Kim stared at Ngamia, the most muscular, battle-hardened bull he had ever seen. The beast exhaled like a broken steam engine, its horns curved like twin machetes sharpened for war.
"Ride the bull," the Maasai elder repeated, grinning. "Then we will help you."
Kim turned to his team. "Uh… alternatives?"
Amina crossed her arms. "We could fight them."
Kim glanced at the towering warriors, their spears catching the sunlight in a very intimidating way. "Next idea."
Major Otis, finally regaining consciousness after his self-inflicted knockout, grinned. "Simple. Bulls sense fear. Just be fearless!"
Ngamia snorted, stomped the ground, and shattered a rock.
Kim's confidence immediately left his body.
"You’ll be fine!" Chege assured him. "It’s just like riding a bicycle."
Kim turned slowly. "Chege… have you ever been attacked by a bicycle?"
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"Once," Chege admitted, "but that's not the point."
Before Kim could escape, two warriors grabbed him, hoisted him up, and dumped him onto Ngamia's back.
A beat of silence.
Then someone slapped the bull’s rear.
Ngamia EXPLODED into motion.
---
Kim had never flown before. But as Ngamia launched forward, he was certain he had left the Earth's gravitational pull.
The bull charged through the auction, smashing wooden stalls, sending terrified goats scattering, and flipping an entire boda boda that had been parked too close.
Kim held on for dear life, flailing like a puppet in a hurricane.
"STOP THIS THING!" he screamed.
Amina and Major Otis ran after them, dodging flying crates and freshly butchered meat.
"This is actually impressive!" Amina called out.
"In what world?!" Kim yelled back.
A nearby herder laughed. "Your friend has great balance!"
They turned. Kim was upside down, hanging by one foot, barely attached to the bull.
"Balance?!" Amina gestured wildly. "HE'S DYING!"
Meanwhile, Chege was too busy taking notes.
"Fascinating!" he muttered. "Maybe we can train bulls for public transport!"
"CHEGE, FOCUS!"
---
Ngamia tore through the marketplace, reaching the final obstacle: a deep, muddy trench.
Kim saw his only chance.
With every ounce of remaining energy, he pushed off Ngamia’s back, flipping through the air like an Olympic gymnast.
SPLASH.
Kim landed face-first in the mud.
The bull stopped immediately, looking down at him as if to say, "Pathetic."
Silence.
Then the Maasai elder roared with laughter.
"That was the worst ride I’ve ever seen!" he declared, clapping. "You are absolutely insane. I respect that."
Kim, still drowning in mud, lifted one finger. "So… you’ll help us?"
The elder grinned. "Of course."
---
Minutes later, the team stood on the road again, now armed with inside knowledge of the best routes, hidden paths, and potential rival traps.
But as they turned to leave, the elder grabbed Kim’s shoulder.
"One more thing," he said, lowering his voice.
Kim swallowed. "Uh… yes?"
The elder’s smile faded. "There are… others in this race. People who are not here for the prize. Be careful."
Kim frowned. "Who are they?"
The elder looked towards the horizon.
"You will find out soon enough."
Kim exhaled. Fantastic.
As if this race wasn’t already insane.