It's been a couple of days since the President's daughter—Ashley Graham—had been kidnapped. It was soon discovered by a couple of American spies that she was being held in Spain. Jasper was sent there to investigate along with one other agent. He didn't know exactly who they were, but all he knew is that he'll be aiding them for the mission.
Jasper had already arrived at an isolated part of Spain. He approached a tall rock hill, looked up to observe its height before he stepped onto one of the sturdy edges of the walls and pulled himself up. He was determined and he kept pushing ahead, his fingers gripping strong as he searches for the next spot to grab and pull or kick to step onto.
Jasper eventually made it to the top of the hill and pulled himself up. He dusted himself off before he began to stroll around the rock hill. He arrived at a rural village in the forest, then he pulled out his binoculars to observe the village below. The villagers were just doing their daily chores, but he couldn't shake the feeling off of him that something is not right. They said that the President's daughter was taken here, but he saw nothing out of the ordinary. Yet.
He pressed a finger to his earpiece, communicating with his guide. His communicator ringed for a few seconds until his guide—Sky Fraser—answered. Jasper began with a hushed voice, "Sparrow, this is Raven Strike. I arrived at the village."
"Wilco, Raven Strike. Has your partner arrived yet?" Sky questioned.
"Not yet," Jasper replied back. "Speaking of partner, do you happen to know who they are by any chance?"
Sky went silence for a moment until he spoke again, "I... don't know yet."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I was told that you'll be assigned to this mission with someone else. They never said who though," Sky explained.
Jasper lowered his binoculars and gave Sky an incredulous look as if he could actually see him. "So... you're saying that we have no idea who I'm gonna meet out here?" He questioned through his communication earpiece.
"Yeah, sorry. I couldn't get a hold of that info, or anyone at the White House," his operator, Sky Fraser said apologetically through the comm. "You got anything?"
Jasper looked through his binoculars to observe the area before answering, "Negative, nothing yet. You sure that she was actually taken here?"
"Positive," Sky affirmed. "Apparently, a religious cult group was involved with the kidnapping. They're called Los Illuminados."
"That's a mouthful," Jasper snickered. "Whoever they are, they sure picked the wrong girl to kidnap."
Jasper looked through his binoculars once again. This time, he was the one of the villagers dragging someone. "Hang on. I got a visual," he tells Sky before adjusting his binoculars to get a closer look at the scene below him.
Two male villagers were dragging a unconscious man wearing a blue uniform, Jasper assumed that the man they were dragging was a policeman. To satisfy his curiosity, Jasper continued to watch what was happening.
The two villagers tied the man up into a wooden post with a pile of coal surrounding it and Jasper could only assume the worst. He looked through his scope again, and horrifyingly, one of the villagers that carry a torch ignites the coal underneath the cop. The flames grew bigger and began to burn the man alive. Jasper—including Sky—could hear his screams of agony from afar.
"What the fuck...?" He muttered under his breath, completely disturbed by the scene before him. "Something's not right with these villagers."
"Be careful, Raven Strike," Sky told him. "And remember; you and your partner bring Ashley back home safely."
"Copy that. Raven Strike out," Jasper responded, ending the transmission. He looked back at the villagers who watched the man being consumed by the flames without any sense of remorse.
"Seems like these people won't be giving us a warm welcome," Jasper remarked as he reached for his sniper rifle.
The faint sound of angry grumbling from the villagers was heard. Jasper looked through his scope and catches the sight of the villagers slowly approaching a man in a threatening way. The man was wearing a dark brown jacket and had blonde hair.
He watched as the blonde man fired his gun at the villagers and delivering roundhouse kicks to them. Then the man's face came into his view, and Jasper's eyes widened in shock as he recognized him as his childhood friend.
"Leon..." He whispered in awe, filled with emotions. He couldn't believe that he's seeing Leon again after all these years.
Then, he notices a villager with a chainsaw and a dirty cloth bag over his head charging towards Leon, violently swinging his chainsaw around. Jasper decided to act quick and aimed his sniper at the chainsaw man's head before firing. However, the bullet had no effect on the villager as he got back up on his feet again.
"The hell?" Jasper muttered incredulously.
His attention turned towards Leon who was fighting off a couple of villagers. One of them restraint Leon from behind while the other was about to charge towards him with a pitchfork. Jasper quickly shot the villager through the head, making them fall to the ground. Leon managed to break free from the villager's restraints and delivered a kick to their stomach, making them fly until they hit the wall and landed on the ground harshly.
Leon kept running house to house while Jasper shot the villagers down to give him an advantage. It continued on like this until Jasper suddenly heard the bell ringing. This caused the villagers to stop attacking Leon and drop their weapons, confusing Jasper.
