"This place is freaking me out." Bunta looked around the forest surrounded by swamp and towering trees without a trace of sunlight. His teammates were far away from each other leaving a sense of dread during the investigation.
The dead leaves and mud on the ground held onto Bunta's boots every time he took a step. It was getting very irritating.
"Ugh this place is a mess!" When Bunta was about to free his foot from the mushy soil, a loud crow startled him as he nearly tripped. This part of the forest was eerie enough and he didn't need to fall into the mud soaking his boots. Bunta had enough to deal with.
Muttering about the surroundings reminded Bunta of something very important. An image of Mr Fumio's disappointed face flashed in his mind.
"Wait where are the others? They couldn't have gone far-" Bunta spun around hoping to see a sign of his teammates but they were nowhere in sight. Mr Fumio warned them not to stray away, this was bad.
Bunta started panicking, "Where is everyone? We're supposed to stick together!" The man ran down the dirt path that he assumed his teammates must have taken when they wandered away.
Then he came to a stop.
"Oh this is worrying... can someone tell me where these footprints came from?" There was a trail of large footprints down the path. Beside it was a murky lake with fallen leaves and twigs floating on the surface.
His heart was beating fast, Bunta wasn't surprised there were other animals here but these footsteps were abnormally huge. Whatever was lurking in this forest was something Bunta didn't want to know, he was all by himself in an unknown area with little to no sunlight. Just thinking about the hostility of this creature was making him nauseous. Not to mention, this was an isolated island that hasn't been discovered for years, anything could be lurking here.
Anything stealthy enough to make the lightest sound, as Bunta spun around in the direction of the lake to see bubbles rising to the surface.
There's something in the water... Bunta's legs started trembling, the man took a few steps back contemplating if he should make a run for it or slowly leave the trail.
However even that wasn't enough to help him make his decision. Bunta knew he made a mistake, one that could cost him his life if he didn't start running now; backing off without thinking might have already caught the animal's attention in the lake.
When Bunta lifted his foot off the muddy ground, the man heard some splashing in the lake. He didn't dare to turn around and look at the body of water behind him. The creature lurking in the water already saw him, there was no time to confront it or figure out what it was.
A set of bulldozing jaws emerged from the bushes and shoved Bunta down to the muddy ground. Bunta looked up in shock at the giant hippo that was chomping down the branches surrounding him.
"What on Earth is a large hippo doing here?!" Bunta rolled away from the jaws that plunged the spot he landed and ran to the direction leading to a quieter part of the forest.
The large bulky hippo shook its head and dashed to its prey running deeper into the forest with Bunta who scrambled for his life within the bushes and logs he passed. When he turned around to get a quick glance at what was happening behind him, he saw two more hippos emerge from the corners eyeing him down.
I have to get out of here! Bunta bit his lip as the hippos caught up with him, pushing each other out of the way ferociously.
Bunta felt his blood pounding continuously, he was stranded in the middle of an uninhabited forest with one of the most dangerous animals on the planet. The fact that nobody was coming to the rescue made his efforts to get out of this specific location demoralizing. He didn't know where he was running to he just followed the trail.
And it just so happens that the same trail he was running along disappeared.
Without a second thought, Bunta took out his weapon from the case hanging loosely on his shoulder and slammed the pole on the side of the first hippo's neck, stunning the animal before it opened its jaws threateningly.
Bunta was devastated, the impact of his weapon didn't inflict much damage to the animal. It wasn't surprising since hippos were very resistant and their skin was capable of enduring just about anything but this was a big problem Bunta was the only one here.
The other hippos strode towards Bunta, the slightly smaller hippo pushed Bunta harshly causing him to lose his balance and fall to the pile of dead leaves on the forest floor. Bunta yelled and shoved the pole into the hippo's mouth sending it backwards.
They're still not backing down I gotta think of something fast! Panicking, Bunta fiddled with his pockets and bag, desperately hoping to get a hold of one of his equipment that could help him escape with a peace of mind.
