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Arthur gestured forward. "Let's follow it." The hunt for Trelawny had officially begun. As the three tracked the trail following it through, Caleb knew they had to stay alert because while everything was familiar but the tiline was ssed up and very different compared to the one he played in the ga.
Still, he kept his observations subtle, letting Arthur and Charles take the lead. Arthur spoke up, breaking the tense silence.
"I gotta say, I didn't expect Trelawny to be staying in a dump like this. Man usually scams his way into so fancy hotel rooms."
Charles huffed, shaking his head. "You should've been there when Javier and I had to ride with him to save Sean after that bar fight. He talked the entire damn way and never actually said a thing."
Arthur chuckled at that, and Caleb laughed along as well.
"That's Trelawny's special talent right there, he has the tongue and mind to talk about anything can't everything but there's no aning to it in the end," Arthur said, smirking.
Caleb added, "Even though I've only known him for a short while compared to you Charles, I figured that out imdiately after eting him at Valentine's and then when we saved Sean. The man talks more nonsense than Pearson on his fourth rum and Uncle on his bourbon drinking."
They shared a laugh when Caleb finished saying his word, the tension easing for a mont. Caleb was glad for it, these quiet monts grounded him, reminded him of the human side of this world.
As they rounded a bend and crossed a train track, Caleb slowed and pointed. "The trail leads into the forest to the left here."
Charles narrowed his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, I see it. Good eye."
They turned their horses off the main road and into the woods. The trees thickened but the trail remained clear enough to follow. They didn't have to go far.
Not long after entering the forest, they spotted a makeshift camp, a small tent pitched haphazardly with a cloth laid out inside. One man sat on a rickety chair beside a small pile of gear. Another lay on his back inside the tent, head resting on a folded blanket.
Arthur straightened in his saddle. "Look there. Two fellers. Let's ask 'em, see if they know anything."
The three dismounted and approached with careful steps, Arthur taking the lead.
"Excuse ," Arthur called out.
The man in the chair looked up lazily. "Yeah?"
"We're lookin' for a friend of ours. Might've seen soone... formal. Walks with a cane."
The man shrugged. "Ain't seen nobody like that around here. Think your friend's sowhere else."
Inside the tent, the man who had been lying down sat up slowly. His eyes locked on the trio, face tightening with suspicion. He looked Caleb up and down in particular, as if gauging sothing.
Arthur gave a half-smile, and Caleb and Charles moved to flank him. Caleb took the left, Charles the right.
On the ground near the seated man was a cane, sleek, polished, and familiar. Caleb leaned down and picked it up, just like how he saw it in the ga, in which Charles was the one who picked it up.
"Our friend walks with a cane," Caleb said calmly, turning the object in his hand. "Looks a lot like this one here."
The two n exchanged a sharp glance. The one in the tent slowly got to his feet and started approaching Caleb. The other rose stiffly, eyes flicking between Arthur and Charles.
Arthur's voice grew hard. "Alright, you two. You'd better tell us where he is."
The seated man scoffed. "You three best get outta here."
The man in front of Caleb suddenly lunged, throwing a punch. Caleb sidestepped it, then cracked the cane across the man's face and followed up with a punch to the gut. He switched fluidly between strikes, utilizing both his Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 2) and Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1) skills. Every movent was efficient and brutal.
anwhile, Arthur and Charles tackled the other man. The thug put up a struggle, but he was outclassed. Charles threw a hard elbow, and Arthur finished with a right hook that sent the man crashing to the ground, unconscious.
Caleb continued beating his opponent, alternating between punches and strikes with the cane. The man stumbled and fell backward, but Caleb pressed forward, finishing with a heavy blow to the head that knocked him out cold. Caleb planted his boot on the man's chest and lood over him.
"Where is Trelawny?" he asked sharply.
The man groaned. "I... I don't know nothin'—"
Caleb jabbed the cane against the man's ribs. "Wrong answer. Want to break your legs next?"
The man spat at him. "Go to hell."
That earned him another harsh blow. Caleb didn't hold back, he had to play the part. Finally, the man wheezed and cried out.
"Okay! Okay! Enough! For Christ's sake! They took him to a cabin! Over by the cornfields! Left, down the path there, just past the Braithwaite Manor!"
Caleb nodded. "Thanks."
And with a final heavy strike, he knocked the man unconscious.
Arthur gave a low whistle. "Good work."
Charles smirked. "That's one way to get information."
The three them imdiately mounted their horses again. Charles looked down the path the thug had indicated.
"Co on. Follow . I think there's a way around so we don't have to go through the Braithwaites' place."
They turned off the forest trail, following Charles as he led them on a path that skirted the edge of the plantation's land. The thick humidity of the south clung to them, and the sll of rich earth and swamp water filled the air.
Caleb stayed alert. He rembered how in the ga this mission would quickly turn into a shootout as there are more bounty hunters. He had to prepare himself so that he would not caught off guard, just in case there were guards outside the cabin.
As they rode, Arthur glanced over. "That was so fancy stick work back there, Caleb. Didn't know you had it in you."
Caleb smiled. "Let's just say... I've had so practice."
Charles nodded. "Quick thinking with the cane."
Caleb appreciated the praise, but inwardly he stayed focused. He already knew Trelawny was tied up inside the cabin, which where he would be brought out by two n. The real challenge would be getting him out without him getting hurt as the whole plantation will turn into a battleground.
They soon arrived at a hill overlooking the cornfields. At that hill is where the cabin was, sat nestled between rows of cornfields to its right and left down the hill.
Arthur squinted. "There it is."
