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As he finished his meal, Caleb leaned back in his chair, feeling satisfied and refreshed. The saloon was lively around him, the sound of laughter and music filling the air. For a moment, he allowed himself to relax, enjoying the simple pleasure of a good meal.
As Caleb enjoyed his relaxing moment, his ear picked up a heated conversation from the table next to him. Two men were in the middle of a tense exchange, their voices low but sharp with anger. The first man, a wiry fellow with a scruffy beard and a hat pulled low over his eyes, was accusing the other of double crossing him.
"You backstabbed me, Tom!" the wiry man hissed, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. "We had a deal! You were supposed to split the winnings with me, and now you're walking away with all of it? That's fifty dollars that should've been mine!"
The other man, Tom, was broader and more composed, though his face was flushed with frustration. He leaned back in his chair, his hands raised in a defensive gesture. "Look, Jim, it ain't my fault you're bad at poker. You blew our plan by folding when you shouldn't have. That fifty dollars is mine, fair and square. I ain't giving you a cut for messing up."
Jim slammed his hand on the table, causing the glasses to rattle. "You son of a—" he started, but Tom cut him off by standing up abruptly.
"Save it, Jim," Tom said, his voice cold. "I ain't got time for this. You want money? Learn to play better." With that, he turned on his heel and stormed out of the saloon, leaving Jim fuming at the table.
Jim sat there for a moment, his fists clenched, before he noticed Caleb subtly glancing in his direction. Their eyes met, and Jim's expression shifted from anger to something more calculating. He got up from his seat and walked over to Caleb, sliding into the chair across from him without waiting for an invitation.
Before Caleb could say anything, Jim leaned in close and whispered, "You look like a man who could use some easy money. Interested?"
Caleb raised an eyebrow, intrigued but cautious. He decided to play along, nodding slightly. "Maybe. What do you have in mind?"
Jim glanced around the saloon, making sure no one was listening, before leaning in even closer. His voice was barely audible over the noise of the room. "That fella who just left? Tom? He double crossed me. We were supposed to split the winnings from a poker game yesterday, but he took off with the whole pot, 50 dollars. It's mine by right, and I want it back."
Caleb listened carefully, his mind already working through the possibilities. Jim continued, "Here's the deal. Tom's staying at the hotel, room number 1B. I need you to go up there, search his room, and find that money. Once you've got it, we'll split it. Half for each of us. Easy money for both of us."
As Jim spoke, Caleb's memory skill activated, pulling up a faint recollection from his past life. He remembered a similar encounter in the game, where Arthur had been approached by a man with a similar proposition.
In that scenario, Arthur had the option to lie about finding the money and keep it all for himself. Caleb's lips curled into a faint smile as he realized he could do the same like what he did while playing the game.
"Alright," Caleb said, keeping his tone neutral. "I'll take a look. But if I find the money, how do I know you won't double cross me too?"
Jim's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. "Fair point. Tell you what, you bring the money back here, and we'll split it right in front of each other. No tricks."
Caleb nodded, though he had no intention of following through. "Deal. I'll be back soon."
He stood up, leaving his empty beer bottle on the table, and made his way out of the saloon. The sun was still high in the sky, casting long shadows across the dirt streets of Valentine. Caleb adjusted his hat, pulling it low over his eyes, and headed toward the hotel.
Room 1B was on the ground floor, at the back of the building near the bath room. Caleb knocked lightly on the door, listening for any movement inside. When there was no response, he tried the handle. To his surprise, it was unlocked. He slipped inside, closing the door quietly behind him.
The room was small and sparsely furnished, with a bed, a dresser, and a small table. Caleb quickly began searching, starting with the dresser drawers. He found a few personal items, a spare shirt, a pair of socks, and a small pouch containing a handful of coins which he take, but no sign of the fifty dollars.
Next, he checked under the mattress and pillows, but still nothing. Finally, his eyes landed on a small satchel tucked under the bed. He pulled it out and opened it, his heart skipping a beat when he saw the stack of bills inside. He counted it quickly, 50 dollars, just as Jim had said and the same as what he remem- no what his skill remembers for him.
Caleb hesitated for a moment, weighing his options. He could take the money back to Jim and split it, as agreed. But why should he? Jim had no way of knowing whether he'd found the money or not. And besides, he had his own expenses to worry about.
With a decisive nod, Caleb tucked the money into his satchel and left the room, making sure to close the door quietly behind him. He walked back to the saloon, his mind already working on what he would say to Jim.
When he returned, Jim was still sitting at the table, nursing a drink. He looked up eagerly as Caleb approached. "Well? Did you find it?"
Caleb shook his head, his expression carefully neutral. "Sorry, Jim. No luck. The room was clean. No sign of the money."
