Lukey got over his surprise and headed towards the bushes that Triton walked into. Even as he got closer, he couldn’t tell how different it was from the rest of the scenery. Cautiously, he stepped into the colorful brush.

  “GAAAAAAH!”

  After taking a few steps, Lukey fell through what he presumed to be a pitfall. He couldn’t tell, as his vision was obscured by bushes that were planted along the walls. As he fell, he was hit by every branch on the way down, earning himself a nice set of scratches for his bravery. He eventually hit the ground in a mess of flower petals and leaves.

  “WHAT IN THE ABYSS WAS THAT!?” Lukey yelled.

  “Ah, my apologies. I would’ve told you about the secret entrance, but it wouldn’t have been a secret if I did,” Triton said.

  Lukey gave the old man a glare, but he was already moving through a tunnel that led out of the pitfall. Lukey got off his rear and picked up his equipment. He was lucky that his rod hadn’t been caught on anything, since the line was wrapped close to the pole. His bait was spilled on the ground, but he just picked it back up and threw it in the bucket. With everything fixed, he followed Triton.

  The only natural light was the light that was shown through the bushes near the pitfall. As he followed Triton, however, he noticed there were torches lining the underground passage. The passage looked like it was dug out of the dirt and was just narrow enough for two people to walk side by side. It led downwards, deep into the island, presumably below sea level.

  Eventually, after what felt like a half-hour walk. The dirt ground gave way to slick, wet, bluish-gray stone. It was the kind of stone that was cut by water, the kind you’d find near the edge of the island on the beaches and in caves. Some more walking gave way to a large open chamber, with a shallow layer of water that sat over the entire floor.

  To his left, Lukey could see a large underground lake where the water had come from. Opposite to where he was there was another passageway; however, a wooden gate denied passage. It was constructed of wooden logs and let water through the gate, presumably down another wet staircase. Beside the gate there was a bowl that looked like an offering plate, connected to an arm-like wooden mechanism that Lukey assumed opened the door.

  “Your next test,” Triton began, “is to open the gate.”

  Triton pointed to the plate beside the gate.

  “The bowl you see there will measure your catch. Once you reach a certain weight, the gate will open. Take your time and pace yourself, since I expect this to take a while.”

  Lukey moved over to the lake and took in his surroundings. The lake was a massive underground basin where water and fish collected at the bottom. Below he could see fish of many different sizes swimming around, many of which seemed to emit colorful lights underwater. Lukey didn’t want to fall in, so he watched his step on the slippery stone.

  Looking at the water, he could see a series of wooden pillars sticking out on the top of the water from below the surface. The wooden pillars were big enough to stand on and would make good platforms for someone to go out into the center of the lake. Looking at this setup, something occurred to Lukey, and he would have been remiss if he didn’t ask Triton about it.

  “These trials… They weren’t made for someone like me, were they?” Lukey said.

  “Perceptive, aren’t you? Yes, these trials were made for someone who uses a spear to fish. It was only recently that foreigners brought the angling method to our island,” Triton said. “For thousands of years, the best fisherman of the island would be brought here to undergo these trials, and before you, they all used spears.”

  Luke's eyes widened.

  ‘For thousands of years!? Had this island been hiding something this important for that long?’

  Now he was even more interested in becoming a fisherman, but something else worried him.

  “Why did you say I could become a fisherman if I don’t use a spear? Surely, the trials will become more tailored for a spear user from here on out?”

  Triton struggled to say something for a moment but eventually relented with a deep sigh.

  “Do you know how few people on the island are in the fisherman class? Two, including myself. Ever since the foreigners brought their ways to our island, our methods have deteriorated. If we don’t get new people to obtain the class, our traditions will be lost to us.”

  Triton seemed lost in thought but recollected himself and continued.

  “It wasn’t my idea to let you use a fishing rod; I wanted to teach you to use a spear, but he said that if we can’t adapt, our traditions will die. So, he told me to let you get creative in how you tackle the trials from here on out.”

  “’He’? Who is ‘he’?” Lukey questioned.

  Triton simply shook his head.

