"Alright, is this everyone?"
Karabell's eyes darted from one face to another. Ten apprentices. Thirteen Aberrations, including Gull, Kirru, Arago and Mero. Aside from Frederick, the former Squad Ress hadn't lost any members. Ono was there, too. But even so, they'd lost more than half of their allies in that gruesome battle. Een and Gull had caught up to them faster than he'd anticipated. The two Superiors loaded the wounded gently onto the wagon. They'd agreed to carry the Ringleader, taking turns if necessary, so they'd taken care of than issue. As for their dead comrades...
"As I said earlier, we've no choice but to leave the corpses behind. The same goes for all those weapons." Kirru's tone was filled with a sadness unlike any Karabell had ever heard before. "I don't like this any more than you do," the creature added swiftly. "I'm honestly tired of saying this, but there's no other way. This world doesn't always give us the right to make decisions. More often than not, it forces those decisions upon us."
No one objected. The Captain stared at the Superiors as they gently laid the unconscious children down. Pik, Lily and Krun, three of their most trusted and capable subordinates had lost their lives. Karabell remembered Gull's reaction. If memory served, the creature had muttered something about Pik. Had it seen the exact moment when the Gargling had gotten killed through another Aberration's eyes? Maybe it had even felt Pik's pain. Asking Gull about it probably wasn't the brightest idea. Despite everything that had happened, they seemed to be handling things well enough.
Karabell drew nearer to the wagon. Kei and Een were already studying the map, trying to pick the best possible route. His fatigue had eased quite a bit, surprisingly. Shono had fallen asleep, and, in spite of the severe blood loss, it looked like he was going to survive. They'd defeated the Ringleader, but the war wasn't over yet. It felt like a bad joke. The Captain cleared his throat. Aided by the Aberrations, it hadn't taken them long to gather everyone in one place, but it felt like an eternity had passed.
"We're headed for Base Yuna. It's our best bet. It's closer than Base Tau, and we won't be stopping along the way. I'll call Dante in advance to inform him about the situation," he told Ono. "It might take us a while, and we might even encounter more enemies." Karabell gestured towards the Ringleader. "Kei, Lyra, Alice, Een and I will take the four horses. Our formation will be much smaller than before, so we'll be the vanguard. In case we get attacked, you'll have to rely on us. I doubt the creatures will return, but one can never be too sure."
"Understood. I'll go tell the others to get ready. Rest assured. We're leaving immediately, Captain."
*
They arrived at Base Yuna late at night. When the small house came into view, everyone let out a simultaneous sigh of relief. Dante was waiting for them in front of the building, along with a crowd of scientists and the guards that had survived. Karabell glanced over at Alice and shot her a comforting smile. Naturally, Kei was dozing off. So were most of the apprentices. But they'd arrived back at Base Yuna safely, without losing anyone else. After everything that had happened, it almost seemed like a dream. Karabell's clothes were coated with dried blood, and so were everyone else's.
"We're home, Kar..." Alice heard herself say. She herself seemed surprised by the words that had just left her mouth.
"I know. Don't worry, Alice. This entire world will be our home soon. That's what I promised Frederick, after all."
The Captain dismounted stiffly, and realized just how badly his joints hurt. He handed Dante his horse's reins. The scientist took them in his hand and stopped for a brief moment, seemingly in deep thought.
"Is everyone alright?" he asked, recalling his earlier discussion with Karabell. Most of their comrades had died. His brother was gone as well. Had he really just asked if they were alright? And how was he so calm? But Dante was aware that all those sacrifices hadn't been in vain.
"More or less. This is not the way I thought thing would turn out, but we can't deny the fact that we won. Please, tend to the wounded. They've survived up until now, but they need treatment." Karabell stole a glance at Shono.
"Leave it to us. You should get some rest, Karabell."
"I can't rest just yet. Take the others to safety. The Aberrations deserve to rest much more than I do. Hmm... Those buildings are more than enough. They're not as large as that abandoned factory, but they should do the job," the Captain responded quickly as he turned around.