The three of them ride toward the cabin, and Charles then dismounted from his horse followed by Arthur and Charles. "We go in quiet. Get Trelawny out before anyone notices."
Caleb agreed. "If we alert them too early, they might hurt him or run."
Arthur's eyes narrowed. "Alright then. Let's move."
The three of them approached the cabin, and just like in the ga how Caleb rembers it, suddenly the door opened, and two bounty hunters ca out with Trelawny in their hands, who was beaten up and bloodied. They helped him stand but dragged him more than supported him.
"Let's get you outta here. Co on, boys," one of them said casually.
The other laughed. "Thing is, you're gonna rember this one like a good ti after that shack."
They didn't realize that Arthur, Charles, and Caleb were standing right there.
Without hesitation, all three drew their weapons, Arthur with his Cattleman revolver, Charles with his sawed off shotgun, and Caleb with both his Navy and Schofield revolvers. The muzzles of their weapons locked onto the bounty hunters in unison.
Arthur's voice was firm and dangerous. "Put the man down, gentlen, if the two of you don't want to get hurt."
The bounty hunters froze in place, stunned to see the trio ard and ready. They exchanged a nervous glance.
Realizing they were outgunned, they let go of Trelawny, who collapsed to the ground with a groan.
Caleb saw it coming. He rembered how the ga went. The mont they let Trelawny go, they'd bolt. Before that could happen, he activated Dead Eye.
The world dulled to a yellow hue, ti slowing around him. His eyes tracked both n, locking onto their legs with precision. He marked each with an 'X', then let instinct take over as his body fired in sync with the system. His fingers squeezed the triggers almost instinctively.
Bang. Bang.
The two bounty hunters dropped to the ground with cries of pain, clutching their legs. Arthur blinked, surprised by how fast it happened.
Charles let out an impressed breath. "Damn. That was quick."
Arthur nodded. "Good shootin'."
They hurried over to Trelawny, who groaned again. His face was swollen, lip split, and there were bruises blooming across his jaw.
Charles crouched and used his knife to cut the ropes around Trelawny's wrists.
Arthur knelt beside him. "So, you're alive."
Trelawny groaned, rubbing his wrists. "Allegedly alive, yes. Though I'd prefer unambiguously so next ti."
anwhile, Caleb and Charles walked over to the two wounded bounty hunters, both trying to crawl away.
Caleb pressed his boot on the shoulder of one of them. "Where are the rest of them? You tell us, and maybe, maybe, we let you and your buddy live."
The two n looked at each other, battered and bleeding. One of them nodded.
The man under Caleb spoke up, voice trembling. "There's four more of us. They're... they're down at the barn, past the cornfields. Just left of the manor."
Caleb offered a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Thank you for your cooperation, gentlen."
Then, without hesitation, he shot both of them in the head. Two clean shots. No hesitation.
Charles chuckled darkly. "I gotta admit, you had worried there when you started talkin' rcy."
Caleb holstered his pistols and shrugged. "We don't know what Trelawny's told them. Too risky to leave 'em breathing."
They returned to the cabin. Arthur had helped Trelawny onto a chair on the porch. Caleb relayed the information.
Arthur's expression hardened. "We need to take care of the rest. Can't let them get away."
Charles nodded. "Agreed."
Trelawny waved a hand weakly. "Go get them. I'll be just fine here."
Arthur patted his shoulder. "Stay here. We'll handle it."
The three of them took off running toward the barn, the cornfields on either side providing partial cover.
Behind them, Trelawny's hoarse voice rang out. "Go get them, my brothers!"
Caleb chuckled. "Even when he's half-dead, the man still talks too much. And we're still the ones doing the heavy lifting."
Arthur laughed. "Ain't that the truth."
Charles just shook his head, amused.
As they reached the clearing near the barn, gunfire rang out. Bullets snapped past their heads and hit the trees and dirt around them.
"Get to cover!" Arthur barked.
They scattered. Charles dove behind a tree, Arthur behind a low cart, and Caleb slid behind a trough. The four bounty hunters were dug in, using the barn's corners and fencing for defense.
Caleb peeked out. One of the shooters had a gleaming rifle in hand, a rare Rolling Block Rifle with custom etching. He rembered that gun well from the ga. It packed more power than the standard issue.
"I want that rifle," Caleb muttered.
He marked the man carrying it. That one would be his.
Arthur popped up and fired a shot, downing one of the other bounty hunters. Charles flanked left, using his shotgun to suppress and advance. Caleb activated Dead Eye again, targeting the man with the rifle. Two quick shots, one to the shoulder and one to the leg, dropped the man, sending the rifle clattering to the dirt.
...
Na: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 7/10
- Agility: 7/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 7/10
- Charm: 6/10
- Luck: 6/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 3)
- Rifle (Lvl 2)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 3)
- Past Life mory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 2)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 3)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 3)
- Poker (Lvl 4)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 2)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 2)
- Bow (Lvl 2)
- Pain Nullifier (Lvl 1)
- Physical Regeneration (Lvl 0)
- Crafting (Lv 2)
- Persuasion (Lvl 2)
- ntal Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl 2)
- Teaching (Lvl 1)
- Germanic Language Proficiency (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 5x5x5)
- Acting (Lvl 2)
Money: 912 dollars and 35 cents
Inventory: 3,245 dollars, 7 gold nuggets, 5 gold bars, 4 silver rings, 1 Double Action, 1 Schofield, 2 large bags of jewelry, a gold ring, two silver pocket watches, a gold buckle, and a gold pocket compass
Bank: -
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