"Aim for their legs as they jump!" Leon shouted as he jumped down from the platform. Gwen did as he said and shot the men as they jumped from crate to crate. Their bodies fell like dominos into the raging water below. She jumped to the next crate and shot the villagers who leapt onto the crate she was just on. Leon stood on solid ground as he shot round after round at the oncoming horde.
One of the men tossed their axe at Gwen, which she dodged. When she tried to avoid another one, her foot slipped on the wet wood. She cried out as she fell into the river and taken by the current. "Gwen!" Leon shouted as he searched the water for her.
The agent's head bursted through the water's surface as she was able to grab onto the metal bar keeping the box in place before being carried downstream. She coughed up some water as her grip tightened. "Leon, they're coming!"
The blonde turned his fierce gaze back to the approaching villagers. He continued shooting and watching them fall into the water. One of the men who fell into the river grabbed ahold of Gwen's ankle. She tried to kick him with her other leg, but he dug his dirty nails into her skin. She screamed out from the tinge of pain and tried harder to kick him.
Leon rushes to the edge of the lake and aims his pistol at the man latched on to Gwen's leg. He held his breath as he pulled the trigger. The bullet hit its mark, piercing the man's arm. He cried out in pain and forced to let go of the woman, his body being dragged downstream. Leon kneeled by the edge of the river and reached out towards Gwen. "Grab my hand!"
Gwen pried one of her hands from around the metal bar. She stretched out her arm, hoping she could grab Leon's hand. When their hands were only centimeters apart, the blonde lunges forward and grasps her hand. He pulled her body out of the lake and back onto dry land. He wrapped his other arm around her waist as soon as she crashed into his chest. "You sure know how to give a man a heart attack."
Gwen pressed her ear to Leon's chest, listening to his racing heart. She smirked with a giggle. "You must be one hell of an indestructible man if you've survived this many heart attacks and haven't kicked the bucket yet." She places her hands on his chest and pushes off, kissing him on the cheek. "Let's get moving."
Leaping across the boxes, the agents head to the cave. Inside, lit candles were set in the alcoves carved into the wall. A strange object with an insignia was chained to an ornately carved stone wall.
Leon reached up and unhooked the object. The chains retracted and the stone wall behind it revealed to be a hidden door leading further into the waterfall. "Hunnigan's going to want to hear this." He pulled out the radio and contacted their support. "We've obtained an object that resembles the cult group's insignia."
"And it looks like it'll fit the indentation on the door that's keeping us from entering the church," Gwen added.
*****
"Wonderful, you two. Head back to the church. Ashley's safety is our immediate priority."
*****
"We'll make sure she's safe, Hunnigan. Talk to you soon," Gwen said. The couple walked through the stone door, wondering where it led. On the other side was a boat seeming to be waiting for them. "Oh, hey, how convenient. Wonder where this underwater passage will take us."
"Only one way to find out." Leon hopped onto the boat and sat down in front of the engine. Gwen slowly and hesitantly stepped onboard, sitting down in the front of the wooden vessel. Leon smirked as he rested one of his arms across his leg. "You alright over there, Gwen?"
She forced a smile as she gripped the sides of the boat. "Peachy."
"Guess I don't have to tell you to hold on," Leon chuckled, staring at her hands.
"Oh," Gwen started. "You might have to pry my hands off this boat once we dock."
"Hope I don't need a crowbar. Don't know where the hell I'll find one around here," the blonde snickered. He started the engine and guided the boat through the narrow waterway. Stalactites and stalagmites decorated the pathway, Leon taking extra caution to not hit one of the stalagmites.
When the waterway came to an end, Leon docked the boat near a hut bordering the water's edge. Torches were lit alongside myriads of crates and barrels. There were a few fishing nets strewn about, covering some of the dusty cargo. The blonde helped Gwen out of the boat and ventured around the area.
Gwen turned the corner and flinched when she saw a familiar robed figure waving in her direction. "Jesus..." She placed a hand over her heart. "He's everywhere."
