Heretical Fishing

Book 4: Chapter 6: Alert

Within the walls of the granary, the world slowed to a crawl. My most-recent breakthrough had given me a previously unknown level of perception, which let me witness every moment of Claws and Cinnamon’s flight through the air. Their eyes, promising violence, were pinned on the mastermind of their tumble down the chimney.

Me.

Claws spun like a torpedo, little jolts of electricity arcing all over her body as she flew directly for my core. Cinnamon whirled in midair, one rear leg lashing out to kick off of George, who was off-balance in his attempt to flee.

Poor bloke... I thought, watching as he ragdolled across the room and slammed into a far wall. He was fine, of course; no matter how upset Cinnamon was, she’d never hurt him. Well... not seriously, anyway, I amended as he slid down the wall.

Maria made it out of the room at the last moment, and I slammed the door behind her, sacrificing George and Geraldine. “Every man for themsel—”

Claws shot through the door and into the wall next to me, her muscles bulging with electricity and righteous fury both. Cinnamon came barrelling through the remnant of splinters, already twisting, preparing to kick off the wall and into us. Both animal pals unleashed high-pitched war cries, a dual promise of retribution for my trickery.

Hand in hand, Maria and I sprinted away, our giggles only increasing the rage coming from Cinnamon and Claws. We barely made it out of the granary before their first volley of attacks landed, and the next few minutes were a blur as we dashed around the village, exchanging blows. Cinnamon and Claws’s anger swiftly faded, replaced by an animalistic thrill as our faux battle continued, slowly growing more intense. We only stopped after Claws got a little too excited, which would have resulted in some poor family’s backyard getting obliterated if I hadn’t nullified her headbutt with a wall of light.

Claws lounged in my arms and Cinnamon in Maria’s as we walked back to the granary. We found George and Geraldine sitting before the machine, their necks craning to take in its impressive form. I’d had to push back the System earlier to stop it from drawing my eyes in, wanting to wait until after Claws and Cinnamon had enacted their vengeance.

Still holding the System at bay, I quickly took in the physical form of the roaster. At the very top, a metal hopper stood proud, made of the cone George had created. It had increased in size slightly with the System’s transformation. The hopper fed into a chute that had a gate attached, able to be opened and closed with one of the wooden handles Maria made.

Next, there was a giant drum, which was the compartment where the roasting would take place. A series of smooth metal arms connected within the drum, the apparatus that would spin and agitate the green coffee beans, ensuring an even roast. There was something attached to it, a small compartment I didn’t recognize despite my surface-level understanding of such machines.

I returned my attention to the parts of the roaster that I recognised, leaving the unknown addition for later.

When finished roasting, the beans would drain into a round tray at the front of the machine. There were more metal arms within it, which would spin and circulate the cooling beans. Below all of this, the furnace sat, its metal doors somehow still attached despite Claws and Cinnamon’s aggressive exit. The entire machine stood flush against the stone floor, looking as though it was part of the building, there from the very beginning.

The more I looked, the more excited I got, and I couldn’t hold the System at bay any longer. I let the creation draw my vision in, its description filling my mind’s eye.

Coffee Roaster of the Redeemed

Rare

Created by a congregation and their chosen deity, this coffee roaster is a representation of the congregation’s belief in their god. Beans processed in this roaster will always have a minor boon, with slight chances of a regular boon, and rare chances of a major boon. The boon granted is influenced by the ingredient(s) placed in the infuser.

I shook my head to clear my vision, my skin tingling with adrenaline as the words’ meaning sunk into me.

“Well, then,” Maria said. “Looks like the System acknowledges you as the church’s deity.”

I licked my lips. “Yeah…” Not wanting to dwell on that for too long, I stepped toward the machine. I raised a hand and touched the small compartment attached to the drum, finally understanding what it was. “Infuser...” I said, my eyes narrowing in consideration. “Fascinating.”

“You didn’t know what it was before?” Maria asked, standing to join me. “Did people not use something like this back on Earth?”

“I’m not sure if they did, to be honest, but I certainly didn’t know about it. Coffee was for sure infused with various flavors, but I assumed it was done by soaking them before roasting. Or adding the ingredients to the already roasted beans, I guess. Having a separate chamber seems a little extra.” I raised an eyebrow at Maria. “Ready to catch me?”

She nodded seriously and stepped closer. “Ready.”

I extended my senses toward the machine, and when I found the intricate lines of essence within it, the air was knocked from my lungs. I managed to remain standing, my senses swimming, but I could only stand the overwhelming experience for a fraction of a second.

I withdrew my attention, the world going dull once more as the impossibly complicated lines of essence connecting the artifact’s components faded.

I took a steadying breath, trying to comprehend the purpose and intent of the thousands of microscopic tubes and tunnels, each an integral part of the coffee roaster’s functions.

“Uhhh...” George said. “Fischer?”

“Yeah, mate?” I rubbed my eyes before looking at him, my vision still a little strained. “What’s up?”

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“What was that? Why was Maria ready to catch you?”

I opened my mouth to explain, but Maria beat me to it. “We haven’t really been advertising it, but since Fischer’s last breakthrough, he is able to see how all the chi-powered buildings, machines, and tools work. It’s...”

“Overwhelming,” I finished, giving them a tired smile. “I can see it, but seeing is different to understanding. It feels like trying to shove a square into a circle hole. The first time I tried, I attempted to peer into one of the smithy’s furnaces.”

Maria let out a giggle. “He almost fell into it. Oh, don’t give me that look, Fischer. Even if you fell into the fires of Hades, I’m sure you’d be fine.”

I grinned back, letting the false hurt fall from my face. “Sorry. I’ve been spending too much time around Corporal Claws lately.”

