If you want to read 20 Chapters ahead, be sure to check out my Patreon!!!
Go to https://www.patreon.com/Tang12
___________________________
"We got a wild one here!" Javier exclaimed, raising his glass. The group cheered, "Heyyyyy!" Javier laughed and then his tone shifted. "Oh, Arthur! Come here, come here, come over here. I wanted you to meet our friends." As Javier said that, he let out a small chuckle.
Caleb turned slightly, catching a glimpse of Arthur Morgan entering the saloon. Arthur, wearing his signature hat and rugged attire, approached Javier and Charles with a smirk. "Pleased to meet you," Arthur said, his voice carrying a hint of amusement.
The two working girls, the red haired woman and the black haired woman, turned their attention to Arthur as he approached. The red haired one, spoke first, her tone teasing. "Well, ain't you just the tough as teak mountain man?"
The black haired woman chimed in, playfully swatting at the red haired woman. "Oh, you be quiet, Anastasia... Anyone can tell that this one's a pussycat."
Javier, hearing the exchange down the side, let out a chuckle and agreed. "Exactly! Yes, he's a pussy... cat." He turned to Arthur with a grin. "Ain't that so, Arthur?"
Arthur rolled his eyes but played along. "Whatever you say," he replied dryly. He stands and takes several steps to the right, still looking at the two women. "How much do you cost, anyway?"
Anastasia raised an eyebrow, feigning offense. "Well, ain't that a nice way to talk to a lady?"
Arthur smirked, his tone sharp, and his eyes gleamed with mischief. "Oh, I didn't know I was talking to a lady."
The comment struck a nerve, and both women were visibly offended. Anastasia huffed, "Excuse me!" before storming off, followed closely by the black-haired woman.
Charles, ever the gentleman, tried to gently stop the black haired woman by reaching for her arm. She stretched out her hand, allowing Charles to touch it briefly, but she kept walking away as she looked back.
Meanwhile, Javier let out an exasperated sigh as he looked at both girls leaving, and then turned to Arthur. "Well, I must say, you got a fine way with the women, amigo."
Arthur shrugged, his tone dripping with sarcasm. "Yeah, a regular dandy and charmer." As he spoke, he took the spot where the two women had been standing, positioning himself between Javier and Charles. His words elicited a laugh from Javier, who shook his head in amusement.
Arthur reached for the glass of whiskey on the bar but paused when he noticed Caleb sitting nearby, casually eating his lamb fry and sipping his whiskey. Arthur greeted him with a nod. "Well, ain't this a surprise. Hello, Caleb. Nice to see you again."
Caleb, who had been pretending not to eavesdrop, acted surprised and turned to Arthur. He raised his glass in a salute. "Oh, Mr. Morgan! I didn't expect to see you again so soon." He downed the rest of his whiskey in one gulp and set the glass on the bar. His eyes flicked to Javier and Charles, and he asked Arthur, "Are these two your friends?"
Javier and Charles remained silent, letting Arthur take the lead. Arthur nodded. "Yeah, these two are my friends. To my left is Javier Escuella, and to my right is Charles Smith." He gestured to Caleb. "This is Caleb Thorne. He helped me, Uncle, and the girls when we first came to Valentine's a few days ago."
With Arthur vouching for Caleb, Javier and Charles relaxed slightly. If Arthur was willing to introduce them by their real names, it meant Caleb wasn't a threat. Javier saluted with the glass of whiskey in his hand to Caleb. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Thorne."
Charles nodded in greeting. "Likewise."
Caleb returned Javier's gesture and nodded to Charles, trying to contain his excitement. "Nice to meet you as well, Mr. Escuella, Mr. Smith."
Arthur, meanwhile, finished his glass of whiskey and turned to Javier. "Where's Bill?"
Javier sighed. "Oh, man, I don't know. But I dread to think about it."
As if on cue, the saloon doors swung open, and a large, burly man in a dark blue and white striped shirt stormed in. Bill Williamson's face was flushed with anger, and he immediately bumped into a man trying to leave the saloon.
