Heretical Fishing: A Cozy Guide to Annoying the Cults, Outsmarting the Fish, and Alienating Oneself

I furrowed my brow as I continued feeling the world with my chi, focusing it right on the spot where the shack had been.

All that remained of it now was a divot in the earth, covered by remnant... were they ashes? Rotten fibers? I rubbed some of the decaying material between my fingers, the texture gritty, porous, and... oily? Whatever the toxic chi had turned the wood into, it was decidedly unpleasant.

I went to rub it on my leg, but caught myself just in time. “Wouldn’t wanna ruin a good set of pants...”

It had only taken an hour or so to go back to Barry and let him know what I’d found in the clearing. Thankfully, Ellis had been running an experiment with the smiths, so I’d been able to make a clean getaway without too many questions. Even now, the former archivist might be on his way here.

I had better hurry, then... I thought, smiling despite my surroundings.

I sent my chi flooding out, dissipating the shield I had been covering my body with. I was ready to reform it at a moment’s notice, but there was no need; the thick ropes of essence flowing from me were too strong for the toxic chi to get close to my body. I scanned the entire area in a fraction of a second, and as the results flooded into my awareness, I peered straight down, raising an eyebrow. The source of the corruption felt like it was below me, buried beneath the ground where the shack had been.

“What is that...?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.

I honed in on it as a new fear emerged; had the cultivator or spirit beast retreated underground, burrowing their way to safety?

But... no. There was no core there, neither beast nor human present. There was, however, a disgustingly potent dose of the acidic chi, and I felt it lashing out at my pure essence, trying to consume it.

I snorted at its attempt. The little pocket of chi down there might be anathema to life, but it was pitifully weak. I poured a mere fraction of my core out. As I did, I pictured rays of light glowing from me, burning away all that was unwholesome. It was over in the blink of an eye, and a sense of unease I wasn’t aware of fell away as the corruption was cleansed. With the blight gone, the forest air seemed to rush in, swirling into the vacuum left behind.

“Huh,” I said after taking a deep breath of the now-sweet air. “That was easy. Should’ve done it earlier.”

I looked around, smiling as the world seemed right once more. I turned, crouched, and leaped, soaring over the forest.

I had some fishin’ to do.

***

When Solomon could breathe again, he took a shuddering gasp of air.

He expected it to sting. To burn as though his very lungs were aflame. His hole in the ground was still filled with haze, but inhaling it only made his throat tingle a little. The reality of the situation slowly settled over him as he felt his body’s sensations.

He had been healed, if that word could even cover the extent of his transformation. It had all happened so fast. One moment, he had been poisoned from within, cursed with the knowledge that his own chi was destroying him. The next, a force of nature had forced its way into his core and cauterized the corruption. Now that he was fixed, Solomon could continue taking steps on the path of ascension. He could become the embodiment of the Alchemist of prophecy. But that didn’t seem so important anymore, because he had just encountered a being that, given time, would become true divinity.

From that flash of power, something that could have only been seconds, Solomon had gleaned all he needed to know about the being that had purified him. Because of the haze filling the underground pocket of air that Solomon occupied, the stranger, an ascendent of unimaginable power, hadn’t noticed him. Despite this, the stranger’s chi had sought him out and… fixed him.

That was easy, the man had said. Should’ve done it earlier...

When Solomon recalled how the man’s essence felt, a faint smile came to his face. It had been... pure. The antithesis of the acidic chi radiating from Solomon and poisoning the surrounding forest. He had been terrified when it first happened, but the longer he was exposed to the other man’s light, the more certain he became that the man wished him no ill will.

Now that he was healed, he considered bursting up from the ground and pursuing the stranger. Part of him wanted to chase him down and thank him profusely, but the more primitive parts of his brain, those that were focused on self-preservation, urged caution. If the seemingly benevolent man was aware that Solomon had been the source of the corruption, would he be so kind?

