Heretical Fishing

Book 2: Chapter 15: Quartered

The world was upside down, and Corporal claws gazed out at it.

She rested on her head at the base of the light-blue tree, a cooked crab clutched tight, and her back feet dangling above her, twitching of their own accord. No matter how many times she blinked, the scene didn’t change.

She rolled over slowly, her eyes not once leaving the twin leaves that grew from a mound of churned soil. She left the offering of crab at the base of the tree and padded over to the disturbed patch of earth. She circled the seedling, not seeing any defects or damage. She was a blur as she sprinted around the tree, checking on each of the seeds.

Each of them had germinated; their leaves and stalks were a vibrant green—a testament to their health.

She looked back at the tree and the crab she’d left beneath it. Roots extended from the ground and plunged between gaps in the crab’s carapace, and the tree’s leaves twitched and vibrated in what appeared to be delight.

Claws held a paw to the firm trunk, chirped her thanks for the tree’s hard work, then dashed away toward the sand, her mouth spread in a wide smile.

***

“How did you go, Claws?” I asked as she returned.

She chirped joyously and sat in the shade beside me, not elaborating on her mission.

Returning to the present, I started cutting the crabs into sections. After releasing the females, we had fifteen crabs—a veritable feast. I pressed down lightly on the sections of crab, cracking shell and exposing the meat within.

“What are you doing?” Maria asked, her face alight with curiosity.

I grinned back at her.

“I’ll show you in a moment.”

I strode to the campfire and removed the large pot I’d put atop it. With my nose above its opening, the scents of butter, garlic, a mild hint of chili, and onion rose up to greet me. My mouth immediately began watering, and I set the pot down on the sand.

“I cut the crab and broke the shell so the butter can get in and suffuse the meat with its flavors.”

Maria leaned in to smell the steam rising from the pot. Her face softened, and she let out a sigh.

“Okay—that smells divine. How long does it need to cook in the butter for?”

“That’s the best part—it doesn’t.”

I reached in with tongs and removed the first chunk of crab. It was a large forequarter, and golden liquid streamed from the front claw as I lifted it from the mixture. I put it on a plate, which I passed to Maria.

“I already added salt to the butter pot, but feel free to add more to your taste.”

I took out more sections, passing one to Snips, Claws, Pistachio, and Rocky. The latter raised a buttery leg to his mouth, but Snips slapped him on the back of his head before he could bite into it.

I removed another and placed it on a plate before me, then flicked a stalk of cane to Cinnamon, who caught it midair and started chewing without delay.

“Dig in, guys—you didn’t have to wait.”

“Food tastes better when eaten together,” Maria replied, pulling a claw apart with her hands. She lifted the white meat to her mouth and bit down. Her entire body relaxed, like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders, and she let out a soft mmmm.

My animal pals crunched down, their eyes fervent and movement harried.

I couldn’t wait any longer.

With my mouth watering and body demanding, I removed the tip of a claw and bit into the crab’s white, buttery flesh.

The butter exploded throughout my mouth, and the garlic joined it to lead the charge. The hint of smoky paprika and onion followed the advance, dancing and weaving behind the more-pronounced tastes. As my tastebuds became accustomed to the rest of the flavors, the crab’s meat made itself known. The flesh was subtle yet undeniable, bringing with it a unique umami that raised the entire experience from enjoyable to otherworldly.

No one said a word as we continued eating. Sounds of carapace cracking, the slurping of meat, and my animal pals’ loud chewing were the only sounds that one could hear, but even they were hard to notice with how all-encompassing the meal’s flavors were. Each time someone finished their bit of crab, I’d pass them another, and before I knew it, I was passing the last chunk of crab to Pistachio.

The giant lobster brought the quartered crab to his mouth and chomped a claw whole. His mouth undulated as he chewed and ground down the food.

“Alright, Fischer.” Maria sucked the tips of her fingers, then leaned back, her mouth spreading into a content smile. “I changed my mind—that was the best meal I’ve ever had.”

“You seem to keep saying that...” I narrowed my eyes at her playfully. “I’m starting to think you’re lying to save my feelings.”

She snorted.

“It’s not my fault you keep outdoing yourself. I swear your food gets better and more delicious every time you make me something...”

I willed the System notifications to show—they had nudged me halfway through the meal, but I’d ignored it.

You have advanced to cooking 32!

You have advanced to fishing 38!

“Well, thank you,” I replied, pushing the notifications away. “I would cook for you regardless—there’s something so rejuvenating about making food for others, but it’s even more rewarding when it’s appreciated.”

“‘Appreciated’ may be an understatement. I can’t imagine going back to not eating seafood.”

I arched an eyebrow and let out my best evil-antagonist chuckle.

“The plan to turn you into a heretic is coming together.”

She shook her head and smiled at me before closing her eyes and laying down.

Snips scuttled over lazily and leaned against my leg, blowing happy little bubbles as she closed her eye. Claws leaned against Maria, and Cinnamon sat atop the otter, extending a paw to touch Maria’s knee. Never one to turn down a good midday nap, I lay back.

The sand was cool against my exposed neck, and before I knew it, sleep took me.

