen. " wow." Marie wasn't really amused but she wasn't upset, it was exactly how she figured it would be. A path led towards the ruins before more bigger half towers led towards what seemed to the a palace of some sort. Half the trees were dead as some flowers bloomed in the fields. You could tell there were half the fields were gardens as some garden tools laid on the ground beside more tools that were unknown. It was surprising to hear no chirping or no birds flying but They expected something they just didn't know what was out there. They walked around exploring the area. They wanted to make sure to search everything before heading towards where they were needed. Marie knew how bad guys worked, they'd come out of nowhere just to ambush you. She only knew this because of the stories from Lara. " Be cautious. If you get separated just get to higher ground. " Drew stared out at the palace before really looking at Marie. SHe stared before looking back and around them as if she was sensing something. He knew her way to well. " Is something bothering you?" Marie wasn't sure what she was hearing but it sounded like a stampede of some sort only she looked around them as if she was supposed to see it first. " I hear something but I don't see anything. Lara looked at her wondering why she couldn't hear anything. " Can you discrib the noise?" Marie still couldn't make out what she was hearing before she walked ahead of them as LAra walked along side her wondering if she was okay. " I can't tell. It sounds like a stampede. "

Marie wasn't lying and Lara could tell. " Did you notice when the snake slithered it was speaking? " Lara stopped as she turned to her aware of what was going on. " Wait so you're the one who can hear and the girl that is your friend is the seeker?" Even though it was a question it seemed Lara had something figured out as she turned to Drew as she pointed at Drew. " What does that make you?" Lara wasn't trying to be rude but she had a prophacy and she was trying to break it to understand it. " The thing is I see things too, and have the time I don't want to. its not just flashbacks. " Drew looked at her knowing it was going to come out sooner or later. " So he's only here because he's a friend and when you say you've seen things, What exactly have you seen?" Marie thought back to her friend before she explaining as before when she was jerked into the room everything that Achylis said to her as she couldn't see her friend but she heard her. She told them a little bit not to much. " It was as if Achylis let Aizora talk to me. I couldn't see my friend but I heard her. She asked for help, She sounded so broken and fragile." Marie didn't want to cry in front of them she stayed strong. She was glad she could think back to what her and Drew did, it helped a lot. Lara already knew who she was but everything sounded so weird to her not surprising but weird. " Why take over her if she could do have you?" Lara asked before she saw the look in Marie's face. " Sorry. I didn't mean." Lara cut off what she said as she walked ahead of them as it took a minute for Marie. Drew grabbed ahold of her looking into her face as he pulled her with him. " I know why? It's because she doesn't want to see herself fail. "

Lara heard Nathan and what he said to Marie as she couldn't help but feel like he thought he knew everything. Lara wondered if anything they were going to do was even worth it. It took a minute before they got the the palace buidling Lara looked at the door way thinking it was impossible that it was still intact until she touched the door way cracks formed and showed through before the cracks got bigger and it spread through out as the whole buidling groaned as it didn't like the simple touch. Lara stepped away as the top of the door way fell as parts of the ceiling gave way blocking the way to get in. " Fuck, every time." Nathan stepped back from Lara looking at the other side and the water that ran in bewteen the two buildings. Marie could still hear something as it sounded more like thumping and scratching. " weird." Marie couldn't see anything but she heard it, She wasn't sure where it was coming from either and it was seriously bugging her. Drew heard what Marie said as she looked over at what she was looking at, The other building. " I think we should split up. We would cover more ground." Marie didn't realize she said it till it slipped out. Why should they? Marie looked back at Lara and Nathan as Drew noticed the huge hole in the roof that wasn't very far from the ground.

They thankfully agreed and when they did Marie and Drew were immediately swarmed with bad guys only but a few had them cornered before Drew wasn't as scared at he thought he was. Marie slid across the room towards the middle guy as he didn't have his footing right before she pushed his knee out and kicked his other as she moved away as the other guy on her left lunged at her before she kicked him in his face. She wasn't expecting what she did as the only thing in her eye sight was Drew flying through the air at the one guy that was still standing. She thought it was funny the way he did it before the guy almost got the upper hand as he punched the guy in the throat before kicking him where it hurts as the bad guy hunched over not exactly breathing before Marie went over and kicked him hard in the face. The bad guy fell to the ground as Marie looked with her hip popped out her arm behind her back. " That's how you knock out a guy." She looked at him as he stared more at her in general, since when was she a bad ass. He was starting to like this side of her.

