23-28

B2 | 23 - The Fishing Club

With the wind at his back and butterflies in his stomach, Theo strode across the sand.

His closest friends in the world were at his side, and despite how different the men could be, they were unified under a single ideal. Five men of different stations, with different backgrounds and ambitions, had become the closest of allies since finding each other that one fateful day so long ago.

No words were needed as they strode toward the southern headland. They spied a fence, and Theo whistled at the size of it; Fischer had been keeping himself busy. As they let themselves in, Theo cast his gaze around for Fischer's home, but saw nothing that denoted a house.

"You are sure this is where he lived?" Ellis enquired, his large tome still open in his hands.

"I'm sure. He said by the rivermouth..."

"There," Peter said, pointing at the rocky headland as he shifted his bag onto one shoulder.

"I don't see anything, Four," Keith said, squinting.

"We're here now—call me Peter again. There's a hint of light coming from behind the headland, likely a fire."

Theo looked closer, and sure enough, now that the sun had set further behind the western mountains, a soft orange light flickered to the right of the large rock.

With a grin spreading over his face, he took a step forward, then abruptly stopped.

Something had appeared in front of them

A small bunny blocked their path forward, and it stared at them intently, its ears alert.

"What are you doing out here, little one?" Peter asked, shifting his bag to the other shoulder.

Danny, the man formerly known as Five, squinted at the unmoving creature. "... why isn't it running away?"

The bunny responded by going back on its haunches and stretching its forelimbs in an entirely too human-like manner. It started boxing the air, unleashing little jabs as it ducked and weaved its head.

Keith took a step back. "Oh, no—"

The bunny shot forward faster than Theo could register, and the next thing he knew, Keith's unconscious body hit the floor. Ellis was next, and all Theo saw of the attack was a blur. He stared uncomprehendingly as, one by one, the rest of the men dropped bonelessly to the sand.

The bunny stared at Theo, cracked its neck threateningly, and grinned.

***

I smiled as I walked from the ocean with an entire cage of oysters on my back. The sun was setting over the mountains to the west, and I took a moment to appreciate the sky's beauty. I grabbed my outer clothes from the sand and set off for home with thoughts of the feast to come fuelling my stride.

The warm glow of a lit fire greeted me as I rounded the headland from the northwest, and I squinted down at the illuminated ground. There were large grooves dragged through the sand.

Did someone bring whole trees for the fire? I wondered.

I heard a chirped and hissed conversation as I got closer, and a wide smile came to my face.

Claws and Snips were here already.

Then I heard Barry speak, and a sense of excitement bloomed. The last time I'd given the man an oyster, it had been raw and he'd found it disgusting. I had already mentally picked out some herbs to cook this new batch of oysters in—I couldn't wait to redeem myself.

"G'day, everyone," I said, stepping into view of the fire. "Have I got a surprise for you guy... what the fuck?"

Barry, Sergeant Snips, Corporal Claws, Private Pistachio, and Rocky were arrayed around a pile of lifeless forms. Cinnamon sat atop the one in the middle, and when she caught sight of me, she puffed up her chest, downright preening with pride.

I recognized the person she sat on. "Theo?" I dashed forward and laid my finger against his neck. When I felt a pulse, I let out my breath. "Thank god..."

At my words, he stirred.

***

Theo was having the strangest dream, filled with even weirder noises.

A myriad of what sounded like animal calls that were periodically interrupted by human speech. He couldn't make out any of the words, but then someone called his name.

"Theo?"

A hand touched his neck and the contact called to him. When Theo opened his eyes, his vision was blurry. There was a face right before him, and as he rapidly blinked, it came into focus. "Fischer...?"

Lines of worry disappeared from Fischer's face, and he let out a relieved laugh. "Theo—long time no see, mate. How are ya?"

Before he could respond, a bunny's fuzzy little face leaned forward and took up his entire field of view. All at once, his memory returned. He yelled wordlessly and scrambled backward on the sand.

Fischer lay a hand on his shoulder; his firm grip held Theo still. "You're all good, mate. You're not in danger."

Despite Theo's addled state, he recognised Fischer's words.

He is telling the truth…

Fischer looked up and to the right. "What the hell happened, Barry?"

Theo spun to see who Fischer was looking at.

A man in farmer's garb gave a rueful smile. "Cinnamon found them inside your fence line. She knocked them out and came to find me."

The bunny—whose name was apparently Cinnamon—let out a triumphant peep from atop Theo's chest.

He gulped. "An ascendant creature... so it's true?"

"What's true, mate?"

"You're a cultivator."

Fischer opened his mouth and raised a finger. Theo saw the lie forming in the lines of his face, but then Fischer let out a sigh and nodded. "Yeah, mate. I'm a cultivator." His face moved almost imperceptibly, and anyone but a crown auditor wouldn't have noticed the conflict etched in his features. "What are you doing here, Theo?"

Ellis bolted upright. "No candles in the library!" he boomed, his voice deep and commanding.

He blinked and looked around, his brow narrowing lower and lower. "Oh, uh… my apologies."

"Ellis," Theo said, forcing urgency into his tone. "This is Fischer. Fischer, this is the leader of Gormona's fishing club and the former head archivist of the royal library. The bunny's name is Cinnamon, and she's an ascendant creature." He pointed at Barry. "That's Barry. I don't know him, but it seems he's aware of Fischer's status as a cultivator."

Ellis looked at each of them as they were introduced, giving them a curt nod. "A pleasure to meet you."

Fischer frowned at him. "That's all? You're not surprised?"

"Well, I do have one question." Ellis pointed over Theo's shoulder. "Who are they?"

With his eyebrows lowering in confusion, Theo turned to the left. When he saw the faces staring at him, any chance of a coherent response fled.

***

Theo's jaw went slack when his eyes landed on my arrayed animal pals, and I couldn't help but chuckle. I still wasn't sure what was going on, and I had more than a few questions, but I didn't get the impression Theo was here for nefarious reasons.

"Everyone, this is my friend, Theo."

Snips hissed and dipped her head.

"That's Sergeant Snips, my ever reliable guard crab."

Rocky gave him a rude gesture, and Sergeant Snips threw him out into the river.

"That was Rocky. He's kind of a dick."

Claws dashed forward and chirped a greeting. She dipped her head and pointed for Theo to rub behind her ear. He complied, his mouth still hanging open.

"That's Corporal Claws, lightning wielder and resident prankster."

Finally, Pistachio dipped his head. I noted the positioning of his claw—he was prepared to fire a blast on short notice if required.

"Private Pistachio is the stoic and trustworthy lobster."

It was the other man, Ellis, that responded with the enthusiasm I had hoped Theo would.

"Amazing. Absolutely marvelous!" He removed a notepad from his pocket and started writing. "Unheard of. To have so many awakened creatures, all of which appear to be subservient. This is much better than we could have anticipated..." he trailed off, mumbling under his breath as he took notes.

"Er, I don't really like the term subservient," I said, rubbing the back of my head. "We're more like pals working together."

Theo turned back to me, his eyes still wide. His mouth worked, but no words came out.

"I'm glad to see you again, mate," I said. "But I have to ask again: why are you here?"

Ellis cleared his throat. "I may be able to answer that."

I nodded, looking at him properly for the first time. The easiest way for me to describe his look would be cracked-out Gandalf. He had the exact hair, beard, and a similar face, but he was mostly skin and bone. Even the robes all the men wore were giving off wizardy vibes.

"So," Ellis said, "it all started when—"

"The bunny is awakened!" another man cried, shooting upright from his state of unconsciousness.

Cinnamon hopped into his lap and nodded her agreement; she was, in fact, awakened.

He stared down at her, his jaw dropping.

"We know, Keith," Theo said. "She's a friend, apparently."

Keith was the youngest of the newcomers. Likely in his early twenties, the man had hair so blonde it was almost white, and a strong jawline that, even as I was watching, fell further open in indignation.

"Not a danger? She attacked me!"

Theo tossed his head side to side. "Yeah, you've got a point there. She's not a danger anymore. She's Fischer's pet."

"Not my pet," I tried to correct, but Cinnamon shot me a venomous glare and punched one paw into another menacingly, so I held up my hands. "Okay, got it—you're mine. My bad."

"Also..." Theo pointed over his shoulder. "You should probably look behind you."

Keith's head snapped around fast enough that I thought he might get whiplash. "Phobos's lathered horses. Are they all—"

"Weevils in the wheat!" a fourth man yelled, jumping all the way to his feet.

"Isolate the grain immediately!" the fifth demanded, waking from his stupor and also launching upright. His face was bright red and his eyes darted around, presumably looking for said weevils.

"Whoa!" Theo stood and gestured for them to calm. "You're fine. We found Fischer. See?"

He pointed to me, and I waved. "G'day, fellas."

"Where are the weevils?" The fifth man demanded, his breaths coming heavy.

Theo rubbed his eyes. "There aren't any Weevils, Danny. Peter yelled that in his sleep."

Keith cocked his head. "What's the big deal with weevils? Aren't they just bugs?"

