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Arthur cleared his throat loudly, interrupting the flirtatious banter. "Morning, Dutch," Arthur said, his tone casual but firm. "Sorry to interrupt, but Caleb here just filled me in on the plan to head to Six Point Cabin. You want us to take the O'Driscoll boy and a couple of others to pay Colm a visit?"
Dutch looked up, his expression shifting from amusement to seriousness as he turned his attention away from Molly. "Good morning, boys. Yes, Arthur, I assume Caleb's told you everything. I want you and Caleb to take two more men and that O'Driscoll boy with you. Head to Six Point Cabin and pay a social visit to our dear friend Mr. Colm O'Driscoll. Let's end this feud once and for all."
Arthur nodded, his jaw tightening. "Understood, Dutch. We'll get it done."
Dutch's gaze shifted to Caleb, his expression softening slightly. "I couldn't stop saying how good of a work you'd have done, son. Keep it up. This could be the break we've been waiting for."
Caleb tipped his hat respectfully in reaction to Dutch's words. "Thank you, Dutch. I'll do my best." While inwardly Caleb knew that this was a break Dutch been waiting for, not for the gang because it was Dutch who had the hatred and the others just receive impact as well.
As they left Dutch's tent, Arthur turned to Caleb, his expression serious. "Alright, let's get this show on the road. I'll go check on John if he was good to join us and grab Charles, if John still tending his scar I'll go get Javier. They're good in a fight, and we'll need all the help we can get if things go south. You go get the O'Driscoll boy ready. Make sure he's fed and watered, we don't want him passing out on us before we get there."
Caleb nodded. "Got it. I'll meet you at the horses in fifteen minutes."
Caleb made his way over to the tree where Kieran was still tied up. The O'Driscoll looked even worse than the night before, his face pale and his eyes hollow. Caleb stand in front of him looking at him, his expression stern.
"We're heading out soon," Caleb said, his voice low. "You're leading us to Six Point Cabin. If you try anything, if this is a trap, you won't live to regret it. Understand?"
Kieran nodded weakly, his voice barely above a whisper. "I understand, Mister. I'll take you there."
Caleb untied Kieran and helped him stay on his feet. Using the ropes to tied his hand, he then says, "Good. Let's get you some food and water. You'll need your strength for the ride."
Fifteen minutes later, the group was ready to go. Arthur, Caleb, Javier, and Charles stood by their horses, their weapons checked and their supplies packed. Kieran stood awkwardly on the side, his hands was tied. Dutch approached, his expression grim but determined.
"This is it, boys," Dutch said, his voice carrying the weight of the moment. "End Colm, and we end this feud. Be careful out there. I don't want to lose any of you."
Arthur tipped his hat. "We'll get it done, Dutch. Don't worry."
After Arthur's words, he climbed onto his horse, turning to John with a stern expression. "John, you take this little rattlesnake with you," he said, nodding toward Kieran. "Any nonsense, kill him."
John, who had been adjusting his saddle, nodded and replied, "Sure. Come on, O'Driscoll, let me untie those ropes." He untied Kieran's hands and helped him onto the back of his horse. Kieran looked uneasy but didn't resist, knowing he had no choice but to comply.
Caleb mounted Morgan, while Charles climbed onto his own steed. Arthur, now seated on his horse, turned to the group and said, "Mr. Marston, Mr. Smith, Mr. Thorne, we've got a social call to make." He then turned to Kieran, his voice sharp. "Where we heading, O'Driscoll?"
Kieran, sitting awkwardly behind John, replied, "I ain't no O'Driscoll."
Arthur smirked. "But you sure as hell was. Now, tell us where we're headed."
Kieran hesitated, then said, "Up into the hills, behind Valentine. I'll show you the way."
Arthur nodded. "Alright then, O'Driscoll. Show us the way. We're going to pay your old buddies our respects. John, you take the lead and follow his directions. We'll follow behind."
John nodded and guided his horse to the front of the group, with Kieran seated behind him. The group rode out of the small forest surrounding the camp, heading toward the main road. As they rode, John glanced back at Arthur and asked, "So, he's taking us to Colm?"
Arthur replied, "That's what he says, according to Caleb."
Kieran, feeling the need to assert himself, chimed in, "I'm taking you to him. Look, I-I-I'll give you more directions when we're close. But if I know where we are, it's up past Valentine."
John chuckled, shaking his head. "Sharing a saddle with an O'Driscoll. Who'd have thought?"
Kieran, growing frustrated, snapped, "How many times I gotta say? I ain't O'Driscoll!"
John smirked, clearly enjoying the banter. "You sure look like one. And you smell like… goddamn, you smell like one too!"
Kieran, now visibly annoyed, shot back, "I smell like horseshit."
John laughed, his tone light. "That's right. Boy, are you high."
Caleb and Charles, riding behind them, remained silent. Charles, as usual, was a man of few words, while Caleb had already anticipated this conversation, though he noted the slight changes due to Charles being present instead of Bill. It was a small but significant butterfly effect, and Caleb wondered how it might alter the course of events.
As they rode out of the forest and reached a three way intersection, they turned left onto the main road. The group followed the path, the tension between them palpable.
Kieran, scanning the landscape, suddenly spoke up. "Hey… hey… if I got my bearings, it's over here. Yeah… I know this country. Take this track up through the rocks."
The group followed Kieran's directions, riding in silence for a while. Caleb, sensing an opportunity to build rapport with John, decided to break the quiet. "So, how are you holding up, Mr. Marston? I heard you've got some pretty nasty scars that needed healing."
