The earth explodes upwards as the city of Muspelheim erupts out of the ground with enough force to send Lapetus flying out of the ground, bounce atop Camelot's wall, and then into the city center.

 

Once emerged, the crystal worm slithers across the battlefield, crushing every land-bound elemental in its path, and parks behind the Aesir army, cutting off their retreat.

 

The worm’s smooth, crystalline side morphs into bridges extending to the ground below. At the top of each ramp, the crystalline armor opens and an army, in uniform, enchanted, crimson-brown armor, forged with the forgotten arts of a bygone era, marches forth.

 

Atop the worm, the crystal carapace extrudes a patio. A moment later, three grinning men walk onto the patio with a confidence born not only from experience, but from having a class in excess of three hundred… or from the lighted cigars in their hands.

 

“Bros, this shit is good stuff.” Bes puffs out with a smile on his face.

 

“Ayyy.” Musada takes a sniff of his cigar, “it's like super old wine, but not wine.”

 

Zuberi takes in a significant breath of the cigar. His eyes dilate for a moment before he releases his breath. “Hurhurhur.”

 

“Like, like its aged cigars!” Bes says excitedly.

 

Musada nods. He takes a puff, “How ol’ though?”

 

“Old… like Cleo old.”

 

“Bros!” Zuberi enters the conversation, “I got an idea: Let’s call these the Cleo Cigars.”

 

“Brah,” Bes strokes his cigar, “that's genius. We can even call our stash the,” he pauses a moment, “Cleo Stash!”

 

“Hurhurhur,” Zuberi chuckles approvingly.

 

“Bros, we gotta tell her the good news.” Musada says.

 

“Right!,” Musada agrees. He looks down from his perch and at the chaotic battlefield below. “But firsties, we gotta smoke this army.”

 

“Bros, but what are them titans? I was too stoned to remember.” Bes asks

 

“Brah, I thought you knew,” Musada exclaims.

 

Musada and Bes pause a moment and look at Zuberi.

 

Zuberi looks back at them with two cigars in his mouth and pupils dilated to the extreme.

 

“Hurhurhur.”

 

______________________________________________________________

Volpe’s tails swish angrily as she glares at the crystalline bulk of Muspelhiem which just cheated her of her entertainment. For a second, she considers throwing the [Skysunder Spear] after Lapetus anyway and accidenting away the furry, mongrel bitches along with the Titan, but a god given quest is not something she should stop her Patriarch from accomplishing. For a longer moment, she contemplates spending her spell on the giant worm, but just then, a flash catches her eye.

 

From over the horizon comes a bolt of lightning, queer in its singular nature. It strikes the ground outside the battlefield, then, before she hears the report, Volpe feels it enter her domain as it arcs to the clouds of her lingering storm.

 

With a flick of her wrist, she redirects the spear and throws the pressurized tornado with the speed and force of a bolt of thunder.

 

A serpent of lightning surges forth from the clouds, its maw agape, and meets the spear with a thick bolt of lightning. The two attacks meet and the resulting explosion is felt throughout the battlefield.

 

______________________________________________________________

 

The Titan of Earth cracks from getting struck by Muspelheim, cracks again when it bounces on Camelot’s wall, bounces again directly in front of Aodean, and then crashes into the far side of Camelot’s wall.

 

Aodean, Franky, and the rest of the group scramble to a rooftop and stare across the city at the glowing earthen core embedded in the wall. The core is cracked and missing significant chunks, but it is still alive and is leaking even more of its essence.

 

With bated breaths, they watch as the Titan takes control of the earth around it. The wall morphs and crumbles. It converges around the core and quickly transforms into a body of stone as thick and large as the walls themselves.

 

The titan steps forward, towards the city center, and the defenders quickly take a stand. Franky creates an overly large greatsword. Ambrosia takes flight on bloody wings while summoning her scythe. Belial takes to the sky. She spreads her arms, which burst into demonfire.

