A/N: Question. Am I moving too fast with this story? I don't mean 'romance-wise' since romance won't be playing a bigger part until later on. I mean with the plot and whatnot. Am I skipping things people want to read? What particular things do you guys want included? Does this make sense at all? (I've been up all night with a sick pupper and I'm rather tired). Anyways, major thanks to those that have reviewed, you guys are super duper swish. Told you it wouldn't take too long to get this one out.
Disclaimer: I do not own Resident Evil, CAPCOM does. I only own Alma, savvy? Wonderful.
A few minutes later they stepped through a small door at the end of the pathway, the sound of crows cawing reaching their ears.
Starting around the wall, they spotted a large group of birds sitting in front of three small shacks. Alma glanced upwards, seeing what looked like gates hanging above both entrances to the small area. Her eyes narrowed slightly, an uneasy feeling settling in the pit of her stomach. She jumped in surprise when the crows suddenly took flight, zipping by the pair as they ducked, avoiding the large flock which began circling the small area.
"God damn," she murmured, brushing a stray black feather off her shoulder and one out of her hair, shuddering in disgust. "Never did like birds, Alfred Hitchcock only served to exacerbate that dislike." Alma heard Leon chuckle quietly at that before pausing when a low growl rumbled through the area.
"What the hell was that?"
Alma followed his gaze, seeing it focused on what looked to be a large set of doors across from them. She took a moment to look around; it appeared to be some sort of mining area, large boulders strewn about inside a few wooden carts.
"Sounds like the growls are coming from behind here," Leon said. Alma turned her head to see him standing before the gate. "It's closed pretty tightly though."
"Let's hope it stays that way then," the raven haired agent replied, tucking her pistol back into its holster before making a few rounds of the area. Alma was rewarded for her efforts when she came across a small stockpile of pesetas as well as a box of handgun rounds. Weighing them slightly in her palm, she spoke up.
"You know what I don't understand?" she called over to her partner who had finished his own little recon and was heading over her way.
"What's that?" Leon questioned. Alma stood from her crouch, eyeing the small red box in her hand.
"You'd think…they have all this ammo lying around as well as grenades but they don't utilize any firearms. I don't get that," she commented; "They use dynamite and farming tools, it's odd."
"Shouldn't we be grateful that they don't use guns? That's the last thing we need, not-zombies with access to high-powered firearms," Leon replied, shuddering lightly at the mere suggestion of their enemies having more advanced weapons. She frowned, handing off the bullets to her partner.
"You're right, we should get going," she said before following behind him through another set of large doors. "You know what I can appreciate about this village?"
"I can only imagine."
Alma rolled her eyes at Leon's cheek before continuing. "It's so linear. It's like there's no possible way we could get lost."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Leon asked, pausing to open a set of barrels with his knife and unfortunately came up empty.
"I guess. It's just strange," she shrugged, resting a hand on her hip as she twisted a strand of hair around her index finger.
"Heads up," she heard her partner say.
"What do you mean-?" she trailed off, following his gaze to where a large boulder was sitting on the edge of the cliff above him. "Oh, not this again. What now?"
"Good question," the honey-haired agent sighed, folding his arms over his chest. "Just because I don't see anyone up there doesn't mean there isn't."
"I don't fancy being pancaked today."
"That makes two of us. You see anyone?"
"Not a thing. And I'm guessing this is the only way down to the lake." Leon glanced her way.
"You okay to run in those?" he asked, nodding towards her boots.
"What, these? Sweetie, I can run in four inch heels. This is child's play," she laughed, brushing her bangs from her eyes.
Leon frowned a bit, the image of a spunky Lady in Red racing around the City in stilettos flashing in his mind.
"-old boots from SWAT. I could sleep in these babies-," he barely caught the last part of what she had said, willing himself to focus on the task at hand. It was crazy how similar the two women were to one another, from their sassiness down to their amazing marksmanship and-
"-Leon? Earth to Leon, we gonna do this or what?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. Let's go," Alma quirked a brow as he tucked his gun into his holster, not meeting her eyes. "Ready?"
