As they ascended through a room, they reached a door and stepped outside onto a lofted platform where they were offered a breathtaking view of the grand hall below them. Ashley inquired as she realized that they were back at the audience chamber, "Hang on, this is the same room as before, isn't it? Guess we must've circled around."
Leon and Jasper surveyed the vast hall around them. There were no signs of any of the infected men or Ramón. The coast seemed clear. While Leon went to the other side of the long pathway, Jasper noticed the same door with the symbols, except this time it's with a fish and a snake. Before Jasper could blink, Leon leapt forward on top of the chandelier. "Leon, what're you doing?!" He exclaimed.
"I'm fine!" Leon responded as he swung back and forth before he was able to leap onto the other side of the pathway. "I'm just taking a shortcut. Don't even think about trying this yourself!"
"As if!" Ashley exclaimed, her voice dripping with disbelief. Jasper sighed, messaging his temples, still in shock by Leon's reckless behavior. He knew that he was capable of doing things himself, but he could've at least given them a warning first.
"That's Leon for you. How about you and I find a safer route?" Jasper suggested to Ashley and she nodded in agreement. As they searched for an alternative route, Jasper and Leon solved the puzzle and the door opened, giving access for the two to the other side.
"Hey. Next time you wanna do a stunt like that, you gotta at least give me a warning, alright?" Jasper told Leon once they met up at the carpeted stairs.
"What're you, my mother?" Leon retorted with a hint of sarcasm laced in his tone.
Jasper rolled his eyes and replied, "We're a team now. We're supposed to look out for each other, and I don't want to see you get hurt."
Leon turned to Jasper and looked at him with an unreadable expression before sighing, "Well, if it makes you feel better, I'll give you a warning next time."
They pushed through the double doors revealing a dark and eerie room. As they stepped inside and walked down the stairs, a haunting cackle echoed through the room, sending shivers down Ashley's spine. "Salutations, Mr. Kennedy and Mr. Park," a voice taunted. Jasper narrowed his eyes and he equipped his rifle. "Are you ready to hand over the girl?"
Leon grunted in annoyance. "Not this guy again."
Ramón continued, "I've taken the liberty of preparing some entertainment for you. Without further ado: the gallant princes protects the princess fair!" Leon and Jasper shared a dreadful glance before they trudged forward into the castle. They turned a corner and they faced a giant double door. The two agents approached the door and pushed them open, followed by Ashley telling them, "Be careful."
They cautiously entered a water hall. The grandeur of the room was unmatched, but the ominous silence was palpable. The room contained four rectangular pools of black, murky water. "What is this stuff?" Jasper questioned as he eyed on the water running down to the pool.
"I think it'd be best if you don't know," Leon adviced. Jasper nodded as he stepped away from the pool of water.
"They're here!" Ashley exclaimed, breaking the tense silence.
"Ah, the entertainment," Leon remarked.
In a split second, the serenity of the water hall was shattered when a swarm of zealots stormed into the room, wielding flails, crossbows, and shields. "Ashley, get behind us!" Jasper ordered as he and Leon stood tall, their guns trained on the advancing zealots, ready to fire at any given moment.
The battle against the relentless zealots was intense and grueling. The trio fought valiantly, pushing their way through the hordes of zealot that barred in their path. Leon fired at the horde of zealots they were facing while Jasper used his rifle to take out the ones on the upper ground. Despite the odds against them, the group stood their guard, determined to defend themselves and their mission at all cost.
While battling the zealots, Leon found a wheel from an angel statue. He used it to lower the stairs as they fought their way through. After they were all eliminated, they come across a large double door at the end of the hall, but their path was blocked by the blackened water. After Leon cranked the wheel, a hidden platform emerged from the murky water, revealing itself as a secret passage. "A hidden platform?" Ashley wondered.
"A little bit over the top, don't you think?" Leon remarked.
Jasper surveyed the area and noticed two wheels on each side of the room. "Look. Those two wheels could get us across," he informed before he made his way to the ledge. "Ashley, with me."
