Chapter 91: Flawless
The couple of hours of sleep Ryan had after his nighttime run weren’t enough. Ryan grumbled grouchily when William had the audacity to wake him shortly after dawn. Ryan gratefully cradled his steaming mug of coffe that Katrina had deigned to release some of her limited stock of coffee for the combatants getting ready. In a few minutes he’d have to head out to the gorge with Miguel, Carsten and Gabriel and then spin up a Portal for the rest but for the moment he paid exclusive attention to his coffee, ignoring the soft chatter of everyone around him.
Miguel nudged him, “You ready?” he asked.
“Hmmm, gimme a minute.” Ryan groused half-awake. He was fully kitted up but considering whether he was forgetting something. A couple of seconds later he decided that he wasn’t forgetting anything and nodded to Miguel. ‘Let’s head out.”
Fury, who’d been lying at his side, immediately took point. Their roles had crystallised over the past few weeks. The lioness would strafe ahead and, able to maintain her Refractive Shield for most of the day, scout for any possible danger. Ryan, with Predator’s Awareness running, followed in her footsteps. While he didn’t trust the Skill fully yet because he’d discovered some of its faults, it alerted him of most perceivable dangers in a fairly large radius around himself. By now, the Energy drain was sustainable if Ryan was Skimming too.
Miguel, Carsten and Gabriel followed behind Ryan and were supposed to be his back-up. Ryan had decried the necessity but after William and Mike had insisted accepted their company even if it meant he’d have to slow his pace. Still, jogging at a reasonable pace, it didn’t take them too long too reach the gorge. The run had been pleasant but the magic of yesternight’s experience was missing. Ryan felt an ineffable sense of loss but then focused on the practicalities and spun up his Portal.
One by one the remaining twelve combat group members filed through and headed to their assigned positions. Mike, William and Lydia, the paladin that had decided to move over from Resolute before Exsolutus vacated the Fortress, headed down to the trench and hunkered down. Miguel and Marc moved to hide behind some rocks that kept them out of sight but would allow them to take the whole trap under fire from range. Carmen and Carsten were waiting next to Ryan. Those two would take up similar positions once Ryan opened a Portal for the duo to cross to the opposite side. The rest of the team was already scrambling down to the expansive ledge where Ryan would join them once his immediate tasks were completed. Then, like everyone else, he’d settle behind the hide that had gradually been built over the last few days and wait for the action to start. If they were lucky it’d be a short wait and the herd would choose to water during the morning, if not, they’d have to wait until the late afternoon for them to show.
Luck wasn’t on their side. Ryan scratched his neck and took a sip from his lukewarm Camelbak. He’d long since resigned himself to the copius amounts of sweat soaking into every last nook in his armour while he broiled in the partial shade of the hide. The midday sun was mercilessly pounding down on the waiting Guild and Ryan’s every twitch resulted in a soft squelch and an equally disgusting sensation. Wearing the skintight armour while remaining prone was not unlike wearing a wetsuit while out of the water. Sure, Leah had designed and crafted the armour to drain and ventilate while he kept moving but they never considered the current scenario. So, sweat was accumulating and Ryan was getting pruny. He’d definitely need to shower once they were done.
Ryan chanced a quick peek at Lindi. Johannes’ tame oryx was nonchalantly browsing on some bushes on top of the ridge and inconspicously keeping an eye out for their target. The animal shouldn’t unduly spook the herd and provide early warning if their target approached. Still, going by their usual routine, Ryan didn’t expect the herd to show up until the sun was setting and resigned himself to more uncomfortable waiting.
Hours passed and Ryan was dozing fitfully until a palpable wave of excitement went through the group. Johannes informed them that Lindi had spotted the approaching herd via the raid chat that Michelle had set up for the day. Finally the indeterminable wait was coming to an end. While hunting Ryan had often lain patiently in wait for hours at a time but slowly being cooked in his own sweat was an experience he was looking forward to never repeat. He nudged Celeste awake. The Witch would start off the encounter by disintegrating the support struts that kept the carefully assembled rockfall from tumbling down into the gorge, their entire plan hinged on her success.
Ryan could hear soft shuffling sounds as the various members in the hide repositioned and nudged some sleepers awake. One by one everyone confirmed their ready status and all that was left to do was wait for the herd to enter the killing grounds. Ryan sensed the massive bovine bodies through Predator’s Awareness as they started cautiously making their way into the ravine. They followed the same procedure as every time he had previously observed them, he could vaguely feel that the leading animal was the largest and it had to be the old Guardian Buffalo, followed one by one by the rest of the herd with the rearguard taken up by the second bull. Ryan paid close attention to this animal in particular. The moment it stepped into line of sight he nudged Celeste.
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The young Witch didn’t hesitate. A sharp crack echoed through the ravine. A ponderous rumbling followed moments later. Boulders and rocks started tumbling down, crashing through the thick bush, smashing vegetation, smashing into each other, shattering and raising a cloud of dust. The din was overwhelming as the rockslide tumbled down behind the herd and closed off the ravine. Panicked the herd surged forward, jostling each other and and spreading out into the thick bush. Ryan spotted Mike and William rising from the camouflaged trench and then sprinting the few strides to the narrow chokepoint. The duo arrived in time and Mike charged straight into the lead buffalo, rocking it back and keeping it contained.
