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"And you were ready to get us all killed," Caleb shot back quietly, though without malice. "Let's give them so space." The family slowly crawled out from under the wagon, keeping close to each other. The mother clutched the shotgun like a lifeline, and pointed it to the three of them but not as alert as before but still alert. Her children stuck to her sides like shadows.
Caleb stepped back to let them breathe, then pulled a small cloth wrapped parcel from his satchel, so bread, dried at, and an apple that he got from around this camp.
"Here," he said softly, offering it to them.
The girl reached out first, eyes locked on his face the whole ti. She took the bundle and handed it to her mother, who gave Caleb a silent, teary nod.
Arthur crossed his arms. "What do you think happened here?"
"They were probably attacked," Charles said, glancing back toward the body they'd found earlier. "Might've been family or soone they knew."
Caleb nodded slowly. "They've been through hell."
"What are we supposed to do with them?" Arthur asked. "We can't bring 'em back to camp."
"No," Caleb agreed. "But we-"
Before Caleb could finish his sentence, the German woman holding the double barrelled shotgun interrupted, her voice trembling yet determined. "Sprechen sie Deutsch? G-German?"
Arthur opened his mouth to respond, but Caleb was quicker as he lifted his hands slightly in a non threatening gesture, his tone calm. "No ma'am, sorry, but we don't speak German."
Arthur stepped forward with a harder edge in his voice as he added. "Like he said, no, we don't. Now get the hell outta here! It ain't safe around here! Get the hell outta here!"
He gestured with a firm wave of his arm, as if shooing them away from danger, his frustration evident in every jerky movent. The woman flinched at his tone, clutching her children closer.
But just as they stood still trembling to move, the twelve years old German girl, stepped out from behind her mother, clutching the dried at Caleb had given. Her voice was small but desperate.
"They took our father," she blurted out in broken English.
Then she vanished behind her mother again, clinging to her skirts like a lifeline.
Charles stepped forward imdiately, his voice low but urgent. "Who did?"
The girl's head peeked out. "M-n... last night."
"Where?" Charles pressed gently, crouching slightly to be closer to her level. "Where did they take him?"
But Arthur groaned, rolled his eyes, and turned to Charles. "Ain't no business of ours. I don't even speak whatever damn language they're usin'."
Charles's face darkened as he turned to him sharply, anger bristling under his usually calm tone. He strode over and jabbed a finger toward Arthur's chest. "You ain't as tough and dense as all that, Arthur Morgan, and we both know it!"
Arthur scowled, about to retort, but before he could, Caleb stepped in. Seeing his opportunity to put so small influence of change inside Arthur.
"Arthur, how could you say that?" Caleb said, voice low but firm. "I know deep down you're a kind and thoughtful man. Don't let your frustration with our situation control your words and actions. We're not animals."
The words seed to strike Arthur like a physical blow. He stared at him, jaw clenched. Then his shoulders sagged a little, as if Caleb's words chipped away at a wall he'd built around himself.
After a mont, he exhaled through his nose. "You're right... I'm sorry," he muttered to the family, eyes flickering to the children.
Charles looked at Caleb and nodded in approval, a silent thank you. Caleb returned it with a small smile.
Charles turned to face the others. "Co on, Arthur. Caleb. Let's move on and search for the father."
He gave a short whistle, and his horse trotted toward him. Caleb tipped his hat to the family. "We'll do what we can," and did the sa for Morgan, giving her a brief pat on the neck as she approached. Arthur sighed, whistled for his own horse, and swung into the saddle without another word.
Charles pointed south, recalling the direction the girl had motioned toward. "She was pointing this way. Let's see if we can pick up so tracks."
The three n urged their horses forward. Charles leaned over his mount's side, scanning the ground. "Look, there's so tracks. Let's follow 'em."
Caleb activated his Eagle Eye skill. His vision shifted, the world fading into muted tones as bright golden trails marked bootprints in the dirt, scuffed earth, and even a faint bloodstain.
"There," he said, riding beside Charles. "I see the trail."
Charles nodded appreciatively. "Good eye. Let's follow them."
Arthur fell into place behind them, quiet. His posture was stiff with lingering irritation.
A few minutes passed in relative silence until Charles spoke again, glancing back at Arthur. "What's going on with you, Arthur?"
Arthur furrowed his brow. "What do you an?"
"You were just gonna send that woman and her children on their way? Just like that?"
Arthur's expression tightened. "We're wanted n, Charles. We got both Cornwall and the Pinkertons breathing down our necks. We should be movin' camp, not runnin' off on so wild goose chase for folks we don't even know."
Charles snapped back. "Co on, Arthur. That's not who you are."
Arthur's lips curled in frustration. "Well, maybe you didn't know as well as you think you do."
Caleb couldn't keep quiet any longer.
"No, Arthur," he said, firm but not unkind. "Both of us, even , who's only been here a short while, know exactly who you are. You're not the kind of man who turns his back on people in need. Don't start thinking so low of yourself."
Arthur fell silent, his jaw working as he stared straight ahead.
The tension lingered in the air for a mont, until they crossed over a shallow ditch and ca upon a set of train tracks intersecting a dirt road. Charles reined his horse into a slow trot.
"I think this is the right way," he murmured. "Give a second."
