#acroal

From a small cabin on the beach steps out a tall goblin with blue and purple eyes with a gray nose ring and long ears wearing a green hoodie with brown shorts and blue boots their hair is purple and pink with a hair tie with two bone-like things sticking out of it holding up a green and blue ponytail. 

They breathe in the salty air and step out into the sand looking out onto the water. 

“Fifo!” Yells a voice from the water as they look to see a red mermaid waving to them.

They smile and walk over sitting on the edge of the calm water. “Hey Moonga.” Fifo smiles.

“ How is the water today?”

“ It's a bit colder than usual but fine.” She swims closer to them. 

“Oh, how are the others?”

“Still as lively as always” she smiles as five others pop their heads out of the water.

They then hear flapping and look up to see Dponá and co flying above them.

Shocked Fifo stands up and watches them land near their cabin. Moonga looks at them and back at Fifo “You should go meet with them.” She encourages.

“But they could be bad…” Fifo hesitates backing closer to her as they see the group look around and spot them. “It would be rude not to,” Moonga says. “We’ll be here if they are bad!” Said a yellow mermaid smiling. 

Shyly Fifo slowly goes to the group. 

Dyani waves “Hello we are just stopping to rest for a bit after our flight.” 

“Oh um that’s ok..” They look at them. “ I-I’m Fifo.”

Dyani introduces everyone to them.

Moonga waves at them “ welcome.”

“Woah you are a-“ 

“Mermaid yes”

The blue mermaid speaks up “are you all hungry we were just about to go get ingredients for a seashell stew” 

Fifo perks up “ oo that one is my favorite!”

Aurora stares at the water not really paying attention. 

Dyani notices. 

Slor smiles “ yeah we’re hungry” 

“Well you better help get ingredients” the green mermaid folds her arms.

“Jade most of the ingredients are under water” Moonga corrects 

“So we have seaweed for them”

Jnoque tilts his head “seaweed?”

“It’s a special seaweed that lets you breathe underwater when you eat it.” Fifo explains. 

W-wait we have to go in the water…” Aurora backs up a little. 

“ You don't have to, you can collect some driftwood and mushrooms.”

Aurora quickly nods “I’ll stay too.” Dyani says. 

Moonga gets them the seaweed.

“Anyway I’m Moonga and that’s Amber, Madtenra, Jade, Chakra, and Acoral

“ Nice to meet you all” Dyani smiles. 

Jnoque butts in “ how long does the seaweed last for?” 

Chakra the blue mermaid speaks up “until you come back up to the surface.”

Fifo Jnoque Dponá and Slor eat it and jump in the water. Aurora and Dyani watch them leave as Solaris pops out and looks around conflicted. 

“This used to be Blaze’s town.. and now there’s just the ocean…” he sits with them sad.

Dyani looks at him “ He’s the Blaze stone right?” He just nods “ Scoria Blaze, his physical strength was very impressive, don't know what powers you would get from his stone.” 

Aurora just looks at the waters.

“Can’t swim?” Dyani asks.

“Something like that…” she looks away. 

Dyani decides not to pry and pulls out the map “ maybe they'll find the stone in the water.” 

“We need to collect stuff right?” Aurora says changing the subject. 

“ Oh yeah mushrooms and driftwood.”

“ Lets get looking then”

They get up and start searching while Solaris watches.

They swim for a while.

“ This is soo cool!” Slor squeals swimming around. Jnoque smiles watching her and holding onto Dponá’s wing having trouble keeping up with everyone else.

Moonga tells them what they need to collect stuff like clams and mussels and regular seaweed. Amber, the orange one and Jade race to see who gets the most.

“That looks like enough, we just need one more thing.” 

Jnoque looks at her “ what?”

“It's volcanic salt, it's really good for seasoning” Fifo smiles “ It’s found really deep tho.”

“This way.”

They follow the mermaids deep down to some very old ruins.

Jnoque looks around “ woah..” 

“This used to be a town we think. The salt should be around here,” Amber explains. 

Jn and Dponá explore a bit on their own 

Ignis pops out and looks around stunned 

“N-No this.. can’t be Blaze’s town..”

Jn perks up at that “ do you think there could be a piece here.?”  “ Wasn’t Zomkì the one to hide all the pieces so maybe she brought him to his hometown?” Dponá points out. 

“Maybe we could find where his house used to be?” Ignis ponders. 

They swim around for a bit exploring the empty underwater ruins till they come across what is left of a structure in the back where they see the others there.

“There you guys are!” Slor waves. 

Emberion is out too and he and Ignis share a sad look.

“He’s here somewhere I can feel it,” Emberion says, looking at the remnants.

“This is where we get the volcanic salt,” Madtenra the yellow mermaid explains.

They find a rough, glowing stone that pulses with heat creating red yellow and orange salt from the sand it’s sitting on.

Acoral the purple mermaid scoops some up and puts it in a clam to carry it in.

