I tightened my grip. I could feel that I was losing, but I wasn’t out yet. I just had to—

SPLOOSH WHIZZ SPLASH

“And that’s another fat tuna for Sherri Hanefeltz! Oh, I bet that one’s thirty pounds at the least! Let’s give her a hand, ladies and gentlemen!” shouted Heize. He clapped his hands together vigorously and cheered into his speaking pipe. “How can Darnini, the fan favorite, ever hope to catch up? To this humble announcer, it seems like her ribs have been roasted! Her sword has been snapped! She’s descending a mountain without a rope and just lost her footing!”

“Will you shut up already!” I yelled over my shoulder. I cast my rod into the water again and frowned.

We were sitting at the edge of The Escallion’s top deck, at the very back of the ship. It was a hot, humid day with only the shade of low, fluffy clouds to break up the skin-searing sunlight. Captain Kastel had given us the day off to participate in this nonsense, which thankfully meant no maid dress, but I was starting to wish he’d denied my request.

“Hey Sherri, is there some kind of trick to this?” I asked.

She held up her finger and said, “Tons, but I’m not sharing!” then went back to staring at the water. She drew her rod back with a smile and sent another fat tuna flying into her wooden bucket. I had a bucket next to me as well, but it was empty save for a few flecks of brine.

“Nine! She’s caught nine gorgeous, fatty tuna, and it’s only been twenty minutes! Is there any angler, nay, any living, breathing soul in all of Zaftia who could even dream of besting the angel known as Sherri Hanefeltz?” announced Heize.

I turned around and pointed at him. “Knock it off, you’re breaking my concentration!”

All around us was a writhing crowd of sun-baked onlookers. About three-quarters of them were wearing DVAS armbands and fidgeting around anxiously. They were probably scared was I going to get completely creamed, which, admittedly, is exactly what was happening. The rest were wearing green SHIC headbands and were as ecstatic as could be. They had flags with “Go! Go! Sherri!” written on them in purple paint, little rag dolls that looked vaguely like her, and a few even had green and purple lines painted on their faces. SHIC wasn’t a big club, but their dedication was admirable.

“I’m sorry, Darni Voker, but an announcer must announce! If you have any issues, please take it up with the event management!” said Heize.

“You’re the management!” I grumbled.

“Exactly, and as such, your complaints shall be ignored!” He turned away and giggled to himself. I bet he thought he was clever. Jerk.

I frowned and wiggled my rod side to side. What a farce this was. A whole contest just to embarrass me in front of DVAS! Did anyone really think I could beat Sherri at fishing of all things? Fishing was her life, her childhood! She’d been fishing since before I knew what fishing was! I gripped my rod so tightly that my fingers tingled with numbness. Heize was a snake, an absolute worm! He’d even given me some old busted-up rod, covered tip to base with scratches and scuffs, that he’d found down in a box somewhere. On the flip side, Sherri was using a gilded monstrosity the fishing crew had cobbled together from the best parts of each of their own rods. It was shiny, sleek, and looked like something you’d see locked up in a glass case.

“Gah! How do I make these stupid things bite!” I said as I swung the rod back and forth. I didn’t intend for anyone to answer, but Sherri did anyway.

“You don’t make them bite. You trick them into biting,” she said matter-of-factly. “It’s a mind game, a battle of wits and patience between you and the fish.”

I glared at her sidelong. “Well, I’m already running out of patience . . .”

“And the fish can sense that! I’m sure you’ll get some bites if you just relax,” she said with a smile.

Relax. I could do that. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, then exhaled slowly and pictured a happy place. A wooden cabin in a forest, all of it coated by the heavy snow of a wintery Suryin night. The fire would be crackling and a pot of warm, hearty welk stew would be bubbling away. I’d be sitting there in a plush, pillow-packed armchair, all bundled up in a quilted blanket and warming my hands with a mug of delicious hot chocolate. The stew would be ready soon, and I’d be able to eat my fill and drift off to sleep with no worries at all. It would be cozy. It would be peaceful.

