Heretical Fishing

Book 2: Chapter 76: Bribery

“You’re sure this is a good idea, Fischer?”

I stood tall, peeking over the wooden tabletop I’d borrowed from the woodworkers. “Yeah, why’s that?”

She looked from me, to the portal torn in space on the other side of the planter box, and back to me. She quirked a brow. “Do I really need to verbalize my concerns?”

She had a good point. Before I could make that concession, however, Claws—who was once more donning her shell-shaped hard hat—chirped for the work to commence. In response, dirt came flying from the portal. I hid behind the tabletop, holding it still against the planter’s wooden frame as an absolute torrent of earth smacked into it. Dust and debris filled the air, and I covered my mouth with my shirt to keep as much out as possible. Still, the finer particles made it through. The moment the torrent ceased, I ran from the cloud, coughing and sputtering.

“Did It work?” I wheezed, squinting to make sure no dirt got into my eyes.

Claws let out an affirmative chirp from atop an absolute mountain of dirt that was large enough to conceal the planter completely.

Maria stared at me. “A good idea, huh?”

“Of course! Borks just got a little too excited. Having too much is better than having not enough. Right, Claws?”

In complete agreement, Claws gave me the ‘ok’ hand gesture.

Before I could question her anatomy any further, Borks flew from the portal, coming to land beside Claws. He gave a full-body way, his front paws covered in dirt.

“A little too much, buddy.”

Claws chirped an order, pointing at the peak and sides of the mountain. Letting out a bark—he was just happy to be there—Borks turned and started digging. He moved an obscene amount of earth with each flick of a paw, and in less than a minute, enough dirt was removed to call the mission a success.

“Good boy!” I said, scratching him behind the ear.

Claws protested loudly and immediately. She hopped onto his back, removed her shell-hat, and pointed at her own head, demanding scritches.

“Yes, yes,” I said, obliging with my other hand as I spun my head toward Maria. “So... good idea?”

“All right, fine. It was a good idea to have Borks do all the digging.” She reached down to scratch his head with one hand, preemptively doing the same to Claws before the rascally otter could protest. “You both did good.”

They preened beneath our praise, leaning into the pats.

“Okay, gang.” I ran a hand down Claws’s back. “What do you say we fill the rest? We’re making fantastic time.”

Claws snapped to attention, placing her shell-hat back in place. After a series of chirps, Borks was off, loping toward the next planter.

Less than a half hour later, Borks’s tongue lolled from his panting mouth as he flopped to the forest floor. All four of the planters were finished, and he’d just finished scattering any leftover dirt around the clearing.

I scooped him up into my arms. He transformed into a Dachshund, slipping into the crook of my elbow and heaving with tiny little breaths. Maria scooped up Claws, who also went half-liquid in Maria’s arms despite not having done any physical labor.

“What’s next?” Maria asked.

“Well, other than packing our stuff, we need to tell everyone what we’re up to.”

“Do you think everyone will be okay with it?”

“They can certainly try stopping us if they think it’s a bad idea, but I have a plan to make them more amenable.”

“Oh?” Curiosity twinkled behind her eyes. “What’s that?”

I grinned. “Why, bribery, of course.”

She covered her mouth as she laughed. “Bribery, huh? What flavor of bribery?”

I gave her a full-toothed smile. “The fishy kind.”

***

Beneath the midday sun and atop the rocky shore of the headland, I held out my hand-crafted fishing rod. “This is what we use. I made this one with the help of the System.”

Pelly craned her neck forward, peering down at the different components. As always, intelligence shone in her gaze. I assumed her enhanced consciousness was no-doubt working overtime to deduce what each part of the rod did—but then she proved me wrong by letting out a very confused honk.

“Maybe it’s best if we show her,” Maria said, giggling.

“Fair call.” I pointed at one of the spare rods. A sabiki rig was tied to the end. “Do you want to try and catch an eel?”

Maria’s face lit up, her hair bobbing as she nodded. I sat down on the rocks beside Claws, who was crunching on a juvenile shore fish she’d predated. Pelly came and stood next to us. I saw her eyeing me, so I laughed, ushering her in closer.

“You never need permission for a good cuddle, Pelly. My lap is your lap.”

A guttural noise came from her throat. To some, it may have sounded aggressive, but I could hear the happiness in it. As Maria’s deft hands unhooked the sabiki rig and let gravity straighten the line, I couldn’t help but watch her. A soft breeze flowed past us, tickling my skin and blowing her hair around chaotically. She lifted her face toward the sun, a smile forming on her lips as its heat shone down on her. She took a deep breath, flipping the reel forward. Drawing her arm back, she exhaled and cast her line out past the rocky shore. The sinker let out a soft plop, barely disturbing the water.

“This rig works by reflecting the sun’s light,” I whispered to Pelly, not wanting to disturb Maria. “The metal strips near the hook make fish think it’s the scales of a smaller fish. When they bite it, they find a hook instead.”

She quietly grunted her understanding.