She nodded stiffly, cracking her knuckles before the pair took off down the hill.
The ground vibrated beneath their feet as the boulder came crashing down behind them. Not bothering to look back the agents doubled their efforts. Alma could see water ahead of them and noticed a little alcove to the side they could dive into for cover-
"Gotcha-," she grunted in surprise when Leon body checked her into said-alcove seconds before the rock came rolling past, shattering into gravelly bits against the cliff face a little further down.
"Sweet merciful monkey crap," Alma gasped, brushing twigs and dust from her clothes and hair. "You okay?"
"Yeah, you?" she nodded breathlessly, accepting his outstretched hand to help her up. "That was close."
"You're telling me," she laughed nervously. "I almost got one of my toes run over there."
"What a travesty that would have been," Leon stated, checking his weapons.
"Indeed," she agreed, performing her own equipment check.
"Lake is that way," he nodded towards the wetland area where several walkways were extended above the water. Alma saw wire strung between a few posts, connected to land mines.
"How do you know?" she asked when she turned her attention back to him.
"Sign post," he nodded towards a post that said 'Church (left), Lake (right)'.
"Right then," she cleared her throat, cheeks dusting pink in embarrassment. She strode forward, stooping to pick up a rock before nailing the first Ganado she spotted in the head with it.
He let out a surprised yelp, cradling his head before glaring at them. Leon raised his gun but Alma grasped his forearm.
"Save your bullets," she stated, resting a hand on her hip when their enemy ran into one of the wires, detonating the land mines.
"Don't get cocky, there's more coming," Leon warned her, spinning around when he heard yells from behind them.
"Don't worry. I've got a grenade," Alma replied, pulling one from her belt. "Frag out," she warned him, pulling the pin and launching it towards the group of four or five Ganado. The explosion rocked the ground beneath them for a moment. Through the dust Alma could see four bodies climbing to their feet.
"That didn't work Ngyuen," he stated, taking shots at their enemies legs to bring them to the ground.
"That's okay. I have a first aid spray to back up any bad decisions we might make, as well as another grenade. Frag out." She was much more successful with her second grenade, blasting the men to kingdom come.
"That was risky."
"Risk versus reward, it got the job done," she waved her hand dismissively.
Leon pursed his lips, annoyed at how flippant she was being about the entire operation. She had done nothing aside from make stupid jokes the entire time and nearly get them killed.
Twice, mind you.
He rubbed a hand over his forehead, dragging it down the side of his face. This was why he preferred working solo as opposed to with a partner. He could move at whatever speed he was comfortable with and not have to worry about someone slowing him down.
Leon inhaled a deep breath, exhaling for a few seconds. He was being irrational. Alma was a brilliant agent and highly skilled. There was a reason why she had been appointed Ashley Graham's bodyguard. He chalked up his feelings to being stress related and told himself as soon as they got the damn key for the church they would take a break.
They swiftly made their way through the wetlands, dodging enemies as well as the occasional snake, coming to another set of double doors carved into the rock.
"What the hell is with these Spaniards and their doors?" Alma muttered tiredly, following him through them and seeing the path diverge in two directions.
"Left or right?" Leon asked. Alma reached into her pocket, fussing around for a moment before withdrawing a peseta, tossing it in the air as it landed in her palm. "Left."
"Fair enough," Leon replied, heading up the small hill which led to an area overlooking the lake. "What is that?"
"What's what?" Alma asked, seeing him crouch behind a log and withdraw his binoculars. She squinted, seeing a small boat on the water. "What's going on?"
"It's that other cop that was with us," Leon said. "They-oh shit-."
"What? They what?" Alma demanded, wishing her rifle scope was functional.
"They threw him overboard," Leon finished quietly. Alma frowned, looking out onto the water as the boat began driving away, seeing the outline of a body floating.
"Poor bastard," she muttered before the water began bubbling around him. "What the hell-?"
A large creature suddenly lunged out of the water, gobbling up the officer before vanishing below the surface as quickly as it had appeared.
