Heretical Fishing

Book 2: Chapter 67: Psychological Warfare

A few hours earlier, we sat before a campfire. The smell of deep-fried fish was in the air, and Maria’s giggles joined the faint sound of waves lapping the shoreline. Her joy was a soothing balm to the uncertainty of the day gone, and I watched the lines of her face intently, drinking them in.

Barry shook his head, more than a little amusement on his visage.

“This is why I said you are diabolical, Fischer. What is wrong with your brain that you can think of a name like that?”

I shrugged one shoulder.

“Just a bit of psychological warfare, mate. Blame Ellis.” I pointed at the former archivist. “He was the one that inspired me with the names they all chose.”

Ellis stopped writing to cast a smirk over the top of his notepad. “Happy to be of service. For what it is worth, I agree with your reasoning. I cannot think of a better name to sow chaos within the capital should they be monitoring our advancements. Also, I have another suggestion if you’re amenable to it, Roger.”

The farmer turned cultivator hadn’t stopped scowling.

“You’re assuming that I’ll use that ridiculous name. ‘An Entire Flock of Birds’? How will it do anything other than make me look ridiculous?”

Sharon squeezed his arm. ”Do you trust Fischer?” Roger gave her an unimpressed look, and she sighed. “Don’t answer that. Do you trust me, dear?”

“Good,” she said. “Because I trust Fischer. I trust Barry, Ellis, and the rest of the church. If it has even a small chance of misdirecting the capital and making us safer, why wouldn’t you use the name? You’re still Roger. We don’t call Ellis Lizard Wizard, because he’s still Ellis. The name is only for the System and has no impact on who you are as a person.”

Roger grunted.

“What if I don’t choose one? Won’t that be even better than trying to misdirect them?”

“I tried that,” Barry said, laughing. “I hope you don’t like sleeping, because it will pull at your awareness multiple times an hour until you pick one.”

“What was the other request, Ellis?” Roger asked, not-so-subtly changing the subject.

“After you choose the name, I want you to spend your time learning every trade and skill we have. I want you to gain as many levels in different things as possible.”

“Listen to me, Ellis.” Roger turned toward him, demanding every ounce of the former archivist’s attention. “I may have agreed to become a cultivator, but I don’t intend to join your church. I did so to protect my family.” He shook his head. “All that aside, I’m a farmer. I farm. I don’t have time to be running around doing tasks for you.”

I snorted, unable to help myself, and Roger whirled on me, his eyes filled with hate.

“Er—my bad,” I said.

“Something funny, heretic?”

“Yeah, mate. You thinking you won’t have any spare time. Do you have any idea how much becoming a cultivator will improve your body? Your speed? Your strength? You don’t have that many fields, Roger. I reckon you’ll be able to knock out your work in a couple of hours each day.”

“So? That means I’ll have more time to spend with my family. Not more time to help you with whatever your goals are.”

“Riiight...” I said, dragging the word out. “Let’s assume that the church’s goals aren’t the best way to protect your family, which, to be clear, they totally are. Even if they weren’t, I’m pretty sure I know what Ellis’s intention is. The confusion it could cause would definitely be the best way to help your family out.” I turned to Ellis. “May I?” He nodded, so I continued. “You gaining a bunch of different skills simultaneously will make it appear that a flock of birds has genuinely taken steps on the path of ascension, and they’re individually training different skills. It implies numbers, intelligence, and a goal, all of which are pretty terrifying. Think about it, mate. A whole flock of birds of an unnamed species all following different paths. It’ll have the capital sweating bullets every time they see a bird.”

“I’m still not doing it. I need time to consider what choice I make.”

“Dad...” Maria started, but Sharon shook her head.

“Take your time, dear,” she rubbed Roger’s back. “I know you’ll make the right decision when you’re ready.”

I waited a moment, and when I saw no one else had anything to add, I grinned.

“Well, that’s that. How about we dig into this fish before it goes cold?”

Everyone had forgotten the meal, and as I pointed down at the still-warm morsels, their eyes were drawn to them. I went to cut the one I’d drained the chi from, then glanced up at Roger. Unsurprisingly, he was giving me his best scowl.

“Can I interest you in more fish, mate? I just wanna know before I cut this piece up.”

