Alexis left Ryan after she had reassured herself that he definitely would talk to John, heading back to William, Lizzy, Miguel and John who were discussing the next steps. William and Miguel were arguing about the best way to get everyone the experience needed to hit Level 10, the council having already decided that they would hit the area of effect of the nearest Ascension Obelisk only once everyone in the group had hit the level necessary to choose a class. William was of the opinion that everyone should be involved with combat at least until they hit Level 10, arguing that this would probably widen the possible class choices they’d be offered then. In this he was supported adamantly by John.
Lizzy and Miguel on the other hand argued that they should only take people that had the inclination to be active combatants, feeding the remaining members of the group with shared experience. It would lessen the risk to the members and consolidate the various groupings, furthering the desperately needed cohesion of the combat group and also lessening the need to watch over the weaker members.
Alexis thought both arguments had merit and suggested that they offer each member their own choice after presenting both arguments to the group as a whole. In any event, Ryan, Michelle and Roland would have to remain at the fortress and would need someone to help watch over the place and assist them if needed. Fortunately, William’s Party Leader Skill had ranked up due to the Pet Extermination spree in town and experience was shared within a radius of three kilometres now, the only reason they were having this discussion in the first place.
They eventually agreed to Alexis’ suggested compromise and decided that they’d sort out the group’s composition before dinner, which by now was approaching quickly. Alexis’ last action before heading to bed was to check on her patients. Changing the bandage on Ryan’s leg left her surprised, the wound was healing at a remarkable rate and she had to revise her estimation of when he would be mobile again. Michelle’s recovery however was not nearly as remarkable, not surprising given the fact that Ryan’s constitution was near twice that of a normal human and Michelle had apparently not invested as many points in it as Ryan clearly had.
Early the next morning, just before sunrise, William and Miguel left the fortress to scout likely targets the group could safely eliminate while Alexis and John starting rousing the people who had agreed to join the expedition with cups of strong coffee. Near everyone had elected to join up and they started kitting up, getting ready for when William and Miguel found a likely target.
They didn’t have to wait long, William called John via the Interface about an hour later, informing John that they had found the big herd of Springbok John had pointed out as a likely target. John’s knowledge of the topography of the property and the habitual behaviour of the animals there showing its value again. According to John, the small antelope had stayed in their usual haunt, the spacious and open valley three valleys over always having boxed the animals in due to their aversion to mountainous terrain. It was within the three kilometre radius of the fortress, if barely, and according to William, the large herd didn’t have a single member that was above Level 7.
Alexis ordered Kira to stay at the fortress, guarding it and the people left inside. She was aware that she had neglected her pet and the possibilities it might provide up until now, but the thought of the dog joining her in combat had her apprehensive and their plan for later in the day meant that the dog might become a burden too. She felt that it was safer to leave her pet behind.
The hike didn’t take too long, the group following John’s lead along the jeep tracks towards the valley. Before they reached it however, Miguel headed them off. He quickly explained that they had found an ideal ambush position and took the lead. Before he headed up the valley’s side he indicated for everyone to remain quiet, clearly anticipating the herd to be just over the crest. Alexis spotted William lying prone at the top, propped on his elbows and staring intently through a pair of binoculars.
Alexis dropped prone before reaching the crest, by now knowing what was expected and slowly crawled forward, Rifle at the ready and scoping out the situation beyond once she reached the top. The Springbok were grazing just below them, some keeping watch, others playfully pronking around, white flaps flashing in the early morning sun. It was a beautiful sight, the playful behaviour of the calves putting a smile on her face. Alexis sighed, the Springbok was one of her favourite animals and she regretted the need to kill the herd. Even the fragile animals were levelling up at a prodigious rate, their average level similar to the groups. Their big number might also make them a threat in the near future, depending on what changes reaching Level 10 brought.
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The patch notes had warned them again that native fauna would continue to mutate aggressively and that they would need to consider elimination of potential threats. At this stage, considering the fact that they were well armed, they could eliminate the herd safely, something that wouldn’t be necessarily guaranteed in the future. William telepathic communique interrupted her contemplation, he designated groups that each member should target, his shot the signal to start firing, only stopping if the animals were either out of range or dead.
The plan wasn’t complicated and the cull anticlimactic. They eliminated the entire herd in short order, Alexis bagging four animals in quick succession, the last animal tumbling into the dust barely thirty seconds after the first shot had been fired. Before she got up William’s next order stopped her in her tracks. “Hold position everyone and reload, we have incoming.” Alexis raised her head and spotted the approaching plume of dust that was the reason for William’s command while she reloaded.
Apparently their fusillade had raised the ire of some more denizens of the valley, a herd of Oryx approaching their position at speed. “Hold fire, I want to see what they do” was William’s next command. The herd reached the site of the slaughter, and then milled around in confusion. The shooting had attracted them, but now, not having found a target, had no outlet for their aggression. That problem was quickly remedied as William ordered them to open fire once again.
The bigger animals proved more resilient, but in the end, the massed fire took the smaller number down as quickly as the Springbok. Quiet descended once again, only to be interrupted by Carina’s suppressed swearing. Alexis could feel the heat radiating from her barrel and wisely decided not to touch it, assuming that that was what had Carina swearing. In any case, they all waited with bated breath, anticipating more animals to show up in short order.
They waited in vain, five and then ten minutes passed and Alexis hadn’t detected any further movement in the valley. William gave the all clear and called them together for a quick discussion. They decided to leave the corpses where they were, processing them would likely take the remainder of the day and although it bothered everyone to leave perfectly good meat to rot it was decided to see if they could attract scavengers to the site of the slaughter. They had previously discussed how the group would proceed from here and collectively decided to split the group. A third of the group, the physically weaker members or lesser shots would remain in a position of ambush above the current field of battle while the remainder would move on the next likely target.
This target, if they could be found, would most assuredly prove to be a far harder nut to crack than the Springbok but if they had remained in the area constituted a threat that the group would need to eliminate sooner rather than later. Alexis once again considered the nature of their target. The Chacma baboon is a very social animal, omnivorous, intelligent and often driven by a burning curiosity to take apart man’s possessions. They are gifted by natural armaments in the form of vicious teeth and big bull baboons often give pause even to their natural predators, occasionally killing them in self-defence. They can viciously rip apart even packs of hunting dogs, often tormenting their victims unnecessarily. Unless regularly taken under fire they have near to no natural fear of humans, going so far as to break into residences even in cities or stealing food from hapless tourists. The possibility of the nearby troop levelling up and attacking the fortress with their increased aggression was of the utmost concern.
During the last few days the watchers had spotted occasional sign of the troop and it had become clear that the baboons were observing their new neighbours as much as they themselves were being observed. For that reason William and John had concocted a, in their humble opinion, cunning plan. They would loop around deeper into the mountains, climbing the back of the highest nearby peak, hoping to stay out of sight and spot the troop from hiding finding a way to approach them unobserved. William suspected that the baboons kept the fortress under close observation but doubted that they would scout out the hunting party once they left the immediate territory.
It would mean a lengthy hike, a not insignificant part of it over difficult terrain, through thick bush and up some steep slopes, but in the end they had decided that this would be the best approach to eliminate the potential threat the animals posed to their fledgling community.