Beast Riders

To survive, most of those living on The Surface layers, the tribes living there have to hunt the giant Beasts from Above for their meat and parts to survive. And while most of the tribes tend to do it by shooting down the flying Beasts and baiting them while other members shoot it more, groups of more advanced hunters started to show up.
Instead of relying on their aim to shoot down the Beasts while they are still in the air, the Beast riders, as they are called, ambush the giant insects by suspending themselves from the ceiling (or bottom of the higher layer) in the place they will burrow through, and attack them after jumping down on their bodies.

Two styles of hunting

As of yet, there are two types of Beast riders, each hunting the Beasts in different ways.

Lancers

Lancers work best in groups of 5 to 7. As their name suggests, they are equipped with multiple long, hollow lances. After landing on the Beast, they run to the joints connecting the segments of their bodies and pierce them completely through causing the Beast bleed out. Thanks to the lances being hollow and having holes drilled in their sides, they can be left inside giant insects' bodies to further impair their movement, while making them bleed out more instead of plugging the wound.

Choppers

Compared to lancers, the choppers hunt in an even riskier way. After landing on the Beast, they run up to their head and start to chop it off at the connection with the first segment of their body. This, however, gives them more time should a Beast try to coil back on itself. Choppers work in groups of 3, although some talk of solo hunters capable of taking the Beasts by themselves.

Sunlight

Once the Beast bursts through the ceiling, the biggest danger is not their jaws but the deadly sunlight pouring through the newly created hole. To survive it, the clothes Beast riders wear are covered with highly condensed protective oils. The downside is, at this concentration those oils become more flammable (but not to sunlight), so while attacking the carapaces of the Beasts, the hunters need to watch out to only hit the soft joints as not to create any sparks.

Why hunt this way?

While it may seem more reckless than the standard way of hunting the Beasts, the smaller, better-equipped groups of Beast riders are more cost-efficient. While the bigger groups of hunters have bigger chances of succeeding in their hunt, they require more food and water. Additionally, sending the bigger number of people weakens the tribe more for the time of their absence, and should the hunt fail, it would be a bigger hit to the numbers of the tribe.

Equipment:

• Main weapon - either lances or axes
• Climbing gear
• Spearguns modified to serve as grappling hooks
• Rope and hooks
• Walkie-talkies or other communication devices
• Highly condensed protective oils

Hierarchy:
During hunts, there is usually at least one senior, but everyone's role is equal to their colleagues. In times of war, the senior takes the lead.
Training:
It takes at least 5 years to train an experienced hunter to become a Beast rider. The experience with mountain climbing helps a lot.

Organizing the hunt

Beast riders wouldn't be very effective if they didn't know the exact location the Beasts will burrow through. Because of that they often keep in touch both with the Stargazers and tribes living on the upper layers. Thanks to their help they can accurately predict the next location where their prey will show up.

War time

Should a war between two tribes start, the Beast riders take part in it just like other combat-ready members of the tribe. In that situation, they serve by ambushing the enemies and the use of hit-and-run tactics. Even when their enemy is smaller than their usual prey, they are still an elite unit, both trained and experienced.