The warriors took up arms when the mermen attacked the shore, destroying a few fishing boats and killing the fishermen with their mighty tridents. The warriors of Sharkfin were quick to respond and dived into the water with nets and harpoons and so another skirmish began. The mermen were numbering in several dozen opposed by the Sharkfin near a hundred.

The mermen were more agile in the water than even the more experienced fishermen of the tribe. Still the fishermen outnumbered them and carried nets in pairs to snare the fish-men and then stab them to death. One veteran of the Sharkfin, a grizzled older man, still tough for his age was wielding one of their tridents after he pried it from a merman he had killed alone while on the open sea fishing years ago. He swam swiftly always trying to outflank the fishmen as the others pressed on to swarm them. One stab, two and three, a fishman goes up to the surface with his side full of holes. He dodges a thrust at him and grabs the end of the weapon, when the fishman pulled it back he was impaled by the veteran.

The fight lasted for about twenty minutes before the fishmen retreated having lost three but killed a dozen men whilst fighting and another four in their ambush attack. The mermen were drug onto the shore, their fiery amber scales removed to make decorations and their bodies burned on a pyre so as they could not be resurrected by their god-king.

Athlas returned to his elder triumphantly raising his trident and so a feast was organised, many from the surrounding tribes had seen the fires and came over to celebrate their comrades victory, share some drinks and stories.