Alma held a hand to her mouth, eyes wide with fear.
"Well then. I suppose that's Del Lago," Leon said uncomfortably, swallowing past the lump in his throat.
"I-I guess," she stammered, twisting her fingers nervously in the hem of her shirt. "Is there some other way to get across?"
"Probably not."
"Great," she squeaked out, nervously wetting her lips.
"You scared?"
"Putting it mildly," Alma replied, following Leon down the hill towards a small boathouse where a tiny fishing boat was moored to the dock. She took some comfort in seeing a half dozen harpoons in the boat but it didn't soothe her worries entirely.
She accepted Leon's help into the boat, sitting unsteadily on the bench before him as he took up the helm.
"You okay?"
"Peachy."
"You a good swimmer?"
"Was part of the department's dive team before I joined SWAT. I'm not afraid of water," Alma trailed off once Leon got the boat started, staring down into the dark murky depths. "I'm just afraid of what's in it..."
It was an uneventful ride until they reached their halfway point, marked by two large piles of logs and debris. Alma was actually beginning to relax and enjoy feeling the cool spray on her face before being abruptly reminded that there was a giant Plagas-infested sea monster in the lake.
The water became choppy, bubbles starting to come to the surface around the boat as a large shadow pass beneath them. She glanced wide-eyed over her shoulder at Leon, barely having enough time to grab for the sides of the boat to steady herself when the creature leapt out of the water alongside them.
The waves generated by its arrival sent them airborne for a moment. Alma fell backwards into Leon for a moment, feet lashing out and knocking the anchor overboard on accident. Apparently Del Lago had been swimming by at that precise moment, the anchor hooking into its tail as it dragged them along behind it.
"Cut the rope!" Leon hollered in her ear.
"I know!" she practically shrieked back and he pushed her forward off his lap. She fumbled with her knife holster, snapping the button open and yanking the blade free. Alma began sawing at the rope like a mad woman while Leon navigated around the debris, throwing a harpoon at the salamander-like monster every now and then.
"I got it!" she gasped after a few heart-pounding moments, snapping it in half and collapsing on the bottom of their dinghy. "Go, go, go!"
Leon wasted no time in heading towards the opposite dock as fast as possible. They must have been no more than ten feet away when the beast rammed the bottom of their boat and sent Alma ass over head into the frigid water.
"Alma!" Leon yelled, keeping a tight grip on a harpoon as well as the rudder. Several long, terrifying moments passed before she surfaced, gasping for air.
Del Lago suddenly appeared between the boat and his partner, the wave generated by its arrival enough to carry Alma towards the dock out of harm's way.
"Fuh-!" she gasped, going under once more and smacking her head on a wooden beam. Stars winked in front of her eyes and she clenched them shut, trying to reorient herself in the water. Once she got her bearings she came up once more and turned her head, seeing Del Lago sinking in the water with several harpoons sticking out of it while Leon nonchalantly coasted in as though he killed giant lake monsters on a daily basis.
"Grab my hand!" he gasped, reaching for her and hauling her up onto the dock shakily. "You okay!?"
Alma coughed weakly, looking up at her partner blearily. "Peachy," she managed to say hoarsely, resting on her knees as she hugged herself around the middle. A strangled sound that was somewhere between a laugh and an uncomfortable sob escaped her lips as she pressed the heels of hands to her eyes, trying her best not to cry.
"You're okay, you're okay," he kept saying over and over, grasping her shoulders before cradling her head in his hands. "I've got you. You're okay."
She simply nodded, allowing him to pull her to her feet after a few minutes before doubling over in pain. "Oh fuck-!"
"What is it?" he asked worriedly.
"My chest-," she gasped, vision suddenly going blurry. "I can't breathe-."
"Your chest-?" As soon as the words left Leon's lips he doubled over as well, overtaken by a coughing fit. Alma saw blood speckle his hands, seeing them tremble weakly. Wheezing harshly Alma slung his arm over her shoulder, dragging him along with her to a small house that sat a ways from the lake.
"C'mon," she gasped. "I can't carry you. You're too heavy."
