Trying something a little different for this one, hope you all enjoy and feel free to comment or email me.
Lara Croft stood looking down into the chasm cut by the raging river over centuries and could make out the odd rock formation her contact had told her about. The river ran deep and wide until it dropped over a hundred feet right here. The massive rain a month ago had caused an early melt in the mountains here resulting in a flash flood that probably accelerated the erosion now revealing a circular stone that had to be man-made and probably covering an opening. The temperature here was actually quite cold from the rushing water and the sun mostly behind the high peeks making Lara's nipples harden on her own high firm peaks.
The climb down into the chasm was slow going even for experienced climber Lara, taking her half the day and getting her fairly dirty. Once at the bottom she discovered that not only was the water fairly deep it was bone chillingly cold and moving way too fast for her to wade or swim across. Lara stood there getting slowly drenched from the cold spray of the waterfall thinking. Her hairs became soaked and drops of water were running down her face. Her clothes, now water logged clung to her curvaceous shape. While she was enjoying the sensation of the water her glancing around brought her attention to the numerous vines crisscrossing the chasm and in a move straight of a movie she knew how to get across the river. After climbing part way up the nearly sheer wall the adventurous woman got to a vine that looked firmly attached at the other side and with no hesitation cut it with her bush knife and began to swing over to the opposite side. Lara's idea worked but since the vine was attached to the high wall of the chasm she now risked life and limb as she fast approached the looming chasm wall. Letting go her momentum carried her towards the side she wanted and as she fell she struck and grabbed at several other vines, breaking her fall and finally dropping her roughly near the circular stone. The landing took the wind out of Lara, leaving her nearly breathless, on her back and with several scrapes.
As she waited for her breath to return Lara stared up at the stone and could see a crack and a missing chunk at about the eleven o'clock position. Picking herself up Lara found cracks and rough spots to use as hand holds and climbed the twelve feet up the stone. The missing chunk gave her about a four inch opening into a chamber behind the stone. She took a bundle of three high power glow sticks that were tied together, snapped them to activate the glow and dropped them through the opening. Peering in she could definitely see a large chamber with easily identifiable man-made stone work. "Ok stone, you and I need to come to an arrangement. I need you to fall over. I mean you have to be tired after standing her all these years right?" Lara talked outload as she stared at the stone thinking, but suddenly her balance shifted. The rock had moved slightly and gripping the small opening she realized her weight was all it was taking. She reached out and grabbed a vine as the stones lean quickened sending it into the river.
Lara let go the vine and dropped down at the newly reveal chamber opening. Picking up the glow stick bundle Lara held it high and sauntered in like she was checking in at a hotel. The chamber was probably an entry room at some point but the ravages of time had seen fit to all but ruin it, but at the far end was arched opening that was bricked up and what looked like a seal melted to the bricks. "Oh good, that is a sure sign this place is undisturbed and probably cursed but hey, no risk no gain." Her strong practiced hands moved over the seal as if it was a lover, the dirt and grime coming off revealing the seal to be gold. "Oh my, well, can't have this getting damaged when I break in the bricks soooo." From her belt she took out a multitool and after a few seconds of prying she had the seal in hand and was slipping it into a satchel when there seemed to be a low moan of a sound echo through the area. Lara glanced around "that's probably nothing to really worry about I suppose."
With the gold seal safely wrapped in a rag and slipped into her satchel Lara paused to look around for something to smash the bricks open. Her trained eye caught the fact that the bricks were very close together, not like you normally see, with the nice cement separating them, no these were merely stacked. She gave them a good push and sure enough the bricks tumbled inwards falling to the stone floor beyond and scattering. "They probably believed the seal held in whatever is inside." Stepping over the scattered bricks Lara got another surprise as one by one torches suddenly began to light. The ancient torches were hung from the walls every ten feet or so on each side of the wide corridor that stretched out for what appeared to be hundreds of feet ahead. "Oh see, now that just gives me a really bad feeling." Lara took the first torch out of its holder and found the flame had no heat. "A really bad feeling."