  “It is not my place to say; pass the trials and you’ll find out.”

  Lukey frowned, but he clearly wasn’t going to get any more out of the old man. Instead, he turned to the lake and pondered his next move. There were smaller fish, presumably herbivores, and larger fish, likely carnivores. If he wanted to pass the trial, he would need bigger, heavier fish; thus, he needed to aim for the carnivores.

  He decided to use crab meat for now. He also had voli berries, which had a scent that was great for luring smaller fish, but he avoided that for now. He unwound the hook and made sure it was firmly tied to the string, which was firmly tied to the rod. He baited the hook with the crab meat, then molded it so it hid the hook.

  Lukey then took a stance to throw the line as far as he could. This was difficult since he had to throw it hard but add a bit of finesse to get the extra force out of his throw. Finally, he had to do all this while not hitting the hook on the roof of the room. He balanced the bait at the end of his rod, then carefully extended his arm back as far as he could.

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  In one practiced motion, he launched the hook and the bait away from him, using the rod as a lever to throw the hook out. It landed far away from him, a few yards out from the furthest wooden pillar. Lukey wished he could go further, but that would require more string and a way to hold it all in place while he threw it. All he had was a newly carved wooden pole and a spool of thread, but he made do.

  Now Lukey just waited. He stood there trying to sense when a fish was on his line. He waited patiently for minutes until he felt something nibble. Lukey gave a jerk to the rod to make the bait seem livelier. He could tell it worked since the shadow under the water chased the place where his line entered the water. It only took a bit longer until something bit the hook and pulled Lukey with an intense force.

  This wasn’t the same force as what the eel used; rather, it was a good bit weaker than what the tyrant used. Lukey’s position wasn’t any better, however, as he struggled to plant his feet on the slippery stone. Even so, he managed to find a foothold in the cracks and wedged his feet into the stone. Then, he threw the rod overhead. Lukey’s move was successful, as both fish and line got pulled closer to shore.

  Lukey took a few steps back and repeated the process. Lukey had moved back to the other side of the chamber, keeping the line between him and the fish taut. The fish was fighting hard, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as the eel. Lukey kept dragging it closer, and eventually he could see the fish underwater. It wasn’t clear enough for him to identify it, but he could see that it was big, about the size of a head.

  Before he could run out of space behind him, he grabbed the rod with both hands and gave one mighty pull to the line. The fish on the other end came flying out of the water, towards the stone floor. Finally, he got a good look at the creature.

  It was white, almost see-through; however, there was a series of what looked to be colorful lights on the side of its flesh. Its eyes had no pupils, only blank sclera. Lukey found it manageable enough to pick it up with one hand, but it did have a certain heft to it.

  The fish landed on shore and started to flop around, attempting to jump back into the water. Lukey, however, grabbed the line with his free hand and continued to drag the fish toward him. When it was close enough, he moved the line from his offhand to his rod hand, holding it tight. He then took his free hand and reached for the bone knife on his belt. He held up the fish and stabbed it till it went still, blood seeping into the watery floor below it.

  Lukey hadn’t expected to kill a live fish today, but he was disgusted regardless. He did his best to wash the fish using the water around him before removing the hook. With his catch pacified, he took it to the bowl and dropped it in. He watched as the bowl sank down slightly.

  Lukey looked at the bowl, then the gate. The gate didn’t look like it would open any time soon, so he fixed his equipment and then went through the tedious process all over again.

  Four more cave fish later, the gate still wasn’t open.

  “For all that is holy, how many fish does this thing need!?” Lukey exclaimed.

  “A spearfisherman would end the fish in a single strike. It is your method that is the problem, not the trial’s,” Triton yelled from behind.

  Lukey wanted to get angry but stopped himself. He thought for a moment about what Triton had said. His method was flawed because it was slow. If he wanted to catch the most possible fish in the least amount of time, he had to do something new. His mind wandered to the other tool he brought with him. It sat in a little wooden box he brought inside his bucket.

