Hunt Race

Kael returned to the chamber and found the three Hunters gathered near the wall. The pale Hunter was still conscious, though his face remained drained of color, while the other two had barely moved since Kael freed them. Kael crouched beside the pale Hunter and examined the bandages he had tied earlier, making sure none of the wounds had started bleeding again before looking him directly in the eyes.

“What happened here?”

The Hunter took a slow breath before answering.

“We were investigating the abandoned camp.”

Kael glanced around the ruined chamber.

“For what?”

The Hunter hesitated.

“There had been disappearances around this area. We were sent to find out what was happening.”

Kael's gaze moved toward the blood covering the floor.

“And you found that creature.”

The Hunter nodded weakly.

“We didn't know what it was at first. It attacked before we could send anything back.”

Kael remained quiet for a moment.

Then he asked, “What was it doing to you?”

The Hunter's expression tightened.

“I don't know.”

Kael frowned slightly.

The Hunter looked toward the other two before continuing.

“I was blindfolded and thrown into a corner. I couldn't see what was happening.”

Kael's eyes narrowed.

“You never saw it take them?”

“I heard it.”

The Hunter swallowed.

“Whenever it came for one of us, I could hear the chains moving. Then it would take them away.”

“And when they returned?”

The Hunter shook his head.

“They didn't.”

Kael's gaze shifted toward the two unconscious Hunters.

“How long were they gone?”

“I don't know.”

The Hunter closed his eyes briefly.

“I lost track of time.”

Kael studied him.

“Do you have any idea what the creature was doing?”

The Hunter was silent for several seconds.

“No.”

He lowered his head.

“But it had something to do with blood.”

Kael's expression remained calm.

“How do you know?”

“I don't.”

The answer came quietly.

The Hunter looked down at the bloodstained clothes covering his body.

“That's just what I felt.”

Kael waited.

The Hunter continued.

“Whenever it came close, there was always the smell of blood. And sometimes...”

He stopped.

“What?”

The Hunter's breathing became uneven.

“I could feel something being pulled from me.”

Kael's eyes sharpened slightly.

“Blood?”

“I don't know.”

The Hunter shook his head.

“I couldn't see anything. I was blindfolded the entire time.”

Kael didn't press him further.

The Hunter had already given him everything he knew.

“That's all I know.”

Kael nodded.

“Alright.”

He stood and looked toward the other two Hunters.

“We're going back to the guild.”

The pale Hunter looked up at him.

“Now?”

“Yes.”

Kael walked over to one of the unconscious Hunters and carefully lifted him onto his back. The man's body was limp, but his breathing remained steady. Kael then returned for the second Hunter, supporting him against his shoulder before helping the pale Hunter stand.

The pale Hunter immediately staggered.

Kael caught him.

“Easy.”

“I can walk.”

“I know.”

Kael adjusted his grip.

“But you're still going to fall.”

The Hunter gave him a tired look but didn't argue.

They slowly made their way out of the chamber.

Kael glanced back once before leaving.

The ruined room was almost unrecognizable now. Blood covered the stone where the Blood Drinker had fought him, and the damaged restraints hung uselessly from the walls.

The beast was gone.

But the traces of what it had been doing remained everywhere.

Kael turned away.

They crossed the abandoned camp at a slow pace, moving past the broken structures and the deep marks left in the ground during the battle. Kael kept his mana sensing active as they went, carefully scanning the surrounding forest.

Nothing approached.

The Blood Drinker was already too far away.

Kael could still feel the faint presence left by Prey Mark, but he had no intention of following it while carrying three injured Hunters.

The pale Hunter noticed his attention shifting toward the forest.

“You can still sense it?”

Kael looked at him.

“For now.”

“Are you going after it?”

“Not yet.”

The Hunter was silent.

Kael continued walking.

“It needs time to recover.”

He paused.

“So do you.”

The Hunter lowered his head.

Neither spoke again for a while.

Eventually, the trees began thinning, and the familiar path leading toward the guild came into view. Kael slowed slightly as he felt the three Hunters growing heavier against him.

His own body was reaching its limit.

The pain from the Blood Bullet attack had never completely disappeared, and although his wounds were healing, every step reminded him that he had barely survived the battle.

Still, he kept moving.

The guild gates eventually appeared through the trees.

The guards noticed them almost immediately.

One of them froze.

“Wait.”

The other guard turned.

His expression changed when he saw the three injured Hunters.

“Those are the missing Hunters!”

The gate opened quickly.

Several guild members rushed toward them.

“What happened?”

“Get the healers!”

“They're alive!”

Kael lowered the Hunter from his back carefully as the healers hurried forward and took over.

The pale Hunter was the last to be taken from him.

Before the healers carried him inside, he looked back at Kael.

“Thank you.”

Kael gave him a small nod.

Then the Hunter disappeared through the guild entrance.

Kael remained outside for a moment.

His gaze drifted toward the forest behind him.

Somewhere beyond those trees, the Blood Drinker was still alive.

And somewhere beneath Kael's skin, the black crescent remained connected to its blood.

The hunt had not ended.

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