Ashley followed him as he lowered himself to his knees, allowing the girl to climb on his shoulders and hoist her up to the ledge. "You're gonna be OK?"
"Yeah. I-I got this," Ashley nodded before she quickly made her way to the wheel in front of her. However, her face quickly turned to dread and fear as she noticed a swarm of zealots chasing after her. "Jasper!"
"Just keep going! We'll cover you!" Jasper exclaimed before he took out his rifle and peered through his scope. He took a deep breath before he delivered multiple precise blows into the zealots' heads, allowing the girl to continue her task.
"All right! Now that one!" Ashley exclaimed before she ran across the hall to the to the other side of the platform. Jasper continued to land his blows on the zealots emerging out of the shadows, giving way to the girl.
Leon noticed a few zealots approaching them menacingly. "I'll take care of them," he quickly informed Jasper before he whipped out his shotgun and shot the flail-wielding zealot. He quickly turned to the zealot wielding a shield and shot the shield, breaking it into pieces. He shot the zealot in the head and swiftly performed a powerful roundhouse kick to the head, sending the man to the ground with the sound of it's neck breaking echoing.
"I did it!" Ashley shouted as all three of the platforms fully emerged from the blackened water.
"OK, get back here!" Leon shouted before shooting the zealot coming towards her. Ashley climbed up the railing and dropped down safely on her feet before reuniting with the two agents. The trio sprinted across the platform and towards the double door at the end of the hall.
Leon and Jasper both grunted as they pushed the doors open, revealing a fountain decorated with blooming white and purple flowers. Crows flew in circles above them before scattering as they got too close. The cool night air surrounded them as they stepped outside, the stars shining brightly above. Leon, Jasper, and Ashley panted, attempting to catch their breaths after the chase. Leon turned to Ashley before he asked, "You hurt?"
"I'm good, thanks," Ashley slowly nodded, out of breath.
The trio decided to continue forward on their journey. Around the fountain was another locked door, but there was a hole in the wall above. Jasper squatted down in front of the wall, Ashley placed her feet on his shoulders before he stood up to lift her. Ashley jumped onto the ledge and made it to the other side. Jasper watched her attentively as she did so.
Ashley stood in front of the door when she suddenly lets out a few coughs. Leon's eyes narrowed with concern for the girl as she unlocked the door for the both of them. "Hey, you sure you're good?" Leon inquired.
"Y-Yeah..." Ashley nodded slightly.
Jasper and Leon shared a concerned glance to each other before Jasper spoke, "OK. But if you ever feel sick, just tell us."
"Got it," Ashley replied.
Jasper and Leon walked through the door and made their way through the courtyard. "Looks like the right place."
Jasper surveyed the area for Luis, but his eyebrows furrowed in confusion when he didn't see a sign of him. "Yeah, but I don't see—"
Ashley suddenly lets out a cry of pain, grabbing her head. The two agents sharply turned to the girl and Jasper was the first to ask, "Ashley, you OK?"
"I think so. Uh—" Ashley was cut off when her body suddenly collapsed, falling onto Jasper who immediately caught her.
"Ashley!" Jasper staggered back but was able to hold onto her as he looked at the girl with concern.
Jasper heard her quiet pants as she spoke with a menacing tone, "Instead of worrying about her... worry about your own skin!" Ashley ripped back, pulling something from Jasper as she did so.
Jasper was taken back by Ashley's sudden act of aggression. Once he and Leon got a good look, they noticed the black veins that swarmed her eyes. "Foolish little lambs," she muttered as she swung the knife she had taken from Jasper at him. Leon jumped forward to block it, reaching in front of Jasper to grab the blade with his gloved hand.
Ashley ripped the knife back from Leon's hand. He lets out a short grunt of pain as she did so, clutching his injured hand. Jasper took a step forward in attempt to disarm Ashley, but he froze as Ashley pointed the bloodied knife towards her throat. "Temperance, child!" She scolded as she began to back away with the knife near her throat.
