B4 — 14. Mission To Cuba

AuthorSME

PoV:  

1. Selvaria (Our Leviathan with a seal!)

2. Rachel Park (Our Lunar Hare!)

Recap:  Jessy bonded a bit with the girls, learning more about what it's like being a Mythickin.  Uh ... Yeah, we learned that Nora saw some intense stuff about these eldritch creatures and something big came through the portal before it collapsed, which is a first, yet it did close, showing they'd conquered the conquerors.  What happened?

Rachel shared a kiss with Anthony beside his new 'company car' and promised to stay and keep everyone safe at her grandpas as he teaches Nora how to control herself.

Now .. Cuba! 

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Selvaria swam through the deep green sea of an alien world; schools of chubby fish-things that were four feet long swam within the deep sea, feeding off the tiny shrimp-like creatures and plant life below.

They completed the Bahamas Terrorist mission several hours ago.  It was a pretty straightforward job, and since two of the guys were U.S. citizens who had changed, they had to be held in lockup within Cahira’s Dreadnought Battleship.

The Pirate Queen’s ship was more than a little intimidating to their enemies—22 massive 12-pounder magical guns were undoubtedly a big stick to wave that almost immediately returned a white flag.  The shells were costly for her, but they managed to get more than enough cash by simply completing the tasks Clay assigned them.

Her magical gold just appeared in her treasure horde from ‘Quests’ and weekly goals she had; there were mini-quests along the way that helped, too, one of which they were just returning home from.

Cahira had a quest to save a shipwrecked crew of crab-like people before taking out their pursuers, which were similar, but red instead of white crabs.

They tasted ‘okay’ but nothing to write home about; on that, though, she did need to call her mother—lately, things were just so hectic.

The destroyed wreckage of the ships floated around Selvaria as she wove through the rough waves.  Cahira absolutely annihilated the small fleet of wooden boats—it wasn’t even a contest.

Since they were acting as a group of counter pirates, Cahira set up beside the merchant crab ship and blasted the pirate crabs from so far away it wasn’t even fair; Selvaria wondered if they knew what was even attacking them.

She scanned the foreign green-tinted sea, tongue sliding out to taste a bit of it … it was peppery.  She didn’t mind it but would enjoy returning to Earth’s oceans; this was enough pepper to last her at least a week.

They looted the crab pirates’ ship before heading out, and judging by how they reacted once hitting the water, the green sea was poisonous to them—but not her!  She adapted to the strange liquid almost on the spot; it seemed that she purified the water around her; although, she did cough a bit.

Selvaria shook her head, watching the torn apart remains of the ship sinking to the bottom with the predatory fish snatching whatever they could get their small little teeth around to savage.  They were harmless to her and practically tasteless.

Almost every crab was blown apart, their guts spreading out across the shifting waters; Cahira’s men were crazy good shots.

No, everything was pretty peaceful after the whole conflict … except when some dreadful information fed back to her weaving form—her electro receptive senses caught Galatea entering the waters, falling off the swiftly moving ship.

W-What?!  No!  What if she can’t survive the…

Sharply spinning around, she watched in horror as one of the fat fish changed directions to intercept the slowing seal, turning through the rough current.  Except, a sharp light exploded around her that blinded Selvaria, but her other senses caught what happened—her little baby seal was changing shape.

She couldn’t hesitate, though; her little darling was in danger!  Her fin and arms changed directions in an instant, rocketing back to the seal; Ohan was soon in the water, but the ship had moved too far away for him to do anything.

No!  How did she get out from below deck?!  It’s not safe…

In shock, she slowed as a request popped up in her mind, ‘Would you like to bond with a Pet Class Unit?’

The light cleared, and Galatea had transformed into a new type of cute seal she’d never seen before—she had tight black and white skin, flippers, and the information the system provided her on her change was amazing.

Galatea - Skyward Seal:  Gains a 50% damage output and defensive boost to her skills while using Levitate.

Sky Cutter I:  (Cooldown: 2 Minutes; Cost: N/A; Duration: N/A; Range: 5 Meters) Create a Wind-Elemental blade.

Rapid Swim:  (Cooldown: 45 Seconds; Cost: N/A; Duration: 5 Seconds; Range: N/A) While in the air or in water, she can temporarily increase her speed by 2x, improving her mobility.

Levitate Other:  (Cooldown: 1 Day; Cost: N/A; Duration: 15 Minutes; Range: 35-Meters) Galatea can levitate one person or thing that weighs double her weight.  Only works if they recognize her as ‘friendly’ or ‘neutral.’

