Reunion
Six hours passed since Aconite escaped from the castle, discovering that the gate leading back to it needed Mendez's false eye to open as she had to climb over it.
Since her escape, she used her claws to cut the ankle-length dress down to knee length to improve her movability and took up residence in the building Jack had spoken of and made herself a temporary cot to rest on while she waited.
She was about to fall asleep when she heard movement outside the makeshift hut.
"Let's rest here, Ashley; I need to check in with my handler to see if she's found any info on my partner."
She heard Leon say and sighed in relief at both the fact that Leon was okay and that Ashley was with him.
Getting up from her cot, Aconite leaned against the wall facing the door with a smile as the door opened, and she was met with her fiance's poleaxed look.
"Yo, lover boy." she greeted as she approached him only to be pulled into a bruising hug and equally rough kiss, making her moan in appreciation.
"Where the fuck have you been?!" Leon demanded as he broke the kiss, his hand's digging into her hips as he held her against him.
"I was in the castle up ahead. Our dear cult leader was trying to convert me. Are you alright, Leon?" Aconite asked, ignoring the jealousy in Ashley's eyes.
'That's right, girly, this kitty's mine.' Aconite purred in her head as she looked Leon over.
"I'm fine, think you can remove the plagas from us?"
"From you, Leon? Yes, you have my virus dormant in you. From Miss Graham, no." Aconite said as she laid her hand on Leon's chest, turning it into tendril's that gently dug their way underneath his skin to awaken his virus so it could hunt down and kill the plaga.
"What the hell?!" Ashley screeched in fear as she backed away.
"I'm a carrier of the T, G, Veronica, and Progenitor viruses and now the Las Plagas. I'm not contagious by any means, but after Leon returned from a recent mission, I placed a portion of my virus within him for instances like this." Aconite explained as Leon groaned, though not in pain, and Aconite laid him down on the cot.
"Unfortunately, we will have to find another way to cure you since it's too risky to introduce my virus to you. The only reason Leon can go through this is I improved the Veronica virus, so one doesn't have to go into a fifteen-year stasis to bond with it and not face mutation." Aconite said as she stood and faced Ashley, who looked a bit green.
"Is...is he okay?" Ashley asked as Leon let out another groan in disgusted fascination.
"Yes, Leon has had to face many things in our line of work. I daresay he finds some comfort from my tendrils like this in some way." Aconite shrugged, the last of her tendrils leaving Leon's body as she did.
"How on Earth?"
"I don't know, ask him when he wakes up. I'm going to see the merchant up the hill to get some gear." Aconite informed as she headed for the door.
"Wait! I'll come with you!" Ashley cried, and Aconite shook her head.
"No, I need you to watch Leon. I may have done this before, but there is always a risk to these things. Also, as he is now, he is defenseless."
Aconite ordered the girl before she left, walking up the hill quickly.
When she reached the merchant, he greeted her with a "Hello Stranger," as he pulled open his cloak to reveal his merchandise.
"Hello sir, I need ammo if you have it."
"Ah, I can do that for you. Your partner finished my blue medallion challenge but never picked up his prize. This is on the house; it's called the Punisher."
The man said as he handed her a 9mm handgun.
"What's so special about this gun?" Aconite asked as she fiddled with it, testing her aim.
"Unlike normal handguns, this one can pierce through targets. That one, in particular, can penetrate up to five bodies."
"Interesting, and the ammo?"
"Can be purchased for 25Pts a box containing 25 rounds a piece."
"Give me 200 rounds, do you have clothing? My gear was stolen."
"Certainly, a simple thermal shirt and blue jeans, will they do?" the man asked as he placed eight boxes of ammo on the table beside him.
"How much?"
"10,000 Pts."
"Then yes, what about first aid?"
"Canned spray for 5,000Pts."
"Any knives?"
"A pair of Ulaks, 2,000Pts."
"I'll take them; I owe you 22,200Pts correct? For the ammo, clothes, two aid sprays, and ulaks?"
"Yes ma'am, a pleasure doing business with you."
"Indeed, see you around."
Aconite said as she bundled up her purchases and returned to Leon and Ashley.
"Nite, how was the merchant?" Leon asked as she returned, drinking from his waterskin.
"Good, I still have 7,800 Pts. How much do you have?"
"120,000 Pts."
"So, what now?" Ashley asked, her face red as Aconite began changing in front of them.
"The castle I escaped from is up ahead, but the gate needs the village chief's fake eye to open. Since we were also ordered to eliminate the cult, we need to head there."
"Wonderful, know where the chief is?"
"Once I escaped and reached this hut, I saw him head for the gondola, and he hasn't returned. He's probably licking his wounds since I hit him over the head with my mallet."
Leon winced at that, having been on the receiving end of said mallet when she first discovered how to make it.
"Ouch," Leon grunted sympathetically as he checked his supplies.
"I'll take on Mendez, the chief; you focus on keeping Miss Graham safe."
Aconite strategized, and he nodded.
"Plan to consume him?"
"As much as I loathe to do so, yes."
"Consume him?" Ashley asked in confusion and received grim smiles in return.
"Yes," Aconite began as she handed Leon the first aid sprays, "have you ever seen or heard of the game 'Prototype'?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Pretty much anything the protagonist can do in the game I can replicate."
"Oh, cool," Ashley whispered as they left for the gondola, just what was this agent?
Aconite expertly shot the ganados on the gondola when she said, "Oh, Leon." to get his attention.
"Yes?"
"When I escaped the castle, I ran into someone we thought dead and is now working for Wesker."
"Who?"
"Jack Krauser," Aconite informed and winced at the way Leon's gaze snapped to her.
"Krauser's alive?" he asked in shock, and she nodded.
"Yes, I talked with Wesker too. Wish I could have seen his face when I told him we where getting married."
"And suddenly, I feel the need to watch my back for assassins," he muttered as they reached the other side of the gondola ride.
"Leon, you survived Raccoon City, have been trained as a special forces agent, and have a level of badassery known only to people like us. Why are you worried about assassins of all things?"
"Nite, no matter what training one has been through, an overprotective father is terrifying. Now make that father a B.O.W. and a Bioterrorist?"
"Okay, I'll give you that since bullets are not good against us," Aconite muttered as they reached what looked like a warehouse.
"You sure about going alone?" Ashley asked in concern, and Aconite ruffled her hair.
"Yes, I'm sure, I'm a B.O.W. of a higher caliber and pedigree." Aconite smirked as her hands shifted into claws.