Chapter 43: Seagulls Don't Give Advice
"Wait, so you're telling me a shrimp fried this rice?" Mara said, confused as she looked at the food in front of her.
El chuckled. "It's just the name of the dish."
"Anyway, you're lucky you landed here when you did. Her cooking's gotten better—so it's edible now. Backtrack a week ago and it would've killed you," I said, laying back in my chair.
"Don't start, Maddox," El said sharply.
I chuckled. "Fine, I'm sorry," I said dryly.
"Well, whatever the case," Mara said enthusiastically, "it tastes great. Thank you."
"Well, I mean, you've been eating prison-like food all this time, so in comparison anything she–" I was interrupted by a pan hurled at me at incredible force.
Mel shouted from the front of the cloud's deck, "Guys, come look at this! It's… err… just get over here!"
We'd chosen to fly lower over the sea to spot Glass Beach. Our plan was to take roughly a week and a bit to get there, and maybe just over two weeks to make it back to Brooks Caven. We didn't want to leave the Neptune in the middle of nowhere, so the best option was to fly just off the coast of Glass Beach, use Hollow Step to reach Brooks Caven, then build the battery.
We looked over the wooden railing and saw a strange islet,small, barely big enough for a broken-down shack made of rotting wood. A small boat was tethered to a run-down makeshift dock. On its brink stood an old man with an overgrown gray beard, wearing a brown trench coat, gray jeans, and a shirt full of holes.
The man stood surrounded by seagulls circling above him. Some landed on his bald head, and he just stood there, unbothered, barely acknowledging they were even there.
"What's his deal, Maddox?" Mel asked nervously. "Your book tell you about him too?" she added dryly.
"Noooo," I said, equally dry, unimpressed that I had apparently become the cloud's wacky fortune teller.
As we floated closer, he paid little attention, barely surprised at the floating cloud. From my experience,and the way this man carried himself,he had to be important. Probably a legendary hero shunned from his tribe by some unfair king who feared his world-changing potential. A wise man who would definitely tell us something we needed to know.
As we approached, I spoke up.
"Greetings…"
(Greetings? Since when do I say 'greetings'? My body must have realized how grand this man was and subconsciously recognized him as a superior.)
"Huh?" He scowled. "What do you want?" he said dryly.
Err… maybe not. I said to myself slightly disappointed
"Well, I–"
"Speak up, boy! The waters are loud enough and my hearing ain't what it used to be. Speak up or beat it, brat."
(Yeah, definitely not. Can't believe I said 'greetings' to this hag.)
"Well, we're just passing by, headed that way, and saw you. We thought you might be stranded."
"Stranded!!!?" he mocked. "You see that small boat over there?"
"Yeah?" I replied.
"You see me waving a help flag?"
"No." i said dryly
"You see me dying? Desperate? Helpless?"
"…No." i replied defeated
"Then what in the HELL made you think I need your stinkin' help, brat?" the old man said with rude sass
"Well, excuse me. I'm sorry. We'll leave then, you damn geezer." i said dryly
Mel, El, and Mara tried not to laugh.
"These damn youth… so rude and carefree. A useless generation if I've ever seen one."
"The hell you say, old man?" i shot back and shouted
"You heard me, boy. Useless. You lot probably couldn't even catch the Dominic Fish if it swam up and slapped you in the face."
"The what fish?" I said, confused.
"The Dominic Fish. King of these waters. Smartest damn thing in the ocean. I've been hunting him for months, but he's too clever for the likes of you," the old man said.
"Oh? So he's too clever for YOU and me?" I mocked.
"Boy, I could catch him in my sleep if I felt like it. I'm just… conserving energy. Unlike you, flapping your gums like a windmill."
"…Right. You're just scared you'd lose to me." i smiled
"That's it. Get off your cloud and into a real boat,let's see which of us hauls him in first."
"Hey, Maddox," Mel said dryly, "we don't have time for whatever the hell this is."
"Shut it," I shouted. "I said 'greetings' to this old fart out of respect and he was nothing but rude. He gets what he deserves."
Mara and El looked on dryly.
