Give her the amulet you bought in Corpser’s Point

There is a sudden warmth, a sudden clarity. The amulet in your pocket sings, joining the debauched choir outside. You do not remember taking it with you, and you do not remember placing it in the palm of your hand, but the black spirals enthrall you and the Captain both.

”It is magnificent,” she whispers. ”It is everything.” A shiver wracks her body and she gasps. ”May I? May I touch it?”

You hand it to her, and you follow her up the stairs. Above deck, the swarm has quieted. The Captain – how can she know? – raises the pendant above her head. The creatures circle around her, a slow dance; an obeisance. Tentacles move toward her, but none dare touch her skin.

A sound, like a bell and yet not. The amulet, touched at last by a squirmer’s fey appendage, has broken. The shards fall to the deck, and there crumble to ash. The swarm takes flight, and the mists part for your vessel.