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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."
After John told Kieran to shut up, the group rode in silence for a while, the tension thickening as they approached their destination. The landscape grew more rugged, the path narrowing as they ascended into the hills.
Kieran, seated behind John, occasionally gave directions, his voice shaky but clear. The group followed his lead, their eyes scanning the surroundings for any signs of danger.
As they rode they saw a couple of buildings to their left ahead, Arthur broke the silence, his voice loud and commanding. "Boys, we're almost on 'em." He paused, letting his words sink in before continuing. "Now… who knows if this son of a bitch we got with us is telling the truth… but if it's what he says it is… and Colm O'Driscoll's here… we can end years of fighting, here and now."
The weight of Arthur's words hung in the air as they rode past the buildings. Kieran, sensing the group's focus, spoke up again. "Okay, now-now cut left up here. W-we go down the hill, into the forest."
Following Kieran's direction, they turned left, steering off the main road and onto a narrow, overgrown path. Arthur, his voice low but firm, laid out the plan. "We're going in quiet, taking them out as we find 'em, trying not to set things off. But if we do… we move quick and hard, and settle this like we know how, okay?"
John, Charles, and Caleb nodded in agreement. John was the first to respond, his tone steady. "Okay by me."
Charles, ever the man of few words, simply said, "Okay, Arthur."
Caleb, gripping the reins of his horse tightly, added, "Following you, Mr. Morgan!"
Arthur gave a curt nod. "Alright then."
They continued riding, following Kieran's directions as they turned right down the hill. The path led them through a cluster of trees, the dense foliage providing cover but also making the ride more treacherous. Kieran pointed ahead. "Through the trees here."
The group maneuvered their horses through the trees, emerging on the other side onto a main road. They crossed the road quickly, heading toward the opposite side. Kieran, his voice growing more urgent, said, "Hey, we're real close. I'd leave your horses on the other side of this clearing."
Caleb, following the plan, began preparing his weapons. He slung his Carbine Repeater across his body and secured his bow over his shoulder. He also attached a sleeve of arrows to the back of his belt, ensuring he had enough ammunition for whatever lay ahead. The others followed suit, checking their weapons and preparing for the confrontation.
As they continued to ride, Kieran gave the direction, his words turned cautious but determined. "This is it," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "The cabin's just the other side of this hill."
Arthur, his hand resting on the grip of his revolver, nodded. "Okay, off your horses… let's go."
The group dismounted and tied their horses to nearby trees, ensuring they were out of sight. They moved quietly through the plain hill, their weapons at the ready. Kieran, still in the lead, turned to the group and said, "Follow me, alright? It ain't far."
John, walking close behind Kieran, kept a watchful eye on the O'Driscoll captive. "We might share a horse, but we ain't friends," he said, his tone sharp. "Remember, I'm watching you, every moment."
Kieran, his face pale but resolute, replied, "I ain't gonna shoot you now. Come on. It'd be suicide."
Caleb, walking beside Charles with Arthur and John ahead of them, decided to chime in. He knew his earlier bluff about castration had left an impression, and he decided to lean into it to scare Kieran, not caring that it would deepen the wrong impression the others had of him. "Mr. Duffy," Caleb said, his voice cold and deliberate, "if you ever think of doing so, you'll die in a horrible way. You'll lose your balls first, and then we'll kill you."
Kieran flinched at Caleb's words, his face paling even further, "Jesus Christ... come on.", as for Arthur and John, they exchanged a glance, their expressions a mix of amusement and mild concern. Charles, walking beside Caleb, raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
John chuckled, shaking his head. "Damn, Caleb. You're one scary son of a bitch."
Arthur smirked, his tone light but teasing. "Remind me not to get on your bad side, kid. I don't want to wake up one morning without my balls due to angering you."
Caleb shrugged, his expression neutral. "Just making sure he understands the stakes."
After that, everyone walked for a little while, and John, walking beside Kieran, said, "Okay, get down." Everyone followed suit as they crouched when they arrived at the top of the small hill.
John was to the left of Kieran, while Arthur was to the right of Kieran, and to his right was Caleb and then Charles. They overlooked a forest of tall trees with a cabin not far away below.
Kieran at this time said, "The cabin's in the clearing down there. There'll be a bunch of fellers hiding down there too."
Arthur, beside him, looking over the cabin below, asked, "Are these fellers armed?"
Kieran replied with a bit of a high pitch, "Armed, drunk, wary of strangers. Yup."
Arthur continued to ask, "And Colm O'Driscoll?"
Kieran replied, "Oh, he'll be holed up in his cabin. Be passed out, booze blind, likely as not."
Charles, who was on the right side, suddenly said, "Hey, over there, a group of people is coming." As he spoke, he pointed his hand toward a group of three O'Driscolls below who were coming from the right.
John, seeing this, reacted quickly. He immediately moved behind Kieran, closed Kieran's mouth with his left hand, and took out his revolver with his right hand, placing it to the side of Kieran's head.