"Just bugs?" Danny repeated, a firm line forming below his bald head. "They can decimate an entire city's grain stores! They're a damned plague!"

Theo turned to me and started explaining.

"Danny is—was the head quartermaster of Gormona's guards."

Danny gave a curt nod.

"The one that yelled about weevils is Peter," Theo continued. "He was the sous chef in the royal castle."

Keith sniffed. "What about me and Ellis?"

"I already introduced Ellis," Theo replied, smirking.

Before Keith could protest, Peter bellowed a laugh. "I can introduce you, your nobleship. Keith is cousin to the main royal line, and seventeenth in line to the thro—"

"Sixteenth," Keith corrected.

"Oh, my apologies, my lord!" Peter gave an exaggerated bow. "How could I have—Medusa's pickled tit! Look at the size of that lobster!"

"Awakened creature!" Danny bellowed, pointing at Pistachio, whom they'd only just noticed. "Defensive positions!"

After things somewhat calmed down, what followed was a short round of introductions, reintroductions, and assurances that the animals arrayed before them were friendly.

"How can we know they're safe?" Keith asked, watching them intently. "I came under the assumption that we were coming to meet a cultivator, not a cadre of spirit beasts."

"You don't," Barry answered. "If it makes you feel any better, if they had violence in mind, they already would have disposed of and eaten you."

Claws grinned and made a loud clack with her needle-sharp chompers. Keith audibly swallowed.

"All right, all right." I shook my head at her, trying not to smile. "That's enough messing with them for one day, Claws." I spun back to the archivist, Ellis. "You said you could explain why you came here. You're all awake now, so it seems like the perfect time, yeah?"

He nodded. "I will keep this brief—I do not wish to impose any further on such a magnificent one's time."

I held up both hands. "You can drop the 'magnificent one' stuff. I'm just a regular bloke doing regular bloke things."

He cocked an eyebrow, but Theo nodded. "See? I told you. Tell him why we're here, Ellis."

"Hmm." Ellis stroked his beard. "All right then. It all started when Theo returned from his trip to Tropica Village. He told us of a strange man that seemed to bend the world around him."

I grimaced at Theo. "What did I say that gave me away?"

"Nothing."

"It was this..." Ellis rummaged around in his pocket and withdrew a leather pouch. He unfolded it, then held his hand up, displaying a single hook.

It was one of the hooks I'd created and given Theo. The campfire's orange light gleamed off its curved edges, appearing as new as the day I'd made it.

"As an official of the royal library, I have access to restricted information. This hook, along with Theo's description of its creation, made me and the rest of the fishing club test whether we could break it. Can you guess what happened?"

"I'm guessing it didn't."

Danny grunted. "The only thing it broke was one of my favorite hammers."

"Precisely," Ellis said. "Even for a regular cultivator from before the gods' departure, such a creation would be quite a feat. Certain volumes listed in great detail what the cultivators of old could do, especially those called 'travelers'. Do you know what that is?"

I sighed. "I do."

"Wait, you do?" Barry asked, his head rocking back.

"Yeah, mate—people that were isekai'd by truck-kun and transmigrated to another world, right?"

"... what?"

"I'm from another world. Keep up, Barry—you already knew that."

Barry frowned at me, and I beamed a smile.

Ellis resumed stroking his beard. "So, it is true then?"

"It is, but you still haven't answered why you came here."

"Nor," Barry added, "why it was with such a collection of important people. The royal library's head archivist, a crown auditor, a royal chef, the capital's quartermaster, and an actual royal. Forgive me for saying so, but what you've stated so far doesn't add up."

I gave Barry an appreciating glance. My man was spitting straight facts. "Yeah. That."

"I suppose I should get to the point, then." Ellis's eyes bore into me. "We have abandoned our kingdom. We have left our posts, and if we are ever caught, our lives are forfeit. We have done all this for a singular purpose..."

Ellis stood taller, as did the other men. He took a deep breath, cast his gaze over everyone, then narrowed his vision on me. Despite his frail stature, he demanded my attention.

"We have come for you, Fischer. Though you know what a traveler is, I do not believe you understand the vast implications." He steepled his fingers before his face and narrowed his eyes at me. "We have come to start a church and raise you, Fischer, to the pantheon. We wish to make you a god."

A silence stretched over the sand. The wind vanished, the campfire's flames dulled, and no birds could be heard overhead. Even the waves gently lapping at the shore seemed to still.

Barry and I looked at each other, and as one, we erupted into laughter.

B2 | 24 - Breaking Bread

I shook so hard with laughter that my legs collapsed beneath me.

Snips and Claws made their way to me, chirping and hissing their delight as they leaned against my torso. Barry laughed harder than I'd ever seen—he took shallow, halting breaths, trying to get oxygen to his lungs as tears streamed from his eyes.

I lay on my back in the sand, delighting in the shaking forms of Snips and Claws as they similarly lost themselves to mirth. Minutes must have passed, and when I sat back up, the grandiose posture of the fishing club had entirely deflated.

"I'm—I'm sorry." I wiped tears from my eyes. "We're not laughing at you."

"Then what are you laughing at?" Keith's face was red, his lips pressed into a firm line. He turned his anger on Barry. "You. Who even are you? Why is Fischer's neighbor laughing at a royal?"

Theo snorted. "What happened to the Keith that said 'the monarchy is nothing but a farce set up to suppress the common folk'?"

"I'm annoyed, all right?" he snapped. "I don't understand what's going on!"

I walked toward the fire, sat down before it, and gestured for them to follow. As everyone took a seat, I smiled at the ridiculousness of the situation I found myself in. "I introduced Barry as my neighbor. That's true, but he's also more than that."

Danny smacked a fist down onto his open palm. "Oh! He's a cultivator too?"

"No—wait, yes. He is." I made a dismissive gesture. "But that's not what is important. Barry, behind my back and with the help of Sergeant Snips, started a cult. Or a church. I'm still not too sure, but that's by design."

"Church," Barry declared.

I watched the fishing club closely, scanning for a hint of annoyance or malice, but all I saw on their faces was disbelief.

"Remarkable," Ellis said. He picked up his pencil and watched the farmer intently. "What gave you the idea, Barry? How did you conclude that to be the correct course of action?"

"Timeout!" I held up a hand. "It's a long story, but—wait, it's not a long story at all. I wanna know as little as possible about the whole cult thing Barry has going on."

Church," Barry parroted.

I waved a dismissive hand. "Sure. Church. I told you he set it up in secret, right? That's because he knows me, and he understands that all I want to do is fish and make friends. You guys are more than welcome to discuss cult stuff, but I'd prefer it be done while I'm not around."

Ellis's eyes locked onto me, and he lowered his book, stroking his beard with one hand.

"You do not have any desire to shape and mold the direction of your own church?"

"Not even a little bit."

Barry smiled at me. "We thought we were being sneaky, but Fischer knew we were doing it for quite a while and turned a blind eye."

I snorted. "That's a nice way of putting it. In truth, I was putting my head in the sand and pretending my problems didn't exist. That ended up being a mistake—I accidentally obliterated a tree in front of a friend of mine and—"

"A friend?" Barry interrupted, his eyes glittering.

"Oh, shush. The point is, pretending it wasn't happening only caused me grief. So I let Barry know that I knew, and I've asked him to inform me if anything happens that would put anyone's life at risk. Short of that, I'm blissfully unaware." I took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh. "It's quite nice, really."

Theo slapped Keith's arm. "I told you Fischer was a good man, didn't I?"

Keith scowled at him. "Are you saying that was all the truth?"

"It was, though Barry was right to call out Fischer's use of the word friend."

I gave him a flat stare. "Who's side are you on?

"A real crown auditor..." Barry said before Theo could respond. "It's true you can tell if someone is lying?"

"I can."

"That would prove more than a little useful." Barry rubbed his chin, and I could almost see the schemes coming together in his head. "Would you be willing to—"

"Barry," interrupted. "I'm still here, mate."

"Oh. Right. My bad."

Danny chuckled. It was deep and rough, like he'd spent a lifetime yelling at the top of his lungs, which I suppose may have been the case for a man organizing the guards of a capital city. "It looks to me like we've made the right call in coming here."

A smile crossed all of their faces; their joy was infectious, and I joined in.

"Now that all the boring details are taken care of," I said, "should we talk about the actually important stuff?"

Theo frowned, cocking his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

"What else could I mean?" My smile transformed into a conspiratorial grin. "I'm talking about fishing."

"You're always talking about fishing!" a feminine voice called from the darkness.

Everyone's heads turned, and when Maria strode around the headland, her skipping steps came to an abrupt end. "Oh. Er... hi?"

"Everyone, this is Maria."

"Fischer's 'friend,'" Barry added.

"'Friend'?" she asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Maria, remember how I told you about Theo?"

She slowly nodded. "I do."

"And remember how I told you he was part of a fishing club in the capital city?"

Her eyes went wide and her face lit up.

"No. Way! Which one is Theo?"

