soul forged

Chapter 4

"Hey there little buddy, you know I've been rotting away in a dungeon for who knows how many centuries. My flesh is all rotten and nasty you don't want to eat me." Rand's head lays on the small sandy embankment of the lake deep in the toadstool forest. A pearly white crab snapping its claws at him as he tries to reason with it.

An injured, malnourished, dehydrated, and mentally exhausted Pharuan lost him when running from soldiers he dived into the lake only to find it was home to some much smaller fresh water version of a kraken. A puppy in comparison to the enormous deadly monsters that call the depths of the ocean home. However in his current state it was still a bit much for him and tossed him around like a rag doll in its tentacles. Throwing him out of the lake and crashing into a tree.

Add a few cracked ribs to the list of injuries, but no time to rest. He hears the soldiers growing closer so from mental discipline alone Pharuan pushes himself to his feet and begins to hobble run off once more. Rand had came loose from his belt while he was flung through the water and that is how he now finds himself alone once more, in the sand trying to figure out how not to become dinner to this crab.

Growling, barking even making screeching "bird" noises to try and frighten the crab away. Yet with little more to move than his tongue the crab scuttles to the open wound that was his neck and claws begin to snip away flesh and it tunnels its way in. Rand's face scrunches up in pain but in a few short moments turn to more of a mild irritation and tickle. His head is lifted out of the sand and he finds he has limbs once more. Nothing remotely close to human ones in shape or size, instead from his neck the legs and claws of the crab scuttle about. He can feel them, concentrating on them more and more he finds he can control the movements. A smile lightens up his face as he realizes what this means. "I can move. I can dance!"

He takes a few moments to boogie in the sand, mostly to better gain an understanding of his new capabilities but also because he can. Rand now takes off through the forest to try and catch back up with Pharuan. Little ivory crustacean legs quickly scuttle through the forest, climbing over downed trees and traversing rocks and roots protruding from the ground.

Rand was unable to find Pharuan but he did hear the raging battle in the distance. Deciding to check the fight out he makes his way towards the growing commotion. Hearing the beautiful melody cutting through the air Rand uses his new limbs to make his way up a tree for a better vantage. Definitely crab legs not spider but with a little help from the large pincers he climbs and claws himself up into the heights of the tree.

Rand snaps his claws, breaking branches of a shrub as he pushes his way through and into the field of bodies, and scorched earth. He makes his way towards the odd grouping in the middle conversing amongst themselves. A orc, a drow, a minotaur, a goblin, a spider chick, and a dinosaur all walk into a bar, Rand thinks to himself as some start to a bad joke. "Ah excuse me but seeing as you just got done fighting these gents I think we are on the same side here."

The group all take defensive stances, gripping weapons as they search for the source of this voice. When the scuttling head is spotted making its way towards them Elazor walks over picking him up with one hand like a basketball. "What in the world are you?"

"Beg your pardon but I am a man. I might be missing a few appendages but I assure you my feelings remain intact. Now my name is Rand and I seem to have lost my companion in these woods. You haven't seen a tiefling stumbling about have you?"

Elazor along with the rest of the group that have all made their way over peek up at the mention of a tiefling. Elazor raises the head to stare him down. "What is this tieflings name?"

Rand pauses for a moment wondering if he should share his name. They were fighting the soldiers but they could still be dangerous to them. Figuring he already kinda put himself into their hands, literally with this orc, he tells them the name. "Pharuan, he was pretty beat up I'd really like to find him before he gets himself into more trouble."

Rand spends some time telling them all he knows, how you met Pharuan, about the magical feather that saved them, the escape and shut down of the portal. As they begin to set out to search for Pharuan, Rand sees the body of the genie laying on the ground, hole through his chest. What draws his eyes is that grotesque unicorn tattoo on his forearm.

Flashing before his eyes he sees the same tattoo on the forearm of the bastard who brought the ax down on his neck. Who are these people? Can not be a coincidence that they both belong to whatever group this is.

A pair of strong looking minotaurs and a single drider escort Zarras back to the hide out, her body still weakened from the poison the magic she cast from that violin has left her in even worse shape. Bearly able to walk they carry her, The flesh that has always been a dark gray looks even more drained of color. Her hand wrapped in a thick bandage that still shows signs of the blood seeping through.

Elazor hates to leave her alone in that state but sharing a look of concern with Itsy-bitsy she feels in her heart those 3 guardians will see her safely back to base. She is now solely responsible for finding Pharuan and making sure he is safe. Part of her even excites at the idea, for it is her sister that always shines when it comes with solving problems. No one would ever call her dumb, mostly from fear of the muscle bound woman tearing them apart but also a simple conversation is enough to know she is not a dumb brute like so many of orcs and half orcs tend to be. However when company includes Zarras and Pharuan she would only ever consider her intellectual standing to be average. So now is her opportunity to not only save him but impress him, maybe even get some of that oh so precious 1on1 time with him.

"You who!" Rand's voice cuts through her daydream as she snaps back into the now. The crab head still dangling in her hand, Itsy-bitsy and the rest of the soldiers all waiting for her. The only ones who are not standing there waiting for her to come out of her mental wondering is the goblin and his Dino companion who are off to the side playing tug of war with someone's severed leg, Cus what in the abyss else would that crazed pair do to pass the time.

Elazor places the head on her shoulder where he wedges himself in comfortably alongside the lion head of her cloak. "Alright let's spread out search for signs of Pharuan, sounds like he is in rough condition but do not underestimate him. Even in a near death state that man could certainly be the death to anyone of you." Grunts and nods of acknowledgement come from the soldiers and they take off through the woods. The driders and Itsy-bitsy leaping through the trees, wellington and his minotaurs tearing through brash on hooves and the goblin Vrick riding on the back of Rex the Dino as he runs nose low to the ground.