CRASH

And then there would be an explosion of glass as the window burst inwards! I’d grab Bravesreign and rush outside, my blanket billowing around me like a wanderer’s cloak. There’d be a monster there, a towering demon from the other side, a general from Opposto’s inverted legion! It’d have blue skin, five eyes, and six arms, each one bulging with muscles and flexing its claws. It’d loom over me and block out the light from both moons, but I wouldn’t be scared! I’d know I could take it down! I’d charge right at it, Bravesreign at the ready, and slash it clean in half. Then it’d realize that nothing could withstand Bravesreign’s blade, not even Opposto himself. “No, this can’t be! I, an impossibly powerful and ancient demon, defeated so easily?” the demon would wail. Then I’d –

“Darni? Hey, Darni! Are you okay?” said Sherri as she jostled my shoulder. I opened my eyes and looked around wildly.

“Huh? What? Did I get a bite?” I asked in a daze.

“No, you were waving your rod around and mumbling something about a demon,” she said in a worried tone. “You were saying stuff like ‘take this, monster!’ and ‘get back here, coward!’. I thought you were trying to relax?”

“I advise against colluding with the enemy, dear Miss Hanefeltz! It would be best to let her wallow in her own inadequacy! Watch, DVAS faithful, as your beloved Darnini balks in the face of defeat! Witness, my fellow SHIC adherents, as our idol, Sherri Hanefeltz, crushes the vile Darnini beneath her heel!”

“But Darni isn’t my enemy . . .” said Sherri.

Heize took a step back and raised his arm like he was guarding his heart from a blade. “I— didn’t mean in the traditional sense,” he sputtered. “More that, uh . . .”

And then I tuned them both out. I had to focus, to sharpen my mind into a blade that could slice through the waves and pierce the fish that eluded me. Deep breathes. A pure heart and a strong mind. These were the virtues said to awaken Bravesreign, and they were no doubt the secrets to fishing as well. I drew my rod back, then cast my line out into the ocean as hard as I could. I watched it sail over the waves, the hook twinkling in the reflected sunlight, and disappear beneath the seafoam with barely audible plink. I pulled it to the left, then to the right, then the left again, over and over like a fish’s tail. I know I’m making it sound like I’d reached some zen state, but really I was just focusing on copying what Sherri was doing.

TWANG

I felt something tug on the line, weak at first, but soon strong enough to make my poor rod jolt forward with me trailing behind. “I think I got a bite!” I exclaimed. I shoved my foot against the deck’s railing and pushed against it, but the rod refused to budge.

“Oh ho! Looks like Darnini has hooked quite the catch!” said Heize. “Could it be a Cutterwhal? Maybe a fabled tri-tusk marlin! With how much she’s struggling it may even be the whole prism palace!” The SHIC crowd laughed at his joke, while the DVAS crowd broke into cheers.

“Reel it in good, Darnini! Show that quack doctor who’s boss!” called a voice from the crowd.

“Quack? How dare you! No more foot ointment for you, mister!” spat Heize.

I pushed against the railing harder and grabbed hold of the reel’s lever. I spun it round and round until it wouldn’t spin anymore, then tugged the rod over my shoulder with a grunt.

“Careful not to snap your line!” said Sherri.

“If anything is going to snap, it’ll be this fish’s neck when I get my hands on it!” I said.

The rod jolted forward again, almost flipping me over the railing. The DVAS crowd exploded in cheers and howls and a chant of “D-V-A-S We— adore— Darni-ni!” as they clapped their hands. In response, the SHIC crowd stomped their feet and repeated “Sherri! Sherri! Sherri!” over and over. I couldn’t help but laugh. I guess Heize was so busy plotting that he hadn’t come up with a SHIC chant!

“Get loud, SHIC! Drown out their cheers with the roar of your heart! Sherri! Sherri! Sherri!” yelled Heize. His voice was cracking as though he’d never yelled that loud before.

“It’s you or me, fish!” I shouted. “Yaaaaaaaaa!” I made one last push with my whole body against the deck’s railing. It creaked and bent outward, steadfast in supporting me, until the rod finally gave way and moved a few inches. “I’m— dragging you out of the water whether you— like it or not!” The railing groaned under the strain like it was putting its entire being on the line. I put my other foot on it and pulled with every muscle in my body. “Get up here, you finned freak!”

