The submarine's deck hatch swung open with a groan of ancient metal, as Galit, Vesta, Eliane, and Jelly stepped out onto the wooden dock with their hands raised.
The salt air hit them first—thick, briny, carrying the scent of rotting fish and salt-crusted wood. The overcast sky pressed down like a grey lid, and the distant cry of seabirds mixed with the creak of ships at anchor. The Navy soldiers formed a semicircle around them, their flintlocks raised, their faces hard and unyielding.
Topiaris Tidaltuff gave Petra Ven a smug glance, his light blue eyes gleaming with triumph. "You see, my dear Rear Admiral? The pirates can be reasonable when properly motivated."
Petra's heavy-lidded eyes narrowed. "They are not pirates. They are insurgents. There is a difference." Her raspy, gravelly voice carried the weight of a woman who had spent years parsing the fine distinctions between enemies. "And I do not trust reasonable insurgents."
She stepped forward, her soft-soled boots making no sound against the wood. Her dark eyes swept over Galit, Vesta, Eliane, and Jelly with the cold assessment of a predator sizing up prey.
"Where is the council?" Petra's voice was flat, deliberate. "We know they are here. Do not waste my time with—"
Galit raised a brow, his expression the picture of innocent confusion. "Council? What council?"
He looked to Vesta and Eliane, who both shook their heads with theatrical bewilderment.
Eliane's small voice carried a note of genuine confusion. "I have never heard of a council. Is that the name of a new music group or something?"
Vesta perked up, her rainbow hair flickering with interest. "Oh! Is it a music group? Because I am always looking for new collaborators, and if there is a council of musicians, I would love to—"
Jelly bounced past them, his massive starry eyes fixed on a distance buzzing sound. "Bloop! Snacks!"
His gelatinous body wobbled as he fixated on a nearby beetle buzzing past. The insect's wings hummed with a sound that seemed to hypnotize the little creature.
Petra's jaw tightened. "Do not play dumb with me! We know they are here! We have intel—"
Vesta cocked a hip, her violet eyes gleaming with mischief. "Really? How do you know? I mean, did you actually see them? Or did someone just tell you they saw them?"
Eliane nodded vigorously, her silver hair bouncing. "Yeah! Maybe they got hungry and decided to go to a restaurant or something! People get hungry! It is a thing that happens!"
Vesta perked up. "Or some hot springs! I have heard the hot springs here are amazing! Especially with these little soaps—"
Eliane nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! Hot springs sound great! Especially with—"
Galit groaned, rolling his eyes and shaking his head as Jelly bounced past, still trying to catch the beetle that was making noise.
Petra's voice snapped like a whip. "Enough of this nonsense!"
Vesta and Eliane jolted, their theatrical banter dying in their throats.
Vesta muttered under her breath, "I guess she does not like the little soaps."
Petra marched past them, her eyes fixed on the submarine's hatch. She gestured sharply at the Navy soldiers behind her. "Search the ship! Leave no compartment unchecked! I want every corner of that vessel—"
Topiaris Tidaltuff's voice cut through her orders, crisp and commanding. "Take them into custody! And release the children—we do not need hostages now that we have the ringleaders."
The Navy soldiers surged forward, their hands reaching for Galit, Vesta, Eliane, and Jelly. Vesta's eyes widened, her violet gaze darting to Galit. He shook his head almost imperceptibly.
Vesta made a dramatic sigh as the Navy rushed toward them.
Then the transponder snails began to ring.
All at once, a dozen snails on the dock chirped to life, their eyestalks swiveling, their mouths opening in a chorus of panicked voices.
"SEND BACK UP! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! THE WARRIORS ARE ESCAPING AND—"
A crash. A scream. The line went dead.
Everyone froze.
Petra's head snapped toward the source of the distant commotion. Topiaris's light blue eyes widened. The Navy soldiers exchanged uncertain glances, their hands still reaching for the prisoners but their attention already elsewhere.
