Heretical Fishing

Book 2: Chapter 2: Heretical Friends

Leroy's face was more than a little confused as he looked down at the tangle of tackle connected to my fishing rod.

I had the smaller rod with the sabiki rig attached. It had three lines running from the main one, each of which was tied to a small hook and metal offcut to attract baitfish. I'd bound a rock on the end of the main line, which was currently the object of Leroy's scrutiny.

"I understand what the hook is for, but what is this bit...?" he asked, pointing down at the rock.

"That's the sinker, mate. It helps you cast it out further and keeps the bait in place once it's in the water. This thing's called a sabiki rig, and in this case, if there wasn't a sinker attached, the different lines would get all tangled up the moment they hit the water. We probably wouldn't catch a single baitfish without it."

"... baitfish? Is that a type of fish?"

"Nah, mate. Baitfish refers to any of the smaller fish we use as bait to catch the bigger ones. I figured if I was going to teach you fishing, we'd start from the beginning. Actually, now that I think of it..."

With a deft movement, I cut one hook off with a knife.

"I think I should show you the knot. That way, if you're ever stranded in the wilderness with gear, you can create your own."

I took a length of line and showed him an 'improved cinch knot'.

***

"This is kinda cheating," I admitted as I slipped cuts of common eel onto the little hooks. "But we have the bait, so we may as well use it. See the short bits of metal attached near to the hooks' eyes?"

He nodded.

I moved one back and forth under the sun's rays; it shone with reflected light.

"You can use these without bait, and the fish will still bite, thinking it's the sun reflecting from a smaller fish's scales."

"I see..."

Leroy had mastered the knot after only a couple of tries, and I gave the one he'd re-tied a little tug as I put the eel on; it held firm. He'd also mastered the 'double uni knot' needed to tie the sabiki rig to my 'Bamboo Rod of the Fisher', the rod that had transformed when I'd attached my Alvey-esque reel. He could have just used the stick of bamboo the sabiki rig was previously attached to, but I wanted him to get practice with a proper reel before we tried fishing for something big.

"Alright, mate—it's ready to go."

He picked up the rod and flicked the reel into the open position, as I'd shown.

"Like this...?"

"Yep!"

He walked to the edge of the headland's rocky shore, pursed his lips in concentration, then flicked the line out into the water. It flew straight and hit the water with a soft plop.

Line continued to spool out, and he tried to flick the reel back into place, but it held firm.

"Other way," I said, reaching over and shifting it back into position.

"Oh—right. Sorry."

"No need to apologize—today's a day for learning. Reel in the loose line, and wait for a bite."

He did so, the serious expression never leaving his face.

Despite Leroy being the one fishing, the calm that always came with the act washed over me. The soft murmuring of waves lapping the shore, combined with the gouts of wind fitfully washing over my skin, made the corner of my lips tug up. I took a deep breath, and the salty air made the smile spread over my entire face.

"Gods above, I love it here, Leroy."

He glanced at me for only a moment before returning his attention to the rod, but I didn't miss the joy and anticipation coloring his features.

"The ocean is calming, isn't it? Even before they took me to the capital, I always found its movement and sounds soothing."

I raised an eyebrow at him.

"That's rather heretical of you to say, mate."

He snorted, then smirked at me.

"You're one to talk."

"Yeah, but you can't blame a heretic for also being a little hypocritical. I'm bound to have more than one personality red flag."

"... red flag?"

"Yeah, like a warning sign. For example, you’re fishing and enjoying yourself right now—major red flag to anyone of sound mind, mate."

"Well, lucky no-one of sound mind is here, then."

I nodded, trying to keep my face serious.

"Exactly. We heretical friends have to stick together—otherwise we'd never have anyone to talk to."

His smile turned wistful, and I immediately realized my mistake.

"Sorry, mate. I know it must be hard having to hide away from everyone..."

"It's fine, Fischer. I should be grateful to even be here, but if I'm being honest, it's a little hard not being able to walk around openly."

"Well, you're always welcome here. Consider my fence your fence—you can come hang with the awakened gang or do some fishing whenever you like."

A moment of silence stretched out before Leroy responded.

"Thank you, Fischer. That means more than you know."

"Don't mention it. You've been through a lot, and if there's anything else I can do, just let me know, yeah?"

He nodded, wiped a tear that was welling in his eye, breathed in sharply, then let it out with a slow sigh.

"Sorry. It's been... overwhelming."

I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed lightly.

"You're all good, mate. I'm gonna have to start up an apology jar—every time you apologize unnecessarily, you'll have to chuck a copper in."

He laughed and wiped his other eye, then shot me a coy look.

"Can I apologize for saying sorry too much, or that also an infrac—whoa!"

The rod's tip juggled as something bit. The fish was small, likely a juvenile cichlid from its size, but that didn't stop Leroy's eyes from going wide.

"What do I do?" he yelled, his voice anything but calm.

"Reel it in slowly. The fish thrashing might attract other fish to the other hooks on the—"

"Whoa!" Leroy yelled again, cutting me off as something much larger hit the line.

The rod bent down, tugged incessantly by the creatures beneath the water.

"Reel it in fast and keep the line tight! That's what we were looking for!"

Leroy wound the reel's handle, his body tense and shoulders hunched. I caught a flash of silver first, and as more of the line came from the water, I smiled at what had bitten down on the lowest hook.