SPLOOSH THUD

I went flying back and yelped as my head knocked against the deck. I lay there for a moment, shaken, until shook my head and regained my senses. What happened? Had my line snapped? Had my rod broken? No, it was still in my hands the same as before, if a bit splintered from the strain. Sherri yelled and pointed up to the sky. I followed her finger and saw a huge blue— thing— glistening and glinting in the sunlight. It was getting bigger . . . no, getting closer!

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

“Looks like Darnini has bagged the biggest catch so far, but will she be able to—” said Heize before getting tackled to the ground by a big, burly man.

“Get back, everyone!” said Sherri. She grabbed me by the wrist and dragged me along the deck like an old sack of grain.

CRASH

The blue thing smashed against the deck, buckling and breaking the wood beneath it. It looked like a flat metal boulder, but it had a lively luster to it that betrayed its nature. It was alive, whatever it was. The crowd dispersed, some of them disappearing below deck, others running around the command tower to the front of the ship. A few sailors, the bravest amongst them, remained in place and continued to cheer.

“You can stop dragging me now,” I said over my shoulder. Sherri released me and skidded to a halt. I scrambled to my feet and drew Bravesreign. If that thing was my catch, I wasn’t about to run off without giving it a good look over. I took a cautious step forward and watched as it rotated in place. Once it’d turned all the way around, I found myself being stared down by a single grime-encrusted eye.

CHINK POP POP POP POP

Eight thick, armored legs broke away from its body and extended like telescopes. It raised itself up out of its crater, then let its two huge, spiked arms flop down onto the deck. I took a step back and inhaled sharply. There, standing before me, was a blue cycrab so massive it could take up our entire cabin room. Its glossy, metallic shell was covered in scrapes, scars, and shallow dents and each of its gigantic pincers could snap three men in half in an instant. Dangling from its foaming, bubbling maw, which flipped open and snapped shut regularly, was my fishing line. I’d got it right in the gum.

“O-Oh no, oh no no no!” stammered Heize. “N-Not again! Get rid of that thing! Banish it to the other side! By Loros, I’m not sinking a second time!” He pushed the burly man off of himself and scurried away behind a nearby crate.

A second time? Wait. Huge blue cycrab. Sinking again. Heize scared out of his wits. The threads all extended and formed a knot in my mind.

I pointed at the crab’s eye and said, “You’re going to pay for sinking The Luxen, you mono-eyed miscreant!” The cycrab clacked its pincers together menacingly and let out a deep, watery roar that sent little globs of slimy orange goop all over the deck. “Here I come, crab!” I ran at it, my heels clacking against the wood of the deck. It felt great charging into battle again!

KRAKOOM

I jumped to the side, narrowly avoiding a deck-buckling slam from its oversized arms, and swung Bravesreign at its unarmored left elbow.

SWOOSH

Bravesreign sliced through its flesh at lightning speed and dug into the deck below. I wrenched it free and spun around for a follow-up, but the cycrab was quick and skittered backwards out of reach just as I whirled around for my strike. It bounced side to side like a boxer and hurled its pincer at me like a javelin.

CLANG

I put my hand against Bravesreign and blocked the strike with both hands. I skidded backwards, my heels scraping the deck, and dove to the side as another cataclysmic punch came my way. Splinters and boards of wood flew everywhere as the cycrab’s pincer smashed through the deck like paper. I tumbled against the wood like a lumpy marble until I finally managed to regain my footing. I raised Bravesreign again and saw the cycrab circling around for a dizzyingly fast swipe from the left. I slid beneath the attack, then vaulted to my feet right in front of its bubbling maw. I drew Bravesreign back and lunged forward for a powerful, shell-splitting thrust.

“Brave Stinger!” I shouted.