Said otter gave a wicked grin and patted me on the shoulder, encouraging my attempted trickery.

“Anyway,” I continued, “I saw what I wanted. The infuser isn’t just some box tacked onto the side. There are thousands of chi lines connecting it to the drum and the furnace, so anything placed in there will definitely be used for System shenanigans.”

Geraldine had been quiet the entire time, her anticipation slowly building with each bit of information revealed. She licked her lips and cleared her throat. “The possibilities and combinations... they’re almost endless, are they not?”

A smiled at her and George, delighting in the passion radiating from their cores. “I have a favor to ask.”

“Anything within our power,” George replied. “Just name it.”

“Well, I know we made this as something for you guys to do, but do you mind if we help? At least initially. You probably want freedom to experiment with it, but...” I trailed off, my brow knitting. “Why are you both laughing?”

“Because it was a silly question,” George replied, shaking his head. “You can help as little or as much as you like.”

“It was funny because you didn’t need to ask,” Geraldine added.

“Though,” George continued, “your overly polite demeanor is appreciated.”

I shrugged, returning their smiles. “Never hurts to ask.” I rubbed my hands together, already considering the different infusions we’d have to trial. “Now, where shall we begin…?”

A half hour later, I cackled at my own brilliance as I upended a small bag, pouring its contents into the infuser. The first few items to hit the container made soft tink sounds, swiftly transforming into a torrent of noise as more and more of them crashed atop each other. I only closed the bag’s opening when the infuser was filled to the brim.

“For the record,” Maria said, “I still think this is a terrible idea.”

“Heresy,” I softly gasped. “You take that back.”

She just shook her head softly, giving me an amused look. “Knowing you and what you’re like after drinking regular coffee, this could have dire consequences for the entire village.”

“Dire consequences?” came a familiar voice. “What do you mean?”

I beamed a grin at the open doorway and the man peering in through it. “G’day, Ellis. Maria is just playing around. She doesn’t really mean—”

“He’s infusing coffee with more coffee,” Maria interrupted, gesturing emphatically at the bean-filled infuser.

“Hey! I was saving the reveal!”

“Everyone’s safety is more important than your big reveal, you maniac. Last time you had too much coffee, you jumped to the other side of the river and left a crater the size of a house behind.”

“Oh, come on! That was one time!”

Claws let out a chirp to get our attention, and when I looked her way, she held up two of the toes on her forepaw.

I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Fine! It happened two times! Whose side are you on?”

She let out a shrill chirp and leaped into my arms, raising her head to rub her whiskers against my chin.

“I love you too,” I laughed, “but you’re not helping me make my case here.”

“Coffee infused coffee, you say?” Ellis asked, bringing us back on topic. “How does that work?”

I gave him a basic rundown of the roaster and the attached infuser.

“Fascinating,” he replied. “What other ingredients have you thought about infusing?”

I snapped my fingers, a full tray appearing in my hand. “We’ve got lemon, sugar, salt, passiona husk, and more coffee.”

“Why do you have more coffee?” Maria yelled, trying to snatch the bag.

“Because what if I want to triple infuse with coffee? Why have coffee-infused coffee when you can have coffee infused with coffee-infused coffee?”

The entire room blinked at me, and Maria narrowed her eyes. “It’s finally happened. You’ve gone mad with power.”

I let out a villainous laugh, arching my chest and projecting my voice. “And it’s too late for anyone to stop me!”

Corporal Claws joined in, her high-pitched trill complimenting my cackle.

Letting out a theatrical sigh, Maria picked up a sack of green coffee beans and emptied it into the hopper. “I guess there’s nothing to do but accept our fate.” She opened the valve, letting the beans pour down into the drum.

“Showtime, Claws.” I set her down on the ground and gave her a quick scritch before striding over to the machine. When the last of the beans had poured down into the roaster, I closed the door to the furnace and pressed a button on the side. Heat immediately bloomed within the construct.

“Does it not require wood to burn?” Ellis asked. “Why does it have a furnace, then?”

“You can do both. I’m guessing wood could add some, er... woody flavors. This is just an experiment to see if we can make really strong coffee, so using the magical heat source is fine.”

The agitator within the drum sprang to life, slowly churning the contents as the heat rose. The smell was wondrous, and I marveled at the chi that seemed to circulate around us as the beans continued roasting. We watched on in silence, only the scratching of Ellis’s pencil on his notepad interrupting the quiet. Ambient chi rose upward, gravitating toward the beans.

Those in the infuser started breaking down, reduced to tiny little trickles of chi that poured down into the drum. The scent of roasting coffee, the sound of churning beans, and the sight of undulating chi combined into an experience more peaceful than I could remember. My breathing slowed as I bathed in the sensations, letting them ground me, and time became a faraway concept as I sunk further into the moment.

When the roaster finished, the sudden silence was deafening.

Maria stepped forward and pulled a level, causing the beans to pour from the drum down into the cooling tray. Once there, I flicked a switch, causing the metal arms to spin to life. With the coffee beans exposed to the air, their concentrated scent wafted around the room, making my mouth water.

“Oh my...” Geraldine said, her eyes fervent. “They smell wonderful.”

With a hesitant step, I approached. If the coffee made from them tasted even half as good as it smelled, we were in for a treat. And that wasn’t even considering the caffeine content, or the subsequent boost to productivity they might produce. I bent to scoop some of the still-hot beans up, intent on inspecting them.

But before I had the chance, an unexpected message occupied my field of view, halting me mid-step.

Quest Alert!

Quest: In Defense of Tropica Village

Alert: A spirit beast has been detected within the bounds of your Domain!