A game of patience and a waste of money

* They’ve come again. (Arc)

Chris narrow her eyes for an instant then answer.

* I can see them, but I can’t take a shot from this distance, those bastards are far too prudent. (Chris)

* Just judging from the fact that they have come three days in a row, we can deduce they don’t know about the second ford. (Belina)

* I hope they don’t, I don’t want to spend weeks in that box. (Arc)

Initially, when they reached the site, the group was hyped, weeks of massive apes walking this path pulling their game had left the area beaten and clear of vegetation, a perfect environment for a ranged fight.

But, after three days guard without incident, the group was weary, both vanguards more than anyone, they weren’t used being cooped up for so long.

* I hope those stupid animals lose patience soon and come at us. (Arc)

* We can only hope. (Chris)

<><><> 

The next morning, their wish was almost answered, almost. A few of the normal gorillas are being pushed toward the boat, hand full of stones and ordered by their slave masters to launch them on the boat.

Quite evidently, the stone shower as little effect on the reinforced wooden boat, and soon, the animals abandon their fruitless activity.

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Later, around midday judging from the sun, the giant apes come again in mass, accompanied by ten normal gorillas. From afar, they can see the great apes menace and hit their smaller counterpart until they run at the boat.

For the defender, there is no choice now, they must fight, a normal gorilla is still a massively strong animal and left alone there is no doubt they will tear the boat apart.

* Only use your lances for the moment, we want the others and the boss to get at shooting distance if possible. (Belina)

* Yes, ma’am! (Militia-men)

And so, the battle begins, the poor apes rush the boat, trying to tear it apart only to be met by the defenders’ long lance poking from the loopholes. A few animals, looking for a way to avoid the deadly opening, try climbing on the roof, soon after screams resound and the animals come down heavily wounded, little did they know that the roof was covered in small spikes.

Their masters, seeing the battle proceed without the use of ranged weapons, decide it is safe to approach and order to bombard the boat with small stones from as far as possible. A stupid tactic which not only shows no good results but also hurt their own forces.

* Wait, don’t shoot yet, let their leader is come closer! (Chris)

* He’s at least 700 feet away! (Arc)

* Just be patient, we aren’t at risk anyway! (Chris)

The leader is enormous, Chris is almost sure she can hit him if the come in her range, but to achieve that he must not know of the ranged weapons in the sheep. Since its previous encounter with archers and the city wall ballistae, the great ape has show excessive prudence, never coming under 500 feet range from bowmen and avoiding artillery at all cost.

* As long as we don’t use the ballistae and bows, there is a chance it will come near enough. (Chris)

* I sure hope so (Arc).

They had confidence they could take on the whole group with their secret weapons alone, but as long as the leader got away, it would still count as a loss. Gorillas are intelligent, and giant gorilla even more so but not to the level they are currently displaying. For Dalene, there was no doubt this ‘leader’ was the source of that abnormal display of tactical shrewdness, which meant that as long they let him go there was a risk it could come back with stronger strategies.

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The chief gorilla let a great yell, and the others come running at its side. The normal gorilla left alive, freed from the pressure of their captors, see this as an opportunity to flee do their best to swim across the river. The boat occupant let them go, from their perspective the poor animals are no real threat, certainly not one warranting a show of their ranged weapons.

The giant apes having finished their ‘discussion’, disperse into the forest and come back after a while with rudimentary clubs, mostly big branches and small trunks with their twigs removed.

* Damn, they evolve fast, they have already reached that level. (Dalene)

* I wouldn’t be surprised to see them use those as spears, I am sure they learn from observation. With their greater size and long arms, they must believe themselves capable of attacking us from outside our reach. (Belina)

* It is frightening, we cannot let that monster go. (Dalene)

* I concur, he must die today. (Belina)

The giant apes come at them again, but this time simply waiting it out is no longer an option, they must destroy them all, even if it means they will have to hunt the leader on foot later.

Just like Dalene had expected, they wield their crude weapons as if they were lances, and clumsily as it may, it is still very much a threat.

Chris and Arc still observe, waiting for a chance to strike at the leader, they know they won’t be able to delay their response much longer.

* Come nearer you damn monster! It’s dancing around the line, as though it knows our range. (Arc)

* Look at him, something is different, get ready! (Chris)

Indeed, the leader has stopped moving, it’s looking at the boat fixedly.

- Did it find a weak point? (Arc)

         Suddenly it runs toward the boat letting out strong yells. Its subjects stop fighting a take a few steps back to look at him.

* Everyone shoots at the leader until it dies! (Belina)

Hunters and militia-men drop their weapons to man all available war machines while Dalene prepares light some torches. They all fire at once, bows and crossbows letting bolt after bolt, arrow after arrow toward the chief gorilla.

It dies in an instant, and for its subject, the initial surprise soon turns into a powerful rage as they run back toward their great leader’s killers.

The defenders continue shooting as fast as they can until Dalene’s order come.

* Put on your masks, close the hatches. (Dalene)

Time has finally come to use the secret weapon. While everyone in the ship is busy closing every opening, the ape, on the other hand, are doing their best to open new ones, and it is only a matter of time until they do.

But for them, time is getting short. An instant later toxic fumes come out from the tubes burning their skin and lungs of the giant animals. Inside, the humans look anxiously for any trace of smoke coming in, ready to abandon the ship at any moment using the hermetic covers prepared by Belina.

The amount of precaution alone shows how terrifying the fumes are, it’s a special blend of tree bark, sap, and stone powder, each of them already a potent poison on its own.

<><><> 

The group prepares to get out of the ship.

* Do not touch anything without gloves, though it might lose potency after being exposed to air for a while, it can still cause such damage to your skin that you’d wish you were dead. Now follow me, we must dig a pit for the corpses, we can’t let them in water. (Belina)

Belina couldn’t help but be worried about people downstream, in theory, there shouldn’t be any risk once diluted by the river, but there is always a ‘what if’ plaguing her mind.

Chris, Arc, and Dalene look at the bodies disgustedly.

* What a waste, there’s easily eight crown worth of materials there. (Arc)

* You know it was the best solution. (Chris)

* That doesn’t make it any less of waste… At least we can still harvest the leader’s body. (Arc)

* A meager consolation. (Chris)

<><><> 

Some times later, the group has finished burying the remains and changing clothes and although complaints echo everywhere, no one dares touch the garments now residing on the pile of corpses.

* Yet another waste, I know the base pay was high but that pisses me off nonetheless! (Arc)

* You’re such a pain, the clothes are hardly worth anything. (Chris)

* That’s still a meal worth of cloth you know… (Arc)

* What’s a meal for you? With all your saving, you don’t need to get this cheap. (Chris)

* It is because I am cheap that I have savings! (Arc)

* Moron! (Chris)

* Prickly bitch! (Arc)

* Tight-arse! (Chris)

* I know right, look how beautiful and muscular it is! (Arc)

* Was it all for that repartee? (Chris)

* But it was absolutely worth it, and you cannot deny it! (Arc)