John, who had been lost in thought, glanced back at Caleb. "Fine. Still in pain, but I'm fine. Thanks for asking, Caleb. And just call me John when it's not official business."
Caleb nodded, a small smile on his face. "That's good to hear. And okay, John."
Arthur, riding beside them, chimed in with his usual dry humor. "You damn well should be, after all that bed rest."
John rolled his eyes, clearly used to Arthur's jabs. "Hey, alright. Abigail wouldn't let me up. You know her… she won't be reasoned with."
Arthur smirked, his tone teasing. "Well, when you were having a failure of reason… and hiding behind your woman… we were getting shot at."
Caleb, acting like he thought he sensed some tension, insert himself to mediate. "I'm sure John would do the same for you and all of us if we were in a bad way, Arthur."
John shot Caleb a grateful look. "Thank you, Caleb. See, Arthur? That's how a friend should be."
Arthur chuckled, though his tone was still light. "I sure hope so, Caleb. But I fear he don't know how to help anyone… excepting himself."
John, faking like he was annoyed, turned to Kieran and said, "You see, O'Driscoll? If this is how he treats his friends, imagine what he does to his enemies."
Kieran who was silent, see John looked at him, and asked a question so he respond, "I got an inkling of what you all do your enemies when my finger was stabbed slowly, and that your boss wanted to cut off my balls making me an eunuch, so that I talk."
Kieran's response about his finger being stabbed and Dutch's supposed threat to cut off his balls caught Arthur, John, and Charles off guard. While they weren't surprised by the idea of using force to extract information, the specific mention of castration was unexpected.
Arthur and Charles turned to look at Caleb, their expressions a mix of amusement and mild concern. John, unable to turn around fully due to Kieran sitting behind him, glanced over his shoulder as best he could. Caleb, riding Morgan directly behind John, noticed their looks and let out a chuckle.
"I may have said that," Caleb admitted with a shrug, "but it got him to talk, didn't it?"
John laughed, shaking his head. "Very funny, Caleb. I didn't expect you to have this side to you. Now I see why Arthur gets along with you so well, you're both cut from the same cloth."
Arthur smirked, his tone loud but teasing. "And that's why I like him better than I like you, John. Caleb's a man of action. He'll do what he says. But I didn't expect this side of you, Caleb. Unlike me, I don't go around threatening to cut people's balls off."
Charles, who had been quiet mostly on their ride, chimed in with a rare comment. "Remind me not to anger you, Caleb. I don't want to lose my balls."
Caleb shook his head, chuckling despite himself. He knew they'd gotten the wrong impression of him, but there was no point in correcting them now. If he tried to explain that he'd been bluffing, it would only make things worse. Instead, he decided to let the moment pass, knowing it would become just another story told around the campfire at the camp.
As the group continued riding, Kieran suddenly spoke up again, his voice hesitant. "Hey, now we go left… the road'll take us around."
They arrived at a four way intersection and followed Kieran's direction, turning left onto a narrow path. They passed under a small wooden bridge, the sound of their horses' hooves echoing softly. Kieran pointed ahead. "Those are the hills. Head for 'em."
John, guiding his horse, called back to the group. "Save your horses, boys. We've got a climb ahead."
As they rode, Kieran, seemingly emboldened by the earlier conversation, spoke up again. "You know… you all ain't that different from the O'Driscolls."
Caleb, surprised by Kieran's words, and he would say such thing again even though he had 'persuade' him that they were different from O'Driscolls, interjected before anyone else could respond. "Mr. Duffy, didn't I already tell you that we're very, very different from the O'Driscolls?"
Kieran didn't respond, but John, clearly annoyed, took over. "Wait a minute, Caleb. Let me handle this." He turned his head slightly toward Kieran. "What did you just say, O'Driscoll?"
Kieran, his voice shaky but defiant, replied, "I've been watching you all these weeks, and… and—"
John cut him off with a sharp laugh. "You've been tied to a tree. You don't know anything about this gang."
Kieran persisted, his tone growing more confident. "Yeah, well… I'd say you don't know much about the O'Driscolls. But maybe I know more about you than you know about them. And I know all about them, so…"
Caleb, tired of Kieran's insinuations and wondering why the butterfly effect doesn't take this conversation out, interjected again. "Then tell us, Mr. Duffy. How are we like the O'Driscolls, hmm?"
Kieran hesitated for a moment before answering. "You're outlaws, like them. You're out to survive, like them. You live rough… you live hard… fighting the law, nature… you're out for yourselves."
John, his patience wearing thin, responded sharply. "See? This is why you're an O'Driscoll, O'Driscoll. You're out to survive. We're out to live… free."
There was a brief silence as John focused on guiding his horse through the rocky terrain. Then he continued, his voice firm. "Colm's a sneak thief and a killer. As for Dutch… well, Dutch is more like a teacher."
Kieran's voice grew quieter, almost a mumble. "From where I've been, you just looked the same, is all."
John shot back, his tone final. "Then you looked, but you ain't seen." Meanwhile, Arthur, who had been growing increasingly annoyed by Kieran's comments, finally spoke up. "John? Shut that boy up." Hearing that, John nodded, his voice firm as he addressed Kieran. "Enough out of you."
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Name:Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 6/10
- Agility: 6/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 6/10
- Charm: 5/10
- Luck: 5/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 1)
- Rifle (Lvl 1)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 2)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 1)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 1)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 1)
- Poker (Lvl 1)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 1)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 1)
- Bow (Lvl 2)
Money: 155 dollars and 41 cents
Bank: 40 dollars, 2 gold bars, and a large bag of jewelry