Lior Croft: The Storm They Never Saw Coming!

THE SEARCH PARTY

Lior had spent the whole night at the mines, using his Divine Eye skill to gather and combine many rare items to form unique weapons, and other gadgets.

It was the era of the industrial revolution; Planes and steam engine trains were used for long distances. Hatchback vehicles and other models which had just been invented at the time, drove around in the cities, only for the rich.

Short guns were bought only by the rich. Circuses, fight arenas, and movie theaters filled the towns.

The military used advanced weapons, which the society couldn't afford, but there was still so much technology left to discover.

Fixed phones were used for communication, but only the rich could afford mobile phones. However, the poor preferred sending letters through the post office.

Lior knew this was the best time to bring out something new that could generate vast wealth for him, but he needed materials, especially those sold at auctions, which were very expensive.

Good thing he had the Eye to see which one he really needed and which was truly valuable, as fake things now filled auction halls, sold by unscrupulous sellers chasing easy money.

When he was done at the mines, he headed straight to the trading center to trade the new items he had recycled.

The storekeeper was shocked at how valuable everything Lior brought in was. "How did you get your hands on such technology? Are you sure you didn't break into a high-tech facility or something?" the buyer asked.

Lior let out a soft chuckle. "Where it's from remains with me. But take this from me; it's safe to trade, no strings attached."

The store keeper's eyes glittered with greed. "Oh boy, when I take this to the tech auction, they are gonna be thrilled. They'll request for more. They'll question who made such technology."

Then he turned to Lior."Can you make more of this?" he asked.

Lior smiled, "Sure, anytime you need more, just let me know."

The store keeper nodded, "I'll Find You, I promise."

With that Lior left the store, his wallet full of dollar bills. That was the highest sale he had ever made.

With the money in hand, he headed straight to the clothes shop, got himself a headband, some fresh clothes for him and Seraph.

Then the most important thing to him was to dye his hair green as he was ready to return to the city under a disguise.

Next, he bought some food items, planning to make his foster mother a nice lunch Later. With all that done, he headed home with a wide grin all the way.

—-

After a long walk, Lior strolled into the village, ready to surprise Seraph, however, he was immediately struck by the somber mood.

A group of villagers, torches in hand, walked along with worry etched on their faces.

Lior noticed their eyes seemed heavy with fatigue, like they haven't slept the night before. They looked up as he approached.

"Excuse us, stranger," one of them said, as he stepped forward.

Lior's eyebrows shot up. "Stranger?" he thought In confusion. In Ravenshire, everyone knew each other. And these people were his neighbors, so why were they suddenly calling him a stranger?

The man held up a poster, and Lior's eyes landed on the crude drawing. "Please, do you happen to have come across this man?

He got lost after heading out to the mines yesterday evening. He was expected to return by 10 PM, but he didn't. This is unusual; he's never behaved like this before.

His mother's worried sick, she's even threatened to kill herself if we don't find him. We've been up all night searching. Have you seen him anywhere?"

Lior's gaze shifted to the drawing and he stared at it for a moment. It wasn't a perfect drawing, but the tattoo on the forehead was unmistakable.

He understood what was going on. It was a search party for him. He smiled.

"It's me, guys," he said, his voice casual.

The villagers exchanged confused glances. "Huh? What do you mean it's you?" the man asked.

"It's me, Lior."

The group stared, then erupted into a mix of excitement and skepticism. "Lior? What happened to you? Your hair was white before, and you've... grown so handsome," a lady said, stepping forward to touch Lior's jaw.

The man with the poster cut her off. "If you're really Lior, prove it. Remove that headband. The real Lior has a mark on his head, like the one in the poster."

Lior smiled, raised his hand, and swept off the headband. The villagers gasped, then broke into cheers.

"It really is him!"

One of them whispered, "Was he that handsome before?"

"How did he grow so handsome overnight?"

Another joked, "I think I'll dye my hair too – maybe I'll become handsome and the ladies will fall for me!"

Lior stood there, a quiet smile on his face. One thought dominated his mind: "Good thing my new looks serve as a real disguise.

That way, I'll go into the Azurefang city gates , and no one will recognize me – not even my closest ones."

Meanwhile the villagers swarmed him, peppering him with questions. "What happened to you?" "Where were you?" "Why didn't you come home?"

However, as the crowd made noise, a man rushed in and said, "Everyone, hurry! Ma'am Seraph's at it again, she's about to jump off the roof, and she has destroyed all the ladders.

They're trying to make new ladders, but I'm afraid that by the time they're done, she would have jumped off the roof."

“Mom?!” When Lior heard this, he dropped everything and ran with superhuman speed towards home. This stunned everybody.

"Huh? Was he always that fast?" they asked, trying to make sense of everything.

"I always knew that boy was special," the old lady who touched Lior's jaw earlier commented, while blushing.

"Knock it off, Mrs. D, he is too young for you. He should be your great-grandson.”