He raised his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Maria. I—"

"What kind of fish did you catch in the capital?" she interrupted, unable to contain her curiosity as she dashed to join the circle. "What kind of equipment do you use? What bait? Are there eels so far up? Wait, what kind of water do you fish in?" She vibrated with excitement. "I have too many questions! Where do I even begin?"

"Ah," Ellis said with well-worn smile lines crinkling his eyes. "A woman of culture. It is always a joy to meet another fishing enthusiast."

"Why don't we catch up and compare notes over some dinner?" I suggested.

Before anyone could answer, I turned and strode into the darkness. When I returned to the light of the fire, I was met with a wall of confused faces. The first to recognize what I held was Corporal Claws, and she let out a shrill chirp as she launched herself at me. She landed on the cage and put her eye right up to one of the gaps, peering wide-eyed at the oysters within.

"I have a job for you, Claws. Are you up to it?"

She chirped again and snapped a crisp salute.

"I knew I could rely on you. You know where the oyster cages are, right? I think we'll need at least one more for the—"

She leaped from the cage. The moment she hit the sand, lightning engulfed her body and she zapped out of sight, flying directly toward the ocean.

"By Zeus's regal beard..." Danny said, his face blanching.

"You..." Theo swallowed. "I knew you weren't lying when you said Corporal Claws wielded lightning, but this..."

Maria, Barry, and I exchanged amused glances as the men went silent, the only sound that of Ellis's pencil scratching away on his notepad.

"I guess this might kind of encroach on culty churchy duties," I said to Barry. "I assume it's all good if I give them oysters?"

Barry nodded immediately. "Of course, though we should probably warn them..."

"Warn us?" Theo asked. "About what?"

"Oh, nothing major." I shrugged, fighting to keep my face straight. "It's just that the food I make kinda causes people to become cultivators?" I pointed at Cinnamon, who was curled up in Maria's lap and enjoying a good scritching. "Creatures too, obviously."

Another silence stretched, and one by one, the fishermen turned to stare at Theo, whose eyes never left me.

"He's... telling the truth."

Ellis's arms trembled, and the tip of his pencil snapped against the pages of his pocketbook.

"The texts said nothing of this..." he mumbled, his eyes going distant. "The implications of such an ability..."

I shrugged. "Yeah, I try not to think too much about it, but if you guys were planning to start a cult or a church for me, I'm guessing you'll want to join Barry's. He has a bad habit of helping people become cultivators. I assume you were going to turn them with your magical juice, mate?"

"Wait, what?" Maria looked around the circle, then burst into laughter. "You came here to start a church? Oh, man—I wish I was here to see your faces when you realized Barry beat you to the punch."

With a rueful smile, Barry nodded. "Assuming they wanted to join, I would have offered for them to ascend, yes."

Ellis, still looking into the far distance, closed his pocketbook with a sigh.

"We may need to think about this more..."

"Not me!" Peter almost yelled. "I get to try new food and wield lightning? Sign me up!"

"Aye," Danny agreed. "We've come this far, so we may as well go all the way."

Theo gave me a strained smile. "I might consider it a while."

"Me too," Keith agreed, his complexion pallid and troubled.

I nodded. "There's no pressure—it's totally up to you guys. You can have as little or as much as you like."

"Are... are you going to season them?" Maria asked.

"I am. I've already planned a few different flavor combinations to—"

"I'll get the spices!" she interrupted, sprinting for the house.

Theo's head darted to the side at her explosive exit, and he slowly turned to face me, the question clear on his face.

"Yep," I answered. "She's a cultivator. Maria isn't a member of the church, but as you can tell, she's pretty keen on my cooking."

Ellis stared after her departure. "Astounding..."

"If you think that's good, mate," Barry said. "Wait until you try Fischer's food."

I left the fire to shuck the cage of oysters, and with each one I opened, my hopes were dampened a little further. Considering the Xianxia-shenanigans I had grown used to, I half expected each mollusk to contain a pearl.

That wasn't the case.

Am I really annoyed that each oyster—of which I have hundreds—doesn't contain a stone worth more than a farmer might make in a decade?

I shook my head at myself and strode over to the fire with twenty freshly shucked mollusks.

"Where I'm from, it's pretty normal to eat them raw, but it's definitely not for everyone—just ask Barry."

"Not for everyone," he agreed, grimacing.

I laughed. "It might be a bit of an acquired taste, and they'll definitely taste better to the vast majority of people when cooked and seasoned."

"Do you have any formal training?" Peter asked, peering down at the raw oysters.

"Not at all, but I've unlocked the cooking skill and leveled it a fair bit."

"All right, that's enough." Theo crossed his arms and frowned at me, but I saw the hint of a smile on his face. "You're hitting us with too many knowledge bombs for one evening."

"Not at all," Elis countered, sharpening his pencil. "Please continue. You say you have skills?"

"Yeah, the System or whatever seems to have started working again over the last few days. I'm pretty sure I was constantly gaining skills, but it only started listing them recently. Before that, it just said some bullshit about 'insufficient power'."

Ellis finished sharpening and blew on the tip of his pencil. "That is... troubling," he said, scratching away at his pad. "If it is happening everywhere, that could mean we have to—"

"Hey!" I interrupted. "No scheming, planning, or plotting in my presence!"

"Oh. My apologies."

"It's all good. So, who wants to try the oysters?"

Snips and Pistachio scuttled forward first, each of them noisily eating one. Rocky had returned, and he remained on the sand, claws crossed and attempting to look unimpressed, but his eyes were glued to the mollusk Snips ate beside him.

"Help yourself, Rocky."

He turned his head away, but Snips nudged him forward, and with her suggestion, he scuttled forward and snatched one. As he ate it, his facade of indifference shifted to genuine bliss, and Maria and I shared a smirk at the cantankerous crab.

I grabbed an oyster, as did Maria and Peter.

"I think I'll wait for the cooked ones," Danny said, scrunching his face at what was clearly an unappetizing sight.

I ate mine first. As fresh as they were, there was no hint of the ammonia flavor that could sometimes accompany raw oysters. I watched Maria closely—her face bunched up, then she chewed and quickly swallowed.

"Yeah, I don't know how I feel about that..."

"Interesting..." Peter said, biting down on the oyster in his mouth. He tossed his head from side to side. "Not a great texture, but the flavor has a lot of potential."

My eyes lit up. "You like it?"

He nodded. "I can see why it's off-putting to some, but I didn't hate it."

"Mate, anything short of downright despising it on your first try is a good sign. You and I are going to get along."

"Is it alright if I have another?"

"Help yourself!"

Everyone but Maria grabbed more, and as I was just lifting one to my mouth, a chirping from behind me drew my attention.

My favorite otter had returned, beaming a needle-sharp grin and dragging a cage across the sand.

B2 | 25 - Former Strangers

With a delicious taste lingering in my mouth and the campfire warming my skin, I beamed a smile at Corporal Claws.

"What took so long, you little scamp? We've already started..." I trailed off and pursed my lips, glaring at the cage she dragged behind her. "Claws..."

She cocked her head, giving me a full-toothed grin.

"Did you stop for a little snack of oysters on your way here?"

She glanced back at the notably bare patch of cage.

Yes, she chirped, her grin never disappearing.

"You scoundrel! We have guests!"

She bowed her head in shame, but slipped one paw into the cage and removed another oyster. With her head still bowed, she snicked it open with a claw, slurped it into her mouth, then threw it over one shoulder, discarding the evidence.

I shook my head. "You can apologize to our new friends here by helping me shuck the rest. Come on."

When the cage I'd retrieved earlier was almost empty, we found our first treasure. Claws chirped to get my attention, and as I glanced over, I caught the shine of a pearl slipping into her pocket.

"Good girl," I whispered, reaching over.

She preened at my praise, leaning into the scratch I gave her.

"Let's open the rest. We might find more."

Her eyes gleamed, and we raced to shuck the remaining mollusks. It didn't take me long to conclude that she was much faster than I was. Despite how deft I had become with my small knife, I was no match for the sharp claws of an oyster-munching machine.

"A shame we didn't find any more pearls..." I said to her as I plated up the last of the oysters.

As if waiting for the complaint, mischief sparkled in her eyes. She put a paw in her pocket, and when she withdrew it, three little orbs reflected in the moonlight.

"Three? From those two cages?"

She radiated delight as she nodded.

"Oh, you are the best girl."

I rubbed her all over and she leaned every which way, following my scratches as they moved. We turned to make our way back to the fire just in time for Maria to yell.

"You're a what?"

"A royal," Keith answered, straightening his back.

"A royal!" she repeated. "Ares's shield, did you know Keith is a royal, Fischer?"

I smiled at her wide-eyed amazement. "They all have rather impressive backgrounds."

"You flatter us," Ellis said, not looking up from his pocketbook.

"We had rather impressive backgrounds," Theo corrected, smirking at Keith's posture. "We left that behind to become common fishermen."

I snorted. "And to raise some poor bloke to godhood."

"That too."