Jim's face fell, and he slammed his fist on the table in frustration. "Damn it! That lying cheat must've hidden it somewhere else." He looked up at Caleb, his eyes narrowing. "You sure you looked everywhere?"
Caleb shrugged. "I checked the dresser, under the bed, everywhere I could think of. If the money was there, it's gone now."
Jim cursed under his breath but didn't press the matter further. "Alright, thanks for trying," he muttered, clearly disappointed.
Caleb nodded and turned to leave, feeling the weight of the fifty dollars in his satchel. As he stepped out into the sunlight, a small smile played on his lips.
He had played his cards right, and now he had a little extra cash to help him survive in this harsh world. But he knew better than to let his guard down. In a place like Valentine, trust was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Leaving the saloon, Caleb headed to the eastern part of Valentine. As he walked, he passed by the doctor's clinic, which was closed due to the ongoing investigation into the O'Driscolls he had killed the previous night, to gain the money and Schofield Revolver he have in his belt.
The clinic's doors were shut, and a notice pinned to the entrance explained that it was temporarily closed while the sheriff's office conducted its inquiry. Caleb felt a flicker of unease but quickly pushed it aside. He had covered his tracks well, and there was no reason to believe anyone would connect him to the killings.
Ignoring the doctor's clinic, Caleb continued walking. As he passed by the sheriff's office, he spotted Sheriff Curtis Malloy standing on the terrace, smoking a cigarette.
Caleb remembered Malloy well from the game, a no nonsense lawman who took his job seriously but at the same time a corrupt one, since he also received bribes and the most obvious one was the O'Driscolls bribes he received that he wouldn't receive anymore.
Their eyes met briefly, and Caleb, wanting to appear natural, gave a subtle nod, tipping his head slightly in acknowledgment. Malloy returned the greeting with a curt nod of his own before taking one last puff of his cigarette. He tossed the stub to the ground, crushed it under his boot, and turned to head back into his office.
Caleb let out a quiet sigh of relief. He hadn't done anything to draw suspicion, but it was always better to stay on the good side of the law, especially in a town like Valentine and Malloy as the Sheriff.
He continued walking, his boots crunching against the dirt road, until he came across a newspaper boy standing on the corner, shouting the day's headlines.
The sight of the boy triggered Caleb's memory skill. He recalled that newspapers in the game were a valuable source of information, offering insights into current events and the world's state currently.
Although Caleb had never bought a newspaper in his past life, he remembered watching YouTube videos where players emphasized their importance, as it could contain stories and lore. Thanks to his memory skill, he knew this was an opportunity he couldn't pass up.
Approaching the boy, Caleb pulled out a quarter from his satchel. "One paper, please," he said, handing over the 25 cents.
The boy grinned, handing him a freshly printed copy of The New Hanover Gazette, and taking the quarter from Caleb. "Here you go, mister! Big news today on the headline!"
Caleb nodded, tucking the newspaper under his arm. The small expense left him with 97 dollars and 50 cents, a minor cost for the wealth of information he hoped to gain. He found a quiet spot near the edge of town, leaning against a wooden fence as he unfolded the paper.
The first thing he noticed was the date May 3, 1899. Caleb's heart skipped a beat. This was the year the game's events began. His eyes quickly scanned the front page, and a bold headline caught his attention:
"BLACKWATER MASSACRE: TOWN IN CHAOS AFTER DEADLY HEIST GONE WRONG"
Caleb's breath hitched as he began to read the article. The Blackwater Massacre was the event that set the entire story of the game in motion.
According to the report, a botched ferry heist had left dozens dead, including lawmen and civilians. The Van der Linde gang, once a relatively known group of outlaws in the state, was now the most wanted in the nation.
The article described the gang's flight from Blackwater, with rumors suggesting they had fled north into the mountains, with lawmen and bounty hunters actively trying to locate and pursue them.
Caleb's mind raced. If the newspaper was reporting on the massacre, it meant the Van der Linde gang had already left Blackwater. They were likely on their way to or already trapped in the abandoned mining town of Colter, caught in the midst of a brutal blizzard. This was the starting point of the game's story, and Caleb realized he didn't have much time to prepare.
He folded the newspaper, his thoughts swirling. The world around him was moving forward, and he needed to decide his next steps carefully. The Van der Linde gang's arrival in Colter would mark the beginning of their downfall, but it would also set off a chain of events that would shape the fate of the life he have now. Caleb knew he couldn't afford to be caught off guard.
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Name: Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 6/10
- Agility: 6/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 5/10
- Charm: 4/10
- Luck: 5/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 1)
- Rifle (Lvl 1)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 2)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 0)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 0)
- Sneaking (Lvl 0)