[Rachel, Our Fearless Leader!]

  Rachel scratched the base of her left ear, hearing the limo Scarlet was in getting on the freeway on-ramp; Cássia had a lot of interesting things to say, but they’d have plenty of time to dig into juicier topics when things really kicked off.

  Back against the rails of the townhome they were occupying, Rachel sighed as Mateo finished coordinating with the other platoons around Miami. “So, the Coast Guard is going to let the ship Nia marked past the barricade… I’m kind of shocked Barb and Tom allowed this plot in the first place.”

  Mateo took a drag of his third cigarette before letting it out, most of his men taking supplies down to their vehicles as his communications team coordinated movements with SOCOM. “To be fair, you’ve got a positive track record against gods. You’ve staked your reputation on this operation.”

  “Heh. No pressure,” Rachel muttered, scratching her neck and twisting to stare into the thickening, magical fog; it had a slight dampening effect on her hearing. “I doubt we’ll come out of this totally unscathed… Something feels off, and I’m trying to pinpoint where it is, but I can’t see it yet. Be careful out there, Lieutenant.”

  The Latino officer chuckled and put out his smoke. “You have the brass to be a soldier. Watch out for Scarlet, a girl like her shouldn’t be in this life, but I guess her parents took that choice out of her hands. Do you really think she can pull the trigger when the time comes?”

  Rachel turned to look into the swirling fog, the pattering of rain filtering into the foreground with the loudspeakers of military units, telling citizens to remain indoors or directing people to recreational facilities to lock themselves inside.

  Perhaps it was good that this happened in Miami due to the military presence around it. An Army Colonel was taking over the overall Brigade organization as Barbara coordinated with the initial contact platoons under her command to meet the first wave. Thousands of reserve and servicemen around the area were being mobilized to join in and fill into needed areas.

  Her ears tilted to the left, hearing over coms that Barbara’s helicopter would be arriving in their air space soon. “I think so. Scarlet’s tough… Remember, she saved me against the alien toad; she acted without thinking. That’s not something taught. She just needs to trust and believe in herself. Good luck, Lieutenant.”

  “Let the good times roll. Hooah!”

  He turned to coordinate his men as drones and helicopters entered the storm; with naval military vessels being pulled into the command center, data began to be shared between the various units. The mission was a go.

  Jumping over the rail, a quick prompt had Nia change her dress to her jogging outfit. Water splashed around her as her running shoes met the soaked grass, and she launched toward the road, a wall of rain sliding over her skin. Speeding up, Nia rejected the liquid peppering her body, leaving a trail of water in her wake as the world slowed further with every step, picking up her pace.

  It felt so liberating to be able to move like this again, her heart rate rising by the second. It was like her muscles had been screaming to be exercised, and it was so natural to leap several meters into the air to land on the two-story house in her way, racing across the roof to jump to the next building.

  [Divine Beast Empowerment - Advanced to A-tier]

  [Bestial Instincts - Advanced to A-tier]

  [Blessed Lunar Grace- Advanced to B-tier]

  Her sharp vision cut past the magical haze and rain to give her enough to find her way through, and more of the city opened up with her increasing Feat Tier Level. She was back on the hunt, and she couldn’t wait to see what moons would be in this Legend Quest for her to exploit. This was when she felt awake and alive.

  Becoming a blur through the fog, leaving a drag effect that carried the mist along with her, she marveled at how fast she could run after gaining [Blessed Lunar Grace] from Chang’e; the +1 to her overall Dexterity was massive.

  Let’s see what I can do!

  Taking to the air, she soared over ten meters in the air to land on the freeway and applied pressure to her thighs; she launched into a sprint, bringing the world to a crawl as her wide field of vision gave her a full view of the dangers to avoid.

  She became a bullet, making a few soldiers in a convoy freak out a little as she zipped past them, kicking up the mist. Nia moved the air and water hitting her outfit through herself like a circulatory system, pushing it out the back to propel her faster; they were so in sync when she was an adult, the rabbit sending her updates on the state of things inside the limousine.

  …I agree: let Scarlet take the point and give her room to grow. Keep an eye on Illa, though. She’s too manipulative for Scarlet at this point.

