To Catch A Mermaid

[The Soulforged]

Step one: be a little crazy, because let's face it, who honestly spends their mornings trying to hunt down a mermaid? And, you can't go hunting in the evening (mermaids have an early bedtime).

If a hunter has already accomplished the first step, and let's face it, a majority of people can do that with no problem at all, a hunter must find an appropriate area. It is a standard rule that the prettier the area, the prettier the catch. Well, maybe not exactly, but how often do you see pretty ladies hanging around in trashy areas. The answer? Not often.

That being said, some people prefer their women a little on the trashy side, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Still, today's hunt was for a high-class lady, and high-class ladies are easier to find at high-class places. It's a fact of life.

The spot chosen today was prime territory. It was a lake of some sort, and MAN was it pretty. Sparsely populated by peach trees, of which the fruit was the ripest it could be, every inch of the area was well-cared for. The grass (a color of the darkest jade), was trimmed to perfection. Several rocks of some sort, possibly marble, were arranged in a most convenient fashion. Each rock also seemed to have been cut by hand, as the rocks were far too comfortable to one's buttocks when sat upon. To sit upon these rocks was to sit upon a surface that seemed to have been molded for one's very own behind.

The spot was so good, it more than likely was illegal for an ordinary person to be there. It was probably one of those places where diplomats or royalty came to relax, sunbathe, get hammered, or do whatever it was those types of people do.

If one is mentally unstable enough, and has chosen the proper location, the third step one must see to is bait. One cannot go hunting without the proper equipment. After all, offering a pretty lady nothing at all gets a hunter nothing at all in return. A hunter must have above all, the proper bait. It was at the third step that Seed had hit bit of a snag.

Just what, exactly, qualified as proper bait for a half-women half-fish creature?

Not sure of the answer, Seed figured the best thing to do was cover all his bases. In case mermaids were fish-like in their eating habits, he had procured an assortment of fish bait. Some type of eggs, some sort of doughy substance, worms, and multiple shiny objects to dangle on his pole.

He had an assortment of objects for catching female women as well, should mermaids be more inclined to female human tendencies. Several pieces of poetry, pictures of muscular men, a sack of gold, and several shiny objects to dangle on his pole. All of these things were stolen.

In order to pass the time, Seed had brought a case or three of beer. He was proud of this particular decision, because not only did he like to drink, but the beer could also double as bait for the mermaids (human female wise). With a grin, for this was shaping up to be a very good day, Seed cracked open a bottle and set himself to work.

He had already picked himself out a spot. Right next to the crystal clear water (seriously, he could shave his face in its reflection), atop a very smooth rock. Most of the time sitting on a rock was not the greatest of experiences, but as previously stated, the rocks here were something else entirely. He checked his rod (fishing rod that is), grabbed a particularly shiny lure, and gave it a try.

His cast was perfect; he had gone fishing a couple of times in his youth, and what he had learned still managed to stick around in his head. He remembered how to put the bait on the hook, as well as cast the line. With bait such as worms, the fisher simply had to sit and wait. When there was a bite, the fisher reeled the line in. With lures, the fisher had to cast out the line and reel it back in continuously. It was more work, but Seed had always preferred lures over bait. Something about seeing the sparkles in the water made fishing more fun.

The first cast proved fruitless, but that was to be expected. He would most likely have to cast the line out many times in order to get a bite. That was okay though, Seed had a whole day to kill. As well as several packs of beer. Speaking of that substance, he took a long swig of a nearby bottle.

He was forgetting something. How to catch a half-women half-fish? He was a little crazy, for sure (all right, maybe a bit more than a little). He had picked out a perfect spot, and had plenty of bait. What else was there?

"Of course!" Seed muttered as he smack his forehead. "I need a good line!"

In order to clear up what may be a misunderstanding, Seed was not referring to a fishing line. He had a good fishing line, he had tested it himself (as well as tangled it up for a good hour). No, Seed was thinking about an entirely different type of line.

The man took another drink, cleared his throat, and stood up atop his rock. He then spit on the grass, took a deep breath, and began to shout across the lake.

"Hey baby! If you were a booger I'd pick you first! No? All right, any pretty mermaids wanna go to the buffet? Just lay on the table and I'll grab what I like! Anything? 'Kay, how about this one? Any sexy mermaids wanna play house? You be the door, and I'll slam ya!"

Satisfied that he had thrown out not only one, but three good lines (four if one were to actually count the fishing line itself), he plopped back down atop his rock. With a grin, he finished his bottle (Seed could down them pretty quick), and opened another one.

"Today's gonna be a good day," He said with a smile as continued to cast his line (both physically as well as vocally) out into the beautiful lake before him.

[Jack Frost]

When the Grand Primus told Jack that he was to go fishing on the job he felt uneasy. It felt like it would be harder than it sounded, and probably was. Jack was not one to give up a chance to go fishing on the job though. So he had departed shortly after his comrade Seed, and wound up in the same place. The beautiful lake side seemed a little, too attractive and Jack remained skeptical of how easy this job seemed. After all, lords of evil never send their agents to beautiful lakes without there being some kind of catch.