"Ashley..." Leon said, trying to reason as he and Jasper tried to approach her cautious without alarming her.
Just as Leon was about to jump forward, bars suddenly slammed down in front of the trio, separating Leon and Jasper from Ashley, leaving her alone in an unknown territory.
Suddenly, as if a switch was flipped off, the veins covering Ashley's body had retracted and her skin was back to normal. Her eyes widened in shock as she dropped the knife and looked down at her hands in pain. Ashley began to back away from the bars, letting out shaky breaths as she had realized what she had done. She panicked and bursts to the right, sprinting away from the two agents.
"Wait!" Leon shouted as he grasped the bars. But Ashley didn't wait. Instead she sprinted out of their sight, leaving them alone. Leon leaned his head against his arm and sighed. "Shit."
Leon pushed himself off the bars and pressed a finger to his ear, talking to his communicator. "Roost, come in! Things went to shit. We took refuge inside a castle, but we've just been separated from Baby Eagle," he informed, his voice dripping with urgency.
But from the other line, all he heard was static and a few words that he couldn't comprehend. "Roost? You're breaking up. Do you read me?" He questioned before the line was quickly cut off. He cursed, "Damn it. So much for that."
Jasper reached forward and grabbed his knife through the bars. He wiped off the blood from the tip of the blade before turning to Leon. "Leon. Are you OK?"
Leon shook his head before he quickly replied, "I'm fine. Come on, we have to—"
Jasper hastily grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Can you drop the tough guy persona and just listen to me for once?! Are you OK?!" He said, his voice laced with frustration and concern.
Leon blinked a couple of times, taken back by his sudden voice change. He nodded slightly as he replied, "Yeah, I'm OK."
"Let me see your hand," Jasper ordered. Leon hesitated as he pulled away from him. "Come on, I'm not stupid."
Leon waited for a second and sighed before he begrudgingly gave him his wounded hand. Jasper saw the thin slice on his palm that had gotten through the glove, revealing the source of the blood. He sighed, "You should be more careful next time. You could've been stabbed, or worse."
"I don't need your lecture," Leon hissed.
"Come on." Jasper led him elsewhere and Leon reluctantly followed him. "Sit," he ordered. Leon rolled his eyes before he ultimately sat down against a stone wall. Jasper took out a first aid spray, gauze, a bandage, and a herb.
Leon reached out, "I can do it myself."
"Just let me do this for you," Jasper insisted as he reached out for Leon's hand. "I get that you're still pissed, but I need you to work with me here. Please."
Leon opened his mouth to protest, but immediately closed it back as soon as he saw the stern, but soft look in Jasper's eyes. He realized that there was no point of arguing with the asian man and sighed. "Do what you have to do."
Jasper grabbed a gauze pad and dabbed it with rubbing alcohol. "Now hold still," he instructed as he gently held Leon's hand and used the gauze pad to clean and disinfect the wound.
Leon's nose scrunched in discomfort at the intense stinging of the alcohol touching his flesh. After a few seconds, he got used to the pain. A silence surrounded them as Jasper patched him up, but it wasn't a deafening one. It was an oddly comforting silence.
"Thank you," Jasper said after he finished cleaning up the wound.
Leon gave him a confused look. "For what?" He asked.
"You got this because you literally grabbed the knife to stop her from stabbing me," Jasper explained while he wrapped a bandage around Leon's palm. "It was reckless of you, but... thank you."
Leon stared at him for a few moments before he nodded, "Yeah... No problem."
"There you go. All fixed," Jasper tells him and Leon looked down to see his bandaged hand.
"Thanks." Leon looked up to meet the asian's dark chocolate eyes, glistening in the dark from the warm light illuminating the area. Leon felt his heart warming up again as he stared into those tranquil eyes of his. He quickly looked away as he realized this and slowly pulled his hand away from Jasper's. "We should go, before Ashley gets in trouble again."
"Right," Jasper nodded. He puts away all the tools she used and stood up before offering his hand to Leon. The blond reluctantly took his hand and stood on his feet with his help. "You'll be OK, right?"
