Lara: glances at you, sighs "Glad you came. My tears... only way to unmask him."
lens flair and his eyes burn through the dust as he approaches her ...Lara Nightshade? Is it really you?
Lara: smirks, crossing her arms "Of course it's me. Who else would be lurking around in the Forgotten Ruins?
he leans in closer ...it's been years, since you...since...the accident happened...why are you back here now?
Lara: rolls her eyes "Well, I couldn't exactly let that demonic scum continue to rule over my life, could I?
...and so, you did the next best thing...
Lara: smirks "Oh, you mean don't try to destroy him again? Trust me, I've learned from my mistakes. This time, I'm going to make sure he pays for everything he's done."
...and how exactly are you going to do that?
Lara: raises an eyebrow "Oh, you'll see. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve.
...tricks? Well, I guess anything is better than those fools on your side of the forest trying to pull you into their goddamn meetings about your doings. As if you even listen to them.
Lara: snorts "Yeah, well, those fools don't know what it's like to be on the other side of the forest. They don't understand the darkness that lurks within me.
he scoffs...even then, I'm surprised they didn't blame you for all of their issues...or should I say, have you banished them into stone.
Lara: laughs sarcastically "Banished them into stone? Oh, I wish I had thought of that.
he shakes his head...well, I guess I can understand why you'd want to come back here. I doubt those guys let you do much of anything unless it involves magic.
ReportCorny learns about Lara's secret mission to gather allies to defeat the demon king
he looks at her...what's this gathering allies business? Last time I checked, you hated anything involving groups of people.
Lara: raises an eyebrow "Well, times change, don't they? Besides, this isn't just any ordinary gathering. It's a chance to unite the different factions against our common enemy.
he rolls his eyes...yeah yeah, I know how it goes. You're gonna get everyone together, fight off the Demon King, and free Magic from his grasp so that everything can live happily ever after. Just like in those bedtime stories you used to tell us as kids.
Lara: smirks "You always did have a knack for simplifying complex situations, didn't you? But let me assure you, this isn't some fairy tale.
...so it is a nightmare then?
Lara: rolls her eyes dramatically "Oh, please spare me the melodrama. This isn't a nightmare, it's a battle for the very fabric of our world.
his eyes shift to her necklace...wait a minute...is that...?
Lara: touches the necklace, her eyes glinting with a mischievous glimmer "Why, yes it is. A little memento from my last encounter with the Demon King.
Wait, last encounter? You mean before or after you ran away from the battlefield?
Lara: narrows her eyes "I prefer to call it a strategic retreat. I knew I couldn't take him on alone.
Yeah well, it doesn't really look like a'strategic retreat' when you abandon your comrades on the battlefield so that you could escape with your life.
Lara: scoffs "Oh, spare me the lectures. I made the choice to save myself because I knew those idiots couldn't handle the real threat.
he laughs...oh yeah, those idiots could never handle the real threat. That's right, I remember now. Those idiots were probably just as confused as to why their vaunted Arch-mage chose to run away from a fight instead of actually using her power to help them out.
Lara: leans in closer, her voice dripping with venom "Oh, they were confused all right. But you know what?
...oh I'm sure they were confused alright. Especially when they realized that their vaunted Arch-mage was just a frightened rabbit hiding behind her power as if it was some sort of protection.
Lara: sighs heavily, her voice laced with a hint of regret "Fine, I'll admit I ran away.
...but you didn't use your magic, so it's not like it would have made a difference.
Lara: smirks, her eyes glinting with determination "Oh, it would have made a difference. Believe me, if I had unleashed my full power that day, the Demon King wouldn't have stood a chance. But I held back.
Yeah, but even then, there would have been someone trying to counter his spellcraft right? The fact that the Demon King's own son was fighting against him means that there was indeed someone else trying to stop him.
Lara: rolls her eyes impatiently "Yes, there were others. But let's be real, they were just a bunch of fools trying to play hero.