The Road to Shambhala is the twenty-fourth chapter of Among Thieves. Nate and Elena managed to find the hidden route to the city of Shambhala, but are followed closely by Lazarević and his men.
Story[]
Nate and Elena first explored the room at the bottom of the secret entrance in the monastery, during which they solved the first part of the puzzle involving rotating several large decorative Phurbas placed on the walls. The Cintamani Stone-like object representing it then slightly rose into the air, although upon his approach Nate and Elena heard shouts coming from above.
A Test of Wills[]
Interrupted by Lazarević's men, Nate and Elena hid and managed to take the first one to enter hostage. Lazarević himself followed shortly after, and immediately pulled his own gun on Nate and Elena, who in turn aimed at him. He threatened the two, warning them that shooting him would lead to their own deaths in retaliation. He then ordered Nate to open the way to Shambhala, but he refused, after which Lazarević ask him if he is a student of history. Nate replies that he had read a book or two, and Lazarević explained how he considers men like Khan, Hitler, Stalin, and Pol Pot, great men. And that they only prevailed because they had will to do what other men would not. He punctuates his statement by promptly executing the man held hostage by Nate, and forces the two to disarm and surrender, lest they wanted to test him further.
Lazarević then tested both of their wills, threatening to kill Elena to force Nate to act, who said he would not help him if he did. Lazarević realized this in advance, and then ordered Flynn to bring Chloe into the room. Toying with Nate, he asked him which he should sacrifice and which he would spare, with both girls requesting he does not play along. Nate then told Lazarevićto stop his theatrics, and followed the demand to open the passage.
He walked up to the statue of the Stone, and pulled out the resin from his pocket, throwing it into the bowl underneath the Stone. He then insulted Flynn, ordering him to give him his lighter, which he used to light the resin. The blue flames lit up the room, revealing a lock for the Phurba in the wall. Inserting it caused most of the wall to sink into the floor, revealing a large cavern, with three diamond-shaped platforms serving as bridges, which then rotated, effectively barring an easy way across. Confused, Lazarević asked Flynn what was going on, but he replied that he didn't know either. He then ordered Flynn to fix it, and take Nate along so that maybe it would be done right this time. Before the two left Lazarević also warned Nate not to try anything clever.
Nate and Flynn managed to work together, although not without Flynn pushing Nate around. Eventually they reached the other end of the cavern, where they opened a large door, revealing yet another chamber. Nate noticed the symbols on the giant cylinders in said chamber were familiar, and managed to align the proper set as per the Ahnenerbe pages he picked up in the ice temple. This resulted in the appearance of another pedestal, which the two rotated, unlocking some sort of water reservoir, which caused the main bridge to turn back into position. Before Lazarević and everyone else managed to cross Nate and Flynn were assaulted by three Shambhala guardians. Flynn reluctantly gave a gun to Nate, and together they barely fended the guardians off, until one of them managed to force Nate to the ground.
Welcome to Paradise[]
Lazarević arrived at that point, shooting and killing all three of them with his double-barreled shotgun. He unmasked one, revealing a purple-tinted man with exaggerated veins and a wide stare, and said they must have been intended to frighten trespassers. Nate then requested that Chloe and Elena be let go now that he cleared the way, but Lazarević denied him. Flynn pulled his gun on Nate, but Lazarević halted him, saying that he wanted Nate to see Shambhala before they would be executed, knowing it was taken from him. He then ordered his men to open the final gate and the group walked through, granting them an exquisite view of Shambhala, whereupon Lazarević told the three to get on their knees.
Flynn told Lazarević that they had a deal regarding Chloe, although Lazarević would not acquiesce due to her betrayal. Flynn whined that Lazarević would not have need of him in finding the Stone in that case, leaving Lazarević to angrily move Chloe aside. He then again ordered Nate and Elena on their knees, who started resisting, at which point one of the Shambhala guardians shot the soldier holding Nate in the back. More of the guardians joined the sudden ambush, and Lazarević was forced to order his men to open fire on them as more of them were being shot. Chloe used the situation to elbow Flynn in the face, and took his gun before running off with Nate and Elena, who also managed to knock down their captors. More of the guardians appeared to attack Lazarević's soldiers, while Nate, Elena, and Chloe managed to ran off.
Walkthrough[]
All you need to do at the start is to twist the ornamental Phurbas on the wall so that they all point downwards, raising the Cintamani Stone replica in the center. Interacting with it will trigger a cutscene, after which you have to go through a short platforming sequence along with Flynn. Attacking him with melee will lead to Flynn dodging and hitting you, doing this repeatedly results in Flynn killing you. Follow the path, leading Flynn along the cliffside until you reach a dead end and have to wait for Flynn to catch up with you. Boost him up, then follow him upwards and across the gap. Lead Flynn onwards again, using his help to push a boulder to clear the way, followed by pushing an ancient cart to create a way upwards to a higher ledge.
Shimmy along the edge so you can reach the other side of the room and make your way to the stairs, at the top of which you both will go through and enter the next puzzle of the chapter. The puzzle in this room requires you to simply match the symbols in Drake's journal with those on the giant cylinders. On the right side, only the middle cylinder needs to be rotated, while on the other side, it is the second and third cylinder that must be rotated.
Turn the wheel that emerges from the floor to extend the bridge so that the rest of your party can join you. As you do so, three guardians appear and attack you. Survive their attack long enough, mainly by dodging and annoying them with Flynn's 92FS - 9mm, for Lazarevic and the others to arrive to save you and Flynn. After this, the cutscene of everybody entering Shambhala will play and the next chapter, "Broken Paradise", begins.