Chapter 58: Divine Intervention

Chapter 58: Divine Intervention

My eyes went wide as the reel and rod transformed.

A rushing of power came from my core, along with an almost unnoticeable nudge from the System, no doubt trying to spew incoherent nonsense at me.

The rod seemed to blur, then sharpen.

The bracket, which wasn't yet properly attached to the reel, secured itself. The metal warped and grew, sprouting a section on the side closest to me that flattened out, holding the reel firmly in place.

The wall hangers I'd pushed into the rod to act as eyelets also changed, becoming whole and fixed into the bamboo fibers.

Finally, and most notable, part of the reel bulged out, quickly morphing into a handle to turn.

A split-second after the transformation was complete, my eyes were drawn into 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

I blinked.

"Holy frack... stats?"

***

My joy couldn't be contained as I sprinted along the sands, my rod and everything I needed to fish in hand. A wide smile stretched across my face, and I breathed deep of the afternoon air.

The first thing I’d done upon seeing an actually useful item description was to turn my notifications back on, but once again, I was greeted with a wall of ‘insufficient power’ nonsense.

I had no idea why the System decided to be useful all of a sudden, so I paid it no mind—instead, I focused on my destination.

I was headed somewhere I'd eventually intended to fish, but hadn't yet had the guts to try—the break wall along the shores of Tropica.

I'd been too worried about setting off the villagers with my heretical activities, but riding the high of my new rod, along with knowing I'd earned a certain amount of goodwill with the coffee machine's delivery, I was willing to push it.

The jetty extending from the village had long since caught my eye, and I knew the structure it provided could grant a hunting ground for species of fish I'd not yet encountered.

I looked around as I neared the rock wall; there was no one in sight, so I started setting up my rod.

I'd already transferred a length of line to the reel, and I strung it through the transformed eyelets running the length of my bamboo pole.

Cutting a small length of the plastic string, I tied a rock to act as a drop sinker running off the main line. To the end of the line, I tied a medium-sized hook and placed a small slice of eel on it.

I lifted the rod, hefting its weight.

As I drew the rod back over my shoulder, I took a moment to soak in the surrounding landscape and my flourishing emotions.

The bay was calm, and the soon-to-be-setting sun bathed the sky in a palette of pastel colors.

I took a deep breath, and with a radiant sense of joy, cast out the line.

The rod flexed as I flung the tip toward the jetty, and my hook and sinker flew, arcing high over the softly lapping waves.

The moment seemed to stretch on forever, and I watched its trajectory as it crested over the shore.

With a splashing of water and a soft plop, it hit the water right by the jetty, and sank toward the bottom.

***

Theo walked along the shore to the north of the village, and he basked in the beauty of the late afternoon.

He had always been a fan of the sun rising and setting, but it'd been a long time since he'd been able to see it happen over the ocean.

He paused and looked out at the protected bay, transfixed by the water's movement as it languidly shifted with almost-imperceptible grace.

With a sense of immense calm, he took a deep breath, the salt in the air flooding his lungs.

Theo breathed out, the air hissing past his pursed lips.

I bet the sunset will look glorious from Tropica's break wall...

An unexpected urgency filled his steps as he headed back south.

***

George wandered the north side of Tropica, his mind a wash of contradictory thoughts.

Following the meeting with the auditor, Theo, he'd felt a need to move—it always helped him process, loathe as he was to exercise like a common peasant.

"No..." he heard himself utter aloud.

Fischer was a heretic! If any god were directing him, acting as the puppet-master behind the strings, it would be a god of the sea.

"... he's a fisherman...."

George's mouth was mouth dry, his tongue leaden.

"N-not Glaukos. Please... not that..."

George squinted as he stepped out from between buildings; the light of the setting sun lit the scene before him.

He'd arrived at the break wall without realizing it, and he stumbled forward, grabbing the stone wall with both hands as he rested his weight upon it.

The attention of such an entity was a worse fate than anything the crown could do to him.

As he stared out to sea, attempting to make sense of his doom, a figure caught his attention.

He hadn't noticed before, self absorbed as he was, but there was another person atop the stone walkway.

Theo stood at the southern corner, his body erect at attention as he stared at something out of sight.

The crown auditor sprinted down the stairs and disappeared from sight.

What could have Theo so transfixed...?

With curiosity overcoming his existential dread, George dashed toward Theo's previous post, intent on having a peek.

***

Sergeant Snips, having heard of Corporal Claws' ascension atop the freshwater pond, scuttled toward the saltwater construction with great anticipation.

Through chirps and chitters, the otter had communicated the way the pond beckoned to her, and the awakening she'd experienced after heading the call.

Sergeant Snips had thought the warmth radiating from the pearlescent stone atop the sea snipper's cave was in her head, a sense of accomplishment that came from having built something useful to her master, but after hearing Corporal Claws' retelling, she hoped it may be something more exciting.

She intended to find out.

When she got to the pond, Snips took a moment to appreciate its beauty. The light of the setting sun lit the large stone seemingly from within, and it reflected the usual rainbow colors, but overshadowed by a soft purple hue.

The same feeling of warmth radiated from the boulder, calling to her. It didn't seem as strong as the otter made the call of the freshwater pond sound, but there was something there, and she listened to it.

Her body slipped beneath the cool water. She scuttled across the pond floor, and climbing the sea snipper's cave, found an underwater nook that was perfect for her body. She nestled into it, the back of her carapace resting up against the shiny boulder.

Sergeant Snips closed her lone eye, focusing on the stone's resonance.

***

The top half of George's head poked up above the wall.

He caught sight of Theo immediately, running across the sand toward another figure.

Fischer stood at the water's edge, soft waves washing over his feet.

He had a fishing rod in his hand, and George felt a myriad of different emotions as he realized what the heretic was doing.

He's fishing, and a crown agent has spotted him...

An ugly smile crossed George's face as schadenfreude flooded him.

Play with my fate, Glaukos? See what becomes of your vessel.

***

A deep calm flooded through me as I focused on the sensations of my body.

The water lapping at my legs, my steady breaths, the calls of birds from above, and my finger held to the line, waiting for a fish to bite—all grounded me to the present moment.

The sound of footfalls on the soft sand jarred me from my meditation, and I glanced aside.

The man I'd met earlier, Theo, was running toward me, his eyes wide and brows furrowed.

Oh—that's not great...

He reached me, his eyes darting between me and the rod in my hands.

"Fischer—you're... fishing?"

I tried to give him a disarming smile.

"Er... yeah. I know it's a bit odd, but I—"

He cut me off, the words coming from his mouth shocking me to my core.