  He took out the box and opened it up. Inside was a net made of woven thread that he painstakingly tied together. Similar nets like it existed on the island, but he had some extra attachments. Stones with holes drilled through them lined the edges of the net. The string went through the holes and tied the nuts to the ends of the net, weighing the net down to fall faster as it hit the water. In addition, it had a drawstring attached to the rocks that connected all the ends to a rope that went through the center of the net. When Lukey pulled the rope, the net would pull closed and trap any fish inside.

  It was a modified version of the standard net that other islanders used. Lukey wanted a better way to catch fish for his responsibilities around the island. He came up with this modification when he was frustrated with how long it took to catch everything he needed. It was still a work in progress, but it should work for the given situation.

  Lukey also took out the voli berries. These berries were spicy. They were commonly found around the island, and some people liked to add them to other fruits to balance the sweetness with some spice. While experimenting with different bait, he also noticed they had a special effect on fish. Once they smelled it in the water, they mobbed around the stuff. Lukey never understood the reason why, but it worked whenever the waters were starting to become barren.

  Lukey took a handful of voli berries into his hand. He held his hand over the water and squeezed, letting the thick juice drip through his hand into the lake below. He saw it stain the murky lake with a murkier red hue. Sure enough, it only took a few seconds before every fish started to crowd around him.

  Lukey quickly got his net out and prepared to throw it. He took a stance that allowed him to open the net behind while holding the rope. With one hand he held the net up, while the other opened it to widen as he threw it. In one motion he threw the net over the school of fish, keeping the net open in a spiderweb shape as it descended.

  Sure enough, the net hit the water directly over the fish, catching all of them within. Lukey let the net descend for a bit before he pulled the net with his rope, pulling the drawstrings and closing the net. The net was heavy, but with the fish trapped, Lukey could take his sweet time dragging the net away from the water. He pulled it over the ledge and onto the stone floor to admire his catch.

  Inside there were around twenty fish of all sizes. The net was so heavy it was impossible to lift, only allowing Lukey to drag it. He pulled it over to the bowl and loosened the rope, allowing his hand to slip into the net. One by one Lukey removed the fish from the makeshift trap and placed them inside. He had no idea what kind of fish there were, so he just called them cavefish as well.

  They looked like the giant he caught earlier, only much smaller and with less sharp teeth.

  It was the second to last fish in the net that finally made the mechanism go ‘click.’ The gate swung open to allow passage to the hall below. Lukey was surprised it took that much, but he wouldn’t press the matter. He threw the remaining fish back and began packing up his equipment.

  “Excellent. It took a little while, but you managed fine,” Triton said. “Now come! You still have one more trial.”

  “Another one!?” Lukey exclaimed. “Will it be as bad as the last one?”

  “No, of course not,” Triton said. “It will be worse! Much worse!”

  Lukey let out a groan but continued nonetheless. He picked up his things and headed through the gate and down the staircase. It went the same as before, except by the time they got to the bottom, the floor was flooded with water. It reached Lukey’s knees, forcing him to wade through the water at a slower pace. Triton seemingly had no trouble moving through the water; it was likely an art afforded him by his class.

  They walked through the hall into another room, this one much like the other one with a few key differences. First, the exit gate sat on top of a ledge, one that was far too high to climb. Attached to the wall was what looked like a bridge, hoisted up by a series of ropes and pulleys attached to a mechanism. Finally, on top of the ledge was a wooden lever embedded into the ground. On the left side of the room was another gate; however, unlike the previous two, he could see what was beyond this one.

  Behind the gate was a giant cavefish, much larger than he had encountered up to this point. It was blind like the other cave fish, but rather than being pale, it instead was gray like stone. It also had a thick, flat appendage on top of its head and a row of sharp teeth visible from where Lukey was standing. The fish also looked incredibly ugly, like its face was mangled through a beating and never set right. Behind the fish was a lever that Lukey presumably needed to pull.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” Lukey said.

  He dropped everything to prepare his net and knife for what was to come.

  “Unfortunately, you are correct in your assumption,” Triton said.

  He then ran to the other side of the room and jumped up and over the ledge. Triton then threw the lever back, opening the left gate to release the beast. As he did, Lukey took a stance in his best attempt to prepare for the worst.