CHAPTER V
No time to explain rocky, just keep running!

"SHIT!" Merrel screamed as the party jumped now the crevice and scatted as Trunk followed shortly behind.

His feet left craters where he landed, "What… going on… guys? Dragon dead… right?" He asked as he bounded behind them.

"Wrong, dragon not dead! Dragon gonna be pissed really soon too!" Gharzia yelled as she darted down the passage.

"Not dead? Why not dead?"

"He’s regenerating! Huff… huff… It’s a magic thing!" Akiyo said barely keeping in pace.

"And Trunk not dead too?"

"Ummm… huff… huff…that’s a huff… tricky question. Probably a bit too huff… tricky to explain too!"

"Okay, why boss lady have big… gerr… chests?"

"That’s a long story!" Gharzia said, "And I tell you, these thing weren’t meant for running!" She added, holding them in place with her arms as she darted around a turn.

"Okay, why then Gern so old?"

"That story’s a bit much for your attention span!" Gerren said slyly, "Besides I doubt you could grasp the concepts of time/space warping…"

"True, Trunk not like fizz-iks… or con-septs…*" The troll mumbled, trying to get the words right, "Okay, so why Trunk hard?" He asked innocently.

The group laughed collectively as they ran for their lives, the joke, passing over Trunk’s head as they moved.

"Heh heh heh… Ummm… huff…huff… It’s also a bit tricky… huff… huff… more odd… huff huff… magical consepts!"

"Okay…" Trunk said, Trunk hate inside joke….

"So how bad is a dragon with brain damage gonna be Akiyo?" Gharzia asked swatting aside a group of bats.

"I… I don’t know," The monk stammered as he dogged the oncoming bats. "My guess is that he’s not gonna be very happy or sane!"

"Any chance he might follow us out? There’s not a lot of cover between here and the city! We’d be sitting halflings if he can fly!"

"It's possible!" Akiyo shrugged.

"BUGGER!" Gharzia said and then slide to a stop. Reaching out to a stalagmite for some extra breaking power. "Hold up people!"

Everyone froze in their tracks except for Trunk, who froze, but still had momentum… and a wall in his path…

"Ou….Trunk mummbled with a mouthful of dirt.

"What's up?" Gerren asked.

"I think I hear something up ahead." Gharzia said, cocking an ear. "Someone's at the mouth of the cave!"

"I'll check it out," Gerren said as he crept up to Gharzia, "Any instructions? I've got poisons!" He said with a smile.

"No! Just tell us what's going on, and hurry. Old smoky might be up soon!"

Fenwick’s Notes: Trolls are large, incredibly strong, hairless, and generally have a rock-like coloring. Which has made many believe them to be a race rock people. However, trolls are simply a mountain dwelling offshoot species of orcs, like goblins or hobgoblins. They have merely adapted to their environment. It is also commonly believed that they share the intelligence of rocks, which is also untrue. They, like the other races run the gambit of strengths and weaknesses… Trunk however is dumb as a post, and now that he’s animate stone, he’s really not going to help the stereotype much… But it makes for an interesting story character. However if I get any negative feedback I can always switch him with an annoying halfling! So don't push me!