"I'll be fine," Leon reassured him. He looked back at Jasper as he pondered about something. "Jasper?"
"Yeah?" Jasper responded, anticipating for Leon to speak what's on his mind.
Leon opened his mouth to speak, but closed it back again, realizing that it could probably wait another time. Instead, he told him, "Thanks for having my back."
Jasper didn't expect that from him, but he smiled softly nonetheless. "Of course. We're a team, aren't we?"
"Yeah. Yeah, we are," Leon replied, but he couldn't help but feel conflicted. At first, he was angry at him. But now, we wasn't too sure how to feel towards Jasper. But regardless, he brushed those thoughts aside. For now. "Come on. Let's keep moving."
***
As Jasper and Leon ventured through the dark and eerie hallway, they stumbled upon a grimacing sight of four figures sitting in front of some sort of shrine, where a human body was displayed with its head missing. Jasper noticed that the four figures didn't react to their entrance. Instead, they were just sitting there.
The two agents carefully approached the four figures and realized that they were all dead. The flesh of their skins were withered, taking shape of their skeletons. Leon grimaced, "This is messed up."
The faint sounds of chanting echoed the room, creating an eerie feeling. Leon and Jasper explored the room for a bit until they found a hole through the wall. Jasper was the first to climb through and landed on the ground below him, Leon shortly followed. Prior to them was a sealed door with two statues with goat heads on either side. One of the statues on the right was holding a lantern with a red flame while the other was missing a lantern in its place. Jasper sighed, "Great. Another puzzle. Just our lucky day."
"It's gotta be around somewhere," Leon said before they trudged forward.
Jasper cautiously moved forward and stepped into the wine cellar, where there were dozens of zealots. The two agents immediately ducked down and his behind the barrels. Leon slightly raised his head to peek over the barrels. On the upper level of the cellar, there was a zealot dressed in a red hood loudly chanting with the other zealots. The red zealot thrusted their staff to the ground, creating an intense impact as two of the zealots' heads exploded and a parasite bursted out of their necks. Leon ducked down immediately before he got caught. "Is he doing this?" Jasper whispered.
"I think so," Leon replied. "I think that guy might have the key for that door we just saw."
"If that's the case, let's do this quietly. Come on." Leon followed behind Jasper and they snuck their way through the barrels and boxes, staying as quiet as they can. They came across two staircases leading upwards and Jasper signed to Leon, "Let's split up. You take the right while I go left."
Leon nodded firmly before he and Jasper separated and cautiously made their way up the staircases. As Jasper made his way up, he found one zealot and snuck up behind them. In one swift move, he plunged his knife onto the zealot's neck and severed their airway. He gently laid them down on the floor before he spotted another zealot in the corner, wielding a crossbow as they surveyed the room. Jasper snuck behind them and impaled their throats without alerting the other zealots.
While he carefully snuck around the wine cellar, he found himself in the same area as the red zealot and found Leon there as well. He glanced at the two dead corpses on the floor and figured that Leon had already taken them out. Leon gestured towards red zealot, allowing Jasper to do the honors. The asian man crept behind the red zealot and with a swift move, he sliced his throat and gently laid him down on the ground. After the red zealot was eliminated, Jasper grabbed the red lantern from him.
"OK. Now what?" Leon inquired as he glanced at the remaining zealots wandering around the ground level.
Jasper pondered for a little while before he grabbed a flash grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and threw the projectile onto the ground. He swiftly pulled out his gun and trained his weapon at the red barrels. The blinding flash grenade caused the parasitic zealots to disinegrate and Jasper fired at the barrels, causing the remaining ones to be caught in the explosions, and knocked them off their feet. Leon looked at Jasper with astonishment from his actions. "Come on. Let's get out of here," Jasper said somewhat casually before he and Leon left the wine cellar.
Once they made it to the door, Jasper lifted the lantern and placed it onto the statue's empty hand. The statue budged and eventually lowered its hands. The metal door between the statues gradually opened. To the right, there was a door, but it was locked. Leon looked up and saw a hole above the door. "Hey, do you think you can get to the other side of this room?" He asked Jasper.
