The Crawling Chill

On the northern border of the Koilmafian Sea, a group of soldiers patrolled their everyday route. The team of merfolk swam leisurely through the gentle current as warm rays brought the area to life. Below the warriors were long reefs teeming with fish of various shapes and sizes along the cliffs of the underwater ravine. Further below, small spots of bright orange were accompanied by small spots of heat too far for any discomfort.

Jeihe, the leader of their squad, watched with amusement as two of his subordinates tried and failed to woo another warrior. Gilba was a battle merfolk with a muscular build and red skin wielding a short, curved sword on his back of coral steel. Like sharks, his teeth were quite sharp, and his hide was tough to pierce even for animals. He recounted feats of bravery in sparse battle against demons and other wild animals that roamed their area. Tersu, a mammalian merfolk, did not falter to remind him of his blunders and needs for rescuing when the man ran headlong for a foe that outclassed his bravado. Tersu's knowledge of spells gave him just as many feats along with supporting his teammate. As a mammalian merfolk, he had navy blue skin with sparse sections of light gray and coarse silver hair.

Pelge looked onward annoyed with their constant prattle. She was a song merfolk and had light blue skin and softer tendrils as hair. Her time in training gave her an attractive physique, but to her annoyance, the rare small spots of scales that glowed with a green hue along her arms and shoulders added to the unwanted attention as suitors flocked to her in their downtime. Unlike, the others her prowess in the arcane was unmatched eclipsing her skills in physical combat.

Jeihe laughed as he silently betted on Tersu to win with his similar skills to the (song) merfolk. The man himself was at least a decade older than the others in the group. The only one a little more alert was Choya, another (battle) merfolk with a large build. He was quiet and had a hand clamped around the hilt of his short sword as he peered in the opposite direction of the others. Jeihe first motioned to get his attention but instead took as a sign to focus more on their task. Jeihe then stopped in place as he felt a sudden chill passing through the warm waters.

The senior warrior released a pulse from his core letting the reverberating force channel into his trident where it reached the gem and became amplified as the ethereal force rang through the area. It's vibrance allowed the merfolk to see every form of life within a league as their spirits were reached by the magical wave. Amongst the countless souls, he shivered as one brushed against the energy piercing his sense. The sudden pressure dispelled his pulse. He felt the rush drilling into the flank of his core.

Jeihe turned around looking across the wide ravine as a large white glacier floated slowly toward them. Choya noticed their squad leader and turned as well. The warrior called to the others as Jeihe held his harpoon in both hands and released another pulse enhanced with a stronger rhythm. The wave rang forth. As it passed over the other, the area Jeihe could still feel the light touch of each soul around him. But as it passed over the mound of ice, he felt the same raging swell of spirit.

The leader turned to the others as he spun his harpoon in the water. It created a current in a twisting sheet of ripples obscuring them from sight. 'We are in danger!' Jeihe thought.

The man commanded, "Pelge, Gilba! Swim to Sulejda! Now!" The two said nothing as their expressions hardened. Pelge green scales flared with a nearly blinding emerald glow. The water around the two twisted and rippled about them creating a sailfish construct. Without delay, the two sped off into the distance clearing miles within a blink of an eye. As Jeihe maintained his curtain, he felt a sudden burst of spirit beyond his boundary. Dozens of white missiles sprout from the curtain creating trails of ice. One of the projectiles sailed forth in an instant and struck the false sailfish. The watery figure froze the two before the branching frost broke off and the two slowly drifted toward the sea surface. Jeihe could only feel the sudden release of their souls as the energy flowed toward the glacier. All around the man were tendrils of ice jaggedly coursing through the area. Some struck the cliff edges as the reefs and fish were frozen into statues. 'Lonkbeha, how will we face this demon?' the man said silently to himself as he clutched his arm.