Resident Evil 4: Cursed Blood (Leon Kennedy x OC)

{•Chapter Eleven•}

Dashing up the hill, Leon glanced behind them and saw the villagers had recovered. He shifted his gaze and spotted a way to escape. "On the other side of the bridge!"

"Better hurry because they're closing in on us!" Gwen shouted.

Safely on the other side, Leon eyes the two cranks on either side of the bridge. He pointed at one of the levers as he glanced at his girlfriend. "Gwen, you take that one."

"Understood." The archivist released her grip on Ashley and grabbed the handle.

"Ready?" Leon asked, grasping the other lever.

"Let's get this bridge up."

Leon and Gwen turned the levers as fast as they could. The drawbridge raised slowly, the agents staring at the shouting villagers who tried to cross the bridge before it was raised. Fortunately for the couple, the men and women were too slow and stuck with no way across the rocky abyss.

The two levers locked in place, the agents releasing the contraptions. Leon stepped away from the lever and glanced at the two girls a few feet away. "Come on, you two."

Ashley nodded. "Yeah."

Inside the courtyard of the castle, Gwen glanced around at the magnificent structure. "Who'd guess there was a castle all the way out here-let alone this close to a parasitic village."

The group had another run-in with the merchant, where Leon bought a new firearm. After the small exchange, they walked up the staircase and through a red door.

On the other side, they heard men mumbling in Spanish. Leon and Gwen exchange puzzled expressions as they crept around the corner and saw two men in robes pacing back and forth, mumbling to themselves.

Gwen thought about killing the men but decided against it as she followed Leon and Ashley up another staircase. Turning the corner, they heard a man shouting who was wearing a red robe and masquerading around with the skull of a goat obscuring his face. His deep, menacing tone echoed throughout the castle as he pointed at them.

Leon's eyes widened in horror as fiery stones hurtled towards them. "Shit!" Before the blonde could react, Gwen grabbed onto the back of his shirt with both of her hands and yanked him backwards. The projectile smashed into a gazebo, smashing it into pieces. Small stones rained down, a few pieces landing by their feet.

Gwen stood at the top of the stairs, her eyes bouncing around the ramparts in search of where the projectiles were coming from. She needed a better look and ran over to a stack of boxes before another barrage of fiery stones. Fortunately, the crates were able to withstand the stones and flames. "Leon! Ashley!"

The two rushed over to join Gwen behind the crates. They waited for the next wave of brimstone before moving forward. Up a staircase, something red caught the woman's eye. She raised her pistol and fired at it. A large explosion consumed the robed man and the catapult he was operating. She turned around and spotted another explosive barrel, shooting it and killing two men and obliterating another catapult.

"They've got some serious firepower," Gwen jokes as they dove for cover. She peered out of the storage room just as Leon killed the cultist hiding with them. Her eyes were glued to a large, red gate and she wondered if it was unlocked. Without a word to Leon or Ashley, she left the storage room.

"Gwen, where are you going?!" Ashley yelled, grabbing Leon's attention. The blonde turned around to see his girlfriend was gone. He was about to chase after her but stopped when another projectile landed a few feet away from him and Ashley.

By the grand gate, Gwen tried to push it open. It didn't budge and she huffed in frustration. "Why is everything difficult in this place?" She whispered to herself. Turning on her heels, she saw a couple of men stalking towards her. By the time she raised her gun, the cult members were already dead.

As their bodies collapsed, she saw Leon standing behind them. He holstered his handgun as he met her gaze. "You alright?"

"Yeah, fine. But the door's locked and I don't see any keyhole or indentation for any kind of emblem."

"Leon! Gwen! Over here!" Ashley shouted, jumping up and down. The couple dashed over towards the girl. She was pointing down into a hole and the agents peered down.

"That definitely would work. It could blow the gate into oblivion," Gwen said as she smirked down at the cannon.

"And I think I found how to raise it," Leon commented as he found a lever. Using his strength, he cranked the lever and raised the cannon. When the platform locked in place, Gwen stood behind the cannon and lit the fuse. A cannon ball soared through the air and pulverized the gate into a pile of debris.

"Who needs a key when you've got heavy artillery?" Gwen grinned at the sight.

"Too bad we don't have firepower like this with us," Leon added.

"If we did, this mission would've been a walk in the park. But that would've been no fun, would it?"

<-----------<<<<<<<<<<<

Inside the castle, the agents received a call from Hunnigan. Leon grasped the device and accepted the incoming transmission with Gwen standing beside him.

*****
"Leon, Gwen, what's your current location?"
*****

"We decided to lay low in a castle, but it looks like it was a bad move," Leon exhaled.

*****
"Meaning?"
*****

"Well, it appears that this castle's also connected with the Los Illuminados. They must not get many visitors cuz they're giving us one hell of a welcome."

*****
"Sounds bad. I have an idea, agents. I need you to--"
*****

Hunnigan's voice was replaced with static and the image vanished. Leon tapped his hand against the the side of the radio, puzzled as to why the transmission was breaking up. "What? Repeat, Hunnigan." He received no response as the radio went silent. Frustrated, he groaned. "Great. Just our luck."

"Something's interfering with the transmission. Guess we won't be hearing from Hunnigan for a while," Gwen sighed. She paced around the room and stood in front of a silver sword. Hesitantly, she reached out and grabbed the hilt. Removing it from where it hung on the well, she held it tightly in one hand.

"What're you planning on doing with that?" Leon inquired.

"Oh, y'know..." She swung the blade through the air. "Might decapitate a few cultists and save some ammo in the process."

"You're really going to use a sword?" Ashley questioned with an arched brow.

"Maybe..."

Up the stairs, the trio searched the room for an exit. During their scavenging, they heard the door downstairs open accompanied by familiar chanting. Cultists stormed up the stairs, some empty-handed while others carried flails. They separated into two groups and blocked the trio on both sides. Leon gripped his pistol tightly, eyes narrowed as he glared at the group of robed men. "We're surrounded."

"Well," Gwen muttered. "Shit..."