Heretical Fishing

Book 3: Chapter 8: Fatigue

With the sun threatening to breach the eastern horizon, I gazed upward. “... Barry?”

“Yes, Fischer?” he replied, standing right beside me and also staring skyward.

“Have you thought about how the frack we’re going to explain this giant bloody tree?” My eyes roamed over its branches high above. “It’s taller than the big pineapple.”

“What’s the big pineapple?”

“Pretty self explanatory, mate. Picture a pineapple, but it’s really big.”

“Yeah, I gathered that part, but what’s a pineapple?”

I turned toward him, raising a brow. “You don’t have pineapples?”

“Nope.”

“Huh. I guess that settles the pineapple on pizza debate.”

“Woah!” Came Sturgill’s overly projected voice from towards Tropica. “It’s even bigger up close!”

I glanced over at him, seeing the baker and his wife, Sue, leading a party of villagers toward the giant tree.

Sue locked eyes with me, a gleam of amusement on her face. She was clearly enjoying her acting role. “Barry! Fischer! Do you two have any idea how this got here?”

“No clue!” I replied, shrugging. “It was here when we woke up!”

The villagers fanned out as they approached the trunk’s base, their steps hesitant and eyes awe-filled as they stared up at the canopy’s shifting leaves. Toward the back of the mob, I saw two familiar faces, one white with shock, the other casting a worried glance at her husband. George and Geraldine. The former was panicked, and the latter rested a comforting hand on George’s shoulder. I gave them a wincing smile. Poor George’s social anxiety was back with a vengeance.

They strode over to me and Barry, their eyes constantly flickering between us and the tree.

“Fischer...” George said, pausing to swallow. “You didn’t see this tree earlier? When you came to see me?”

“Nah, mate. It might have been here, though—I was fixated on seeing your jewelry, so I didn’t really look this way.”

“What about last night?” Geraldine asked. “Did you two feel anything?”

“I felt nothing,” I replied.

Barry tossed his head side to side. “I might have felt something. I recall waking in the middle of the night, but I didn’t know why.”

The longer George stared up at the tree, the more his features seemed to pale. Geraldine squeezed his shoulder, and he took a steadying breath, closing his eyes as he exhaled.

Poor bloke, I thought. Just when his anxiety was starting to get better, we hit him with this curve ball...

I cleared my throat. “Well, I’d better get going. Lots to do today. See you all later.”

Barry gave me a nod and the two nobles muttered goodbye, both still facing the giant oak that Lemon had helped create.

***

As I strode between fields of sugarcane, the events of the last twenty-four hours caught up to me. Weariness settled into my bones, making my steps feel sluggish. Even my core was fatigued, its usually buzzing power dull and flat.

My mind, too, felt lethargic. It was as if molasses filled my noggin, making it hard for the simplest of thoughts to traverse my head.

Before I knew it, the surrounding fields were replaced by a desert landscape. I ambled over the sand flats, ever heading toward the rivermouth and the comfy bed I knew I’d find there. As I rounded the back of the headland, a many-limbed form launched itself at me. I had neither the strength nor inclination to brace my legs, so I caught Sergeant Snips’s happily hissing body, letting her throw me backward into the cold sand.

She blew loving bubbles at me from atop my chest, shimmying her body in excitement.

“Hi, Snips.” I rubbed the top of her head, the sensation of her sturdy carapace giving me a modicum of energy. “How are you?”

Good, she hissed. Tired.

“Yeah, I know how you feel.” I replied, sitting up and cradling her in one arm. “You looking for a nap, too?”

She nodded softly, so I stood and strode toward my front door.

But then I caught sight of the sun.

It peeked its head over the horizon, beaming its light and warmth over us and washing away some of my fatigue.

I paused on the spot, soaking it in. “You know, Snips, we haven’t had much time together because of all your scouting in Gormona.” I lifted her up so we were eye to eye-stalk. “Do you wanna watch the sunrise with me?”

