"Is this another puzzle?" Gwen questioned as they stepped into another room with four picture frames on the wall. In the middle of the room was a control panel. The archivist stepped in front of it and found an inscription etched above the switches.
*****
The sacrifice of six lives shall make way the true path.
*****
"Work your magic," Leon stated with a smirk, patting her lightly on the back.
"Will do."
Gwen placed her hands on the switches and flipped them one by one. It took her a few tries to get the six sacrifices she needed, but she prevailed and pressed a button. The wall slid, revealing a door. Leon glanced at the woman, who was grinning triumphantly. She directed her smug grin towards her boyfriend, crossing her arms in the process. "What would you do without me?"
"If you weren't here, I'd be messing with those switches for hours." Leon placed his hand on her shoulder with a smile.
"Well, glad my puzzle solving skills are of use."
As they stepped through the door and cautiously walked into the next room, someone cackled as they eyed the two agents. "What a pleasant suprise. But I'm afraid it's Ashley and Gwendolyn we need, not you, Mr. Kennedy. So if you'll kindly hand our—"
"Gwen doesn't belong to you," Leon declared vehemently, glaring at Salazar. He moved to stand in front of his girlfriend, obscuring her from the man's gaze. "And if you don't need me, then get off my back, old man!"
"Did you say "old man," Mr. Kennedy? It might come as a surprise, but I'm only twenty years old," Salazar retorts, but Gwen wasn't buying it.
"Yeah, and I'm the Queen of England," the archivist muttered to herself, staring at Leon's broad back.
"So you're just like all the others," the blonde scoffs. "A puppet of the parasites?"
The castellan slowly paced back and forth, his gaze searing into Leon. "Surely you don't think I'm the same as those diminutive ganados. The parasites, Las Plagas, are slaves to my will. I have absolute control. And soon, once we have the moon goddess, her blood will be harnessed to create immunity."
"Well, I really don't give a damn. Rain or shine, you're goin' down," Leon spat.
Suddenly, robed men armed with scythes, flails, and crossbows emerged from their hiding spots. Leon and Gwen watched as the zealots crept towards them with their weapons raised. Under their hoods, they grinned as they surrounded the agents.
"Get rid of our American friend. Capture the woman without harming her. Lord Saddler demands her cooperation immediately without a scratch," Salazar commanded before disappearing. The doors were sealed by bars, preventing the agents from escaping the room.
Leon waited for the men to gather closely before firing off his shotgun. The metal pellets knocked a large number of them back, allowing the couple to avoid being cornered.
As the partners shot cultist after cultist, Gwen came up with an idea after replaying Salazar's words in her head. "Doesn't want me hurt, huh? Let's see how well they listen."
Just as a man was about to strike Leon with a scythe, Gwen jumped between them. The blade stopped inches from her face before the cult member dropped his weapon and lunged to grab her. However, Leon turned around just in time to shoot the man in the face before he could lay a finger on her.
"I know what you're thinking and I'm not going to let you become a human shield," Leon proclaimed, shooting another man in the face.
"I was just testing out a theory," Gwen honestly explained. "But I did have that in mind after getting my answer." She raised her handgun and shot a zealot. Unfortunately, a parasite erupted from his neck and took control of the bottom. With the shotgun, Leon was able to kill it with one bullet.
"Head to the second floor," Leon said. Gwen followed him up the steps and took down the cultists with crossbows. As they passed a large painting, it slid down and revealed two enemies with RPGs. "Run!" Leon shouted as the rockets sailed towards them. They dodged the projectiles by diving behind a wall for cover.
After running around the room eliminating all the men, the partners found a red button and pressed it. Stone grinding against stone caught their attention and they turned around. A platform emerged from the floor with a blue and gold chest sitting in the middle. Gwen licked her dry lips with a grin. "Ooh, a secret. Wonder what's in the chest."
"Only one way to find out," Leon said.
They were able to find a second red button, which activated a pathway connecting to the platform. From the chest, the couple claimed a goat ornament that resembled the outline of the wall relief in the grand hall. Once picking up the trinket, the bars blocking the doors retracted. "Good. Now we're no longer trapped in this damn room," Gwen sighed.
Leaving the room, Leon and Gwen shuffle down another hallway until they reached the exterior of the castle. The cool night breeze whipped through their locks as they past by a flock of crows surrounding a fountain. Their obstreperous cries echoed throughout the night as they flew off into the darkness.
The archivist's eyes narrowed as they stepped through another door. They were still outside the castle, but they found themselves in the garden. She leans against the stone railing, eyes scanning the tops of the hedges. "I hate mazes..."
Leon went to respond, but the blipping of the radio silenced him. "I've a bad feeling about this," he mutters as he accepts the incoming call. The notorious Salazar appeared on the screen, his smirk wider than ever.
