Book 3: Chapter 55: Adventure

Book 3: Chapter 55: Adventure

When I woke the following morning, I could feel one of my animal pals nuzzling up against my chest. I smiled, taking a deep breath and stretching my arms.

“Good morning,” I said, not particularly worried about which of them it was. Whoever they were, I was glad they were here.

There was no response, and when I opened my eyes a moment later, my smile froze.

Claws’s face was only centimeters from mine, her ears pressed back in alarm. Blinking, I looked where I’d felt someone nuzzling up to me. My blanket had been peeled back, revealing my chest. Sitting atop it, Cinnamon held my shirt open with one paw. In the other, she was clutching something, paused midway through stuffing it into my pajamas. I glanced back at Claws, seeing her forepaws also hiding something she was doing her best to hide from me. Something yellow...

“Is...” I rubbed my eyes, clearing away the lingering vestiges of sleep. “Is that sand?”

Retreat! Claws trilled, turning and scrambling for the door.

Cinnamon panicked, jumping so hard from my chest that she slammed into the roof.

Thump!

Stunned, she fell back to the bed, wobbling as she tried to orient herself.

“What the frack?” I asked, my wits too addled to laugh at the instant karma. “Are you okay?”

When she straightened, she let out a panicked scream and kicked away from the bed again, ricocheting off the far wall before rocketing out my bedroom door. If the second thump was a trustworthy indicator, she’d collided with another wall out there. Corporal Claws’s chittering laughter trailed off as they departed out the front door, skittering into the morning air.

When I sat up, a bucket of sand poured out of my shirt and pooled around me on the bed. I just stared down at it for a long moment, not even knowing where to begin. Deciding that a little sport would be a good way to start the morning, I stood, stretched, and sprinted outside. They’d had a good head start, but no matter how fast they were, the two little miscreants were no match for me.

The moment I stepped out into the morning rays, however, I found a menagerie waiting for me.

Every animal pal but Claws and Cinnamon were present, even half of the Buzzy Boys—those that weren’t off scouting—coming to say goodbye. I extended my senses, searching for the missing two. When I located them, I shook my head, peering over my shoulder. Two distinct half-visible heads poked up over the headland.

“Come down here, you little rats. I’m not going to punish you.”

Not trusting me, they retreated, ducking from view.

“What did they do?” Maria asked, smirking and raising an eyebrow.

“They graduated from putting sand under my pillow to putting sand under my everything.” I shook a leg, causing sand to cascade down onto the porch, and a laugh to pour from Maria.

She shook her head, her smile only growing. “So much for getting over it quickly. Claws seems to be holding a grudge.”

“I’ll forgive them if they clean it by the time we get back!” I yelled, loud enough for them to hear.

“Speaking of,” Maria said, hefting the bag on her shoulder. “We’re all ready to go. Need a hand packing?”

“Nope!” I grinned. “I packed after you went home last night—be back in a moment.”

I had the quickest of showers, got dressed in my traveling clothes, and returned outside, my oversized travel pack slung over one shoulder. When I got there, I found two unexpected forms cradled in Maria’s arms. Claws and Cinnamon, having apparently climbed down from the headland, averted their gazes from me.

“Girls...” Maria chided. “Did you have something you wanted to tell Fischer before we left?”

Both sighed, their haughty posture deflating. Maria stepped forward, preparing to hand them over, when I held up a hand. I knew Claws all too well, and she was being entirely too forthcoming with an apology.

“Show me your hands,” I said, pointing down at her.

Claws tilted her head to the side, then extended her paw-pads, letting me inspect them. I thought I might be being too paranoid, so I opened my mouth to apologize, then narrowed my eyes at her as another possibility struck me. “Empty your pockets, missy.”

Her smile grew tense, and she reached into the little pockets where she kept her favorite rocks and shiny baubles. From the left one, she produced an opalescent stone, smooth with use. And from the other...

Claws screamed a trill sound and threw her paw toward me, unleashing a spray of particles.

“Pocket sand!” I yelled, shielding my face. “I knew it!”

She made to escape, roaring with chittered laughter, but I caught her by the scruff of her neck. When I held her up to my face, she panicked, the whites of her eyes telling me she expected retribution. Instead, I pulled her into a hug. “I’m going to miss you. We won’t be gone long.”

“He’s...” Deklan licked his lips as his eyes went wide. “You’re a spirit beast, Teddy?”

