Peculiar Companions of Whispering Mountains        

Azazel and the others weren't alone. They had three strange companions with them, each one odder than the last.

First, there was a lumbering crabfolk with claws the size of a man's head, it looked more than capable of crushing skulls with ease.

Next to the crabfolk was a tiny potato, of all things, walking and talking as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Its curious presence elicited bewildered stares from Ren and Evie.

And then there was the third companion, an amorphous automaton that resembled nothing more than a rock come to life. Its form shifted and morphed, taking on various shapes as it moved, its sentience evident in the way it observed its surroundings.

"What . . . what are they?" Evie asked, her voice barely above a whisper, her eyes wide with curiosity.

Standing before them were three beings unlike anything they had ever encountered before.