Bunta felt something familiar in his bag however as he was about to get it out, another hippo bit down on his knee causing him to drop his bag with the taser flying out.
Twisting in agony, Bunta fell to the ground, the hippo still biting down on his leg hungrily as he screamed in pain from his muscles and tissue getting turned to shreds.
Bunta forced himself to move away from the hippos closing in on him, no matter what happens he couldn't let these hippos get to the team's base. The taser was right in front of him, he just had to reach it and snatch it away before the hippos notice.
Wincing from the pain on his knee, Bunta stretched his arm, flicking the taser away which was infuriating. He pushed himself with the last bit of strength he had and grabbed the taser.
Bunta fired the taser at the hippo that was still trying to drag him away, sending it to the ground. He got up pointing the taser gun at the other two hippos that grunted when they saw it in Bunta's possession.
The larger and more intermediating hippo rushed to Bunta who fired his taser again while taking a few quick steps backwards to make his escape.
This time, the bolt bounced of the hippo's muscular skin leaving it to endure the subtle sting. Recklessly, the hippo ran into Bunta pushing him towards a pile of leaves that looked to be a forest floor but instead was an opening to another part of the forest.
Bunta fell into the loose accumulation of vegetation, rolling down the slope and knocking into a tree stump. The hippo on the cliff looked at him in bewilderment before strolling away.
"Where am I..." His head was spinning, Bunta looked around to see the streaks of sunlight again but it was awfully quiet now. The man got up and limped through the shrubs, relieved that he managed to get away from those bloodthirsty hippos.
~~~
Chachamaru flicked his tail impatiently while Banri was explaining to both he and Douma about the situation on the island. Hearing about the dangers lurking around made Chachamaru furious, what was Mr Oshiro thinking? The old man was putting the lives of his men at risk.
"This day just keeps getting better and better."
"We have to hurry before sunset." Banri told them to which they nodded.
Akagi and the others got their things ready. It seemed that everyone was cautious about their movements ever since their encounter with Slasher. Unlike Douma, Chachamaru and their friends' meeting with Carium, this kaiju was unfriendly.
Furthermore, there were other kaiju out there. There's bound to be aggressive kaiju like Slasher. While they were taking a walk pass the trees and boulders along the trail, Douma wondered if he could try communicating with Slasher to see if something was wrong. They weren't the only ones on this island after all.
Now that Slasher's gone, the team could continue their investigation without having to worry about any sound they make. Douma was still going to keep watch of the team's surroundings nevertheless, the giant worm had good hearing, who's to say he wouldn't come back? It's best to be on the alert.
"Keep your eyes and ears open Chachamaru you may never know when Slasher's gonna come back." Douma reminded the feline who was having a silent battle with the bugs that were disturbing him relentlessly.
The group stopped for a while and took the time to analyze their surroundings. They were about to enter the quieter parts of the forest.
Chachamaru stood against a large tree listening to the ongoing conversations. As he listened, the feline noticed something hidden underneath the soil, out of curiosity he dug it out to find some sort of ancient text carved in the stone.
"Hmmm this is interesting, I wonder what it says." The feline wiggled his claw a little more to reveal more of the stone which appeared to be connected to something that was hidden by the rest of the vegetation.
Douma saw the feline staring at the stone in front of him. The feline seemed engrossed by whatever he found. Regardless, it could be of high value especially for their investigation.
Gleaming, Chachamaru waved at Douma who was about to check on what his discovery, "Hey Douma look what I found." The feline exclaimed as Douma walked towards the spot.
Suddenly, the group heard scuffling in the bushes followed by loud and clear footsteps marching towards them in a hurry.
It wasn't long until a group of men leaped from their hiding spot holding knives and other lethal weapons in their possession. The very same ones that Douma and Chachamaru encountered on the boat earlier.
"The bandits are here!" One of the troops shouted as Douma, Chachamaru, Akagi and the others fought them off, shielding Banri who hid behind their comrades.