“Of course he is,” Dom answered, letting out a self-deprecating laugh. “Look at the size of him!”

Deklan stepped forward, his legs seeming to move of their own accord. His vision was locked on Teddy, and as he reached out a tentative hand, it came up just short. “Is... is it okay if I touch you, mate?”

Teddy, his head still slightly bowed, nodded.

Deklan ran a hand over Teddy’s broad skull, amazement bubbling up into his core.

I marveled at the ever-increasing awe as Deklan continued petting him, finding the spot on the side of Teddy’s neck that made the bear sway. It was the exact reaction I’d expected from Deklan, and Maria and I shared a knowing glance as we saw our plan coming together.

“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” Dom asked, watching Teddy with only a little less amazement than his brother.

“Because we wanted to leave on this little excursion, mate. Do you think Ellis would have let us leave otherwise? I had to tell Theo because he would have seen through my subterfuge, but he agreed to keep it a secret. Until we’re too far away for Ellis to come find us, at least.”

The brothers laughed at this. “Yeah,” Deklan said. “That makes sense. So what exactly is the plan, then? You mentioned fishing when we spoke last night.”

I grinned, hefting my backpack and the rods within it. “That’s right, mate. I only told Barry and the other leaders why we were going on a fishing trip. I guess now is as good a time as any to let you know.” I held up a finger. “First, you know about the quest I’m on, yeah?”

Deklan nodded. “It doesn’t tell you the details, but keeps updating when you make things with others, right?”

“Exactly. It’s called Group Project, and it’s updated twice from cooking. I have a feeling that we’ll get something cool when it’s finally finished. Not that we know when that’ll happen, given how the System just keeps saying, ‘Insufficient power.’” I held up a second finger. “The next reason is because of what happened to us yesterday.”

I’d only explained it in vague terms to everyone but Barry and Theo, knowing that revealing too much would make Ellis trail after us like a dog chasing a tyre. I quickly ran through it in more detail, doing my best to put the transcendent experience into words. Deklan and Dom were suitably shocked, their eyes darting between Maria, Borks, Teddy, and me as I explained.

“We knew something sank into the ground,” Deklan said.

Dom nodded. “Everyone felt it. Even I did, and my cultivation isn’t that advanced.”

“Right,” I said. “Well, what I left out is that it felt like it wanted something from us. The more I considered it, the more I understood what it craved.”

They both leaned in, their curiosity obvious.

“It wanted power, but not the power I, or anyone else for that matter, could give it. It doesn’t want chi from our cores. And of all the things I’ve encountered in this world, there was one type of fish with way more chi than any other.”

“The one we’re going to fish for?” Deklan surmised.

“That’s the one, mate. I reckon if we have a chance of powering whatever that weird latticework is, it’ll be with a bunch of the giant fish we came across on our way to Gormona. The potent alligator gar are just as the name suggests. The chi filling their flesh is potent.”

The brothers stole a meaningful look at each other.

“Let me get this straight,” Deklan said. “We’re fishing for what you’ve described as giant fish, doing so because it will possibly impact the very land, and it’s effectively a secret mission?”

“A secret mission...” Dom repeated, a glint entering his eyes.

“I’m glad you’re as excited as I am.” I took a deep breath, then held up a third and final finger. “The last reason for us going is Teddy. He’s only just awakened, and after our awareness was joined, I understand exactly how laid-back he is. I reckon you and he have similar personalities, Deklan, and I wanted to give him at least a few days of relaxation before Ellis starts harassing him for details about his entire, er, everything.”

Deklan slung an arm over Teddy’s neck again. “A laid-back bear, huh? I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”

Seeing the change in Deklan since his arrival in Tropica had been a constant source of joy, and watching him immediately click with Teddy made my core sing. Maria looped an arm through mine, also watching them.

“What are we waiting for, then?” Deklan asked, straightening and petting Teddy on the head. “The sooner we leave, the sooner we can fish, right?”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” I checked if everyone was ready, and after a series of nods and verbal confirmations, I turned to Borks. “Can we store our stuff in your dimensional space, buddy?”

Yes! He barked, his tongue lolling as he ripped a hole in space.

With our packs stowed, we were off, moving at a leisurely speed. Well, a leisurely speed for cultivators. Trees and grass sped by in a blur, adventure fueling each step.