Levitate Self:  (Cooldown: N/A; Cost: N/A; Duration: N/A; Range: 35-Meters) Galatea can levitate herself at no cost to a height, swimming through the air as if water.

Wind Shield I:  (Cooldown: 1 Day if broken; 1 Hour; Cost: N/A; Duration: 5 Minutes; Range: 2 Feet from her body) She can generate a barrier to protect herself.

Telepathy:  (Cooldown: N/A; Cost: N/A; Duration: N/A; Range: 2 meters) She can communicate her thoughts to those within range if they recognize her as ‘friendly’ or ‘neutral.’

State:

Sky Fury I:  (Cooldown: 1 Hour; Cost: Puts Rapid Swim on CD until cooldown finishes; Duration: N/A; Range: 10 Meters) Becoming a streaking angel of the sky, black and white wings materialize on her back, and can enter a quick-moving State that can deliver three Sky Cutter I strikes in succession.

An amused, insane-sounding voice entered her mind uninvited.  “Finally, it’s come to bloom!  Galatea can communicate with her ‘mother’ after longing for it with all her heart!  Enjoy!  He-he-he-he!”

Tears began welling up in Selvaria’s eyes as she watched with pride as her little baby seal spun in a sharp circle and cut the advancing fish in half with a slap of her tail which sent a greenish energy blade at her attacker.

The rest of the creatures scattered as Selvaria neared; of course, she instantly accepted the bonding process, and the moment she was within range, her little girl’s voice sparked to life in her mind.

“Mom!  Mom!  Did you see?!  Did you see?!  I’m strong now!  I can get all the fishes!”  she cheered, voice cracking a bit with her excitement.

I saw!  she chimed, heart burning within her scaled body at the little seal’s sentiment; Galatea thought of her as her mother.  We need to get you a bunch of fishes!

“Woo!”  she cheered.  “I get lots of fishes!  I want to hunt with you, mama!”

She thought about it, and even though it would probably be dangerous, as long as it was just normal Earth hunting, it shouldn’t be a problem with her new skills, and it would give her a chance to teach her how to defend herself.

Yeah … you can fly, too!

“I know!  I was so sad when Gisele would leave me!  She was always flying around above me, but now I can join her, too!”

Aww!  You’re adorable … Oh, but make sure not to jump into dangerous places like this, okay?  I don’t want you to get hurt.

“Okay!  I’ll be a good seal!”

Galatea…

“Oh!  Oh!  Is that my name?!  I’m Galatea!  Gisele had a hard time telling me it, but I get one, too!  I can tell my best friend I really am Galatea!  I’m so excited!”

Selvaria laughed, carrying her above the sea and helping Ohan get back to the boat as Cahira flipped around for them.

The gang was shocked at her pet’s transformation, and especially when Galatea started practice flying on the way back, Selvaria watching her with pride from Cahira’s deck.  Her little seal was getting pretty good at doing flips, and she had her use Wind Shield on cooldown to help level it.

“How cute,” Maëlle cooed, leaning against the deck beside her as her tail weaved under her legs.  “She has become quite elegant, has she not?”

Vasishtha hummed thoughtfully, rubbing his chin while pulling back his bow to shoot another one of the small reptilian birds Galatea had been playing with.  “She’s getting good at dodging without relying on her shield—ah, bullseye!  I’ve rather enjoyed our little adventure; how about you, my lovely?”

Ohan caught the strange bird as it fell, bringing it below deck for some kind of challenge the pair had; Vasishtha prepared the creature into a pretty good meal beforehand, and Ohan thought he could do better.  The testers would be Cahira, Maëlle, her, and now Galatea; her hyperactive, childish way of talking had grown on the rest.

Selvaria’s gaze didn’t leave her baby.  “Mhm!  Although, the seafood could have been better.”

“Ya hear that?”  he shouted back at the wind.  “Bring us better monsters to cook up!”

Maëlle giggled, tail rising up to playfully slap the man’s arm.  “Hush!  I do not need the trouble of their Legend’s Quest; I am here to enjoy myself.”

The man gave her a sheepish smile, rubbing the back of his neck.  “Ah, c’mon, Mae!  Ya know I’d keep ya safe.”

“Trouble asked for is trouble that could be avoided,” she whispered, gaze shifting to one of Cahira’s crew hands as he cheerily went below deck to check on some of the machines running it.  “Although—the prizes could be most enjoyable.”