The buidling itself was old and grass and vines hung from the walls and down towards the ground as just a little of the wall and the door way to the other room showed. Lara and Nathan so far were lucky as they manuvered over their obstacles while they ended up outside facing a unfamiliar pathway that lead up towards more of the building. " You gonna make your move?" Lara asked in question as Nathan ran jumping onto the ledge holding onto the wall as he told himself not to look down. They both climbed up holding on for dear life as they climbed into the building as Nathan Drake lost his footing slipping into the black hole that was more than several feet away as Lara Croft landed smoothly on her feet. They both shined their lights into the vast room as more Engraving from the walls showed. 4 diffrentbells hung into the room hanging by the ceiling on either side of them. Nathan barley touched out with his hand before ringing was heard and a clicking sound. " Okay. I don't see anything though. What clicked?" Nathan touched the other one as Lara wasn't totally for sure as she did the same. Not one answer was heard as something they couldn't see was moved by hearing something above them. " Lets go." Lara ran back going back from where they came. Drew and Marie had only a little bit of luck but they didn't have any bells of any kind as they got deeper into the palace.

The General wasn't having it and he studied the map wondering where he had went wrong and where to even go with the body of the dead. The stone was near it but it wasn't with it. " Boss you might wanna see this!" The yelling was ticking him off he couldn't think straight untilhe got feed up until he heard his right man yell for him. " The fuck is going on!" He stare at the sight coming from the right that onlyfollowed in a path. It didn't cover the entire valley of where they were but it was a very weird sight and he didn't understand as the body that could do that was still in the coffin in the tent from where he came. He didn't understand and he needed to get a better look. " How is that possible without the body of the dead?" He wasn't really asking anyone in general and that said a lot. " Stay with the body. You 4 come with me." The clouds that rolled in was just grey looking but they quickly turned pitch black. This wasn't what was supposed to happen, at least not like this. " How is this happening?" He stared at the vast black clouds at the edge of the the tree line as his right man pointed at the two kids running. " Do you want us to follow them sir?" He could care less about them expesally now that he wanted to get to the bottom of who was doing the dark magic or whatever was happening.

He knew a thing or two about dark magic but he still was confused about the pitch black clouds as the only person who could do that was Achylis. He suddenly understood how it could've been Achylis as a few days before he messed with the stone with the body " Fuck! " He should've known. He messed it up for himself. " Follow and tell me who the face of this is!" He wasn't to happy about this but he definately wanted to kill someone. He went back to his other men and back to the tent where the body laid watching noticing nothing out of the ordinary other than his gaurds screaming before guns started blaring.  " What now!"  He yelled walking out as the black dangerous clouds rolled in as a Figure walked from out of it. The last thing he remembered was darkness as he saw the black figure coming from a body he didn't recognize. He awoke as his guards still laid unconsious " Can't deal with this shit."  He grabbed the nearest gun holding it firmly walking towards the tent barley breathing as he peered in.  He didn't like what he saw as darkness consumed the body that laid in the coffin only he heard the screaming in his mind before she actually screamed. 

