Erk. There was a big giant thing that could rip up trees and pound my face! I had no idea how to kill it, and hiding in the nearby huts to shoot at it was a bad idea, as it just pounded through the roof and splatted me. A wolf did appear to help, seemingly paying me back for saving it from a trap near the start of the game, but all it could do was bark at it.
Instead I took a different route and ended up back at the lake, meeting some nasty baddies with tentacles coming out of their heads, and some wolves. I also bought some more upgrades for my guns from the shop keeper freak, and then attempted the giant again. It seems the handgun has actually the best weapon as (having upgraded it a bit) it was quick to fire off enough rounds to knock him down, so I could jump on it’s back and slash at the thing in it’s neck.
After all that, I made it back to the church, which I could now enter as I had the required item. Solved a (very simple) puzzle, and rescued Ashley. Oh joy – it’s now an escort mission. Gah!
