Heretical Fishing

Book 2: Chapter 86: The Calm Before the Storm

I woke to the sun beaming in through the tent’s opening. A barrage of tiny licks rained down on my chin.

“Cinnamon?” I asked groggily, squinting against the morning light.

I wasn’t sure what Cinnamon was doing here, but who else had such little kisses? Still blind, I reached my hands up… and found a chihuahua. Borks yapped at me, his tail wagging despite his incredulity.

“Sorry, buddy,” I said, smiling at him. “You’re so small that I thought you were a bunny.”

Get let out another yap.

“Yes, yes. I know you’re ferocious.”

He barked his agreement, letting out a demonic little growl from his chihuahua throat.

“Why the change, though? Is it to scare off any would-be ambushers?”

He stood tall atop my chest, beaming down at me with pride. It was both cute and hilarious, so I ruffled the soft fur on the top of his head.

“When you two are done cuddling in there,” Maria called, “breakfast is almost ready!”

“We’ll never be done!” I called back.

Borks ruffed, wagging his tail in agreement.

“Oh, yeah?” she asked. “You asked for it.”

I glanced past Borks. “Asked for wha—”

She came flying through the opening, her eyes wide and grin manic. “For me to crash this party!”

She slammed down next to us, startling the absolute hell out of Borks. He jumped on the spot, whirling on her with his teeth bared.

“Aww, did I scare you, buddy? I’m sorry. I just wanted to be a part of the cuddle puddle.”

Borks, upon realizing it was her and not another attacker, descended on her with his rapid-fire kisses.

She half-choked, half-laughed, pressing her chin to her chest in a failed attempt to keep him away. With his small size and cultivation strength, he was a formidable adversary, and just when I thought Maria might die of laughter, I swept him up, his short legs hanging uselessly in the air.

“Sorry to interrupt your ambush, Borks, but I need her to be breathing to make us breakfast.”

“Thank you,” she wheezed.

She tried to get up, but I pounced, pulling her into a hug. Borks, free of my grasp, lay on top of us, rolling to his back and slipping in the wedge shape our bodies made.

“Good morning.” I kissed her on the forehead. “Did you sleep well?”

“I did. You?”

“Nope.” I yawned and stretched. “I found it hard to sleep after the ambush last night. My mind wouldn’t stop.”

“I’m sorry,” she said, patting me on the chest. “Will you be okay traveling the rest of the way to the capital today?”

“If I had some breakfast made by my girlfriend, I’m sure I could do anything.”

Maria giggled. “Well, lucky for you, I think she has some buns warmed and coffee brewing this second.”

“Wait, what?” I furrowed my brow, doing my best to keep the smile from my face. “My girlfriend is here? I thought Sue was back in Tropica...”

“Borks...” Maria eventually said, glaring at me.

He perked his ears up, cocking his head to the side in question.

“Sic him!”

Borks, playing along, launched himself at me. He snarled and nipped, the growls coming from him making me laugh as I wrestled the little git.

“Oh, you think you’re ready to take on the master, Borks?”

I scooped him up, running from the tent, and performing a slow-motion slam onto the ground. He played dead, groaning as his tongue hung from his open mouth.

“Fischer!” Maria gasped, dashing from the tent. “You killed him!”

She started doing fake chest compressions, but Borks remained ‘dead’, a little smile coming to his face under all the attention.

“Okay,” Maria said, rubbing his belly. “If I leave breakfast on the fire any longer, it’s going to burn.”

He hopped to his feet, coming to sit beside me.

“First course: honey buns!” She lifted a tray from the campfire, and when she removed the covering, steam flowed out. The smell of honey drifted over to me, making my mouth water.

“Mmm,” I said. “When did you make honey buns?”

“I snuck off to make them,” she replied, grinning. “I even got fresh honey from Bumblebro and Queen Bee to make them.”

“Oh. You didn’t...er... interrupt them?”

“Interrupt them? What do you mean?”

I hadn’t told anyone about the time I’d caught them... cuddling? Man, I hoped that’s all I had caught them doing...

I shook my head. “You know what? Forget I said anything.”

“Okay...” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Well, the point is, the honey is fresh. Here.”