The panicked heifer behind the bull moved into the narrow gap to barge past the stopped Guardian and escape into the more open space beyond the trench. William shield bashed her, momentarily stunning the animal. Lydia took position behind the two but the narrow gap was successfully clogged up by the two bodies and Ryan distinctly felt a sense of relief. The trio should be able to safely contain the herd that now couldn’t start an unstoppable charge.
The thundering report of Marc’s double barrel .500 Nitro Express and the sharp crack of Carmen’s .300 Win-Mag echoing through the gorge were the signal Ryan was waiting for. A scant moment of focus and the Portal spun up. Another thunder and another crack and the melee members poured through the portal into the thick bush on the other side of the ravine. Ryan moved forward and took up a prominent perch on the ledge paying full attention to Predator’s Awareness. The near godlike level of oversight the Skill allowed painted a clear picture of the chaotic melee in the ravine. His only duty now was to identify and evacuate any seriously wounded member.
It was interesting to follow Lucy and Gabriel as they ghosted through the bush. The two stealthy characters made quick attacks to hamstring and hamper their targets and then moved on, leaving the crippled animals stationary and exposed to the two bow wielding Scouts. Jaco had taken position on a small bluff and was engaged with a young heifer that had been pulled by Phillipus. With bare hands and flashing shins he deflected the swiping horns and stomping hooves. Quick and economic jabs repeatedly pummeled the heifers nose. In seconds the animal was disoriented and staggering from side to side before Phillipus slit its throat.
Unseen danger threathened the pair. A very young bull was charging through the bush and approaching the unaware duo and Ryan called on Carmen and Marc to take the shot before the Monk and Tracker could be run over. It was unlikely that the two could hear the approaching animal over the general din in the gorge. A moment later Ryan could sense the animal collapsing in a truly tremendous crash before the booming report of Marc’s double-barrel reached his ears. Danger averted.
Most of the loosely spread stragglers had been dealt with by now and the melees slowly approached the dense scrum at the chokepoint from behind. The herd was straining to move through the gap but Mike and William stood fast, fencing with the old Guardian that was desperately trying to break through. The poor heifer that was obstructing the bull was squished to the side but still the bull lacked space to move.
Thanks to the clogged bottleneck and because they were unable to build up momentum or bring their superior weight to bear the panicked animals were locked in the narrow gap. One or two buffalo had actually broken off and reversed into the wider space but the majority of the 30 strong herd was successfully contained. Miguel and Carsten, perched diagonally above the herd started dropping the rearmost animals with quick, clean arrows to the base of their skulls. One by one the buffalo started falling, further jamming the trap.
The Guild’s melee was holding position, ready to head off and take on any escapees. They were waiting in vain as the two Scout’s efficiently mowed through the herd. Carmen had repositioned in the meantime but was conserving ammunition. Marc was still scrambling along the drop into the gorge trying to get into a position above the bull and the tanks. Ryan could feel the strain caused by his intense focus on Predator’s Awareness building but he maintained concentration. He itched to put a shot into the Guardian to drop it in the chokepoint but the risk of punching through and injuring Mike or William was too great. The two were covering each other, intercepting vicious swipe after vicious swipe of the razor sharp horns. Occasionally the bull changed its approach and tried to but forward with its impressive boss, only to be met by a slamming shield. This actually put a lot more strain on the two tanks than Ryan expected. He could see Linda’s Shields flashing every single time the bull butted its head against a shield and Ryan understood that she was somehow reinforcing their arms which otherwise might have broken under the stress.
The heifer was bleating in pain as the back and forth of the heaving bull slowly ground her into the rockface, crushing her ribs. She was stuck and Ryan felt deep shame at the animals torture but they couldn’t end her torment yet because she was hampering the bull in its efforts to move forward. Finally Marc was in position but he held his fire, Mike and William were still containing the Guardian and the uneasy equilibrium kept the herd contained as its members were slowly eliminated by the Scouts. Ryan reluctantly agreed with his decision not to upset the situation once Marc explained his thoughts over chat.
The thundering report of the .500 Nitro express rang out as the last animal behind the bull dropped to Miguel’s arrow. While the bull was collapsing William piroutted to his left and lunged forward, the point of his extended bastard sword piercing through the eye of the delirious heifer and releasing her from torment. Just like him, William must have felt revulsion at the animals extended suffering and as soon as he could his younger brother put an end to it.
With that last lunge quiet descended onto the gorge. And then they all cheered. It was a tired, ragged cheer but the joy was heartfelt. No-one had suffered any serious injury and the evenly split experience was a welcome boon, bringing them closer to their goal. With the Ding! That had sounded sometime in the midst of combat Ryan knew that he had reached Level 21.
And now the real work of processing the bounty of their hunt could begin.