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The future was unraveling faster than Caleb had expected. But maybe, just maybe... that was the opening he needed. He took a sip of his beer, eyes still on the fire. Meanwhile, Pearson walks away while shaking his head, and John takes a seat beside Caleb and then sips his beer.
After drinking his beer, John looked up at the night sky, the shining stars reflecting faintly in his eyes, cloaking his face in a melancholy hue. Caleb, sitting beside him, sensed the shift.
This might be the opportune moment to deepen the crack forming in John's loyalty to Dutch. In the original game, this realization hadn't fully arrived until the events of Chapter Four and solidified in Chapter Five. But now? Now Caleb might accelerate it, preparing him to become his and Arthur's supporter.
He took another slow sip of his beer before breaking the silence.
"You must've been really surprised huh, John?"
John blinked, slightly caught off guard. "Huh? What do you mean, Caleb?"
Caleb exhaled, tapping the bottle neck lightly with his thumb. "I mean… Dutch. Earlier. Punching Uncle like that. Like something inside him just… snapped for some reason. That had to be a hell of a surprise for you, right?"
John's brow furrowed. He looked back at the fire and took a deep breath. Caleb could almost feel his hesitation, his mind reaching back through memories.
"I only joined this gang a couple of months back," Caleb continued, voice calm and measured. "But that's not the Dutch I remember meeting. The man who brought me in… he was sharp and cool headed. Confident. Bit of a dreamer for me, of course, but in a good way. But tonight? He was… different. Can't imagine what that must be like for you. You've known him a hell of a lot longer."
John didn't answer at first. He just sighed and looked at the flames again. His persuasion (Lvl 2) and acting (Lvl 2) skills. Caleb didn't need a HUD to know his skills were working.
"Almost fifteen years," John finally said, his voice low, almost weary. "Dutch and Hosea… they took me in. Saved me. I was just a dumb kid getting lynched after I got caught stealing from a group. They pulled me out of that mess. Raised me, taught me how to survive. Dutch, he was like a father, I guess. Or the closest thing I ever had."
He paused, then took another drink, the bottle tipping slightly before he continued.
"I've never seen him like that, Caleb. Never. Not even when we were on the run, starving, or getting shot at. Well… except Blackwater."
Caleb kept his face neutral, but inwardly, he latched on to that word.
"Back then," John continued, his voice tightening, "Something snapped in Dutch. That woman… he just shot her. Didn't even hesitate. I blamed Micah. Still do. The bastard just had a way of whispering his words into Dutch's ear. I was glad when he died. Thought maybe that'd help Dutch think straight again. But now? He did that to Uncle and for what? For being Uncle? Saying some nonsense?"
John shook his head, voice heavy with disbelief. "Everyone knows how Uncle is. Even Dutch. It's always been that way. But now…"
He fell silent again, then downed the rest of his beer and flung the bottle out into the brush with a faint clink as it bounced off a rock. Caleb watched him, struck by how deep the fracture in John's trust and loyalty was already forming toward Dutch. He had only needed the right push.
An opening, Caleb thought. This is it.
He leaned forward slightly, voice softer now. "Can I ask you something?"
John glanced at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
"What do you think you'll do… in the future?" Caleb asked, letting the question hang for a beat. "I mean, you've got Abigail and little Jack. You ever think about… a backup plan? In case things go sideways?"
John blinked, surprised. "What, like… after the gang?"
Caleb nodded. "Yeah. I mean… let's be honest. This way of life? It can't last. And you've got more to think about than most of us. A family. You ever think what you'd do if Dutch's plan doesn't work out?"
John fell silent again. His brows knit together as he looked away, toward the dark treeline.
Truth was, he hadn't thought about it. Not really. In his mind, everything would be fine if they just stuck to Dutch's plan. Wait for the next score, then disappear. The gang was family. It always had been.
But now, hearing Caleb voice those questions… it made something squirm inside his chest.
After a long pause, he closed his eyes, then opened them slowly.
"I… I don't have an answer for that," John said quietly. "I never really thought about it. Guess I just figured… Dutch would have a way. He always does. For all of us."
Caleb nodded, lips pursed. He didn't push right away. He let the silence speak for a moment.
"Mind if I give you a bit of advice?" Caleb asked eventually. "I know I'm younger than you. Might seem weird, but—"
"No," John interrupted. "Ain't weird. Not anymore. I'd like to hear it. Because… you got me thinking now. I probably should have a backup plan. For Abigail and Jack, if nothing else."
Caleb gave a faint smile. "Alright then. Just promise not to get offended, yeah?"
John gave a soft chuckle. "I won't."
Caleb leaned forward, his voice steady. "Don't trust Dutch. Not fully. Not anymore. I know that's a hard thing to hear. But his mind's not right, John. Uncle wasn't wrong. Dutch's always been reading too much, thinking too much, as a way to relieve himself from his burden. But combined with the pressure we have now, it's breaking him. He ain't the man you remember and the truth is, maybe he's not been that man for a while."
John looked down, his jaw clenched.
"I know you probably don't believe me, not fully. But maybe that's the point. I haven't been here as long. I don't have that same closeness, that same sense of family. I can see things clearer because of it."
John ran a hand through his hair, exhaling slowly. His eyes were distant now, mind turning over Caleb's words.
"You ain't wrong," he murmured. "Damn. Maybe I didn't want to see it. Maybe none of us did."
