Chapter 29: Lord Salazar

They walk through the gate, to the Merchant, he sells a few of his things, bought a new shotgun and a rifle, upgraded them and then they and hurried up the stairs.

They walk across the catwalk and to a red door and they enter through it. Then they heard a strange chanting. They walk out and up the stairs and saw zealots with cannibolts, they dodge the flaming fireballs and shouts ring out as the zealots drop dead.

The two hurried pass the cannibolts, through the walkway and up the stairs, as they arrived the cannibolts were on fire as all the zealots were dead. Leon whistles in amazement. "I'm starting to like this friend of mine," he whispers and they ran to the door, but it would not budge. He hisses and looks around, both he and Ashley ran along the way. Then Leon finds a crack and started to crack. Pulling up a cannon. He fires it and it destroys, so they ran back to the way, running past the Merchant. But Leon stops, walks back and sells a few items. The Merchant laughs and the two went their way, walking through the door.

~8~8~8~

Leon's radio went off, he answers it as it was Hunnigan calling. "Leon, where's your current location?" she asks him. We decided to lay low in a castle but it looks like it was a bad move." he answers her. "Meaning?" she asks him. "Well, it appears that this castle's also connected with the Los Illuminados. They must not get many visitors here because they're giving me one hell of a welcome." Leon informs her. "Sounds bad. I have an idea, Leon. I need you to-" she states but the signal was cut out. "What? Repeat Hunnigan!" Leon calls out to her, but only got static. "Great. Just my luck," he mutters and hung up the radio.

Leon looks around the room and picks up the gold and ammo, then Zealots ran down the stairs and he fires at them, killing them one by one. Then he walks up the stairs and more zealots came, so Leon pulls out his shotgun and fired at the zealots, knocking them back. Killing them all, even the leader, he walks back down stairs and to the sword from the wall. He looks at it and smirks to himself. -This reminds me of Annabelle.- he mutters to himself. "I am always by your side, Leon. Never forget that." she once told him in his dream, making him clutch the sword tightly, then shakes the thought away and pockets the sword. Then they ran back upstairs and Leon took the golden sword from the wall.

Then ran back down stairs and place the golden sword on the wall, then they ran back upstairs and places the silver sword on the wall above, revealing a hidden door. The two wasted no time and steps through the door.

~8~8~8~

They walk through the overpass going to find they next door to take, "Leon!" Luis calls out to them, they both stop and turn, seeing Luis running up to them. "Luis." Leon said as he was surprised to see him, "I got something for you guys." he said and then pats himself down, seeing that he didn't have what he was looking for. "What?" he questions and it hits him "Oh, Shit! I must have dropped it when I was running away from them." he states and looks back from where he came from.

"Dropped what?" Ashley asks him, he looks at her, "A drug that'll stop your convulations." he tells them and they look at him, "Look, I know you are carriers. You've been coughing up blood, right?" he asks them. Leon nods at him "Yeah." he answers him, "And you?" Luis as Ashley, she looks at him and nods, "Yes." she answers. "Dammit, the eggs have hatched. We don't have much time," he tells them as he turns away and Leon steps forward. "What are you talking about?" he asks him. "I have to go back and get it," Luis tells them and Ashley jogs up to him. "Let me come with you," she said to him. "No, you stay here with Leon. He is better with the ladies, I am sure." Luis tells her then started to walk away. "Why are you-" Leon questions him, "It makes me feel better, let's leave it at that," Luis answers him.

Then he was gone, the woman exhales as she watches from the heights above them, then Leon makes Ashley wait as he ran to a door, kicks it open and took care of the zealots inside, then dealt with zealots that have shield, he took those out easily with his shotgun and took down the two zealots as well. Then he walks into the next room, opens a chest and found the castle gate key. He pockets it and walks down the stairs.

~8~8~8~

Ashley waits patiently for Leon, the woman smiles down at her then she jumps down quietly behind her then covers her eyes. Ashley gasped softly "Shh, shh. Shhh." the woman tells her and removes her hands away and allows Ashley to turn around. She smiles brightly at the woman who smiles down at her. "Anne!" she giggles and wraps her arms around her.