Selvaria leaned forward with a slight frown; she didn’t quite trust the Succubus lady.  The woman was obviously devious, and she could never tell what was really on her mind.  “Does that mean you’re going to be joining us more?”

The woman brushed back her long pink locks, tilting her head a bit with a secretive smile.  “Who knows what the future holds for me?  I simply enjoy the company that Rachel has brought together—it certainly gives me a lot of options.”

Again, Selvaria reminded herself that the woman was sketchy; she just wondered if it was on purpose or not.  The Succubus would be going on a popular television show to discuss Mythic in the coming days, but they’d be in Cuba by that point.

The rest of the trip went without issue, her cute seal learning to do tricks in the air with Maëlle and Vasishtha’s input.  Selvaria was a bit leery about the Succubus’s questions about who the seal found attractive, but the baby was far too young to even know what she was talking about—yet, the woman seemed to find her answers all the more thrilling.  She didn’t get her—not at all.

Ohan’s dish was more buttery than Vasishtha’s, and he’d tried to deep fry one to test it out, but she avoided that out of habit.  Cahira praised it.  Maëlle enjoyed Vasishtha Indian-styled fish more, and Galatea just liked it raw, just like Selvaria.

Once they made it to Miami’s port, Cahira forced a smile, probably worried about her funds, and summoned her Baby Dragon Turtle; the price wouldn’t change by having it out for a short time before really using it.

Ohan brought the two terrorists onshore to be met by the FBI, who’d been informed of the prisoner transfer by Clay, and they split up to sleep for the day.  Everyone would gather at nightfall on the beach outside of the hotel Maria owned several rooms at.

Selvaria took the time to go about the shopping districts of Miami, looking for cute clothes to dress Galatea in; they got strange looks, but she was used to it with her long tail that required specific clothing to accommodate.

She snickered as she heard a woman nudge her sister, pointing at her as Selvaria put a cap on Galatea and a scarf; it was cold in Washington, and she had to show her mother at some point.

“Hey … yo, is that a floating seal?!”

“... Is that a Demi … dressing up … a floating seal?”  her sister returned in shock.

Selvaria turned their way with a bright smile.  “It is!  Isn’t she the most adorable thing ever?!”

“I am!  I am!”  Galatea chimed, causing the women to drop their purses and mouths.

Finished shopping for winter clothes, she went back to the hotel to chill with Galatea in the pool, drawing even more attention and scaring some.

* * *

Rachel returned home way faster than the drive had been since the Fairy could travel without the worry of traffic and fly in a straight line.

Her mother was ecstatic to see the two sisters, having heard a bit about Fiona from Scarlet already.  She had them stop in to get to know them, and her family gathered to meet more of her friends.

Alexa was absolutely enthralled by Fiona; her enchanting appearance hit quite a few sweet spots for her sister-in-law—she couldn’t get over her sparkling dust and glow as Fiona showed off some of her powers.

Rachel learned that the girls had binged some anime called Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl, which was for obvious reasons that Rachel was leery about, .Hack://sign, and Violet Evergarden to wind down after the Legend’s Quest.  Her mother got her to read some Korean romance series, too, so that they could talk about it.

Nam even had her help him learn how to level up his skills and train a bit better—in truth, it was more like he summoned the glowing stick figures, and Scarlet showed how much he needed to improve by dominating her brother’s little energy soldiers.

Her father was busier with work than ever, talking with the shareholders, going over personnel files, and company policies with the lawyers after The Oscillation.  Nam only found a little time to spend with Scarlet since he was swamped helping out their father.

Molly had a great time with Scarlet, though, and she got Alexa involved with the cooking projects, which was new to her.

Rachel glazed over the incidents that happened in Florida City, downplaying it a bit, but it was somewhat difficult when the News was spreading terrifying images and propaganda about all the leftover clothing and missing people, presumed dead.  The government was keeping a lid on any sensitive information, gathering all the proper data.

She hadn’t told Clay about what they discovered about the gate yet, wanting to organize her thoughts more before telling him.

Nia was ablaze in her mind, and Rachel translated a thanks to ‘their’ mother for buying her so many outfits for her to eat; she didn’t know how expensive they were, but she learned more after observing human behavior.

… Really, Nia?  You want me to ask that?

“Yes!”  she urged, bouncing in her mind.  “I only got to know a little.”

Rachel sighed, giving Alexa and Scarlet a sad smile.  “So … Nia wanted to join you two watching anime; she wants to feel included.”

“Not just that!”

“... And really has taken an interest in the whole magical girl changing outfits stuff that was on your mind while wearing her, Scarlet.”