"Flick it up on the shore."

He did so, and as I dashed for the creature, my eyes were drawn into it.

Common Eel

Common

Found in the brackish waters of the Kallis Realm, this eel’s flesh has high oil content and a strong scent, making it unpalatable food but excellent bait.

As my vision cleared, I picked the eel up and removed my trusty nail.

"If you spike its brain right here, Leroy, it'll... uh, Leroy? You alright?"

His gaze was distant, but then his eyes snapped to me.

"What is it...?" I asked as I dispatched the eel, not wanting it to suffer more than was necessary.

"The System just spoke to me..."

"Wait, what?"

I unhooked the juvenile cichlid and threw it back into the water, then looked at Leroy.

"What did it say?"

"Yeah... my eyes were just kind of, I don't know, pulled into it? It gave me a description of the common eel."

"Oh, yeah—it does that. You've never seen that before?"

"No..."

"What about the rod? Have you tried looking at it?"

He scrunched his forehead and raised it to his face.

"Nothing?" I asked.

"Not yet..."

He pulled it closer, going cross-eyed and trembling with the effort—I couldn't help but laugh. I focused on the rod, checking I still had the ability to inspect it.

Bamboo Rod of the Fisher

Rare

A bamboo rod paired with an iron-wood reel. This fishing rod provides boosts to both fishing and luck.

+10 fishing

+2 luck

"You don't need to force it," I said. "That thing transformed when I made it, and I can inspect it the same way as I do fish."

He lowered the rod.

"Yeah, Barry mentioned that..."

"Oh? What did he say?" I paused, then held up my hands. "Wait, nevermind—I don't want to know."

"You're kind of weird, Fischer. You know that?"

"Oh, yeah—I couldn't agree more. Which weirdness are you referring to, though?"

"That my brother-in-law is trying to turn you into some sort of god, and you want to know nothing about it. Don't give me that look—I know you don't enjoy talking about it, and I won't bring it up again, but still... I feel like most people would be heavily for it. I'm not sure I could abstain were it me in your position..."

I smoothed the scowl that had crossed my face unbidden.

"Oh, that's easy to explain. I just want to fish and make friends. I'm not gonna actively stop Barry from doing what he pleases, but that's because he's doing it for everyone’s safety. It's selfish of me to stay here, knowing I am what I am, so the least I can do is let him ensure everyone is as protected as possible."

"And if he—no, if we succeed in causing you to ascend... what then?"

"Then you'll still find me here, catching fishies, hanging with my pals, and having a good time in general."

He shook his head, smiling at me.

"You really mean that?"

"Sure do."

"Yep, you're definitely weird."

I grinned.

"I'm downright strange, mate, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

***

When Leroy finished tying the knot, I nodded; he'd done it flawlessly.

He'd reattached the large hook and sinker, and he slid a chunk of eel onto the hook.

"Am I missing anything?"

"Nah, it's good to go."

He got to his feet, reeled in the line, then flicked the reel sideways.

"How far do I cast it?"

"Aim for the river mouth—where the freshwater hits the ocean is a magnet for huge fish."

He held the rod back, paused a moment, then launched it. The line and sinker flew high, soaring almost all the way to the other side of the river.

He winced as he turned to me.

"Too far?"

"A little, but it's all good—reel it back a bit until it's about halfway."

When the bait was in the middle of the channel, I set up two of the folding chairs Greg and Barry, the village woodworkers, had kindly let me keep.

We sat down and I leaned back, stretching as I enjoyed the serious expression on Leroy's face. I understood his feelings entirely; there was nothing else in the world quite like waiting for a fish to strike.

"You know, Fischer... I wasn't quite sure what to expect when Barry said you’d invited me to go fishing."

"It's better than you thought, isn't it?"

He smirked at me.

"That's an understatement. How can something be so relaxing, yet so exciting at the same time?"

"I'd say it was to do with it being heretical, and therefore more exciting, but honestly, it was the same in my previous life, and it was totally chill to fish there."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion.

"What made it cold?"

"... what? Ohhhh. Chill in that context means allowed—society as a whole wouldn't look down on you for doing it."

"I still can't believe you're..." He trailed off. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring it up."

"It's fine, mate. I know you don't have bad intentions, but yeah, it's pretty wild that I'm from a different world, right?"

"That's putting it mildly..."

I shrugged.

"I'm used to it, and I've only been here for like a month or something. I've honestly lost track—the days have been so busy and enjoyable."

We fell into a comfortable silence, our thoughts taking us to distant places.

Movement caught my eye, and my eyes moved to the rod tip.

"Leroy…"

He stared at nothing, his eyes dull.

"Yeah, Fischer?"

"You should hold your finger to the line."

"Oh...? Why's that?"

"Because there's a fish having a cheeky little nibble of your bait."

He shot upright, his eyes widening, then focusing on the rod.

His index finger drifted to the line, and as he felt the tiny tugs, a toothy grin appeared.

"When do I set the hook?"

"You'll know. Wait for it..."

The fish was getting more confident, taking bigger and bigger bites of the bait.

Bump.

"Wait for it..."

Bump.

"Not yet..."

There was a pause, and I thought the fish had stolen the bait, but then the rod dipped, almost bending in half as the fish took off.

"Now!"

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