He knew Achylis wasn't just mad but she was enraged. She felt provoked and vilolated with who touch her body and messed up everything. Lessons were going to be learned and Achylis was furious as she didn't have to do much for the crystal to shatter as he watched still pondering why he wasn't even running. " KIlling everyone will be a pleasure." Achylis rolled back into Aizora laughing in her own evil way while darkness rolled swiftly throughout the tent and then throughout the area as everything about Achylis was turning into something he didn't like. It was what he wanted to be, he wanted that power and the darkness that he could control. If he had it all his enemys wouldn't be able to scream they'd already be dead.  The whole world would have to dow down to him but instead it was the other way around. She wasn't using it the way he would and it stressed him out until  Achylis  saw him. He didn't like the look on her face as her mouth curved up into a smirk as her hands shot out pushing hard into the air as he only shot with the gun as it didn't faze her at all. He slammed into the trees as he landed hard on the ground.  He's gaurds still unconsious he watched more as darkness swarmed before something  hit him hard.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          Drew went ahead of  Marie crawling through the small space surprised he could even fit through it as Marie crawled after him.  " Don't see why we had to split up. If I see one more guy imma hurt him good."    Marie tried to think but if anything she was sore and hurting from all the climbing and crawling. Her body ached and the pain was getting on her nerves excepesally the headache.  By the time they got up Marie was groaning in pain and the only thing really going through her brain was she needed her bed at home and hot tea. The pressure she felt she didn't like as it seemed like it had evaperated but it slammed back down on her again as she held her knees. " You Okay? We need to keep going."     Marie waved her hand as she stood up straighter following after him as towards the voices that were outside of the room they were in. " Help me get up there and I'll pull you up."  Marie wasn't in the mood to kill and that said a lot. He used her knees as he jump up from it to the outside as the grass masked him. " give me your hand. Hurry."  Marie knew she would die if she didn't hurry. She didn't want to die she had her whole future ahead of her. She got a running start before she jumped giving him her hand as he jerked her hard before the doors slammed open as more than a handful of guys in masks and guns looked around before searching as Marie and Drew had a straight shot to the broken split roof.            

" Aren't we supposed to met up with them at some point?" Drew asked as he looked back from where we had came from as Marie did the same as they both watched some men come from the room they were in before. " We need to go before we get blown up." She honestly didn't want the image in her mind of them dying just because they wanted to go home. The fact she could see it in her mind scared her even more meanwhile Lara and Drew had taken out half of the guys before they fell through half the building they were in. " Ah the fuck. Why does it have to be old buildings?"  all around them laid out in ruins it seemed to be falling apart the building itself groaned and it wasn't good and Lara and Nathan would bedead for sure. They hurriedly crawled through before slipping more downwards  into what seemed to be a very dark cave. Turning on their flashlights the only thing they could do was not gag from the smell. It wasn't just the smell of death they found dead bodies as they ended up walking on several before seeing more dead bodies as they walked into a bigger room. Nathan slipped against one body before falling aganist the wall. Lara watched him before she inwardly laughed at him as he shrieked when the body moved when he pratically moved against it.

" I'm with a child." She tried to say it more quietly but it seemed like he didn't hear the comment. Lara rolled her eyes at his clumsiness as he tried to get up and walk towards her as he fell straight head first into the mass of bodies as he tried to not scream at the wide eyed open mouthed body that stared right at him. He honestly thought he'd have a heart attack by now and the fact that he just wanted to pass out made it even more worse for him as he forced himself to get back up instead. the only thing that kept repeating in his head was don't think of it, it could get worse. He didn't even watch as he didn't hear anything over the sound in his ears as he looked up at the massive wall at light streamed from the other side. " Bout time." He didn't get anything other than a bruise and he wasn't in the mood if anything he could take out an entire army with the way he was feeling. " Hoist me up and i'll try to find something for you?" He looked at her before doing what she said as he turned waiting for the worst.

Lara found a box but she had to jump several times over the open ground beneath her as  pointy stakes showed from the bottom. She saw the bottom of one didn't have stakes but it was high up from the ground. Where did that lead? She pushed it into the hole climbing down before finding the stinch as she followed it wishing she couldn't breathe.She pushed bodies around finding a small latch as she jerked it hard towards her before she saw the same room only a freaked out Drew with wide eyes as he threw a knife at her only she moved backwards before it hit her with it. " Watch yourself!" She didn't mean the attitude because it was her fault that he was scared. 

"I'm so sorry I hope I didn't get you." He looked at her before she just turned around without saying anything else as he followed after her. " I'm sorry." She didn't know why he had to repeat himself but she finally said it was fine. The light shined through but it took more than 10 minutes to get back outside there was just to many traps and when Drew almost fell into the Spikes it was because the ground broke at his feet. Lara pulled him up as they both fell onto the ground as he laid on top aganist her. " you can get off now." He wasn't sure if he even wanted to move as every move ached and not because she was under him.

He seriously needed a break for a few hours just so he could sleep but he knew the faster they got done they would be able to sleep however long he wanted..hopefully. " When does this end?" He complained getting up from the ground before him and Lara finally climbed out into the sun filled that over looked the ruins that laid out in view. The mountain in the background made it better for him as he calmed down by just seeing the beauty in it with the few clouds in the sky with the sun high in the sky.