I set the oysters down next to my arrayed spices, shaking my head at how easily he agreed to such a ridiculous statement. "All right. I have a few different ideas for ways to prepare them, but I'm lacking some necessary ingredients—I'll just make one kind tonight and hope it works out. If the first batch sucks, I'll have to try another combination." I turned to Peter. "To address the elephant in the room, you're probably a much better chef than I am, mate, but I'd still love to make a meal for you."

"I can help, even if you just want me to chop ingredients."

"Nonsense, mate—this is a welcoming feast for my soon-to-be-pals of the fishing club. Let me handle the food. I'm open to any critique you have afterward, though!"

Before he could offer resistance, I started preparing the meal.

"That smells divine, Fischer," Theo said, sniffing the aroma in the air as I added a clumpy powder and dried herbs to the pot some time later.

"Will you tell us what it is already?" Maria demanded, her patience well and truly at its limits.

I chuckled softly. "I suppose I can, now that it's ready." I nodded at the pot as I spooned some of the sauce atop the arrayed oysters. "I'm attempting a bastardization of what my world calls a roux. Do you know what that is, Peter?"

He raised an eyebrow, confusion clear on his face. "It's one of the first things you learn to make when training in the royal kitchens, but it's, uh, supposed to be a secret—a closely guarded one at that. You combine fat and flour in equal parts as a thickening base, right?"

"Right. What I've made here is like that, but I've used much less flour than beef tallow." I put the tray of oysters on the fire, then covered them with another tray, sealing the heat in. "The sauce should be thick and packed with flavor, especially after what I just added. Do you know what bechamel sauce is? Mornay?"

"No."

I grinned. "Well, I'll have to get some milk and cheese before I make oysters again, because I'm about to blow this world's cuisine wide open."

Ellis's eyes got a dangerous gleam and his fingers literally twitched around his pencil, but he managed to rein in his questions for another time.

I lifted the cover and peered down at the oysters; small bubbles were forming at the sides. Peter leaned forward, smelling the rising vapors. He closed his eyes and let out a content sigh. "What spices did you add? The aroma is delightful."

"Chives and nutritional yeast."

He cocked his head. "I know what chives are, but what is nutritional yeast?"

"That's what I was cooking in that pan earlier. Heating yeast over a fire deactivates it and gives it a richer flavor. That's all this was. Beef tallow, flour, nutritional yeast, chives, and a sprinkle of salt."

With that, I lifted the cover from the oysters again. Bubbles roiled in each shell, and when I poked an oyster's flesh with my tongs, it was firm. I fanned them with the tray, and before long, they were cool.

"All right! They're ready, gang!"

Maria, Peter, Danny, Barry, and I each grabbed one, as did my animal pals—including Rocky, whose feigned indifference hadn't returned since tasting his first oyster.

I lifted one and poured the contents into my mouth. The flavors exploded across my taste buds, and I made an involuntary noise. The tallow's beefy taste was cut by the cheesy, nutty flavor of the nutritional yeast. The chives danced along across every other ingredient, uplifting and enhancing them.

I bit down into the oyster, and the flavor-profile immediately shifted.

As if the ocean's essence was trapped within its flesh, juices rushed from the mollusk and joined the sauce it was cooked in. I could hear the ocean in my ears, gulls flying high above, and in my mind's eye, I saw crashing waves beneath a midday sun. I chewed it slowly and lost all sense of self as the tastes consumed me.

"Hestia's welcoming hearth," someone said dreamily. "What on Kallis was that?"

I opened my eyes, and the vision of a sunny day melted away. The night was dark, lit only by the campfire's flickering flames.

It was Peter who had spoken, and he looked up at the moon, tears welling in his eyes. "I... I don't..." He blinked rapidly, causing a tear to roll down his cheek.

Danny reached over and put a hand on his shoulder, a look of awe plastered on his face. He turned to Theo and Keith, who were looking confused, then Ellis, who was scribbling away in his notepad while watching everyone.

"You need to try one." Danny swallowed. "That... that was... wow."

"I'm repeating myself here," Maria said, "but that was the tastiest thing I've ever eaten."

Barry and my animal pals nodded vigorously—including Rocky, I happily noted.

I may have dismissed it for polite praise, but I'd eaten one too. I wholeheartedly agreed with the sentiment.

"I'm glad it worked out," I replied, rubbing the back of my head as the memory of a sunlit ocean faded. "I wasn't sure if the tallow would be too fatty or the flour would make it too—"

"Perfection." Peter took a deep breath before looking down from the moon and staring at me. "That was perfection."

I grinned. "That's high praise coming from you, mate. Help yourself to another—there is plenty to go around."

Theo swallowed with flared nostrils, and I raised an eyebrow at him. "Wanna try one, mate?"

"I probably shouldn't. I don't mean to insult your cooking, Fischer, but Ellis told us that the royal library had reports of people getting sick from eating fish. One of us should abstain, just in case."

Sensing his weakness as he stared at the oysters, I went for the jugular. "I mean, even if you were to somehow get sick, ascending seems to cure you of all illnesses and ailments."

Ellis leaned forward, and despite me dropping a knowledge bomb on him, the pencil in his hand was still. His eyes lasered in on me. "You are sure? It cures all sickness?"

"Positive, mate. Maria's mum here was dying, but Barry saved her life by giving her juice from sugarcane I fertilized with fish."

Ellis turned to Theo, raising an eyebrow.

"He's telling the truth," Theo said, answering the unspoken question.

Ellis swallowed. "W-well, I suppose it would not hurt to try one..."

I grinned like a fox in a chicken coop. "Exactly! Give one a try. It'd be a shame for them to go to waste."

I caught Maria smirking at my salesmanship, and I shot her a wink. Everyone reached for an oyster this time, and before I ate my own, I watched Theo, Keith, and Ellis for their reactions. All three men melted before the onslaught of flavors, their bodies relaxing and breath slowing. The hint of a tear formed in Ellis's eye.

I averted my gaze and slipped an oyster into my mouth.

I was greeted by the same sensations as last time. They weren't at all diminished by having experienced it once before, and I marveled at how vivid the ocean vista was in my mind's eye. The makeshift roux had cooled and thickened slightly, but it wasn't an unwelcome change—just different.

"Why doesn't your food taste this good, Peter?" Keith asked.

"I'd like to say it's because you've only eaten my campfire cooking," he replied, then gestured at the fire before him. "But these were also cooked on a campfire, and they are the tastiest thing I've ever had."

"Is all his food this good?" Theo asked, glancing between Barry and Maria.

The former nodded, the latter grimaced.

"Unfortunately," she said, winking at me. "It's enough to give someone an inferiority complex."

"Tell me about it..." Peter mumbled, staring down at the sand.

Danny boomed a laugh and slapped him on the back. "We'll get you on the path of ascension and acquire you some cooking skills before you know it."

"He's right, mate," I said. "You'll likely put my food to shame in no time at all, especially considering your background. I only learned to cook from watching videos."

"... videos?" Theo asked. "What are videos—"

"Don't!" Barry and Maria both yelled, getting in the way of the obfuscating response already forming in my mind.

A laugh bubbled up from within me, and as it subsided, I let out a content sigh. "Don't worry about it—I'm sure Barry can explain when he gives you the tour later."

"The tour?" Ellis asked, but I just shook my head.

"You'll have to wait and see—until then, we have a bunch more oysters..."

***

"Thanks again, Fischer," Barry said, nursing his overfull stomach. "Sorry we ate so much."

"Nonsense, mate." Fischer gave him a wide grin. "Food is there to be eaten, and Claws was all too happy to fetch another batch."

They'd swiftly eaten through the first two cages, and at seeing their readiness to continue eating, Fischer had sent the otter off to fetch more without hesitation.

"Well, we'd better get going," Barry said. "I've yet to show them around."

"Of course!" Fischer cast his gaze over the newly arrived fishermen. "It was really nice meeting you guys."

"It was," Maria agreed, putting her arm around Fischer's waist and hugging him right. "We'll have to go fishing soon! I'm curious what techniques you guys use!"

The five former strangers all said their goodbyes, and Barry led them away from the fire. Theo lingered a moment longer than the rest, watching Fischer and Maria walk toward the coast with their hands entwined.

"Something wrong?" Barry asked

Theo gave him a smile. "Nothing, Barry—I'm just glad to see Fischer happy. So much of what we came here to do had moral questionability surrounding it, but seeing the man we plan to raise to godhood living a normal life… it washed most of my hesitation away."

"You still feel hesitation, though?"

Theo nodded. "Who wouldn't? We don't truly know what ascension entails and how it could impact him."

Barry shrugged. "I haven't known Fischer for long, but I've stopped doubting him."

"I hope you're right."

"To steal his words, Theo—you're a good bloke. Just the fact that you consider such things lifts you in my eyes."

A silence stretched across the sand as Barry led them toward his house beneath the moonlit sky. When they reached his home, he led them around back and strode toward the shed.

"You wish for us to sleep in a shed?" Keith asked.

Without another word, Barry flung the door open. When the five men saw the contents of the shed and the inside of the now-disguised door, their dispositions shifted. Every eye went wide, and Ellis took an involuntary step forward, craning his neck.

