Whoosh!
The cage holding Maelstrom, the T-Biter and the pair of Sword Fishes was descending rapidly, the wind howled around them, moreover, the force of their fall was sending water from Katana Creek spraying upwards in a torrential curtain. SPLASH! The cage hit the water first, the impact sent countless ripples through the creek. Hao who was just metres away from crashing, used his Vibe Sense to calculate his landing, angling his body to minimize the force of impact. He hit the water with a tremendous splash, the shock only briefly stunning him.
"Grr… that wretch." Kiera and her gang could do nothing but watch as Hao and the cage disappeared beneath the surface of the creek. The realization that their prize had been stolen back from them set in, leaving them seething with resentment.
"Big sis, what do we do now? Should we just head on home and cut our losses?" While the bandits waited for their leader's decision, in the meantime, we shift our attention back to the Skyship.
The once-proud silhouette was now marred by the dark plumes of smoke pouring from its damaged engines. Its metallic wings were twisted and broken. The vessel continued its rapid descent towards the city below with its shadow growing larger and more ominous with each passing moment.
Crackle!
Inside the Skyship, the atmosphere was thick with unease. Desperate passengers came together, praying for salvation, while the crew scrambled to regain control of the doomed vessel. Kael, the seasoned engineer, was hard at work trying to stabilize the engines. Meanwhile, Mentos, Yoad and Barkcode sprinted towards the rear of the Skyship. Their mission was clear: reroute power to the wings and buy precious time for those onboard and in the city below.
"We have to keep moving!" Mentos urged Yoad, his breath ragged from the effort. "The people on this ship are depending on us."
"We won't let them down, Mentos." Replied Yoad.
As they made their way through the Skyship, they could hear the engineers and the captain working frantically to coordinate their efforts. Sparks flew and the air crackled with energy while the crew fought to keep the vessel airborne.
"Kael, give me a status update on the engines!" The captain barked over the intercom, they could easily perceive the worry in his voice.
"We're doing everything we can, Captain," Kael's hands were slick with sweat as he adjusted valves and rerouted circuits. "But it's not looking good. We're running out of time."
The passengers were not oblivious to the dire situation. They were consistently praying and hoping for a miracle to save them from crashing to their doom.
"I can't believe this is happening," A mother whispered to her child, clutching him tightly.
"We have to trust that the crew knows what they're doing." Voiced another passenger close by.
While Mentos and Yoad worked on their given tasks, they, unfortunately, encountered a group of remaining bandits attempting to flee the Skyship. The criminals, determined to save themselves, had regrouped and were trying to make their way to their waiting Bastians outside.
"You're not going anywhere, not after what you've done!" Mentos growled while drawing his Blade Edge, Shark Skimmer.
"You morons caused enough damage already." Yelled Yoad, keeping one step behind Mentos.
"Oh, who the hell are you two supposed to be, heroes?" The bandits smiled among themselves before unsheathing their weapons to prepare for a confrontation. "Come on then, show us what you've got, heroes." They beckoned them with the sharpness of their blades.
"We'll show you!" Mentos and Yoad dashed ahead and engaged the bandits in a fierce duel of Crossblades. Barkcode also joined in on the duel. They fought wild with all their strength, defending the passengers and buying time for the engineers to regain control of the Skyship.
Back in the engine room, Kael and his team worked feverishly, adjusting pressure levels and tinkering with complex mechanisms in a last-ditch effort to stabilize the vessel. They were exhausted but at the same time very determined to turn their situation around as they fought against the clock.
Kael reported, sounding strained, "Captain, we've done all we can, It's up to them now." He was referring to Mento and Yoad.
Rumble!
The Skyship shook when the rerouted power surged through its systems. The wings struggled to maintain their integrity, the metallic framework was now mangled and barely functional. Despite their best efforts, the Skyship continued its descent, crashing into several buildings in the city below. BOOM! The impact was violent and deafening, it caused many passengers and debris to fly in all directions. At this time, the bandits who were still onboard the vessel eluded their pursuers and escaped on their Bastians.
"Get back here you!" Mentos was about to give chase to the bandits when he heard a familiar cry behind him.
"Help me!" Yoad had slipped through a window, dangling outside. He was barely holding onto a strap as his last means of survival.
"I'm coming!" Mentos fought to hold onto Yoad amidst the chaos, but as the Skyship tore through the cityscape, Yoad was ripped from his grasp. The young boy, along with his Bastian, Barkcode, and other passengers, were violently ejected from the vessel, plummeting towards the city below.
"No!" Mentos watched in horror as his little friend disappeared from sight, but he had no time to mourn for there were still others onboard who could benefit from his help. This he attempted to do until he could do it no longer.
BOOM!
The Skyship came to a grinding halt atop the city's skyscrapers. The city's residents surveyed the wreckage in disbelief. The OSD along with the city's emergency response team raced to the scene, sirens blaring as they assessed the situation and prepared to launch a rescue mission. A single question hung heavily on everyone's mind, had anyone survived the harrowing crash?
The answer would have to wait, for the true extent of the devastation – and the fates of those aboard the ill-starred Skyship – would only be unveiled in the next chapter. In the aftermath, an eerie silence enveloped the area, broken only by the distant cries of those who had lost everything in the blink of an eye.