Book 3: Chapter 18: Seasonal

Book 3: Chapter 18: Seasonal

With Maria at my side, a fish flopping around at the end of my hook, and the afternoon sun high above, a brilliant blast exploded from Deklan.

I closed my eyes as a pulse of chi trailed the luminescence flying from Deklan’s taking-shape core. It slammed into me, almost knocking me from my feet on the slick rocks. A large portion of the surrounding world’s power poured into Deklan, solidifying into a container before drawing more essence in to fill the newly created void. Distracted as he was, Deklan’s hands fell to his side.

The fish he’d caught didn’t waste the opportunity.

The creature’s razor-toothed jaw lashed out, slicing through his line. It flicked off a rock and sailed right back into the ocean, immediately disappearing from sight as it swam into the depths. My new pal couldn’t have cared less.

“Woah...” Deklan said, blinking at the world.

Before anything else, I swiftly dispatched the fish I’d caught with a single jab of a nail. Maria had the same idea, brain-spiking her fish and causing it to go limp on her line. When we turned back to Deklan, he was staring at his hands, having set his rod down on the rockwall.

“How do you feel?” I asked, grinning at the awe in his eyes.

“I’m a... cultivator?” He blinked rapidly, his gaze drifting up to me.

“Looks like it, mate.”

“Huh...” He flexed his hands. “Feels pretty good.”

I belly laughed. “It does, doesn’t it?”

Maria’s jaw dropped open. “Pretty good? That’s all?”

“Yeah, why?” he asked, his relaxed demeanor well and truly shining through.

“Congratulations!” Keith called from further down the pathway, giving a thumbs up and a wide grin as he held his rod in another hand.

Trent was beside him, and he gave Deklan a single nod.

“Thanks...” Deklan replied. “Oh. I lost my fish...? Sorry.”

“Don’t mention it, mate. Maria and I kept ours.”

Maria held hers up towards him. “Here. Now that you’re a cultivator, try looking at this.”

He did so, his eyes going distant as they were drawn in by the System. When they cleared once more, he frowned at the fish, then at Maria and me.

“Seasonal fish? What does that mean?”

I grinned, staring down at my fish again and letting the words flash in my vision.

Juvenile Blue Fish

Rare

The arrival of this seasonal fish has long been seen as a good omen for the coastal villages of the Kallis realm. They school in large numbers, meaning when you find one, you will most certainly find more. Their strong-flavored flesh contains a higher level of chi than most fish.

When the fish was only meters away, it swam on the water’s surface, still expending energy in an attempt to get away. There was a blur of orange underneath it, and a second later, it was flying my way, its razor-toothed mouth leading the charge. I dashed aside and caught it in both arms, turning my head to raise an eyebrow at Snips. I was used to Claws messing with me, but to be pranked by my trusty guard crab was a new experience.

But it wasn’t Snips that I found when I peered down into the churning water.

Rocky raised his claw high above the ocean so I could see his decidedly rude gesture. I cocked my head to the side, which only made him raise the other claw and dual wield his animosity.

Suddenly, there was another blur beneath him.

A streak of orange and blue shot up from the ocean floor even faster than he had, and Rocky’s pissed-off bubbles trailed after him as he was launched out to sea at terrifying speed, his entire body flipping end over end in a chaotic jumble of limbs.

“Damn, Snips. Nice throw,” I said, giving her a smile as she swam back to shore while blowing a series of exasperated hisses. I turned to Keith and held out the fish so large that I had to hold it in both arms. “I believe this is yours, mate.”

His eyes sparkled as he approached, going dull as the fish pulled his vision in. I looked down, letting the System’s information stream across my field of view.

Mature Blue Fish

Rare

The arrival of this seasonal fish has long been seen as a good omen for the coastal villages of the Kallis realm. They school in large numbers, meaning when you find one, you will most certainly find more. Their strong-flavored flesh contains a higher level of chi than most fish.

“Wow...” Keith said, his expression awe-struck as he took the mature blue fish. “It’s so heavy.” His eyes darted up to meet mine. “Can we keep it?”

“That’s up to you, mate, but I don’t think keeping it will hurt their number. Seasonal fish are usually plentiful when they’re around, which is likely why the description says they’re seen as a good omen. Well, that and the fact that they have a high level of chi.”

Where the juvenile variant was around the length of my forearm, the monster Keith had caught was twice as large. Thick slabs of muscle and fat covered its body, explaining how it had fought so hard for so long. No matter which way you looked at it, this creature was an impressive specimen.

“Thank you for the sustenance, fishy,” Keith said, nodding toward it and repeating words I’d previously used. He lowered it down to Snips, who had joined us on the walkway. “Would you mind?”

Snips nodded sharply and darted forward, lashing out with a burst of energy from her claw and ending it in an instant.

“Well,” I said, my eyes pinned on the colossal thing. “We’ve certainly got enough for dinner...”

Deklan cleared his throat, and when I glanced his way, he was staring at the fish. “Should we try for more if they’re only around for a short time? I feel bad that I lost mine...”

There was a hunger in his eyes, but it wasn’t for food; it was the thrill of the hunt.

I shot Maria a wolfish grin before sweeping it away and turning to face Deklan. “They’ll still be here for quite some time, I believe. Before we catch any more, we have some important testing to do.”

“... testing?” Deklan asked, tilting his head slightly.

“Yup!” Maria replied, knowing exactly what I was getting at. “The most critical test of all—we need to make sure they taste good.”

I nodded, casting my gaze over everyone. “Before we hunt for more, we should check that they’re palatable. How do you all feel about an early dinner?”