"You recognise what this is?" Barry asked.

All nodded, and Ellis slipped forward. He put his hand against the inside of the door and put his eye so close to the gilding that it was almost touching. "An ancient building. Unbelievable... outstanding..."

"I take it there are buildings like this in the capital?"

"There are." Ellis ran his hands along the golden edging, his aged fingers moving with grace. "They are strictly off-limits to the general public, but part of the inner library is made of such material. To think there was one like it out here... how long has it been here?"

"Since last night."

Ellis's hands froze. He whirled faster than a man of his age had any right moving, and his eyes drilled into Barry.

"Theo. He tells the truth?"

"He... he does."

"If you think that's impressive..." Barry waggled his eyebrows and pointed down at the descending stairwell they hadn't yet noticed. "Wait until you see the rest of it."

B2 | 26 - Test of Allegiance

As Barry led the men further down the underground tunnel, Ellis sharpened his pencil violently. Keith, who had the unfortunate position of being behind the overeager archivist, batted ineffectually at the barrage of shavings flying his way.

"Good gods, Ellis—can you aim that elsewhere?"

"No time," he replied, eyes focused on his pencil. He removed it, pocketed the sharpener, and immediately started writing again.

Barry smiled at his eagerness. They'd just come from the underground forest, and Ellis had spent a full fifteen minutes documenting every feature of the giant tree within it before his friends finally convinced him to keep moving.

Barry took a deep breath, knowing this next room was going to be a final test of sorts.

If they don't agree with my methods... he thought, but then he shook his head, dismissing it. I can deal with that possibility when and if it comes to pass.

Barry's steps slowed, and he came to a stop, spinning toward them. "I have something to admit."

"What's that?" Ellis asked, not looking up from his frenzied writing.

"You aren't the first group to come from the capital. Another royal came, Keith." Barry turned and continued walking, making his way toward the door. "He was accompanied by two cultivators."

"Don't tell me..." Keith uttered.

Barry reached out, swung the door open, and stepped back. Keith rushed forward, peering out into the room.

"Finally!" came a nasally voice from within. "Where's my desert? I was promised more sweet water juice!"

***

Keith immediately recognized the voice

"It's called sugarcane juice, Trent," Barry replied with a slight shake of his head.

Though Keith knew who he'd find, when he spied the speaker, his mouth still went dry.

Trent—his eldest cousin and childhood tormenter—sat in a rich wooden chair. He fanned his face with a book, putting on an air of poise and dignity that looked ridiculous on him.

Keith fought to keep his face still. "I didn't think to find you here, cousin."

At the words, Trent shot to his feet faster than Keith had ever seen him move. Even as a child, Trent had always been prodigiously pudgy, but he'd lost weight since last he'd seen him.

"Keith! Thank Poseidon's slick shaft you're here! Did father and uncle come?" Trent rose from the chair and lurched forward, grabbing the metal bars. He leaned closer, whispering. "They're creating cultivators here, cousin. I hope you've brought a large retinue of the collared with you."

"He knows what we're doing, Trent," Barry said, stepping into view.

The prince let out an eep and jumped back from the bars. "Run, cousin! Make haste!" Trent took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, then bellowed. "Faaaather! I'm underground! I require assistaaaance!"

Theo peeked his head around the corner. "He's not too bright, is he, Keith?"

"Not particularly, no."

"I have always found it fascinating," Ellis mused, craning his neck to see past Theo. "That those of the same lineage can grow to have such contrasting dispositions."

Trent stared at Keith, his face contorting in thought like a dog trying to work out whose tail it was chasing. "Ah—I see." He snapped his fingers and let out a facetious chuckle. "You're a cultivator with the ability to shapeshift. Very clever, but not clever enough to fool the crown prince." He narrowed his eyes on Barry. "Shame on you, coming down here and trying to use a man's relatives against him." He pointed at Ellis. "And who are you pretending to be? Some evil wizard of old? Jokes on you, pretender—I didn't study the histories!"

Ellis watched him patiently. "I am well aware you did not study the histories, Prince. I do not think you studied anything. If you had spent a second in your family's archives, maybe you would know who I am."

Keith rubbed his temples. "Trent—when you were ten years old, you got your head stuck in a vase when trying to lick the last vestiges of syrup from its wall. You wouldn't let us get help and we had to break it for you to escape. You cried. A lot."

The prince's head darted up to stare at his cousin with wide eyes. "Poseidon's sweaty sack—it's really you!" He narrowed his eyes. "Hang on a damned second—you swore an oath to never tell that to anyone!"

"Under duress of my head being squashed by your well-fed rump, if I recall."

Trent's gaze shot toward Barry, to the rest of the men peering into the room, then back to Keith. "Betrayer..." he whispered.

"That's right," Keith agreed. "I've betrayed the capital and the royal family."

"How far does this plot go? Is this your father's doing, finally coming for the crown? Oh, when my father the king catches wind of this, you'll be sorely—"

Keith closed the door, cutting off Trent's impassioned speech.

***

Tension he wasn't aware of left Barry's body.

"I'm assuming this was one last test of our allegiance?" Keith asked.

Barry made a so-so gesture. "I wouldn't call it a test, but I did need to see how you would react to his imprisonment. It doesn't bother you?"

"By itself, no, but I do have a question for you." Keith's face turned serious. "Do you plan to torture him?"

"Reasonable question. I'll answer bluntly—no. We've been extracting information from him in exchange for sweet treats, and we plan on eventually bringing him over to our side." Barry's eyebrows twitched of its own accord as the problem with Trent sprang to mind. "He has been a real pain, if I'm being honest, but that's not really important right now."

A silence stretched through the corridor, only marginally interrupted by the muffled, indignant yelling of Trent from the other side of the door.

"For what it's worth," Theo said, "both of you are telling the truth."

Barry smiled, but Theo continued.

"However… there's a little more to what you were saying, Barry. You said he's been a pain and that it wasn't important right now. It is though, isn't it?"

Barry sighed. "It is, but I didn't leave it out for nefarious reasons."

He raised an eyebrow at Theo.

"True," the former auditor confirmed.

Barry nodded. "We've been giving him endless cups of sugarcane juice, multiple a day, yet he hasn't awakened. And we have absolutely no idea why. It has worked for everyone else, just not him."

"Fascinating…" Ellis said.

"I'd say infuriating," Barry replied with a wry smile. "But we will have plenty of time to explore that in the coming days. Let's continue the tour."

When Ellis read the plaque set beside the next door, he let out a hiss of air. He lunged forward, grabbed the handle, and threw the door wide. His body stood rigid as his eyes scanned the room beyond.

Barry gave him an understanding smile. "I had the same reaction when I saw that the library came without books."

Ellis's shoulders slumped, and his head hung.

"A true shame. I had hoped..."

"Me too, mate."

Barry stepped inside and gestured for the others to follow him. The room's walls were covered by lacquered shelves of dark wood; they stretched from the floor all the way to the high ceiling. On each wall, there were large ladders to allow the placement and retrieval of books.

"As with the other rooms, the air in this one appears to be magically altered," Barry said. "It's dry. Really dry. I spent an hour here today reading and my throat started feeling scratchy."

"Remarkable. It is perfectly acclimatized for the preservation of vellum, yet it did not come with any books." He let out a bone-deep sigh, his body looking its age as he stood with great effort. "At least I will have a place to store the books I brought with me." He turned to Barry, his eyes half-lidded. "Is there much more to see, Barry? I find myself ready for rest."

"There are more rooms, yes, but they're mostly... well, you'll see. We can make it quick."

Giving Ellis an arm to lean on, he led the men from the room.

The next stretch of hallway consisted of five doors, and as Barry reached the first, he opened it. Beyond the door was... nothing.

Theo strode forward and touched the smooth stone. "They lead to a solid wall? Why?"

"Couldn't tell you," Barry answered. "My best guess is that we can add more rooms, given time."

He expected Ellis to comment that it was remarkable, astounding, or some other synonym for his amazement, but the aged man merely watched, leaning on Barry for support.

"Alright," Barry said. "Other than the mysterious doors to nothing, the rest are sleeping quarters and bathrooms. Let's go straight there."

***

After Barry's departure, Theo looked around the room with unbelieving eyes.

Ten luxurious beds lined the room, all of which were as opulent as the next. He ran his hands over the silk-smooth cover he sat on, unsure if he was dreaming.

"This is real, right?" Danny asked, doing the same thing with his hands on the next bed over.

Peter launched himself and crashed down on a pile of plush pillows across the room. "Feels real to me! Gods, I've never had such an amazing shower. If it wasn't so late, I may have slept under the running water."

Theo couldn't disagree; after weeks of travel, the shower had been an unexpected yet welcomed relief. He glanced over at Ellis. The former archivist was already asleep, snoring peacefully in the furthest bed.

Pete followed his gaze and grimaced. "I'm sure he's alright..."

"He got worse while we were traveling. He did well to hide his sickness from us for so long, but it's hard to ignore when someone coughs up blood..."

"Well," Danny said, leaning back on his bed. "With any luck, he'll ascend."

