Episode 137: Phin & Baby Pearl

Phin offers to help the adventurers find some rare metal, only things aren't what they seem under the sea. The celebration of a baby Pearl's birth brings one heroes past to light while leading another down a path they may soon regret. 

Transcript

Phin and Baby Pearl

Once upon a time in the land of Atheria, there was a princess Nea and a princess Lulu and they went on the most amazing adventures. The elf messenger had just boarded Lady Jewel’s boat, the Valesence, and submerged underwater, on it’s way to Fjordswell to send word to the underwater kingdoms and rally the Land of Atheria. 

Nea and Lulu stayed in the Withered Isle with the Carmine the giant, a blue fairy named Zag, and a boy they had just rescued from a fire. They still had a promise to keep with the giant to help her find some special metal called tranium.

“So where can I find that tranium?” the giant asked the boy impatiently. 

“Tranium is a pretty powerful metal. What do you plan to use it for?” asked the boy. 

“If you must know, I’m going to protect the Lava Temple. And if I’m going to do that, I’ll need something more than this club. I’ll need something made of the strongest metal in Atheria.”

“I was hoping you’d say that. I’ve heard about you giants before,” the boy squinted his eyes at Carmine, “but never met one.”

“So you’ll help us?”

“Of course. There’s only one problem.”

The girl giant rolled her eyes again. She was now beginning to think she’d never find any tranium.

“What’s that?” asked Lulu.

“I need something back from my home!” 

“We’ll let’s get going then!” 

So, they followed the boy back across the beach to a special cove. And in this cove there was a single tree that had grown up high, over the water. And the boy had made for himself a tree house at the very top of the big, broad tree. It was one of the biggest, broadest trees that Princess Nea and Princess Lulu had ever seen. 

They followed a few steps up and around the tree, then climbed up a ladder to some of the branches that held platforms for them to walk on. When they got to the boy’s room, they were surprised to find very nice and expensive fabric and items you wouldn’t normally find on an island in the middle of the ocean. He had some plates and dishes that looked very nice and things that didn’t look very old. 

“How long have you been here?” asked Nea, noticing how new everything looked. 

“Not long. Maybe a week or so. I’m hiding out for a little bit.”

“From what?”

“Oh, the usual. A tricky elf, an angry ogre, a dumb troll, a weird kid, my parents, a demanding bird.” 

And just as he mentioned the bird, the boy froze looking out the window. 

“She’s here! Quick! Shut the curtains!” he said, running around the tree house drawing the curtains shut. 

Now the tree house was more like a platform and pulling closed the curtains wasn’t going to do much to keep out a bird. There were too many other spots a bird could fly through and enter - like through the ceiling, under the curtain or even around through one of the platform floorboards. 

Within a minute, the bird had successfully found a way into the boy’s makeshift house. 

“Phin of Niverstone Deep!”

“Ryla!” shouted the princesses. 

“Princess Nea & Lulu of Sparland.” The bird squawked, “You both have been quite busy around Atheria. I must commend you two your adventures and for the crystals you have recovered. We are making making great progress. The dwarfs are preparing their defenses and the message is getting out to the water kingdoms.”

“And what of the elf chief of Forevermore? Was Darius able to heal him with his white crystal?”

“I’m afraid not, princesses. We will need both Devorian Crystals for that.”

“But another elf on this island has been turned to stone too!” Lulu protested.

“Yes!” she said, stretching out her neck. “We will need to deal with that as well, when the time comes. But now, now it is time we deal with the illusive, fleeing Phin.”

When they looked up Phin was already making his way to the door. What he didn’t count on was being within arms length of Carmine who immediately reached over and grabbed him by the back of his shirt. 

“You think I’m going to let the one person go who knows where to find my tranium.”

“Phin,” the bird said flying over to the boy and resting on a perch by the door. “Running away will not solve your problem. It will not aid you in this.”

“I told you, I don’t want to be part of your adventure.”

“I don’t know if you have a choice.” The bird replied.

“I have a choice.” He said looking at her. “I’m doing great here in the Withered Isle. Finally getting some peace and quiet. Let these two do the work.”

“If you really felt that way, then I wouldn’t be here.” Ryla replied, jumping towards the door. “Know this, Phin of Niverstone Deep, Atheria needs heroes. We cannot fight this darkness without heroes.”

Phin just kept looking away, avoiding her gaze. Ryla shook her head.

“Princess Nea and Lulu, I hope that maybe you can convince him otherwise.” She said, then flew over back to the hole where she entered. 

“If they can’t, I can!” interrupted the giant. “I need him to find tranium.”

“Your excitement is commendable, young giant. But be patient, the time of the protectors is coming, the time of the healers is now.”  

And just as gracefully as she flew into the room, she flew out and was gone. 

“What are you running from?” Asked Nea.

“I don’t want to talk about it!” Phin responded.

“Maybe we can help?” Lulu offered. 

“I don’t need anyone’s help. I’ve been doing just fine on my own.” He said rifling through his bags. When he found what he was looking for he shoved it in his pocket. 