*****
"Mr. Kennedy. Still alive, I see. And it seems our goddess still has yet to be apprehended. So, do you like my garden?"
*****
"I see you've managed to work in a little of your twisted taste here, too," Leon scoffs. Salazar chuckles at the blonde's remark.
*****
"Sagacious as I am, even I get lost here sometimes. Even if it takes your whole life, you'll never get out. Do you know that no one dies without a cause? You will satisfy the stomachs of my cute pets. Once your corpse is accounted for, Gwendolyn will finally be ours. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to tie up a few loose ends. Like chasing down a couple of rats."
*****
Before Leon or Gwen could rebuttal, the transmission was cut. The man squinted his eyes as he stared at the blank screen on the radio. "Two rats? If one's Luis... Who's the other? There an intruder besides us?"
"Who knows. By the sound of it, we're not the first priority at the moment. We better get moving before that changes," the sable-haired woman replied, keeping the secret she promised Ada while Leon was unconscious.
The couple found themselves standing in front of double doors. An indention in the middle exhibited they needed something to unlock it. Gwen traces her hand across the strangely shaped hollow space. Leon peered over his shoulder at the garden. "I'll search the garden. You stay here."
"You shouldn't go alone, Leon," Gwen protested, grabbing ahold of his hand.
"We've no clue what's down there, and I'd feel better knowing you were safe up here."
"I don't think any part of this castle is safe," the archivist huffed.
"I'm still not letting you go with me." He grasped her shoulders with his hands, staring down into her crystalline eyes. "I know how stubborn you are, but stay here and don't move."
Gwen pursed her lips, placing a hand against her hip. She exhaled through her nose and tore her gaze from Leon's before mending it. "Fine. I'll stay here. But!" She shouted, pressing her finger against the tip of his nose. "If I hear you're having issues, I'm coming in after you."
Leon was silent for a few seconds, replaying her words in his head. He gave in and sighed. "Deal. I'll be back soon." He separated himself from his girlfriend and headed to the stairwell leading to the garden. Before he descended the stone staircase, he turned to face Gwen. "If something happens, scream."
An amused smirk etched across the woman's face as she nodded. "Will do."
<———————————<<<<<<<<<<<
Minutes felt like hours as Gwen watched Leon weave his way through the maze. She heard him discharge his pistol a handful of times, and she wondered what could've been in the garden with him. When she heard growling, she only had one guess. "Wolves..."
One of the canines managed to wander out of the garden and up the stairs. Gwen's eyes widened in horror as she saw the dog was infected by a parasite. "You've got to be pulling my leg..." She whipped out her handgun and fired at the wolf. Its body keeled over with its tongue dangling out the side of its mouth. Blood spilt from the multiple bullet holes in its body as the life left its cloudy eyes. "People, insects, and now dogs? What the hell is this place coming to?"
More minutes passed slowly by. Gwen had lost sight of Leon in the garden and hadn't heard gunshots in a while. She prayed he was safe and unharmed. Her heart raced in her chest, threatening to burst through her ribs and leap out of her body as the silence dragged on. It felt like she couldn't breathe and feared the worst when Leon didn't return.
The moment Gwen decided to search the garden for Leon, he returned with two halves of a whole. He placed the stone pieces together and created a blue moonstone. "It's got the right shape," Gwen commented as she took the slab of stone from her boyfriend.
"Let's just hope it is the right piece we need," Leon sighed.
Gwen stood in front of the doors and gently slid the moonstone into place. When it locked in place within the hollow space, the lock was disengaged. The woman pushed the doors open and saw a rather nicely decorated bedroom. "Talk about fancy."
Leon stepped further into the bedroom with Gwen beside him. While the archivist wandered towards the ornate bed, the blonde froze when he felt the muzzle of a gun jab into his back. "Put your hands where I can see them," a woman's soothing voice demanded.
"Sorry, but following a lady's lead just isn't my style. Although, I do have one exception." Leon glanced towards Gwen, who had heard the exchange of words and turned around.
The woman raises her gun a few more inches up the agent's spine. "Put them up now."
Leon spins, grabs the woman's hand with the gun, and puts her in an arm bar and takes her gun. She counters by performing a front walkover, knocking her gun into the air. As she moves for her gun, Leon grabs his knife. The woman catches her gun and before she could aim, he blocks her gun and has his knife against her throat. "Bit of advice—try using knives next time. Works better for close encounters." The blonde takes her gun, ejects the clip, and tosses the weapon aside.
The woman removes her sunglasses with a smirk. "Leon. Long time, no see."
By Leon's expression, Gwen knew he wasn't joyous to see her. "Ada... So it is true."