She blew affirmative bubbles and nuzzled my hand, so I took us down to the bay and sat where sand met rocky shore. As I settled down to the ground, more of my weariness leached away, seeming to flow into the sand below me. Snips sat in my lap, her eye closed and body going still. Some of the fog clouding my mind drifted away with the breeze, allowing thoughts to enter my consciousness.

There was so much to reflect on.

Most pressing was that my chi had released itself in the capital during Operation Sticky Fingers. With everything going on, I hadn’t found the opportunity to process it.

“Are you awake, Snips?”

She spun in my lap and nodded, giving me a curious glance.

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

“Would you be okay if I spoke my thoughts aloud for a bit?”

She blew a stream of happy bubbles that floated away in the morning air, sparkling under the rising sun.

I laughed and rubbed her head, beyond thankful for her companionship. Without pause, I launched right into it.

I told her of the rings and their suppressing properties. She’d clearly already been told, because she wasn’t at all surprised by the revelation.

“I’m guessing that’s what the ring I made does. Its description said, ‘this ring has a multitude of purposes for those with the requisite knowledge.’ With enough skill levels in jewelcrafting, or whatever the System calls it, it’ll probably tell us what the effect is exactly.”

Next, I told her of how it felt to release my chi. How I had begun by letting a controlled amount out, but my core had taken over, widening the essence that flowed from me. I relayed the feeling of ecstasy—of rightness—that had smothered me, demanding I let even more out.

Snips listened to me intently, her eye sparkling with intelligence as she mulled over the implications.

“It’s kinda worrying, right? What happens if someone with less control unleashes too much power? If I had unleashed everything I had on the cultivators in the capital, I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t have survived.”

Snips shrugged.

“Yeah, I know I’m more powerful than everyone else, but what happens if I can’t control my power?”

She waved a dismissive claw, blowing bubbles that meant: that won’t happen.

I gave a weak smile. “I’m glad you have so much faith in me, but it’s still a troubling possibility.”

We slipped into silence, me staring out at the churning ocean and Snips gazing up at me, waiting for me to continue.

“The last thing...” I shook my head. “It’s stupid.”

Negative bubbles.

I took a deep breath, exhaling it slowly as I considered. “It’s about taking a more active role in the church. I agreed to help in the capital with stealing the artifacts because it was the safest choice. Not only did it make sense to steal the source of intel from the king, but my presence there meant I could intervene if something crazy had happened. The king being a cultivator, for example. Who the frack would have seen that coming?”

She snorted her agreement, preening as she recalled her role in launching the naked bloke from the castle and through a mountain or two.

I laughed, replaying the scene in my mind. “We knew from your intel that we were more powerful than Gormona’s cultivators. Luckily, you guys were way more powerful than the nobles, too. If they’d been monsters, though, I was close by. I could have been there in an instant and spanked the king’s booty. In the worst-case scenario, I could’ve stalled him, letting you all escape.”

Her body went rigid and she bolted upright, spewing angry bubbles.

“Don’t give me that, Snips. I’d never let you sacrifice yourself for me.”

She crossed her claws and turned away, trying to appear disgruntled but only succeeding in looking cute.

I rubbed the top of her head. “You’re a good girl, Snips. The best of girls.”

Her tsundere facade melted away under my praise. And she spun back toward me, hissing her affection as I scooped her up into a hug.

“Thanks for listening to my ramblings, Snips. I’m too tired to make a decision about anything, but I feel a lot better after letting them out.”

She wiggled closer to me, then closed her eye and went limp. The chi in her core felt as sluggish as mine, and all at once, my bone-weary tiredness returned. I yawned, turning my face toward the now-risen sun.

“Let’s go get some rest, Snips.”

She didn’t reply, and when I glanced down, I saw her taking shallow breaths. She’d already fallen asleep.

I stood up with a smile and strode toward my house, heading for bed.

***

Despite the evening gone, Ellis’s body was filled with vigor.