SPLURT

It spat on me. A big fat loogie of stinky orange crab phlegm all over Bravesreign and both my arms. I stopped and stood there, frozen by shock, with Bravesreign half-thrust in front of me. The crab clacked its pincers together smugly and looked down at me with its single eye betraying its glee. I dropped Bravesreign and screamed.

“Ew! Ew! Ew! Gross! Aaaaaaaaaaa! Get it off! Get it off!” I closed my eyes and swung my arms around in a desperate attempt to rid myself of the vile goo covering me. It was cold, stunk like old fish, and refused to go away! I could feel my own salty tears dribbling from my eyes. I didn’t dare try to wipe them off though. I’d have rather died than get that goo on my face! “Sherri! Help!” I cried.

“G-Get away from her you— you— dumb crab!” shouted Sherri from behind. A set of three crystal arrows exploded against its shell and rained their glassy flecks overhead. It swatted away a second volley, then skittered around while gurgling happily. “Doctor Heize, please help Darni!”

“Why should I?” he barked from behind his crate. “She brought this upon herself, bringing that monstrosity onto the deck!”

The burly man that had protected him earlier punched him on the side of the head. “You dang coward! Come on men, let’s save Darnini!” he said. He raised his weapon, a thick axe, over his head and cheered. The other remaining sailors, who were about seven strong, all raised their weapons and charged in. Two of them were immediately swatted away while the others quickly realized their weapons were ineffective. Still, they courageously kept the crab busy.

“See! Its futile!” said Heize. “I’m a healer, a thinker, and a lover! A man of the mind! Not a stone-brained fighter! Any contribution I could make would be for naught!”

Sherri fired another trained arrow at the crab. This one landed in its elbow, exploding in a spray of crystalline shrapnel. It roared again and clicked its legs against the deck angrily. It picked up one of the men, a skinny guy with two daggers, and tossed him overboard with a light splash. I looked up at it, my lips quivering, and flailed harder. The stupid goo just wouldn’t come off! Was it made of glue or something!?

“You’re an invoker, aren’t you? Clean me off so I can fight again!” I shouted at Heize.

“You think I would use my abilities for such paltry reasons?” he snapped. “I’m sorry, Darni Voker, but I—"

Sherri stomped her foot. “Do it or I’ll never talk to you again!”

“As you command, Miss Hanefeltz! “ He vaulted over the crate and held his hands in front of himself. The sunlight was shining in his glasses and made them glow like spirit crystals. “Leviathan of The South Seas, I request your assistance! Cleanse this— pitiable maiden— of the filth that weighs her soul! Surge: Currents of Waipelune!”

A disc of blue light appeared in front of his hands, and from it blasted a deluge of ice-cold, crystal-clear water.

I held my breath as the water crashed against me and knocked me onto my back. I raised my arms and let it wash away the goo, then grabbed Bravesreign and held it up into the stream. The goo didn’t stand a chance against that purifying current! Half a minute later the deluge waned in power until it was no more than a dribble in front of Heize.

He sighed and adjusted his glasses. “Will that be adequate?”

I grabbed Bravesreign, hopped to my feet, and smiled at him. “Great job, Heize! Guess you’re not a total quack after all!” He looked at me, then grumbled something under his breath and returned to his crate.

I was back in action! “Out of the way, I’m going to slay this thing!” I said to the four remaining sailors. They cheered and retreated to the edges of the deck.

“Looks like we’re having cycrab for dinner, lads!” cackled one of them.

“You’ll have so much you’ll get sick of it!” I said.

I charged at the crab and jumped into the air. It swung its right pincer at me at me, but I was keen to its tricks! I landed on the pincer’s outer part and used it as a springboard to climb up onto the cycrab’s back.

“Can’t reach me up here, can you?” I said. I punched the top of its shell and laughed.

On either side its pincers were clicking and snapping furiously, but no matter how hard it tried it couldn’t reach its own back. It may as well have been a flipped tortoise! It shuffled side to side, then spun around and tore the deck’s railing off. I grabbed hold of a ridge in its shell and held on for dear life as it smashed the deck apart using the railing as a hammer.

