Like a cat attempting to swat a mouse, Kirru kept circling around the feathered Aberration, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Despite not being nearly as proficient as Gull when it came to telepathy, Kirru had an unusually keen sense of smell. And that stench was starting to get on his nerves. That creature was clearly another Superior's lackey. It was just a regular Aberration, but that thing had the advantage in terms of speed. They needed to immobilize it first and foremost.
"Lily, Krun, pincer attack, go!" the Superior shouted at the two furred Aberrations as it withdrew slightly.
Immediately switching places with Kirru, Lily swung its arm wildly, allegedly going for an uppercut. The feathered creature flawlessly evaded the attack. Before it got the chance to act, however, a fist punched the back of its head. Krun kicked the Aberration, knocking its feet from under it. There was a loud thump, followed by an even louder noise.
"So you're supposed to be a Gargling?" Kirru spat out the words. "Well, you were outnumbered, I'll give you that. And it looks like Fen already took care of your friend over there, too."
Krun jumped on top of the Aberration, preventing it from getting up. Still groaning, the creature trashed about, trying to shake its foe off. Lily grabbed both of its legs, sinking its huge claws into the other Aberration's flesh. With little effort, Krun pinned down the creature's arms. No matter how much it howled or struggled, the feathered Aberration couldn't escape their grasp. Kirru's eyes glinted. Was that thing trying to warn its teammates?
"It's too late now anyway. Hey, kids!" the Superior shouted over its shoulder. The two trainees drew closer and readied their weapons. "Let's not waste our time here. Finish this sorry excuse of a Gargling off," Kirru added, plucking a bunch of the feathers covering the Aberration's chest.
The two teenagers looked at each other, hoping they didn't look as nervous as they felt. The boy sighed, letting his shield fall to the ground. They'd always been a team, but he hadn't done anything to help in that fight. His weapon was useless in that kind of situation. Well, even calling his shield a weapon was a huge overstatement. At least his teammate had a piercing one... The girl patted his head, smiling apologetically. She walked towards the Aberration and lifted her longsword above her head. Squeezing her eyes shut, she plunged the blade into the creature's chest.
"I... I did it, right? It's dead. I was the one who killed it." The girl heaved for breath, falling to her knees.
"Yeah, you did. You were amazing, kids. Lily, Krun, you did an excellent job, as always. Thank you."
Like everyone else, the Superior was tired of fighting. Running away from fighters, battling Aberrations... every single day, over and over again. Kirru didn't exactly agree with Gull's opinion regarding Aberrations. After all, they were living beings. They didn't want to die.
"But if our deaths can stop all this, then I'm more willing to make that sacrifice." The Superior whispered to himself, looming closer to the rest of the group.
They'd gotten rid of the creatures fairly quickly, and no one had gotten hurt. But the feathered Gargling's message had gotten across to them. Fen had heard its screeches as well. Sheathing his war hammer, he started whistling once again. They'd been spotted. It was safe to assume that their enemies were now aware of their presence. Kiru, Fen and the others got back into formation. The teacher asked one of the trainees to inform Captain Ress about the results of the battle.
*
"I see. Thanks for telling me," Karabell said with a forced smile. "In that case, we should be prepared to face even more Aberrations in the near future. I doubt they'll just let us through, but I also doubt that they've figured our objective out. Travelling like this has its downsides, too."
The apprentice's eyes sparkled, but he made an effort to maintain a straight face. He couldn't help but think that Captain Ress was a lot cooler than he'd seemed at first. Both him and his team had been killing Aberrations for such a long time. Were all the soldiersin the Lower District that strong?
Despite Karabell's premonition of imminent attacks, they didn't encounter any more Aberrations for the next hours. They'd chosen a different route, so they didn't pass by Base Yuna. Karabell had also chosen to avoid Base Miu... Or, what was left of it, anyway. The creatures had probably destroyed everything in sight, just like they'd done with the Agency's building. Those bases in the Upper District, they were also part of the Agency. So why had they cast aside that name? Karabell's gazed at the sky. He was drowsy. Both the apprentices and the Aberrations were getting tired, too, which meant that they'd soon have to search for a place to rest. The sun had almost set, too.
"Shono, what do you think?" he asked casually.
"About what, Captain?"
"We're close to the Lower District. I think we should take a break once we get there. It'll probably take four more hours or so. Everything should be alright if we take turns keeping watch until morning." Karabell stifled a yawn. After that, they'd just have to start their search again. "Do you think they'll manage?" he added, looking around.
"They'll have to. We can't just stop here and go to sleep. That being said, don't you find it strange, Captain? After Kirru and Fen took care of those two..." Shono's voice trailed off.
"No other Aberrations attacked us, I know. That's part of why I suggested resting later. To me, it looks like they'll either ambush us while we're sleeping, or they're all defending the Ringleader, awaiting our arrival. I don't think they know what our goal is, so I wouldn't count on the latter. However, I can't rule out the possiblity."
"I get what you're saying, Captain. It's not going to be easy, no matter what. That's why I'm glad we have so many teammates now. Gull, Arago, Kirru... Those guys are Aberrations. Yet we're all fighting for a common cause. It's odd, really. But I don't dislike it. Also, it's been a while since we've last talked like this, don't you think?" The corners of Shono's mouth turned up slightly.
"I guess, now that you mention it. Hey, remember how shaken you were after finding out about the talking Superior? Who would've thought that it would become one of our strongest allies?"
"Don't even get me started. I, for one, thought he wasn't going to recover from that," Alice jokingly replied in Shono's stead. Kei had already fallen asleep, hugging Sasha's mane. "Hey, Een, get over here! We're having a family reunion!"
"How are you so full of energy? I'm exhausted! Not to mention that, once we get to the Lower District, Gull will start using its powers for real. Captain, you should be worried about this as well. We'll barely be able to walk then," Een whined, crossing his arms. "At the end of the day, I'm glad we're all together, though. I don't normally do this, so don't even think of resisting," he said, pulling Shono and Karabell into a hug. "I'd hug you too, but we wouldn't want to wake little Kei up, would we, sister?"