He licked his lips.

“Well, if it has the chance to give me more power...”

“Nope. This is the one I drained all the chi from, which is why I’m cutting it up. I thought people might want to taste the difference. Interested?”

“No. Definitely not.”

“You’re sure? I can cut you off a bit if you’re worried it will make you a heretic or something.”

He hesitated for a fraction of a second before shaking his head. That was all the confirmation I needed.

You did like the fish, I thought. You want to taste this bit, even though it won’t give you any chi.

It filled me with glee, and the smile I gave him made a scowl return to his tanned face. I cut the fish into equal pieces, putting each on a plate. Next, I added half a chunk of the chi-containing fish. Finally, I cut up the rest of the fish that I’d poured extra chi into. When each plate held some of each, I passed them around.

Roger was watching the spare plate, his scowl having lost some of its heat.

“Want more of the chi fish, mate? There’s a chance it’ll make you more powerful.”

He nodded immediately, so I gave it to him, then looked up at everyone else. “Let’s start with the plain fish.”

When we’d all picked it up, I placed mine on my tongue. Silence reined across the sand as we all chewed slowly.

“Mmm,” Maria said, her face creased in thought. “It’s...”

“Kinda bland,” I finished.

She nodded. “Yeah. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still delicious, but compared to your usual fish...” She threw a chunk of said fish into her mouth. Her shoulders relaxed as she ate it. “Yeah. That’s much better.”

I ate some too. Compared to the one I’d drained of chi, it was night and day. Like the first portion hadn’t been seasoned at all.

“So...” I said. “Chi makes it taste better...?”

“If that’s the case...” Barry’s eyes never left his plate. “What will the one you’ve enhanced taste like?”

I lowered my hand toward my portion of enhanced fish, my mouth watering and fingers twitching. Before I could get there, power bloomed from across the fire. I sat up straight, staring directly at the source. Roger’s eyes were wide, his gaze distant. He shook his head, coming back to reality. Everyone else was looking down at their plates, so I cleared my throat to get their attention.

“Roger...”

“What?” he demanded, challenging me with his eyes.

I raised my eyebrows expectantly.

“Anything to tell us, mate?”

His lip twitched as he continued trying to glare a hole through me.

“What are you talking about?” Sharon asked, darting a look between us. “Roger? What’s he talking about?”

“The System or whatever you call it,” he growled. “It was distracting me, so I chose a name.”

“Distracting you, huh?” I couldn’t keep the grin from my face as I glanced down at the half-eaten chunk or deep-fried fish in his hand. “Distracting you from what, Roger? What was so important that you didn’t want to be interrupted?”

Maria let out a little oh, and then she smirked. “Don’t tell me, dad... you don’t enjoy the taste of fish as much as Fischer was suggesting, do you?”

His face was turning red as his mouth moved inaudibly, trying and failing to find the words to explain himself.

“I’m leaving,” he said, getting to his feet.

My grin turned downright evil as I looked from him to the fish still held in his hand.

“Taking that with you, mate?”

“Enough, Fischer,” Sharon said, letting out a sigh. “And you.” She grabbed Roger by the arm. “Sit back down. You’re allowed to like the taste of fish, for the love of the gods. It’s delicious, especially when Fischer cooks it. Sit with me and eat the damned meal.”

I pouted at her.

“Booo,” Maria called, cupping a hand to her mouth. “No fun allowed.”

Sharon threw a chunk of fish at her daughter.

“Thanks!” Maria said, catching it and throwing it into her mouth.

Barry raised a hand, getting our attention.

“All right, I’m calling an official truce. I think each second we wait is shaving a year off of Ellis’s lifespan.”

Sure enough, Ellis held the cut of enhanced fish up to his face. He was literally shaking as he stared at it, his other hand ready to scrawl notes in his open notepad.

“Deal,” I said, then threw mine into my mouth.

The moment the first drop of moisture hit, its flavor exploded across my awareness. The deepest umami flavor I could imagine hit every one of my taste buds at the same time. Despite the flesh having cooled, it warmed everywhere it touched. The heat spread down my chest, and when it reached my core, I shuddered in delight. Unable to wait any longer, I bit down into it. Breading crunched, meat separated, and the heat rose to a fever pitch.