Scarlet’s cheeks reddened a bit.  “O-Oh!  He-he-he, umm—yeah, she could read my mind?”

Alexa’s emerald irises showed her excitement.  “Really, Nia?!  Maybe I could wear you and we could come up with something awesome for you to turn into, too!  I have a lot of old outfits we can use!”

“Oh!  My!  Goodness!  Yes!  Yes!  Yes!”  she squealed.  “Rachel, yes!  I want to see some more!”

“We could watch Sailor Moon,” Scarlet offered.  “Of course, it would have to be after we get back from our mission,” she said with a forced chuckle.

“Eh … she’d like that,” Rachel mumbled, ears twitching from Nia’s screams of joy; it was as if it was Christmas day for the girl, and she’d gotten everything on her list.  She could practically see a white-haired girl with orange and pink highlights jumping up and down in her mind.

“Nia’s so cute,” Fiona laughed, hovering over to rub her earring.  “You’re so lucky, Rachel.”

“Heh—sometimes I feel schizophrenic…”

“Rude!  I’m not YOUR inner voice; I’m me, Lunar Nia!  Living Denire Legend!  Bringer of the dark abyss that swallows all fabric like the encompassing void!  Mu-ha-ha-ha-ha!”

Rachel had no clue how Alexa and Scarlet’s tastes in anime would change the girl’s attitude, but she didn’t have much hope for her to become less eccentric, which was fine—she just needed to get used to it.

Once everyone finished meeting each other, she had Scarlet get ready to head out; Fiona would fly them to Cahira’s ship, where they’d set off.  Her mother had packed up several dishes she wanted them to bring along, and Rachel confirmed that Cahira’s boat had a fridge—she had no idea how it operated, but she had several for the crew and another frozen section for other goods.

Seeing how excited and open Alexa was becoming made Rachel a bit happier for some reason.  Her sister-in-law had always been a thorn in her side, yet now she felt like she could actually get to know her a bit more.  They had wildly different tastes, but that was fine—Scarlet and Rachel’s tastes were vastly different, too.

Fiona lifted their products in bags and flew to meet the crew joining them in the Cuba mission.

The beach was crowded with onlookers, taking photos of the massive Baby Dragon Turtle as they landed on his back.  Rachel already scoped out who was there, and it seemed like they were the last to arrive.

Predictably, Selvaria, Galatea, Vasishtha, Maria, Cahira, and her crew were there, making Fiona, Rachel, Scarlet, Gisele, and her Rabbit Gang the last to arrive.  The surprising bit of news was that both Clay and Tom were present; she hadn’t expected the Four Star General himself to make an appearance.

Gisele and Galatea went into a corner—she didn’t miss the transformed seal floating in the area.  Obviously, she’d changed around the time Gisele turned into a Lunar Phoenix.

The gang was already in Cahira’s massive meeting room, which still had room to fit several more people around the large gold-encrusted oval table.  Taking their seats, they waved as everyone greeted them, settling in as Tom began the meeting.

“... Glad we could make it after the affair in Florida City,” Tom smiled at her.  “I’m sure there are more details you wish to discuss, and I’d like to know, but first, let’s discuss business…”

His lips fell, motioning to the folders in front of them.  “Inside, you’ll find a map of Cuba and its current status.”

Maria opened it up and hissed.  “Damn—shit … is that all you’ve got control of?”

Rachel was with her.  “... That’s a lot of territories to liberate.  How long is this campaign supposed to last?”

Tom breathed out a heavy sigh.  “Yes, currently, what you’re seeing is that we control—all of Santiago de Cuba and the Granma regions.  We have some of the Northern Oriente under control, but most of it we just don’t have the manpower to keep guarded.

“The Ciego de Ávila, Isla de la Juventud, Cayo Largoand, and Camagüey regions were taken over by local warlords, which have Demi among them and have seized local police and military weaponry.  All of the lower-tier management under them hold sway over their respective areas.”

Maria’s lips pulled in for a moment.  “Aye, yo, check it … The Cuban Military be havin’ it rough, though … Shit, only havin’ Artemisa and Pinar del Río?  What’ve they been doing, Jefe?!”

Tom pointed at Havana.  “The bulk of the problem came with the organized Demi group that centralized from here—they’ve slowly been taking over the other warlords, moving east.  These Demi are not like the others—if you look at the pages behind the map, you’ll see a few individuals we’ve been able to identify.”

