Made in Abyss Chapter 002

Tree House Excavation Group (樹住まいの化石群, Ki-sumai-no-kaseki-gun) is the second chapter of the Made in Abyss manga series.

Synopsis
It was Riko's first solo excavation where each Red Whistle was assigned to a different area, though she traveled with Nat, their areas being next to each other. Riko was lost in thought about the destination of the gondola system transporting Delvers deep into the Abyss, until Nat interrupted her, wondering about the unusual quietness of the area in that morning. Riko was angered, thinking that Nat meant she was annoying, but Nat clarified that the area lacked the usual presence of Hammerbeaks. Riko noticed as well, though Nat saw this as an opportunity to salvage Hammerbeak nests, which contain many trinkets.

At the altitude of about 100 - 220 meters, Riko excitedly discovered a trove of trinkets. She then begun collecting the trinkets when, underneath a stone slab, a Praying Skeleton was revealed, slightly surprising her. She gave the body a prayer before continuing. After an amount of time, Riko's bag was then bloated with trinkets inside. The bag being very heavy, she called out to Nat to ask him to carry it, though he did not respond. She then heard a strange noise, and moved to check it out. What Riko found froze her: a Scarlet Maw, usually found only in the 3rd layer, attracted to an unconscious Nat lying on a cliff nearby. Riko blew her Whistle, signaling for help, but the close distance allow the Maw to notice her. With a whip of its tail, the creature sent her flying. Riko fell and hit the ground hard. In a lot of pain and thinking her arm had broken, Riko managed to sit up and wondered whether Nat was safe. The Scarlet Maw however, wasted no time and swooped down trying to attack her again.

As Riko braced herself, a bright flash of light overwhelmed her, and when she opened her eyes, the Maw was badly wounded; a large hole burned into its body. The creature then plummeted down a cliff. As Riko was still shocked from the events, Nat called her, having awakened, and asked if she was okay. Riko told Nat to head back first while she rested, but in fact she was trying to find the source of the light earlier. As she was searching, Riko found a strange, glimmering necklace in the grass, which she put on.

After a while, Riko stumble upon a mysterious sight: a strange child lying face-down in the grass. As Riko checked the boy's condition, she made a shocking discovery: that the boy isn't actually human, but a robotic life-form. As Riko looked beyond the cliff where she found the child, into the Abyss, she asked him: "Where are you from?"

Character Appearances
The following characters that appeared in this chapter (by order of appearance)
 * Nat
 * Reg
 * Riko

Adapted to:
This chapter was adapted into the first episode of the Made in Abyss anime series, with some changes to several details of the manga.

Continuity:

 * This is Reg's first appearance in the manga.
 * The delving trip that Riko and Nat are on in this chapter is their first one under the rule of delving alone in pre-assigned areas, which was introduce by the Belchero Orphanage to Red Whistles in the previous chapter.
 * This is the first appearance of a Praying Skeleton and a Scarlet Maw in the manga.

Bestiary Indexing

 * Hammerbeak (Mentioned)
 * Scarlet Maw

Quotes
"Riko when she saw the crimson split-jaw"

- A crimson split-jaw! What's it doing up this far in the Abyss? Nat... Oh no! Is that blood...?! It's going to eat him...!

"Riko when she found Reg"

- Hmm? But still... Where did he come from?