In the middle of the galaxy lies a worthless, undeveloped world called Earth, scarred by endless war.
And in the middle of it all is Arther Indiana Croft a paranoid little man with big ideas.
This is his story.
It is daybreak in Turkey. Arther hurries beside his friend Jamie, eyes bright with excitement.
"Today is the day I find it," Arther declares.
"And today is the day we get out of here," Jamie replies. "It's a myth. It's not real."
"Really? I have proof," Arther insists. "It's supposed to be within fifty clicks of base. If I could just be given a jeep"
"You would die," Jamie cuts in. "You have no hope on your own, okay? Just move on. I'll see you later."
"Okay. See you later."
By evening, Arther is on patrol, dragging his feet through the sand.
"Man, this is getting so boring. I never see any Aaaaaaactiooooon!!!"
And the ground suddenly gives way beneath him.
Arther drops through the sand and crashes into a chamber below. He groans, sits up, and looks around.
"Holy cow… where am I? Wait. No. I know where I am!"
As his eyes adjust, a smile spreads across his face.
"This… this is the Derikmako. The underground city! And if this is real…"
He pauses, trembling with excitement.
"…then everything else might be real too."
He wanders deeper into the ancient structure until he finds the one thing he's dreamed of his whole life.
"The tomb of the winged skeleton… If I document this, I'll be famous!"
Before he can take another step, the lid of the stone casket shifts then slowly opens.
A ten-foot winged skeleton rises from within, covered in webs, bugs, and shreds of ancient flesh.
"This is amazing! I can document a living specimen!"
The skeleton turns its hollow gaze toward him and moves with terrifying speed.
"I… I'm starting to think I should start running," Arther whispers. "But this looks quite stunning…"
The monster's massive hand lands on his shoulder.
"Yeah, I'm gonna, uh, go. BYEE!"
Arther sprints away only to notice the ground collapsing around him.
The entire city is sinking.
"No, no, no! If this disappears, everyone will think I'm a nutcase! I have to stop this!"
But the winged tyrant erupts from the shadows and blocks his path.
Arther freezes.
"No… this can't be how it ends. Where did I put that layout document… oh right. There's a trapdoor under me. Which means… when he moves his foot, I fall through the floor."
He looks up awkwardly at the towering skeleton.
"So, uh… big guy… if you could just" he gestures at its foot, "move your foot, that would be great."
The skeleton tilts its head, confused.
A crack spreads under Arther's boots.
He gives a tiny wave.
"Thanks!"
The trapdoor snaps open, and Arther plummets straight into the darkness, screaming the entire way down.
He hits the ground with a crash.
"Ow… I really hope he doesn't kill me later," he wheezes. "Well, this should give me some time…"
A faint glow appears ahead.
"Is that a light? That must be a way out wait. No. I know that heat anywhere. That's not a way out."
The roof cracks open.
His old friend — the skeleton — drops straight through.
"Oh come on! Can I have FIVE minutes without dealing with you, you bony pain in the ass?!"
Arther bolts toward the exit.
The skeleton follows, close enough that Arther can smell its ancient, musky clothes.
"Yes! I I made it!"
He explodes out of the tunnel and into daylight… right in the middle of the base.
Jeep engines roar. Soldiers laugh as he screams:
"RUN! IT'S BEHIND ME!"
They stop laughing when the monster crawls out of the sinkhole.
"Aim your weapons!" the commander shouts.
"On my signal… FIRE!"
Bullets tear into the skeleton but it leaps into the air, spreading its thousand-year-old wings.
"RUN! DON'T LOOK BACK! RUN!" the commander yells.
It swoops down, picking up jeeps and tanks one by one.
And then Arther has an idea.
"Wait the only reason it attacked is because I invaded its home! If I leave, it'll stop!"
An explosion erupts behind him a helicopter crashes Jamie stumbles out, shouting:
"Don't back down! We need to fight!"
"No we don't!" Arther yells back. "The only reason he's attacking is because I found his tomb! We need to leave to save everyone! Now get in a jeep and GO!"
Everyone piles into vehicles and flees.
As the engines fade into the distance, Arther sits in the back seat, staring at the desert racing by.
He wonders what could have gone differently…
and then the thought hits him:
"Maybe… maybe if I didn't find it… none of this would've happened."
He sighs.
"Maybe giving up on the paranormal… is the best thing I can do."