Batori thought today was his lucky day, because their five-person hunting team had gathered enough food in only half the time it usually took.
But he did not turn back immediately. Instead, he arranged for two members to take the food back, then continued cautiously patrolling around the defensive perimeter to see whether they could hunt more prey.
After all, over the past two or three hundred years, Moon City had grown increasingly short-handed. Even those with deformities, who were prone to losing control and mutating, had been forced to become Beyonders and join the hunting teams.
At a time like this, every extra stretch they patrolled and every extra bit of food they hunted was crucial.
As for the risk of sacrifice... even if Batori did not do it today, another hunting team would have to take his place. In Moon City, apart from the few Sequence 4 priests, no one was indispensable.
And he believed he would surely make Adal proud.
"Batori, up ahead... wasn't there supposed to be a small hill?"
Among the three who remained, a one-eyed woman carrying an animal-hide lantern turned her head and asked uncertainly.
Following the lantern light, Batori looked toward the spot where a hill should have stood. Now, all that remained was a bottomless pit.
"Let's go, Fey." He made the decision without hesitation.
At his words, the woman named Fey stopped immediately, and the three swiftly and silently left the area.
An anomaly of this magnitude was already beyond a hunting team's ability to handle. Only their captain, Batori, could join the investigation team.
They needed to return to Moon City and report this to High Priest Nim, who would then personally assemble an investigation team.
Just as he had now.
Lin Chuan looked at the wary people before