The raved-haired agent lowered his sniper as he saw the villagers starting to walk forward, past Leon and towards the church at the end. Once all of them were in, his eyes turned to Leon who seemed to be just confused as him.
It fills him with emotions just seeing the blonde again. He noticed the memories of him and all the times they spent together come flooding back to him, and he felt sadness that things didn't go the way he wanted. He didn't even get the chance to figure out what they really were. He had to be separated from his only friend—for his own sake.
He watched as Leon left the village. Despite the nostalgia and pain, he also felt a sense of peace to see him again. He wasn't sure if Leon would feel the same way, or if he even knew that he was here. But on top of all of that, he had to focus on one objective first; rescuing the President's daughter.
His communicator began to ring and he answered the transmission. "Sparrow to Raven Strike, I've got some tips for you. Look for a large windmill and it'll take you to the same route Condor One's taking," Sky informed him.
"Condor One?" Jasper inquired. "You mean... my partner, right?"
"Yeah, that's him," Sky confirmed.
Jasper was about to ask Sky how he knows this information, but held himself back from asking. "Copy. I'll be heading there right now. Raven Strike out," he responded, ending the transmission.
He turned and looked over to see the shadow of large windmill from afar. "Guess I'll just take the high ground for now," he muttered to himself before heading towards the direction of a windmill, planning to surprise Leon with his appearance later on.
Traveling on top of the tall rock hill, he came across a farm with a couple of farm animals running around the field. He pulled out his binoculars and spotted Leon there.
Jasper kept a close eye on him as he entered a random building. However, something else caught his attention. He heard angry grumbling and turned to see a group of villagers and a giant brute wearing a animal's head. The brute swung his giant hammer and slammed it against the large wooden door until they broke it down.
"Seems like today's your lucky day, huh, Leon?" Jasper remarked before he pulled out his sniper once again.
Leon ran out of the building and aimed his handgun at the brute, but Jasper beat it to him and shot the animal-headed man in the head. Leon looked around confused, but he still took the chance to deliver a roundhouse kick to the brute. Jasper took care of the group of villagers while Leon repeated shot the brute in the head. The animal-headed man swung his hammer around, but Leon dodged it at the last second.
Jasper turned his attention towards Leon and the brute once he was finished. He aimed his sniper at its head and pulled the trigger, sending a bullet to the head. Leon once again strikes the brute with a roundhouse kick and stabbed them in the neck with a knife, successfully killing it.
Jasper lowered his sniper once the brute was dead and continued to keep a close eye on Leon. The gate across him opened and he decided that now is the perfect time to reveal himself to Leon. He puts his sniper away before he carefully climbed down the rock.
He dropped down a few feet from the ground and turned around. He watched as Leon left the place through the gate and crossed a wooden bridge. Jasper's heart beats faster at the thought of actually seeing Leon again. He didn't know how he would react. Would he be happy to see him too? Would he be angry? Or would he forget who he really was since they haven't seen each other for six years?
Whatever Leon's reaction would be, Jasper sets his nervousness aside and decided to focus on the mission first. Maybe after that, they could try to catch up or something?
Jasper began to walk towards the gate where Leon was headed, before he suddenly felt a sting on his neck. He was shocked and confused as a dart on his neck pierces the back of his neck and he immediately felt his body going numb. His vision began to blur and black spots come into view. His balance gave in and he slowly fell to the ground. Within seconds, his eyes shut and he slipped unconscious, unaware of his surroundings and what's happening to him.
***
"Sacrificial lamb. You will receive our most sacred body. It begins now," a voice dressed in purple cloak with a hint of gold spoke to Jasper.
With a gasp, Jasper woke up startled in an empty concrete room. He found himself being tied up and hanged to the ceiling. He observed himself and realized that his gear was missing. "Shit. Of course they took it," he cursed under his breath. He observed his surroundings again before an idea popped into his head. "Wait..."
He slowly lifted his tied legs closer to his hands from behind. His hands reached to lift the bottom hem of his cargo and pulled out a small blade from his boot's pocket. Jasper scoffed with a smile. "Immatures," he remarked before he used the small blade to cut the rope.
His hands were finally released from the restraints and he reaches up to cut the rope that's holding him up. Eventually, the rope was cut and Jasper landed on his feet. He stood up and unwrapped the ropes from himself.
He pushed the door open and found himself in a dark and cramped hallway. There were a flight of stairs leading upwards towards a caged door with a bright light illuminating the room. Jasper slowly walked up the stairs and quietly pushed the door open. As he entered the room, he found a corpse laying on the ground. He pulled out his blade as he slowly approached the corpse. He gave the corpse a light nudge, but he found no reaction and he assumed that the villager was already dead.
"Seems like someone was here before me," Jasper thought to himself. He turned to look at the cracked wall and found his gear on the other side.
