Chapter 59 - Tricking

Arago had indeed sniffed out the Superior. Much to their surprise, the scaled creature was already under attack. A group of Aberrations had surrounded it, struggling to bring it down. Despite not looking the part, that thing was a Superior. There was no doubt about it. After all, it wasn't having any trouble fending off the four Aberrations' attacks. Annie narrowed her eyes. If what Karabell had said earlier was true, Arago could easily communicate with its subordinates using Gull's ability.

"There are too many of us here. Tell those Aberrations to help the children. We'll take care of the Superior," Annie shouted, drawing her sword. "Besides, we'll be able to coordinate our attacks better that way."

Arago bobbed its head up and down. The furred creature knew that all too well. Even without its help, Kei and Annie were strong enough to kill a Superior by themselves. After a few seconds, the Aberrations' assault drew to a close. The scaled Superior stopped with a jolt as the other creatures began to retreat.

"So, are we weak? Or maybe you're just that strong," the Superior growled. "You think that killing me will help you achieve victory. Oh, but I'm not the one telling those guys what to do." The Superior pointed to its head. "Not that you'd get it. You're out for blood, I get it. Some of use are nothing more than animals, unable to think of anything else but slaughtering humans. I'm not going to deny that fact. Others, however, do prefer a good, honorable fight once in a while. You can call me East. I actually named myself after one of the four cardinal points. I doubt you'll be kind enough to give me your names, though."

"Kei," the girl said, completely unfazed. "My name is Kei. And, unfortunately, you're right. We're here to defeat you. Nothing you say will change that."

"You mentioned a honorable fight, but you're clearly outnumbered," Annie snapped with bravery she did not feel.

"Are you sure that's the case? I am a Superior, after all. And, from the looks of it, your friend is a regular Aberration. You don't seem particularly strong either. And Kei's still so young... No, I won't underestimate my enemies. I know better than that. Now, are we done talking? Honestly, I'm itching to fight," East said, smirking.

Annie glanced around, surveying their surroundings. Arago's Aberrations were still nearby. The Superior itself wasn't a huge problem. However, if other creatures came to its rescue, things could quickly get out of hand. Though it looked like Arago had taken that into account. It was Annie's first time fighting side by side with an Aberration. It felt... weird.

Kei's shoulders tensed. Her eyes fruitlessly searched for a weak spot. Superior or not, that thing was covered in scales, so it couldn't move as fast as other Aberrations. But that also meant that their weapons would be completely useless against it. They needed Arago's claws to somehow tear through that armor. Could it even do something like that? All of a sudden, Kei's eyes widened. There was another way.

"Arago, I'm sorry to say this, but you won't really need that sword for this fight. Your sheer strength is more than enough," she said.

The Aberration stabbed its sword hard into the ground and cracked its knuckles. Surprisingly, Kei wasn't the one to make the first move. Annie lunged toward the Superior. Kei hadn't said anything about having a plan. However, the fact that she hadn't recklessly attacked East spoke for itself. Annie knew they couldn't kill the creature without getting rid of its scales. She also knew that one of them had to distract the Superior while the others thought of a plan to do that.

East didn't budge. It wondered if the fighter realized that her sword wouldn't be able to damage it. That woman wasn't a threat. Kei and that furred Aberration, on the other hand... Annie closed in on the Superior, but didn't strike. At the very last moment, she stopped in her tracks, staring East square in the face. The Superior stifled a smile. She was just trying to distract it. Did they really think it was going to work? East wasn't that foolish. All it had to do was go for Kei and the Aberration.

Kei took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. East had completely ignored Annie, choosing to attack her and Arago instead. She grasped the handles of her knives tighter. So far it was all going according to plan. Annie had done a great job, but the rest was up to her... Meaning that she couldn't afford to miss. Kei needed to let the Superior get as close as possible before doing anything. She'd practiced a lot, but hitting a moving target was on a whole other level. She'd found that out during their earlier fight against the two furred Aberrations. A drop of cold sweat rolled down Kei's forehead. She wondered what Karabell would think of such a careless plan.

"There!" she shouted unexpectedly.

The two knives whizzed through the air, miraculously finding their mark in the Superior's eyes. East was too shocked to feel any pain. It couldn't see a thing. What had just happened? No, East knew the answer to that question. She'd sacrificed her weapons just to blind it. And the Superior had fallen for it...

Kei pulled Arago's sword out of the ground and dashed past the Superior. That weapon was so much heavier than a knife. She wasn't sure if she could even swing that thing. But she didn't need to. She'd already taken out both of East's eyes.

"Arago, it's your turn now! Go for it!" Kei glanced at the Aberration, and her heart sunk. "What's the matter, Arago?" her voice fell to a whisper.

Another scaled Aberration was pinning their furred ally to the ground. Kei couldn't believe her eyes. How had that one gotten past Arago's subordinates?

"I said I wasn't the one controlling those Aberrations. However, that doesn't mean I lack the skill to do that. As you can see, it's actually quite simple," East said, turning towards Kei. "I can just use that one's eyes to see. Though I have to admit, it is a tad inconvenient."

Kei swallowed hard. How could they possibly rescue Arago while simultaneously keeping the Superior in check? They couldn't damage East, and the creature knew that. They didn't want to die... but neither did the Superior. Was there no way out?