The creature turned its eyes towards Karabell and winced He wasn't sure, but he thought the Aberration was panting. Still running, Karabell feigned an attack. The creature completely ignored him and turned its attention back to Frederick. It looked like the Commander was getting tired too. Karabell's feet didn't stop for even a second. He was more agile than the creature, but that didn't amount to much. His spear couldn't pierce through its armor. One option was to take out the Aberration's eyes first. Doing that without Lyra's help wasn't going to be easy, but it was definitely worth a shot. No, maybe it was too risky. A moment earlier he'd said that he wouldn't underestimate his opponent. Did he really think he could blind the Ringleader by himself? Moreover, Frederick wasn't going to last much longer. Karabell had to think of something. Quickly. A smirk pulled up the right side of his face as he swiftly darted towards the creature's legs. How could he have forgotten? Een had asked him what would happen if they weren't able to damage the Ringleader once they found it. Karabell hadn't given him an answer then, but the question had lingered unanswered in his mind for a long while. He'd found it hard to imagine that such a creature existed, but it wasn't beyond the realm of possibility. That thing had somehow survived for two entire millennia years. The other Aberrations were all afraid of it, too. Plus, it apparently had the ability to freely mess up their minds. It was alarmingly powerful. Despite all that, however, the creature wasn't invincible. It was nothing more than an extremely strong Aberration. It wasn't the godlike being they'd made it out to be. It still needed to fight if it wanted to survive.
The Aberration lunged its arm out at Frederick, driving its fist into his chin. He couldn't dodge. The Commander stumbled a few steps backwards, but didn't fall. The cocky grin refused to leave his face. The creature's punches lacked power. He couldn't tell if it was still holding back or not, but it didn't make much of a difference. He was exhausted. He couldn't let that battle drag on any longer. The creature swung its arm once more. Frederick ducked easily and delivered two quick blows to its stomach, causing the Aberration to lean forward slightly. He didn't stop there. Having taken the creature by surprise, the man drove his left fist into its throat. The Aberration staggered, but Frederick wasn't able to press his advantage. He'd almost ran out of steam. His chest hurt, too. The creature hadn't killed him yet, but the blow he'd sustained earlier had been equivalent of getting hit with a fairly large hammer.
Frederick took a step back, and the creature did the same. The Commander drew in a long breath, relaxing his shoulders. He'd noticed Karabell's pitiful attempt to hit the creature. What was that guy doing? The beasts's large frame obstructed the view. Moreover, it looked like the Aberration had completely forgotten about the Captain. They could use that to their advantage. Frederick couldn't stand it anymore. How was that creature able to overpower him? It was nothing more than a slightly larger, uglier Aberration. It wasn't exceptionally strong, either. Frederick still remembered that horrible night. Those accursed creatures, killing everyone in sight. His soldiers' desperate cries for help. He hadn't been able to do anything back then. He'd been utterly useless. The creatures that had destroyed Base Miu had been a hundred, perhaps even a thousand times more menacing than the one in front of him. So why was that thing causing such fear in him? Frederick cursed his carelessness as he collected his thoughts. He didn't have the time to be worrying about that. He needed the Captain's help. He couldn't deny that fact anymore. The creature's neck and head were covered in feathers. No matter how sturdy those feathers were, they wouldn't be able to stop Karabell's spear. Surely the Captain had realized that already. So what was he waiting for?
Karabell had chosen to stay out of the creature's line of sight for obvious reasons, desperately searching for some sort of weak spot. He glowered at the Aberration's neck. The feathers covering it were clumped together tightly. At first glance, they looked like regular feathers. On closer inspection, however, they resembled some sort of makeshift fur. There truly were no gaps in its armor. Creating one was no easy task either.
The Captain's spear sliced through the air, flying in a perfectly straight line. The creature instinctively turned around and used its albow to deflect the weapon. The spear spun through the air. A look of confusion overtook the Aberration's features as it dropped down to all fours. It had lowered itself into a defensive stance. Why had that man thrown away his only weapon like that? The answer to that question came almost instantly. Karabell was no longer in the same place. He moved with incredible speed, directing a flurry of kicks at the Aberration. Taken aback by the sudden attack, the creature was unable to block them all. Karabell didn't stop his assault. He jabbed his fist up into the creature's jaw. Those hits weren't hurting it, but he knew that already. Those creatures had driven humanity to the brink of extinction. Something like that wouldn't have happened if mere punches and kicks were enough to kill an Aberration. Karabell jumped back. His eyes searched the creature's face. He hoped that the reckless stunt he'd pulled had at least given Frederick enough time to catch his breath.
"One breath. Calm," the Captain muttered, like an incantation. There was a hint of sadness in his voice. Was the really the fight they'd longed for? Nothing more than another stalemate, a useless waste of time and effort? "I'm getting sick of this farce. I'm sure you feel the same way. Hey, Alice," Karabell called out, raising his voice to make sure she would hear him. "Let me borrow your weapon."