Jasper cautiously made his way towards the door on the other side of the room. Slowly pushing the door open, he found himself in another area, full of grime and dirt. He saw another corpse on the ground and he knew that someone was definitely here before him. He jumped over a broken window, avoiding the sharp edges that remained in the frame.
He vaulted over the cracked wall and made his way over to the metal door as the end of the hall. He pushed the metal door open to the room where his gear was and placed his small knife back into his boot before grabbing his weapons and supplies again.
Jasper grabbed his earpiece again and decided to call Sky. "Sparrow, this is Raven Strike. Sorry if I couldn't get into touch sooner. I was, uh... a bit tied up," he spoke apologetically.
"But you're okay now, right?" Sky asked.
"Affirmative," Jasper nodded. "But right now, I have no idea where to look from here."
"According to Condor One's guide, they said that Ashley's being kept in some church. You can meet up with him there," Sky informed.
"Copy. Raven Strike out," Jasper responded, ending the transmission.
Jasper made his way over to the rusted red gate and pushed it open, only to be startled when he was greeted by a man dressed in a long black coat and a purple mask covering his face expect for his eyes. "Hey stranger, so what're you buyin'?" The cloaked man asked.
Jasper cautiously approached the man and eyed on him suspiciously. He wasn't sure if he was infected like the rest of village.
"It's all right, mate. I won't bite," he reassured him, noticing his suspicions over him. "I'm just a bloody merchant. I supply, you buy. I make a buck out of it. Simple."
Jasper lets his guard down and released his grip from his handgun. "You've pick quite the place to set up shop," he remarked.
The merchant chuckled at the raven-haired's remark. "Aye, and this rubbish of a town ain't doing me business. You and the other lad are the only paying customers as of lately."
Jasper perked when "the other lad" was mentioned by the merchant. "Other lad, huh? Do you happen to know where he went?"
"Just down the path there. He shouldn't be too far," the merchant pointed towards the opened metal gate to his right. "But first thing's first; how about we do some business, ey? I'll throw in an upgrade at ya, free of charge. How's that sound, hm?" The man leans forward, wiggling his eyebrows that were barely visible due to what he wore.
Jasper pondered at the idea for a moment. He didn't seem like a threat like the other villagers, and he seems pretty chill to him. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to add up some touches for free," he shrugged in response.
The merchant lightly hits the table in agreement. "That's the spirit, mate. Well then, buy whatever your heart desires."
Wasting no time, Jasper rummaged through what the man has to offer. He decided to upgrade his handgun for now since he didn't have any money to offer at the moment. "I think that might be it for now. I'll come back as soon as I've got some cash to offer."
"Pleasure doing business with you, stranger," the merchant said and Jasper nodded in response before heading down the rusted, double door gate. Jasper pushed the doors open with all his might. He gripped his gun tightly in his hand before proceeding to a brand new territory.
To his surprise, a man charged at him as his hand swung to his throat, but to his surprise, he was stopped by Jasper's grip. Jasper's strength was evident in his grip, blocking the man's attack with a loud blow and easily defending himself from getting pierced. In a blink of an eye, Jasper's attacks were blocked and so was the man's. The raven-haired landed a kick on the man's thigh which made him fall back.
Rolling over his back to avoid his hand, Jasper took advantage of his lost focus and yanked his arm. He pulled his body onto the floor, but the man quickly got back up onto his feet to block the raven-haired's two straight attacks. Jasper held onto the man's wrist, holding back the hand with the knife.
Once the two of them calmed down with their attacks, Jasper took the opportunity to take in the man's appearance. The man had strong arms, blonde hair, and a pair of familiar blue eyes.
"Leon."
"Jasper?" Leon's face faltered once he recognized the person in front of him. He was shocked to say the least.
Jasper lets go of Leon's wrist and Leon holstered his knife. "You're my partner?" He asked.
Jasper took a moment before finally responding, "Yeah, I am."
"Well, that's just great," Leon sighed with an unsatisfied expression. He didn't sound like he was too happy to see him again, and Jasper seemed to notice this too.
"So... uh, should we continue?" Jasper awkwardly suggested in attempt to break the ice.
Leon huffed. "Yeah. Let's just get out of here," he said before he began to walk ahead of him, Jasper followed behind him shortly.
As they made their way through the stoned path, they froze on their tracks when they heard the sound of a chainsaw roaring from a distance. The two agents whipped their guns out and pointed at the source of the sound, ready to shoot. Suddenly, another chainsaw man sprints towards them, waving his chainsaw around like a madman.
"Great," Leon grumbled before he fired a couple of shots, successfully hitting the chainsaw man. The villager quickly recovered and swung its chainsaw towards them, but the two agents swiftly dodge the saw. Jasper's leg swept across, tripping the villager with the chainsaw. Leon took advantage of the villager's lost focus and switched from his handgun to a shotgun and fired a couple rounds at them.