The rocks seemed like they were made of marble, and conformed to his behind when he sat upon them. The deep green grass seemed innocent and harmless, and oh so very soft. The grass was so inviting that Jack kicked his boots off and started to walk down to the lake barefoot. All around him seemed to be heaven on Althanas. He could see cute little squirrels running about gathering nuts for their cute little families. Birds gathered the most perfect twigs to build perfect nests. It seemed like this was the least threatening place on Althanas.

Once Jack had gotten down to the crystal clear lakeside he pondered how to go about getting his catch. Then something struck him. He had no clue what he was fishing for. He had no idea if the luxurious top of the line fishing rod he had used his mission expenses to buy would even serve him well. He quickly fumbled through the pockets of his big blue bulky jacket that he always wore regardless of the weather. He quickly pulled out a scroll had had picked up, defining the parameters of his mission, and unrolled it. It was hastily scrawled, but Jack could make out Seed's handwriting. We're gonna go catch some mermaids! was all that seemed to be written on it.

With a sigh Jack discarded the scroll and looked down at the crystal clear water. It was so clear he could see the bottom of the lake, and all of the white sand that lined it. His gaze lifted up towards the middle of the lake where he saw one rather large marble rock jutting out of the water, like a monument of sorts. It was shaped like a U, and had many little rocks surrounding it, as if it had some spiritual importance. For a second jack mused with the idea that it was a mermaid church, and that every seven days the maid would congregate on the rocks and listen ad some divine beauty would tell them the words of their deity.

A faint smile played across his pale lips as an idea crossed his mind. "I bet I could swim out there..." He mused to himself. "Yeah..." he murmured again. Quickly he stripped of his jacket, and the tight black sleeveless shirt that was underneath it. He then proceeded to back up, off the white sandy shores and back onto the lush green grass. Then he stared at the water for a bit.

Jack recalled one of the many tales he heard on his few years of travel, and remembered that mermaids often lured attractive young men into the water. He decided that he was relatively attractive, or so he thought. He had built up quite a build working out with Lorenor, nothing impressive, but he was still muscular. His skin was pale, like that of a vampire, and apparently going out with Vampires was a recent trend in the stories that he heard the bards tell. His face was clear of both blemishes and any trace of stubble that Jack had started to take a major distaste to. He could quite possibly have been in one of the portraits that seed was planning on using for bait.

He exhaled a cloud of fog and began the mental fortification that it would take to withdraw his icy aura. He had become very good at it, and would be able to hold it for about an hour before having to do a release. Once he had prepared, he sucked in his entire aura that was well known to drop the temperature a couple degrees, and sprinted dead ahead to the water. His momentum carried him several feet into the water before the depth began to slow his movement. The moment he felt his speed decrease he kicked of the smooth, sandy bottom of the lake, and began to swim out towards the rock, pushing his arms out in front of him and pulling them back to his sides, the way his father had taught him.

He heard a soft plunk, and turned to see his comrade’s line several feet ahead of him. Not wanting to get hooked Jack steered himself away from the lure and continued to make his way to the center of the lake...

[Elthas_Belthasar]

The kid has the right idea.

Elthas recalled thinking as he went over the logistics of this fool's errand. As a skilled bounty hunter, Elthas was the perfect agent to send along with the rest of the group for that particular hunting trip. However, there were not marks to be targeted, but, instead, Seed Vicious was attempting to capture the rarest of all rare's. The legendary mermaid. Shaking his head, Elthas took a deep exhale of the cannibus cigarette that he was smoking the entire time. The blazed up tip of blunt was highlighted by a tiny glowing fire. Small, lit particles and debris fell off the tip from time to time in an endless cycle as the elf smoked.

Not everybody on Althanas smoked.

Some considered it a disgusting habit, but Elthas, rather enjoyed it. His people were cultured in tradition and they were used to smoking a wide variety of Concordian herbs. Elthas began to undress as well when he saw Jack Frost enter the water. He didn't want to be left behind on the fishing trip. As he undressed he thought about what the legends of his people said Merfolk looked like. They were an interesting lot. Elthas put the blunt out in his own hand, the searing pain helped him focus. He removed the top portion of his Syndicate outfit, carefully placing it on the ground near Seed.

Then, he looked at Seed. Elthas as an elf of few words, but when he did speak, he made certain that they counted. Elthas raised his eyebrow when he addressed Seed.

"Hey. Are you coming? I think Frost has the right idea." Flexing his athletic muscles, Elthas was certain to keep his equipment with him.

He walked across the grass, not daring to remove his boots. He folded up his removed clothing and placed it in his water-proof bag. Looking at the lake, he too, could see almost to the bottom. This must be a sign from the gods. Elthas thought to himself as he began to walk into the lake until he was half-way submerged. Then, he swam carefully, following Jack Frost to whatever location they were heading to.

We're gonna catch a Mermaid huh? This should be a lot of fun. Elthas recalled thinking as he submerged his head beneath the water and dived. He hoped the lake was not too deep because he was not an expert swimmer despite his acrobatic skills. He moved quickly through the water, staying a few paces behind Jack Frost and slightly to his left at an angle. Elthas was able to see ahead of him in the strangely clean water. His eyes focused the best they could given the circumstance. Elthas swam but was ready to meet whatever challenges the lake threw at the trio...

He kept his eyes locked on Jack Frost's position.