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Oh? And didn't it occur to you that suddenly being able to get past the siren song isn't something you normally would be? the woman asks. She tilts her head at Morkai mockingly.

He clenches his jaw in response, but maintains his composure - if he blows holes in his teeth from all that clenching, it can be called composure. Personally you would say no you can't. Then again, you are biased.

Straasa tries to change the direction of the conversation. "Maybe we should-" he starts but stops himself abruptly.

All four turn their heads up, watching uneasily as the black clouds covering the sky suddenly dissolve into nothingness. Their departure is as disturbing as their arrival.

The soft orange rays of the setting sun illuminate the barge around them, highlighting the black blood and mermaid corpses scattered across the deck. The woman turns up her nose at the sight of the carnage.

"Hey! Hey you four!" a crew member yells at you. He looks slightly better dressed than the other sailors - he must be the captain or something. "Come help us get rid of the bloody corpses!" he screams almost hysterically. "And we need to check the hull too! We could be sinking!"