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Caleb leaned in, his voice low and steady. "We're not the same as the O'Driscolls. They kill, rape, and torture for fun. We're a family trying to survive and help those in need, while enriching ourselves at the same time. There's a large difference between us and the O'Driscolls."
Kieran glared at him but said nothing. Caleb sighed, holstering his revolver and crossing his arms. "How about this, Mr. Duffy? I'll make you a deal. You'll get food and water twice a day, and in return, you'll tell me everything you know about the O'Driscolls. And as a bonus, I'll make sure Mr. Van der Linde doesn't cut off your balls and turn you into a eunuch. What do you say?"
Kieran's eyes widened in panic at the mention of castration. "C-cut off my balls?!" he stammered. "You're bluffin', Mister! Ain't no way you'd do that!"
Caleb's expression didn't change. He drew his knife and pressed the blade against Kieran's finger, his voice now cold. "I'm losing my patience, Mr. Duffy. I've offered you a deal that could save your life, and you're testing me. How about I start by cutting off a finger, and then we'll see what Mr. Van der Linde has to say about your balls?"
Kieran's breath quickened as he felt the sharp edge of the blade against his skin. Caleb applied just enough pressure to make the threat real, and Kieran's resolve crumbled. "Okay! Okay, Mister! I'll talk! I'll tell you everythin'! Just stop!"
Caleb smiled, pulling the knife away and slipping it back into its sheath. He reached into his satchel and pulled out a bandage, wrapping it around Kieran's finger where the tip of his knife had pressed. "That's more like it, Mr. Duffy. Why do you need to make me resort to violence. Now, why don't you tell me what you know?"
Kieran took a few shaky breaths, his eyes darting around as if expecting someone to jump out and stop him. "Colm O'Driscoll… he hates your boss. Hates him more than anythin'. He's holed up at Six Point Cabin. I can take you there, I remember where it is. I don't like him, neither. I mean, I like him even less than I like you all… no offense."
Caleb chuckled, patting Kieran on the shoulder. "None taken. It just proves we're a step above Colm and his boys." He reached into his satchel again and pulled out a piece of salted venison, for in git into Kieran's mouth. "Here, Mr. Duffy. A little something to hold you over. You've earned it."
Kieran felt the taste of meat in his mouth and soon chewed it, while trying to hold the meat in his mouth so that it wouldn't fall off. Caleb watched him eat, his expression thoughtful. "You did the right thing, Kieran. This information could save lives, maybe even yours."
As Kieran continued to chew on the venison, Caleb turned and walked back toward the campfire, his mind already racing with plans. He needed to inform Dutch and the others about what he'd learned. Six Point Cabin was a lead they couldn't ignore, and if they moved quickly, they might be able to catch Colm O'Driscoll off guard.
When he reached the fire, he found Dutch and Hosea deep in conversation. They looked up as he approached, and Dutch raised an eyebrow. "Something on your mind, son?"
Caleb nodded, his expression serious. "I've got some information about a man named Colm O'Driscoll. That O'Driscoll guy finally talked after I persuaded him, Arthur have said to me that you and Arthur captured him to gain information. He says Colm's holed up at Six Point Cabin."
Dutch's eyes narrowed, and a slow smile spread across his face. "Well, well… looks like our little captive finally decided to be useful. Good work, son. We'll need to act on this quickly."
Hosea leaned forward, his expression thoughtful. "Six Point Cabin, huh? Never heard of it. Does he tell you where its exact location was, son?"
Caleb actually knew where its location was from the game, it was to the north of Valentine, inside of Cumberland Forest and he had passed through Cumberland Forest before when he explored to unlock more areas in his map function.
Even though he had passed Cumberland Forest, the area was huge and the map size was much bigger than the one in the game, so he didn't know its exact location, and Kieran's knowledge of where its location was their only way to get to Colm O'Driscoll.
So Caleb shook his head in response to Hosea's question, his expression carefully neutral. "No, he didn't tell me the exact location, Hosea," he said, his tone measured. "But the O'Driscoll boy offered to lead us there himself. He claims he remembers where it is and takes us there in exchange for his freedom."
Dutch's eyes narrowed, stands up from his seat and got out of his tent, where Hosea and Caleb followed suit, takes out a cigar from his pocket and lit it up, then he took a long drag from his cigar, the smoke curling around his face as he exhaled. "I see," he said, his voice low and thoughtful. "If that boy could bring us to Colm, we should use him then."
Hosea, however, wasn't as quick to trust. He leaned forward, his brow furrowed with concern. "What do you think, Dutch? Are we sure this isn't some kind of trap? What if the boy leads us straight into an ambush?"
Dutch turned to Hosea, his expression resolute. "We have no other choice, Hosea. If we can end Colm now, the blood feud that started all those years ago can finally come to an end. This is our chance."
Caleb, playing the role of the curious newcomer, chimed in. "I'm sorry to ask, Dutch, Hosea, but what's this feud with Colm O'Driscoll all about? I've heard of the O'Driscolls, they're a nasty bunch, but I don't know the history between you and Colm."
