Tomb Raider: The Golden Seal

Chapter 6: The Romanian Professor

"What does this mean?" Lara asked the professor.

"Just a local legend." Ivanoff said. "Are you familiar with the Nephili and the Lux Veritatis?"

"Somewhat." She smiled.

"It's about a prophecy. The Nephilim defeats the monk - a Lux Veritatis - and then takes the woman - the so-called Amazon. Isn't it amusing?"

Kurtis and Lara exchanged a glance.

"Yeah, very funny." Kurtis snorted with sarcasm.

"Your ignorance is bold." said the professor. "This is nonsense like most legends, since neither the Lux Veritatis nor the Nephili are real. But you look like you've no clue about the matter."

"You might be surprised with how much I know." Kurtis slowly replied. Lara elbowed him again, but then the professor laughed.

"Ha-ha! Delightful. If there was even one member of the Lux Veritatis, I'd kiss his feet and crawl at his presence."

Kurtis' smirk widened into an evil grin. Lara decided that had gone too far and pulled her partner's arm. "My, look how late it is! We'll come back another day." And they went away, leaving the surprised professor.

When they were out, Kurtis said: "Damn. It would've been fun to teach him a lesson."

"Fun but not prudent." she said. "We'll take care of him later. I think the clue is in that tapestry, but as long as there are tourists and professors in the middle, we can't do anything."

"Well then." He said. "Tonight we storm the castle."

(...)

Gunderson put on his gloves and loaded his machine gun. Karel's orders had been precise. Tonight they'll enter into Bran's castle to get the clue they need. You know what to do. He spent some time reviewing his men. They were fifteen, exactly those that remained after the slaughter at Cappadocia. Those bloody manticores had known very well when to stop killing.

He was upset and frustrated. Finding out that blond man, whom he regarded as Eckhardt's favourite, was actually the centre, beginning, and end of the Cabal, was a shock for him. Not only had Eckhardt – the true Meister - been merely a pawn, but also when found no longer useful, the Nephilim had used the British explorer to kill him.

So now he was a Nephilim's servant, forced to call him Meister, a name he considered worthy only of the Black Alchemist. Once I'm done with all this, Gunderson thought, I'll administer justice.

No matter that Eckhardt had served him to the end. No matter that Gunderson had devoted himself to the Cabal's cause, in body and soul, lured by promises of immortality that he already realized would never be fulfilled. As Kurtis said, Marten Gunderson had spent his life selling himself to the highest bidder. After all, what else was expected from a hired gun?

(...)

Lara slowly and quietly placed an ear on Kurtis' hotel room door. She heard running water in the distance, as if he were in the shower.

Night was falling, and they had everything settled to storm the castle. Took a couple of hours planning, developing strategies and possible ways to avoid the monument's poor security. But now Lara was bored to tears – as she always was when idle – and found herself spying like a naughty schoolgirl. As if this guy even has something worth spying on, she told herself, while not moving from her spot.

The running water stopped. She heard footsteps. What are you doing? Go away! Lara told herself, but instead she leaned a little more against the door. And then the door opened wide with a creak.