Deep in the half-demon camp, Bastardos irritably scratched at the scattered scales on his body with his fingernails.
These dull, unevenly distributed scales were evidence of his mixed ancestry, offering only negligible defense—a fairly common occurrence among half-demons.
For several consecutive days, the scouts sent to the Demon Tribe had disappeared without a trace, turning his initial excitement into worry.
Just then, a tribesman stumbled into his tent made of animal hides, bringing new, grim news:
"Chief, several tribesmen went missing by the Gong River. They were likely attacked while fetching water; the warriors only found bloodstains but no bodies. The signs are few, not like the nearby Demons."
Gong River, the seasonal river south of the tribe, is it possible they were attacked there?
Bastardos's nerves instantly tightened; he thought first of the Demon Race—could it be their infiltration unit?
However, he quickly dismissed this assumption himself.
