Dustin’s method was quick and effective, but the approach was unexpected.
Alicia wanted Brian to swiftly regain composure to prevent him from succumbing to exhaustion. She understood that if Brian were incapacitated, no one would be able to confront Shadowcloak.
However, she hadn’t anticipated Dustin would knock Brian unconscious. While it resolved the immediate issue, it left Alicia pondering the implications.
“Brian!”
After a moment of stunned silence, the Celestial Alliance disciples hurried to lift the unconscious Brian and move him away. Despite their attempts to rouse him by shaking and calling out to him, Brian remained sound asleep.
“Dr. Rhys, you knocked him out. So, who is going to deal with the assassins now?” Aurora frowned and felt a headache coming on.
“You only asked me to calm him down quickly. You didn’t say that he had to stay conscious.” Dustin shrugged.
“Uh… well, can you wake him up?” Alicia asked.
“Sure.” Dustin nodded.
“We’d be grateful if you could wake him up,” Alicia breathed a sigh of relief. As long as Brian awakened, they stood a chance to confront Shadowcloak and the assassins.
“Okay,” Dustin responded and promptly pulled out his silver needles.
“Wait!” Aurora interjected cautiously. ” Dr. Rhys, are you certain this won’t go wrong again?”
“It won’t. Trust me, I’ve done this before,” Dustin said confidently.
“Okay then,” Aurora said with a relieved smile.
“Here we go,” Dustin said. He held a silver needle between his fingers and swiftly inserted it above Brian’s upper lip.
Brian’s eyes snapped open, and he sprang to his feet. “Kill! I’m going to kill all of you!” he shouted frantically. With his halberd in hand, he swung it wildly as if in a frenzy.
Aurora’s face turned pale with fear at the sight. She quickly copied Dustin’s earlier move and delivered a sharp blow to the back of Brian’s neck. He groaned and collapsed again.
“That was close. It could’ve been disastrous.” She breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Brian, now lying peacefully.
Given Brian’s strength, she knew no one could have stopped him if he had gone on a rampage.
“Aurora…” Alicia was shocked. She felt that knocking him out again right after he woke up seemed extreme.
“Yeah, Alicia, but what choice did we have? Brian hadn’t calmed down yet,” Aurora replied helplessly. If they let him lose control, countless people could have been hurt.
“It’s strange, though. Brian may be impulsive, but he’s never been this volatile. Why did a couple of taunts push him over the edge?” Alicia frowned in confusion.
“The problem lies with that man,” Grace chimed in. “He probably drugged Brian and made him irritable and easily manipulated.”
“That explains it. No wonder Brian seemed off.” Alicia nodded thoughtfully.
“What a vile person to use such underhanded tactics to hurt others.” Aurora’s expression turned cold.
Brian was the strongest among them. It would spell disaster if he lost control and couldn’t distinguish friend from foe.
“Faith, what should we do about that man? He seems pretty formidable.”
Alicia frowned and eyed the cloaked figure who had appeared out of nowhere.
“Don’t worry. With Dr. Rhys here, that man won’t be causing any trouble,” Grace said with a faint smile. She seemed unfazed by the situation.
“Dr. Rhys?”
Alicia and Aurora turned to Dustin with a blend of curiosity and skepticism in their expressions.
Despite Dustin’s remarkable medical skills, he was just a doctor. They questioned how he could compete with a grandmaster martial artist. Their skill levels seemed worlds apart.
“Why does it always have to be me?” he exclaimed in exasperation.
Since encountering the Marshall sisters, he hadn’t experienced a single moment of respite-juggling between alchemy, treating Alicia, and dealing with Brian’s messes. And now, he was being roped into fights too.
“Well, the capable ones get all the tasks, right? You can’t expect the defenseless girls to handle the fighting, “Grace said with a playful wink.
“Faith, Dr. Rhys looks pretty skinny. Can he really take on that man?” Alicia asked while giving Dustin a once-over.
“Yeah, Faith. That man is a grandmaster martial artist. Even Brian isn’t a match for him. Can Dr. Rhys really handle it?” Aurora chimed in. She was equally skeptical about Dustin.
“Don’t worry. If Dr. Rhys is willing to step up, he’ll handle that man with ease,” Grace assured them with a smile.
“Really? Does Dr. Rhys have some hidden skills?” Alicia was taken aback by Grace’s confidence.
She knew Grace wouldn’t make unfounded claims. Alicia was curious if Dustin had some secret talent to confront a grandmaster martial artist.
“Whether there’s a hidden skill or not, you’ll see soon enough.” Grace grinned, then raised an eyebrow at Dustin. “The stage is yours. Show us what you’ve got.”