I grabbed one from the offered tray, immediately breaking it open to let some of the heat out. The vapor drifted in the air, its irresistible notes traveling up my nostrils and down into my lungs. I couldn’t wait a moment longer. I bit down into it. Despite being baked two days ago, the bun was fluffy, sweet, and filled with chi. I leaned back as I chewed, angling my face toward the sun that peeked down through the clearing we’d set up camp in. With the honey bun’s chi warming me from within and the sun’s rays warming me from without, a smile I couldn’t resist crossed my face. My eyes were closed, so I didn’t see Maria’s approach. She planted her soft lips to mine, lingering for a moment that was both blessedly long yet too short.

“Glad you like it,” she whispered, sweeping a hand through my hair.

“The kiss or the bun? Each was wonderful.”

She giggled, a red blush rising to her cheeks. “Both. Are you ready for coffee?”

“Does Rocky like being launched out to sea? Of course I’m ready for coffee.”

“Coming right up!” She removed the moka pot from the fire, pouring the liquid into two cups.

I took another bite of the honey bun as she passed the cup to me, washing the sweet pastry down with deliciously smooth coffee. It had a bitter bite to it, but that wasn’t a bad thing. I took a deep breath through my nose, letting the air circle my mouth and enhance the flavors lingering there. “Delicious, my love.” I took another bite, the honey joining the coffee’s aftertaste.

“So are you.” She bent and kissed me on the forehead, then sat beside me, leaning on my shoulder and taking a sip of coffee.

As we took the time to enjoy our breakfast, my thoughts drifted toward the events to come. We’d reach the capital tonight, and then the fun would begin.

“The calm before the storm, huh?” I asked, resting my head on hers.

“Yep. I can’t wait.”

I grinned; neither could I.

***

As the sun reached its zenith in the sky, Pelly flew in circles.

It was almost time, and with each passing moment, she could barely contain her nervous energy. She continued flying in a loop, trying to distract herself from the butterflies in her stomach. The formation below had stabilized more with each new addition, and since she’d taken over the post this morning, she hadn’t had to swoop down and gather them together a single time.

A source of power drew her attention, and with her excitement reaching a fever pitch, she turned toward it. Bill rocketed toward her, and the moment she caught sight of him, she took off, heading south. She gave him a honk in parting. He honked back, his call filled with thanks for her hard work. She sent chi down to her wings, stretched them wide, then flapped as hard as she could, the ground becoming a blur beneath her.

***

Claws, content with her efforts, napped in the early afternoon sun.

She had filled the entire cart, every last cage stocked to the brim with her quarry. They were lively this afternoon, attempting to break out of their temporary prisons, but they stood no chance against the work of the woodworkers and their System-aided creation.

Hanging her head down over the side, she chirped at them, telling them to be quiet. It didn’t work; they only increased their efforts, biting down on the bars with long teeth. Letting out a sigh, Claws accepted her fate. She was too excited to nap, anyway. She was only a half hour away from the capital, having traveled within walking distance last night. Hopping down from the top of the cart, she gazed over her handiwork. The mammals gazed back at her, black eyes assessing her.

Claws puffed out her chest, taking great pride in how many she had captured. There was no way the others had collected more than her. She was the benevolent Claws, maiden of the forest and cutest of Fischer’s followers. The sun would set in a few hours, and when it did, the operation would begin.

Claws grinned, her needle-sharp teeth glinting in the afternoon sun.

She couldn’t wait.

***

Cinnamon heard a familiar beat of wings above her. Her heart immediately set to fluttering as she raced back to the box. Both she and Pelly arrived at the same time. Cinnamon launched herself from the ground, rocketing toward her wayward daughter and wrapping furred limbs around Pelly’s feathered body. Pelly landed atop the box and craned her neck, wrapping it around Cinnamon as she crooned. Cinnamon peeped back, telling Pelly how much she had missed her over the past couple of days. After a good cuddle, they separated.

When Cinnamon hunkered down on top of the box, Pelly cocked her head in question. Cinnamon grinned back; there was no world in which she was going to miss the chaos to come.

Are you sure you want to do this? Pelly asked with a low honk.

Certain, Cinnamon peeped back.

Shrugging, Pelly hopped to the handle and gripped it in her feet. Despite it being half-filled with the spiky little things Cinnamon had been collecting, Pelly easily lifted it skyward with powerful beats of her wings. Cinnamon held on tight, gazing down at the landscape as it grew ever further away.

Pelly let out a questioning honk, to which Cinnamon nodded. She was ready.

Her adopted daughter took off, traveling west at incredible speed. With every meter they crossed, Cinnamon’s core seemed to vibrate with excitement. Before the day was done, her hard work would come to fruition.

