Unlikely Heroes

Chapter 26: Against the Lord of the Manor

Meanwhile the small group in the elevator made it down. They all stepped out and found themselves in some kind of underground cavern. The weapon's merchant was found here so Leon did a little selling and buying to be on the safe side. After that it was through a metal door. The small group found themselves in a small tunnel, but one that had the looks of a mine. "I think this is what has been mentioned before in the things we found," Nicholas said.

"So the Las Lagas are here huh?" Napoleon commented. "Guess we should destroy as much of this as we can."

"Stay alert though, who knows what we'll find here," the male werewolf stated.

They went forward and found the first of the enemies. This time it was villagers. The two found were disposed of quickly. Then after a bit more walking the group came to a large area, which had more enemies. Since the human, canines, and those from the nether were on a ledge they were able to shoot at all the enemies here and quickly clear them out. Then a jump down got them to where they had been. There was a huge boulder blocking the path by a cliff edge. Leon found a lever, which brought a mine cart to them. It began to move down but then got stuck. "Just our luck," Napoleon grumbled as more enemies began to appear.

"There's got to be a lever nearby, let's find it," Nicholas said.

The group defeated the villagers who stood in their way as they made their way up a side path to find the circuit breaker for the lift. All items found and left behind by the enemy were picked up. The guys and canines then found the breaker and Leon pulled the lever. Everyone began to make their wake back to the mine cart but then an enemy with a chainsaw appeared. This person was shown no mercy and quickly killed; even the other villagers that showed up with him. When all the hostiles were killed, Leon pulled the lever for the lift, which brought the mine cart down. It had some dynamite in it. "Time to light that boulder up," said Nicholas, taking it. The male werewolf placed it on the boulder and everyone stood back. The large obstacle was blown up, allowing the group to move on.

They went through another double door and found themselves in a room that was dark and steamy. The main source of light was lava below them. Luckily they were on a grate to keep them from falling in. There was a cover however. "What is this place?" Napoleon asked.

Nicholas saw there was a place that could be climbed up to that had a handle. The line that it was attached to went to some kind of lever. Looking at it, the male werewolf realized it would operate the cover. "This might be some kind of melting room," he said. "Probably to melt unwanted stuff."

The small group went to the door that would lead out. It then slid up revealing another El Rigante that was different from the first one encountered. This one had a couple more chains on it. The monster stomped out as the males and canines backed up. Another emerged from behind the other, having a face mask. "Two El Rigantes?!" Napoleon exclaimed.

Kratos and Venus barked and he ran up to the one in the mask to distract this enemy while she went by his side. Leon threw a flash grenade at the feet of the one with more chains. It worked and this monster was blinded. The human quickly ran over to the lever and pulled it since the enemy with chains was right on top of the cover. The cover opened up and the giant fell into the lava. "One down, now for the other," Nicholas said, firing at the one with the face mask. He figured that the second wouldn't be so bad. With Kratos and Venus distracting it, the three males could fire at it.

They all did so and the enemy went to the knees with the Lagas limb coming from the back. Leon and the male werewolf climbed up and slashed at it with their knife and katana. This fight didn't last much longer and the second giant was killed. The body melted away leaving behind money. Leon took it and the door from before slid back open since it had closed during the fight. They went pass it and through another set of doors into a dark cavern and heard the sound of buzzing Lovistadors. "More of those mutated insects huh?" Napoleon stated. "They won't get any of us."

The small group made it to the end of the tunnel and saw one of the said enemy but also some kind of strange plaque that had a small ornament on it. Leon went up to it to read it. "Two lights shall shine light on a new path," the human said.

"Well… guess we need to keep an eye out for them," Nicholas commented with a shrug.

The group went forward, shooting down any of the flying enemies that came at them. They were walking up around a cliff face. They then took a side path that led to a switch. Pressing caused a statue at the top with a light to turn on. The group then made it to the top and saw a door with the cult's symbol on it that had the same words as the plaque. There was another path leading off to another area. Following it led to the second switch. Pressing it caused another statue with its light turned on. These lights shown on a mirror, magnifying their power. The light actually began to melt the door with the symbol away. The group went to where it had been and saw a gate with a switch. It was pressed and the gate went away. The males and canines found themselves in a tunnel that had slamming pillars along it. These were timed so it wasn't too hard to get pass.