  Nia’s tense emotions fed through their connection, sharing her discomfort regarding the 13-year-old brunette vampire.

  “I get you’re concerned about Illa due to Scarlet’s emotional vulnerability, but I’m here with Scarlet, and she can sense the same thing I can from your [Bestial Instincts] Feat… Cássia is far more dangerous than her age suggests. It may just be her Spirit Item that is upsetting me, but…I don’t know. Illa is a Noble Vampire, and she’d get bodied by Cássia.”

  Rachel outpaced their car, feeling tingly and ready for action while coming to a stop inside the downpour on the shipping pier between Miami and Miami Beach. The expansive ocean between the land and the island was covered in fog, and she heard flapping wings high overhead, where fairies generated the veil that fell over the city.

  Ahead of her was the FONERS superyacht, a 41.5 meter, 1,280 raw horsepower monster of a sailing vessel that had a few foremen on the dock salivating, having been paid under the table to allow it to dock in the area typically reserved for cargo ships.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  A half-smile lifting her lips and hands held in her gym short pockets, she looked up at the top deck, where a few figures could be seen with her enhanced vision, each one focused on her.

  One particular stole her attention: a silver-haired woman, her modest green gown fluttering in the light breeze. Her fangless, dazzling grin demanded attention as she leaned against the side of the glass barrier, twinkling lights dancing around her in a sort of aura: Lady Aurora Bain, the fae Mythickin.

  “It took you long enough, Rachel. I’ve heard so much about you,” she sang in a mature, luring Scottish tone. “It seems you brought an uninvited friend.”

  A sharply-dressed, long-nailed vampire tipped his glass of blood over the edge, crimson eyes staring at her as if she were an animal to be skinned; his German accent was thick and cold while brushing his white ponytail over his shoulder. “She doesn’t live up to the hype, Aurora. Fang feels like more of a threat. Perhaps this ‘vampire messiah’ will be less of a disappointment,” he grunted while walking below deck.

  “First appearances can be deceiving, dear. From what I’ve heard, a lesser god met his end by making the same mistake.”

  “A fairytale.”

  “We shall see.”

  Rachel half-turned, hearing the clicking of boots against concrete bringing a hooded figure through the veil, revealing the reason she’d let Nia handle Scarlet, giving her time to read over the file Tom had emailed her.

  “Red, it’s a pleasure,” she greeted, vision lifting to the sounds of cutting air as the helicopter touched down just out of sight, allowing her people to hop out; Scarlet’s party would arrive last. “You look a lot younger than your military profile suggests. Congratulations! Where’s Black?”

  The brown-haired girl held a long firefighter’s ax over her shoulder, unimpressed amber eyes sweeping the boat; this woman was hiding a lot of power with her innocent appearance. “If it isn’t the wannabe Fable. What were you going by again? Omen. Humph. Just stay out of our way, and we won’t have any problems. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to murder a Vampire Lord to get an invitation to the party… Maybe I’ll take the Nosferatu’s.”

  A dark chuckle came from within the 2nd level of the ship. “I’d like to see you try, Crimson Hunter. I’m not so easily killed by your weapons. It seems you aren’t so stupid, though, Hare… I’ll give you that.”

  Rachel stepped back to let Red pass, a smirk on the girl’s lips making her wonder if she’d heard the vampire. This is going to be fun!

  Shouts came from beyond the veil as her team jogged forward to join her, Selvaria making herself an easy target; then again, her whole theme was in her Defense, so a vampire would probably break their teeth on her skin. Scarlet was now making her way toward them.

  “Rachel! Rachel! Where are… Oh, there you are,” she chimed in her monotone way, the teenager skipping forward with her swaying tail. “You won’t believe the story we got from Anthony on the way over. It’s—”

  “Ahem. I’ll talk to her myself, Selv,” the green-eyed man said with a forced smile. “Shouldn’t you be buffing up before joining us on the deck?”

  Somewhat interested in the unusual topic after catching Barbara’s parting words on the helicopter to talk to the man in private, Rachel first had to shoot down the leviathan before she ran off. “Unfortunately, Selv, you won’t be joining us in this one.”