***

Under the cover of night, Maria, Borks, and I arrived at the capital city of Gormona.

It was like nothing I’d ever seen before. I had come across some seriously fantasy shit since arriving in this new world, but the city before me took the cake. Walls that had to be at least four stories high protected the capital, its top lined by a parapet and a series of torches at even intervals.

There was a single structure visible over the wall: a castle of ridiculous dimensions. I could only see the top floors, but there were multiple spires as big around as office buildings, all reaching up into the sky. I’d caught snippets of Operation Sticky Fingers, so I knew there were multiple levels to the castle, but seeing it in person was something else. Tearing my eyes from the castle, I focused on the wall before us. A giant gate of wood and iron blocked our way, and short of blowing through it, we wouldn’t be able to enter the city.

Luckily for us, we weren’t taking the front door.

Maria was staring wide-eyed at the castle, so I nudged her in the side. We shared a nod, then dashed off toward the south, staying within the treeline. Borks followed behind us in his golden retriever form, his steps completely silent under the crescent moon. I counted the arrow slots in the wall as we went, and when we reached the eighty-third, I held up my fist, signaling a stop.

Here.

We dashed through the clearing to the wall, crouched, and leaped. All three of us soared through the air, easily landing atop the wall without so much as the scuff of a boot to give us away. The entire cityscape was within view, everything from the castle to the gate to a few points of interest I’d been made aware of. My heart thundered in my chest as I looked down into the courtyard below; it was the reason we’d climbed the wall here. Lines of citrus trees ran up and down, their green canopies well pruned and cared for. Running between the trees, small bushes grew, some of which were covered in small purple berries.

“Wow,” Maria whispered. “There are so many...”

“May I interest you in some fresh Passiona berries, my love?”

“Why, such a gentle…” she trailed off. “Fischer—what is that?”

“Something wrong?”

She stared toward the northeast, her eyes going wide.

Curious, I followed her gaze, then frowned. “Is that—”

“Is that what I think it is?” she interrupted.

“No fracking way...”

Ruff, Borks agreed.

A sea of white creatures filled the sky, their number so vast as to be uncountable.

“Above them!” Maria yelled. “Is that Bill?”

Sure enough, there he was, soaring on unseen winds. He darted from side to side, and for a moment, I didn’t get it. Then, though, I realized the truth—he was herding them. As if he was privy to our conversation, Bill unleashed the mightiest honk I’d ever heard. Despite being on the other side of the capital, it reverberated in my chest with a bassy kick.

“Over there!” Maria gasped, pointing toward the front gate to the city.

I followed her gesture, and when my cultivator eyes caught sight of it, my mouth dropped open. “Cinnamon and Pelly? Wait, what is Cinnamon wearing? Is that armor?”

“Forget that! What the frack is Pelly carrying?”

It was a wooden box, but I didn’t have much time to check it out, because the front gate to the city fracking exploded, large chunks of wood and metal scattering everywhere. This, at least, wasn’t a mystery; I felt the chi signature that caused it. Before the smoke cleared, a cart zoomed through onto the cobbled street. If not for my enhanced eyes, I wouldn’t have seen Claws or the gleam of her needle-sharp teeth as she tore through the thoroughfare with lightning-wreathed limbs. She zoomed behind a building, Tokyo-drifting her cute little tooshie out of sight.

“We have some troublesome children...” Maria said, then let out a long sigh. “I guess it’s time for me to go, then. So much for my Passiona treat.”

I squeezed her hand. “I’ll bring you some berries home. Overprotective dads, huh?”

“Rogers, more like,” she replied, giving me a grin.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, no kidding.”

She swept forward into my arms, planting a kiss on my lips that banished everything else. It was only for a few seconds, but the heat of her mouth flooded out and resonated deep within me, more powerful and all-encompassing than any of my breakthroughs.

She pulled back, exhaling a shaky breath. “I love you, Fischer.”

“I love you more.”

Borks let out another ruff, adding his affection to the mix.

Maria walked backwards, not taking her eyes off me. “Good luck.” Without another word, she leaped from the battlements, soaring into the forest beyond.

I smiled, then bent to pat Borks on the head. “Good luck, buddy.”

He licked my hand, turned, and dashed away, shifting to his nightmare form as he sped along the wall.

“Guess it’s my turn...” I said aloud, approaching the ledge. I stepped into open air above the grove of trees, opening the floodgate to my core and letting chi flood out into my body as I fell to the ground below.