Theo nodded. "I'll ask Barry about some of that sugarcane juice tomorrow. There's no rush for us, but after seeing how weak Ellis got today, I'm more than a little worried."

Peter and Danny grunted their agreement, and realizing he hadn't heard from Keith in a while, Theo glanced his way. The royal was fast asleep.

Peter covered his mouth as a yawn escaped him. "I suppose we should get some sleep too..."

"Aye," Danny agreed, throwing back his covers and climbing in.

As if listening in on their conversation, the flames set in the walls dimmed.

Theo slid between the sheets of his bed. His body rejoiced the moment he lied down, and before he knew it, his consciousness faded.

***

When Theo opened his eyes again, his mouth was dry, and he sat up, searching for something to drink. As his vision cleared, he took in the surrounding room. Everyone was asleep, their bedding crinkled and in various states of disarray.

He stood and walked for the door, intent on heading to a tap for a drink, when something in his peripheral vision caught his attention. In the far corner of the room, a dark form moved. Theo froze, staring at the blob of darkness hiding between Ellis's bed and the wall. He tiptoed to Danny's bed and shook the burly man. His larger friend opened his eyes immediately, and they locked onto Theo, who held a finger to his own lips.

Danny understood; he slipped his blanket aside silently and climbed to his feet. Theo gestured at the murky blob, and as Danny noticed it, his body tensed. The former guard crept forward, ready to deliver violence. As they got closer, a soft whispering sound came from the shape.

Danny stilled, holding a hand up to stop Theo.

Theo looked between the dark mass and his muscular friend, not comprehending what was going through the latter's mind. After a tense moment, Danny shook his head, let out a sigh and walked forward, all of his stealth abandoned.

"What the hells are you doing, Ellis?" He reached down. "You scared the piss out of us."

As Danny lifted the blanket covering their friend, the flickering orange light of a candle danced against the walls.

"Careful!" the archivist hissed. "I have an open flame and paper out!"

As soon as paper was mentioned, Theo realized what the whispering had been—the scratching of graphite on a pocketbook.

He let out a relieved sigh. "What are you doing, Ellis? You need your rest."

Ellis spun on the spot with the agility of a gymnast. "I don't, actually."

"Huh?" Danny asked. "What are you talking about?"

Theo knew.

His lifetime of training let him see the twinkle in Ellis's eye, the speed with which he spun, the firm set of his shoulders, and the subtle changes to the muscles of his friend's arms.

"You didn't…"

Ellis beamed. "I did."

"You awakened?" Danny hissed. "You're a cultivator?"

"An astute observation. I have been testing and documenting for the last few hours." Ellis clenched his fists and released them, staring down at the muscles of his forearms. "It feels rather good."

Just then, something tugged at Theo, and words consumed his vision.

"No way…"

He blinked and rubbed his eyes, yet the words remained.

Please select a name.

B2 | 27 - Names

Barry paused before the wooden facade covering the church's entrance. He turned and gazed toward the western mountains, absorbing their beauty.

The sun rose at his back, peeking its head over his house and warming his body. A gust of wind kicked up, ruffling his hair and lending him a sense of tranquility. The breeze sputtered out, and as he inhaled through his nose, the scents of coffee and fresh-baked pastries made his mouth water.

The door to the church opened, so he looked over his shoulder. "Morning, Ruby."

"Good morning, Barry. How did you sleep—ooh! Are one of those for me?"

Barry held out the coffee and croissant laden tray. "Help yourself."

She slid forward and grabbed one of each. "Thank you."

After sipping the coffee, she let out a full-bodied sigh. "What did we ever do without this stuff?"

"Honestly, I have no idea. Is Steven still inside?"

She rolled her eyes with a playful smile. "He is. I swear, that man could sleep the day away."

"I'll drop him off some breakfast. Did you meet the new arrivals yet?"

She lowered the cup from her lips. "I didn't meet them yet, but they're up and sounding quite lively this morning."

"Really? I thought they'd sleep in given they spent weeks traveling..."

Ruby shrugged. "The door to their room was closed, so I didn't burst in to introduce myself, but they certainly sounded awake."

She took a bite of croissant, and her shoulders slumped as she let out a quiet mmm. Barry watched her with a growing smile, excited for his own pastry after delivering breakfast to the rest of the congregation.

Ruby washed the croissant down with a sip of coffee. "Well, I'd better open the shop while that husband of mine sleeps the day away." She grinned. "See you, Barry!"

He bid Ruby farewell, and as she closed the door behind him, Barry gazed at the surrounding room. As with the gust outside, the flickering light of the walls' naked flames brought him a sense of calm. He oozed gratitude as he made his way down the stairs.

Distracted by the scents wafting up from his tray, Barry reached their room before he knew it. Muffled conversation and grunts came through the thick door, and Barry opened it with a raised eyebrow.

All the beds had been moved to the back of the room, leaving an empty space of smooth stone. Theo and Peter lay on their stomachs close to the door, their right hands clasped and ready to arm wrestle. Danny and Keith stood just past them, the former's feet firmly planted and the latter bouncing on his heels. Ellis was furthest from Barry; he sat on a bed with his legs crossed, his right hand gripping a pencil and ready to take notes.

Barry grinned at the unfolding scene. "Good morn—"

"Go!" Ellis yelled.

Keith launched across the room and drove a fist into Danny's stomach.

The former quartermaster hunched, braced for the impact, then let out a grunt as he flew across the room and slammed into a wall. Theo and Peter's arms bulged, and they clenched their teeth as they fought to force the other's hand down to the stones. All the while, Ellis's eyes darted around the room, his hand a blur as it wrote in his notepad.

Barry almost dropped the tray, but he quickly readjusted, catching the assortment of breakfasts before a drop of coffee could spill.

"Oh! Hello, Barry," Ellis said, still writing.

"Er—I brought food and coffee…?"

Ellis closed his notepad and set it down. "Let's pause for breakfast, gentlemen."

Danny got to his feet at the base of the wall and brushed himself off with a smile. "Nice hit!"

Keith gave him a grin, rubbing his knuckles. "Not as good as your defense—it feels like punching a boulder."

"Another tie," Peter said. He stood, easily helping Theo up.

Barry entered the room, looking over the men before him. Now that he knew what to look for, the signs were obvious. Their bodies were already changing after becoming cultivators. Most distinctive was Ellis, whose previously thin frame was nowhere to be seen.

His shoulders had lost their hunch, and he came to meet Barry with sure steps. "Are these the famous Sue's baked goods and coffee? Theo has talked them up quite fervently."

Barry just nodded.

"Are you alright, mate?" Theo asked with a grin, taking a coffee. "You look like you've just seen a whole gang of cultivators."

The rest of the fishing club burst into laughter as they grabbed a coffee and pastry.

Barry couldn't help but smile at them. "When did it happen? I didn't think it'd occur so soon..."

"In the middle of the night," Ellis answered with crema-colored foam covering the lower half of his mustache. Theo pointed at his lip, and the archivist wiped it away. "We've been testing and documenting ever since."

"Unreal..." Barry set down the tray and grabbed his own croissant and coffee. He strode to the piled-up beds and sat down. "I planned to help you ascend today... I can't believe a single meal of Fischer's oysters worked."

With the rest of the men biting down into their pastries, Theo answered. "Well, we did eat a lot of oysters."

"Still..." Barry took a sip, his eyes growing unfocused. "I think it means his cooking is getting stronger. We'll have to be careful with that."

Ellis resumed scribbling in his book, never one to miss an opportunity to take notes.

"These are damned delicious together," Keith said around a mouthful. "Forget our ascensions—I can't believe the peasants here can afford to eat and drink these every day."

Peter cringed. "For the love of everything we're doing here, please don't refer to the common-folk as peasants."

Keith swallowed and washed his pastry down with a swig of coffee. "Wait, that's a bad term?"

"Quite derogatory," Ellis confirmed.

"Oh... sorry, Barry."

"It's fine with me, but some of the townsfolk won't take kindly to it."

"I won't use it anymore." He sighed. "It's hard to shake my upbringing at times."

"Tell me about it," Theo said. "You can be a real prick."

Keith slapped Theo's shoulder with one hand playfully—it sent him flying into the wall. The room shook and the last dregs of Theo's coffee spattered across the floor, the cup having been knocked loose during his unplanned flight.

Keith rushed over. "Are you alright, Theo? I'm so sorry—"

Theo's booming laughter cut the sentence off as he stared out at the room, upside down and slumped against the floor. Keith helped him up and offered up the rest of his coffee.

"It's fine—I only had a mouthful left," Theo said. "We'll have to watch our strength, huh?"

Barry nodded. "There's an adjustment period."

As a realization bubbled up within him, the smile died on his lips. The men must have sensed his mental shift; their faces sobered.

"What is it?" Theo asked.

"I didn't think to warn you because I thought there was no chance you would awaken so swiftly..." He winced. "Trent slipped up and gave us some important intel: there's a construct back in the capital that prints out the name you give to the System. I don't suppose you chose names other than your own...?"

