Karzak Skytalon's Arc

Chapter 3 of 10

Karzak climbed down from the spire at first light. The lowland settlements would be his next destination—places where he could gather supplies and establish contact with locals who might spot the warlord's movements. He needed allies in this hunt, eyes watching the roads when he couldn't be everywhere at once. By midday, he spotted the Ekek Mercenary Lodge rising from a hillside clearing. The structure stood apart from human settlements—built from brownish burgundy stone with a wide platform jutting from its entrance. The platform let his kind land without folding their wings through narrow doorways. Karzak circled once, then dropped onto the stone surface. His talons clicked against the rock as he folded his wings and entered. Inside, the lodge buzzed with activity. Scouts traded information over drinks. Hired blades sharpened weapons and studied contract boards. The air smelled of smoke and leather. Karzak moved through the crowd, listening to fragments of conversation—border skirmishes, missing supply wagons, strange movements in the northern passes. These soldiers and scouts knew the land. They saw things others missed. He approached the main board and pulled a rolled parchment from his pack. The wanted poster showed the troll warlord's face—thick tusks, scarred gray skin, eyes like chips of ice. Bold text offered payment for information leading to his capture. Karzak pinned it to the board where everyone would see it. A few mercenaries stopped to study the poster. One traced the scar across the troll's jaw with a claw. Another nodded slowly, recognition in his eyes. Word would spread from here. Scouts would remember that face when they traveled the trade routes. If the warlord showed himself anywhere in the lowlands, someone in this lodge would know. Karzak stepped back from the board and surveyed the room. This was how the hunt would grow—not through his eyes alone, but through a network of watchers spread across Valgyr. Commander Thrace had taught him that wars weren't won by single warriors. They were won by those who built the right connections. Karzak turned and walked back to the landing platform. The hunt had just gotten bigger.