Along the way there was a lever that was pulled. It was better to be safe. Then a little bit latter they found some kind of platform that had a royal insignia on it. This was taken to be sold. There was also some kind of stone square with writing on it like a coffin. Checking it out caused the platform to rise up to the surface. In a bit they were on the surface by some kind of rock wall. They walked out from it and found a wooden shack there. The weapon's merchant was there so Leon did the usual business with him. There were also a couple of barrels that were broken to get at the items inside. "Let's move on then," Nicholas said when the business was finished.

"Wait!" Leon stated and noticed a note pinned onto the side of the shack.

"Another memo?" Napoleon asked.

The male human took it. "No, it's from Ada," he replied. "Has her name on it." They all took a look at it. It said that once a Lagas egg hatched, it was nearly impossible to remove it from the body that had been infected. But medication could neutralize it before it hatched. If it did hatch it was possible to get it out before it became an adult. But it wouldn't be easy and there was a chance Leon wouldn't survive the operation. As far as Ada knew, Ashley was injected with an egg before him. Her time was ticking and the group should prepare themselves for the worst-case scenario.

"That's not going to happen," Nicholas stated. "I'll make sure of it."

The letter was taken like all the documents before it. Everyone then went forward and stopped when they saw what lay ahead. There were broken arches and a cathedral of some kind. In the distance, they saw a huge tower. "So these are our targets," Napoleon said. "Time to clear them out."

The males and canines went forward but Nicholas was the one who stopped them after sniffing the air by the ruined structures. "What is it?" the vampire asked.

"Enemy villagers," the longhaired werewolf replied. "I can smell their reek."

Leon noticed some movement and went forward slowly. There was one by some pillars who came running over. The enemy was quickly killed. A second emerged and was taken out. Then came more pillars with a ladder leading up to a ruined arch. The male human climbed up it and saw more villagers surrounding a large fire. He tossed a grenade in the middle of them. The blast killed most of the enemy. The rest who hadn't were quickly taken care of by Nicholas and Napoleon. The group then noticed an elaborate door with lion's head. But there was an indentation, which meant an item was needed to open it.

It took a bit of searching, but in a bit, a wench was found. Leon operated it, making a stone covering move out of the way. There was a ladder revealed that led down. "It's gotta be down there," Nicholas said and climbed down. Kratos and Venus were then handed down to him before the other two males joined him. Right away then noticed a stone tablet that was quite big. Leon went up to it and read the words. "Up ahead rests the offering to the lion."

"I bet it's the item we need," Napoleon commented.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Nicholas asked and led the way.

They went down a tunnel lit by candles. They noticed this rock was different from the mines as it had more of a tan color to it. Soon they emerged into a large area which had some ruined walls that were so worn down they were quite short. There was also a ladder leading up to a natural rock formation with large holes in it. There were bear traps were the ruined walls were. Looking closer showed pillars and other ruin like areas. "Wonder what this use to be…" Nicholas commented then shrugged, not looking for an answer.

"I see some enemies here," Napoleon said. Leon took out his sniper riffle to pick off the ones in the distance, while the other two males took care of the ones that begin to charge in.

These were soon taken care of. Now it was to the level were the bear traps were. Before the group went forward, they took a side path down to a lower level. There were a couple skulls and a rectangle made of stone that was meant for holding a body. "Now I see… this is a tomb," Nicholas said. He went to the lid and slid it back. There was only a skull with remainder of ribs inside along with a staff. It was a royal one that the male werewolf took with him.

Going back up more bone remands were seen which proved his point for this area. The guys were careful to set off the traps so the dogs wouldn't get caught in them. The small group then reached the ladder and Leon climbed up it. The second he did, an emery with a chainsaw charged at him, having been waiting for him. Other villagers began to appear and tried to climb the ladder. Napoleon and Nicholas shot at these while the human had to defend himself. Some of these enemies had Las Lagas limbs emerge but they weren't too much trouble. Once they were taken care of, Leon grabbed a key from a stone table behind him. More villagers began to show up and all were killed. Leon then went down some stairs and found another enemy with a chainsaw that he was able to kill.

It was then through a door where he caught up with the others. Then came a sturdy door, which the key was used to get pass. Another tunnel with candles was here to greet them. Then it was through another door. Upon stepping into this room, the ceiling began to lower which had spikes. There were four red dots that were shot at which caused the thing to stop. Then it was down some stairs into an empty area and pass another door. The small group emerged into a bigger space. The only thing here was a train of three mine carts on tracks. "No other choice but to head in them," Napoleon stated and got in one.

