Death's Disciple [Sys Apoc, OP Villain MC, LitRPG] Chapter 50: 1.50 Paying Costs

Read chapter 50 of Death's Disciple [Sys Apoc, OP Villain MC, LitRPG] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

1.50 Paying Costs Chapter 50 “He was a good man, doing his best to stop a deranged psychopath, and even though he knew it could cost him everything, he had the courage to fight anyway,” the pastor spoke in a clear and vibrant voice over the gathering. In front of me a large hole had been cut into the earth, and a casket was slowly lowered inside of it. Flowers ringed the pit, an easel with the picture of a smiling Gerard Davis sat off to the side, next to which was a row of chairs. A short brunette woman and two young girls sat in those chairs, each of them crying as Gerard’s body was lowered down. “His memory lives on in his wife, Julie, and two daughters, Mary and Emmaline. May you forever…” I turned my attention away from the pastor. Everything he said was the carefully curated public message that mostly fudged the truth. Gerard was fighting against the evil Noah Lenkov, and with the help of Barry Schilling and Gareth Nieve, the evil hunter was delayed and couldn’t make his attempted assassination on the New States Union’s Prime Minister. As far as Barry, the General, and the rest of the world was concerned, Gerard’s lies were the truth. After leaving the two legendary hunters to fend for themselves in a dungeon, Noah Lenkov appeared back on earth and went directly toward the capital, where he had broken into the Prime Minister’s office. Security had managed to fight him off, even wounding him, before Noah Lenkov fled the scene. With the tip off about the attempted assassination by the heroes, Noah was thwarted, and his picture sent across the world for all to be on the lookout for the Hunter-fugitive. I had to keep things moving as Gerard had described. So a “failed” assassination was practically forced on me. Killing the country’s leader wasn’t on my actual agenda, at least not yet, so I didn’t really need to try. I only needed to give a performance. And with the magic that was new media, I was once again the talk of the world. Every country, guild and corporation condemning the evil man that I had become. Which meant they were focused far more on me, than on fighting each other, at least for a little while. Noah Lenkov could take a back seat, and Adam could appear once again. At Gerard’s funeral, to give condolences to the heartbroken family in front of me. “I’m sorry for your loss, Gerard was a real hero,” I said to Julia and her kids. The woman looked up to me with watery eyes, and simply nodded in response. It was about the same reaction I gave at Alex’s vigil. Emotionally numb, far too tired to do more but feeling obligated to play the game of the cultural contract we had all signed unwittingly. I hated it. I hated it when I was on the receiving end just a couple weeks before, and I hated being the one to give empty condolences then. Because while I did feel bad for Julia and the girls, truly, I could see and feel the pain in their expressions as easily as I felt the pain on my parent’s faces. But I knew I would do it again. I had to. Gerard, while he might have backed me into a corner and forced my hand, was someone I felt needed to go. He was a smart man that would have eventually found a way to either kill me, or figure out who Noah Lenkov really was. And while I would have loved to bring him into my circle of trust with Richard, he was simply too impulsive, and would have been my eventual downfall either way. So, he had to die. A waste of a good Hunter, of a good man. He wouldn’t be the last. That was the reality of Earth with this new System, with the Dungeon rifts, the class system, all of it. It was a poison that was force fed to every human on the planet. And making sure it didn’t end up killing us all meant I would have to live up to my Class’s name. Blood and death were my new best friends, not counting Barry. And even him… We left the funeral and returned to Paragon Guild shortly after. All of Paragon Team had attended. Not only for reasons of PR, but as fellow cheese-lab attendees it would have felt disre