Bandle City, Lower Passage.
Gigantic trees supported the portal connecting Bandle City and Runeterra. Their dense branches were laden with abundant fruits.
Various exotic flowers and plants created a ubiquitous tapestry of vibrant colors. The soft Sunlight filtered through the trees' canopies, casting dappled light spots on their trunks. The Seraph Flowers, which only bloomed at night, had closed their petals, their flower buds drooping listlessly.
"A bunch of annoying guys, you're all annoying guys!"
"If you won't let me stay here, then I'll go somewhere else to continue my research!"
"Has Bandle City truly lost even the right to free demolition for others?"
The fluffy little shorty, less than a meter tall, grumbled as he walked along the tree trunks of the lower passage towards the portal.
With all his luggage on his back, he revealed a set of gleaming white buck teeth whenever he opened and closed his mouth.
His pointed furry ears perked up, and his tea-colored goggles rested on his forehead.
"I will prove to you, prove that my inventions are useful, I am not just a crazy person who only knows how to blow things up, absolutely not!"
The sharp voice echoed through the trees as Ziggs stepped on the tree trunks and arrived in front of the honeycomb-like portal.
Looking at the layers of amber portals stacked before him, he tightened the package on his back.
"Where should I go?"
"Bilgewater?" Ziggs stroked his chin, "Forget it, it's all damp there, the smell of rotten fish is unbearable!"
"Demacia?"
"Too rigid!"
"Noxus?"
"Too crazy!"
"Ionia?"
"A copy of Bandle City!"
"Shurima?"
"It's all sand, hair full of sand would be very difficult to manage!"
Ziggs looked at each portal one by one and noticed a change in the portal leading to Piltover.
In the amber portal, water rippled, and a burly figure slowly appeared in Ziggs's sight.
"Why would someone come through Piltover's portal at this time?" Ziggs scratched his chin, weighing a Bouncing Bomb in his hand.
"Is it Corki again, running to Piltover to test his flying machine, or Rumble going to Piltover to pick up junk?"
"Or perhaps..." Ziggs's ears suddenly perked up, and he exclaimed excitedly, "An invader?"
"If it's an invader, I might be able to use this opportunity!"
"With my bombs, I'll beat the invader until he's running for his life, and then those guys might recognize my research, and maybe I can even blow up the museum I can't stand!"
The more excited Ziggs got, the more he bounced the Bouncing Bomb in his hand like a ball, his excitement overflowing as he eagerly wanted to blow something up.
Just then, the burly figure stepped out of the amber portal.
"This is Bandle City?"
Jayce stepped out of the portal, and Duke followed right behind him, "It certainly looks different from Piltover!"
Duke smacked his lips; his magical reaction was even more severe here, his mouth feeling as if he had been roughly forced to drink a bottle of expired milk.
Thump, thump, thump, thump... A strange bouncing sound came from ahead, attracting Jayce and Duke's attention.
They looked forward to see a round bomb with a burning fuse bouncing towards them.
"This is..." Jayce stroked his prickly chin, "A bomb?"
"Obviously, you idiot!"
Duke shoved Jayce aside, flipped his palm, and his sidearm, the Deathbell, fell into his hand.
He pulled the trigger just before the bomb reached them.
Bang!
A heavy gunshot rang out, and the bomb was directly pierced. The bomb, with a small hole in its center, rapidly expanded in Duke's eyes, followed by the flash of fire and thick smoke from the explosion.
Boom!!
The sound of the explosion reverberated, even reaching Bandle City from the underground passage.
The purple Yordle girl on duty in the city suddenly perked up her purple ears and touched the weapon behind her.
"The sound of an explosion! It's coming from the underground passage!"
The Yordle girl looked towards the underground passage and quickened her pace, changing from a leisurely stroll to a wild dash, heading towards the underground passage.
"Tristana, wait for me!"
A purple-skinned mage with long, flowing hair and wearing a Witch's pointed hat, trotted with her short legs, accompanied by a strange creature with growing wings.
"Slow down!!"
..... Underground Passage.
The smoke left after the Bouncing Bomb exploded enveloped Duke. He flipped his left hand, pulling out another Mourning Bell Pistol, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"A bomb that can bounce?"
"Could it be Ziggs?"
"But why would he attack us so rashly?"
Duke's mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, even ignoring the sour milk taste lingering in his mouth. At the same time, an invisible arcane energy gathered within his body, accelerating the awakening of his magic talent.
"That was close!"
Looking at the smoking crater beside him, Ziggs again pulled out two Bouncing Bombs from the bag behind him. Still feeling it wasn't enough, he pulled out another bomb that looked exceptionally special.
This bomb was like a cluster of grapes, but instead of distinct individual grapes, it was a cluster of tiny, glowing bombs tightly connected.
"Taste the big one!!"
A sharp, strange laugh came from the other side of the smoke. Duke curled his lip: "Alright, it really is Ziggs!"
"Protect yourself here, Jayce!"
Duke didn't wait for Jayce's reply before he himself passed through the smoke. With his left hand held across his chest, his right hand was behind his back, his finger on the trigger, ready to pull at any moment.
That special bomb rapidly disintegrated in mid-air, scattering into countless grape-sized miniature bombs. The miniature bombs had strong adhesive at their base, and as soon as they dispersed, they quickly covered the entire ground.
At the same time, they firmly stuck to the tree trunks. The bombs themselves glowed faintly, indicating they were in the trigger phase.
Duke, who rushed out of the smoke, noticed the bombs on the ground and smacked his lips: "He's already developed his E skill at this point?"
"He truly is the Hexplosives Expert!"
Duke, muttering to himself, didn't slow down his movements. Having been practicing Gun Kata, he suddenly swung his right arm, and as he swung, his finger pulled the trigger.
The bullet left the muzzle, tracing a perfect arc in the air, heading straight for Ziggs.
Arcing Shot!
The bullet grazed Ziggs' nose, startling him, then disappeared into the dense foliage, leaving a dent in the tree trunk beneath his feet.
Bang!
The moment the gunshot rang out, Viktor and Heimerdinger emerged from the portal one after another. Just as they stabilized, before Heimerdinger could express his feelings about returning home, he heard the gunshot and flinched, "My mechanical ancestors, what in the world is going on?"
"It's only been two hundred years since I've been back. Is Bandle City welcoming guests with bullets now?"
"Professor Heimerdinger, the situation is like this..."
Jayce quickly explained the situation, and Heimerdinger's expression changed continuously as Jayce spoke. Realizing the misunderstanding, he rushed forward, his mouth constantly opening, "Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"
"I am Heimerdinger, and they are the ones I invited..." Heimerdinger paused, looking at Duke, who was pointing a gun at Ziggs, and slowly uttered the last two words: "guests!"
"Why didn't you say so earlier!"
Ziggs, with Duke's gun pointed at his head, cried, "Did you have to wait until I got beaten up to speak?"
...I can't even count how many chapters I owe... My math is terrible, but I'll pay them back...
...There's another chapter coming soon, just let me stretch a bit...