Sounds of clashing and firearms dawned over the island sending various critters back to their habitats. Mr Fumio swore he heard an ongoing fight somewhere, but he couldn't figure out which group was facing it.
More bandits kept coming as the group fought all of them at once. After a while, several bandits started falling to the ground with a few more keeping up with the speed and momentum of the group's fighting styles and movements.
Chachamaru knocked out a few approaching bandits and stood there with his arms crossed confidently, "Easy as always." He said with a smug smile.
"Is everybody alright?" Banri asked, there was not a scratch on Douma, Akagi, Kurai and the others were still standing strong, Chachamaru was still carrying out his mini exploration of the area despite what happened.
Chachamaru walked over to one of the fallen bandits and grabbed the collar of his shirt. The man was still very much alive and he was absolutely terrified to see the menacing expression of the giant feline standing right in front of him.
"Hey ya don't happen to know where that meteor went do ya?" The feline asked intrusively.
Despite Chachamaru's questionable decision, both Douma and Banri were aware that the bandits most likely had an idea as to where the meteorite could have gone since they were the ones who spend the most time on the island.
Akagi, Kurai and the troops watched with intent. Whatever Chachamaru was thinking better get them somewhere.
"T-t-the m-m-meteor?" The helpless bandit stammered. "It was taken."
Chachamaru lifted an eyebrow at the man's answer, so did Douma and Banri. "What are you talking about?! Come on we don't have time for games here! Where's the meteor?!"
"It's in the ancient lair. The giant took it."
"What ancient- oh wait." The feline brought his attention to the stone he dug out before the fight. As crazy as it may sound, this kind of made sense. Perhaps this was the answer they have all been waiting for.
Douma knew the gears clicked from here, "Where exactly is this ancient lair and who is this giant you're talking about?" The blonde asked the man who was still in Chachamaru's grip. Things were becoming even more bizarre around here.
"I-I-I don't know nobody has been able t-t-to find it." The bandit continued. "As f-for that giant he lives on t-this island."
Akagi stepped up, "Maybe he's right, only someone as big as a house is capable of carrying an entire asteroid all by themself." He added. "Let's keep searching we just might find something if we look closely enough."
Blinking, Chachamaru dropped the man who was still muttering to himself. "Sounds like we're gonna spend a long time on this weird island. Ya know I sure hope we don't get stranded at some point."
"Of course, that Aztec Temple located somewhere on this island. There have been rumors about it from those who searched for the meteor here." Scratching his chin, Banri took a step towards the stone that Chachamaru found and brushed off the dirt carefully.
"Hold on, you knew about this too?" Chachamaru didn't know what to believe anymore.
"So there is a possibility that someone has the meteor with them." Douma thought about what the bandit said for a while. "If that's the case we have to find this Aztec Temple." Which wasn't going to be easy given the island's harsh environment.
"Yes this must be the answer to all the decades-long questions that have been circulating. We're closer to solving this mystery which is fascinating." Banri replied with much hope.
The sound of footsteps startled them. There were more bandits tracking them? What a surprise.
Douma narrowed his eyes at the visitors who emerged from the greenery pointing their knives at the group threateningly.
"You're all coming with us." The bandit circling Douma and Banri spat. The group noticed the items in the bandits' possession radiating gold. A sign that the bandits' operations were still ongoing. "He wants to have a talk."
Chachamaru gulped, "Who's... he?"
The bandit laughed at how naive the group was. "You'll find out soon enough." He sneered.
Whoever this person is wants to have a talk? Probably their leader. As scary as it may sound, we could always beat up these bandits again, but this just might answer a lot of questions about what's been going on. Douma, Chachamaru, and Banri exchanged glances with each other, it took a while for the feline to get the memo but he got it eventually.
The bandits waited until they got their answer. Glaring at the group of cowards, Douma nodded.
Akagi and the others didn't know what to think of this but perhaps Douma and Banri had a better idea of what to do.
With crooked smiles, the bandits led the group deeper into the forest. The troops glanced behind them before disappearing into the denser forested area of the island.