Dutch and Hosea exchanged a glance, a silent conversation passing between them. Finally, Dutch sighed and turned to Caleb. "It's a long story, son, and we don't have much time to get into it. But what I can tell you is this, I killed Colm's brother, and in return, he killed a woman I held dear. Since then, it's been a never ending feud of pain and betrayal between us and the O'Driscolls. Blood for blood, pain for pain."
Caleb nodded, his expression sympathetic. "I see. I'm sorry to hear that, Dutch. So, what's the plan now?"
Dutch took another puff of his cigar, his eyes hardening with determination. "We take the fight to Colm. We end this thing once and for all. You've done good work tonight, Caleb. Get some rest. Tomorrow morning, I'll have Arthur, you, and a few others take that O'Driscoll boy to Six Point Cabin. We'll take Colm and his boys out before they even know what hit them."
Caleb nodded again, his face turned serious. "Understood, Dutch. I'll be ready."
As Caleb turned to leave, Hosea placed a hand on Dutch's arm, his voice low and urgent. "Dutch, are you sure this is the right move? We need to lay low, not start a war with Colm. This could bring a lot more trouble than it's worth."
Dutch sighed, his shoulders sagging slightly under the weight of Hosea's words. "I know, Hosea. But we can't let this opportunity slip away. Colm's caused us enough pain. If we can end him now, it'll bring peace to us and to Annabelle's memory."
Hosea didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue further. He simply nodded, his expression troubled, as Dutch turned and walked back into his tent.
On the other hand, as Caleb made his way to his bedroll beside Arthur's tent, his mind raced with thoughts of the upcoming mission tomorrow. When he arrived at the tent, he saw that Arthur's bed was empty and it meant he hadn't come back yet from whatever Arthur was doing outside.
As he lay down on his bedroll, Caleb stared up above looking at the large cloth used as a ceiling for Arthur's tent. He thought about the gang, about Dutch's determination to end the feud with Colm, and about the risks they were about to take.
He knew this mission could change everything, for better or worse. If they don't manage to catch Colm in time or he has left when they arrive like in the game, then Colm will come to them just like in the game and a new round of war between the two gangs will start once again.
The camp was quiet now, most of the gang members that were present in the camp had retired for the night. The only sounds were the crackling of the campfire and the occasional rustle of leaves in the breeze. Caleb closed his eyes, trying to calm his mind and get some rest, but sleep soon shrouded him.
The next morning, Caleb was woken by the sounds of the camp stirring to life. The voices of the gang members, the clatter of pots and pans, and the occasional whinny of horses filled the air.
He opened his eyes and saw Arthur just getting up from his bed, stretching before walking over to the shaving kit and mirror he kept outside his tent. Arthur began shaving his facial hair, his movements slow and deliberate.
Caleb sat up from his bedroll and greeted Arthur with a yawn. "Good morning, Mr. Morgan. Looks like you came back late last night."
Arthur, still focused on shaving, replied without looking up. "Good morning, Mr. Thorne. Yeah, I had some business to attend to outside. Got some money for the gang."
Caleb stood and stretched, his muscles stiff from sleeping on the ground. "Okay then. Oh, have you heard from Dutch yet? He said today the two of us, along with a few others, would be heading to a place called Six Point Cabin."
Arthur paused mid shave, his razor hovering near his cheek. He turned to look at Caleb, his brow furrowed. "What? Six Point Cabin? No, Dutch haven't said anything to me yet. When I got back last night, everyone was already asleep, except for those on guarding around the camp. What's this about?"
Caleb explained the situation, carefully tailoring the story to avoid revealing too much about his own knowledge. "I heard from a few folks in the camp that this O'Driscoll boy named Kieran was captured by you and Dutch to get information about the O'Driscolls. So, I took a chance and tried to 'persuade' him to talk. Turns out, he cracked and gave us the location of Colm O'Driscoll. He's holed up at Six Point Cabin, and he's willing to lead us there."
Arthur's eyes widened in surprise, and he let out a low chuckle. "Well, I'll be damned. I didn't expect that O'Driscoll boy to talk, let alone for you to be the one to get him to spill. Good work, Caleb."
Caleb shrugged modestly. "Thank you, Arthur. It was nothing, really. Just a combination of hard and soft work, with a bit of bluffing and lying thrown in."
Arthur laughed, finishing up his shave and splashing water on his face to rinse off the remnants of soap. "Don't sell yourself short, kid. You've been putting in good work since you joined us. Now, let's go talk to Dutch and figure out how we're gonna handle this Six Point Cabin situation. If we can end Colm, it'll be a hell of a win for the gang."
After changing into their usual clothes, Caleb now wearing a new pair of boots Arthur had given him, the two men made their way to Dutch's tent. As they approached, they heard Dutch and Molly laughing together, their voices carrying through the canvas walls.
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?"
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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