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Caleb grimaced slightly at the price but counted out the money and handed it over. Mr. Worth placed it in the register before retrieving the ordered items. Caleb took his new clothes to the changing room and donned the Vaquero outfit. Checking his reflection, he saw a young man in his early twenties, black haired and black eyed, his slightly toned frame clad in rugged yet stylish attire. Smirking at his own reflection, he stepped out, carrying his old clothes and boots.
"Looking sharp," Mr. Worth commented. "That outfit suits you."
Caleb nodded in appreciation. "Thanks, Mr. Worth. See you around."
Gathering his purchases, Caleb returned to his hotel room, setting the items on the bed. His old clothes rested on the chair, boots placed beside them. Now outfitted and prepared, he set off for the saloon, intent on gathering information. If he was going after Drew Dallas and his gang, he needed every bit of knowledge available.
The morning sun beat down as Caleb crossed the street toward Smithfield's Saloon and with his goal in mind, he pushed open the saloon doors, ready to start digging for leads. As soon as he enters, even at this hour, the establishment buzzed with activity, ranch hands on early some breakfast, traveling salesmen nursing drinks, and a few working girls chatting idly near the piano.
Mr. Douglas looked up from wiping glasses as Caleb approached the bar. "Back so soon? Didn't get enough attention last night?" The bartender's eyes twinkled with amusement.
Caleb chuckled, placing 50 cents and 1 dollar on the counter. "Whiskey, and some information if you've got it."
The bartender poured a generous measure after taking the money. "That depends on what you're asking, Mr. Thorne."
Leaning in, Caleb kept his voice low. "Drew Dallas and his gang. Heard they've been causing holding up around Mount Hagen, and robbed stagecoaches around New Hanover."
Douglas's expression darkened. He glanced around before responding. "That's dangerous talk to have Caleb. Dallas ain't some small time outlaw, he's killed more men than cougars done in a month." He refilled Caleb's glass without being asked.
"Word is he's got at least eight men riding with him, all crack shots. They hit a stagecoach heading to Annesburg twice last month, left the guards swinging from trees."
From the corner of his eye, Caleb noticed an old patron at the end of the bar perk up at the mention of Dallas. The man's gnarled fingers tightened around his whiskey glass.
"Excuse me a moment," Caleb murmured to Mr. Douglas. Carrying his glass of whiskey, he approached the weathered patron. "Mind if I join you, mister?"
The old man's milky eye fixed on Caleb. "Heard you askin' 'bout Dallas. You one of them bounty hunters?"
Caleb nodded. "You could say that, I'm looking for information. Anything you can share would be helpful."
The man, who introduced himself as Jeremiah Pike, was a retired stagecoach driver, and he proved to be a goldmine of intelligence, where he gave information concerning the Dallas gang, where the Dallas Gang composed of 8 to 10 men, form what he heard some were former army members, and that their favorite tactics were ambushing stages at river crossings or remote places
"Last time they hit a coach," Pike rasped, "they made the passengers dance at gunpoint before putting bullets in their knees. Took the strongbox and left 'em to bleed out." He spat. "Animals."
Caleb's jaw tightened. "Any idea when they might strike next?"
Pike shrugged. "I heard from my friend that there's gonna be several Stages from Strawberry's heading to Annesburg in three days. If I was bettin', I'd say they'll hit it around Cattail Pond, since it would be a pretty remote place and not many people pass through frequently."
Thanking the old man with a second whiskey, Caleb retreated to a corner table to process the information. His memory skill confirmed Cattail Pond's location northwest of Valentine, rough, wooded terrain perfect for an ambush. If Dallas was indeed planning to hit tomorrow's stage, that gave Caleb limited time to prepare.
Mr. Douglas, who had been listening to the conversation between Caleb and Pike, set down the glass he was cleaning. His expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of concern in his eyes. He moved from behind the bar, weaving through the scattered tables until he stood before Caleb.
"Caleb," he began, his voice low but firm, "word of advice, think it through before deciding to go after Drew Dallas. You just started your career by capturing Allbright, a man who killed with poison and lies. Dallas ain't that kind of snake. He'll shoot you dead before you even blink."
Caleb looked up from his whiskey, meeting the bartender's gaze. He appreciated the warning. Mr. Douglas wasn't the type to meddle unnecessarily, and if he was speaking up, it meant the danger was real.
A small, grateful smile touched Caleb's lips. "Thank you, Mr. Douglas. I'll keep your advice in mind. Right now, I'm just collecting information and poking around. If it's truly more than I can chew, I'll back off."
Mr. Douglas studied him for a moment, then gave a slow nod. "Good. Don't let pride and overconfidence get you killed." With that, he turned away to serve another patron who had just called for a beer.
Caleb exhaled, swirling the remaining whiskey in his glass. The saloon's noise, the clinking glasses, the occasional burst of laughter, and the piano's off key notes, faded into the background as he mulled over the information.
He decided to subtly ask around, hoping for more concrete details. But after an hour of discreet inquiries, he realized most of the rumors were either exaggerated or outright nonsense.
One drunkard claimed Dallas could summon wolves to do his bidding, while another insisted the outlaw had a secret hideout inside a mountain. Caleb dismissed the wilder tales, sticking to what Pike had told him.
With no further leads in the saloon, Caleb stepped out into the midday sun. The heat was relentless, but the dry air made it bearable. He adjusted his hat and made his way toward Old Bob's butcher stall near the market.