Annabelle laughs as she wraps her arms around her as well. "I'm glad you're okay, Ashley," she tells her. Ashley giggles. "Yeah, I have Leon to thank for that and you," she tells her. Annabelle nods at her. "Well, I can't have you end up as some crazy man's puppet, now can I." she tells her, ruffling Ashley's hair. "Listen, I need you do me a favor and not tell Leon I'm here," she tells her and Ashley frowns. "Why not? He would so happy you're here," she tells her as her eyes sparkled, Annabelle frowns at her. "Are you going through another shipping phase?" she questions her, Ashley looks away in embarrassment, "Maybe." she answers, Annabelle, "What ship name do you have now." she asks her, "Leonbelle," she answers, Annabelle looks down at her in surprise and then laughs a little to herself. "You know, that's kinda cute. I'll let it slide," she tells her and Ashley smiles again at her.

"But still don't tell Leon that I'm here, I want to be the one to surprise him," she tells her, Ashley sighs and nods at her. "Our little secret." she tells her and Ashley nods at her, "Our little secret," she tells her. Annabelle smiles and vanishes into the shadows. Leon returns and Ashley turns to him, "Follow me." he tells her, she nods at him and they both walk to the big door, Leon uses the key, it unlocks and the through the big door.

~8~8~8~

They walk down the way but stop as they heard chuckling. Then continued forward as the laughter was louder and they looked up. Seeing two hooded men with the same attire as the zealots and a smaller man walks out, "I was starting to wonder when you might notice us." the man in blue said. "Who are you?" Leon questions him.

The man steps forward. "Me llamo Ramon Salazar the 8th Castellan of this magnificent architecture." he introduces himself. Annabelle sat back in the shadows. -Aww, how cute, he still so small.- she teases "I have been honored with the propitious power from the great Lord Saddler. I have been expecting you, my brethren." he said to the two. -Annnddd… like everyone else in this village, easily manipulated.- she said looking to the side. "No thanks, bro." Leon shot at him and Annabelle covers her mouth as she tries not to laugh. Salazar just shook his head at him, "My, my, we got a feisty one. Just like the woman in red, who was here about a month ago." he states, getting Leon's attention "If you care for your own well being, I suggest you surrender yourself and simply… become our hostage. Or Mr. Scott, you can give us the girl because you're not worth a penny, I'm afraid." he informs him. The two exchanged looks. "You can die," he said and then turns and walks away.

The two watch them leave and Ashley looks at Leon, "I'm never turning into one of them, never." she clarifies, Leon nods at her. "Got that right. We'll find a cure," he assures her. Then the two walk off down the hall. Upon hearing the words. 'Not worth a penny' and 'You can die.' was pushing Annabelle's temper. -I next time I hear that Leon's not worth anything, I will rip that little man to shreds.- she said darkly to herself.

~8~8~8~

The way forward was sealed off by a blockage and with two picture and one of the statues was missing. So Leon made Ashley wait in the main room and he ran to the door on the right, kicks it open and walks into the room, he ran straight forward and found a note on the wall:

"I have confirmation that Sera has entered the castle. Why would he return during his escape leaves me to question his motives? But we must seize him this moment and capture him.

We will get the other two Americans after we apprehend Sera. It appears he took some vaccines when he stole our samples. The vaccines we can do without but we must retrieve the sample for it is our life blood.

I feel there is somebody else or some other group involved in this whole affair. If the sample were to get into the hands of the other entity, the world we seek to create will not come. We must apprehend Sera as quickly as possible."

He finishes reading and places the note away, then walks into the room as fire block the way. But he walks up to a painting and found a Prison key. He takes it and ran back the way he came and makes a right finding a locked door, he uses the prison key and walks through the door, heading down stairs to the prison, look in one of the cells and saw a Garrador, with his eyes sewn shut and chained to the wall. He could tell that he was alive, by the rising and falling of his chest. Leon kicks down the door and steps closer, but Garrador broke off the chains as he heard Leon, the agent moves back as he looks over at the bell, fired at it, making it ring. Garrador ran at the bell and stabs it, but got its claw stuck in the wall, Leon took his chance and fired at Garrador, making the parasite slip out of the Garrador, he fired a few more times and Garrador collapsed dead on the ground.

Leon ran back to the cell and pulled the lever, turning off the fire, that was blocking the path upstairs and the door opened. Leon walks back upstairs and kicks the door open, then he got Ashley to follow him and they ran back through the door, down the way, through the hall, the Zealots were killed off by Leon's friend and they hurried through the hall into the bigger room with a statue of Salazar, they walk past it and through the huge doors.