"S-sorry," he managed to stammer, giving her a weak smile and forcing his feet to move with hers.
They barely made it through the threshold before Leon collapsed, dragging Alma down with him with a pained grunt.
Stars whirled in myriads of colors before her eyes and she felt blood drip from her nose. It felt as though someone had driven a railroad spike into her chest and was continuing to hammer it home.
Alma laid her cheek on the dirty, cold ground, unable to keep her eyes open any longer and quickly succumbed to blissful unconsciousness.
She awoke with a start.
Alma launched her body upright, wildly disoriented. She grunted as the sudden movement sent pain through her torso though as quickly as it had come it was gone. Wetting her lips she grimaced when she tasted copper on them and rolled onto all fours, resting her forehead on the cool floor.
She forced herself to slow her breathing, gathering her bearings after a few moments.
Lake.
Lake monster.
Almost drowned.
Blood.
Leon…?
Leon!
Her head swung to the side, seeing the aforementioned male lying beside her on the floor. She crawled over to him, feeling for his pulse and was pleased to find it beating strong against her fingers and he was breathing evenly. Alma swept her hands back through her dark locks, still damp from her earlier 'swim'.
The sun had set and Alma figured they had been unconscious most of the evening. It was getting chilly in the small cabin. She decided she would wait until Leon regained consciousness instead of trying to wake him, he looked so exhausted; there were dark circles under his eyes and his skin was a paler than hers.
A sudden growling noise startled her as Alma jolted upwards slightly, resting her hand over her abdomen with a sheepish giggle. She went to stand slowly, looking around the small cottage; a fireplace was against the far wall as was a small bed stained with what looked like blood. A table was present as well as a large black kettle.
The wheels began turning in her mind as she continued looking around, venturing outside into the rain. She was rewarded for her efforts when she spotted a small lean-to against the back of the house with dry wood piled up beneath it. She gathered a few logs, reentering the cottage and kept a careful watch on Leon to make sure he hadn't ended up dying while she was gone.
After gathering some old newspapers she could use as kindling Alma made sure the fireplace was cleaned of ashes before withdrawing a lighter from her ammo belt and got a warm blaze going.
"Oh hallelujah," she murmured, rubbing her hands together and enjoying the little bit of heat provided.
Once she was sufficiently warm enough she began taking stock of their weaponry. She carefully pulled the shotgun from Leon's back as well as his handgun, checking them for irregularities. When she was satisfied that there wasn't any damage to them Alma repeated the process with her own gear.
Once she had finished she grabbed the kettle, cutting board, and a few plates. Heading out to the lake she cleaned the utensils and kettle, filling it with water which she could boil for drinking. Dehydration and hunger had won out over fear of imminent disease and death as her eyes lingered on the fish gleefully swimming about. It had been a few years since she had gone fishing but hey, she did have a couple harpoons to spare…
Leon awoke with a jolt, eyes darting around in fear. He clutched his chest tightly, willing his breathing to slow as he looked at his arms, running his hands over his face. The agent stood slowly, looking around the small cabin they had taken refuge in. He took notice that his weapons were missing and spotted them lying on the table along with his partner's rifle.
Speaking of which…
The door suddenly opened and the aforementioned female entered with a cutting board in hand.
"Oh, you're up. Are you okay?" she asked, sounding concerned though he simply nodded almost robotically. He then noticed the small frying pan over the fire burning low in the hearth.
"There's some water in that kettle. I've already drank some and haven't died just yet so it should be alright. Hope you like fish," she said as the sound of sizzling meat filled the air. "Just got done scaling it outside so…yeah."
"So long as it isn't sushi," Leon replied, voice sounding unusually hoarse as he cleared his throat before taking a drink out of the teapot. It was still lukewarm as he assumed she had just finished boiling it.
'Smart girl,' he thought to himself, watching her going about making dinner.
"Thanks Ngyuen," he found himself saying. She glanced back over her shoulder at him though his breath seized in his chest at the way the fire cast an eerie shadow over her face. Her eyes gleamed an unnerving shade of yellowish-orange for a brief moment before vanishing back to gray.