Leon peered around the corner and eyed the merchant. "Damn, you're right."
The archivist elbowed him in the stomach, smirking. "Wanna use more of your stolen money, captain?"
"Not this time, princess. Time to get moving."
"Well, shit, I've been demoted from angel back to princess."
<-----------<<<<<<<<<<
Up a ladder and through a door with an insignia on it, the agents found themselves back in the quarry where they heard the growling from behind the massive doors. Lightning and thunder clashed in the night sky above as they walked past the large doors.
Suddenly, the gates to the quarry were shut by the villagers. Leon and Gwen spin on their heels when they heard the creaking hinges of the doors opening. The agents stepped back as a handful of men exited the large doors while tugging on ropes. Gwen swallowed nervously as a giant emerged from the shadows and yanked by the ropes attached to its body.
Leon's eyes widened as the giant pulled at its restraints, yanking the rope out of the cultists' grasps. It roared as it pounded its fists into the ground, a man falling victim to the large appendages. Blood splattered across the quarry as the giant raised its fists and stomped on another villager with its foot. It swung its arms around, knocking down more men. Then, the creature snatched up a single man and crushed his body in its hand.
"Can't we just have a normal mission where there aren't any giant monsters?" Gwen groaned as she unholstered her pistol.
Leon opted to use his shotgun and quickly reloaded it as the giant killed the remaining cult members. "Someone needs to increase our hazard pay."
"I don't think 'giant' is on the list of things that have tried to kill us. Better make sure to add it later," Gwen commented as the giant let out another thunderous roar. The immense creature turned its heated gaze towards the agents. "And here he comes." Gwen raised her pistol and shot the giant in the face. The bullets angered the enormous creature and he stomped towards her.
Leon acted quickly and fired shell after shell into the giant's back. It turned its attention from the woman to the blonde, swinging its fist down towards him. Nimbly dodging the attack, the agent pumped more shells into the monster. The giant roared, spit flying out of its mouth. Gwen escaped the splash zone before being pelted with the bodily fluid. "Okay, now that's disgusting."
Out of the blue, the agents heard howling. Glancing upwards, they saw the wolf they saved when they first arrived in the village. "I can't believe it," Leon said.
"What're you doing here?" Gwen pondered as she shot the giant. The wolf jumped down from his perch and growled, bearing his fangs. The animal acted as a distraction while the two agents shot the giant.
After consecutive hits, the giant grabbed its head in pain and toppled over on its knees. A strange creature bursted from its back with a shriek. Gwen was struck with an idea and she quickly switched out her pistol for the knife in her boot. She climbed up the giant's back and stabbed the creature protruding from its back. As it retracted back into the giant's body, she jumped off and put some distance between her and the monster.
"That thing looks like what we saw take over the villagers' bodies. Kill it, and we kill the giant. Easy, right?" Leon reloaded the shotgun and shot the giant as the wolf distracted it.
Finally, the giant fell to its knees. Gwen finished off the large creature by killing the parasite in the monster's back. Its body collapsed to the ground with the woman standing on its back. She stomped her foot against its spine. "Is it dead?"
"Think so," Leon sighed, withdrawing his gun. The gates keeping them trapped in the quarry opened, allowing them access back to the church.
Gwen hopped off the giant's back and was immediately tackled to the ground. She cried out in surprise but then laughed as she felt a wet tongue trail across her cheek. "Hey, buddy! You sure do like giving kisses." The wolf howled in response as he nuzzled his cold, wet nose against her cheek. He wagged his tail jubilantly as Gwen combed her fingers through his soft fur. "As much as I would love to pet you all day, we've got to head to the church and save someone. You better run along before one of the cultists gets you." With one last howl, the wolf ran off.
<------------<<<<<<<<<
At the church, Leon and Gwen were attacked by black wolves. Before one of the animals could tear into their flesh, they were able to open the door to the church with the round insignia they found. Leon slammed the door once he and Gwen were inside to prevent the wolves from following.