~8~8~8~

They entered the room where Zealots were waiting for them, Leon threw grenades at them as his friend in the shadows fired at them, killing the zealots off one by one. Then the two headed into the back room, but step on pressured plates and pulled you a crank in the main room.

Leon makes Ashley wait in the room as he ran back out into the main room and fired at the remaining zealots in the room. Then he calls Ashley out and she ran out of the room and they walk up to the crank, Ashley volunteered and started to crank the crank, Leon stood to be prepared, then stairs were lowered to the ground as zealots were running at them. The friend in the shadows fired at them, taking them out, Ashley hides behind Leon as fired at the Zealots as well. The friend in the shadows took out the leader as Leon finished off the rest.

The two then ran up to the walkway and stop as the way to the door was cut off, "Look, there's a crank over there." Ashley informs him, pointing at the crank on the higher ground. Leon looks around, then ran over to a wall with Ashley behind him, he kneels down, Ashley climbs onto his shoulder and he stood up, lifting her up, she pulls herself up onto the higher ground, then she turns and looks down at him, "Watch out for me." she asks him, he nods at her, readying his rifle as she ran to the crank. Zealot walks out towards Ashley, but the friend on the shadows fired at them, taking out their heads as Leon fired at the zealots as well. The first half of the bridge was up, then Ashley ran over to the next crank, the woman kept her clear and safe from the zealots as Leon was defending off zealots at that were coming at him. Ashley smiles to herself as a zealot drops dead at her feet, -Thank you Annabelle.- she whispers to herself as she turns the crank, then the second half of the bridge was back up, Ashley then ran to the edge as Leon ran up to it as well and catches Ashley as she jumps and then he sets her down on her feet and then ran to the bridge. Jumps over the gaps than on solid ground and they ran to the door and quick walk through it. The woman jumps down and places her rifle on her back. "Well, they'll be okay on their own," she tells herself, then knew a zealot was coming up behind her as she looks over her shoulder and then in one quick swift and sudden she was right behind the zealot as her back was facing his.

His arms drop to the side as they fell off and then half of his face fell off as well and he collapsed to the ground, dead. Annabelle huffs to herself and then sheaths her blade, "Then again, I should follow them, just to be safe." she tells herself and then jump back into the shadows.

~8~8~8~

Leon and Ashley walk along the ruin red carpet, stop by the Merchant, sells a few things, buys more upgrades for his gun. Then they walk down the hall. But suddenly Ashley started to cough, getting Leon's attention as she stops and looks down at her hands, seeing they were covered in her own blood. "You all right?" he asks her, placing his hand on her shoulder, she suddenly glares at him. "I'm fine! Leave me alone!" she snaps, smacking his hand away and ran forward. "Ashley, wait!" Leon calls out as he chases her.

But suddenly a row of spikes shot out, taking Leon and Ashley by surprise and stopping the both of them. Ashley gasped as another came out in front of her, so she ran as more came out, but the stop as she reaches the wall. She pants a she turns and pressed her back to the wall, looking at the spikes. Leon exhales as she was alright, but that was suddenly replaced as bars shot out from the wall, catching Ashley by surprise as she gasped. "Ashley!" Leon calls out, "What's going on?!" she shouts, struggling in the restraints, then wall turns and she was gone, the spike retreated as they hall was empty, "Don't worry, Ashley! I'm coming for ya!" Leon promises her, the woman just facepalmed.

Then Leon's radio went off and he answers it, "Hunnigan, what happened? The transmission went out?" Leon asks her as there still was static. But it all clears up as it was none other than the little man himself, what was just giggling to himself. "Salazar! How'd you-" Leon questions. "We've jacked the line. We didn't want you telling everyone any unnecessary information." Salazar informs him, "Where's Ashley?!" Leon questions him. "Aw, so she felt into one of our wonderful traps. We'll make sure we find her. don't you worry about her." Salazar assures him. "Oh yes. I let our merisable insects out for some exercise down in the sewers." Salazar informs him and Leon smirks. "Thanks, that should keep me company. Cuz boredom kills me." Leon jokes. "I look forward to our next encounter. In another life." Salazar said and he hung up.