"First time in the country huh?!" the driver asked as he drove the jeep up the highway. "Yeah! We just graduated middle school and decided to take a sight-seeing trip to this mountain", Samuel replied. "So, what's your name?" Sylvester asked the driver. "My name is Ibada Faraji. Feel free to call me Iba", the driver answered.
"So, Iba, how long have you been a tour guide", Sylvia asked. "Close to ten years now. I started immediately I got my driver's license after high school. It's been an interesting job so far and I always get to meet new folks like you", Iba informed them. "That's wonderful bro. I could never imagine", Delgato added.
"Tell us about the place we are heading to", Catherina asked suddenly. "Well, it used to be land that was forbidden to tread on but after an abundance of wildlife like rhinos, elephants and the like started flourishing, it was declared a protected natural reserve. There are quite a lot of creatures there and since hunting is illegal, the only predators are those nature intended, therefore, their numbers are being kept under control. Folks from all over the world started showing up, desiring to go there and witness the reserve as well as the mountain firsthand. Soon, touring agencies like ours were set up to accommodate them and milk this new industry for all it got", Ibada explained.
"So, for all these years that you have been traversing this route, have you ever come across anything that was too unbelievable? Samuel asked. "Hmm! I can't say I have. But … for a few months now, there have been a few cases of tourists going missing. We believed it was possible they came into contact with one of the local rhinos. However, have no fear. I'm the best driver in the business. I'll get us out if we run into one", Iba said with a laugh.
"A few months, huh?! Timing matches up with the abnormal phenomenon's first occurrences", Samuel whispered to his teammates. "Exactly! I'll let the drones scout ahead", Delgato said as he held up his watch. "Activate stealth drones. Scout ahead of us", he instructed. One mile above their heads and moving in step with their car, the invisible capsule temporarily turned visible as dozens of circular patches popped out the sides, changing into small silent drones. The drones flew out quickly as the capsule regained its invisible form.
The drones spread out wide, each moving at an equal interval from the other, as they swarmed the skies and mapped out the entire region. "The drones are out. We'll know if anything suspicious in the area turns up", Delgato whispered to them. "Very good. I can't wait to see who or what is causing that phenomenon", Samuel said with a grin as the car zoomed along the road.
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At the base of the mountain, there were a group of people gathered in a tent. a windstorm had picked up all of a sudden and they had to abandon their plans and retreat to safety. "Man, what's up with the weather around here. It's like it is deliberately targeting us. I can't stand it!", one of the men shouted as he kicked his empty beer can away. "I feel you dude. We've been here for months and still have nothing to show for it. The deadline is coming up soon. If we don't deliver the shipments by that time, it will be our necks", another stated in exasperation.
"The Rhinos here have the best Ivory and our clients want the best. If they didn't care we could have scoured other areas. We've even had to eliminate every witness who happened to chance upon us. Soon the authorities of this country will have no choice but to get involved. I suggest we find a way to deal with this as soon as possible", a third member added.
"Whatever the case may be, that storm is a hinderance. We have no choice but to wait. The new gear should be arriving any minute now. Get some rest, all of you.", the leader instructed and they obeyed.
A little bit up the mountain, in a small cave sat a young boy in a lotus position staring out the cave, breezes of wind occasionally entering and exiting the cave. "Damn those poachers. When are they going to give up", he said with a frown. "Well, it seems they are quite for now. I'll take this chance to rest up as well", the boy said as he laid back onto the bare ground and soon fell asleep.
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"We are a mile out. We should be at the base of the mountain soon. Look, isn't that a beautiful sight?" Iba asked as he pointed to the looming figure before them. "Woah!! It's so much bigger than the ones back home", Catherina observed. The jeep cruised along the road getting ever so close to the base of the mountain.
Half a mile away from their destination, a wind storm appeared out of nowhere, obscuring their view. "Takatifu (holy shit)!!" Ibada cried out as he quickly stepped on the brake, stopping the jeep instantly. He then backed up as fast as he could to safety. Shockingly, the windstorm was not chasing them. It was fixed at one point. seeing the anomaly.
"I guess finding the source of the anomaly isn't going to be that difficult after all", Delgato said as he pulled out a screen to observe the readings from the drones. "Iba, I suggest you go back to the town. It's not safe for you to be here", Samuel turned to their driver who looked like he had seen a ghost.
Even in that state, Ibada still had the presence of mind to address them, "What about you all. We need to get back to the city. I can't abandon you all here. There are folktales about spirits who lived at the base of the mountain. The stories came with a warning to never approach the base of the mountain and disturb their resting place. Everyone thought it was a just the elders trying to keep the youth in line, but clearly, it looks like the older generation knew better", he said amidst his slight delirium.
"Huuuh", Samuel sighed as he turned and grabbed Ibada's shoulders, looking him straight in the eye. "Wha…what are you doing?" Ibada asked as Samuels eyes glowed faintly. Ibada's body went limp for a while before he slowly turned and returned to his car. He took the wheel and immediately sped off in the direction of the city.
"He should regain his sense of self in an hour. He would lose his memory of what is happening here though", Samuel said as he turned to his team. "Alright, let's get to work. Delgato, what do you have", he asked. "Well, the scanners are picking up multiple heat signatures. There are several dozen rhinos a few hundred meters away from us and near them are several humans. I'm guessing they are most likely hunters … scratch that, I mean poachers. I can't imagine a normal civilian willingly approaching a herd of wild rhinos", Delgato explained.
"Well, since we are here already, we might as well put them in their place", Samuel said as he started heading towards the windstorm. Delgato pushed a button near his neck and full headgear appeared on all their heads. Only he needed the gear to be able to see clearly in the storm but he activated everyone else's for obvious reasons; keeping their identities hidden.