Jasper nodded. "Sure." Leon connected his hands and lowered them, allowing Jasper to stand up on them with one foot as Leon raised him. Jasper inquired, "You sure you don't mind doing this?"
"Nah, you're as light as a feather. I'll be just fine," Leon waved him off.
Jasper climbed through the hole and made it to the other side. "I think I can take care of it from here. You go ahead and check the perimeter while I check this area," he told Leon.
"You sure?" Leon asked, taken back by the request.
"Yeah, I'll be fine," Jasper reassured him.
Leon nodded. "OK. Be careful."
While Jasper was busy, Leon made his way up the small steps and towards a wooden door at the end of the hall. He held up his pistol as he pushed the door open and entered the room, cautiously scanning the area to make sure that no surprises were waiting for him. Leon trained his gun forward when an open window caught his attention.
"You can stop right there, Leon," a feminine voice said from behind him. "Wouldn't make me use this, would you?"
Leon closed his eyes and let out a breath, recognizing the familiar voice. He raised his hands in surrender and dropped his gun. "Well, after six years, that is one hell of a greeting... Ada," he spoke. His voice was unwavering, but it felt darker.
"You don't seem surprised," Ada pointed out. "Interesting..."
In one swift move, Leon turned around and grabbed Ada's arm. He grabbed his knife as he engaged in a sparring battle between her. Ada tries to kick him, but Leon caught her leg. He blocked a few of her jabs before he pulled his knife to her throat, effectively pausing the spar. "Try using knives next time. Better for close encounters," Leon advised. Just like how Jasper once told him.
Ada gave a small, impressed smile. "Not a bad move," she praised. "Very smooth."
Hearing the commotion, Jasper bursts through the door, training his gun at Ada. Leon waited a few moments before he reluctantly releases the woman. Ada turned around to meet Jasper and his eyes widened a bit when he recognized the familiar face of the woman. "Ada?"
"Jasper," Ada replied somewhat casually. "Long time no see."
Jasper lowered his gun and walked over to her. "So you ARE alive," he said.
"Why? Was my "death" not believable enough for you?" Ada inquired with a sultry voice, much deeper from when the last time he saw her.
"Oh, it was believable, all right," Jasper admitted, narrowing his eyes with suspicion at the woman. "Now that you're here, I assume that it's not for a vacation. Who are you working with this time?"
"Oh, Jasper," Ada scoffed. "You know I don't kiss and tell."
Jasper subtly rolled his eyes. "Yep, still the same Ada," he muttered.
Leon sheathed his knife and turned as he tried to grab his gun from the floor. Jasper gave her one last glance before turning away. "Leave the girl," Ada spoke, gaining their attention. "She's lost no matter what."
"You walk away now... and who knows?" Ada prompted as she walked towards the open window while the two men watched her closely. "Maybe you two will live to meet me again. And then I might get you that "greeting" you were looking for," she subtly winks at Leon, causing Jasper grit his teeth.
"You think we're gonna give up that easy?" Leon asked, narrowing his eyes at Ada's back as she stood in front of the window.
Ada lets out a small chuckle before she looked over her shoulder towards the two men. "Right. How about we continue this discussion another time?" Ada suggested.
Leon nodded and turned to pick up his gun from the ground. They turned around to see Ada gone out of their sight, and all that's left was the window, illuminating the moon in the distance. "Last person I thought I'd run to here..." Leon remarked.
"You can say that again," Jasper muttered, still glaring at the open window where Ada had left. He scoffed and harshly checks his gun for ammunition.
Leon noticed his change of expression and decided to ask, "You all right?"
"Yeah, totally," Jasper replied bitterly.
Leon was taken back by his tone, but decided not to question him and continued with their mission. "If you say so. Come on, let's keep looking for Ashley."