"So he's a dumbass," Mara finally said.
"Yes," Mel and El replied.
I found myself in a small fisherman's boat in the middle of the ocean, holding a comically large fishing rod, and as bait,a small baby shark.
"Old man… what the hell is this?"
"You ain't never been fishing before, boy? It's a fishing rod and bait."
"What kind of fish needs a baby shark as bait? Are you trying to get me killed?"
The old man smirked. "This ain't no run-of-the-mill fish, boy. This one is the king of all fish,the pinnacle of every sailor's wet dream. You're in the big leagues now."
This fish doesn't just let anybody catch it (I'd think so… what fish would? I thought to my self ).
Many stories have been told of it,how it brings fortune, good luck, and even the ladies." He blushed.
(So he's just a greedy pervert. Got it.)
"But most of all," he said more seriously, "it brings truth and purpose."
"Maddox," he began(I don't remember telling him my name, but Mel or El must've said it)"this fish is a test. Of patience. Of skill. Of willpower. It's stared into the eyes of men greater than you and watched them crumble. It's seen sailors abandon the sea entirely, take up farming, and never speak of water again."
I laughed. "It's a fish, old man."
His eyes narrowed, like I'd just insulted his dead grandmother.
"It's not a fish. It's THE fish. The ocean's final boss."
Then the line jerked. Hard. (That can't be it… right?)
The boat shot forward,the fish was hooked, but it was pulling us.
"Uh… old man?"
"Don't let go!" he shouted. "He's toying with you. This is foreplay."
"What kind of foreplay is this?!" I yelled to myself.
The rod bent like licorice, the reel screaming as the line tore out into the endless blue. My brain immediately started writing my will. No way I was dying to a fish… right? Wait,do I even know how to swim? Why am I thinking about this now?
"Why is the water boiling?!" I yelled. Sure enough, froth erupted around the bait, steam hissing up in angry bursts.
"Because he's angry," the old man growled. "You made him angry, boy."
Somewhere in the chaos, I saw a shadow the size of a house glide beneath us, followed by a glint—a single golden eye, unblinking, staring into my soul. The boat's momentum dragged us forward as the fish swam the opposite way.
"If I don't let go, I'll lose my hand!....AGAIN" I shouted.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, boy! I'm willing to sacrifice YOUR hand for it!"
"What?!"I screamed
"Try your hardest, boooooy!" the old man laughed
The Dominic Fish yanked again, spinning the boat in a full circle. My body slammed against the edge, nearly pitching me overboard.
"REEL, YOU FOOL!" the old man barked, like this was somehow my fault.
"I am reeling!" I screamed back, sweat stinging my eyes. Every crank felt like dragging an anchor through cement.
"Faster!"
"I can't–"
Then the fish leapt. Not just a jump,a skyline breach. A wall of shimmering silver scales exploded ten meters into the air, the sun catching its monstrous body like a mirror of the gods. Time slowed. The sea roared. Seagulls screamed in awe.
I screamed too,mostly in terror.
When it splashed down, a tidal wave slapped our boat, drenching us both and nearly flipping us. The rod in my hands creaked, splintering under the pressure.
"Old man…"
"Don't you dare quit now, boy. This fish will decide who you are."
At that point, I was pissed. I summoned black tendrils that shot into the water. Some had sharp, spiked ends that impaled it.
It let out a scream loud enough to shake the entire ocean.
As it leapt out again, clearly intending to kill me, its mouth gaping, I summoned a tendril fist and smashed it square in the face, sending it flying back into the water, spraying everywhere.
When the waves settled, the unconscious fish floated to the surface, dripping with green blood.
"There," I huffed. "There's your FISH."
"Mhhhh," the old man said. "That's not how you fish, boy."
"Shut up," I replied. "Come on board my cloud. I have a shitty chef who can cook it for us."
"This youth… that's not how you fish," he muttered, shaking his head as we rowed back.
We made it back to the cloud with the unconscious Dominic Fish tugged behind us. Mel's jaw dropped.
"You actually caught it?" she asked, like she didn't believe her own eyes.
"Well," I said "technically it tried to kill me, and I beat it to death . But close enough."
