Obra got to her feet and carefully walked around the room. She was no longer dragging her leg but stepping quite freely. When the elderly woman was sure that her limb had healed, she even jumped up a few times to check how everything was working.
"How does it feel?" I asked tiredly, watching the woman walking confidently with a measured stride.
On paper, my work could be described pretty simply. In a burst of excitement, I didn't even notice when I managed to handle such a difficult task. But now, after finishing, I was surprised to find my hands shaking and my legs refusing to hold me up. The procedure, while successful, had drained me to the point of exhaustion.
"It feels like... like no vampire ever ripped half of my thigh off!" Obra admitted, astonished. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
In the next moment, I found myself in a strong embrace. I barely managed to pull my arms to the sides to avoid touching her body.
"Y-yeah, it's alright," I muttered.
"No, no! You did something for me... holy crap! You got my leg back! Is this... is this forever? After midnight, my leg won't go back to its old condition, will it?"
I was released from the embrace and finally took a proper breath. Who would've thought this lady was so strong in her arms! Although, what else could I expect from a vampire hunter, even if retired?
"Don't worry," I said, feeling completely confident in my work. "We don't cut corners."
Obra seemed to deflate, her shoulders relaxed, and in the next moment, she collapsed like a puddle on the floor. I'd been sitting on the floor long enough, so I mustered the strength to crawl over to a small sofa standing against the wall.
"So now I'm... whole again?"
"You shouldn't forget that you're... what? Forty?"
I can usually determine someone's age with a touch, but at that moment, I wasn't exactly focused on that, and I couldn't recall anything off the top of my head. Still, I needed to remind Obra that she wasn't a young girl anymore, and it wasn't likely she could just jump back into full vampire hunting right away.
"Thanks for your tact," she scoffed. "So, you can't make me younger?"
The question made me stop and think hard. The basic understanding of biology I gained from Masquerade's abilities wouldn't be enough for something like this. But if I took my education more seriously, it was possible I could perform such miracles.
"No," I admitted, not wanting to mislead her. "I can't do that, so think carefully and don't take unnecessary risks. I also can't resurrect people."
There was a brief silence. Obra pulled her leg up to her chin and began stroking the area where the wound used to be.
"I owe you," she said, not looking at me. "Is there anything you need aside from documents? Maybe a gun?"
"No," I replied without even thinking about it. I wasn't fond of firearms; I never really had the opportunity to get into it. "Honestly, I could use some money. Hmm, and maybe some cold weapons. What knives do you have?"
Obra had a lot of knives. My word, you should've seen her arsenal! Tenten would be envious! Though, okay, I may be exaggerating a bit. I didn't know Tenten that well. After a thorough search, I still didn't find anything resembling the standard kunai. Obra promised that she'd find me a set or two by our next meeting.
So, for now, I had to settle for a dozen throwing stars. That would be enough for now. I declined a beautiful katana since I wasn't particularly talented at kenjutsu.
As for money, she offered me four thousand dollars. Obra apologized for not having more and insisted that she valued her health much more, but most of a vampire hunter's income went into very specific ammunition and weapons. And in general, their finances weren't great. Not all superheroes are born with the wealth of the Starks or the Waynes.
The vampire hunter and the woman who had covered Blade's back gladly agreed to drop me off at my next destination. The Bellevue hospital, since my first and last visit there, hadn't lost any of its grandeur. The building still amazed me with its size, it was nothing like the typical hospitals in the average district center!
Initially, I had planned to give another batch of biotests to make some money, but since Obra had helped fund me, I decided not to bother with the jar. I didn't like the idea, even though they say money doesn't smell. I still preferred to use this method only in cases of extreme necessity. So why had I come here?
At least I needed to find out the results of the tests and get my anonymous donor ID. With that document, I could donate sperm at any specialized hospital in the USA without going through a bunch of exhausting tests each time. The document wouldn't hurt, and knowing the state of my health wouldn't be bad either.
The procedure didn't take too long, and soon I was back in the vampire hunter's van. If I was going to make use of my unexpected advantages, I might as well go all in. For the day, there was only one unresolved issue.
I'd saved it for last on purpose— I planned to buy some supplies for the Morlocks. Food, basic toiletries, soap, shampoo, and everything else in the same vein. My list had turned out quite long, and Obra's agreement to act as my personal taxi made the job much easier.
Carrying all of that by hand would have been a real pain. By evening, I had spent nearly all the money I had received and had filled the van to the brim with shopping bags.
Obra was so grateful that she not only drove me to my final destination where I was supposed to meet the waiting Morlocks but also helped me unload everything into the subway. We had to make three trips each to carry everything down.
To be honest, I had begun to doubt that just Sander could carry everything. I expected there would be a lot of purchases, which is why I brought the mutant along, but if I had known my finances could let me buy half of a wholesale shop, I would have brought Samson too!
I parted ways with Obra like a good friend. She promised to find me some kunai and gather some more money. I turned down the latter, asking her to find me a couple of paying patients who wouldn't mind the nature of my abilities or my lack of medical qualifications.
To my surprise, Sander took on most of the shopping without complaint. She probably could've handled it all at once, but she didn't argue when I kept my overstuffed backpack and two bags of goodies. Caliban refused the load, passing her portion to her friend, the strong one.
We reached the abandoned subway station where my new acquaintances had settled fairly quickly. Time always seems to fly when you're heading home. Hmm, "home"? Did I just think that? Damn.
We were greeted when we arrived. Thank Galacte, nothing extraordinary had happened during our absence. It was late, and there wasn't time for a proper unpacking of all the gifts. But at least I managed to feed everyone pizza, warmed up in the microwave I had bought. Surprisingly, the Morlocks had access to free electricity.
Samson, despite Masquerade claiming she had some mental issues, was excellent at handling this stuff. If she had access to certain resources, she could power the entire station. I managed to find and buy some of the things she asked for, and I think she'll be happy when she gets her hands on a full electrician's repair kit tomorrow, hehe.
The hot pizza was a hit with everyone. As usual, I lay down in one of the cars with Skyed. I'd grown used to taking care of the blonde. Though Sally was already walking on her own and feeling much better. So, she ate pizza with all of us, but for some reason, she frowned when I talked about my little adventures on the surface. Hmm-hmm...