A grin laced with secrecy and mystery etched across Ada's face. "True? About what?"
"You, working with Wesker," the blonde scoffed.
"What?" Gwen gasped in shock. She recognized the name from the numerous of documents she's read and recorded for the USSTRATCOM since becoming their archivist. "You're seriously working for that bastard?"
Gwen wanted Ada to deny the accusation and prove Leon wrong, but she didn't. "I see you've been doing your homework."
"Why, Ada?" Leon asked the question that Gwen wanted to desperately know the answer to.
Ada discreetly drops her sunglasses, the frames landing on the plush rug beneath them. "What's it to you?"
"Why are you here? Why'd you show up like this?"
"Heh," She huffs. Then, the sunglasses explode with a blinding light. Leon and Gwen are forced to cover their eyes, which provides Ada the opening she needs to retrieve her gun. "See you around." Throwing caution to the wind, the woman jumps out an open window and disappears.
"Ada!" Leon shouts, rushing over to the window. He peered out, but he didn't see any trace of Ada. He gripped the windowsill tightly before prying his hand from the wood. When he turned towards Gwen, he noticed she wasn't shocked at Ada's sudden appearance. "You knew, didn't you?"
His harsh tone didn't surprise the young woman. Gwen nodded with an ashamed frown, feeling guilty for not telling Leon earlier. "Yes. After you fell unconscious when we reached the other side of the lake, Ada appeared. I was completely shocked to see her, but I had no idea she was working for Wesker." She pressed her hands together and entwined her fingers. "I should've told you the moment you woke up, but Ada told me to keep her presence a secret."
By the guilt written on every inch of Gwen's face, Leon knew she thought he was mad at her. In fact, it was the opposite. He found it difficult to become or stay mad at her ever since they met ten years ago after she escaped from Umbrella. She had done very little to anger him and he knew he shouldn't have lashed out harshly over such a ridiculous secret. A sigh of regret escaped Leon's lips as he ran his fingers through his blonde locks. "I shouldn't have snapped at you, Gwen."
The young woman shook her head with eyes brimming with surprise at his apology. "No. You deserve to be mad. I shouldn't have listened to Ada. I—"
Leon strode over to Gwen and silenced her by simply placing his hand on her cheek. "Don't apologize. You've got nothing needing forgiveness. I'm actually surprised how well you were able to keep Ada a secret for this long."
Gwen blinked owlishly as she gazed up at Leon's face. "Am I that loose-lipped?"
"Well..." Leon's voice trailed off.
"Okay, I'm bad at keeping secrets. Nice to know for future reference."
<——————————<<<<<<<<<<<<
Outside the bedroom was a dining hall. Tables and chairs were lined up next together with a few candle obras lit in the center. The white sheets covering the tables were dusty and littered with a few dishes and silverware.
Leon and Gwen found an opening with the view of a narrow hallway. At the end was a blank canvas hanging on the wall. When the archivist noticed the service bell, she couldn't fight the urge to ring it. She rang the small bell and the painting at the end of the hallway flipped. Unlike the white canvas, this one had a glass of wine protruding from it with a bountiful feast portrayed. Leon shot the glass bottle and wine spilt down the painting. The doorway leading to an adjacent room was now accessible with the bars gone.
Gwen stood behind Leon as he walked through the doorway. In the middle of the room was a chest sitting on a pedestal. When Leon approached the chest and tried to open it, a cage fell from the ceiling and separated him from the archivist. "Leon!" She rushed over to one of the cage's doors and whipped out her gun.
"Look out!" Leon shouted, but it was too late. Before Gwen could pull the trigger or look up, a bolt nailed her in the shoulder and sent her crashing to the floor. Her body hadn't registered the pain until she landed on the carpet. She cried out in pain, reaching over as she grabbed the bolt and tried to remove it from her shoulder. Leon rushes to shoot the lock of the cage to break free, but a garrador joined him in the small prison.
The burly man wrapped an arm around the blonde's throat. It wasn't enough to choke him, but it was enough to keep him from escaping. Leon elbowed the garrador in the stomach, but it did nothing. When he heard Gwen's cries of pain, he struggled harder against the brute to try and free himself.
On the outside of the cage, Gwen managed to yank the bolt out of her shoulder. She wailed from the immense pain and was able to get back to her feet, glaring at the zealot who shot her. Taking a single step towards the man, she stumbled and fell to her knees. Her vision was blurry and her body felt weak. She tried to stand back up, but she couldn't push herself off the floor. "What...?" Words failed the woman as her entire body collapsed to the floor. Leon's shouting was muffled in her ears as she tried to keep herself from falling unconscious. The last thing she heard before succumbing to darkness was a single gunshot.