I woke with the sun high in the sky, a content sleepiness blanketed over me, and a crab blowing joyous bubbles from atop my chest.

“Mornin’, Snips,” I said through a yawn, covering my mouth.

“Afternoon, technically,” Maria said, bending at the waist to look me in the eye.

Her hair hung down around her face, and her freckles shifted as she gave me a stunning grin. A soft breeze kicked up, swaying the strands of her sun-kissed hair in a hypnotic pattern. Despite my half-awake state, heat rose to my face at the sight of her.

“What?” she asked, cocking her head to the side and somehow appearing even more adorable.

I would like to think that if my mind weren’t so addled, I’d have said something equal parts charming and endearing.

“How long did we sleep for?” I asked instead.

“An hour or so. I thought I should wake up so you wouldn’t be up all night.”

“Thank you.” Snips jumped from me as I stood and stretched, willing the lingering vestiges of sleep to leave my body. “I’m gonna keep moving boulders, but you can leave if you’d like.”

“And miss out on the finished product? Nice try!”

I rubbed the back of my head.

“I don’t think we’ll be able to finish it today...”

“Wait, what? How big is it going to be? I thought we just needed to add more layers of stone...”

“We’ve only done the first section—I intend for it to be a lot longer.”

“It’s going to be that big?” Rather than become disheartened, her face brightened at the news. “All the more reason to stay and help.” She flexed an arm, exaggerating the effort it took with a soft hnggg. “Your noodle arms will take too long to finish without the great Maria’s assistance.”

I barked a laugh, making her smile grow even wider.

“How could I turn down the great Maria?” I clapped her on the shoulder as I walked past. “I’ll have to rely on you.”

She nodded seriously and turned to my animal pals.

“Are you coming too? Fischer could use all the help he can get.”

Sergeant Snips hissed her agreement, Corporal Claws chirped and puffed out her chest, and Private Pistachio nodded his lumbering head. Rocky scratched his behind.

The sun warmed my back as we made our way back to the shore.

***

The forest air was damp and still, and as the sun climbed down from its peak in the sky, its warmth only increased the humidity.

The sun above, the rising temperature, and the birdsong coming from every direction were a welcome cascade of sensation for the ancient being within the light-blue tree—well, they should have been.

Despite being asleep for so long, and despite how enthralling the return of her awareness had every right to be, all of her attention was elsewhere.

The otter, that freshly ascendant creature, had delivered something previously unknown. In all her many, many years, she had never experienced this particular meal. Most of her memories were unreachable, likely locked away due to the lack of power in the surrounding world, yet she knew this as a fact.

She would have recalled partaking of such an odd creature.

Even more startling was the strength it held. As with fish caught by the cultivating human and delivered by the otter, the hard-shelled meal contained a staggering amount of power. Though it was small in volume, the chi was potent, immutable, and, most importantly, delicious.

Her thin roots penetrated the creature’s armor all over, piercing holes in the connective tissue between plates of carapace. She funneled the essence back to her core, where it circled and gathered. She transformed it to nature chi, which then flooded out and suffused the rest of her body.

As per the agreement, she had extended her network of roots to include the four seeds that surrounded her.

Already, they had germinated into seedlings. Even now, she felt their growth; they absorbed her nature chi like cracked and dried earth would soak up the first rains after a drought. Time blurred and lost all meaning as she continued feasting and channeling chi toward the four plants.

Something tugged at her awareness, and as she returned to the present, she realized the day was almost done. The sun’s warmth had depleted, and darkness was creeping into the clearing around her tree. She cast about the earth, trying to find what had tugged and pulled enough to rouse her.

Four points around her were calling out—the four seedlings, she realized. Something was happening, and she leaned toward all of them, trying to understand. She sent out a testing wave of chi, and the moment it left her core, they absorbed it entirely.

Confusion ran through her every fiber, so she sent out more, seeing what would happen. Again, the moment the chi left her, the sprouts absorbed it like sponges. Despite her lack of memory, she knew this to be... peculiar. Such young plants shouldn’t be able to hold so much, and they visibly grew each time she sent a pulse of power out toward them.

She shook her leaves to expend some nervous energy as she watched them and let out another trickle of nature chi. It was gone as soon as she let it out, and they grew once more. All four seedlings were now as tall as the otter, and more leaves had sprouted from their small yet sturdy stems.

She felt an impulse, and following her curiosity, she obliged. Rather than open the gates to her core, then close them after releasing a small burst of chi, she left the metaphorical gate open a crack, letting the trees absorb it directly.

The response was immediate.

They sucked at the essence, and she felt a growing understanding of them.

It was terrifying.

They were as bottomless pits, great yawning maws that could never be filled, no matter how much they devoured. With her curiosity assuaged, she tried to close the floodgates, but her core didn’t respond.

Panic surged through her as she tried again to close the door, but the seedlings held it open—the force with which they drew on her chi was too great. Sensing her attempt to push them out, their hunger increased, and they drew ever more on her reserves.

The gates to her core were thrown wide open, and they began consuming her very essence. She was getting torn apart in four distinct directions, and with one last desperate force of will, she tried to slam the doors to her very soul closed.

She failed; they tore her apart.