Heretical Fishing

Book 2: Chapter 77: The Deep

With the midday sun beaming down from above, waves crashed on the rocky shore before me. A gust kicked up, carrying drops of water from the crashing waves to strike against my legs. Combined, it was a feast for the senses, yet I barely registered it.

I had a war to wage.

The fish tried to tug the rod from my hands, so I gripped even tighter, the handle creaking within my grasp. The hooked creature kicked with mighty beats of its tail at slow, steady intervals. An undeniable fact made my throat rise and pupils dilate: I’d experienced nothing like the fight this creature was giving me.

All the more reason I need to catch it, I thought, clenching my jaw.

Maria asked something, but I didn’t quite hear the words.

“Sorry?” I asked. “Didn’t catch that.”

“What is it?” she repeated, her voice intrigued.

“I have no idea.” I glanced over, seeing her eyes wide and jaw clenched. It only made my smile widen. “I’m gonna find out, though.”

I jogged along the shore with the fish’s movement, letting it drag me toward the bay. After only a few seconds, I reached the edge of the ocean. I planted my feet down against the shoreline, enjoying the feel of the rocks beneath my bare feet. The reel continually spun, taking more and more line out. I glanced down at it, furrowing my brow; at least half of its length was gone.

Something had to change. I had to make a move, lest the fish spool me. What could I do, though? I hadn’t tightened the drag because I feared the line would snap. I’d hoped the fish would tire, expending too much of its energy to sustain the fight for long... but that clearly wasn’t the case. Despite how far each kick of its tail took it, the movements seemed almost calm, ponderous. I instinctively knew it could keep this pace all day, if not indefinitely.

As if in answer to my predicament, a strand of chi called out to me. I cocked my head to the side, not entirely understanding. It wasn’t that I couldn’t tell where it originated—just the opposite. I knew exactly where it was: right within my grasp. The hair-thin, almost undetectable strand of power flowed from the handle of my fishing rod to the tip, then folded back on itself, flowing down. When it hit the reel, it deviated, flowing up and around before rejoining the rod. In my mind’s eye, I could trace every single fluctuation of the insubstantial chi.

A ghostly hand reached out in my periphery, and as it approached, I recognised it. Maria gripped my shoulder, shaking me softly.

“What’s up?” I asked, opening my eyes and blinking against the harsh midday sun.

“The line!” She pointed at my reel. “It’s almost gone and you’re just standing there!”

I glanced back down at my reel, seeing only a quarter of the line remaining as the bearing within screamed in protest. I gave Maria an exaggerated pout. “Like you’ve never experienced cosmic insight that took every ounce of your attention before.”

“... what?”

I laughed, unable to help myself at the look of unabashed bewilderment on her face as she glanced between me and the diminishing line.

“Check this shit out.” I winked at her. “I’m about to exert some real main-character energy.”

I lowered the rod, bent my knees, and opened up the gate to my power. Only a trickle came out, because that was all I needed. It flowed up my torso, down my arms, and into the rod, joining with the chi already dwelling there. To my magical senses, it was the equivalent of pouring petrol onto a fire. The lines of chi flared, exalting at the source of fuel. Though impossible for the eye to see, I could feel the power it granted. I guided the strands, sending them spiraling down toward the reel. When they got there, I urged them further on. They exited the reel to touch the line. What I’d hoped for was there: a strand of chi, too thin for me to sense, already existed within the line. My power joined the existing strand, flowing into the line still spooled, then shooting off into the water at incredible speed.

... even faster than the fish, I thought, a grin coming to my face.

“Fischer.”

“Yes, Maria?”

“You said you were gonna do some main-character shit, but you’re just standing there, hunched over and smiling like a goofball.”

“A cute goofball?”

“Yes, fine! A cute goofball! What are you doing?”

“I’m charging up,” I replied, only half paying attention. “As all good protagonists do.”

The reel was still whirring away, more and more of the line disappearing into the blue depths. I doubled the amount of chi pouring from me, increasing the speed it rocketed down toward the hook. Hundreds of meters of line were empowered, but still my chi shot along its length. There were only a few layers of line left on the reel, and it wasn’t slowing.

Maria sputtered, gesturing wildly at the reel. “It’s going to spool you!”

The reel kept going; there was only one layer of line left now. The chi wound through the bay, ever trailing the fish. With a feeling like finally scratching an itch, it reached the hook, taking only a fraction of a second to encompass it. With less than ten lengths of line still wrapping the reel, I tightened the drag all the way and pulled up. The hooked fish, feeling its passage come to an immediate halt, panicked. It redoubled its efforts, finally kicking as hard as it could to get away, to escape the trap I’d caught it in. I half expected the line to snap despite the strengthening, but with each powerful sweep of the fish’s tail that the line withstood, my confidence grew.

I started retrieving line, my hand winding as I pumped the rod up and down, reducing strain with the rod’s flexible body. The fish’s attempted flight only intensified, the creature’s sweeping kicks of its tail becoming sporadic. I was just getting used to the tempo of our battle when it shifted. The fish darted to the side, trying a different angle of escape. I grinned, knowing it to be fruitless, but then my hubris came back to bite me. My left foot slipped out from under me, sending me crashing backward toward the rocks. My enhanced awareness was a curse, letting me experience each agonizing moment in vivid detail. The moment I crashed down, I would either be dragged into the water or have to let go of the rod.