Caleb scanned the terrain using his Eagle Eye skill, then rembered what ca next, mories from his past life when he played the ga as Arthur. He saw where the trail continued.
"I think we should head this way," he said, pointing left. "They go down this way."
Arthur and Charles exchanged a glance. Charles nodded. "All right, lead the way."
The three of them rode in silence at first, Caleb taking the lead as they turned left off the main road. The horses' hooves crunched over patches of dry earth, then softer ground as they neared the lake that shimred ahead under the noon sun. The trees began to thin, giving way to wide, open water bordered by cattails and low grass swaying in the wind.
Caleb raised a hand, signaling them to halt. "Wait a mont," he said, scanning the terrain. "Let see... make sure this is the right way." He turned slightly in the saddle. "Charles, help confirm it."
Charles reined his horse to a stop beside him. "Sure," he said, swinging a leg off the saddle and leaning low over the side, squinting down at the dirt and sparse grass.
Caleb activated his Eagle Eye again. The world washed into muted blues and grays, but the trail, faint golden tracks, flared into sight once more. The tracks wove along the lake's edge, curving left. So prints were deeper than before, likely carrying a burden, or dragging sothing.
"They went this way," Caleb said confidently, gesturing toward the lakeshore trail to the left.
Charles straightened up and nodded. "Yeah, I see the sa thing. Good call."
Arthur arched an eyebrow. "You two are creepily in sync sotis."
Caleb smirked. "Just good tracking skills."
With a subtle cue to their horses, they all turned left and began riding along the water's edge. The lake glimred quietly beside them, a peaceful contrast to the tension they carried.
As they rode, Charles broke the silence, voice contemplative. "So... I didn't expect Dutch would want to move our camp this far south. I've only been with the gang a few months, but... from how he talks, it's surprising. I never thought I'd see him wanting to head south."
Arthur snorted and looked ahead, face lined with skepticism. "Right... And I know by now there ain't no 'lying low'. Not really."
Charles nodded. "There's too many of us for that."
Arthur continued with his voice tinged with sothing between amusent and resignation. "And there ain't no way Dutch is gonna just... hide in a cave sowhere. Goes against everything he stands for. That'd be admitting we're nothing more than a bunch of low down criminals."
Caleb seized the opportunity to reinforce Arthur's growing self awareness. He turned his head slightly from the front, chiming in. "Which we are, right? Even if we got our own code. Still low down criminals in the eyes of the law and many people."
Charles let out a short laugh, amused by Caleb's honesty. "I agree with Caleb."
Arthur's lips twitched as he let out a sigh, not quite a smile but not a scowl either. "The two of you don't have to tell . I know so."
They continued riding for several more minutes, following the faint tracks that beca clearer the further they moved south. The terrain shifted, the path narrowing as the lake curved and gave way to small groves of trees. The trail cut through them, and soon they were riding under a thick canopy, sunlight filtering through branches in golden shards.
As they approached the tree line, Caleb suddenly pulled Morgan to a stop. "Wait a minute," he said, feigning sudden recognition. "I think I know this area. We're heading toward a place called Clents Point. It's tucked away, quiet, and good cover. Much more hidden than Horseshoe Overlook. If the n who took the German father are camped there, we can hit them hard, rescue the man, and maybe even take the spot for ourselves."
Arthur reined his horse beside Caleb, eyebrows raised in deep skepticism. "Really, Caleb? This ain't gonna be like Dewberry Creek, is it? You swore that place was good too."
Caleb's act winced at Arthur's words and let out a small chuckle but kept his tone steady. "Yes, I rember that, and I get your hesitation. But I assure you, Arthur, this one's different. I completely forgot about it until now, it just ca back to . It's secluded, defendable, and close enough to town to get supplies but far enough to stay hidden. Looks like lending a hand to that family might've repaid us after all."
Charles, riding on Caleb's opposite side, glanced between them and then nodded. "I believe you. When you do sothing good without expecting anything in return... the world finds a way to pay you back ten tis over."
Arthur grumbled sothing under his breath and didn't argue further, but it wasn't a denial either.
Their pace quickened, urgency returning to their mission. The path ahead narrowed between the trees again, then opened to a sparse forest area with several stones on the side. Smoke wafted up in thin trails in the distance, just over the rise, in the trees near the lake's bend.
Caleb raised a hand again. "There's smoke. Campfire. Could be them."
The three of them imdiately ride forward toward the smoke. The forest opened up to reveal a small clearing near the water's edge, where there was even a small dock on the side. There they saw a small cluster of camp, with a campfire in the middle, two tens, a wagon, and a big tree in the middle of the clearing.
...
Na: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 7/10
- Agility: 6/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 7/10
- Charm: 5/10
- Luck: 6/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 2)
- Rifle (Lvl 2)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 2)
- Past Life mory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 1)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 2)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 3)
- Poker (Lvl 3)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 1)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 1)
- Bow (Lvl 2)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl 1)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl 0)
- Crafting (Lv1)
- Persuasion (Lvl 2)
- ntal Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl 2)
- Teaching (Lvl 1)
Money: 1463 dollars and 45 cents and 2 gold nuggets
Bank: 320 dollars, 4 gold bars, a large bag of jewelry, and 3 gold nuggets
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