  “I almost for—huh?!” Tail going completely stiff, the sea monster’s cheeks puffed out while squinting up at the waving silver-haired woman. “Nuh-uh! You need me, Boss. I’m, like, totally indispensable—indestructible—invincible. I’m a kaiju… Why can’t I come?”

  Rachel leaned to the side to give a two-fingered salute to Maria and Fiona as the glowing fairy got a chance to breathe again after being snuggly tucked away inside the unicorn’s bra for her safety. “Yo, girls! And, sorry, Selv, but that’s the reason why we need you on the outside for insurance.”

  “But…”

  “Hold up! A moment of your time, Warrior of the Sea. Listening?”

  She swiftly nodded. “I get an important mission?”

  “Super important!”

  “I’m on it. What’s the special OP, Major Ears?”

  “You’ll be circling the ship and making sure they don’t do any funny business, or someone tries to double-cross all the vamps and blow up the ship or something. You’re the last line of defense. Get it? I’m trusting you to have our way home not totally ruined or changing locations to some weird place. Who knows what their goons will do when we go into the Legend Quest.”

  Selvaria’s pout turned into a beaming grin. “So, I’m your heroine. I’m the only one you’d trust to do this job because I’m awesome! No one will do any funny business with a giant leviathan hanging around. Count on me, Major!” she saluted.

  “Fifififi!”

  “Oh! Can I keep Coral? Pleeease! We’re spook buddies.”

  “Again, sorry,” she said, holding out her arm for the orange ghost bunny to hop over to plant herself on her head. “We’re going to a spooky place and need a ghost.”

  “Aww… Okay.”

  The sea monster jogged toward the edge of the pier and dove into the water. Moments later, a giant fin emerged to push Selvaria into deeper waters, causing a large splash and sending a small wave over the side for a few centimeters of water to flow around their feet before rushing back into the ocean.

  Scarlet emerged through the fog with Illa by her side, showing a toothy smile as they came together; the suddenly shy ginger teen was now latching onto her arm. Yet another manipulation tactic that had Fiona beaming as if Scarlet had found a little sister to coddle.

  “Hey, guys, thanks for helping me… This is Illa, a, uh…maybe friend?” she winced, working through the words and making the pumpkin-themed girl groan with downcast eyes. “She’s been nice! Uh, and this is the—eesh… Servant sounds so bad, Cássia… You’re our guide that Countess Elizabeth sent to serve us?”

  The 13-year-old brunette gave a smooth curtsey, unfastened coat draped around her like a cape. “No need to make it seem awkward, Lady Scarlet. Think of me as your personal attendant or maid, if it pleases you. Please, let us board. Lord Dracula’s forces will be here shortly.”

  “Proper little thing, huh?” Maria smirked. “My block bought a load of garlic and shit; boys are ready to pop off, so I’m ready to go. You, Fi?”

  Fiona had zipped over to leave a twinkling trail around Scarlet and Illa. “Hello! I’m Fiona, and you can look at me like your big sister. If you’re a good vampire and on the team, then I’m all for friendly faces. Let’s go meet the competition!”

  “H-Huh?!”

  The whimsical fairy giggled as a light green aura surrounded all of them, pulling them into the air with a rush of wind, carrying them up to meet Aurora. “I wonder if they have any candy. Wait, is there a dress code?”

  Rachel gave Nia a smile as the bunny promptly responded.

  “They will be providing outfits for all of us… We’ll need to discuss that topic further, Cássia. To me, you’re practically wearing the dead skin of Living Denier.”

  The brunette’s lips fell into a thoughtful frown, Fiona now looking utterly confused as they touched down on the upper deck. “Hmm. My apologies, Lady Nia; perhaps I didn’t explain it well enough. Would you give me some time to articulate better what Empress Wu told The Countess? We do need to leave as soon as Charles makes it onboard.”

  Rachel answered for her upset outfit, spotting the driver of their limousine carrying two suitcases to the ship. “Absolutely. In the meantime, we’ll get to know the guests,” she said, shooting a small smile at the white-haired fae, now sitting comfortably on one of the cushioned seats, sipping a bloody cocktail. “Let the party begin.”

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