Eventually, the chainsaw man was killed and the two agents panted heavily. Jasper turned to look at Leon and commented: "Not bad, right?"
"Yeah," Leon replied with a deadpanned look before putting his shotgun away and began to walk ahead of him again.
Jasper could tell that Leon was mad at him, which he couldn't blame him for. He bailed on him for six years without a word and didn't even try to call him once. But it's not like he had a choice.
Jasper followed behind Leon until they stumbled upon an old manor. Leon disarms a tripwire trap and other various bear traps sprawled around the manor. Then, the two of them broke into the house through the back door.
As they entered the old manor with their guns drawn, Jasper heard noises coming from behind a wooden door underneath the staircase. He opened the door cautiously and a man jumped at him. Jasper didn't hesitate and shot him in the head four times.
"Should've locked the door," Jasper remarked before closing the door again.
Leon surveyed the old manor, slightly awestruck at the grandeur of the architecture and the decor. "Not too shabby. Someone is showing up their neighbors."
Jasper observed the interior before looking back at Leon. The tension between the two of them was palpable and he felt a bit uneasy with the silence around them. He tried to start a conversation and hopefully break the ice. "So, uh... how have you been?" He asked nervously.
"I've been better," Leon replied after a moment of silence. "I mean, it's not like you bailed on me for six years or anything like that."
Jasper slightly frowned at his failed attempt. The tension remains, and it feels like it'll be there for a while yet.
Upon exploring the dining area, Jasper immediately noticed the black and white photos hung up on the wall. Each of them have a weird stick symbol being nailed onto them, as if they were a symbol of religion. He felt like those symbols hold a lot of secrets about the history of this village and its residents.
Next, he found Leon standing in front of a wooden dresser. He tugged the lock on the handle before muttering, "Dammit."
"What'd you find?" Jasper asked.
"I found this, but I can't open it," Leon answered.
"Let me see." Jasper stood next to Leon and thoroughly examined the combination lock with symbols. "Maybe there's a clue around here?"
Jasper investigated the house more as he searched upstairs. He found a single red herb and an opened book. The book was old and worn; its pages were yellowed and brittle. One page had an image of a group of people gathering around a man wearing purple robes and offering their gifts to him.
Iluminados 4:3
In great veneration of their master, the people offered up their most prized possessions.
The old farmer, his finest crop.
The slight swineherd, his stoutest pig.
The beggarly grandam, her own beloved babe.
The master saw these gifts and was pleased.
Jasper grabbed the book and returned back to Leon. The two of them figured out the combination, unlocked the dresser, and revealing a crystal marble inside. Multiple white specs were scattered everywhere in the marble.
Leon rotated the marble in multiple directions until an image slowly builds up. Eventually, the marble unlocked the door upstairs, revealing a bedroom inside. "You just wait out here, okay?" Leon told Jasper before going into the room without sparing a second glance.
As Leon scouted the bedroom, he skims through the village's records and found a portrait painting of a man wearing purple robes, who looked like a priest or something. He opens a drawer in the corner of the room and finds an insignia key, containing a symbol of the cult.
While Jasper waited, a ginormous man wearing a black trench coat and a black hat showed up with a scowl, causing the raven-haired to be taken back by his sudden appearance. Before he could grab his weapon, the large man grabbed him by the throat, lifting him into the air before throwing him against the wall.
Leon snapped his head towards the loud sound and saw the man at the doorway. The agent pulls out his weapon, shooting the man a couple times but the bullets did no damage to his body. The man kicked Leon forcefully, getting him knocked to the floor and losing his weapon. He tried to reach for his handgun, only for his arm to get stepped on by the assailant. The man grabbed Leon by the throat and lifted him into the air.
"Your bloods have accepted the Gift," the man spoke, examining the blonde's eyes. Black veins began to appear in Leon's sclera as he tried to break free from the man's iron grip.
A gunshot rang out and a bullet hit the man's head, knocking his hat off. He turned to face the window and saw a silhouette of a woman. The mysterious figure fired a couple more shots at the man. The man tossed Leon onto the ground and scowled at the woman before the rope she held onto recoiled and disappeared from the man's sight.
Leon coughed violently while trying to catch his breath as the man grabbed his hat and left the room, presumably to find the mysterious figure. Leon stumbles onto his feet, grabbing his gun off the ground.
"Gift... in our blood?" Leon wonders.
[A/N: So... what do you guys think about the first chapter so far? Hopefully, you enjoyed it because this first chapter felt a bit rushed for me. To be honest, I just wanted to avoid going through all of those valley fight scenes from the game because ain't no way I'm writing all of that, so I took the easy route (Sorry). I promise that the next chapter will be better.]