At this time, they saw the three O'Driscolls walking, where the one in the middle was holding a rifle. They were talking loudly, with one of them saying, "So uh, who's gonna tell him that we ain't got nothing for the pot?"
One of the other O'Driscolls replied, "Uhhh, let me think, the feller that spooked the game, I reckon."
The one who asked was the O'Driscoll at the back, who said, "Well I'm gonna drain it, I-I'll catch up." After saying that, he positioned himself beside a tree, opened his pants, and began to take a piss.
The one in the front of the group at this time said, "Nah, we ain't gonna fall for that. We're gonna wait, so you can tell him yourself." They stopped several steps ahead of the one who was taking a piss, who replied, "Yeah, yeah, yeah."
The one holding the rifle said, "If anyone's actually gonna shoot the messenger, it'd be that mean son of a bitch."
The one who was taking a piss replied, "Umm... yes, sir."
The other one said, "Come on, shake it off," and the one who was taking a piss shushed them.
Arthur, seeing and hearing this, said to everyone, "Come on."
Caleb, who was to his right, asked Arthur, "What are we going to do about the one who's taking a piss by the tree, Arthur? I could take care of him if you want."
Arthur, hearing this, said, "Okay then, you go take care of him. Nice and quiet, okay?"
Caleb nodded his head and walked silently down the hill while crouching. He took out his knife as he approached the O'Driscoll who was taking a piss on the tree.
He waited for the two O'Driscolls to stop talking with the one taking a piss, and he immediately made his move. Caleb shut the mouth of the O'Driscoll with his left hand and stabbed him in the neck a couple of times with his knife, killing him instantly and helping the body fall down silently.
After that, he was soon joined by John, Arthur, and Charles, who hid behind the trees, taking a careful position and not making any sudden moves. Charles at this time whispered, asking Arthur, "Arthur, what do we do to the other two?"
Arthur, hearing this, whispered back, "Charles, right. Caleb, left. The two of you brought your bows, so in three, both of you shoot them right in the head. Take 'em out from a distance. Got it?"
Charles and Caleb nodded their heads, took out their bows and an arrow, and immediately entered into shooting position. Arthur counted for them, "One, two, three!" On three, both of them released their arrows, hitting the two O'Driscolls right in the back of their heads.
John, seeing this, said, "Good work. We moving on the camp? I left our guide up there. He's meek as a lamb."
Arthur gave the signal for them to move forward sneakily and replied to John, "He better be."
As they crouched forward, they saw an O'Driscoll sitting on a log facing toward the cabin. John asked, "Feller on the log... what we doing about him?"
Arthur replied by saying, "Take him quiet, Marston. Get your hands dirty for a change."
John nodded, saying, "Okay," and sneakily approached the O'Driscoll. He took his knife out, and when John arrived at the back of the O'Driscoll, he shut his mouth with his left hand and stabbed his knife repeatedly into the neck and chest of the O'Driscoll.
John then put down the body of the O'Driscoll behind the log and asked Arthur, "Okay, now what? We're at the perimeter." Everyone joined him to hide behind the log, crouching low to avoid detection.
Arthur, his eyes scanning the camp below, pointed to the left side of the camp. "John, you take the left side with me. Caleb, Charles, both of you go right and take 'em out silently as long as we can. But when a gunshot sounds, we go guns blazing. Got it?"
John, Caleb, and Charles nodded in agreement. Arthur gave the signal to move, and the group split up. Arthur and John moved to the left, while Caleb and Charles circled around to the right side of the camp. As they approached, they spotted a group of five O'Driscolls and three women, likely companions for the outlaws. They hid behind a wagon, their weapons at the ready.
Caleb whispered to Charles, "So, how do we want to do this, Charles?"
Charles, his voice low and steady, replied, "Let's take them out with our bows. We do this silently and let the ladies go. Their screams might alarm the O'Driscolls, but it's better to let them go. They're innocent."
Caleb nodded, agreeing with Charles's plan. "Alright then, I'll follow your lead. Whenever you're ready."
Caleb immediately took out an arrow and nocked it, his movements smooth and practiced despite his relatively recent introduction to archery. Charles did the same, crouching silently toward a tree to the right of the wagon. He hid behind a bush, his bow drawn, and took aim at the nearest O'Driscoll.
With a soft thwip, Charles's arrow found its mark, striking the O'Driscoll in the head and dropping him instantly. Caleb, seeing the signal to attack, moved out from his position to the left of the wagon. He activated Dead Eye, the world slowing down around him as he focused on the remaining O'Driscolls.
To his surprise, he wasn't restricted to marking just one target like in the game. He quickly placed an X on three O'Driscolls, his body moving almost automatically as he fired three arrows in rapid succession.
Each arrow struck its target in the head, the O'Driscolls collapsing before they could even react. Caleb then deactivated Dead Eye, feeling the familiar cooldown timer begin. He glanced at Charles, who had already taken out the last O'Driscoll with a well placed arrow. The women, now free, screamed and scrambled away, their cries echoing through the camp.
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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