Book 2: Chapter 18: Congregation


    The night’s cold air lingered within the woodworking shop. It was punctuated by the scents of unknown woods andcquers, a soothing yet unfamiliar mix. Ayer of shavingsy scattered over the floor beneath Gary, and he stared down at them, not trusting himself to mask the emotions roiling within him.


    The moment Barry had mentioned “dealing” with the cksmiths, fear had bloomed, trailed swiftly by a cloying sense of unease. The silence within the room thickened the air, and his stomach churned, twisted.


    Barry sighed.


    “Knowing what they do, we can’t let them be.”


    Gary’s eyes flicked up, scanning the surrounding congregation.


    What he found made hisst flicker of hope die.


    He had expected someone to voice their concern, to rail against the condemnation of two innocent men. Instead, eptance was stered across the faces of everyone present. Some even nodded, physically dering theirisance.


    “The only question is,” Sue said, “who is going to do it?”


    Despite himself, Gary’s head shot toward her. A woman who had always seemed so kind in their meetings, yet she was so easily agreeing to something so heinous. He stared at her, his incredulity overriding the fear of what he’d gotten himself into.Noticing him, she stared back, tilting her head to the side.


    “What’s wrong?”


    Everyone turned to look at him. There were only eight others present, but they may as well have been an entire vige for how their gazes made him feel. Beneath the weight of their eyes, something within him snapped: his self preservation faltered, and he stood taller, bracing himself for what was toe.


    “I can’t go along with this. It’s despicable, and if you’re going to be ‘dealing’ with innocent vigers, I regret ever agreeing to join you.”


    He closed his eyes and extended his head.


    “Please do it quickly.”


    Seconds that felt like minutes passed by, and he squeezed his eyes tight, knowing the death-blow woulde at any moment.


    “Gary...” Sue said. “What do you think Barry meant when he said they had to be dealt with?”


    Gary cracked an eye, seeing her head cocked to the side and eyebrows furrowed.


    He set his jaw and doubled down.


    “You intend to kill them, and for what? Knowing information? I can’t stand by and be...”


    He trailed off as Sue covered her mouth and her eyes crinkled in... was that amusement? He nced around the room, seeing faces transform.


    “What’s so funny?”


    Sue’s entire body shook, and in the time it took for his resolute defiance to change into sheer iprehension, the entire room was racked withughter. The worst were the two woodworkers who leaned on each other for support, and Sue, who was still cackling like a madwoman.


    “Gary...” Barry stepped forward and took a deep breath, banishing his mirth. “We aren’t going to hurt them.”


    Gary opened his mouth to respond, but closed and opened it a few more times before the words came.


    “You’re… you’re not?”


    “No,” Brad replied, wiping a tear from his eye. “We’re not.”


    “What are you going to do, then? What does ‘dealing’ with someone mean?”


    Barry gave him a kind smile.


    “We’re going to ask them to join us, Gary. They’ve seen Fischer make things and we know they harbor suspicions about his nature—they said as much to Brad and Greg.”


    The woodworking brothers nodded, and seeing as though Greg was still lost in a fit of silentughter, Brad spoke.


    “We’re pretty close. They asked us the other night if Fischer’s creations in our shop had transformed. Naturally, we yed dumb—”


    “I yed dumb,” Greg corrected. “You were just being yourself.”


    Brad pped his brother on the back of the head, which only made Greg’s smile spread wider.


    “The point being,” Brad continued, “that they suspect Fischer, and rather than try to convince them otherwise, we’d like to invite them to join the church. They’re good blokes, as Fischer would say.”


    Barry nodded.


    “What we meant by ‘dealing’ with them is how we’ll tell them.”


    “And who will tell them,” Sue added.


    Gary blinked at them for a long moment—then he startedughing too. His worries were washed away, reced by tion and relief. Tears came to his eyes and he wiped them away with an arm.


    “There’s one more thing,” Barry said. “I was going to surprise you at the end of the meeting, but I suppose now is as good a time as any.”


    “Oh?” he said, stillughing at himself. “What’s that?”


    “Oh, you know—nothing major.” Barry grinned. “I just wanted to know if you were ready to be a cultivator.”


    ***


    With the afternoon sun beating down and a strong current sweeping to the north, I ced myst boulder for the day.


    As I sat on the ocean floor and waited for the crustaceans to join me, I watched the movement of baitfish. A curious eel even peeked its head out from between rocks as I waited, bringing a smile to my face.


    Pistachio lumbered forward first, his streamline body easily hunkering down against the current. He ced his boulder at the end of the line and blew a single, questioning bubble. I pointed to the shore, indicating that we were done for the day. Pistachio nodded and joined me, also watching the fish with curious eyes.


    When Rocky and Snips approached, I couldn’t help butugh. A cloud of bubbles escaped my throat, and Rocky spun to re at me. Snips was on the other side of the boulder they held, pushing it forward. With the force of her and the sweeping ocean behind it, Rocky was stumbling and struggling to keep it upright.


    His re never left me, and I just smiled back at him; something about the animositying from such a cute little crab just tickled me pink.


    He and Snips put the boulder down, and seeing me and Pistachio waiting for them, Snips swam over andtched onto my arm. She blew content bubbles, and I rubbed the top of her head as I strode toward the shore. I held my other hand out, offering for Rocky to join. He crossed his forews and turned away from me, showing me his back as he scuttled from the water.