Old Bob, who was a grizzled man with a thick beard and a stained apron, greeted him with a nod. "Ah the boy who looked for a job in the last has come back, what'll it be today, son?"
"Hello Old Bob, Three salted venison and three salted beef," Caleb said, counting out the coins. The total came to 9 dollars, a fair price for provisions that would last him a while.
Bob wrapped the meat in waxed paper and handed it over. "Heard you bagged Allbright. Nice work."
Caleb shrugged. "Just doing my job."
"Still, not many would've tracked him down like you did." Bob leaned in slightly. "Word is you're asking about Dallas now. That true?"
Caleb tensed. News traveled fast in this town. "Just keeping my ears open."
Bob's expression turned grave. "Be careful with that one. He ain't like the others."
Caleb nodded, tucking the meat into his satchel. "I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Old Bob."
With his supplies secured, Caleb whistled for Morgan, She trotted over, her coat gleaming under the sun. He patted her neck before mounting up and guiding her toward the only stable in Valentine.
Mr. Levi, the stablemaster, was brushing down a chestnut stallion when Caleb arrived. The older man's face lit up in recognition.
"Well, if it ain't the man of the hour!" Mr. Levi grinned, setting aside the brush. "Heard you brought in Allbright. Town's buzzing about it."
Caleb dismounted Morgan with a chuckle. "Just got lucky, Mr. Levi."
"Luck don't catch outlaws, son. Skill does." Levi gestured for one of his stable hands to take Morgan. "You want the usual care package?"
"Yeah, including a horseshoe check." Caleb handed over 3 dollars and 40 cents.
Mr. Levi pocketed the money and called out to Stu, his assistant. As the younger man led Morgan away, Levi turned back to Caleb, his expression softening.
"You've come a long way, kid. Remember when you first stumbled in here, looking for work? Now you're bringing in bounties."
Caleb scratched the back of his head, suddenly becoming self conscious. The memory of his first days in this world rushed back full of excitement with a system, the disorientation, the fear, the nausea after his first kill.
Back then, he had been a man out of time, struggling to adapt while excitement coursed through his veins at the same time. Now, he was slipping into the role of a bounty hunter with ease.
'Humans really are creatures of adaptation,' he mused.
"I'm just trying to survive," he said finally. "Honestly, I'm surprised I can even do half the things I'm doing now. Never thought I'd be able to shoot, track, or ride like this."
Levi clapped him on the shoulder. "You've got talent and grit, kid. That counts for a lot out here."
With Morgan taken care of, Caleb retreated to his hotel room to strategize. He spread out the worn map of New Hanover he had bought before he got the Map function on the small table, tracing the route from Strawberry to Annesburg, as in his map function he hadn't unlocked those areas yet as he hadn't passed through.
'Cattail Pond…'
The location was remote from places with civilization with the only nearby place filled with civilization was Wallace Station, surrounded by dense woods and rocky outcrops, perfect for an ambush. If Dallas was indeed planning to hit the stagecoach, Caleb had two options, which was:
1. Intercept the Dallas Gang Before they ambush the stage coaches, by finding their camp at Mount Hagen and strike first.
2. Wait for the ambush to happen and then help the guard of the stagecoach do a counterattack, letting the Dallas gang make their move, then take them by surprise as they fight the guard.
The first option was riskier. Dallas's gang outnumbered him, and if he failed to take them by surprise, he'd be dead before he could realize it. The second option gave him the advantage of preparation, but it also meant innocent people could get hurt if things went wrong and it had a 99% chances of it could go wrong.
Caleb exhaled sharply, running a hand through his hair.
'I need more firepower.'
After thinking so, Caleb stared at his weapons laid out on the hotel bed, two Schofield revolvers, a worn Carbine repeater, the double barreled shotgun, and his hunting bow. For most bounty jobs, this arsenal would suffice. But facing nine hardened killers? These might as well be peashooters.
His fingers traced the Carbine's pitted barrel and scratches on its stock. The repeater had served him well during the Valentine rustlers' ambush. 'This relic couldn't hit the broad side of a barn past fifty yards.'
The shotgun packed punch but required constant reloading, a death sentence in a prolonged firefight. Against hardened killers, he needed reliability. That's when his Past Life Memory flickered like a struck match, revealing three golden opportunities that could help him gain free upgrade for his arsenal:
1. Rhodes Gunsmith's Lancaster Repeater, where the delusional gunsmith kept a teenager chained in the basement of his store, believing him to be his dead son. In the basement, there's a weapon box with an untouched Lancaster in pristine condition.
2. Chez Porter's Pump Action Shotgun, where a family of inbred highway robbers lived on their secluded farm northwest of Window Rock which had the shotgun on the second floor of their decaying farmhouse inside a weapon box in a bad condition needing some maintenance.
3. Watson Cabin's Semi Auto Shotgun, where the infamous old lady who was the mother of the infamous Watson Boys had kept one in the basement of her cabin which was to the north of Lityle Creek River and to the west of Wallace Station.
The Lancaster was the easiest grab. But the pump action's rapid fire capability called to him as it would be devastating in close combat, and its not that the double barrel's stopping power was undeniable, but two shells wouldn't cut it against nine men, even if it meant tangling with the Porters. 'Nine against one? More like nine against surprise,' he thought grimly.
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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: 172 dollars and 84 cents
Bank: 40 dollars, 2 gold bars, and a large bag of jewelry