The next morning started the same with Shadow on top of me followed by a breakfast of not apples. This morning I would get in some practice with the spear before once again trying to make it to the ocean. I still really wanted to try to catch some fish. I didn’t have a net or fishing pole but thought I might be able to find something close to the water. Fishing was one of the few things I actually knew how to do as I had gone on fishing trips with my father.

I set up some crude training dummies out of some scrap wood and grabbed the spear. I of course had never used a spear before but there was a first time for everything. The spear was about twice as tall as I was with a sharp metal point fitted to the end of it. I stood in front of the dummies and tried a few different stances. I jabbed and swung the spear around trying to get a feel for it.

I didn’t know if it was helping or not, but the spear felt a little better in my hands anyway. Shadow was lazing around on the estate wall again and didn’t look too impressed by my skill with the spear. I used a somewhat clean towel to wipe off the sweat from practicing and started putting my armor on. Unless I wanted a diet of only the strange fruit then I needed to find more food. I was pretty sure all the fruit was starting to give me the runs and trying to find an alternative to toilet paper that wasn’t leaves was difficult. The bathroom didn’t have an actual toilet and just a hole in the floor, but it was better than chamber pots. I was assuming there was a sewer system beneath the city but the streets were covered in leaves and debris, so I hadn’t seen any actual drains.

Once I had everything ready, I took off toward the same street we had used before with Shadow trailing after me. I had avoided the snake on the way home but this time I thought it would be good practice for the spear. Also, if I was going to use this route regularly, I didn’t want to accidentally run into it. The snake looked like it hadn’t moved much and was still in the branches. I carefully approached and tried to stab the spear into its head.

The snake noticed my presence and moved its head, causing the spear to glance off its shiny scales. It opened its jaws, showing off its large curved fangs that seemed to be dripping with venom. I tried again but the snake wasn’t happy and dropped down to the ground causing me to miss. It was longer than I thought it would be, at least 10 feet from head to tail and had the circumference of a basketball. It opened its jaws again and spit something at me.

I was surprised, but still managed to dodge if barely. The snake then started to lunge at me. It was also much faster than I was expecting, and I was struggling to keep it at a distance. Belatedly, I realized I probably should have looked it up in the field guide. I could also use one of the shields I had left in the weapon shop about now. I could only guess that the snake could shoot out its venom. I didn’t want to know what would happen if I let it hit my exposed skin. I wasn’t good enough to use the spear one handed so didn’t think I could use both a spear and a shield at the same time. I vowed to go back to the weapon shop with a wheelbarrow or something and grab the mace, a shield, and more armor.

I was sweating profusely and had to keep backing up, being purely on defense as it struck at me and tried to get around the spear. When it reared back and opened its jaws again, I took the chance and lunged forward, jamming the spear in its mouth and up into its brain. I pulled the spear out, stepping back as it writhed around on the ground. I wiped the sweat from my forehead and tried to get my breathing under control, thinking that had been much harder than I anticipated. Shadow jumped on top of the dead snake after it stopped moving and sniffed it. I idly wondered if snake meat was tasty.

Since we were still close to home, I decided to cut off a chunk to try this evening. I used the sword and lopped off a good amount by the tail, staying well away from the venomous fangs and pool of venom and blood by its head. I had to strike it several times to get through the tough scales. As I hauled it home, I wondered if I could turn the scales into something like armor, but my crafting skills were nonexistent. There was a fridge like appliance in the kitchen and although I couldn’t get it to work, it would keep the bugs off it until I got back. If I didn’t catch any fish, I would at least have something for supper.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

I also put some of the snake meat in a jar and the jar into my bag to use as fish bait. With that out of the way, we proceeded back to the barred gate and to the ocean. When we got to the dock area I hid behind the same chunk of wall and peered down the street. I didn’t see anything moving and there was no sign of the wolves or the crab. I quickly crossed the street and went to the docks. Most of the docks were made of wood and were in terrible shape. There was no sandy beach in this area and only rocks.

I could see colorful fish swimming around by the shore but still had no way to catch them. I was for sure not good enough with a spear to try and skewer them. I looked around and found what I was looking for. A smaller shed was off to the side with the remains of a small boat and netting on the outside of it. The roof was partially collapsed but I thought I still might be able to find something. I approached cautiously, on the lookout for monsters but got inside safely. I scared off some birds that just about gave me a heart attack but that was it.

There was another rotting boat in the shed and some work benches along the wall including the prize I was after. There was a stack of netting but it was mostly disintegrated and not usable. What was useable was some bamboo like fishing poles and an assortment of metal hooks. The metal was all rusty and I didn’t know if I could find any line that wasn’t rotted but it was a start. Shadow prowled around the interior and I whispered for her to be careful. She just meowed and continued to do her thing.

I grabbed two of the fishing poles and a selection of hooks before continuing to look around. I dug around for a while in the debris and was about to give up when Shadow meowed from a dark corner. I went over to see what she was doing and found her pawing at a small, sealed metal box. I thought there might be food in it from the way she was acting but when I opened it up there were spools of intact fishing line. I stared open mouthed as Shadow seemed to meow in triumph. After getting over my shock, I pet her while praising her for a good job. She definitely enjoyed the attention but how was she so smart.

I peeked out of the shed to make sure the coast was still clear then sat down to work on getting a fishing pole ready by threading the line on and attaching a hook. There was no reel of course and I had never used a fishing pole that was so primitive but I could make do. I also wasn’t sure exactly what the line was made from, but it seemed sturdy. “All done.” I muttered after putting some of the snake meat on the hook. Shadow seemed to want some so I reluctantly gave her some from the jar. While she ate happily I went to the nearest dock and threw the line in the water.

Within moments I had a bite and pulled in a good sized fish. I repeated the process a couple times before deciding I had enough fish. I didn’t want to stay too long by the shore which was out in the open. I placed the fish in my bag and collected Shadow who had been scouting the rocky shore below the docks. We headed home with our catch. I didn’t know what kind of fish they were but they seemed like they would be edible. The monster field guide didn’t include fish and sea creatures and was more geared toward the threats in the jungle.

Our fishing expedition didn’t take too long so there was plenty of daylight left to start a fire and get to cooking our meal. I didn’t want anything to go to waste so cooked up the snake meat along with the fish. I used my pocket knife to filet the fish. The weapon shop had knives and daggers as well but I didn’t want to replace my trusty pocket knife just yet.

Shadow was impatient but I made her wait until everything was done and we both enjoyed some meat in our diet. I wished I had found some salt or spices but it was on my list. Beggars couldn’t be choosers after all. It seemed like fishing would be easy so next would be exploring more shops and getting the rest of the items from the weapon shop.