"So, let me get this straight. You want to find and kill the Superior all by yourself? That's suicide, even for you, Captain!" Een shouted, his voice echoeing throughout the staircase.
"I'm sorry, but I must agree with my brother. Sure, we've killed those before, but we were four-on-one. And we merely came across them while exploring the District. Hunting a Superior..." Alice added in a strangled voice. Shono didn't seem to like the idea either. Karabell knew all too well that his plan was reckless, but he couldn't think of any other way to get out of that situation. As long as a Superior was somewhere nearby, they'd have to be way too cautious. They needed to move at a faster pace. So the danger had to be eliminated. If he were to go alone, he could simply evade the Aberrations, effectively going straight for the Superior.
They were all opposed to the Captain's idea, but they couldn't tell him not to go. He was the leader. Een glanced outside, lost in thought. They needed water. Hunting smaller animals was enough for food. But getting water was a problem. Up in the mountains, they'd had a small creek nearby, so they hadn't had to worry about that. There was a large lake in the Lower District, but that was quite a ways off. Een let out a sigh. He wanted to go with the Captain, but he knew he'd turn him down without a second thought. Part of his reason for wanting to go alone was probably to get them out of harm's way.
"I don't want to do this," Karabell suddenly spoke, drawing everyone's attention to him. "I really don't want to. But we need to get to the safe spot. If we waste our time here, we're practically begging to get eaten. So I'll go for the Superior while you three move towards that place. If anything goes according to plan, the other Aberrations will follow me and you'll be able to reach your destination safely. Once I get rid of the Superior one, I'll join you..."
"How can you be so sure?!" Alice snapped at him. Judging by her expression, she was as astonished by her own words as everyone else. "S-sorry, Kar. I didn't mean to shout like that. It's just... the Superior might be covered in scales... Or fur. You wouldn't even be able to damage it. Plus, if you were to go up against a bunch of regular Aberrations or Garglings on top of that..." Her voice shook despite her best efforts.
Alice had finally voiced what they were all thinking. It wasn't that they didn't trust in his skills. They were worried about him. Everyone knew how good a fighter he was. But those creatures weren't human. Their moves were predictable, but that didn't mean they could be taken lightly. Karabell looked at his teammates. Their uniform coats were now stained with either blood or mud. Those clothes were made out of Aberration fur, which made them extremely durable, so they weren't especially damaged. The Agency had once tried to produce some sort of armor out of the creatures' scales, but it had proved impossible. They'd been far too heavy, reducing the wearer's mobility too much to be used in combat. They clearly needed new clothes. And for that, they needed to get to the Upper District.
"That's why I'll take Een with me." Karabell took a deep breath. "We've known each other for a few months," he continued, looking him in the eye. "I may be the captain of this team, but this is not an order. You won't be considered a coward if you refuse to come with me. I won't think less of you and I won't be mad at you. But I want to give you a choice. I'm sure you are all as worried about me as I am about you. That's why I'm not going to force you. Neither to let me go alone, nor to come with me. It is entirely up to you."
Een's eyes widened. Alice bit her lower lip, staring at the two. She knew that, normally, Kar would have asked Shono to join him. They'd always made a good team. But he needed Shono to show her the way. She couldn't help but feel guilty. For lacking in both experience and skill. Karabell Ress. There was something about his name that made her heart ache. They were orphans... Just Alice. Just Een. Even when they still had a family, they hadn't been given a family name. In that world, it was a rather rare occurence. Shono was in the same boat. But the Agency... No, Kar had given them a home. A sense of belonging. She liked to jokingly call their team Squad Ress. And, after the Superiors' attack, they'd gotten even closer. She didn't want to risk losing any of that.
"As if I'd say no to that. My weapon may be an axe, but my combat style revolves around speed. Though I can't quite keep up with you. I've been thinking... Our best shot at finding the Superior would be to follow those five Aberrations we saw earlier, don't you think? We're not sure how they communicate, but I doubt they can do it over large distances. They should go back to report to the Superior. Or something..."
"So we'll take the stealthy approach and tail them. Once we get to their leader, we wait for them to leave, and then we strike. It isn't a bad plan. I'm glad you calmed down, too, Een," Karabell smiled, noticing that his teammate's hands had stopped shaking.
Shono leaned against one of the walls, grinning to himself. Were they really not afraid? He still had so much to learn from those kids.
"You forgot one part Captain. The part where we tear the beast to shreds and then join those two at the safe spot," Een said over his shoulder, climbing down the stairs.
It didn't take them long to find the Aberrations again. Two feathered, two scaled, and the Gargling was covered in fur. Not exactly the matchup they'd been hoping for, but they didn't have to fight them. Their goal was the Superior. The creatures moved swiftly between the buildings, not paying much attention to their surroundings. That meant two things. First, they hadn't sniffed them out yet. Second, they'd finished scouting and were heading back.
"I can't believe we got so lucky," Een whispered. "I thought we would have to wait longer for them to go back to their boss."
Karabell looked closely at the Aberrations' movements. They weren't acting especially weird. For some reason, though, he couldn't help but feel like their sudden decision to leave was... oddly convenient.