"No problem," she grinned, turning her attention back to the pan. He was starting to be grateful he had been teamed up with her, even if she was a smart aleck at times. Her cheeky and occasionally humorous comments seemed to help lighten the tense atmosphere that surrounded them (not like he'd ever tell her that, though).
"Oh, by the way there's a note to your left. It wasn't signed and I found it earlier when I woke up. Somebody must've put in there when we were both out cold which is an unsettling thought in and of itself." Leon followed her gaze, seeing the paper she had mentioned.
"Item behind the falls, el Gigante, and about what's going on in your bodies…," he trailed off, looking up at his partner. "Interesting." A sudden beep cut off what he was about to say next. Leon fumbled for his radio, flipping it on and gazing at the screen.
"Leon, it's been six hours since our last transmission. I was starting to get worried," Hunnigan's voice filled the small room, sounding decidedly worried indeed.
"Don't you mean lonely? Anyways, I started feeling dizzy and I guess I must've lost consciousness," Leon told her. Alma wiped her hands on one of the only spare towels she had found that was clean, standing from her crouch and walking over to the table.
"Lost consciousness? Hm, maybe that has some connection with what the village chief was talking about," Leon shared a look with Alma who simply shrugged.
"Maybe. But we're both alright now. We're going to finish the mission," Leon said in affirmation.
"Hey Ingrid," Alma waved over Leon's shoulder, seeing the brunette smile slightly.
"Hello Agent Ngyuen, how are you holding up?" she asked. Alma shrugged offhandedly in response. "Right. Let me know if there's anything else you find out and I'll be looking for some more information on my end as well."
"Roger," Leon said, ending the transmission and tucking his radio back into his belt. "Smells good," he commented while Alma grabbed the two plates on the table and doled out their portions.
"Couldn't find any utensils, not one's I would use anyway. Cheers," she said with a grin as they sat down on the floor before the fire, eagerly devouring the first meal they'd had all day.
Several minutes past in silence before Leon broke it. "Alma…how are you really?" She paused, taking a drink from the teakettle.
"Not as bad as I could be I guess, all things considered. It's just…," she trailed off, rubbing her hand over her sternum. "My chest hurts. It's not a constant pain, it comes and goes but it's just noticeable enough to be annoying. I'm thinking this 'same blood' shit means that we were infected with Las Plagas after our initial encounter with the Chief."
"You think so too?"
"Mmhm," she licked her lips, giving him a little smile. "Want some dessert?"
"You're kidding," Leon scoffed in disbelief.
"Not kidding," she said, standing up and grabbing something sitting on the counter. "Well, it isn't really dessert but it is sweet and still edible." She tossed him a can of mandarin oranges which was slightly cool to the touch.
"Has anyone ever told you how amazing you are?" Leon asked, popping the pull-tab open and taking a tiny drink of the sweet syrup.
"Not as of recently, I was rather surprised to have found them myself. I don't think the villagers eat need to eat anymore."
"I think you're right. There was a lot of rotting food in most of the houses in the village," Leon agreed, popping an orange slice into his mouth and relishing the taste.
"To a quick and easy rescue," Alma said, raising her can as though it were a toast. Leon smirked slightly before humoring her, clinking the cans together.
"Is our gear alright?" he asked, eyeing his shotgun.
"Yeah. Everything should be dried out by now. You ready?"
"Oh yeah. Looking forward to this about as much as I look forward to getting diarrhea," Leon said humorlessly.
"That's my line, sweet pea," she teased him, kicking dirt over the fire before they gathered their guns and headed out into the night.
"Do you think this Saddler douche has people hired to go around lighting torches?" Alma asked aloud, lacing her fingers behind her head as they walked towards the waterfall.
"I don't know."
"I mean, really. Their village is in the middle of being invaded by us and yet they still find time to light torches to guide us. It's weird. Also, how are they always two steps ahead of us? We only got here like a day ago. Is that really enough time to set all this in motion?"
"I don't know Alma," Leon sighed exasperatedly, shouldering a door open with her help.
