[Setting: The Flooded Antechamber of the Prophet's Tomb]
The sudden appearance of Konstantin and the ensuing gunfire echoed violently through the massive, flooded antechamber. Leo and Lara were pinned behind a thick, submerged stone column, the cold water splashing around them as rounds chipped away at their cover.
Konstantin, standing high on a carved balcony, observed the scene with chilling patience. "She has the key, you fools! Get the relic! They cannot leave!"
Leo's Mind (16) was in overdrive, processing the immense tactical problem. Konstantin was the main boss, highly armored, and positioned too far and too high for an immediate attack. The two Trinity Elite Guards flanking him were laying down suppressing fire with unnerving precision.
"We can't hit them from here, Leo!" Lara yelled over the gunfire. "We have to flush them out or find a quick way to the upper level!"
Leo glanced down at the flooded floor. His Recon Sense instantly highlighted the key structural weakness: the immense weight of the water was currently being held back by a series of ancient, rusted sluice gates far below the surface.
"The water, Lara! It's the puzzle and the weapon!" Leo shouted, returning fire to keep the guards' heads down. "I need to get under the surface. There must be a way to lower the water level or use the water current to create a path!"
He quickly allocated his final Level 14 Skill Point from the previous engagement, focusing on enhancing his ability to navigate the complex environment.
[Skill Point Allocation to SABOTEUR Tree!]
Aquatic Endurance: (Significantly boosts lung capacity and underwater maneuverability, reducing the penalty of heavy gear while submerged.) Rationale: Essential for the underwater puzzle-solving and escape in the tomb.
Leo inhaled deeply, his enhanced Stamina (15) pushing his lung capacity to its max. "I'm going under! Cover me and keep those two pinned!"
"Be careful!" Lara warned, laying down heavy pistol fire that forced the Elite Guards to retreat slightly behind the railing.
Leo dove into the frigid, mineral-laden water. The Aquatic Endurance skill was immediately effective; the weight of his gear felt significantly lessened, and his breath held easily.
He swam along the submerged floor, his Mind (16) tracing the complex network of ancient pipes and rusted levers. He located the primary mechanism: a massive, submerged stone wheel that controlled the main sluice gate.
The wheel was stuck, caked in millennia of sediment and rust. Leo needed massive physical force to turn it.
He drove his feet against the submerged wall and wrapped his hands around the spokes of the wheel, channeling his full Strength (16) into the task. The muscles in his arms strained, but the wheel slowly began to grind.
System Notification!
[Action: Sluice Gate Activation]
Strength (16) Check: SUCCESS!
[Objective Progress: Water Level Lowering!]
With a deafening groan, the massive sluice gate began to open, and the water level in the antechamber plummeted rapidly. The two Trinity guards on the balcony, previously safe, were suddenly looking down at a rapidly draining pool, exposing a treacherous, dry area of submerged rock and sand.
Konstantin roared in fury. "Down, you fools! Stop them!"
The two Trinity Elites rappelled quickly down to the main floor, forced to engage Leo and Lara on the crumbling, exposed terrain.
"They're on the ground! Go!" Leo yelled, surfacing and scrambling onto a newly exposed, dry platform.
The fight was now close-quarters. Lara, moving with her signature speed, engaged the nearest guard. She used the Advanced Grapple-Axe, hooking the guard's rifle and yanking it out of his hands, disarming him instantly. She finished him with a brutal, single pistol shot to his exposed helmet lock.
Leo engaged the second guard, using his Recurve Bow in the confined space. He didn't aim for the armor; he fired a Hunting Arrow at the oil slick left by the Trinity Supply Truck near the main entrance.
The arrow sparked on the stone floor, igniting the oil. A sudden sheet of fire erupted between Leo and the guard, creating a temporary barrier.
The guard, surprised and temporarily blinded by the heat, staggered back. Leo closed the distance, utilizing his maximum Dexterity (18) to evade the guard's wide, desperate swing. He wrapped his Hemp Rope around the man's feet and yanked.
The guard fell, hitting the ground with a heavy clang. Leo delivered the finishing blow with the Pry Axe.
[Trinity Elite Guards (2/2) Neutralized!] - +800 EXP
[Tier 3 Combat Proficiency Displayed!]
[Host Level Up! Level 15 Reached!]
[New Attribute Points Available: 3]
Leo had leveled up again, reaching the halfway point of the Tier 3 power curve. The fight was over, but the major threat remained.
Konstantin was still on the high balcony, now aiming his own massive rifle directly at them.
"You can't stop fate, Croft! Or your little accomplice!" Konstantin bellowed.
"He's not wasting the shot. He wants the relic first," Leo muttered, pulling Lara into the safe cover of an open archway. "We need to solve the door puzzle and get the relic before he drops down to engage us directly."
The door to the inner tomb was now accessible but remained sealed. It was powered by a complex series of ancient weights and pulleys revealed by the drained water.
Lara looked at the mechanism. "It needs a massive, heavy weight to balance the door. The only thing heavy enough is that ancient statue submerged in the corner."
"I see it," Leo said, his Mind (16) instantly calculating the leverage. "We can reroute the remaining water flow to create a strong enough jet to push the statue out of the silt. But it's a tight channel. We need to clear the debris first."
Lara turned, her face determined. "We're almost there, Leo. We push on."
They moved into the final corridor, prepared to clear the remaining debris. Their teamwork was perfect—a lethal, efficient partnership forged in the fires of Yamatai and honed in the brutality of the Syrian desert.
Chapter End.