Bones To Pick #263

Thomas Wayne's Memorial Clinic

"Alright, that will do," I said as I finished stitching up the homeless man's shoulder. "Rest up, take your medicine, and that arm of yours should be as good as new in a couple of days," I added as I retrieved a piece of paper with the intended inscribed medicine before passing it to the man.

"The back has an address of a specific drugstore. Go there if you can't afford the medicine," I concluded as I watched the man take the paper and mechanically nod at me before exiting the room.

'You're welcome...' I mused, shaking my head.

Nine days had passed since Kara's visit, but we didn't have the chance to go out again as she had to leave Earth for a while on what she called personal business.

She didn't want to talk about it, so I didn't ask, but that's beside the point.

I immediately started working on Richard's prosthetic arm replacement, or its design, to be precise. However, I quickly ran into a problem; my lack of medical knowledge.

Suffice it to say the prosthetic arm would be nothing more than an incredibly advanced lump of metal if I didn't have the medical know-how to attach it to Richard's body and connect it to his nerves.

However, unlike my other skills that would naturally progress as I kicked people's asses or worked on my projects, the Medicine Skill required me to practice, well, medicine.

I didn't feel like staying in my hideout, cutting and stitching myself up like I was some emo kid, so I did what any reasonable man would do in my shoes.

I forged a fake degree, created a made-up identity, put an illusion on my face, and applied for Thompkins' clinic to grind out my Medicine Skill.

Forging the degree was as simple as hacking into a random college, manually adding another name to the graduate's list, and creating a fake identity, which was just as simple.

Creating an illusion to alter my appearance was a tad more complicated and time-consuming as I had to modify my phantom belt and make it reflect light in a certain way that would make my face look different.

Finally, applying for Leslie Thompkins clinic was as simple as walking into the place, presenting my fake ID and college degree, claiming I wanted to help people, and boom, I had the job.

Honestly, I still didn't know how to feel about Dr. Thompkins, what with her uncompromisingly selfless attitude, especially with how ungrateful most patients tended to act.

I can respect her persistence if nothing else. The doctor might not be able to change anything, but at least she was trying, and that's an A for effort from me.

In any case, I quickly exited the room as I checked my Medicine Skill level and saw it was finally high enough for me to resume working on the prosthetic arm.

"There you are, Dr. Stoker," Leslie Thompkins said as she watched me exit the room and walk into the clinic's hallway. "Will you be clocking out for the day...?" She said, tilting her head as she noticed I was missing my white coat.

"Hello, doctor," I replied with a smile. "Yes. Something came up. I might not be able to come tomorrow or for the foreseeable future either," I added, shaking my head with a sigh.

"I see... that is unfortunate. Don't hesitate to call if you need anything, dear," The doctor said. "And if you are able to in the future, you'd always be welcome here," She went on, but before she could continue, one of the nurses came running, asking for help with a patient.

The doctor smiled apologetically at me before following behind the nurse, to which I said nothing and took my leave.

...

The Diamond District

Blue Bird's flower shop

As he walked into the back of the flower shop, Maduvu couldn't help but frown as he found the storage room empty. He went to great lengths to secure the vicinity under orders from The Senses, killing all the mobsters stationed to guard it.

The flower shop's storage should have been full of weapons and drugs, which they would sell off to fund the League of Assasin's operations inside Gotham for the foreseeable future, but he found nothing but a tv showing static.

Suddenly the static disappeared, showing the image of a man dressed in a sharp suit and a top hat. "And who the hell are you supposed to be...?" The man said, frowning in confusion.

"I expected to catch bigger fish, but it doesn't matter, I suppose..." The man said, and the image instantly disappeared as a loud beep echoed in the room, followed by an explosion.

...

Crime Alley

Inside a cheap rental apartment

"We have lost contact with Maduvu... the flower shop was a trap..." Said a man in a black outfit that seemed to meld into the shadows as he kneeled in front of an elder in dark-red warrior ropes.

The Sensei said nothing as he waved the man away, and the latter instantly retreated away, disappearing into the darkness. "What is it you want, David Cane...?" He said as another man with white hair appeared, leaning on the wall beside him.

"To further the goals of the demon head, of course..." David cane said as he stopped leaning on the wall and approached the Sensei. "Gotham might be full of scum, but if you look down on them, you will not get far..." He added as he stood calmly before him.

"You clearly have something on your mind. Speak," The Sensei said, crossing his arms as he met David Cane's amuse gazed, clearly impatient with the latter.

"As I've said, Gotham's criminals might be low lives, but they've learned to adapt to Batman..." David cane said. "They know every nook and cranny of the city and how to use it to cover their tracks..." He added, trailing off at the end of his sentence.

"If you hound them blindly, you will only waste valuable manpower without accomplishing anything..." David Cane said, trailing off as he stopped to study the Sensei's face, only to find the same blank impatient expression staring at him.

"Sadly, even I am not familiar enough with Gotham to lend a hand. But I know someone who is..." David Cane said, his smile widening as the Sensei showed a thoughtful expression.

"She is one of your former students and none other than my daughter..." David Cane said. "And it just happens that she has weighed herself down with needless attachments..."

...

Gray's hideout

"Alright..." I muttered as I plopped into my couch. "Let's see what we have..." I took a deep breath, bringing up the system's interface to look through the notifications.

[+1 level to the Crime skill]

[Crime (64)]

[+1 to the Computers skill]

[Computers (64)]

[+2 level to the Mechanics skill]

[Mechanics (62)]

[+21 levels to the Medicine skill]

[Medicine (25)]

[+13 levels]

[+39 stat points]

[+1 level to the Biologist Class]

[Bioligst (level MAX)]

[+1 level to the Mad Scientist archetype]

[Mad Scientist (level MAx)]

[You have unlocked Body Modification power]

[Body modification: the ability to change your body and those of others to grant physical enhancements, change appearances, and imbue different qualities, depending on your Biology skill]

[You have unlocked the DNA Analysis power]

[DNA Analysis: the ability to instantly analyze any DNA and identify the identity of the owner, or other such things like mutations and genetic damage]

[You have reached the maximum level for your current class]

[You have reached the maximum level of your current Acrhtype]

[Would you like to choose your next archetype now?]

'No...' I mused as I dismissed the notifications and got up before heading to my workroom. I was glad to have finally maxed the Mad Scientist archetype, but I only wanted to focus on creating an arm replacement for now.

I only wanted to double-check my Medicine skill before I got to work. I could always choose a new archetype once I've finished the job, but I didn't want any distractions until then.

'Let's get to work...' I mused, rubbing my hands together as I entered the room and instantly began working.

...

Gotham City Park

"What's the matter, Ben? You seem concerned," Richard said, wiping the sweat off his brow as he stopped training and turned to his friend when he noticed the latter approaching.

"More pissed off than concerned..." Ben replied with a scoff, shaking his head. "The League of Assasins is in Gotham. I still have a bone to pick with their Sensei..." He grimly added.

"Well, now that you've mentioned it..." Richard said with a smile as he picked up his shirt from the ground and slung it over his shoulder. "I do need a good fight..." He added as he began walking toward Ben.

"All this sitting around is making me rusty..."