Karzak Skytalon's Arc

Chapter 8 of 10

Karzak returned to his war table with sharper focus. The warlord had outmaneuvered him once, but patterns always repeated if you watched long enough. He pulled out older reports from before the garrison, records that predated the corrupted relay system. Three raids followed the same structure—strike border camps during new moons, vanish into broken terrain, resurface two valleys east within ten days. Karzak's talons traced the route across his map. The warlord thought distance created safety, but it created predictability instead. Commander Thrace had taught him this: when prey runs, it runs to comfort. Karzak marked the next likely position and began calculating travel time. The hunt had stalled, but now he had direction again. This time he would move quietly, verify each step, and let the warlord's own habits lead him to the killing ground. He needed to verify the eastern approach before committing to the route. Karzak sent word to scouts stationed near the broken terrain—watch for supply movements, track any troll activity, and capture scouts alive for questioning. Three days later, a runner returned with news. They had found a troll wrapped tight in burgundy and deep green vines, struggling against the trap. The prisoner was being held at a forward position. Karzak left immediately. This scout would know the warlord's current location, or Karzak would taste enough fear to learn it anyway. The Warlord's Archive sat two valleys south, carved into ancient rock. Karzak had heard rumors of it but never searched for proof until now. If the warlord used the same routes repeatedly, records would exist somewhere. He found the entrance at dusk and set up a wooden table outside with softly glowing lights. The bioluminescent strips gave enough brightness to read without drawing attention from distant ridges. Karzak spread documents across the surface—old battle reports, supply logs, territorial markers. Each page confirmed what he already suspected. The warlord was methodical, almost ritual in his movements. Karzak built a reading stand to hold multiple records side by side. Wooden shelves adjusted to different heights, each lit by strips of pale blue light. He placed raid reports on the top tier, supply routes on the middle, and garrison attack records on the bottom. The pattern became clear when viewed together. The warlord moved east after every major strike, always within the same timeframe, always toward the same region. Karzak's crest feathers lifted as certainty settled in his chest. The next new moon was eight days away. He knew where the warlord would be, and this time he would arrive first. The hunt was back on track.