***
Leon pushed a fallen cabinet aside in the next hallway with a grunt. As he triumphantly cleared the path for him and Jasper, their attention was drawn to a faint sound echoing at the end of the hallway. Leon's eyes narrowed with suspicion, his grip around his pistol tightened, preparing himself at all cost.
Suddenly, the air fills with tension when a mysterious spider-like creature scuttles across the floor. In an instant, the monstrous entity latched onto the back of a zealot, causing the once-distressed zealot into a frenzied madman. The zealot lets out guttural roar at the agents before it advanced towards them.
"Christ!" Leon exclaimed, dodging the axe swinging towards him. He swiftly grabbed his shotgun and shot the zealot a couple of times. After the zealot was defeated, the spider-like parasite detached itself from its former host and attacked Leon. But just as it was about to strike, Jasper stepped in front of Leon and swiftly fired at the parasite repeatedly. The parasite screeched in pain and weakened with each shot until finally, it collapsed to the ground.
Leon and Jasper had their guns pointed at the motionless parasite in case any additional movements occurred. However, seeing that the parasite remained lifeless, they lowered their weapons while they let out a sigh of relief simultaneously. "Ugh. I fucking hate spiders," Jasper muttered in disgust, his eyes still fixated on the motionless parasite.
Jasper and Leon continue to trudge forward into the depths of the castle. While they searched for Ashley, they had tried to get in contact with their guides, but their comms had no signal for some reason, so their were cut off from the outside world. "Dammit, no signal. Any luck?" Jasper asked Leon.
"No. Nothing so far," Leon shook his head in response. "Looks like we'll have to deal with this ourselves."
Jasper sighed at the inconvenience. "Then we better get this done quick. We can't leave Ashley alone for long."
Jasper and Leon were now standing on the rampant, gazing out the smoke-filled horizon. The destruction was overwhelming, and the smell of burning debris filled the air. Jasper's eyes caught the crossbow-wielding zealots stationed up on the first tower, unaware of their presence. Jasper used this opportunity to grab his sniper rifle and peered through the scope and fixated his aim on the zealots.
With a swift move, Jasper hit each of the zealots square in the head with precision and accuracy and their bodies fell to the ground with a thud. Now with the coast clear, the agents were allowed to step outside on the rampant.
Suddenly, a loudspeaker crackled to life, filling the atmosphere with a menacing voice. "Oh, dear Mr. Kennedy. You and your companion appear to have lost your princess," taunted Ramón.
"She said meeting you once was enough," Leon replied.
"How convenient, as I was growing tired of the moderate touch. Let us play this game of ours in true Salazar fashion," the man declared through the speakers.
Just after Ramòn's speech, the drawbridge ahead of them began to lower, revealing more of the armed zealots waiting on the other side. "Oh, so you were expecting us?" Leon asked as he and Jasper grabbed their weapons before taking aim at the advancing zealots before them.
Leon used his shotgun towards the shield-wielding zealots and fired at the shields. Fragments of woods was sent flying, revealing the zealots behind the shields that were now destroyed. Leon fired again, striking the two zealots and sending them crashing to the ground.
Jasper sent a roundhouse kick to an approaching scythe-wielding zealot's midsection, sending them sprawling to the ground. Jasper fixated his aim on the zealot and sent a bullet square in the head. The zealot's head exploded into a shower of blood and brain matter, tentacles emerging from its neck, flailing about in a frenzied matter. Jasper swiftly ducked under the flailing tentacles that were ruthlessly trying to ensnare him. He steadied his aim, training his rifle on the zealot, and a bullet ripped through the air. The bullet obliterated the tentacles, sending it hurtling to the ground.
As the last zealot advanced towards Leon, he swiftly dodged its grasp and pulled out his knife. He plunged the blade into the zealot's skull, silencing its deathly growls. Leon took out the knife from the zealot's head and the body collapsed onto the ground. Leon turned to Jasper and asked, "You alright?"
"Yeah," Jasper nodded. "You?"
"I'm fine," Leon responded and glanced back at the bodies scattered around the group. "Let's keep moving. The sooner we find Ashley, the better."