The scientists had already started to carry the children out of the wagon. Ono awaited patiently next to the horses. Shono and Annie still hadn't opened their eyes, and Alice was valiantly struggling to wake Kei up. Karabell rubbed his chin as he approached Gull. They had encountered a single Aberration along the way. And that Aberration had run away in a panic. What was that supposed to mean? He stared off into the distance. For some reason, it felt like things had suddenly gotten a lot more complicated. The Captain signaled Gull and the other Aberrations to follow him as he started towards one of the three-story buildings. Arago swung the two rusty iron doors wide enough for them to enter. Karabell studied the interior. It was tall enough for the creatures to stand up in, but there wasn't a lot of room. Thanks to a few holes in the walls, the air inside wasn't stale, and, next to the western wall, there were two small piles of rubble. Knowing Gull and Kirru, they were probably going to use them as makeshift beds. Those constructions, that city, everything had been created according to the Ringleader's will. And that thought bothered him more than he wanted to admit.
"So, what do you plan on doing now?" the Captain asked Gull as the Aberrations entered the room.
"Probably get some sleep," Kirru interrupted in a grumpy voice. The Superior plopped itself down next to the entrance. "Sorry, I didn't mean it like that. It's just... It's been a long day, you know?"
"Tell me about it." It was the feathered Superior's turn to butt in. "Listen, I know apologies don't amount to much right now, but I'm sorry about what happened back at the Ringleader's hideout. Using my own mind to let the other Aberrations communicate with each other has its disadvantages. I also feel their hatred, their sadness. Sometimes, even their pain. At least I was somehow able to redirect those unfortunate feelings and confuse that creature. Still..."
"It's alright. No one blames you. In fact, we couldn't have defeated that thing without your help. We were too weak, too predictable, but the Ringleader didn't want to kill us. Its hesitation, along with the fact that it was nearing the end of its life, gave us a chance to win." Karabell paced around the room. "That, however, didn't answer my question."
Gull sat down next to Kirru and stared at the ceiling. What were they planning to do? What a silly question. They'd lost Pik, Lily, Krun and so many other Aberrations. They'd been brave enough to stand against the Ringleader. Frederick Sel, the Commander, had lost his life as well. But Karabell Ress was still there. And his goals hadn't changed. There was only one course of action open to them.
"We're striving to put an end to this war. That has been our objective since the very beginning. The Ringleader is dead, true. But that doesn't mean that we have achieved what we wanted. We're Aberrations, creatures that shouldn't exist in this world. Even so, I realized something during your fight. We don't want to die. I couldn't care less about myself, but I don't want anyone else to suffer the same fate as our fallen comrades. Just because I'm willing to sacrifice myself doesn't mean that everyone has to do the same. I'm sure you feel the same way, Karabell Ress."
"Then... How about coexisting? Fighting side by side with humans? Now that your leader is gone, does that idea appeal do you?" Karabell spat the words out without thinking. "A world in which humans and Aberrations don't have to kill each other. Frederick told me to create such a world, but I know I can't do something like that by myself." The Captain turned towards the two Superiors and bowed his head slightly. "That's why, on behalf of the human race, I'm asking for your help. Humans are weak, but we're also too headstrong for our own good. The last two thousand years are proof enough that we simply don't know when to give up."
"Don't be stupid." Kirru jumped to its feet and stretched its arms. "Do you really think we'd abandon you after everything we've been through? Fen boy would never forgive me. Plus, I don't exactly like to lose either. Aberrations hunt humans, and humans hunt Aberrations. I figure it's time we did something about that. It might take a while, but we'll make them see the light. I doubt we're the only ones sick of all this bloodshed. Naturally, there are Aberrations that only kill humans for sport." The Superior punched the air, smirking. "But don't worry. We'll take care of those as well."
"The Agency's soldiers are not to be taken lightly, either. We need your help as much as you need ours, Captain Ress," Gull added as Kirru continued to repeatedly hit the nonexistent foe. "We're friends, aren't we? Although I have to admit that we will need larger buildings. And staircases. That... might indeed pose a problem."
Karabell looked at the other Aberrations. They all wore gentle, relieved expressions on their faces. Arago shifted from one foot to the other, nodding happily. Yet again, the Captain recalled Een's words. Maybe things weren't so bad, after all.