"Lower the mainsail!" Markus called to the deck, which Morgan promptly repeated in the crew's ears. It was good fortune they had made good time, lest they might have hit the rocks in the dead of night without any warning. Brod and Holdman rushed to do the captain's bidding as Sketti walked up the stairs that led to the aft castle, his mohawk cresting the rise first. Strangely, the Dwarf's stump hand was now fixed with a hammer. He should have known the eccentric Slayer could make modifications accordingly. Behind him, Klaus the scholar, who had surprisingly decided to remain with the crew, followed in his wake with a book clutched in his manicured fingers. Markus was a bit busy at the moment, placing his hands over the rail and calling to Eckard, who had taken out the lead line and dropped it into the water below. "How deep are we!?" 

"Fifteen fathoms, captain!" He called up. In contrasting fashion, the lookout's voice rose to his ears from above. "A mile from the opening, captain!" 

"Ye ever been here, lad?" Sketti asked, smoking he pipe he had no doubt nicked from Sartosa. The wind drove the smoke into Klaus' face, the fellow sputtering and moving to the other side of the squat engineer. 

"No, have you?" Markus asked as Klaus raised his hand to speak.

"Heard the stories. Them rocks are perilous in more ways than their jagged edges." He rumbled. Markus walked past him, Klaus yet again raising his hand to no avail. "If you'll excuse me gentlemen, I need to take the helm." Klaus followed him as he turned the wheel of the ship, making for the spot he had aimed them for. A jagged, maw-like opening that could fit two ships the size of [i]The Hammer[/i] abreast, if they were careful. 

"Twelve fathoms!" 

"S-sir." Klaus pipped up beside Markus. "Captain Flintbrooks, there could be pirates here."

Markus turned his head to look at him. 

"Point taken, but there's further dangers. I've read extensively on the coastline of Tilea during my time employed by the Duke Estaban, of which I and your blonde bint had been previously associated with. There could be monstrous creatures in there. Merwyrms comes to mind, though during my ecological studies I did discover that such beasts frequented the Sea of Claws in greater numbers, but there's something else you should take note of..." 

The ship entered the crack in the rock slowly, quietly. Only Eckard's call of "Ten fathoms!" rose, and yet even that call seemed to choke in the heavy silence. Markus gazed around, hawkeyed. He expected brigands to be nestle among the rocks, or vast tentacles to snake out of the crevasses or waterways at any moment. The men huddled close together on deck, though Halfdan and Eckard kept close to the sides to keep watch.

Klaus cleared his throat before continuing. "Sir, there's also mermaids." 

The intimidating silence and the perilous rocks that he had to weave through made the scholar's comment so outlandish, Markus snorted and then laughed. "Mermaids? The beautiful sea women?" He asked incredulously. "If we find a few we'll divvy them up among the lads."

"Yes, but! But, they are cruel and revel in the death of men. I've found they are spirits of drowned, scorned women." He looked around warily, doubtless afraid of any of the three monstrous options of foes, though Markus could not for the life of him understand why he mentioned the third. It was at that moment that a keen voice rose over the fog that seemed to creep into their line of sight. A beautiful, ethereal sound that serenaded the heart and beckoned the senses. It encompassed and bounced off the walls of rocks around them, increasing in volume. Markus had never heard something that touched him so since last he was in love. The captain turned to Sketti and the scholar, Klaus looking pale with fear whilst Sketti plucked his pinky into his ear, more annoyed than anything. The Dwarf seemed not effected at all, but Markus didn't care. Markus wanted to find the source of the voice. He needed to feel the soft fingers of the sirens on his neck, their lips on his. 

His system jumpstarted, and he realized his mind and heart was racing. He stammered toward the railing, holding his head to try and keep his mind from being led into the song, but he knew he couldn't fight it forever. Below him, Morgan yelled up at him, something stuffed into his ears. But Markus couldn't hear him over the singing. All other men save Morgan seemed even more enchanted than Markus. Emmaline looked curious but unaffected, and that was the last thought that passed through his mind before the elation gripped him again.