The moment Borks reopened his portal, Ellis strode inside and grabbed the first of the artifacts. The rest of the fishing club followed close, picking up a relic each. When Ellis stepped from the portal once more, he gazed around the headquarters. Located in the heart of New Tropica, the room was bare save for the giant table in its center. Unlike the meeting room back at the underground church, this building had copious amounts of space, and Ellis took his artifact over to one corner, setting it down.

“How are you feeling, Ellis?” Theo asked, placing a relic beside Ellis’s.

“I am well. How are you?”

“Are you sure?” Theo gave him an odd look. “How are you not tired after last night? I’m ready for a nap and I wasn’t involved in a fight with the king.”

Ellis shrugged and gazed at his surroundings. As Peter and Danny placed their loads down in the wrong places, he shook his head. “Let me take care of the artifacts’ positioning. You’ve done it all wrong.”

Peter opened his mouth, likely to complain, but Danny stepped in. “Come on. Let Ellis take care of the layout.”

“Thank you.” Ellis removed his notepad, checking the floor plan he’d created.

Most would see the organization as frivolous, but Ellis was nothing if not thorough. They were cataloged by size, purpose, and whether they were functional. One was of particular note, and as the rest of the fishing club brought them out, they were placed in their charted positions. Ellis’s eyes lingered on that one screen, but he tore his gaze away. He could look at the Domain information after the relics were placed.

“Where is Keith?” he asked, turning toward Theo as the former auditor stepped from the portal with another artifact.

“Are you sure you’re all right, Ellis? He’s with the prince…”

Ellis frowned. How had he forgotten that? “Maybe I am a little fatigued...”

“Duh,” Danny replied over his shoulder as he strode for the portal. “Even Borks is dead tired, and he’s a millenia-old hellhound.”

Ruff, Borks agreed, not lifting his head from where he lay on the stone floor.

Keith had told them of Trent’s outburst while Operation Sticky Fingers was underway in the capital. The prince had erupted in flames, having some sort of breakthrough and or breakdown. Ellis couldn’t wait to document the event from Trent’s point of view, but Keith had expressly forbidden it for now.

Ellis sighed, shaking his head at himself. Now that he looked for them, he was exhibiting some signs of exhaustion. Being a cultivator gave his body an unrivaled level of stamina, but his brain still required sleep to function at its highest potential. He would need to rest for a few hours after the relics were placed. With each delivery from his friends, Ellis seemed to grow more tired, even his excessive stamina beginning to strain.

Finally, Danny and Peter strode into the room with one last object.

“All done, Borks,” Peter called over his shoulder.

Borks stood, dismissing the portal. He walked under the table, flopped to the ground, and let out a deep huff of air.

“Place it here, if you please,” Ellis said.

Danny and Peter put the relic down where indicated and Ellis stretched, his mission finally complete. He made to leave for his new apartment in the housing quarter, but his eyes lingered on the screen from earlier. He ambled over to it, peering down at the words printed.

“Pretty impressive, right?” Theo asked, stepping up beside him.

Danny snorted. “That’s an understatement. I’m surprised you aren’t losing your mind about it, Ellis.”

“He’s more fatigued than he’s letting on.” Theo patted Ellis on the shoulder. “You’ll be back to your frantic self after some sleep, I’m sure.”

“I really should go get some rest...”

Despite his words, Ellis’s eyes remained fixed on the screen. He read the words over one last time.

Warning! Foreign Domain detected.

Effect: 5% Suppression, 5% Bolstering, 10% Defense, 5% Growth.

The foreign domain was, presumably, located in Gormona. Its effects were astounding.

Compared to theirs, though...

Local Domain detected.

Effect: 20% Suppression, 20% Bolstering, 20% Growth.

Evolution: all effects doubled.

“Forty-percent growth, huh...?” Peter mused, shooting a meaningful glance at Ellis. “That beard of yours is going to grow out of control, Ellis.”

Ellis leveled a flat glare at them, but that only made their laughter grow more fierce.