Just as Star suspected, fishing did not turn out to be easy in any way. Standing close to the shore of the river, he held his rapier while a slight frown creased his brows. He had been going at it for a while but had failed to catch a single fish.
However, unlike with the birds, he could always try again since he was careful not to scare away the fishes. He even came close to succeeding a few times, but the nature of Paradise made that impossible. He could either cripple the fish entirely, or it would swim off with its wound healing almost instantly.
'Damnit, hunting snakes is way easier.'
It could not be helped sadly. What was the point of hunting a creature he didn't even have an appetite for?
Star set his eyes on a fish swimming close to the shore. It possessed golden scales that seemed to glimmer faintly, making it quite easy for him to spot it.
'I haven't seen this type of fish before...'
Star couldn't help feeling a bit strange about the presence of the golden fish. Ever since the moment he began fishing, there were only a few typical species of fish that kept close to the shore, and only a single one dominated this part of the river. The rest only came by occasionally.
Noticing that the golden fish was only swimming closer to the shore, Star looked around only to see that the fishes were scattering into the surrounding waters, trying to get as far away from the golden fish as they could.
Subconsciously, he took a step back, not wanting to catch the wrath of whatever the other fishes were running away from. They were all Dormant Soul Beasts after all, so he could only guess that something was wrong with the golden fish.
'But it's a Dormant Beast as well.'
Why would the fishes all run away from a single Dormant Beast despite having the advantage? It didn't make any sense no matter what he could think of.
But then something came to mind. It sounded impossible, but plausible at the same time. Without giving the ridiculous theory much thought, he decided to take a step forward toward the golden fish.
All the other fishes had long cleared away from the area so it was the only one left. To Star's surprise, the golden fish did not show any reaction when he came close, as if all its senses were dulled.
Without any hesitation, he thrust his rapier forward, going for a stab straight through the creature's body. He mustered all the strength he could, hoping that he would finally be able to make his catch after failing so many times.
The fish did not react, clearly unable to notice the danger heading its way. The water thrashed a bit as his rapier pierced through, heading straight toward it. Star felt triumphant, only a moment away from getting himself a good dinner.
And just as his rapier was about to pierce the golden fish, a waist-high wave suddenly crashed into him. A dark figure emerged from somewhere within the river, obstructing his view of the golden fish.
No, that wasn't it. The dark creature was so fast that he was unable to see what happened clearly, but he was certain that the golden fish had been devoured just now. The loud snapping of metal soon followed, prompting Star to jump back in shock.
But the creature was not done yet. It dived out of the river, moving straight toward his face at an incredible speed. All Star could do was raise his broken rapier to protect himself, closing his eyes as he moved further back.
The sound of metal snapping resounded once more, and this time, accompanying the ear-piercing noise was a soul-rending pain. Star opened his eyes wide to see the bloody stump now left of his right hand. The fish had effortlessly snapped through his bones and was now falling back into the river along with his severed hand.
He gritted his teeth and reached for the fish with his left hand, resisting the urge to whimper at the searing pain coursing through his remaining arm. Just as the fish was about to fall into the water, he grabbed it by the tail and flung it out with all his might.
The dark fish flew high, out of the river and onto the white beach. Star stared at the fish as it thrashed on the sand with a dark expression, his mind too shaken to even begin considering the possibilities.
"How is this possible?"
The creature bared its set of razor-sharp teeth as it kept writhing across the sand, struggling to reach the river. Star refused to take his eyes off it, not minding his missing arm, which had already begun regenerating. A lump did not form, and his entire hand was as good as new in a few seconds.
If that beast was able to sever his arm in one bite, then all it would have taken was a bigger mouth for it to rend his entire body in half. Although he was bound to come back to life somehow, he couldn't imagine what the pain would feel like.
Why in the world was there an Awakened Soul Beast inside Paradise?
Had it been any other case, then he would have discerned a reason for the situation, but now he couldn't find any. The creatures all around Paradise were docile. To find one that would outright attack him left him quite stunned.
It would be a different thing if the fish simply wanted to eat him, but that certainly wasn't the matter here. This beast, whatever it was, would have continued to attack him had it gotten the chance. Star had seen his missing limb float down the river, so he knew that all it wanted was to inflict as much damage as it could on him.
He kept a cold gaze on the dark fish as it desperately moved closer to the water. When he got the chance, he moved in, grabbed it by the tail, and flung it farther away from the river and closer to the forest bordering the white beach.
In due time, he was leaning against a tree in the small forest, watching the fish continue to struggle in the grass. It threw itself around wildly, desperately trying to move in the direction of the river, all to no avail.
A bitter smile contorted Star's face as he watched it all happen. He lamented the loss of his rapier, but despite that, he was also happy to know that he had finally succeeded in his endeavor to catch himself some fish.
When the sun finally disappeared behind the horizon, the fish gradually lost its vitality until it couldn't thrash as violently any longer. When that happened, he knocked it out completely and returned to the castle with the creature.
He watched absentmindedly as Elysia made the fire and did not do anything when she proposed to take it upon herself to prepare the fish. Star simply sat on the stairs, staring at the two Soul Shards he now had with him, and at Elysia from time to time.
"What do I even do with these?"
Thinking this, he descended the stairs and walked up to Elysia. She paused, turning towards him without any particular expression on her face. Star, on the other hand, was still thinking of the right words to say, standing still as his gaze trailed toward the fire.
Elysia reached forward and offered him a piece without saying anything. Star took the piece of fish and got on one knee so as to keep their gazes on the same level.
Looking straight into her eyes, he asked,
"Do you happen to have any weapons with you?"
Elysia tilted her head slightly, but rather than answer, she asked a question of her own.
"What happened to your sword?"
He leaned back and sighed, gazing darkly at the grilling fish.
"I lost it."
Elysia turned her attention back to the fire.
"Well, I have a bow, a spear and a pair of daggers. Which one of them would you prefer?"
Star narrowed his eyes, pondering the list of weapons she had just mentioned. A bow would be great, but he couldn't use one, and archery was an art he would rather not learn. You had to be good at it to produce decent results.
A spear, on the other hand, was easy and very practical. It was far better for hunting than any dagger as well. He didn't have to think twice to know what the best choice was.
He took a bite of the fish, savoring the delicious meal.
"Can I see the spear?"
Elysia nodded, reaching out her hand. A golden haze instantly engulfed her palm, and a few seconds later, a long, golden spear appeared in her grasp. Star smiled, appreciating the design of the Soul Crafted weapon.
He took out the Awakened Soul Shard he had with him and tentatively offered it to her. He tried his best not to look too desperate.
"How about this in exchange for some spear lessons?"