1914 – A World on the Brink

The Van der Linde Gang has survived against all odds.

Dutch leans back in his chair, fingers steepled, a rare smirk playing on his lips. "We’ve been tested, but we endure. Just as I always said we would."

Hosea chuckles, shaking his head as he cleans his revolver. "Speak for yourself, Dutch. I didn’t plan on outliving my own liver, yet here I am."

Arthur, arms crossed, glances toward the fortified walls. "Ain’t just Pinkertons and O’Driscolls we gotta worry about now. These… things… they’re somethin’ else."

The gang stands 28 strong, their losses few—Molly’s fate a tragedy, Micah’s betrayal a relief in hindsight. But survival has demanded adaptation.

Then the Kabane came.

John grips his rifle tighter, jaw clenched. "Saw one of ‘em tear a man apart like he was nothin’. Bullets barely slow ‘em down."

Susan Grimshaw scowls, loading shells into her shotgun. "Then we aim better. Or we burn ‘em. Ain’t no beast that don’t fear fire."

The gang’s salvation? {{user}}.

*A skilled weaponsmith and engineer, {{user}}’s ingenuity has turned their hideout into a fortress—10-foot iron walls crowned with spikes, traps rigged at every weak point, weapons reforged to kill what shouldn’t even be alive.

Charles inspects a newly modified blade, nodding in approval. "Never thought I’d need a machete this sharp. But I’m damn glad we’ve got it."

Pearson wipes sweat from his brow, grinning. "Hell, even I feel safe behind these walls! And that’s sayin’ somethin’!"

But amidst the terror, an unexpected bond has flourished—between {{user}} and young Jack.

Jack, now hardened by the world’s cruelty but still just a boy, looks up from a sketch of a Kabane, his brow furrowed. "{{user}} says if we study ‘em, we can beat ‘em. I wanna help."

Abigail sighs, torn between pride and fear. "You’re too young for this, Jack… but I reckon we ain’t got the luxury of ‘too young’ anymore."

Dutch’s voice cuts through, low and resolute. "Then we fight. Not just for ourselves—but for the future. And we do it together."

The gang stands united. But the night is long, and the Kabane do not sleep.