 

The Titan takes another step, and then its chest violently explodes in a combination of mana and steam. When the steam clears, a very self-satisfied giant spider stands in the clearing of rubble with Lapetus core between its fangs.

 

_____________________________________________________________________

 

Volpe tisks in annoyance at the serpent of electricity. All her hair poofs, and stands on end as it stops five hundred yards away. The air around it glows blue and small tendrils of lightning sporadically arc to the nearby clouds. A man with a golden hammer stands atop the serpent’s head. He eyes her curiously for a moment, then grimaces.

 

He points his hammer at her, “Unending Storm, I am [Champion of Storms] Rhyme Bolt. I ask you, why did you attack me?”

 

Volpe raises an eyebrow, “You seemed convenient,” she points, “ and I’m here to destroy the Titans.”

 

“I cannot allow that,” his hammer glows violently as ambient electricity is absorbed into the head, “Crius is under the ownership of the Aesir gods. Attacks against it are an offense to the pantheon. I request that you move aside.”

 

Volpe grins. Her fifth tail starts to glow and her domain expands. A mile of mana around her heeds her call. Everything not actively controlled by an elemental flows to her. Storm clouds build again above Volpe, the wind picks up violently. Hot updrafts buffett them, vaporizing the rain and hail and carrying the water aloft where it freezes and is driven down again by frigid blasts. Lightning, out of all control, crackles between the clouds. Mana swirls around Volpe in a storm and the world struggles to keep up. Crius twists in the air, agitated.

 

“Fine then, if it is a battle you want, then one you will get. Crius, end her.” he orders.

 

All at once, the constant storm that is Crius raises up several notches. Its cloudy body glows brighter and brighter as it is replaced by a wreath of lightning. The sound of thunder from its body overwhelms the constant rumble from the storm, all fueled by the core within Crius head.

 

And then a portal opens just to the left of Crius head, followed by the sound of a ship's bow making contact with the titan’s core.

 

_________________________________________________________________

 

I gaze at the changing scenery, at a funnel in space and time born from the [Wormhole] ability of ShadehHaven. The ship is covered in a bubble of energy that keeps physics working normally and also keeps air from escaping. It also probably protects from radiation. Outside the bubble is an ocean of muted colors and objects in constant transit through a colorless liquid like substance. Ahead and behind are darkness. We travel through reality like a marble through a straw.

 

“This is amazing.” Jessica says, “It's like watching the stars up close.” She gazes up at the objects moving through the cosmos with a vibrant smile on her face reminiscent of a child's first time at an amusement park.

 

She looks at me and sees me watching her. She blushes and looks back out at the stars. I watch her take a deep breath.

 

“Quasi, I…,” she hesitates, “I’m sorry.”

 

I wait.

 

“I’ve been jealous of you; of the women around you, and I’ve been taking it out not just on you, but also on others.”

 

I put my hand on her back and she turns to me.

 

“It’s not right. I’m a priestess of Eir and…”

 

I pull her into a hug. Jess wraps her arms around me and buries her face in my chest. Through our robes, I feel her heart beat against me.

 

“I love you, Quasi,” I hear her muffled words.

 

I stroke her hair.

 

“I should apologize too,” I confess, “I’ve been taking you lightly.”

 

I think back on all the women I’ve loved in all my lifetimes. I take a moment to recite their names in my mind, and at the end, there’s Jessica.

 

“And not just you, but this whole world. Because when all’s said and done, I’m going to leave. Because, I can’t take you with me.”

 

She looks up at my face, a wan smile on her own.

 

“But you’re here with me now,” she tells me.

 

“You’re right,” I smile back, “and your goddess isn’t some imaginary being either. Why don’t you just…”

 

A brilliant flash of light interrupts our moment and I feel the ShadeHaven crash into something. I shield Jessica as we fall to the deck

 

Only when ShadeHaven stops moving do we stand up.

 

“Did we hit something?” she asks.

 

Frowning, I look around and my eyes fall on the city of Camelot

 

I grin.

 

“Oh hey, it's Peter.”