Maria’s attention was entirely on the rod in her hands. Her eyes were closed, one hand holding the rod as the other felt the line, waiting for a bite. She swayed softly with the breeze, her body completely free of tension. Each breath came steady, gradually getting slower and slower as she slipped deeper into a meditative state. Contrary to her calmness, my hands twitched. Pelly noticed; she cocked her head, staring at my opening and closing hands and letting out a questioning honk.

I forced them to relax. “I’m not agitated—seeing her fish just really makes me want to wet my line too.”

Maria’s shoulders jolted up, drawing our attention. She lifted her arms, raising the rod high.

“Fish on!” she yelled, her voice exuberant.

I sat up, subconsciously leaning forward. Pelly did too, both our necks craning forward as Maria started winding. Doing a little happy dance with her lower half, she wound the line in. The rod’s tip bounced up and down as the hooked fish tried to escape. Against Maria and the System-made training rod, though, it didn’t stand a chance. The moment she caught sight of it at the water’s surface, she hefted the line, bringing the fish sliding up onto the rocky shore.

Pelly flapped forward, peering down at the eel from every possible angle.

Common Eel

Common

Found in the brackish waters of the Kallis Realm, this eel’s flesh has high oil content and a strong scent, making it unpalatable food but excellent bait.

It was just a regular, twice-common eel—not the pungent variety. But that didn’t really matter.

“Good job!” I bent and grabbed the eel, angling my body so Pelly could watch as I spiked its brain, dispatching it instantly. I held it up to her. “Poking a fish behind the eye with a nail ends them immediately. It’s the most humane way of doing it.”

Pelly nudged the eel with her bill, then bobbed backwards, likely still expecting it to move. She came forward once more, picking the eel up and waddling over to my rod. I cocked my head, not understanding. She placed it on the rocks, grabbed the large hook attached to my line, then stuck it into the eel’s tail.

Maria laughed, sweeping her hair from her face as the wind did its best to blind her. “It’s too big to use whole, Pelly. Here. I’ll show you.”

With practiced efficiency, Maria grabbed my knife, crouched over the eel, and began slicing. She ran the blade behind its pectoral fin, along the spine, then back out, carving the perfectly sized chunk for the hook. Seeing her so easily handle the slimy eel was surprisingly endearing, and as she explained the process to our curious pelican pal, my affections only grew. She slid the chunk of eel onto my hook, passed my rod to me, then repeated the process again, cutting another chunk of bait for her rod. When she finished, she stood, winding in the slack line and preparing to cast.

Noticing me sitting there and not already fishing, she cocked her head. “What are you waiting for?”

I shook my head, smiling. “You know, if I didn’t already love you, seeing you handle that eel would have had me falling.”

She stared at me for a long while, chewing her cheek. “Fischer... you know how weird that sounded, right?”

“What, a man can’t get excited about how someone handles a fish?”

“Please stop.”

I erupted into laughter. She tried to keep a stern face, but her amusement leaked through.

“Okay, my bad,” I said. “Shall we show Pelly how it’s done?”

Playfully rolling her eyes at me, she walked to the water’s edge, flicked her reel forward, and cast out into the rivermouth. The tide was running out, so when I stepped forward, I cast my line out further, ensuring they didn’t get tangled. The sinker sailed high over the ocean, the line unspooling silently as more and more length arced over the water. With an inaudible splash, it finally landed. I flicked my reel back and wound in, pressing my finger against the now-taut line.

I took a deep breath and glanced at Maria. She was already looking at me, her eyes crinkling with joy. Two small steps later, she was at my side, resting her head against my upper arm. I closed my eyes, leaning into her as I focused on the sensations of my body. The wind blew fitfully, tickling my skin with each gust. The sun warmed me from above, its heat welcome in the winter air. Maria’s weight, so slight yet comforting. Pelly at my other side, her feathers brushing against my leg as she stared out at the rivermouth. Claws must have been feeling left out, because she leaped up on my shoulder, cooing softly as she rubbed her head against mine.

An unbelievable gratitude welled up from within me. I let it flow, actively thinking of every blessing I’d received since coming to this strange new world. Just as my gratitude was reaching a crescendo, climbing to a point that I felt my core physically buzzing, something nudged my line. It was a massive hit, something colossal having tasted the bait. I opened my eyes, focusing on the tip of the rod beneath the midday sun.

“What was that?” Maria asked.

“You saw that?”

“Yeah...” she muttered, eyes pinned to my fishing rod.

For a tense moment, nothing happened. Had the hit just been a fish randomly swimming into my line, or did something actually bite at the hook? Had something taken the bait?

It nudged the line again. I leaned forward, anticipation coursing through my veins. I braced my feet, my hand tightening around the reel, just in time for the fish to eat the bait whole. It took off, the bearing within my reel squealing in protest. I wound backward, tried to let line out as fast as possible, but it wasn’t enough. The hooked creature was simply too quick. The line tore through the water, leaving a visible wake as the fish swam out to sea with inconceivable speed.

A grin spread over my face as adrenaline pumped through me, my stomach fluttering with excitement.

I had a fight on my hands.