Rachel went through each, as Tom explained.  There were several Mythickin and Legendkin involved, of that they were sure, but identifying what they were was the tricky part, and who were the correct targets to go after.  There were nearly a thousand Demi that rallied across the country to the five ring leaders.

The only information they had was that two were women and three men; each had a chunk of land to themselves, with one holding Havana while the other four were spreading their influence.

Rachel knew it wouldn’t be easy, but nearly a thousand people that changed from The Oscillation was a number she hadn’t been prepared for.

“Heh … Uh, how do you expect us to deal with those numbers?”  Fiona asked with a forced smile.  “I mean, sure, we’re strong, but…”

“My Mom’s gonna eat them all!!”  Galatea cheered.  “I’ll cut them, too!”

“Shhh…”  Selvaria said with a bright smile.

Rachel was a little taken aback by the sudden interruption, and Scarlet’s mouth was open, showing her fangs, yet they seemed to be the only ones confused because everyone else just carried on.

“I’m all for impossible odds, dude,” Vasishtha said with a half-smile, “but this is makin’ even me question this mission.”

Ohan nodded, arms folded while his dark eyes scanned the documents in front of them.  “... And there’s also that Relica terrorist Legendkin group that we must be cautious of since she was the one that gave you this information.  Right?”

“Aye, I’ll just lob down shells at them—the whole American ‘shock and awe’ approach!”  Cahira replied.  “Man, I’m gonna get so much gold from this!”

“Shit, chica … Civilians?”  Maria asked, lifting an eyebrow at the red-haired woman.

“I’ve got a plan for that, too!”  Cahira grinned, jabbing her thumb at Clay.  “We were talkin’ about a few things before everyone got here.”

Rachel’s tail was tingling with excitement.  She sat back, crossing her legs and leaning against the side of her chair, hands folded in her lap.  “Hmm … a thousand Demi oppressing everyone under them—we’ll gain levels at an incredible rate.  I don’t think numbers really matter; we’ve got the edge from what we’ve gone through, and there may be a few dozen among them that is somewhat strong, but ultimately, it’s pointless.  We just need to get enough experience to counter them.”

Scarlet’s laugh was strained.  “Just make sure there’s a place I can hide for the day, and I’ll be good.”

Tom stretched out his neck, readjusting his position.  “My thoughts exactly, Rachel—my plan?  Divide and conquer.  Each of you has gone through things that puts you above 99.9% of all Demi currently on the planet; there is the possibility that some will be more difficult to deal with than others, and groups do matter.

“However, you have the surprise factor on your side and the U.S. Military Intelligence network at your back.  Clay and I have transported equipment onto Cahira’s turtle to act as a broadcasting headquarters that relays to the Situations Room in the White House where the President and everyone needed to provide assistance will be at.”

“Yo, yo, yo, aye…”  Maria’s arms tightened under her chest.  “We’re gonna be put under a microscope?”

Clay chuckled.  “In a way, yes, Maria; this exercise will show just how effective Demi can be with the proper support.  We’ve planned for specific teams to tackle different problems.”

Tom passed around another document across the table to each of them.

“Selvaria and Ohan will handle Isla de la Juventud, and Cayo Largo since the two of them can easily travel through its rivers and around the sea in that area to liberate each key location.  A waterproof map of the area and drone case will be provided to you on critical assault points, and once you set up the drone, it will act as Military HQ’s eyes and ears in the sky, which will help further boost your radio’s signal.”

Galatea’s cute, high-pitched voice spoke the moment he paused.  “Me, too!  I’m with Mama, too!”

“Yes, I suppose you will be,” Tom chuckled, turning his attention to Scarlet, Rachel, Fiona, and Maria.  “The four of you will first need to secure Northern Oriente before swiftly moving between key regional locations.  Once you’ve assessed and handled the primary threats of each region, we will be sending in strike teams to secure the area and begin our forward march.”

Clay chimed in, hands folded in front of him on the table.  “The three of you have the most maneuverability over long distances, and if needed, Maria can swiftly teleport you to a location across long distances if something drastic happens that requires it.”

He turned to Scarlet, brows furrowing.  “On that note, in the logs from Montana, Rachel wrote that Maria was able to even teleport you—is that correct?”

Scarlet grimaced.  “Yes—but it was scary.  Heh … she does utilize Solar Energy for most of her stuff, and … well, yeah, that doesn’t go well with me.”

“Speaking of Solar Energy,” Tom’s stern gaze focused on Maria.

“What?!  I didn’t do it!”  she instantly said.

“Heh, he didn’t accuse you of anything!”  Fiona laughed.