In the distance, a massive explosion erupted. A plume of black smoke rose into the overcast sky, thick and churning, carrying the distant sound of shouting and clashing steel.
Topiaris Tidaltuff cursed, a sharp, theatrical sound that cut through the tension. His eyes met Petra's, and she cursed too—a low, guttural sound that carried the weight of a woman who had just realized she had been outmaneuvered.
Topiaris spun, his voice rising to a commanding shout. "Take them into custody! Release these children!" He gestured sharply at the soldiers. "Grooming Squad, with me! We are going to reinforce the port defenses!"
Petra nodded, her heavy-lidded eyes blazing with cold fury. "I am coming too."
They rushed off, taking two-thirds of the Navy forces with them. Boots pounded against the wooden dock, and the sound of shouting faded into the distance.
Galit stood on the deck, his hands still raised, his smirk sharp and predatory as he watched Petra and Topiaris disappear into the chaos.
Eliane's small voice cut through the silence. "Now can we—"
Galit nodded, his hands dropping to his whips. "Now."
He moved like a striking snake.
The twin Vipera whips lashed out, their sea-snake vertebrae singing through the air. The first whip caught a Navy soldier across the chest, sending him flying into the dock's railing. The second wrapped around another soldier's wrist, yanking the flintlock from his grip.
Eliane charged forward, both hands gripping her bamboo sword, her olive-toned skin flushing with anger. The white Lunarian wings came to life as she darted between the remaining soldiers, whacking them with her blade.
"You are mean!" she shouted, her voice cracking with righteous fury. "Using children like that! That is not nice! That is not justice! That is—that is—"
She kicked one soldier in the shin, and he crumpled with a yelp of surprise.
Jelly bounced past her, his gelatinous body rippling with laughter. "Bloop bloop bloop! Meany Navy!"
He expanded, his form morphing into a giant, wobbly fist that slammed into two soldiers at once. They went flying, their bodies bouncing off the dock's wooden planks.
Vesta stayed on the deck, her rainbow hair catching the dim light. She struck a dramatic pose, her violet eyes gleaming with theatrical intensity.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" she called out, her voice carrying that performer's cadence. "You are about to witness something truly magnificent!"
She struck the strings of Mikasi, her custom guitar, with a dramatic flourish. The instrument hummed with power—the Uto Uto no Mi, Model: Huehuecoyotl surging through its wooden frame—and a wave of sound erupted across the dock.
The remaining Navy soldiers stumbled, their hands flying to their ears. The music wasn't loud—it was wrong. Discordant. A frequency that made their teeth ache and their vision swim.
Galit's whips lashed out again, and another soldier crumpled. "Nice work, Vesta! Keep that up!"
Vesta's grin widened. "I am just getting started! This one is called—"
She launched into a riff that sent a shockwave across the dock, onto the ships blocking the port, and the remaining soldiers scattered.
Eliane's flame burned as she dodged a clumsy grab from a soldier. "You guys are really bad at this!"
Jelly giggled, his body morphing into a trampoline that bounced an attacking soldier into the water. "Bloop! Splash!"
Galit's whips coiled and struck, and the last soldier fell.
The dock fell silent except for the distant sounds of battle echoing from the port.
Galit's chest heaved. His emerald eyes swept the scene, cataloging the downed soldiers, the freed children scrambling toward safety, and the smoke rising in the distance.
He allowed himself a small smirk.
"Not bad," he admitted. "Not bad at all."
Vesta's grin was wide, her rainbow hair still flickering with residual energy. "That was amazing! We should do this again!"
Eliane's wings flickered one last time before she suppressed them. "I do not think we want to do it again. Once was enough. Oh! I am going to see if the children want snacks!"
Jelly bounced past them, still giggling. "Bloop! Snacks!"
Galit's smirk widened. "We have a port to secure. The council is safe." He looked at the chaos around them, the smoke rising, the distant shouts of battle. "And the Navy is about to have a very bad day."
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