Solomon shook his head softly. No. There was much more to consider before he did something so brazen. How did this man’s existence slot in with Solomon’s understanding of the long-departed gods and their lingering wills? All the signs that he had attributed to the residual power of beings long departed—was it possible that he had been wrong...?

Beneath the now-cleansed forest, breathing a haze that no longer hurt his throat, Solomon’s enhanced mind began unwinding the threads of all he knew, so numerous they were uncountable.

***

By the time I arrived back in the clearing it was almost midday, and I only had a single thought on my mind.

“Thank the gods,” Maria said, hugging me. “What happened? Are you oka—”

“Howmanyfishdidyoucatchwithoutme?” I blurted, unable to contain the words.

Maria blinked up at me as I took a steadying breath, the rest of my brain catching up to the surroundings. Her lips formed a line and she slapped my chest, not hard enough to hurt me but enough to convey her annoyance. “Are you serious? You leave me behind to go chase some vague threat, then come back and ask about fishing?”

The corner of Deklan and Dom’s mouths curled up, but when I narrowed my eyes at them, they became acutely interested in the surrounding trees.

I held up my hands as I returned my attention to Maria. “Okay, valid criticism, but you know I’m a simple man. Besides,” I waved a hand. “It wasn’t a problem.” I quickly explained all that had happened.

Maria rested her head on my chest, a slight shiver running down her back. “I wonder what it was that ascended? Some poor beetle or something?”

I shrugged. “No clue. I couldn’t find the faintest hint of any life. Whatever it was, I’m guessing it was immediately consumed by the acidic chi.”

Maria shivered again, stronger this time. “That doesn’t bode well for the rest of the world, does it?”

I rubbed her back. “It’ll be fine. Barry is having the Buzzy Boys and our pelican pals scour the area for now. We can worry about it when we get back. Which means…”

“There’s only one thing for us to do,” Deklan said, shooting his brother a knowing look.

“I reckon you’re right,” Dom agreed, a grin slowly spreading over his face.

I nodded. “Whatever we do from here out, finishing my quest is the quickest path to improvement we have. And even if cooking a bunch of alligator gar doesn’t help finish the quest, feeding everyone a bunch of chi-filled fish might lead to a breakthrough or two.”

Maria cleared her throat and released me from her hug. “I suppose you’re right...”

When I spotted the twinkle in her eye, I barked a laugh. “Don’t play coy. You’re just as keen as we are to do some fishing. Speaking of, you never answered me. Did you catch many while I was gone...?”

She shook her head, loose strands of hair bouncing across her glowing cheeks. “No. It didn’t feel right doing it without you, so we spent the morning getting your esky-wagon-whatever ready.”

I raised an eyebrow, but she didn’t elaborate, just pointing at yesterday’s construction. I strode over and lifted the lid, finding the bottom absolutely covered in a layer of ice bricks. They fit together perfectly, only thin lines betraying that it wasn’t a single sheet.

“Damn. How did you get them so flush?”

“Teddy and Borks,” Maria answered, our bear pal blushing beneath his thick fur while Borks oozed pride. “They packed snow into bricks.”

I grinned at my fuzzy palls. “You guys are the best. Thank you.”

“So, the esky is ready to go,” Maria said, shooting a furtive glance toward the water. “All that’s left is to catch the fish…”

Without another word, we raced for our rods, all keen on being the first with a line in the water.

The day sped by in a pleasant blur, and after only a few hours, I’d stopped counting how many I’d caught. The early afternoon had arrived, and as the sun beamed down on my lower legs, it seemed to warm my very soul. I closed my eyes and smiled at the world, only opening them when another fish tried to tear off with my bait.

The fight was over not long after, and as I passed the alligator gar off to Teddy so he could put it in the mobile esky, he gestured for me to follow him. Raising an eyebrow, I plodded behind him, the air growing cooler as I moved beneath the canopy. Teddy cracked the lid and I peered inside.

My jaw dropped open. “Woah. It’s already full...?”

Teddy nodded, almost apologetically.