It was eerily silent for a moment before two Ganado seemingly melted out of the shadows, eyes glowing orange. Alma smirked, raising her Picador before the villager in front doubled over, body racked with convulsions.
"What-?"
His head twisted several ways in a manner reminiscent of the god damn Exorcist before a pulsating mass of flesh and a red whip-like tentacle exploded from his neck.
"Ohh…my…," she trailed off, tucking her handgun away and pulling out her rifle for this one. It made weird, squishy noises as it swung about, the scythe-like end of the tentacle lashing forward in an attempt to separate her head from her shoulders. One rifle round put him down for good, body disintegrating like all the rest while Leon gave his friend a buckshot shampoo.
"Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder," she muttered, allowing Leon to take point.
"You good?"
"Yup. Well, not really but I can pretend," Alma smirked. "Let's hurry up and find that damn key so we can get out of here."
"I second that decision."
"No Leon."
"C'mon Alma. It's the only way down," Leon said, holding the rope her way.
"I haven't rappelled down a wall since basic training," she stated hotly, folding her arms over her chest. "I do not trust that ratty old thing to hold my weight."
"Fine, then I'll go first," Leon replied with a shrug, getting ready to do so.
"But what if you die?"
"Then you'll have to carry on without me," he said dramatically, clutching her hand in his. Alma huffed in annoyance, turning her head when she felt her cheeks begin to redden.
"Don't be a douche Kennedy, it's unattractive," she sniffed.
"Back to last names, huh? Can't say I like the change," Leon said with a halfhearted smile.
"What-?" she didn't get to finish her sentence as Leon dropped over the side of the cliff, rappelling down the side with ease. "Oh, you turd burger," she grumbled, resting a hand over her heart.
When she was sure he'd reached the bottom without incident Alma got ready to descend as well.
She managed to reach the bottom while only suffering minor rope burn and a bruised tuchus from her less-than-graceful landing.
"Good looking out," she said aloud to the air around, glaring at Leon's retreating back as he utilized some large crates as a makeshift bridge to cross the river.
"I spotted a path behind the waterfall. I think there's a lever that can divert the water so we can pass," Leon yelled over to her.
"Sounds fantastic," she muttered, rubbing her sore hip before carefully crossing the crates. Leon reached the platform, giving the lever a hard pull as she heard gears begin to grind against one another. They watched in amazement when the complicated system of wooden aqueducts began moving, disrupting the flow of the river. A few moments later the waterfall stopped flowing.
"Pretty advanced for these people," Alma commented, hearing Leon grunt softly when he landed behind her.
"I'm sure they built it before they were infected," he reminded her, eliciting a frown from the dark haired agent. "Let's go." She followed him into the damp tunnel, ignoring the fact that it seemed to get narrower the further they went.
"Would you look at that? Look familiar?" Leon nodded towards a strange round insignia hanging from chains on a rock wall.
"Sure does," Alma agreed, watching him take the 'key' down and tuck it safely into one of his cargo pockets before he radioed Hunnigan.
"Hey Hunnigan. Found an object with the cult's symbol on it. Spiral shape, looks like it will fit the door of the church."
"Wonderful Leon. Head back to the church. Ashley's safety is our immediate priority."
"10-4." The screen went dark moments before the 'rock wall' slid up, revealing another passage to the Americans.
"This place is trippy."
"No kidding," Leon agreed. "But we're one step away from saving Ashley."
"Yeah, one step being through whatever the hell an 'el Gigante' is," Alma reminded him. "And I don't need to know Spanish to be able to translate that."
"Let's hurry up," he settled on saying, leading her through a set of doors to a small dock where a boat was tied up. "Hopefully this will lead us back to the village."
"Yeah, hopefully." Alma eyed the small vessel uncomfortably but set her fear aside and entered it.
It took them all of five minutes to reach another dock and Alma smiled upon spying a familiar blue flame at the boathouse.
"I hope that means what I think it means," she laughed, feeling much more at ease with her feet on the ground.
