"Where is the nearest hunting ground?!" Moon turned toward Frey immediately, the urgency in his tone unmasked.

"U-uh, it’s about an hour away from here. Skyward Valley." Frey pointed east. "That’s where the closest team would usually hunt."

Moon’s face contorted. An hour there, plus however long it took to find them, subdue them, and cleanse them.

The time frame was not sufficient. By then, Joseph would have recalled everyone to the base.

’We won’t make it at this rate.’

He was silent for a moment, running through the options. Then he made his decision.

"We’re heading to the base. We’ll catch the other teams on their way back." Moon said. "Joseph will likely send out a recall notice soon. The remaining teams will return before deciding their next move. We intercept them before they get inside."

The tank nodded. "You’re right. Once they hear something is wrong, their first instinct will be to regroup at the base. That’s what everybody is told when spirits are out hunting.

By waiting for them near the base, they’ll be coming to us."

"Then we move now. The closer we are to the base when they start coming back, the more of them we catch."

The group fell into formation without needing to be told. The original six took their positions around Moon. The four newly freed Evolvers, still shaking off the fog of their cleansing, fell in behind them.

Moon walked at the center of the group, his mind already mapping out his next approach. The base had a single entrance through the narrow passage. If Joseph recalled everyone inside and sealed it, breaching would be very difficult.

"Pick up the pace." Moon said.

The group moved faster.

They covered ground quickly. The ten Evolvers moved in a tight formation across the open terrain, weapons drawn, eyes scanning every direction.

The wind howled around them as usual, but nobody complained. The urgency in Moon’s pace had spread to the rest of the group like a current.

Frey walked at the center, surrounded on all sides. He wasn’t going anywhere.

Twenty minutes into the march, the archer at the rear called out.

"Movement. Behind us. Two people."

Moon didn’t stop walking to check. "How far?"

"Three hundred meters. They’re heading in the same direction we are. Toward the base."

"Have they noticed us yet?"

"No."

Moon considered it for half a second. "Tank, brute, archer. Peel off and join them. Act like you are also returning, and subdue them — same approach as before. They don’t know about the identities of those with me, so you should be fine.

Don’t make it obvious."

The three broke away from the formation without a word and looped back, using the rocky terrain as cover.

Moon kept the rest of the group moving at a slower pace.

Five minutes later, a brief commotion sounded behind them.

The three rejoined the formation eight minutes later, with two unconscious Evolvers with them.

Moon stopped long enough to administer the potion and cast Cleanse. The first one took three attempts. The second took five. Both shields appeared, and both Evolvers came back to themselves with the same horrified realization that hit everyone before them.

Twelve Evolvers were now working for Moon.

Five minutes later, a buzzing sound broke the silence of the march. One of the newly freed Evolvers reached for his belt, pulling out a communication device that was vibrating in his hand.

He looked at Moon, waiting.

"Answer it." Moon said calmly. "They’re likely conducting a routine check to see if everything is proceeding as planned. Answer their questions how you would normally."

The man nodded, took a deep breath, and pressed the button.

"Yeah?"

A voice on the other end spoke. Short, clipped questions.

The Evolver responded the same he would answer these calls. Once the quick check up was done, the line went dead.

The Evolver looked at Moon and gave a single nod. "They bought it."

Moon said nothing, but his eyes narrowed slightly. Routine checks meant Joseph was gathering information. Mapping out who was still loyal and who had gone silent. Every team that failed to respond was another red flag.

They needed to move faster.

"Let’s go." Moon said.

Moon’s team arrived at the location and spread out.

It sat roughly a kilometer from the base entrance, along the main path that every returning team would have to pass through.

Big trees with thick trunks, and thin crowns were scattered across the area, their trunks thick enough to hide behind but too sparse to form any real forest.

The gaps between them left open sightlines in every direction.

It wasn’t perfect cover. But it was enough for Moon and his team.

Moon positioned his people behind the trees and boulders flanking the path. The tank and brute took the far side.

The mages settled behind adjacent trunks. The rest filled the gaps, forming a loose net that anything walking down the path would stumble into.

Then they waited.

Silent. Still. Like a mantis stalking the cicada.

Minutes passed. The wind continued to roar around them, carrying dust, and fallen leaves.

Then the archer gave a low whistle from his branch.

Two teams appeared on the horizon, heading toward the base along the expected route. Both were smaller than the groups Moon had encountered before.

Four Evolvers each, reaching a total of eight. They walked in tight formation, weapons sheathed, ready for battle, against anyone that might intercept their path.

Moon raised his hand from behind his tree. Every eye in his team was on him, waiting for the signal.

He held.

"Let them get closer. Let them walk deeper into the net."

The two teams drew closer. Fifty meters. Forty. Thirty.

Moon could hear their voices now. They were having a casual conversation about the hunt, even joking about who would kill more beasts next time.

Whether they weren’t afraid of being ambushed, or simply lighting up the mood remained unknown.

They had no idea what awaited them just twenty meters ahead.

Moon dropped his hand...and the the net closed.