Location:Seven Peaks — Stonecroft Forward Base, Eastern Hills, Verdant Spire
Date/Time:TC1854.01.17-18
The relay crystal pulsed amber at four in the morning, and Taron was already awake.
He'd been reviewing patrol schedules at the forward base in Stonecroft — a converted granary with formation-enhanced walls and a map table that Marcus had rigged to display real-time patrol positions. Three rotating strike teams, twelve disciples each, running six-hour shifts along the eastern perimeter. Two weeks of daily patrols since the first organized hunt, and they'd killed nineteen Skulkers without losing anyone.
That streak ended with the amber pulse.
"Commander." The relay operator's voice was tight. "Team Two reports contact near Thornfield. Four Skulkers, moving in formation. Westbound."
"Formation," Taron repeated. He set down his tea. "Describe it."
"Diamond pattern, sir. Twenty-meter spacing. Deliberate."