A noise escaped me, joining the sounds coming from my friends. I savored it as long as I could, closing my eyes to experience each bite in its entirety. Finally, I swallowed it, and a heat shot down my throat, followed by another shudder.

I opened my eyes, blinking rapidly to banish the tears that had welled up.

The fish had been barely wider than a coin, and that was the impact it had? I took deep breaths, completely overwhelmed by the experience as I looked around the circle. To a one, each of them were similarly speechless, their expressions rapturous. The only one with a smile on his face was Roger, but I suspected that was because he’d already eaten a whole mouthful previously and knew what to expect.

Maria looped an arm in mine and pulled herself close.

“Are you single?” she whispered. “Because I’d give anything to eat food like that for the rest of my life.”

“Taken, I’m afraid,” I whispered back, shakily. I cleared my throat and clenched my jaw, willing my voice box to work correctly. “If things ever fall through with her, though, where can I find you?”

She elbowed my ribs lightly, and I put an arm around her, pulling her to my side. She leaned in, and we lapsed back into silence, both enjoying the moment. When I opened my eyes, Roger was once more scowling at me, but the joy on Sharon’s face beside him counteracted it.

The scratching of a pencil came from my right, and I glanced over, seeing Ellis taking notes at a ridiculous pace. He shook his hand, his limb likely as insubordinate as my voice had been. I inhaled deeply, then let out an audible sigh.

“We’ve had a big day today, one that I think requires a celebration.”

Barry raised a knowing eyebrow.

“We have, haven’t we? Dare I say this calls for a church-wide feast?”

I smiled back.

“Anything less would be downright disrespectful. How could we properly celebrate Roger’s ascension without a party?”

His scowl deepened; my grin widened.

***

Three hours later, the delicious taste of fish lingered in my mouth as I watched Danny pat the back of an inconsolable Peter. The chef opened his mouth to speak, but only a pained noise came out. Everyone’s reactions to the pile of enhanced fish I’d cooked were wonderful, but Peter’s was the most visceral—he’d been beside himself for the last five minutes since he’d taken a bite.

I rubbed Corporal Claws’s belly, who was lying on her back in Maria’s lap, her little head resting on my thigh. I moved my hand up to her chin, giving it a good scritching that made her whiskers twitch. As I looked around the circle, I bathed in the friendship on display. The fishing club all sat close to Peter, taking turns trying to console him. The crafters sat together, probably discussing the different aspects of their workshops. I looked closer, and when I saw the attention going to Ruby’s abdomen, I realized she and Steven must have shared the news of her pregnancy. They raised their drinks in a toast, and Ruby’s eyes sparkled as she drank from her cup of sugarcane juice.

Claws let out an indignant chirp.

“Sorry, Claws.”

I resumed scratching her chin, her temporary disapproval melting away. I waved at Fergus, and when I caught his eye, I gestured him over.

“What’s up, Fischer?”

“Sorry for calling you over, mate. I wanted to come talk to you about the new forge, but as you can see, I’m currently serving her royal highness, Corporal Claws.”

Claws cooed her agreement, moving her head so I could scratch the other side of her chin.

Fergus smiled, shaking his head.

“No need to apologize. Tell you what—I’ll get everyone to come over and we can all talk about our new workshops.”

“You don’t have to...” I trailed off as he waved my concern away and jogged to fetch everyone.

With Maria at my side, Corporal Claws’s furry little head in my lap, and the crafters getting to their feet and looking my way, I smiled at the world. Nary a day went by that I didn’t thank whatever cosmic force or isekai bullshit brought me to this world, but in that moment, I felt an indescribable level of gratitude. I turned to Maria, and as I stared at the firelight dancing over her freckles, she darted in to steal a kiss.

“What was that for?” I asked, my cheeks heating.

She cocked her head, a strand of hair falling free from behind her ear. She swept it back into place with a practiced movement.

“I don’t need a reason. I love you.”

It was said so simply, yet it made butterflies spring to life in my stomach. What a beautiful life I’d found.

“I love you, too.”

Claws chirped, once more indignant.

“Yes, Claws.” I rolled my eyes playfully. “I also love you.”

She cooed, giving a happy little wiggle of her body.