Once it’d tenderized the deck, the cycrab threw the railing at the command tower and jumped up and down like an excited child. Each landing made the deck sink lower and lower, its warped boards splintering under the impacts. If we didn’t take care of it quick it’d bring down the whole ship!

“I’m not letting you sink a second one!” I said. I brought Bravesreign down on the top of its face and recoiled as a shockwave ran up Bravesreign’s length and through my arms. Its shell was hard, but not hard enough to withstand Bravesreign! I chopped its face a second time and noticed a small crack in its shell had formed. “Gotcha!” I shoved Bravesreign’s tip into the crack and pushed down. Thick orange gloop oozed from the wound, but thankfully my shoes prevented it from touching me. I kept pushing until Bravesreign was hallway buried into it, then yanked it free and jumped from its back. The cycrab teetered to the left, then to the right, then spun around and fell to the ground. It lay there, motionless, and let out a final scream before falling silent for the rest of forever. I raised my fist and spun around on the tip of my foot.

“Another monster slain, and another victory for Darni Voker!” I announced.

The sailors all cheered and hollered. I turned to Sherri to celebrate and saw that she had a glowing pink arrow drawn.

“Everyone please step aside! I can’t stop it when I’m this far in!” she said. I ran to the side and raised Bravesreign to defend myself. “This um— mean blue cycrab has ruined our contest! Please destroy it! Pierce: Luxter’s Lucent Spear!”

She loosed her arrow and winced. It flew straight through the crab’s eye and burst out the other side, leaving a perfectly round hole right through its middle. I watched the arrow fly across the water and land on a rock jutting from the waves nearby, destroying it in a flash of pink and sending a spray of salty sea water over the ship.

“What in Loros’ name is going on back here!?” came Captain Kastel’s voice. We both turned and saw him come running around the superstructure clutching his cap to his head. “Give me a situation— good graces! Is that—!”

“The crab that sunk The Luxen? The very same!” I said with a puff of my chest. I propped Bravesreign on my shoulder and smiled.

“How do you . . . eh, I won’t sweat the details! Good work you two! Gya ha ha! Take that you pincer-snapping punk!” he said. He ran up and kicked its corpse over and over. Once he’d had his fill, he stopped and looked down at it intently. “To think this think grotesque thing punched my old girl full of holes.” He spat on it and lowered his cap, then turned to me. “I take it Jedda told you the story?”

I nodded.

“Thank you,” he said solemnly. “You too, Sherri. You girls just settled one of my grudges. My only regret is that I couldn’t deliver the final blow myself.”

“That’s all well and good, but we’re in the middle of a contest!” said Heize. He stepped in front of us and raised his finger. “Your catch was magnificent, Darni Voker, but it still only counts as one! No . . . negative ten! I’m deducting points for the kerfuffle it caused! As the host, announcer, and judge of this competition, I hereby— guh!”

Captain Kastel grabbed him by the sides of the head and lifted him a few inches off the ground. “I don’t know what tomfoolery you’ve been putting on, Heize, but they’re both winners today!” He started off towards the other end of the ship, Heize in tow, then stopped and looked over his shoulder. “Take a rest, girls, you deserve it. I’ll tell the cook to prep this thing for dinner tonight.”

“Fine. I’ll relent this time, Rucas. But I’m counting this as a victory for SHIC!” said Heize.

“Yeah yeah, whatever you say.” said Captain Kastel. He stopped and turned to the remaining sailors, who had been watching everything go on. “You lads, come with me. We need to get everything repaired by sundown.” After that they all disappeared below deck, leaving only Sherri and I standing there.

I didn’t know how to feel about the captain’s words. Getting told, “oh, you’re all winners!” was never satisfying. It was like a pity prize that someone gives you so you don’t feel bad. It was plain as day that Sherri had crushed me with her fishing skills, and I wasn’t about to pretend she hadn’t. I turned to her and bowed graciously.

“You’ve bested me today, Master Angler Sherri,” I said. I raised my head and smiled. “But next time it won’t be such a stomp! You better teach me some of those tricks you mentioned so I can put up a better fight.”

She grinned ear to ear, stars in her eyes, and said, “Of course!”