Bill grabbed the man by the shirt and snarled, "Hey, watch where you're going, pal!" He shoved the man hard, sending him stumbling backward.
The man, trying to defuse the situation, said, "Hey, take it easy, pal."
Bill wasn't having it. He grabbed the man's shirt with both hands and growled, "Take it easy, huh?"
Arthur, watching the scene unfold, muttered to Javier and Charles, "Is he about to kiss that guy or punch him?"
Before anyone could answer, Bill threw a punch, sending the man crashing into the poker table behind him. The players scrambled to get out of the way, and Javier groaned. "Oh, and we get our answer."
The punch was the spark that ignited the saloon brawl. The man Bill had attacked shouted for help, and soon, the entire room erupted into chaos.
Patrons turned on Arthur and his group, fists flying in every direction. Javier squared off against a man near him, Charles hurled a chair at an attacker, and Arthur charged toward a man near the door. Bill, meanwhile, found himself surrounded by three or four men, swinging wildly to fend them off.
Caleb, standing near the bar, watched the chaos unfold. The saloon owner, Mr. Douglas, shouted at him, "Do something, Caleb! Break up the fight!"
But Caleb had other plans. Instead of trying to stop the brawl, he joined in, rushing to Bill's aid. Bill was outnumbered, and Caleb knew this was his chance to prove himself to the gang.
He threw himself into the fray, punching and dodging as best he could. His hand to hand combat skills were rudimentary, but adrenaline kept him going. He took a few hits, one to the ribs, another to the jaw, and one to his gut, but he gritted his teeth and fought back.
Arthur, having knocked out his opponent, noticed Caleb helping Bill. He exchanged a quick glance with Javier, who had just taken down his own attacker, and the two of them moved to even the odds.
Arthur grabbed a man who was about to punch Caleb from behind and yanked him away, delivering a solid uppercut that sent the man sprawling. Javier, meanwhile, tackled another assailant, pinning him to the ground.
With Caleb's help, Bill managed to knock out one of his attackers. The remaining two, seeing their comrades fall, hesitated just long enough for Charles to intervene. He grabbed one man by the collar and slammed him into the bar, while Arthur and Javier dealt with the other.
At this time, a loud voice boomed from upstairs. "What the hell is going on down there?" Caleb turned to see a big, tall man with a large belly and broad shoulders stomping down the stairs.
His heavy steps thudded against the wooden floor, and his presence immediately attracted attention as it radiated intimidation. Mr. Douglas, the saloon owner, shouted from behind the bar, "No, Tommy! Stay outta this!"
But Tommy ignored him, stepping off the last two stairs and growling, "Come here, you little greaser!"
Javier, never one to back down from a challenge, stepped forward and punched Tommy square in the face. The impact echoed through the saloon, but Tommy barely flinched. Instead, he absorbed the punch and retaliated with a series of brutal blows to Javier's gut, each one forcing Javier to stagger backward.
Arthur, seeing Javier in trouble, moved to help, but Caleb noticed a man sneaking up behind Arthur with a chair raised high, ready to strike Arthur like in the game.
Without hesitation, Caleb stepped in, taking the hit for Arthur. The chair slammed into Caleb's back, and he grunted in pain but managed to stay on his feet.
Arthur, startled by the impact, turned to see Caleb shielding him. Caleb, gritting his teeth through the pain, shouted, "Help Mr. Escuella! I've got this!"
Arthur nodded and rushed to Javier's aid, leaving Caleb to deal with the man who had struck him. Caleb, despite the pain, swung a punch at the man, hitting him square in the jaw.
The man stumbled, but Caleb wasn't done. He followed up with a swift kick to the man's groin, causing him to double over in agony. Caleb then delivered a final blow to the man's gut, knocking him to the ground while bellowing in pain.
Meanwhile, Arthur reached Tommy and shouted, "Hey, tough guy!" Tommy before he could turn his head, just in time received a punch to the back of his head.
