Vynx only gave a brief summary of his latest job: securing a Mermaid's Tear for their client. He avoided the details about what the Tear would be used for, only mentioning that it was to be part of a remedy for their current condition. None of the ladies had ever been to sea before, and as the ship set off along the murky waves, Vynx expected them to complain about the cold ocean spray or the violent rocking motions. Instead, they looked to the sea in awe and excitement while Vynx was stuck clinging to the railings to avoid losing his breakfast. Somehow, despite all of the Commission's advancements and innovations, they had failed to make Vynx immune to seasickness.

"Uuuugh, I hate boats," Vynx groaned. His only solace during the trip was learning that the Captain knew exactly where the last site of a mermaid encounter occurred and that it wasn't too far off the coast. 

The sailors had many stories about the creatures, ranging from romantic fairy tales to horrific superstitions. Vynx had only his knowledge from the Commission to go off of, and even then, the data on mermaids was sparse. They were elusive creatures with the upper half of a woman and the lower half of a fish, rumoured to be the spawn of the Sea God. Their diet consisted primarily of other sea creatures, but there had been several reports of them dragging sailors down to their demise. However, as current-age ships grew bigger and naval travel became more standardized, mermaid sightings had become far less common; many suspected that they had learned to avoid large vessels. That never stopped ambitious fishermen and treasure hunters from chasing them, though any captured mermaid never survived very long. They were prideful creatures, and most would rather bite off their own tongues than be forced to live on land. Vynx had only seen a mermaid's corpse at the Alchemy Commission once before the researchers dissected it and turned it into an unsettling taxidermy display. If possible, Vynx wanted to avoid taking a life for a single tear.

"A-are you alright, Vynx? I brought some tea in my canister if you need it…" Hilde reached over to rub his back sympathetically. 

"Oogh. You got a spell for curing seasickness or something?" the hunter asked, barely looking up as he buried his face in his arms.

"If your sigil isn't able to keep you from getting nauseous, I doubt any of our healing spells would do any better," Soleil sighed. 

"You'll get used to it, lad! If not, I recommend half a pint of grog and ginger." the Captain bellowed cheerfully from behind the wheel.

He lifted his head and grumbled, "Can't get drunk on the job, as much as I'd like to. Pass the tea, Hilde." Vynx held out his hand as the warm tin bottle was given to him. Taking a long gulp, he let the bitter drink wash down his throat before handing it back to the cleric. "Thanks, babe."

Hilde smiled warmly and tucked the canister away again. "Just let me know if you need anything else, okay? I hate seeing you so down."

Vynx mustered a weak grin. "The only thing I need right now is for everyone to keep their eyes on the water. This fog isn't doing us any favours, so we need to stay alert for any signs of our fishy friends."

"Do we have a plan for how we're going to get this fabled tear once we find a mermaid?" Sophia asked. She lowered her hood to let the wind blow across her silver hair. If nothing else, the thick fog at least allowed her to stay out on the deck with the rest of them.

"Well… first, we need to get her out of the water, or at least to the shallows. Then I'll work my charms on her, ask nicely for a tear, and let her go once I have it. Simple," Vynx said.

"Don't tell me you're gonna fuck the mermaid too," Soleil mumbled.

"I'm not gonna fuck the mermaid," he scoffed. "No harm is to come to her, got it? We only harvest tears ethically on this boat." Vynx waggled his finger at the others.

"That seems optimistic, even for you," Sophia murmured. She had to admire his idealism, even if the plan made him sound as dumb as a doornail.

"Just trust me on this, 'kay?" Vynx turned back around to stare at the horizon. They would soon be coming up to their island destination, and Vynx gestured to the Captain to stop once he saw the small landmass in the distance. "That's close enough! We'll take a lifeboat down so we don't scare them away!" Vynx called. He hovered around as the sailors dropped anchor and prepared a wooden life raft for the group.

"I'll give ya two hours before we head back, with or without ya." The Captain lit up his pipe and leaned against the railings, watching in amusement as Vynx and the ladies climbed into the lifeboat. He gave the order for the sailors to lower them down, then headed off to his cabin for a drink.

The raft hit the water with a splash, and Vynx undid the rope knots tying the boat to the ship. Then he grabbed a paddle and started rowing them to shore. Once closer to the island, Vynx could make out the sandy beach, palm trees, and rocky tide pools along the cove. He paddled until the waves carried their lifeboat to the sandbank, then stood up and jumped onto the beach with glee. "Phew, we made it." Vynx dropped to his knees, thankful to be on solid ground once more. He didn't even care as the sand stuck to his pants and jacket—he was just glad the nausea had finally passed, and he could focus on their task at hand.

"Sophia, scout the island. Soleil, Hilde, help me get a fire going," Vynx instructed. "I'll be right over in a second." He rolled up his sleeve, drew his cutlass, and placed the blade against his palm. With a quick swipe, he sliced through his skin and then stuck his hand into the water. 

"V-Vynx!" Hilde yelped, eyes widening as the shallow water became tinged with red. 

"Relax, it's already healed up." The hunter pulled his hand back up to show her that the cut had sealed cleanly. "Hmm… might need to do it a few more times, actually… or maybe I can take off a finger…?"

"Please don't," the priestess protested meekly. 

Soleil cast him a dubious look while she walked around the beach collecting driftwood. "Are you trying to attract mermaids or sharks?" she asked. "It's going to be a pain getting off this island if we have a shiver of sharks waiting for us." 

"We might end up with both, but I'll take my chances. We only have two hours; we don't have time to waste," Vynx replied. He slashed his palm once more to add another helping of blood into the ocean before he wiped his hands dry and went to help with gathering wood. After some time, the trio had a crackling fire going and sat down to wait. 

Sophia had shapeshifted into a white owl and began circling the small island. At first, there was nothing out of the ordinary to report; aside from the seabirds perched on nearby rocks, there didn't appear to be any large wildlife on the desert island. The fog obscured the full range of her vision, forcing her to fly low above the trees and water. As she soared over the crashing waves, she noticed a sizable shadow beneath the foamy surface. It swam closer to the shore and stopped near the sandbankbefore making a turn towards the rocky edges of the island. Its movements were different from that of an ordinary fish, and Sophia hurriedly flapped her wings to return to the beach. Her form shifted from bird back to vampiress as she landed, and she gestured silently towards the tidepools to their right. 

Vynx got the message and hopped back to his feet. He strolled towards the uneven reef and poked his head around the boulders. The mass of darkness remained under the water, and Vynx slowly reached into his jacket. He had been saving some dried meat in case Soleil got hungry, but this seemed like the best use of it at the moment. Carefully, he tossed the strips of jerky into the water and watched them sink below. The shadow moved, as if in surprise, before a few bubbles rose to the surface. Satisfied, Vynx dipped his hand into the water, fingertips first. Next, he lowered his hand up to his wrist before finally submerging the rest of his forearm.

Soleil and Hilde followed him while keeping their distance. The paladin half expected a shark to jump from the ocean at any moment. Then suddenly, whatever was under the water took hold of Vynx's arm and began dragging him down. "Vynx—!" Soleil ran over to his side, grabbing his other arm to keep him from falling into the water. 

"I got it! Ouch, ouch, ouch—" Vynx clenched his teeth and yanked back on the force that had seized him. The rocks under him were slippery, and he tried to steady his feet on the rough stone with Soleil's help. Ignoring the pain, he made sure his fingers grasped the smooth arm of his catch, and with a powerful pull, he forced the mermaid out of the water.