“So where is the tranium?” asked Carmine.

“Underwater.” He said, walking out of the room. “We’re going to need to find you lanmaids some enchanted seaweed. Oh, and your little fairy friend too.” 

It was then that Zag, the blue fairy, remembered the shark fin around the boy’s neck. On the eastern end of the Torturian Sea there mermen and mermaids who swam not with fish tails but with shark tails. There were even mermaids and mermen rumored to have octopus bodies instead of fish tails. 

The boy took them down to the water and dove in. He was gone for a few minutes and came back with a few pieces of seaweed and laid them on the beach. He then opened up his small pouch from his bags and sprinkled some magic dust on the seaweed. 

“Enchanted seaweed!” Lulu said. 

“Well, you can’t very well get there breathing like that!” he said. 

The boy pulled a small charm out of his pocket and touched each of the seaweeds then wrapped them around their necks. 

“It’s going to feel a little odd at first, but try to relax. You’ll cough a couple of times as your body gets used to it, but then it will feel just like breathing.”

They dipped themselves into the ocean and the boy grabbed on to his shark fin. As they submerged themselves underwater and began to swim towards the boy, they saw the lower half of his body change from human legs to something more like a shark tail. And the adventurers followed him under the sea, through a couple of seaweed fields and a beautiful coral forest where the most brightly colored fish you’ve ever seen swam in and around the coral. 

Niverstone Deep was gorgeous. There were mermen and mermaids with fish tales, shark tales, octopus tentacles and even other swimming tails the princesses had never seen before. 

Before they got too close, Phin pulled them aside. “Now before we get too close …”

“Phin!” Came a voice from behind him. It was merman with a beard riding a dolphin. 

Everyone turned around to face the merman with a spear strapped to his back.

“I’m glad you’ve decided to come home. Pearl was born this morning and your family will be glad you’ve decided to return to meet her. We’re throwing a celebration tonight.” 

Phin took a deep breath, “Of course uncle Marius.”

The merman, clearly someone of authority in this place, seemed unimpressed with Phin and took a big long look at Nea, Lulu, and Carmine swimming with their land legs. He had never seen a giant this far east before.

“It seems you have found some new friends as well. They may enjoy the festivities too, but we will need to remedy this. Follow me.” As he spoke, his voice was stale. Even the way he swam seemed boring. 

He led the party through the underwater village and into a dwelling forged out of an underwater cave. This cave, they could tell was a home for dozens of underwater families, including Phin’s. Making there way through the caves they noticed that most mermen and merwomen looked disappointed in Phin. It was clear to the princesses that Phin was a black sheep among the other villagers. 

Phin’s uncle brought them to a locked room in the back of one of the hallways. He pulled out a ring of keys, unlocked the door, and revealed a room full of underwater weapons and things. 

“You will need these,” said the uncle, giving everyone special flippers to help them keep up with the mermaids and mermen. “The ceremony for baby Pearl will start shortly.”

As they were putting on their flippers, Phin motioned to Carmine to look over in the far corner, where the tranium sat on a special locked pedestal. 

She nodded cautiously and slipped on her flippers. 

After they were done, the merman locked the door tightly, putting the ring of keys back in his pouch hanging around his waist. 

Once the adventurers were fitted with their flippers, they were rushed off to the ceremony, where Phin’s family was going to celebrate with the rest of the village, the birth of his new baby sister, Pearl. 

As they swam over to an underwater enclosure that the merfolk used for celebrations, Carmine began getting restless. She had finally, after so much searching and waiting, found some tranium. So she decided that when no one was looking, she was going to take the key ring from Phin’s uncle and go steal the tranium.

When the ceremony started huge underwater lava pits released spewing lava into the water creating blasts of fire. This was so amazing that it distracted everyone watching. And that’s when Carmine took the key ring - while Marius was distracted and watching Phin. 

Nea and Lulu noticed that Carmine had taken the keys and followed her back into the caves. But she was faster than either of them because she was a giant and was bigger. She made it into the store room, grabbed what she had been looking for and then locked the door. 

Swimming back to the ceremony, Nea and Lulu stopped her and said, “Why did you take the keys? He might have helped us if we’d just asked.”

And the giant said, “I was getting really impatient. I can’t bear another let down.”

“Don’t you think all these mermaids and mermen will help us, if they knew that Ryla and Tuck sent us.”

“Ryla and Tuck sent you two.” She said bitterly.

“You said yourself that you wanted to protect the temple, though. Is that still true?”

“Of course it is. I’ve wanted to be a temple protector my whole life!”

“Well, what if we shared that with Marius and the others instead of doing it all on your own?” Nea reached out her hand as peace offering.

“Maybe you’re right.” Carmine agreed, then rook Nea’s hand and shook it. “This adventure has been a lot harder than I thought. I never thought that it might be easier if I asked for help.”

So they all went back to the ceremony. As they arrived the big announcement and fanfare were done. Carmine returned the keys back to Marius and decided that she would come clean with Phin’s family as soon as she had the chance. 

Only things don’t always go according to plan. 

The end.