099 ThreeXThree

"These pillars store the same kind and feel of Aura our Dragon Empress here have. If I guess correctly all these pillars are here to get rid her of her own Aura and breaking them releases these aura's. That why she is getting stronger and stronger everytime a pilar is broken." Silver then let go of the pillar and flew up. He turned around and looked at the hundreds of pillars scattered through out the area. *gulp* "If this is true, then the amount of Aura she has is massive."

Grylls too can't help but gulped in realization.

"Haha. You have finally realized how insignificant the two of you are in this world. If you want to rule on that place, you have to be as strong as me. Now bow down to your empress, and maybe, just maybe I'll kill you painlessly." Tiamat declared.

"But why kill us though? We never did anything wrong to you and in fact we are the reason you are out here alive." Silver innocently asked.

'Good point!' Thought Grylls.

"That-" Tiamat was at a loss. 'Indeed why kill everyone again? Those Freecss should have died out in these 4000 years that passed. What am I thinking? No don't be fooled. I can not let my guard down again, I shall not have a repeat of 4000 years ago.' Tiamat eyes narrowed with savagery.

"Don't play mind tricks on me brat. You don't know what it feels like to be left for dead for 4000 years. No one to talk to, unable to sleep and clear your mind. I let everyone I see suffers a portion of my agony and I will not stop until I am satisfied. You should blame the Freecss of your demise! Now die!"

The three heads of tiamat blew fire on them, and with the addition of the third head the scope of the firebreath was increased dramatically.

"Shit." Grylls could only curse as he tries to escape via his wraps on a pillar far away. "I won't make it."

*swoosh* Silver dove in and reached out to the extended wraps with his foot and then hurriedly drag Grylls outside harms way.

Feeling the tug, Grylls immediately contracted the wraps to propel himself to Silver's stretched leg. "Thanks! Now what do we do? Two heads were already a pain. Three heads seems impossible."

~~~~~~

"According to these hieroglyphics, if I got it correctly. The Dragon Empress cannot be killed in a normal way, it is as if she, in truest sense, immortal as written in the books. This shrine is runed so that anyone who is trapped inside is continously drained with his/her aura." Lara contemplated as she touch the shrine. Inside the shrine is the Seraph that was the cause of all these trouble.

Lara then looked at the pillars scattered across the field. "These pillars were then meant to store and trap Tiamat's uncontrolled aura until her death. No wonder she gets stronger everytime she breaks a pillar.  She is getting the aura she lost for the past 4000 years."

"And this engraving says Tiamat can't be killed and can only be incapacitated by severing all her nine heads at the same time and removing the dagger of Xian in her heart. Hmmmmm, So we have to decapitate all her heads and pull the dagger out then put her back in this shrine." Lara concluded.

'Do we need to remove all the head first or if we remove the dagger first it will suffice?' Lara contemplated silently.

"Why do all these trouble for an empress. Something must have happened 4000 years ago that they have to trap her here forever." Bradford broke the silence and asked the question from her side.

"It is not written here, but whatever the case; what she plans to do after she escape this place is genocide. I have to stop here from doing so or my name is not Croft!" Lara announced.

"Keep this Seraph key and stay hidden." Lara threw the Seraph key to Bradford as she jumped and landed on Aquila's back.

"Aquila! We got a Hydra to kill."

*Creeeee* Aquila answered the call as the duo flew back into battle.

By the time Lara fully read the hieroglyphics and understood them, 15 minutes has already passed. 10 minutes ago Tiamat gained a third head and gained more strength that the duo, Silver and Grylls, had a hard time stopping. She also just needs a single sweep with her tail to fully destroy a pillar if Silver or Grylls was unable to put up a cast wall on time. Due to that Tiamat was able to break 30 more pillars in a short time that have finally created a fourth lump on her neck.

"Guys, her aura are stored in the pillars and destroying them returns them to her. That's why she's getting stronger." Lara shouted as she re-enter's the battle.

"We already know that! Silver heard what you said a top the pyramid and already conveyed it to me." Shouted Grylls. "Now get back here and help us get that thing off her heart."

"Tsk." Lara annoyedly responded since she didn't get to do the big reveal.

"Did you just tsk on me?" Grylls asked in disbelief as he swing from a pillar to another tonescape from a head chomp from Tiamat.

"I did not! Let's get this over with." Lara announced her return by firing two shots on the Hydra's body. *bang* *bang* At this point her bullets can only penetrate an inch to the body which is then regenerated back to full health in a matter of seconds. 'Should have charged my shot before coming here.'

Tiamat saw Lara joining the fight and had one of her head spew fire on her direction.

Seeing one of the head being freed up on them, Silver and Grylls was again able to finally breath from all the intense action.

'Chance!' Silver used Gyo on his wings as he flap them quickly to increased his speed.

One of Tiamat's head saw it coming and tried to breath fire to the incoming bat. However, before she could fully face off Silver, a binding wrap came around her neck and was pulled out of direction.

"I'm not sure what you're on kid, but make it count." Comes a voice from Grylls. They have been fighting together for almost 15 minutes now and have built a tacit understanding with one's action.

'One head to go.' Silver's eye shined in scarlet as his senses heightened and saw another head came to welcome him. The head breath fire on his direction which he evaded by closing his wings and letting gravity took over as he dive down to the Hydra's heart location where a dagger is sticking out.

Tiamat saw this and was alarmed as all the head tries to converged on him. One head struggled against Grylls but the latter won't relent his hold. The head spewing fire on Lara stopped its attack and went for a bite against Silver. The last head did the same.

"15 seconds, should be enough to redirect an attack." Lara said as she aimed at the head which turned its head from her.

*booom* Tiamat's second head was hit from the back and was pushed away from Silver.

Tiamat third and remaining head frantically breath fire downwards. Silver grinned as a mini explosion occured from his feet giving him a sudden boost forward that let him escape the fire. 'Finally!' He then stretched his wings forward to try and take a hold of the dagger sticking out like a sore thumb in the Hydra's large body.

Silver saw a tail sweep coming in from his mental image as danger sense alarmed him on the impending attack. But he refused to change his direction as his three elongated fingers closed in on the dagger's handle.

*baam* Silver was swat away like a fly as he flew past to a barrier and destroying it by the sheer force he flung into it.

Everyone watched with held breath as Silver opened his hand.