The silence that followed could have been cut with a knife.

***

Charles, head servant to the king of Gormona, rubbed his temples as he traversed the upper levels of the castle.

The echo of metal footsteps came from down the hall, and he gazed up, eying the rushing guard as he rounded a corner.

"Guard!" Charles calmed his features, hiding his worry. "Report. Have you found any sign of the missing?"

"N-no, sir!" the guard stuttered.

Charles made to dismiss him, but the guard's wild eyes made him pause. "What is it? Do you have something else to report?"

"Y-yes, sir."

Charles's nostrils flared at the insufficient answer, but he quickly schooled his features once more. "Well? Out with it."

The guard, sensing his frustration, snapped a hurried salute.

"Yes, sir! I—I think it's best you see it yourself, sir."

What has him so shaken? Charles wondered.

"Very well—lead on."

Two long hallways later, the guard opened a door and gestured within. Light filtered into the room through a lone window, the sun shining down on a smattering of old furniture.

Charles's eyes narrowed.

He strode in, and as he looked closer at the objects, he immediately recognized what this was. It wasn't furniture at all—it was a storage room for inert constructs. As old as the kingdom was, of course such relics existed, but he'd never seen so many in one place.

"What did you bring me here for?" he demanded, turning on the guard. "Why have useless relics of the past shaken you so?"

"Uhhh," another voice came from behind him.

Charles turned on the source; another guard stood up from behind a relic, his face lit by an odd-colored light.

The second guard smiled like a fool. "They aren't all useless."

"Explain."

The guard pointed down. "I think you might need to see it for yourself."

Though Charles suspected he'd find nothing of use, something about the guard's demeanor—and the green-tinted light illuminating him—made curiosity swell within him.

"Why did you two even look in here?" he asked, bending to crawl between gaps in the constructs.

"Well, sir," the second guard answered, "It's been weeks since the men deserted—"

"Disappeared!" Charles corrected, his tone brooking no discourse. "We know not what happened to them."

"Er—right. Sorry, sir. It's been weeks since they, uh, disappeared, and we've found no sign of them, so when we found this room of relics, we decided to check if they were hiding inside."

Charles caught sight of the guard's armored legs as he crawled toward them. He shuffled up beside the man, fighting for space.

"Sorry, sir. Bit of a tight fit."

Charles clenched his jaw. "Whatever you wanted to show me had better be..." he trailed off as he stood to his full height, and as he stared at the source of the soft light, his jaw dropped. "Is this...?"

"Looks like it, sir," the guard answered.

***

As the silence stretched in the fishing club's quarters, Barry's pulse quickened.

He glanced between the freshly awakened men, but at what he saw on their faces, his brow furrowed. Were they... smiling?

Theo started laughing first, and the rest of them quickly followed. Ellis's chuckle was deep and rich, a stark contrast to his raspy laughter the day before.

"Worry not, Barry," the archivist said. "We considered that possibility and named ourselves accordingly."

"You considered that possibility, you mean," Theo corrected, wiping a tear from his eye.

"We all contributed to the names." Ellis shrugged, giving a wicked grin. "It was quite fun, really."

"What did you name yourselves...?"

They all glanced at each other, amusement clear in their eyes. Ellis bowed at the waist, giving a flourish with his hand. "Lizard Wizard greets you."

"Glare Bear," the burly Danny said, his eyes anything but glaring.

Theo held his hand out. "Pleasure to meet you, Barry. I'm Bog Dog."

Barry's face grew more and more confused as he shook the offered hand, but the onslaught continued.

"Hurtle the Turtle," Keith said. He made his upper lip protrude in the approximation of a turtle's v-shaped mouth.

Peter barked a laugh. Inspired by his friend's antics, he dropped to all fours, looking up at Barry with vacant eyes as he chewed pretend cud. "Boat Goat." He tried to bleat, but it turned into a choked laugh.

Barry dropped his head into his hands as the rest of the fishermen joined in, giggling like children.

"Gods above. You're all definitely Fischer's friends."

B2 | 28 - The Offensive

"You called yourselves what?" I demanded.

Laughter bubbled up from within me as I saw the arrayed smiles, and I let it come, delighting in the feeling.

"Why?" I asked when I could speak again. "Why animals, and what's up with the rhyming?"

"Loathe as I am to admit it—it's genius," Barry said, shaking his head. "If someone happens across the ancient construct, there's no chance that they'll link it back to them."

"And if we're lucky," Ellis added, "they'll assume it's a handful of awakened creatures. That would put a real burr in the king's breaches."

I laughed again, picturing a procession of guards sent from the capital in search of phantom beasts. "There's no way they're that daft, but it's certainly a fun idea."

Keith opened his mouth to speak, but Ellis's hand darted to cover it.

I raised an eyebrow. "Culty stuff I probably don't want to know?"

Keith winced. "Yeah, sorry."

"Don't mention it, my man! Well, I was going to suggest we all have a fish today, but now that you're all cultivators..." I gave them a grin. "How do you feel about helping me construct something that'll let us fish deeper waters?"

The gleam in their eyes was all the answer I needed.

***

Sweat poured from Charles as he ran through corridors, down spiraling stairs, and past confused servants that dashed out of the way.

He reached the antechamber to the throne room and threw open the door. The servant posted there quirked an eyebrow at the uncouth arrival, but upon seeing Charles, his back straightened. "The king is in a meeting, sir."

Charles strode forward, unerring. "I must see him. Now."

"Sir, I'm sure he won't be—"

At the glare Charles leveled his way, the servant's words died in his throat. "Of course. Right this way, please."

The door groaned as the servant pushed them open with a bowed head. The king had been speaking, but his hushed words cut off the moment he noticed the interruption.

"What is the meaning of this?" he demanded, his voice commanding attention.

The servant opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out, his lip quivering.

"My king," Charles said, striding forward. "I have vital information that cannot—" As he noticed the man standing before his ruler, Charles's chest constricted. He cleared his throat, gathering his courage. "I have vital information that cannot wait."

Augustus Reginald Gormona, the reigning king of Gormona and lord of these lands, glared at him. If Charles wasn't so exhausted, he would have withered beneath the king's attention. His breaths were labored as he bowed at the waist, fighting the urge to wipe sweat from his brow.

The king sighed. "Very well. My apologies, Tom. We will have to resume this conversation at a later date."

"Of course, my king," Lord Osnan responded, not missing a beat as he gave a sweeping bow. Turning on his heel, he strode toward the exit.

Charles felt Tom Osnan's eyes boring into him in passing; he kept his face downward—to antagonize the lord of the Osnan household was to court ruin.

The influential lord's footsteps receded, and the door groaned again as the servant closed it behind them, leaving Charles and his king alone in the throne room.

"Approach, Charles."

He raised his head and obeyed. Light shone down from stain-glass windows, illuminating his king's white mane of hair from behind. The ruler's face was unreadable; he stroked his colorless beard as he watched Charles's approach. The closer he got, the more the air seemed to grow thick—his legs shook, so he slowed his stride.

When Charles arrived before the throne, Augustus Reginald Gormona peered down at him like a wolf would consider a sheep. "Are you well, Charles?"

"Apologies, my king." He bowed at the waist again. "I ran here from the upper floors."

"Dispense with the formalities. What has burdened you so?"

He snapped upright. "As you will. In searching for the vanished men, two guards discovered a room filled with artifacts."

The king made a gesture to get on with it. "Yes, I know the room. What of it?"

"One of the relics was active, and the screen show—"

The king shot to his feet. "Active?"

An almost physical pressure pushed down on Charles, and he cleared his throat. "The guards are bringing it here—"

The king's eyes went wide, and the pressure seemed to double. "Stop them!" The air almost vibrated with the ruler's voice. "Tell them to return it exactly where it was!"

"Y-yes, my king!"

Charles sprinted for the door that was already opening, the servant having heard the booming order. A shiver coursed through his limbs as fear replaced his weariness.

***

As Augustus Reginald Gormona gazed down at the screen, his eyebrow twitched. A path had been cleared to the relic, and inert artifacts lay scattered against the far wall.

"This was its exact position when you found it?"

He looked up; Charles and one of the guards winced.

The other shrugged. "Pretty sure, yeah."

Red-hot needles pin-pricked Augustus Reginald Gormona's skin as rage coursed through his veins. "I don't need pretty sure, fool! Was this where the artifact was?"

Charles and the other guard withered.

The flippant guard snapped a salute. "Yes, king."

He stared at them for a long moment before returning his attention to the construct. Above the screen, in an ancient script only one other in his kingdom could read, were two simple words: newly awoken.

More importantly, five names were listed on the screen.

Lizard Wizard

Bog Dog

Glare Bear

Hurtle the Turtle

Boat Goat

"Tell me, Charles," he said, his voice soft. "What do you make of this?"

"I dare not presume—"

"Presume!" he ordered, not looking away from the printed text.

Charles audibly swallowed. "Judging by the names, I believe that multiple spirit beasts may have awakened."

