Flames danced around the barn as the parasitic man lumbered towards the agents. Leon glanced around the barn and found a way to the second level. "Up the ladder!" The couple scurried up the ladder to claim the high ground against Mendez.
Instead of using his handgun, Leon grabbed his shotgun and fired. Gwen moved away from the blonde to make it difficult for the chief to attack both of them. She circled around the centipede-like man while his sights were set on Leon. She fired at the appendages on his back as his spine stretched further to reach her boyfriend.
Before the sharp claws could pierce Leon, Gwen fires a single shot into the back of Mendez's skull. He growled as his fiery gaze was directed towards her. She back away as his spine shrunk and stalked towards her. Leon reloaded his shotgun and fired at the middle part of Mendez's spine. He wasn't deterred from his pursuit in Gwen and reached out to grab her.
The archivist promptly withdrew a vial of blood from her pocket and tossed it at the chief, the glass shattering as it struck him in the face. The silver liquid cascaded down Mendez's body, the man shrieking in pain from the contact. He backed away, flinging his arms wildly and falling on his back.
Gwen patted her pockets and found another vial, but it was empty. "Damn." She went to grab the injection gun but stopped when Mendez recovered. The young woman took a few steps away from the ledge, her back hitting the wall. Leon cursed under his breath as he ran out of shells. The chief pursued the blonde and reached up again.
Gwen stormed over and grabbed the shotgun from her boyfriend, using it as a melee weapon. She swung it with all her strength and the stock smacked into the side of Mendez's head. Blood splattered from the impact and the woman could hear the sound of the man's skull being cracked. Gwen didn't realize how hard she hit the chief until his body fell and severed into two.
"You're stronger than you look," Leon commented as he glanced between Gwen and Mendez.
The archivist handed the bloodied shotgun over. "Sorry 'bout the blood." She eyed the chief, wondering if he was dead. "You think he's..."
"Not sure. Stay here," Leon demanded.
Before he jumped down, Gwen stopped him by tugging on his arm. "I'll check to see if he's dead."
"Hold on a second." It was Leon's turn to grab Gwen's arm. "You seriously think I'm going to let you go down there?"
"I'll be fine. If one of us has to, it's going to be me. Just cover me," she said, prying Leon's hand from around her arm and jumping down. Slowly, she approached the severed body and tapped her foot against the man's torso.
Mendez's arm lashed out, his claws wrapping around Gwen's ankle, causing her to scream. He pulled her towards him, resulting in her to fall on her back. The man dragged her body through the dirt, trying to use the two arms on his back to stab her. Leon discharged his gun, eight bullets impaling the chief in the torso. He released the woman and she scooted away from him.
Once Gwen was able to get back on her feet, Mendez launched his torso upward and used the arms on his back to hang from the support beam. He swung his body towards Leon and tried to tackle him, but the blonde successfully dodged and unloaded a full clip into the man.
The archivist found a grenade near an old wagon and grabbed it. "Leon, take cover!" She pulled the pin and tossed the grenade to the second level just as the blonde dove behind a stack of crates. The explosion shook the barn as the chief's body sailed through the air and landed on the rustic tines of a pitchfork.
Mendez's body was motionless, his jaw slack as blood poured from the holes in his body. Gwen approached the chief and grimaced as one of his eyes fell out of its socket. She picked it up and felt the sticky substance covering the optic. "Ugh, disgusting..."
Leon jumped from the second floor and landed behind Gwen. "We need to find a way out. The fire's spreading."
The sable-haired woman glanced around and found a hole in wall. "There!"
Leon and Gwen jumped through the hole, avoiding the flames. Safely outside, Ashley stormed over to the couple. "Are you both okay? What happened in there?"
"We're fine," Gwen sighed heavily. "And I think we've got what we need to get through the gate."
"Let's head back to the lift," Leon said.
<----------<<<<<<<<<<
On the lift, Gwen pulled out the remaining empty vials from her pocket and the injection gun. Turning a small knob on the side, she made sure it was set to draw blood, not inject. She placed one vial into the compartment and rested the tip of the gun against the bend of her arm. With a tug of the trigger, she felt a small pinch as the gun extracted her blood and filled the vial.
Ashley had been watching as all the vials were now filled with silver. "Does it ever hurt-y'know, the chemicals?"
"Not anymore," Gwen responded. "The pain ended years ago after the final injection." She placed the vials in her pocket alongside the injection gun. Her hand skimmed across the eye in the pocket and pulled it out. She offered it to Leon, who plucked it from her fingers.
The blonde examined the bloodshot eye and the crimson iris. The feeling of the sticky residue on his finger made him scowl. "Hope this is the eye we need."
"Only one way to find out," Gwen said.
Ashley stared at the optic in disgust. "You didn't scoop that out, did you?"
The archivist shook her head. "No. It just... fell out."
Exiting the lift, the trio headed down the path and back to the gate. Leon held up the eye to the retinal scanner and waited as the optic was scanned. A few seconds passed, and a clicking noise was heard from the gate. The man placed his hands on the gate and pushed it open with no resistance. "Guess it was the eye we needed."
"Can I see the eye?" Gwen asked. Leon was puzzled as to why she wanted it, but he passed it over to her regardless. The woman tossed the eye up into the air and caught it before turning around and throwing it as far as she could. "Don't need that anymore, and there's no way in hell I'm carrying around an eyeball in my pocket any longer."
Through the gate, they spotted a few villagers wandering down the path towards them as they shouted. Gwen grabbed her pistol, aiming it at the cult members. However, she was unable to pull the trigger as a truck at the top of the hill started and caught her attention. The roaring engine came to life and the bright headlights flickered on, piercing through the darkness.
The truck barreled down the hill, running over the villagers without a care. Gwen aimed for the driver and fired a single round, shattering the glass before puncturing his skull. The vehicle swerved and crashed into the mountainside, tipping over on its side.
Leon glanced at Gwen, amazed at her marksmanship. "For someone who spends most of her time in the library, you're a pretty good shot."
"That was just a lucky shot," Gwen honestly responded. "I haven't used a gun in six years. Even after all the people we've shot since we got here, I'm still a little rusty."
"Uh, guys?" Ashley tugged on Gwen's top, grabbing the woman's attention. The archivist looked over at the girl, seeing she was pointing at the toppled over truck. "We've got company!"
Myriads of cultists shuffled out the back of the vehicle with torches and weapons. Leon glared at the horde of men and women approaching. He grabbed a flash grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it into the group. When it detonated, the cultists wailed out and covered their faces. "Run!" Gwen grabbed ahold of Ashley's hand and dragged her along as they ran through the blinded cult members.
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..."