There was only one option that would let me keep my prized fishing rod: I’d have to get dragged into the water, then sever my line.

All of this work, all the insights I’d gained, all to lose the fight in such a disappointing manner. I arced further downward, the sun coming into view above as my head tilted back. I could cast the line out again, sure, but what were the chances I even encountered this fish again? My one chance with an unknown leviathan, and I’d lost the opportunity because of slick rocks and my penchant for going barefoot. A small smile came to my face. It was funny, really. Just as I began to come to terms with the reality of it, firm arms caught me. They lifted me up, a slight frame coming to rest at my back as the arms drew me higher. Confused at finding myself upright, I glanced down.

Maria.

Well, her arms, to be specific. They were wrapped around my torso, her body braced against mine.

“You know,” she said, “I had half a mind to let you fall because of how cryptic you were being, but then I’d never see what kind of fish that is.”

A laugh of sheer relief and joy bubbled up from my throat, shaking my chest. “I fracking love you.”

“Right back at you, ya cute lil goofball.” She squeezed me tighter, leaning back with all of her weight. “Now make it up to me by catching that fish and showing me what it is!”

With my feet once more on solid ground and Maria supporting me from behind, the battle resumed. As I pumped the rod and wound the reel, the fish fought with renewed vigor. Each length of line was hard earned, and by the time a quarter of it was wrapped around the reel, sweat beaded my forehead. When I had retrieved half of the line, sweat streamed down my face.

After months of having a body that never tired, it felt almost alien to experience exhaustion. Waves of it radiated from my core, making the cause clear: my use of chi. I suspected it wasn’t the amount, but rather the mental control it took to shape the strands and keep them bound to the line. Wiping my forehead on my sleeve to clear some of the sweat, I wound even faster.

The fish swam from side to side with erratic movements, each sweep of its body sending it shooting forward. Back and forth, it tried every angle of escape until suddenly, its movements slowed, then stopped completely. Whatever was hooked became deadweight, making me wonder what happened. I stood up straight, not needing to brace my legs anymore.

“What is it?” Maria asked, letting go of my torso and leaning around to look at me.

“I stopped moving...”

I kept pumping my arms, fearing that it had somehow slipped the hook onto debris and gotten away. As it approached the shore, I held my breath, knowing I should have caught sight of at least a flash of silver by now. Maria leaned forward, as did Pelly and Claws, everyone silent as we tried to spot anything within the water. A shadow formed, long and sleek. I squinted, moving my head side to side in an attempt to work out what I was seeing.

Finally, a flash of silver came, larger than any before it.

“Holy shit...” Maria cursed.

A beast of a fish was on its side, only two meters from shore. Its tail kicked, but the movements were so slight and sluggish I couldn’t feel them. A few heartbeats later, it was at the rocky shore. I bent down, swallowing as my eyes were drawn into it.

Mature Bluefathom Tuna

Rare

Found in the deep waters of the Kallis Realm, this fish is prized for both sport and the quality of its flesh. Its raw meat is considered a delicacy among all who have tried it.

“It’s... wow,” Maria said, bringing me back to the present. “It’s so big...”

I nodded. It was longer than I was.

“Help me, would you?” I asked, but before she could respond, its body rose.

I was dumbfounded for a moment as its humongous body—longer and wider than me—lifted right out of the water. But then I caught sight of the creature beneath it. Pistachio, his thick legs easily clambering up the side of the rocky shore, placed the fish on the ground. I bent, gave him a fistbump and a nod of thanks, then immediately dispatched the fish. Its struggle ceased immediately, the massive body going still.

“What happened to it?” Maria asked. “Why did it suddenly stop fighting?”

Seeing the type of fish it was, I understood.

“It’s a tuna—they need to swim forward to breathe, so they rarely survive being caught.”

“Oh... so when you started bringing it back to shore, it couldn’t breathe anymore?”

“Basically, yeah...”

We stared down at the fish for a long moment, all humbled by the size of the thing. Pelly had the best reaction. Her head bent down so close that her eye was almost touching it. Her bill opened and closed silently, stunned as she was by its form.

“Well...” I said, turning toward Maria with a grin. “If this doesn’t work as bribery, I don’t know what will.”

She locked eyes with me, a satisfied smile coming to her face.

I rubbed the top of Claws’s head. “Would you mind getting everyone?”

She chirped, saluted, then exploded into action, her muscles wreathed in lightning as she shot from sight.

I lay my hands on the fish’s torso, closing my eyes and taking a moment to thank it. I had taken its life, but we’d make use of every last bit of its body. The flesh would sustain us just as the frame and skin would fertilize the plants of the forest.

“Thanks, mate,” I whispered, letting my gratitude flow.

I stood, stretching my arms toward the sky.

“Can you carry it, Pistachio?”

He nodded, and Maria and I helped get it onto his back before we made our way toward the campfire. Exhaustion lingered in my body, making my limbs feel heavy.

I ignored it—I had a feast to prepare.