Sophia cackled as she fought against the weight of something massive below, bowing the rod beneath its mass. For a second, he thought that she would need his help to reel it in, finishing the rest of his peanuts in a single bite.

He opened his pack to sheath his sword. Before he could put the weapon inside, she straightened her back and lifted her feet onto the bridge. Laughing all the while, she rose to her full height while reeling for all she was worth, her balance steadying now that she had her feet under her.

It was a timely reminder that as much as Nick had grown, there were people out there who were far stronger than himself. That in the world of the System, size no longer correlated with raw power in the same manner he was used to. A lesson that he needed to internalize sooner rather than later if he wanted to keep his blood inside of his body.

Bathed in the coppery light of a foreign sun, Sophia fought to claim her catch, careful not to let the fish pull free by letting the line go slack or snap the rod while reeling it in. It was a delicate dance of judgement and force, revealing a proficiency with the tool that Nick couldn’t hope to match.

Before long, her persistence was rewarded. With a great spray of droplets, a fat amethyst fish nearly as long as his arm came splashing out of the water, a cascade of rainbows gleaming in the fine droplets flung by its tail.

She looked over and then handed the rod to Nick, who finished reeling their catch up and onto the bridge. Now that her hands were free, Sophia bent down and pricked the creature in the head with the tip of her dagger, injecting just enough poison to freeze its brain and kill it instantly.

“I think that monster is more than enough to top off our stores.” He started putting his gear back into his bag, mouth watering in anticipation of the meal to come.

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“Oh. I’m sorry. You didn’t get a turn. We can stay a little longer if…”

“It’s alright. I’m more than satisfied with watching you land that magnificent catch. Thank you, Sophia,” he turned to look her in the eye. “For the drink and for… well everything I suppose. It means a lot not having to go through this alone.” She bit off a hasty reply, sensing the depth of feeling behind his words, then nodded and stuck out her hand.

“You too Nick.” They shook hands, releasing their grip after a final squeeze. “It’s good to have found someone worth the risk of trusting. Now, how about we go fry this bad boy up and celebrate my world-record catch in style?”

Sharing a smile, Nick put the fish into his pack, wondering idly if there was a safe way to use Sophia’s frost venom as a form of refrigeration. After taking a last look around from their elevated vantage, they walked down the broken bridge and continued on their way, heading for the black tower looming in the distance.

Late in the afternoon, as the sunlight shifted from warm copper to molten brass, they came upon a wide hilltop that was a respectable distance from the water’s edge. With no better options in sight, the duo proceeded to call it a day.

They went to work making camp near a cluster of bushes they could use to conceal themselves from the redfang hunters if the mist caught them. After building a fire, Nick took the enormous violet fish out of his pack and drew his dagger to carve out the guts.

Taking a closer look, he was surprised to find that the scales were translucent, as if they were truly gemstones rather than flesh. They were so hard that his dagger couldn’t penetrate. He had to slice the fish open using the razored edge of his sword instead. Since they were so durable, Nick decided to hold onto the scales for now. Maybe these fish were beasts after all.

There wound up being more than enough fish for dinner and the following breakfast too. Well before the skewers were ready to pull from the fire, they were both drooling from the delectable odor wafting into the burnished air. They groaned in pleasure as they took their first bites of the crispy filets.

Nick’s foraging skill hadn’t led them astray. All other thoughts faded away as a wonderous flavor broke over his palate, because the fish that Sophia had caught was absolutely fucking delicious.