Lando couldn't help but feel relieved as he looked at the Nephalem screen, seeing the ambushers below them on the sand. They had narrowly escaped a dangerous situation, and now they were closer than ever to reaching Titan City. He watched as the Nephalem landed on the sand for a moment before launching back up into the air, going further and further until they reached their destination.
A chuckle escaped Bale's mouth as he looked up at the roof of the Nephalem. "So, we just survived that. All of us." He chuckled even more. "I think that deserves way more than one drink." Zander just smiled, knowing how much Bale loved his alcohol. "But if you puke, then it's not my fault this time."
Bale grinned, feeling proud of himself. "Hey. I'm the type of guy to never throw up." He applauded himself, but Zander just shrugged. "Yeah sure, tell me about it." Lando couldn't help but chuckle at their banter. "Dude, with the amount you drink, I'm confident you throw up at least once a week."
Hana scoffed, looking at them both. "Can we not talk about throwing up?" She then looked at Lando, and he smiled back at her. "Hey, we made it out of that hellhole alive." Hana sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I know. We should be there in 5 minutes." Azia blurted out through the speakers, confirming their location.
"My robot ignores me." Bale sighed dramatically. "Because you were insulting it while drunk." Zander answered, earning a chuckle from Lando. "This is in fact true." Azia spoke up, causing Bale to stare at the speakers in disbelief. "We don't talk about that day." Zander laughed, remembering the time Bale had gotten drunk and started arguing with Zurb, their trusty robot companion.
"So, is Lando alive?" Aqua clenched the bomb tightly, her finger still on the red button. Zynkara lowered his head to the ground, tears streaming down his face. "I…I…I…" he stuttered, struggling to speak.
Aqua rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on. Lando is tough as nails, he's probably out there kicking butt and taking names as we speak."
Zynkara looked up at her. "Do you really think so?"
Aqua shrugged, "Who knows? But I'd like to think he is."
Zynkara sighed with relief, "Thank goodness. And the bomb?"
Aqua grinned mischievously, "Oh, that?"
Zynkara's eyes widened, "You were planning on blowing this place up?!"
Aqua nodded nonchalantly, "Yeah, I still plan on it."
Zynkara's expression turned to anger, "How could you do something like that?!"
Aqua shrugged, "Hey, it's nothing personal. It's just business."
Zynkara lunged at Aqua, tackling her to the ground. The bomb slid across the floor as they fought, each landing blows on the other.
Aqua kicked Zynkara in the face, sending him reeling back. She unsheathed a small sword from her side and pointed it at him. "I'm sorry it had to come to this," she said, her voice cold and emotionless.
Zynkara grabbed a pipe from the roof and snapped it in half, wielding the sharp edges as weapons. He lunged at Aqua, but she was too quick for him. She parried his attacks with her sword, and then swung it at him, slicing his leg.
Zynkara fell to the ground, blood pouring from the wound. He struggled to get back up, but Aqua swung her sword down, splattering blood on the floor.
"Any last words?" Aqua asked, looking down at him.
Zynkara's eyes grew blurry as blood trickled from them. He sent the pipe's sharpest edge into Aqua's shoulder, causing her to scream in pain.
Aqua backed up, pulling the pipe out of her shoulder. She looked back at Zynkara, anger in her eyes. "You fucker."
She walked over to him, sinking her blade into his stomach. Blood poured from the wound as Zynkara looked up at her, gasping for air.
"You tried so hard to take his place," she whispered to him. "But you failed, miserably."
Zynkara took one last breath before falling into her arms, dead. Aqua gently lowered him to the ground, blood covering the floor around them.
The man with the bomb walked over to Aqua, his finger on the trigger. "You failed to detonate the bomb yourself," he said, smirking.
Aqua's eyes widened as she tried to sprint to cover, but it was too late. The man pressed the red button, and the bomb began to beep rapidly.
"Thanks to you and Lando's help," the man said, "I was able to blow this whole place up. I can only thank him for capturing me."
As he snickered, the bomb suddenly popped and split into two. However, before he could react, the explosion blew off the man's hands, causing him to scream in agony.
"WHO THE FUCK MADE THIS BO-" he started to yell, but was cut off by the bomb's shockwaves and fire that ripped through the hallway, quickly spreading to the more public areas. In a panic, people tried to run, but some were caught by the flames, unable to escape.
Mara heard the screams and turned to see the cafeteria entrance, where many others had gathered. The fire was rapidly approaching, and soon it collided with the entrance of the cafeteria, causing chaos and confusion.
"What's happening?!" Akura exclaimed as she stood up. People were rushing in, some of them on fire, while others were trying to put the fire out. The sight was horrifying, and Akura's eyes widened in shock.
Erik ran over to a man rolling on the ground, desperately trying to put out the flames. He quickly took off his uniform and began hitting the man with it, trying to extinguish the fire.
Cherry saw someone with severe burns on their arms and half of their face and rushed over to help. The injured person groaned in pain as Cherry gently placed them on top of a nearby table.
"Everyone, help as many people as you can! We have to save them!" Cherry shouted, her voice filled with urgency.
The red alarms blared as Lando and his companions arrived at Titan City, and he gasped in horror as he saw the massive hole in the city's center, with flames and smoke billowing out. "Oh my god…" Lando whispered in disbelief.