"Wow," Gwen gasped in amazement. "Even though most of this village is shitty, they do keep their church clean and organized."
"Small and quant, which means Ashley isn't far," Leon said. Gwen searched the altar for anything of use or if there was another secret passage hidden somewhere. Leon discovered a ladder leading to the upper level of the church. "Gwen, over here."
At hearing her name, the archivist headed over to Leon. They climbed the ladder to the second level and spotted a door that was inaccessible by metal bars. "Shit. We need a way through," Leon cursed.
Gwen backtracked a little ways and pointed to a panel on the other side. "Maybe that'll help us." Without reservation, she hopped onto the chandelier and grabbed the chain suspending the ceiling fixture. Using her weight to swing the chandelier, the woman jumped the gap to reach the control panel. She landed perfectly and turned to smirk at Leon. "I should've joined the circus."
Leon grinned as he crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't think swinging from a chandelier would qualify you for an act."
"Eh," Gwen shrugged her shoulders. "Close enough." She stood in front of the control panel and flipped a switch. Three light-red, green, and blue-flickered on and she followed the beams with her eyes. "A puzzle?"
"Need some help over there?" Leon wondered.
Gwen shook her head. "No, I think I can handle it." She turned the three knobs on the panel, arranging the colors to create the stained glass in the middle. Once she arranged them, she pressed a button and watched as the three colors combined. Her eyes glistened with glee when it only took her one try to solve the puzzle. "Wow, I'm better at puzzles than I thought."
The archivist wandered over to the door and saw the bars were gone. Leon rendezvoused with her, smiling at the woman. "Nice job." A smile spread across her face as Leon opened the door.
As Leon stepped into the storage room, a piece of wood comes hurtling towards him. He grabbed it before it could hit him in the face as he heard someone yell at him. "Don't come!"
"Hey, take it easy!" Leon shouted as the girl tried to throw more objects at the agent. Gwen slowly stepped into the room and dodged an incoming chalice. It crashed into the wall beside her head.
"No! Get away!" The girl cried out as she cowered in the corner. Gwen kept her distance from the frightened girl and let Leon calm her.
"Calm down. Everything's going to be just fine. My name's Leon and this is Gwen," he said as he gestured to the woman behind him. "We're under the president's order to rescue you."
Hope glistened in Ashley's eyes as she leaned forward. "What? My father?"
Leon nodded with a smile. "That's right, and we have to get you out of here. Come with us."
When Ashely stood up and got a better look at Gwen, she gasped. "You're the girl from the library!"
The archivist nodded. "Yes. I actually work as an archivist for the USSTRATCOM, but I spend most of my time in the library."
Ashley dashed over to Gwen and wrapped her arms around her. "I'm so glad you're here!"
The inky-haired woman was puzzled as to why the young blonde was hugging her. They weren't friends and rarely talked. When they did, Ashley was the one who did most of the talking. The young girl would come to the library seeking her out whenever she visited and console Gwen about any issues she had. The archivist wasn't very familiar with issues about boys or friends since she only has Leon and no one else.
Ashley pulled away from Gwen with a sigh of relief. "I mean, I know we aren't really friends, but it's so nice to see a familiar face."
Gwen offered the girl a small smile. "Your father thought you would. That's why he sent me here."
"I'll contact Hunnigan," Leon said as he grabbed the radio and contacted their support. "It's Leon. We've succeeded in extricating our subject."
*****
"Good work, Leon, Gwen. I'll send a chopper over right away."
*****
"What's the extraction point?" Leon questioned.
*****
"There's another trail that you can take to get out of the village. The chopper will pick you up beyond there."
*****
Leon nodded. "Got it. We're on our way."
Gwen crosses her arms while rolling her eyes with a heavy sigh. "Great. Another trek through the horde of cultists. Too bad the chopper can't pick us up here."
"Seriously," Ashley groaned.
"Sorry, ladies, but we're going to have to make a long trek to the extraction point," Leon chortled. "Hope you're both ready."