Chapter 206: Save Watson
Dr. Watson breathed heavily. His clothes were in a horrible state and his mouth was bleeding. He probably had gotten injured by the Undead.
"They're gone. Miss Orchard. You can come out now." Dr. Watson uncocked his revolver. The barrel was fired so many times, it was still producing smoke.
Many of the neighbors flooded out from the street. The commotion was very hard to ignore.
Amelia crawled out from under the table. She gasped when she saw Dr. Watson.
"Are you alright, James?" Amelia rushed to him.
But Dr. Watson backed off. "Don't go near me! I was... scratched. I am a carrier for Black Blood now."
Amelia bit her lips. The brave man in front of her saved her life.
Carter returned to the flat before the police came. He noticed right away that Watson was bitten.
"You came back. You're probably why they're gone, right?" Dr. Watson said.
The shadow nodded.
"Heh. At least... No one died under my watch... Again."
James fell on the ground and fainted.
"James?!" Amelia shouted.
Carter approached him and checked Dr. Watson's condition. His blood was contaminating. Any moment now, he would become a Mindless Infected. Or, if he's lucky, he would transform into a Pale Undead.
'My body is still processing the Necron Energy. I can't use Shadow Apothecary to treat him... There is only one way.'
Carter picked Dr. Watson up and bolted out of the apartment, leaving Amelia alone at the empty room.
He hurried to Charles's new mansion and rushed inside uninvited.
Peter was still awake, guarding the entrance with a rifle and a long sword. They didn't know that Carter had taken control of the Crone's witches yet so they were still on high alert.
Peter stood up immediately when the door opened and aimed the rifle at Carter.
"A shadow? Dr. Frankenstein's shadow?" Peter said.
The shadow nodded.
Peter noticed the injured man in the shadow's hands. "Who is he?"
Carter didn't answer and rushed inside. He placed Dr. Watson onto an empty bed.
The shadow then rushed to their storage room. Carter had made a few Heart Race Potions and other potions for Charles's group.
He took out a vial of Heart Race Potion and returned to Dr. Watson.
Charles and Florence had woken up and came to the room. They saw the shadow administer the Heart Race Potion into Dr. Watson's vein through a syringe.
"Who is that? Where is Victor?" Charles said.
"I don't know." Peter shook his head. "Only his shadow is here."
The Heart Race Potion entered James's blood stream and immediately caused him to writhe in discomfort. The additional epinephrine flooded his entire body and combated the Corrupted Blood.
Dr. Watson's eyes blasted opened. "It burns!"
Veins started popping on his skin.
"His Awaken Adrenaline is kicking in. He needs someone to blow off those stream. Help me, Peter."
Charles rushed in. He and Peter picked James up and carried him to the training ground.
Charles didn't know who James was. But Victor's shadow wanted to save him. That was enough reason for him to act.
"Stand tall, son!" Charles patted James and threw him a metal stick.
Charles grabbed one himself.
"What is this?" James mumbled. His body was shaking due to the excess energy it had.
"Training staff. The shadow has given you Heart Race. You will need to use up all those energy you have if you want to survive the process. Now! Come at me!"
"I can't. Why don't we use wooden staff instead?"
Charles squinted his eyes. "You have been given a power far beyond mortal. A wooden staff won't cut it."
Thick red aura wrapped around Charles as he shot forward and hit James.
Charles didn't use all of his strength but he also didn't hold back. The metal staff hit James in the thigh and made him blurt out a curse.
"Damn it! That hurts!"
But questionable enough, James's leg was intact. And that strike only enraged him.
Dr. Watson's own Adrenaline shot out. The red aura blew the air around him.
James bolted forward and fought Charles.
"That's right, son! Go with it!" Charles blocked the strike flawlessly.
The old man couldn't help but notice a certain attack pattern from James.
"You served in the military before, right? I did too."
Charles went behind Dr. Watson and used the staff to strangle him. James bent his back and kicked his leg back, imbalancing Charles and threw the old man over the shoulder.
James got out of the chokehold and attacked Charles at the same time.
The old man caught himself by pushing off the ground and spun in the air. He kicked James while balancing on his hands.
Peter and Florence were drinking tea at the side.
"Master Desilet's skill really is impressive. I can't never do something like that." Peter said.
"You're saying that but you're the strongest in the three of us." Florence picked up the tea cup with only her index and thumb, her other fingers bent gently like the noble lady she was.
"Strongest in term of physical power, yes. But Master Desilet's power has been developing toward speed and finesse. While you, Lady Florence, has the edge of precision and dexterity."
'Huh? Their powers are developing differently?'
Carter was sitting on the roof and watching everything. He couldn't leave unless he made sure Watson was alright.
That man literally risked his life to protect him. He wouldn't forget that.
'Maybe I can develop three different paths for them to use their power...'
Adrenaline was a very generalize ability. It could enhance literally every physical aspect of someone. But it didn't mean everyone was identical to each other.
Some might be able to enhance their strength much more than speed. Some would have speed as their best stat. And some would have precision. The three different sides that represented Charles, Peter, and Florence.
'Strength can focus on heavy and destructive weapons like war hammer, great sword, and halberd. Speed is good for lighter sword variations like long sword, rapier, and other weapons like daggers, whip, and spear. Precision is a good aspect for both finesse weapons and range weapons.'
Suddenly, there was a light bulb appeared on Carter's shadow head.
'This world... There are many different blood tribes. But there isn't a supernatural tribe that fight for the human yet. Maybe these three can be the first of many. They can be... Monster Hunters.'