Hunted

Lando continued his workout routine, unfazed by the surrounding destruction. He moved onto some squats and lunges, his muscles flexing with each repetition. Hana watched him, a mixture of admiration and confusion evident on her face.

Meanwhile, Zander and Bale were deep in conversation, trying to decipher the cryptic message Kayla had left them. As they munched on their canned food, Zander suddenly had an idea. "What if she's talking about some sort of energy source beyond the sand? Something that we haven't discovered yet."

Bale nodded in agreement. "It's possible. The Nephalem is equipped with advanced technology, but there could be something even more powerful out there."

As they discussed the possibilities, Lando finished his workout and made his way over to them. "You guys talking about Kayla's message?" he asked, wiping the sweat from his brow.

Zander nodded. "Yeah, we're trying to figure out what she meant by an 'essence beyond the sand'."

Lando furrowed his brow in thought. "I've heard stories about ancient civilizations that harnessed some sort of energy source that was more powerful than anything we have today. Maybe that's what she's referring to."

Bale leaned back against a nearby wall, considering Lando's words. "It's worth looking into. Who knows what we might find out there."

Suddenly, Lando heard the sounds of people blowing horns. He paused and listened for more, but there were at least multiple of them, and then silence. His instincts immediately kicked in, and he knew something was not right.

Within seconds, dozens of people armed with assault rifles and other guns came running down the hills, accompanied by others with spears. The attackers had surrounded them, and there was nowhere to run.

"An ambush!" Lando screamed, pulling out his pistol. Hana and Bale followed suit, and Zander drew his pistol.

Hana aimed her purple rifle and fired at one of the ambushers, the bullet entering their chest, causing the ambusher to fall to the ground, dead. Blood spilled from the hole, staining the sandy ground.

Lando rushed over next to Hana and aimed his pistol, firing at the people with spears. It would be more difficult to keep track of the ones shooting at them if they were to not focused on the ones rushing them.

Lando's pistol paused due to it cooling down. One of the ambushers jumped through the empty opening where a window would be, rolling and standing up.

Lando swiftly turned around and charged towards the ambusher, slamming his pistol across his face. Bale aimed his gun and shot the guy right after, blood gushing out of the wound as they both turned around, two others jumped through the opening.

"ZANDER, HANA FOCUS ON THE ONES WITH GUNS AND THE ONES THAT CHARGE!" Lando ordered and picked up the spear from the dead body of the other ambusher. "Come on," he snickered and aimed the spear at the next ambusher.

The ambusher swung his spear, trying to stab Lando. Lando dodged and spun around, sinking the spear into the ambusher's leg. The ambusher screamed in pain as blood dribbled down his leg. Lando yanked out the spear, blood flying everywhere, and then stabbed the guy in the head. He grabbed the spear and tossed it to Bale. "Here."

Bale caught it and stared at the other ambusher, who was buffer than most of them. "Let's dance," he snickered.

The sound of clashing metal and grunts filled the air as the fight intensified. Bale stumbled backward, trying to catch his breath after the buff ambusher's swing connected with him. The ambusher charged forward again, but Bale was ready this time. He swung his spear with all his might, slicing through the ambusher's skin. Despite the wound, the ambusher didn't back down, grabbing Bale by the throat and beginning to choke him.

Lando fought his way through the ambushers, his spear and gun working in tandem as he blocked and attacked. Hana and Zander provided cover fire, taking out any ambushers who dared to approach them. Lando could see that Bale was in trouble and rushed over, shooting the ambusher in the hand and causing him to drop Bale.

The ambusher turned to face Lando, anger in his eyes. He swung at Lando with all his might, but Lando remained calm and collected. He raised his pistol and pressed it against the ambusher's head, causing him to freeze in shock. "I'm sorry, may you rest in peace," Lando said before pulling the trigger. Blood and brain matter splattered against the walls of the ruins.

Bale recovered quickly and joined Lando in the fight. They worked together seamlessly, their weapons striking the ambushers with deadly precision. Bale plunged his spear into an ambusher's stomach, causing him to groan in pain. Bale quickly withdrew the spear and then plunged it into the ambusher's throat, killing him instantly.

Meanwhile, Lando found himself surrounded by two ambushers. He dodged their swings with ease, moving gracefully and striking back with his spear. He used the spear to begin choking one of them, while the other ambusher rushed towards him with a spear in hand. But Lando was one step ahead, shoving the ambusher he was choking into the other one. The spear sank right through the ambusher's chest and back.

The ambusher screamed in reaction to killing his comrade, but Lando wasn't done yet. He picked up the spear of the fallen ambusher and threw it with precision, the spear entering the screaming ambusher's head and killing him instantly.

Then the booming voice of Azia came on, interrupting the chaos. "Auto repair complete," she announced, causing Lando's eyes to widen with relief. The battle continued to rage on, with Lando and Bale fighting off ambushers at the entrance while Hana covered them with her blaster.

As the situation grew more dire, Hana yelled, "We need to get out of here!"

Without hesitation, Lando sprang into action. "GOT IT! EVERYONE IN!" he barked, rushing over to the hatch and pulling it open. Hana and Lando took their seats in the cockpit, while Bale and Zander climbed into their custom-made seats they had constructed while waiting for daylight.

With the Nephalem up and running, it launched into the air, sending the remaining ambushers flying in all directions. The Nephalem's advanced manoeuvring capabilities allowed them to evade enemy fire with ease, and Hana quickly pressed a button to activate the blaster.

Lando turned the Nephalem over to face the remaining ambushers while in mid-air. They were firing relentlessly, but their shots kept missing. As they closed in on their attackers, Hana fired the big blaster with deadly accuracy, taking out multiple ambushers with a single shot. The blast impacted the ground, sending shockwaves rippling through the battlefield.

"Let's go back to Titan City." Lando smiled and Hana nodded.