<span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Sailor Solar</span></span><br/><br/>“Ali!” Sailor Solar fell to the ground rather dramatically and cradled the Dayman’s head in his hands. Tears fill his eyes and he allowed his gaze to drift down to the Dayman’s crotch. “Oh no. I was too late. Forgive me, Ali, I thought I could save you from my future…” The tears began to fall. “I had thought that maybe I could spare you my fate – without my codpiece, I lost myself. Diane left me for Barbados Slim. You remember Barbados? Without her I had nothing and I fell into the shame-spiral of anime and ice-cream.”<br/><br/>He threw his head back and shook one fist at the sun overhead. “You told me I could save him! That I could save myself!”<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">The Crosswind</span></span><br/><br/>Jereman Opheia grimaced at Ephantus’ use of lasers and missiles, but smartly decided against saying anything. Ephantus wasn’t a being he enjoyed trifling with. He hovered above the party as they somehow survived Ephantus’ attacks, still frowning. Even with Hurricane, these insects were proving inordinately difficult.<br/><br/>Spying Jeremiah Lettucehead’s airplane a ways off, he casually reduced the air pressure around the vehicle until it plummeted to the ground by the other assembled Player Characters.<br/><br/>“I will have order restored in my city,” he muttered, scanning those assembled. That’s when he noticed a figure off on her own. Vespi, the leader of the troublesome Storm Riders. Ephantus could handle the others. He wanted this one to himself.<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Vespi</span></span><br/><br/>Vespi’s bike was thrown aside suddenly, crashing through the next several city block and ending up partially submerged in the pudding factory in midtown. She reacted without thinking, however, becoming lightning and arcing away. She reformed atop some office building, face-to-face with Jereman Opheia, hovering ever so casually in the air.<br/><br/>“Crosswind,” she growled like a sparking wall plug.<br/><br/>“Nice to see you again,” he quipped. “Come back to destroy my city?”<br/><br/>“I’ve come to take back our city.”<br/><br/>He snorted. “Your city? Whose? The Atmosfaerie? Please. Your kind don’t live long enough to appreciate civilization. Can’t you see how I’ve industrialized Stormfront?” He swept his arms wide. “All in a few short years. Your people had centuries and never managed to bring this up above a mud hovel.”<br/><br/>Vespi wasn’t interested in arguing with him (mostly because he was technically correct). “It was our hovel.” Lightning shot out from an outstretched arm and he parried it aside with Hurricane.<br/><br/>“Feisty to the end, of course. But it is an end for you, unfortunately.” He lifted Hurricane above his head, tip pointed down. “How long do you think the Storm Riders will hold together with their leader? I’ll give a day at most. With you out of the way, they won’t be much trouble.”<br/><br/>Vespi tried to jump away by Jereman’s downward thrust was too fast. Time seemed to stretch on in that second. She remembered coming awake for the first time, formed form a pocket of magical energy and a lightning strike out in the Thunder Plains. The ground around her was charred black from the reaction. A name escaped her lips after she took her first breath. Her name.<br/><br/>She remembered seeing Stormfront for the first time, the only city in the Land of Storms. A loose collection of buildings centuries old, filled with Atmosfaerie of every form. It was the only place in the Land of Storms like it. She met Geirhad there and fell in love with him.<br/><br/>Geirhald. She remembered being attracted to his form, the way it was ever-shifting, barely a coherent shape. Even when she discovered that being too close turned him to glass, she didn’t want to be apart from him, nor he her.<br/><br/>Geirhald.<br/><br/>Something roared in her ears and the memories faded. A thick cloud of dust was gathering around her, blocking her from Jereman. No, not dust. Sand. Sand! Geirhald. She couldn’t move fast enough, couldn’t yell for him to leave her. He was too close, stray bolts arced from her and struck him, turning little bits to glass that were swept along in the sandstorm. Little bits. Hundreds of little bits. Then larger sections as he compressed closer.<br/><br/>Time quickened, returned to normal. All was quiet. Vespi found herself surrounded by a small glass dome. Through it she could see Jereman Opheia, but her attention was only on Geirhald. He stared at her, or rather his head did. The only recognizable part of him left was his head, but even that was glass and still. She reached for it, found only coldness. Then the dome around her cracked. Jereman’s sword pierced the dome – and it shattered.<br/><br/>Geirhald vitrified head broke away and fell into her arms while the rest of what had been him became nothing more than twinkling debris on a building roof.<br/><br/>“How noble,” Jereman said dryly. “But unfortunately, glass isn’t very sturdy. Well, good-bye for real this time.”<br/><br/>Before he could raise his sword again, he recoiled, spinning through the air. On another roof, not so far away, stood Haley, wielding her rifle. She fired a few more shots to keep him away before hopping the distance to Vespi.<br/><br/>“Come on,” she said curtly. “We have to go.”<br/><br/>“I…I can’t…”<br/><br/>“He’s gone,” she said so shortly that Vespi flinched. “He’s gone and there isn’t anything we can do. The rest of the Storm Riders still need you.” Smoothly, she whirled and fired at Jereman again. “Come on.” She hoisted Vespi up, but the Atmosfaerie refused to let go of the glass head. “Fine, keep it.”<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Haley</span></span><br/><br/>Haley brought Vespi with her back down to the assortment of assembled Player Characters. “Sorry for taking so long,” she muttered. “But I got caught up with…family issues.” She glanced back at the castle. “Is it just down to Jereman, now?”<br/><br/>Vespi slumped down where she had dropped her, still clutching Geirhald’s head. “Uh. Right. Geirhald…he’s gone.”<br/><br/>Surveying the area, she frowned. “Wait, Ephantus turned against us? Well. Can’t say I’m that surprised. Although, I would like to know who that is!” She pointed an accusing finger at Sailor Solar, still weeping at the Dayman.<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Jeremiah</span></span><br/><br/>Jeremiah Lettucehead picked himself and Alias out of the wreckage of his plane, shrugged, and began swaggering over to where Haley and the others were.<br/><br/><span style="text-decoration: underline"><span style="font-weight: bold">Horror</span></span><br/><br/>Horror also kind of shrugged and disappeared into a portal, deciding he would return when the plot needed another affably evil villain.