A shiver ran down the center of Karabell's spine. The anger welling up inside him, threatened to overflow. Burning rage hissed through his body. That otherworldly creature was the one responsible for all those deaths, for all that meaningless fighting. So many people... their friends had died because of that monster. And it was alone. It had chosen to face them by itself. But even so, the wingless griffin projected an unusual aura of strength. Compared to the Superiors they'd defeated before, that thing was on a whole other level. That much was evident Could they really take that creature down? No, Karabell wasn't going to back down. Strong or not, that thing was an Aberration. They were soldiers. Soldiers killed Aberrations. It was simple. Karabell's jaw clenched unconsciously as he recalled Frederick's words yet again. Aberrations were just Aberrations, he knew that. But how could he believe such a feeble statement after seeing Kirru, Arago and everyone else risk their lives for them? Cold sweat rolled from his forehead as he glanced at his comrades. Frederick's grin gave Karabell goosebumps. That guy wasn't even trying to hide his bloodlust anymore. Well, not that it mattered at that point. Alice and Een didn't seem all that scared, but Gull was completely frozen in fear.
"Be careful," the feathered Superior warned them, its voice trembling ever so slightly. "I don't know what I was thinking. We can't win. I can feel it in my bones, this guy is bad news. Now that we've seen it, I don't think it'll let us leave, either. But why are we here? We were never supposed to be here."
"What're you talking about, creature?" Frederick asked serenely, but his eyes burned with hatred. "Didn't we come all the way out here to slay this monster? No matter how you look at it, that thing's nothing more than just another ugly Aberration. And trust me, I'm tired of running away from Aberrations."
"For once, I have to agree with Frederick," Een suddenly declared. "You brought us here because you thought we'd be strong enough to kill the Ringleader. You do know that telling us to back down now won't get you anywhere, right? Our friends are outside, fighting the Aberrations. Who knows how many have died already? We can't possibly go back empty-handed."
Alice chose to remain silent. She'd never felt so afraid of an Aberration before. The creature hadn't even done anything. It was completely outnumbered, yet it looked so confident. What had she expected? That thing was the Ringleader, probably the most powerful creature alive. Had she really been so naive as to think they'd take that beast out effortlessly? But they hadn't lost. The battle hadn't even begun. Kar and the Commander could defeat that thing. When it came down to it, they were both phenomenal fighters. Alice glanced at her brother. Gull looked like it probably going to sit that fight out, so it was up to them to help Kar and Frederick. Hadn't Een anticipated that kind of situation? And why had Gull reacted like that?
"You've brought me fascinating guests yet again, Gullinkambi. Or should I call you Gull?" the creature's hoarse voice rang through the cave. "Why do I always let you go off on your own? Oh well, perhaps things are more interesting this way. Though I'll admit, these ones do look a lot braver." The griffin closed its eyes and took a deep breath. "You're here to kill me, I know. You're all waiting for me to make the first move, struggling to force back the fear eating away at you at the same time. I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with that, of course. You have the right to hate me, after all. Humans truly are strange. They hate us, fear us, have always wanted to slay us. But not once have they seen themselves as murderers. Strange, right? Perhaps we'll get a chance to talk once you've killed me. No, actually, I don't think something like that's even possible. For now, thought, we must fight. Shall we get started then?" In spite of its words, the creature smiled warmly, and its tone was friendly. That thing was like an even more annoying version of Frederick.
The Ringleader took a step forward. It tilted its head left and right to stretch its neck as it flexed its hands a few times. Karabell's body tensed. He just needed to stab that thing once, right? How fast was that creature? How strong was it? He didn't know. What he did know, however, was that they couldn't treat that thing like any other Aberration. Gull was, without a doubt, the strongest Superior Karabell had ever met, and even that Superior was scared of the monster in front of them. The Captain's face darkened. Naturally, he hadn't expected the Aberrations' leader to be a weak, frail creature. But why did he find that monster so frightening? Something didn't feel right.
"Een, we'll stick to the plan for now," Karabell whispered hurriedly. "I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. If anything happens..."
Een nodded. Of course he knew what the Captain was talking about. Just then, though, Frederick started walking leisurely towards the Aberration. His grin remained unchanged as the Commander slowly took off his uniform coat and cast it aside. The coat landed softly on the ground. Frederick silently banged his knuckle dusters together.
"Honestly, I'm tired of playing soldier. After all, soldiers won't even be needed anymore if I kill you here and now. Remember what you told me before, Captain?" he asked loudly, weighing up the Ringleader. "You told me I didn't have to keep pretending. Aren't you glad I'm taking your advice? Humanity, Aberrations, I don't care about any of that. I swore that I'd destroy every last one of those monsters. And I intend to do just that, starting with this guy here." Frederick's anger burned brighter than ever. "Shall we get started then?" he asked the creature in a mocking tone.