I reached out and rubbed his head, trying to reassure him despite the fact he had nothing to be sorry for. “We were even more productive than I thought. Thanks for letting me know, buddy.”

Engrossed as everyone else was with fishing, they hadn’t heard our conversation.

“Tools down!” I yelled, playing foreman. I got a series of confused looks in return, making me snort. “Don’t catch any more fish! We don’t have any more room in the esky.”

This only deepened their confusion.

“Wait, you’re serious?” Maria asked. “It’s full?”

“As full as my heart when I spot an entrancing young lady on the streets of Tropica—” I went full matrix, leaning backward to dodge the pebble pelted my way. “I meant you!” I laughed, shooting her a wink as she gave me an exaggerated pout.

“Fish on!” Deklan yelled, his rod bending in half.

“Bro...” Dom said, shaking his head. “Why did you leave your line in?”

“I was retrieving it!”

I rolled my eyes playfully, having already seen the slow retrieve Deklan was doing, my lackadaisical pal clearly hoping this exact scenario would play out.

“It’s fine,” I said. “Just don’t catch any more after that one.”

Deklan easily fought it back to shore, and without even removing it from the lake’s water, he unhooked it and let it go, smiling to himself as it returned to the depths.

“Thanks, fishy,” he whispered to himself, watching it go.

“Okay, gang,” I said when I had their attention once more. “Looks like we’re good to go. Should we head off now?”

“As keen as I am to spend another night camping,” Maria said, “I’m even more excited to get back and cook up a feast for everyone.”

The brothers both nodded, and as one, we started dismantling the basic camp. Within minutes, we were ready to go. After giving the area one last scan for anything we’d missed, I gazed out at the lake. Everyone came to join me, settling into a comfortable silence as the calm waters drew us in. A soft breeze blew, rustling the surrounding leaves.

“This was a lovely little trip,” Maria said, resting a head on my shoulder.

The brothers grunted in agreement and Borks let out an affirmative ruff, wagging his tail.

I cast a gaze Teddy’s way. “Did you enjoy your first vacation, buddy?”

He’d been transfixed by the lake, and when he slowly swiveled my way, he gave me a slight nod, still entirely too polite.

I rubbed his massive head. “Good. There will be plenty more in the future.” I turned, striding for the wagon. “Let’s get going.”

After an hour, we’d covered kilometers of ground, trees racing past as I maneuvered the wagon through them. With my power, I was able to match everyone else’s pace. Surprisingly, I found it just as relaxing as when I was fishing earlier. I easily slipped into the rhythm, my body seeming to move of its own accord as I weaved to and fro beneath the trees. Seeking to stretch my capabilities, I sent my chi ahead of us, sensing where the trunks grew more sparse. I separated from the others for short distances, but I always returned, winding back toward them when the forest allowed.

“Stop showing off,” Maria said, trying and failing to appear annoyed.

I just shot her a wink and gave her my best grin. We were halfway there now, and we’d be home well before dark, leaving us plenty of time to prepare and cook—

Subtle as a hammer to the spine, a presence exploded into my awareness. I skidded to a stop, my eyes going wide as I faced the west. Within the blink of an eye, everyone came to my side.

“What is it?” Maria asked, her voice laden with worry as she looked around.

“Something far away,” I said, my nostrils flaring.

If the acidic chi earlier was poison, whatever I felt was the equivalent of nuclear radiation. I hoped that my initial reaction was wrong, and that it would resolve into something more benign. It didn’t.

“It’s... evil,” I said, clenching my jaw and fighting off a wave of nausea.

Worse, it was powerful. I could feel it from so far away. Was it a person? A spirit beast? An—

A spear of terror jabbed my core as the anomaly appeared on the other side of me. I whirled, facing the east. Facing Tropica...

Everyone else felt it this time, because they spun at the same time as I did. My skin prickled with its proximity, beads of sweat sprouting from my forehead.

Whoever or whatever it was, they had come.