    I hauled myself up to the rocky heand to be greeted by a flock of seagulls. They squawked and crooned at our arrival as those closest to us took flight,nding further away from our position. I couldn’t me them—if I was a bird and a giant lobster crawled from the ocean, I’d probably freak out too.


    Not for the first time, I considered feeding one some fish and having it awaken. As with the previous times, I dismissed it almost immediately. I pictured a sapient seagull with the ability to demand chippies, and a shiver ran down my spine.


    <em>Talk about annoying...</em>


    The seagulls had begun posturing and positioning against one another, some bending down and making a grunting noise as they challenged others for their spot on the rocks. I watched them for a long moment, enjoying their belligerence.


    Perhaps because he wanted to assert his dominance, or perhaps because he was just as belligerent, Rocky joined the fray. He scuttled at them with his ws held high and cking chaotically. He didn’t use his explosive ability, so I let him go.


    <em>Maybe he won’t be so angsty all the time if he burns off some energy...</em>


    Snips shook her head at her subordinate, and Iy a reassuring hand atop her head.


    “He’s a handful, huh?”


    She nodded gravely and blew bubbles of resignation.


    A wind kicked up, and my body shook as it wicked the water from my skin. I walked to my towel and started drying off, never taking my eyes from the battle between the persistent birds and a single angry crab.


    ***


    By the time I finished drying myself, the seagulls had won the war of attrition.


    No matter how many times Rocky chased them down, cking away with his pincers, the seagulls would just fly five meters away and begin the battle anew. After only a minute or two, power swelled with his ws, but before he could m his cker closed and turn the birds into nuggets, Snips attacked. She flew at him, put a w under his carapace, andunched him out toward the horizon with practiced ease.


    <em>“Eeee—</em>” was all Rocky could get out before he was forcefully ejected from hearing range.


    “Damn, Snips—that throwing arm of yours is getting better.”


    She preened, puffing her body up and shimmying in delight at my praise.


    The show of strength was enough for the gulls, and they all took flight, letting the southerly wind blow them north. They sailed high over Tropica, heading further beyond the vige.


    “How long do you think it’ll take him to get back?”


    She shrugged, clearly not caring.


    “Well, it’s no matter—I was going to make us some dinner regardless. I suppose we can just save some for him...”


    At my mention of dinner, both Snips and Pistachio perked up, so I grinned down at them.


    “Would you like fish or sand crab for dinner?”


    ***


    “That was a silly question,” I mused. “Of course they’d choose both.”


    I stood on the river’s shore as my animal pals tended the fire. Both of my feet were nted in the cold sand, and I dug them further in. The sun was setting over the western mountains, lending orange and pink pastel hues to the sky. Scattered clouds above were tinged with the colors and as I gazed up at them, a sense of ease settled over me.


    I held one finger to the line and waited patiently for a fish to bite.


    With my eyes closed, I leaned further into the present moment. The strong wind was whipping up waves, and as they crashed into the heand just to the left of me, water sprayed up and into my legs. I focused on their kiss as they flicked into me, their cool touch the antithesis of the warmth my upper body felt beneathyers of clothing. My sense of ease turned to contentment and I smiled out at the world.


    Something bumped my line.


    My eyes flew open. They took a moment to focus on the rod before me, and just as they did, the fish took another nibble. I leaned forward and tensed my arms, ready should the fish eat the hook.


    <em>Bump.</em>


    <em>Bump. Bump.</em>


    There was a big tug, but it ended before I could set the hook. I waited, my excitement making patience almost impossible to grasp.


    Just as I was starting to think the fish had dislodged the bait, it returned.


    My rod bent down as the fish ate the hook. I lifted the pole just enough to keep tension, and anticipation bubbled up from within. The fish felt big, but nothing sorge as to give my improved body and System-enhanced rod any issue. It took small runs to either side, but I reeled it in with ease, never once losing line or my position on the sand.


    As the fish came closer to shore, I leaned forward, peering down into the water and trying to catch a glimpse. A sh of silver, then the fish swam down, making onest desperate attempt to get away. I reeled and lifted the rod, and its body became visible once more. Even before I hauled it from the river, I knew what it was, and I smiled down at it.


    With a flick of the bamboo pole, the fish was up on the shore.


    <strong>Mature Cichlid</strong>


    <strong>Umon</strong>


    <strong>Found in the fresh and brackish waters of the Kallis Realm, this fish is a staple source of both food and bait.</strong>


    I bent and grasped the fish in one hand, dispatched it swiftly with the other, then held up the sizable cichlid.


    It was short and fat, justrger than Rocky’s body. It was equal in size to the biggest I’d caught so far.


    I bounced on my heels, unable to stay still. Despite it being tied with my personal best, the fight told me just how much my fishing ability had improved; where before I’d had to let out line and move along the shore to stop the fish from escaping, catching this one had been a walk in the park. I knew I had a quantifiable skill level now, but seeing the improvement from one catch to another was undeniable proof of my progression.


    I turned to grab my knife, but jolted back when I saw what stood behind me.


    “<em>W-whoa!</em>”


    The creature startled at my exmation and leaned back, but with its eyes locked on my catch, it soon stretched its neck forward again.


    “You want my fish, huh?”


    The wild animal,pletely unaware of what I was saying, merely watched the fish and waited for the chance to steal it.