Once the dogs and them were in, Leon fired at a switch nearby which released the carts. They began to move down the track. They went into a tunnel and saw enemies right away that were in a perfect spot to jump into the carts. These villagers were fired at and they fell hard onto the ground. The carts kept going down the track and through the darkened tunnels. At a few points there were beams they had to duck in order to avoid getting hit. Then at a certain section the enemy stopped the carts, but the group was able to kill these and move on. Then the train began to pick up speed. "Hold on!" Nicholas stated.

The carts went faster and faster down the track. Even the enemies that came were still able to be shot down. Then a stretch came with nothing. Leon then noticed something up ahead. "Wait…" he said and then saw it. The track abruptly ended. "Shit! Jump!"

Nicholas and Napoleon saw it to. They both grabbed Kratos and Venus while the male werewolf transformed. They threw the dogs to the other side and the canines made it. Then they and Leon jumped just as the carts fell off the track into the abyss below. The two from the nether made it but the human barely grabbed the end. The other males quickly got him up. "Shit that was close," Nicholas stated as he turned back to normal.

It was then through a door into a small room with a stone table in the middle. On top of this was some kind of round object. Leon took it and found it was the Stone of Sacrifice that had a engraving of an animal for sacrifice. Once it was taken, a hidden door opened. The group walked through it to find a ladder leading to the surface. They and the dogs were soon up it. It was then to the door with the lion's head. Leon placed the item in the indentation and the door moved to reveal and elevator. Now it was a ride up to the inside of the cathedral. What greeted them was a stone hallway. "I smell enemies up ahead again," Nicholas stated. The two dogs let out soft growls.

"Time to kill some more," Napoleon commented.

The group walked out of the hallway to the back section of the cathedral near the big stained glass window area. "There's nothing here," Leon said.

"Make no mistake, they are," the werewolf stated.

They then walked out to the main walkway. "My god…" Napoleon said as they all looked to see a huge statue of Lalazar that had gears at certain points, which meant this could move. "I knew he had an ego but this is ludicrous."

Leon took a step towards the door at the end of the walkway. Suddenly a cult member with robes came out and pulled a lever, causing sections of it to sink so the path couldn't be used. More enemies appeared and the arms of the statue moved up with the palms up to. The left arm began to move which acted like a makeshift lift to get to the higher levels were the enemy was. The males went on the offensive, killing any cult members that stood in their way. The group even used the hands to get up to a higher level where a switch was found. This caused one section of the path to rise back up. It was here that Leon noticed there was a lock on the door at the far end. He shot it off with his sniper riffle.

Then it was to the center of the statue by jumping to a platform using the left arm. Leon switched the power so the right arm began to move. The only enemy left was the one that had made the path disappear. Leon killed him quickly and pulled the lever to make the second section rise up. Now the door at the far end could be reached. "Okay, now just the tower," Nicholas said. "Hang on Liru; I'm coming."

They had only taken one step towards to the door when a crash made everyone look back. They saw the statue of the enemy was beginning to move towards them, trying to crush them. "RUN FOR IT!" Napoleon shouted.

Kratos and Venus were faster then the males, but they ran like hell. Even some of the pillars in the room came down thanks to the statue. Everyone was able to roll out of the way before these crushed them. The group quickly reached the door and saw the tower that had been seen before was just ahead. A single stone bridge led to the entrance. They didn't have long to view it as the statue came crashing through the entrance behind them. The dogs were the first across the bridge with the rest behind them. The other males only got a little more than halfway across. This was due to the statue trying to follow them broke the bridge due to the immense wait. They jumped to the edge of what was left of the bridge and after a brief struggle, managed to pull themselves up. It was hard since only one hand had been able to grab it.

"Time to end this," Nicholas growled as he and the other two got a weapon ready before heading in.

The group noticed right away the long spiraling path that led up to the top and how the design was like that of the castle. Kratos and Venus then growled. The three males instantly saw what made the canines do it. It was Lalazar clapping with his remaining guard by his side just ahead. "So nice you could join us Mr. Leon Rennedy and the remaining males from the nether," the enemy said, stopping the clapping.

"You again," Nicholas growled.

"The sacred rite that's about to begin at this tower shall endow the girl with magnificent power. She will join us! Become one of us! Then the rest of the nether beings will be dealt with."

"This is no ritual; it's terrorism!" Leon shot back.