Though he suspected the same, hearing the words spoken aloud hammered the reality into Augustus's brain. He tottered over, catching himself on one of the lifeless constructs behind him.

"My king!" Charles dashed forward, but Augustus held up his other hand, halting him.

"Fetch runners and send for every handler in the city." His vision blurred and eyes went distant as he thought out loud. "If they are able to gather power, to gain strength… we may all be doomed..."

"Yes, my king!" Charles replied.

Three sets of hurried footsteps dragged him back to the present.

"Wait!" the king called, commanding obeisance.

They all stopped and turned.

"On pain of death," Augustus continued, "none of you are to speak a word of this"

"Yes, my king!" all three replied.

"Very good. You two." He pointed at the guards. "This room is now your post. No one is to enter without my permission and nothing is to be touched—nothing, you understand?"

One nodded silently, while the other snapped a salute and grinned.

The king walked from the room as Charles took off, sprinting away to enact his orders. He clenched his jaw and flared his nostrils, not caring to keep his fury under control.

There were spirit beasts in his lands.

It was time to go on the offensive.

***

Just by the numbers alone, I had assumed the construction would be much more productive with the help of my new friends.

As I watched Keith and Theo launch Peter like a torpedo, I was forced to admit just how wrong I was.

The chef, his eyes wide and mouth spread in a manic grin, rocketed right into Danny. The former quartermaster tried to catch the chef-turned-projectile, but was blown off his feet, and both men slammed into the shore's rocky cliff. Ellis was unable to take notes, underwater as he was, but he watched on with keen eyes, no doubt storing the information away for later.

Corporal Claws, never one to let a chance for mischief pass her by, swam up to Theo and Peter.

She pointed at herself, then at Rocky, who was hauling a small boulder by himself. Theo and Peter connected their hands and Claws sat her furry little tooshie in the makeshift sling. A moment later, she was gliding through the water at previously unseen speeds. She spun like a torpedo, her body becoming a blur. She angled herself upward, and instead of striking the unsuspecting crab, she shot right into the boulder he carried.

A loud crack split the water, and the humongous rock disintegrated in a shower of pebbles. Claws shot through it, dragging a plume of spiraling dust in her wake. She came back in a large circle and slammed down next to Rocky, then gazed up to inspect her work.

Rocky froze, his clackers twitching in the open water. Claws ignored him, staring up at the dispersing cloud of sediment and rubbing her chin. With glacial speed, her gaze shifted to give Rocky a side-eyed glace.

When the corner of her lip twitched up, Rocky could contain his anger no longer.

Twin explosions rang out, aimed behind him. The propulsion shot him at her like a bullet with too many limbs, all of which were poised to latch onto her. She chittered a laugh and kicked off the sands, easily gliding away from the apoplectic crab.

I shook my head, as I watched Claws's tactical retreat and Rocky's unceasing pursuit. All five of the fishing club members tracked the fight—or was it a flight?—with growing amusement. I watched their faces for a long moment, only stopping when they went up for air.

As Claws and Rocky's chase extended out of sight, I was left alone on the ocean floor. I crossed my legs and sat down, letting the muscles of my body relax. The water undulated softly, pushing my body this way and that. A deep well of thankfulness opened up within me, and I sat with it for a moment, appreciating it in its entirety.

I left out a breath; the bubbles tickled my face in their passing.

With a content grin, I got back to my feet and searched for another boulder.

***

The midday sun warmed my shoulders as I took my pot off the boil. Steam rose from its roiling surface, bringing with it the sweet yet savory scent of the cooked sand crabs within.

When the sun had just started to approach its zenith in the sky, I'd snuck off to prepare a surprise lunch. Busy as everyone was with taking turns launching each other at walls, piles of sand, rocks—or anything else unlucky enough to be within view of the chaotically aligned fishermen—they hadn't noticed my departure. Sergeant Snips and Pistachio did, but they'd simply nodded at me when I held a finger to my lips, telling them to keep it quiet.

I heard—and felt—another thump, no doubt caused by someone getting flung into the cliff like a boulder from a trebuchet. I laughed, picturing the scene in my mind. One by one, I removed the cooked crabs and placed them into another pot of fresh saltwater to cool, then set off to fetch my pals.

I searched close to the shore, but the only life I came across were the schools of fish flitting around the base of the wall. I set off further south, and the moment I found them, my eyes went wide.

You've gotta be kidding me...

Everyone—five cultivators and two awakened creatures—had formed a line. They were throwing boulders from one end to another, making a living chain. They'd long since found their rhythm, and the giant rocks bounced along the line hypnotically. At the beginning, Snips launched them a ridiculous distance to Pistachio. The leviathan-sized lobster easily caught and lobbed it along. Each boulder went to Theo, Peter, Danny, Keith, and finally Ellis, who placed it down atop a growing pile.

There had to be almost a hundred giant stones there already.

Where did they get so many in such a small amount of time? I wondered.

I glanced at the start of the line with a furrowed brow, and then I saw it.

I'd been too transfixed by the fluid teamwork to notice the cliff had changed. Though it still denoted the barrier between land and sea, meters of rock had been demolished and lay in a pile right next to Snips, who was easily picking up boulders and throwing them to Pistachio.

She noticed me, froze, then blew a stream of hesitant bubbles. Realizing she wasn't sure if I was going to be mad, I darted toward her and scooped her up in a hug. A stream of relieved bubbles tickled my face as she leaned into my embrace. I kicked off the sand, and as we breached the surface, I smiled down at her.

"We probably would have had to demolish some stone eventually, Snips. I'm not upset. You guys have done an amazing amount of work."

Someone cleared their throat behind me, and I turned to see all five men looking rather sheepish.

Theo rubbed the back of his head. "That, uh, may have been my fault. Well, my head's fault."

"Your head?" I asked with a wry smile. "I think you're taking too much blame, mate. Is it safe to assume you were launched by two overenthusiastic cultivators?"

"Oh, it was all four of us, actually," Ellis said matter-of-factly. "His velocity was astounding."

Theo grimaced. "I tried spinning in the water like Claws did earlier. It, uh, worked."

"No harm, no foul, right?" I asked Snips.

She nodded in response, blowing happy bubbles as she rubbed her carapace against my shoulder.

I glanced up at the surrounding faces. "I don't know if you guys are interested, but I've cooked up a feast of crab for lunch—"

"Last one there has to be the subject of Ellis's aerial test!" Theo yelled, cutting me off.

"... aerial test?" I asked, but they were already gone, swimming to shore in a chaotic wash of flailing arms and kicking legs.

***

After a feast of crab, I joined in on the boulder-throwing work chain.

Claws and Rocky had returned too, no doubt lured in by the smell. Rocky was still trying to catch and or maim her when he scuttled up from the ocean, but she squashed the beef by throwing a cooked crab directly at his face, which subsequently exploded in a storm of meat and carapace.

I had thought it would further antagonize him, but he'd simply started plucking up chunks and throwing them into his mouth.

With their addition to the line, we were able to reach all the way from the first pile to the base of the wall. I was at the end of the line, catching rocks thrown by Claws and Rocky together, who had put their differences aside for the promise of a good scritching and a tasty meal. The wall took shape before my eyes, and as the hours passed, it neared completion—the boulders protruded above the ocean's surface, stretching a full fifty meters from the shore.

All of a sudden, no rock came, and when I looked back down the line, Sergeant Snips approached. She and Pistachio held a colossal boulder, and something shone from it, reflecting the sun's light. Each person they passed joined and helped carry it to the wall. When the procession reached Claws and Rocky, I realized what the light was reflecting from.

A streak of silvery metal ran through the rock. The moment Ellis noticed the streak he jumped atop the load. His head hung down, peering intently at the anomaly. I joined in to haul the boulder up from the water and onto the wall.

As soon as we got there, I turned to Ellis. "You know what it is, mate?"

"I believe so," he answered, his eyes still glued to the vein. "It's iron."

"Really? I thought it was silver—isn't iron more... dull?"

"Ah, that is what I had first assumed as well. See the red tint to some of the boulders? That is the result of iron oxidizing. It is a rather dense vein, which is why it appears so metallic. It will lose its shine swiftly now that we have exposed it to air and salt water. Based on how rich its iron content is, I would guess that it's hematite."

I turned, grinning as I surveyed the area.

The ocean surrounded us. Small waves crashed into the rocks and the wind sprayed us with their droplets. I breathed deep of the salty air, closing my eyes and extending my arms to either side. I stood like that for a handful of slow breaths, but then something nudged my core.

I arched an eyebrow and looked out at the world. Everyone had their eyes closed and a look of serene calm on their face, losing themselves to the moment. The nudge came again, but this time it pulled me toward the boulder.

I walked between my pals, taking careful steps across the uneven rocks. When I reached the giant boulder, I closed my eyes and leaned my forehead against it, picturing what I wanted to create: a sturdy surface from which to fish, with gaps in the rocks below for sea life to shelter in. A place of friendship, fun, and species diversity.

Knowing what would come next, I thought myself ready for the rush of power that would leave my core.

I was wrong.

The world quivered and my vision went black.