She brushed back her bright white hair.  “Tch—it’s just the way he’s lookin’!  Yo, what?!  Give a chica some context…”

He pointed at her bust.  “The Azure Frost—it might be a good thing to leave it here.  Clay told me there might be a way to do that—at least for a few days.”

“Oh?”  Rachel asked.  “What might that be?”

“Gah … uh…”  Maria pulled around a lock of her hair with a deep frown.  “Eh … okay, yeah, sure, Clay and I talked about that shit, but, tch—we haven’t tested it yet, and I’d rather not have the damn thing goin’ crazy during the night.  Get what I’m sayin’?”

Cahira raised her hand.  “Uh—go crazy how?  It would be on mi ship, fer God’s sake.  What be ya plannin’ on doin’?”

Fiona waved her stiff hand in front of her throat.  “World-ending flower—yeah, I’d rather not have that thing go off again.”

“Enough said—we ain’t havin’ the shite that be blowin’ up the world on mi new Baby Turtle!”  Cahira said, glaring at Maria’s chest.  “What, be it hidden inside dem boulders?”

“For real?  No,” Maria grunted, tugging the flower out from between her breasts.  “Not ‘inside’ … but yo, it could work, jefe, but I’m a little skittish—if ya know what I’m gettin’ at.”

Scarlet ducked under the table upon seeing it.  “... It’s releasing Solar Energy!”

“Does it hurt?”  Rachel asked in surprise.  “You could stand next to it before.”

“I don’t know!  My face stung a bit the moment she whipped it out…”

“Ugh … more problems,” Maria grumbled, pulling back her shirt top to tuck it back in.  “So, what’s up?”

Tom’s eyes narrowed, focusing on the table as he folded his fingers together atop it.  “Would Maria be able to stay on the ship to be back up, or do you think you’ll need her?”

“Woah, jefe, chill!  I’m not a lump of potatoes, yo!”  Maria snapped.

Clay held up his hand.  “We know, Maria—you’re just restraining the most deadly thing on the planet, and having that anywhere near people that could foolishly try and use it is just not a smart plan.”

“Exactly,” Tom mumbled.  “I don’t want to sideline you, but you’re honestly doing the most important job on the planet right now—until we can figure out how to destroy it because everything you and Clay tried earlier only seemed to agitate it—Sorry, Scarlet.”

“Ah, dammit … Was that what made it do the Solar shit?”  Maria asked.  “We just tried to torch it a bit—but yea, my bad, Scarlet.”

“Mh-mhm,” she slowly rose back up, shaking her head.  “It’s fine!  I was just a little panicked.”

Vasishtha sucked on his lip, glancing between them.  “So—where’s the great Vasishtha supposed to go in all this?  Don’t bench your best player!”  he chuckled.  “I’m lookin’ forward to all of this!”

“Recon,” Clay replied, pointing at Havana.  “You’ll be on the ground gathering the proper information since you specialize in long-ranged combat and stealth.”

“Aye, yo, don’t do me like that!”  Vasishtha scratched his temple with a small frown.  “I’m good with close-combat, too!”

Rachel gave him an apologetic smile.  “As good as me?”

“Eh—can’t say, Love, we haven’t had the pleasure of dancing!”  he returned with a grin.

Rachel laughed.  “Maybe I’ll teach you some things when we get back.  Until then, it sounds like a solid plan, Tom—sorry, Maria.”

“Whatever—dammit…”

Selvaira cleared her throat, holding up her baby seal.  “... What if Galatea could learn a duplicate spell, and we’d drop an army of Galatea on Cuba?!”

Everyone gave her a confused look, but the seal piped up with confidence.

“Throw me at ‘em, Mama, and I’ll slice ‘em like the fishes!”

“Yeah, we’re gonna do so good!”  Selvaria cheered, hugging the creature.

Tom nodded.  “Right—we’re already on our way to Cuba; I’ll go communicate with HQ and check the equipment.  Rachel, Fiona, Scarlet—you three are off first.”

“I can’t wait,” Rachel smiled, getting up with the others.  “Let’s hope there is someone worth fighting because I don’t particularly enjoy one-sided conflicts.”

Their group mingled a bit before breaking up and heading outside, but all they could see were clouds with how high they were—the Dragon Turtle could fly way higher than he could previously.

Once they got into position over Victoria de las Tunas, Fiona levitated them, and they began their sharp descent; it was time to take back Cuba for its people, and hopefully, it would become a much better place when they were done with it.

AuthorSME

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