The fire crackled between them, its embers glowing like dying stars. John sat in silence after Caleb's words, his fingers tightening around his empty beer bottle. The night air felt heavier now, thick with unspoken doubts.
Caleb watched him carefully. He could see the conflict in John's face, the way his jaw clenched, the way his eyes flicked toward Dutch's tent where Hosea and Arthur had taken him. The cracks were there. He just needed to widen them.
"You really think Dutch ain't... Dutch no more?" John finally asked, his voice rough.
Caleb took a slow sip of his beer. "I ain't saying he's a different man. Just that the man he was... he's changing. And not for the better."
John exhaled sharply, running a hand through his tangled hair. "Christ. I just... I can't believe that. Not after everything."
"But you saw it," Caleb pressed gently. "Blackwater. Tonight. You said it yourself."
John's shoulders slumped. He stared into the fire like it held answers. "What the hell am I supposed to do with that, huh? This gang... it's all I got. All Abigail and Jack got."
Caleb leaned forward. "That's exactly why you gotta start thinking about a backup plan. Not because you don't believe in the gang. But because you do believe in them. In keeping them safe."
John's fingers twitched. For a long moment, he didn't speak. Then, barely above a whisper. "And what if Dutch's right? What if his plan does work? What if we do get that money and get out?"
Caleb met his gaze. "Then we all win. But if he's wrong... if things go bad... you gotta ask yourself, is followin' him blindly worth riskin' Abigail? Riskin' Jack?"
John flinched like he'd been struck.
Caleb didn't press further. He just sat with him in the quiet night, watching the sparks drift up from the fire into the starlit sky. This moment might be small, but it was a step, one of many he'd have to take.
The seed was planted. Now it just had to grow.
In the distance, a wolf howled. The faint sound of Sadie laughing somewhere near the wagons broke the tension. Life in camp was returning to normal, but nothing felt the same.
John eventually stood up, brushing his coat. "I'm gonna check on Abigail. Jack's probably asleep, but she'll be worried."
Caleb nodded. "Go on. They need you."
As John walked away, Caleb remained by the fire, silent.
As he was looking at the fire, suddenly a hand patted him from behind. Caleb instinctively reached for the knife at his side, but stopped when he turned and saw who it was.
Arthur.
The older man stood with a half smile tugging at his lips, the firelight casting shadows across his weathered face. He motioned slightly with his chin.
"You mind if I have a word?"
Caleb blinked. "Of course. Want to take a seat?"
Arthur shook his head, arms crossed. "Nah. I won't be long. Just wanted to say... thank you."
Caleb tilted his head, surprised. "Thank me? For what? I don't think I've done anything worth thanks yet. Maybe stoppin' that payroll wagon Uncle mentioned or bounty hunting with Sadie… but that's just me pulling my weight, right?"
Arthur let out a quiet chuckle. "No, not for that. Though you're doin' good, don't get me wrong. I meant what you said to John. I heard some of it."
Caleb's shoulders tensed slightly. He didn't let it show too much, but internally he was already preparing for some kind of backlash. Arthur could be blunt when he needed to be, and if he'd heard too much...
He swallowed his rising nerves and spoke cautiously. "How much did you hear?"
Arthur glanced at the fire, the orange glow reflecting in his eyes. "Not all of it. Just the tail end. About how you told him not to follow Dutch blindly. How you said he needs to have a backup plan. Not because he doesn't believe in all of us, but because he does. And that if Dutch's plan works, then great, we all win. But if not… then he shouldn't risk Abigail and Jack."
Caleb relaxed slightly. Arthur hadn't heard the beginning, the subtle nudges Caleb had planted to fracture John's trust. That was good. Still, he needed to tread carefully.
He looked up at Arthur, guarded. "You're not… angry at me for saying that, are you? It's not like I was trying to convince him to abandon the gang or anything."
Arthur sighed. A long, slow exhale. "I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't at least a little bit bothered by what you said. We ain't supposed to be sowin' doubts amongst ourselves. But…"
He looked toward Dutch's tent, the tension visible in the slope of his shoulders.
"But some of what you said... it hit home. After what Dutch did earlier tonight, and after that conversation Hosea and I had with him… I'm startin' to think the same thing. That maybe we shouldn't be followin' him without question anymore."
Caleb's eyes widened. That was the last thing he expected to hear tonight. Arthur, the Arthur Morgan, the most stalwart, loyal enforcer Dutch had, saying that aloud.
Arthur gave a final nod, then turned to walk off into the night. Caleb remained seated, too stunned to reply at first. He watched Arthur's back as it disappeared toward the wagons, the firelight casting his shadow long across the dirt.
It had worked. The punch to Uncle. The conversation with Dutch. Hosea's influence. And now John… Arthur… both shaken.
The seed he had planted was being watered by circumstance, and now it had sprouted. He hadn't expected it to bloom this quickly, but maybe that was his luck stat at work. Maybe fate or the code behind it, was leaning in his favor.
...
Name: 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 Memory (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)
- Mental Fortitude (Lvl MAX)
- Cooking (Lvl 2)
- Teaching (Lvl 1)
- Germanic Language Proficiency (Lvl MAX)
- Inventory System (Permanent - 5x5x5)
- Acting (Lvl 2)
Money: 935 dollars and 48 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 rings, four silver pocket watches, a gold buckle, and a gold pocket compass
Bank: -