"That's not how fishing works," the old man muttered behind me again.
"Shut up," I said. "I'm not taking lessons from a guy who uses baby sharks as bait."
Mel groaned. "We don't have time for this. Maddox, put your ugly fish somewhere before it rots. We still need to get to Glass Beach."
El was crouched beside the fish, staring at it like it was some mythical artifact.
"This is… impossible. Something this large was just swimming in the ocean and YOU of all people caught it."she laughed
"Yuuuup ," I said proudly.
Mara, on the other hand, was already poking its glassy golden eye. "We should eat it," she announced.
"You're insane," El said.
"Legends say its meat grants knowledge to those who consume it."the old man finally said
'Tell them about the other properties too perverted old man' i said dryly
"Coooool," mel said. "I Call dibs now before el throws it overboard."
el sighed. "Fine. You can keep your weird fish. But if it stinks, I'm tossing it."
Later that day, we ate the questionable fish. Good for the most part, though with a sour flavor,probably El's cooking more than the fish.
"Haaah, so you're telling me he almost drowned in his own spell?" the old man laughed. "What a loser."
"Watch it, old man," I said dryly.
By midnight, after hours of telling embarrassing stories about me, he suddenly said, "Anyway, you made a dream of mine come true today, shitty brat."
"I'll ignore that," I replied.
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a golden apple. We all gasped as it shimmered.
"Is that solid gooooooooolden apple ?" Mel asked.
"Yes, it is," he said proudly.
"How incredible… I thought you were homeless, Eugene," El said.
He laughed loudly. "That's not very nice, but I get it."
"Anyway, here,take it." He tossed it across the table. In a panic, I shot up and caught it. It was a lot heavier than I expected, but I played it off like it was easy.
"Impressive. You're stronger than I thought," mel laughed.
He must be stupidly strong to have thrown that so easily, I thought to myself.
"Anyway, young man, I'm from an island far from here. This is a rare trophy from there. Keep it safe," he said with a smile.
In that moment, the Codex shot out of my locker and landed on the table.
"Ahh," he said. "What an interesting book."
This time, it didn't open to write a chapter name. It glowed.
The old man stood, rubbing its spine. The glow grew brighter and brighter until it flipped open on its own.
The library has been updated. The library grows.
Then it shut.
"What was that?" I asked.
"You tell me," he said.
"That's never happened before," I admitted.
"That's a very valuable book," he said. "Treasure it."
"Anyway, let's call it a night."
"What?" Mara said. "Call it a night? I need answers!"
"Well, I'm tired," the old man replied. "Get me a room, brat."
"Shitty old man," I muttered. "well, we've got no more rooms, ill sleep on the cloud sofa' i said grumply
"Old guy, you can take my room," I said.
And just like that, we went to bed.
And just like that, the next day… The old man was gone. Someone had started the engines while we slept, and by the time we woke up… the shack and the islet were long gone
Elsewhere…
"So… what of it, then?" one voice asked.
A round table of cloaked figures sat covered in darkness, their faces hidden beneath deep hoods.
"It's not there," another said.
The room tensed instantly.
"The fuck do you mean it's not there?" a third snarled. "All those years putting up with that oaf of a man, for nothing?"
"While true, and infuriating,Magnus played his role," a calmer voice replied. "We were simply… unlucky."
"Have you heard from Good someone else murmured.
"It appears that boy may be an issue after all," the calm one said.
A sharp laugh cut through the shadows. "An issue? Please. There's no way that good took the battle seriously. We all know where his loyalties laid. Sooner or later, his morals were going to get him killed."
"He was the weakest link. We all knew it."
"The news we've gathered suggests the boy is heading toward "him" ," another reported.
"Then he'll die before he even gets close."
Silence fell over the chamber.
"So… what of the key?"
"It must be somewhere. Go through everything we've collected. If it's not on that stump, then the vision was–"
"Stop talking," a cold voice interrupted. "If you know what's good for you."
No one moved.
"It's a sin in itself to even consider him to be wrong," the voice continued.
A long pause.
"Search again. Find it. Dismissed."