Ignis and Emberion get nervous when Slor and Jnoque get closer to it and the blaze stone starts to glow more with the other artifacts.

A tall, muscular figure with skin that resembles molten rock with cracks glowing with inner fire. His hair is short and coal-black, with embers flickering at the tips. He wears heavy, obsidian-colored armor with a massive shield in the shape of a cracked volcanic stone spirit shoots out.

Everyone is startled when his eyes immediately snap open in a rage looking around as soon as he locks his gaze on Ignis he lunges at him.

He holds him up by the chest “YOU!” He growls.

“Blaze!-“

“WHERE IS SHE??!” He shouts, shaking him.

Emberion breaks them up. “ We don’t know yet Blaze!”

He folds his arms, scowling. Then he sees the others “children?” He looks around at the ruins “My home!” He growls and Emberion has to hold him back from jumping on Ingis again.

Then suddenly a large tentacle breaks in and snatches the blaze stone forcing Blaze to go back into it.

They then hear a low squeal and see giant bioluminescent eyes staring at them.

“ An Abyssal Krin!” Moonga shouts as the other mermaids try to flee. 

They see a streamlined body that resembles that of a shark, with smooth, glistening skin that ranges from deep cobalt to shadowy black, helping it blend into the ocean depths. The head is pointed and angular, with rows of razor-sharp teeth lining its powerful jaws. Emerging from its back and sides are four large, flexible tentacles and two smaller ones near its pectoral fins. They are lined with serrated suckers, the tentacles coil and unfurl with fluid, serpentine grace.

Everyone has to dodge the tentacles trying to grab them as the krin keeps knocking rocks from the structures over.

Moonga, Fifo, Jnoque, and Dponá find a place to hide near some rubble.

“What is that thing!” Slor says panicking.

“ It's an abyssal krin. They get attracted to shiny objects. It must have seen all of the glowing and come over.” Moonga explains.

“We have to get Blaze. I don't want to find out what happens to us if an Emberstar piece is destroyed!” Ingis says freaking out.

They hear the sound of the other mermaids getting hurt. “Sisters!” Moonga rushes back out.

“What do we do? Our dragon breath doesn’t work underwater and I’m sure any other fire abilities won’t either!”

Jnoque tries to summon a fire sword but it’s smothered by the water so are Slor’s wings when she tries to activate them.

Fifo is shaken and thinking they look around and see a water cave and get an idea “ Slor. Jnoque. Your artifact things are shiny right?” They both nod “ You two can distract it and lead it to that cave.” They point to it.

 They nod and Jn holds onto Dponá as they swim out and they swim in separate directions as the krin tries to grab them. 

They lead it to the cave but it ends up knocking a rock above the cave and is about to land on Slor.

Fifo without thinking ends up pushing her out of the way and ends up trapped in the cave with the tentacle holding the blaze stone in there with them.

Panting and panicking they look at the blaze stone as Blaze pops back out dizzy. He shakes his head and looks at them, sighs and kneels down to them. 

“Hey kid.” He says reassuringly. “ It’s going to be ok.” Fifo looks up at him.

They pick up the blaze stone and gasp from the sudden strength that flows through them. They then hear noises of the others getting hurt and stand up.

“ You have people you want to protect, right? I did too..” Blaze sighs “ let’s go save them!” Fifo smiles a little at him and he shows them how to summon a sharp  wall of molten rock to smash the boulder covering the entrance of the cave out of the way. 

Once out they see the Abyssal Krin has grabbed Slor and Jnoque while the others have injuries and Dponá trying to get to them. Quickly Fifo swims up to it as it sees them and swings a tentacle at them.

They brace for impact making another wall around them which absorbs the Krin’s attack and burns it.

It screeches, dropping Slor and Jnoque as Dponá grabs them and quickly takes them to the mermaids. “We’re not going to be able to defeat it, we need to flee!” Moonga hurries.

Fifo tricks the Krin into running into another wall and they swim as fast as they can away.

Aurora and Dyani have collected a lot of drift wood and mushrooms.

“ Welp, that looks like enough.” Dyani smiles looking at the pile.

“ Good job you two.” Solaris smiles.

Aurora nods.

“Do you want to try playing in the water till everyone gets back?” He offers Aurora looks at the sea, the thought of it making her feel sick. She shakes her head as Dyani steps into the water letting it touch his feet. 

Aurora watches him play, smiling a little not realizing she’s blushing at his smile at this laughter. When suddenly she sees a flash of two winter fawns near a frozen lake with Aurora reaching out to them as she is held back.

“Aurora?! You ok?..” Aurora blinks and realizes that she had pulled Dyani away from the water. Solaris looks concerned as she quickly lets go of him stuttering as the others come back. 

“Woah guys what happened?!”

“Long story we can tell it while we make the seashell stew.” Fifo sighs tired holding the blaze stone.

“ Blaze!” Solaris smiles as he and the others pop out. 

Blaze just huffs and folds his arms.