The blow caught Tommy off guard, and he released Javier, who crumpled to the floor, clutching his stomach. Tommy turned his full attention to Arthur, grabbing him by the shirt with one hand and delivering a powerful punch to Arthur's jaw.
Arthur staggered but didn't fall. Tommy, however, wasn't finished. He grabbed Arthur with both hands and hurled him over a nearby table, sending him crashing near the saloon window. Tommy sneered, "You want some, huh?" He grabbed Arthur again, lifting him off the ground and preparing to throw him through the window.
Caleb, seeing Arthur in danger, acted quickly. He grabbed a chair and smashed it against Tommy's back, causing the big man to release Arthur. Before Tommy could turn around, Caleb followed up with a well timed kick to Tommy's groin. Tommy let out a wail of pain, doubling over and giving Arthur enough time to scramble to his feet.
This time, Arthur was the one who took control. He grabbed Tommy and, with a surge of strength, hurled him through the saloon window. Tommy crashed onto the main street of Valentine, drawing the attention of everyone nearby. The townsfolk gathered around, forming a circle as Tommy struggled to his feet, clutching his crotch in pain.
Tommy glared at Arthur, who stepped out of the saloon, dusting himself off. "Come on, pretty boy!" Tommy taunted, though his voice was strained.
Arthur raised an eyebrow, flabbergasted. "Pretty boy? You kidding me?"
The two men squared off, trading punches and shoves in the middle of the street. Caleb, Javier, Charles, and Bill emerged from the saloon, cheering Arthur on.
Caleb, still holding his pain and nursing his wounds, watched the fight intently. Thanks to Caleb's earlier intervention, Arthur had the upper hand. He landed a powerful uppercut that sent Tommy sprawling to the ground.
Arthur didn't let up. He pinned Tommy down and began punching him repeatedly in the face. The crowd watched in awe, some cheering, others gasping at the brutality. Just as it seemed Arthur might go too far, a middle aged man rushed forward, pleading, "Please, stop! Stop!!! I beg you, please! You've won the fight already. Surely that's enough?"
The man, who was familiar to Caleb, held up his hands in a desperate attempt to stop Arthur. Caleb, recognizing Thomas and knowing the danger he posed, quickly pulled a cloth from his satchel and covered his mouth and nose. He stepped forward, positioning himself between Arthur and Thomas.
"What business is it of yours?" Caleb demanded, his voice muffled by the cloth.
Thomas coughed lightly, his face pale. "No business, no business, sir. But please, I beg you!"
Caleb didn't wait for Arthur to respond. He grabbed Thomas by the shoulders and shoved him toward the barely conscious Tommy. "Take care of your friend and stay out of this," Caleb said firmly.
Arthur, still breathing heavily, nodded in agreement. He and Caleb walked away from the crowd, heading toward the alley between the saloon and the general store to cool off. Arthur stretched his arms and winced, holding his side where Tommy had landed a few solid blows.
"That was some fight," Caleb said, leaning against the wall of the alley. "You alright?", hearing this Arthur chuckled with some raspiness, making it clear he was holding his pain. "I'll live. Thanks for the help back there. You took a hell of a hit for me."
________________________________
Name:Caleb Thorne
Age: 23
Body Attributes:
- Strength: 6/10
- Agility: 6/10
- Perception: 8/10
- Stamina: 6/10
- Charm: 4/10
- Luck: 5/10
Skills:
- Handgun (Lvl 1)
- Rifle (Lvl 1)
- Firearms Knowledge (Lvl 2)
- Past Life Memory (Lvl MAX)
- Knife (Lvl 1)
- Blunt Weapon (Lvl 1)
- Sneaking (Lvl 1)
- Horse Mastery (Lvl 1)
- Poker (Lvl 1)
- Hand to Hand Combat (Lvl 0)
- Eagle Eye (Lvl 1)
- Dead Eye (Lvl 1)
Money: 191 dollars and 94 cents
Bank: 40 dollars, 2 gold bars, and a large bag of jewelry