Akagi and Kurai walked down the trail leading to the Aztec temple hidden in the trees.
"What do you think happened to Bunta and the others?" Kurai asked Akagi who tried calling them with the tracker but from the static it was giving off, the signal didn't reach them.
"Not a clue but we haven't got much time," Fumbling his pocket to see if there were any wires and cables he could use to stabilize the connection, Akagi sighed in disappointment when he found a wire that was not compatible with any of their devices.
Activating the tracker again, both Akagi and Kurai were once again met with static. There wasn't any evidence to suggest Bunta, Ime, and the other troops had perished during the mission, but finding them in such harsh conditions was going to be a challenge. Especially with how short-handed they were now.
"We got rid of the bandits so what now? Douma and Chachamaru have gone into the temple but are we certain they'll find something in there? It's been a while." Kurai said looking at the sky that was getting darker. They only had three hours before the sun sets.
Akagi adjusted his gloves and looked to the right. "The troops back at the encampments are surveying the area, they'll catch up to us eventually," The silver-haired man said, removing his shades and putting them in his pocket. "As for those two, let's just hope the team gets something out of it."
That was the response Kurai couldn't bear to hear given the situation. "Maybe we should look for them Akagi, going separate ways has proven to lead to such serious consequences."
Suddenly the two of them heard some rustling in the bushes followed by footsteps running into the deeper parts of the forest surrounding them. The static emitted by the device in Akagi's palm grew louder with screeching in the background.
"What was that..." Kurai said, a wave of fear slowly began consuming his mental state when he realized they were not alone and that someone or something was out there. Watching them.
Just when Akagi was about to tell Kurai to hurry down the trail, they heard a voice from the tracker the silver-haired man was holding.
At the first they thought it was Bunta, but the high-pitched voice proved otherwise. One that they didn't recognize nor heard from any of their comrades before. This person somehow got a hold of the tracker's connection.
But there was no way this person could have hijacked the tracker unless they had another in their possession. Akagi stared at the device wondering who this person was but he couldn't think of anyone because he didn't recognize their voice. Besides that, this person sounded incoherent, almost like he was saying random sentences, none of which made any sense.
Akagi's hands grew cold, this person wasn't calling them to inform them about anything important. It was out of the blue and certainly not a coincidence since someone was hiding in those bushes the same time this happened.
Kurai saw Akagi's face turn pale, and he knew they came to the same conclusion. The man dared not look at the spot where they heard those footsteps. They were clearly not alone.
Meanwhile, that someone was now running through the trees towards a brighter clearing ahead. A dark-green amphibious creature with scales and a beak. It had patch of hair on its head and webbed feet that allowed it to glide through the smoother surfaces of the forest floor.
"Guys there are humans on this island!" The creature said to two other yokai who were standing in the clearing when he reached it.
The pale lady and petite boy beside her exchanged glances with each other. They found it remarkable that the kappa uncovered something out there. The island has been awfully quiet.
It has always been like that. "The statue at that attraction is broken now. Which means..." Yurei turned to Junbo and Hitotsume who knew exactly what the lady meant.
"Aka Manto and Sukimori are free too," Junbo chimed, clapping happily while Yurei and Hitotsume smiled. "It's been years since we were sealed away by that man!"
"Finally, freedom is ours!" Hitotsume approached the direction that Junbo came from, holding his lantern and thinking of something.
Junbo saw the petite orange monster in his yellow checkered kimono approach him, he couldn't wait to answer any questions Hitotsume had about the humans. It was clear he was going to bring up about that now. Who wouldn't be excited to hear about the good news.
"Hmmm say Junbo is there anything you know about these humans?" Hitotsume asked in his creaky voice.
The kappa looked at the sky, thinking about the answer to Hitotsume's question. They weren't ordinary visitors, those men were on a mission of some sort. He remembered the equipment they were carrying and the conversation they had.
"I think they're looking for something on this island. These people, have a task to complete here and it seems things aren't going well for them. Some of their comrades are lost, they're all separated from each other."
Yurei and Hitotsume nodded, "Perfect timing then." The pale lady in the white kimono said with a glint of mischief in her eyes that Junbo and Hitotsume resonated with. They too couldn't wait to pounce on these visitors.
"So what's the plan guys?" Junbo asked the two yokai who were wondering the same exact thing.
"It's getting dark don't you think?" Yurei said in a demeaning voice that sounded like a serpent's cry of warning. "The crew have nothing to defend themselves, let alone rely on each other now that they're separated."
Hitotsume rubbed his hands together in glee after hearing Yurei's idea. It was a brilliant. "What are we waiting for? Our playmates need some company right now."
"Then let's find the troops who are stranded all by themselves. I can sense their struggles right now, it's pressurizing to be lost in this forest." Junbo sneered.
"What are we waiting for? Let's get moving." Hitotsume said while the other two yokai agreed as they strode into the forest.
Back on the narrow trail, Akagi and Kurai were discussing about their departure once they get the meteorite. Since Bunta, Ime, and the others were nowhere to be found, Akagi wondered if they should still look for them. It wasn't going to be easy.
Would Mr Fumio give them the greenlight to find their lost teammates if he knew what happened? If the man was in their position what would he do?
"Do you think that was Mr Fumio trying to contact us? Maybe his microphone isn't working properly..." It just so happens that Kurai was sharing the same sentiment. Perhaps it was true, maybe that was Mr Fumio.
Or at least that's what Akagi wanted to believe if it weren't for that one sentence spoken by the person at the other side who told him to look in the direction of the bushes they were hiding in.
He didn't oblige to it, but he's sure that's what he heard. Thinking about it was giving Akagi goosebumps again.
"It's best if we don't stay here for too long. We gotta keep going." Picking up the equipment Akagi moved off leaving Kurai's question unanswered. The man shrugged and caught up with Akagi who remained silent.