BXBX NOVEL Chapter 66: Final Words
No one said anything. No one told Charles not to prod a dead man because they knew he was currently going through his process but Devon did turn to Henry with a piercing and aggressive stare,
"What happened?" He asked.
Henry found that he could hardly be bothered by the accusation in that question. He just took a deep breath and got ready to recite what had happened when horses galloping in from behind, interrupted him.
Taking a different route from the one Henry and Tony had and looking like they had gone through much hardship to avoid getting followed by enemies, three horses rode into the Hadron Mansion compound.
Henry didn't have to look back to know who it was because the notifications from the System took care of that;
[Quest Completed]
[You have received 200 Exp]
*[Nyx has received 100 Exp]
[Number of survivors: 3]
[You have received a bonus of 300 Exp]
*[Nyx has received 150 Exp]
[Level Up!]
[You are now Level 9]
[Hit Point Maximum increased to 90]
[Mana Point Maximum increased to 100]
[You have received 6 Stat Points to Allocate]
[You now have 18 unallocated Stat Points]
—————
[Name: Henry Morgan]
[Level: 9 (162/2100 Exp)]
[Race: Human]
[Class: Gunslinger]
[Title: Death's Bane, Gangbanger, Vyker-Killer]
[Hit Points: 44/90]
[Mana Points: 100/100]
[Strength: 22]
[Agility: 15]
[Stamina: 12]
[Perception: 10]
[Skills:
{Marksmanship Lv. 3 <Active Sub Skill: Quick Thinking> <Active Sub Skill: Reload>} {Taming Lv. 2 <Active Sub Skill: Bonding>} {Insight Lv.1}]
[You have 18 unallocated Stat Points]
—————
Brushing aside the notification and Status screens, Henry turned around to watch the arriving Newbies trot to a stop. All sporting the wounds they had sustained in the chase with Tom at the forefront looking downcast.
Tom's raised his head and found Henry's eyes. He said nothing and just pursed his lips before he looked to the side at Tony still lying against his horse's back. He paused as he noticed there was no rise and fall to signify breathing and his eyes widened as they went back to Henry who just quietly looked away and back to Devon.
"We were attacked," Henry said, "The tip was a trap Bounty Hunters laid just to grab someone that could lead them to the hideout.
Twenty-five or more of them jumped us and herded us to a cliff. Tony died in the shootout."
Devon spent a few seconds looking at Henry but had no reason to doubt his Testimony so he looked over at the newbies who were getting down from their horses,
"That tip you got…" he started and took a step toward them.
Henry stretched out a hand and placed it on his chest as he held him back,
"Don't," he said while shaking his head, "Don't bother. It's not really their fault anyway. How well do we ever verify tips before going on a job?"
Henry used 'we' but he had never gotten a tip and gone after it for the Dionisio Gang before. It was, however, something he had done many times in his past life. But the feeling of grief was too prevalent for anyone to catch his little slip.
"Just let it go," he told Devon before taking his hand off his chest.
•••
Ten minutes later, Henry, Charles, Triss, Stefan, Devon, Dana, and Good ol' Joe, stood a few feet away from the Mansion (outside of its walls completely) next to a hole they had dug and lowered Tony into.
"Where's Angus?" Charles asked with his expression steeled and his eyes on his dead friend.
"He went out," Joe said.
"To where?" Charles asked.
Joe shrugged,
"I don't know," he said, "Just said he had something to do. He's been gone all day."
That made Charles angrier and looking around, Henry saw the expression mirrored in the faces of the others. He understood why. In their minds, Angus caused this. He opened their doors to the new members who brought in their unverified tips.
In their minds, things had never gotten as bad as getting chased by more than twenty Bounty Hunters at a time. Worse yet, Angus had still not been clear about the big plans he had and how exactly they were supposed to manage to rob the Black Manor when one of their own just died to enemies without a lick of magic in their bodies.
Charles cleared his throat,
"Of course, he's out chasing dreams again," he said in a gruff voice,
"And he'll come back with more promises, I bet.
Promises! That was all Tony ever heard and now he's dead without knowing exactly how those promises were ever getting fulfilled."
No one said anything because they agreed.
In this inner circle of theirs, Angus' most loyal was likely Devon and even he questioned the choices that had been made. He had objected to the growing numbers himself even though he had done it while saying loudly "Only I am enough!"
Everyone had their time to say their final words. A rite they had not been able to do for Kirk whose body they had left behind on the Train.
When it was Henry's turn, he simply said,
"Goodbye."
Unlike the others he had had his chance to say his final words to Tony before he died so didn't think there was a need to make it lengthy.
He had known these people for three weeks, —REALLY known them and not just through memories he had in his head and had no connection to— and was there any more time needed for him to make up his mind and decide they were a group he could rely on to watch his back?
So far, they had done nothing to make him suspicious and as bitchy and annoyingly stupid as some of them were (eyes on Dana and Devon), they seemed good-natured— Well, as good-natured as a gang of criminals can be.
Tony, though… As He watched Tony's face down in the hole dug for him, Henry thought back to the Train Job and how it had been the two of them running across the roof, fighting off uniformed gunmen.
He remembered the conversation they had when it all ended and Tony accused him of having a masochistic kink before following it up with an admission of respect.
He remembered the last minutes they had before getting chased by Bounty Hunters and filled with bullet holes and how they had leisurely passed alcohol as they talked.
'Would he have survived if I had not insisted we go after the newbies and save them?' Henry wondered.
In a corner of his mind, he was aware that things were not ever so simple. Even if they left the newbies and just kept running, the Bounty Hunters had more than enough numbers to chase both groups. The newbies would have died or gotten captured and Tony would probably still have gotten shot all the same.
Of course, even as his mind came up with this, Henry could not help the guilt gnawing away at him.
They poured dirt over Tony's body and marked his grave with a headstone Charles carved into with a dagger and then they all returned to the Hadron Mansion to wait and raise complaints that had been brewing for days already about the path their leadership was leading them in.
All new members were ordered to remain within the Mansion and with Devon enforcing that order with his shotgun in hand, they were all inclined to obey.
Angus didn't return that day.
He returned the next day, just past noon. Dressed with a cloak draped around his form and a shirt properly buttoned to hide away the gem pulsing on his chest. He had a Hat on his head and when bent at the right angle, it covered up his purple eyes.
On his face was a bright smile like someone bringing good tidings.
The Gang was not so convinced.