Driving rain drenched every square inch of his body, and Leon shivered at the bitter cold. His clothes were soaked through, and he cursed having woken up to his coat missing. He held his handgun up at shoulder height, and scanned his surroundings. The air was freezing, each water droplet stinging his exposed skin. His whole body trembled, and he stopped briefly to gain his composure. A deep ache in his belly preceded a low growl. He eyed the lake, where hours ago he had fought the most unusual and terrifying creature. A large bass broke the surface of the water, flipping once before slipping beneath the surface. He shivered hard, before clamping down on his aching muscles again, then holstered his handgun and walked onto the dock, hopping into the small motorboat once again. A neat pile of harpoons were still conveniently stacked in the boat, and he grabbed one, aimed, and tossed it into the water. "Got one,"he muttered to himself. He leaned out of the boat, reaching for the harpoon, then slipped and fell into the water. He swam to the surface, choking on the water that he had aspirated. With a scowl, he grabbed the harpooned fish, then dragged it with him to the dock. With his knife in one hand, he filleted the fish, then cut chunks of the raw flesh and ate. He kept his muscles as tense as he could to quell the shivering, but his whole body shook in spite of it. He looked up and across the lake. Through the fog and the rain, he could see a faint blue light from a side of the lake he hadn't visited. Curiosity overcame him, so he climbed back into the boat and rode it out across the lake. As he approached, he could recognize the familiar blue torches of the merchant. He guided the boat through the narrow cavern, careful to avoid stalagmites protruding out from under the water, and then docked the boat. The cave was warm, and was a welcome relief from the rain. Leon shivered as his skin burned with the sudden warmth of the air.
"Welcome," said the growling voice of the merchant. Leon looked up to the merchant's booth. The unusual man behind the cloak had built himself a structure here, an entire store front fully stocked with all kinds of unimaginable weapons. He ascended the steps and approached the merchant. Who was this man? Whose side was he on? Who were his customers? Leon shook his head briefly, then pulled a handful of spinels out of his pack, and the antique pipe he had collected from the swamp. "Ah…I'll buy it at a high price." The merchant slid a fat pouch of coins across the counter to Leon. Leon reached out to take the pouch, when the merchant grabbed him by the wrist. Leon stared at the merchant's hand restraining him, then looked up at the man's face. Red eyes. "Got somethin' that might interest ya. Heh heh heh heh!"
((A/N: Rarepair PWP blob I wrote, just for fun!))