"Isn't that a popular word these days?" Lalazar replied. "Not to worry Mr. Rennedy. We've prepared a special ritual for you. And the others with you will be dealt with then."

The enemy human raised his left hand up and the other male threw his combat knife, impaling Lalazar's hand against the wall behind him. The short human turned his head and the pain hit, causing him to whimper from it. Leon smirked. The guard with the enemy grabbed the knife and in one motion pulled it out and threw it at the taller male human. Napoleon moved and kicked it away. Lalazar, still whimpering with pain and clutching the hand stumbled a few steps along with his guard to a section that had a gate like elevator door close. "STOP!" the male vampire shouted.

The elevator began to move up, taking the enemy with it. That meant the group was going to have to take the long way. Leon quickly retrieved his knife. The small items on the lowest level were quickly grabbed before the males and canines began the long way up. They had only gone just a bit when they heard the sound of a large barrel heading down their way. Looking up and ahead they saw cult members had begun to emerge and that one had pulled a lever to allow this to come down. Leon snipped the one by the lever so no more barrels would come rolling down. When the group got to the lever, more enemies from the lower level appeared. They began to run up the stairs. Nicholas and Napoleon operated the lever, which allowed more barrels to come down. The male human used his snipe riffle to take care of the enemies higher up.

The stairs only went so far. That meant taking a small lift up the rest of the way. Enemies jumped down from above which would stop the lift at certain points. These were all killed. Eventually the lift stopped at the very top. From there it was a walk on the scaffolding surrounding the outside of the tower. Another lift was found and taken up, followed by stairs that led to a door. The group with a nod, went in with a run. It was just a short ways towards the center. They saw Lalazar with his reaming guard at some kind of altar. They were looking up at some kind of growth on the wall up ahead. It appeared to be some kind of very deep dark purple flower but it was pulsing, showing it wasn't just any flower. There were two large tubes of some kind on either side that were moving. Looking inside showed some kind of eggs being moved. The entire area was dripping with some kind of mucus.

Lalazar suddenly turned and spotted the group. "Ah!" he stated. "You just missed them. The ritual is over. They left with my men to an island."

"What?!" Leon exclaimed.

The short human walked up the steps to the altar and stood on it. "I think it's time I paid my due respects to all your impressive and stubborn wills!" He turned around to face the group and tentacles of some kind emerged from the opening on the flower. They wrapped around his body. "Mr. Rennedy and those from the nether… welcome!"

The tentacles lifted him up towards the flower. More came out to wrap around his remaining guard. Both beings were taken to the flower as Lalazar let out mad laugh. The petals of the flower closed around them, taking the two inside. The males all took a step back and the canines let out growls. The petals then opened, revealing the enemy was gone for a second. Suddenly a long limb shot out of the center of the flower and crashed down where the altar was, destroying it. They saw that it had two small arms, ones that had belong to the guard, and the color was a mass of sickly and flesh colors. A single bulging eye with a yellow pupil was seen at the front of the limb. Where the mouth should have been there was only small insect like legs that moved. The limb still let out a roar at the group as an iron gate slammed shut behind them. Two more limbs similar in appearance to the middle one without the eye burst through the wall and began to move. Finally then on the middle limb the group saw a growth that looked like petals with teeth open up. Lalazar's upper body emerged. Only his head and right arm was any sign he had once been human. The rest had flesh like tubes and growths, fusing him to the limb. He let out a roar, his voice distorted and the eyes had changed to red. "Monsters," Leon said. "Guess after this one they'll be one less one to worry about."

"I want you to suffer just like the others," the enemy said before the petal teeth closed around him, showing this was a shield that protected Lalazar. The group fired at the limb with the eye. Every hit on that part brought out yellow greenish colored blood. After some hits, the petals surrounding the main target moved. The guys all fired at him. Lalazar let out groans for every shot that got him. But soon the petals closed up on him. He let out a laugh. "That tickles!" he taunted the group.

The limbs on the left and right came up to slam down on the group. They were able to dodge these and the main one. It was a simple task of moving out of the way and firing at the eye. It wasn't much longer until the enemy bit the dust. The main limb let out roar and reared up as part of it began to melt away. Lalazar also let out moans and thrashed about. Then the limbs fell to the ground with a crash. The whole thing melted away just like the enemies that were killed. "Pathetic," Nicholas stated. "In the end, he was weak just like how he couldn't do shit." The group then noticed a door where the flower had been. It was time to move out and somehow get to the island the enemy had mentioned.