"Hello strangers," the 'merchant', for lack of a better word, greeted them.
"Holy shit man, have you covered wars?" Alma asked in disbelief, looking at the array of weaponry hanging on racks.
"I used to be in higher demand before all this-," he made a motion with his hand. "-ah, stuff began."
"I see. You got a scope I can buy?" Alma asked, spotting one on the wall. "Excellent."
While Alma began rifling through her pockets for things to trade him Leon took notice of a rocket launcher behind the counter.
"How did you get all this?" Leon asked while Alma laid out the goodies she had gathered on the counter.
"Not legally," the Merchant replied calmly, eliciting a raised brow from the honey-haired agent though Leon knew better than to continue asking questions.
"Is this enough?" Alma stated, shoving a small pile of gems and pesetas his way.
"Fair trade," he agreed with a chuckle, handing her the scope. "With all that you can get a shotgun as well since you seem to be lacking one."
"You're a peach," she beamed. "Can I get that tactical shotty? Could use something for crowd control."
"Of course you can," he sounded like he was grinning beneath his kerchief. Alma gleefully accepted her new toy once she had the scope fastened on her rifle.
"Sweet! Well, hopefully we'll see you again."
"I'm sure you will," the Merchant stated. "Come back any time."
As the pair made their way towards a ladder Alma glanced over her shoulder before looking towards Leon. "You know, we could just kill him and take all his goodies."
"That would make us very bad people," Leon said slowly as though he were talking to a child, utterly bewildered that she would even suggest such a thing.
"I'm just throwing it out there," she stated, holding her hands up before her defensively.
"That's a terrible idea."
"Says you," she sniffed, climbing up the ladder after him and out towards the mining area they had been in earlier that day.
As soon as they entered the mining area all hell broke loose (though would you honestly expect anything different?).
"This does not bode well," Alma gasped as the gate behind them swung shut just as soon as they entered the area.
"You think?" Leon muttered, watching the gates swing down opposite them and locking them in. They watched with bated breath as the huge set of doors open and two groups of Ganado came pouring out of them, holding onto ropes.
"Rápido, rápido!"
"Usa los músculos!"
They pulled on the ropes, trying to get something to come out of the doors. An angry growl tore through the air, eliciting surprised winces from both agents. The ropes were abruptly yanked from the villagers who were staring in surprise and fear at whatever was about to come out of the cavern.
"Merde," one Ganado stammered.
"No kidding," Alma whispered as the doors were suddenly flung wide open and there before them stood a twelve foot tall, for lack of a better word, giant. "El Gigante, I presume?"
"Where did they get a giant?" Leon asked aloud, watching El Gigante rip the men in half and throw them into the sides of the cliff. One unfortunate bastard was crushed beneath the giant's foot, another punted into a mining cart.
"And of course the big scary guy isn't on our team," Alma laughed nervously, putting some distance between her and the beast.
Once he had finished he rounded on the agents. Leon evaded a grab from the giant with a nimble backflip, eliciting an angry roar from their opponent.
"At least his shorts are still on though. Speaking of which, where do you get 'Gigante-sized' shorts?" Alma asked.
"Casual Male XL?" Leon suggested, dodging another swipe from the giant and rolling to his feet clumsily. "Less talking, more shooting."
"Sure thing sweet pea," she replied, leveling her new shotgun at the giant with a smirk. "This…is my boomstick."
And 5500+ words again. And yes, Leon will be getting some new gear shortly. Alma can't have all the fun. Gigante battle next time. Hope I did okay with the Del Lago scene. Also, I don't know how tall El Gigante is so I went with twelve feet…? Seemed like a good number xD. Thanks for reading. I've been replaying RE4 the past few days and I'm upset with how shitty I've gotten at it xD. Cheers. [And yes, Alma likes breaking the 4th wall as well].
PS: Is this chapter moving too fast? Do you want more fights or nah? Like I said, I don't like constantly writing generic fight scenes (love boss fights though). Are there too many breaks in the story?
Translations:
Rápido: quick, quickly
Merde: shit
Usa los músculos: use your muscles
