The cold air was caressing their hair and fluttering in the atmosphere, and yet, that same air was causing wounds on their faces due to the harshness of the icy blades in the air. John and the Captain were rushing at a terrifying speed on their boat, which had no one rowing it or a sail to push it; instead, it was something else: an opening under the boat emitting a glowing red light of intense heat, pushing the boat forward like a primitive engine.
Both John and the Captain were holding on tightly; John was clutching a wooden edge so he wouldn't fall, and the Captain was holding the shell that directed the boat. Then, he shouted loudly: "More!". John didn't hear him because of the air rushing past his ears and because this was a new experience for him. The Captain raised his hand, reached into his pocket, and threw a stone at John's back. John turned and looked at the Captain quickly with wide eyes; the Captain signaled for him to throw more stones into the boat.
He didn't waste time. John walked with cautious steps, keeping hold of the edge of the boat as he tried to reach the opening that was in the back of the boat. Upon reaching it, he threw three stones and tried to close the bag, but the boat was hit by a light water swell like a bump, so the boat rose and lifted John high as if he had jumped. One of the stones fell from his hand onto the floor with force, emitted a red light, and was on the verge of exploding! It was truly a catastrophe for the old wooden boat.
John panicked and didn't know what to do. In a fraction of a second, the Captain grabbed the stone and threw it into the sea. After three seconds, the sound of a small explosion came from under the water. John raised his gaze, looked at the Captain, and said: "I am sorry." The Captain said: "Boy, mistakes don't kill, but panic does. Do not panic, or else you are dead."
John shook his head and regained his train of thought, so he put more stones in, and the boat surged at a greater speed. After a period of sailing, the two reached a calm spot where the sky was a light purple color. The Captain said: "Yes, the time has come, boy. Prepare the fishing gear, it will start now." John did not panic and executed the Captain's orders to the letter without uttering a single word. He prepared the nets, and they were strange; nets are supposed to be mesh-like, but these were more like a thick blanket that prevented even water from passing through except with difficulty. After that, the Captain said: "Now we wait."
Some time passed, and the Captain and John remained sitting without movement or a word. Then, John said: "Captain?". Not a single eyelid of the Captain moved; he remained staring at the water with focus. He was not the same drunken man, but rather as if he were a war commander. He said in a hoarse, calm voice: "What is the matter, boy?". John said: "Why must you fish in the early morning? I mean, even if you wanted to fish before the others, you could do it after the sun rises."
John thought the reason for his early fishing was to get the prize before everyone else. The Captain smiled and said: "You really know nothing. Didn't you go to school? There they teach children everything." John said: "No, I didn't." At that, the Captain regained his thoughts and said to himself: "What was I thinking? Of course he didn't go." He sighed and said: "Listen, boy. Ice blade fish were distinguished by their speed, their bulk, and their sharp blades, but there is an important thing, which is their mating time. It was at a unique timing; first, this fish hates heat, even if it is very slight. So when they come out to eat or hunt, they come out in a dark time when the sun has not appeared. But they cannot see in the dark, so I ask you: how do you think they do it?".
The Captain asked him directly. John knew this was a test; he thought for a moment, raised his sight to the sky, saw the beautiful purple twilight, and said: "Because the purple twilight gives some images even if it is faint, and it is cold, not warm." The Captain smiled and said: "You are not stupid, boy. Not bad." John wanted to talk to him more, but the Captain said: "Hush," and put his finger on his lip and said cautiously: "Do you hear this?".
Silence prevailed in the place, and John activated all his senses strongly, but the silence was dominant. He shook his head in refusal and said: "I don't hear anything" in a low voice. But the Captain said: "Yes, there is," and pointed his finger toward the horizon. John narrowed his eyes and wanted to improve his vision; although the sky had passed the stage of darkness, seeing was difficult. But after that, minutes passed, and then the boat shook violently as if something had collided with it. The Captain said: "Get ready, boy, they are coming!".
But John saw nothing but the stillness of the water. Then, his pupils dilated when he saw them: a group of black shadows under the water gathered in abundance like giant ants. The strange thing was that when they gathered together, they collided with force to the point that they injured each other. Then the Captain shouted to throw the red stones, but he saw the Captain strike the stones first, and they glowed with a red color and high heat, and then he threw them into the water. John did the same. They threw nearly more than ten stones. The Captain said: "Hold on, boy!" and grabbed the thick net. In less than ten seconds, John grabbed his side of the net and the Captain grabbed the other side and was fully prepared. The countdown began: three... two... one...
A huge explosion that deafens the ears! A wave of water rose to the sky in the shape of a tower, carrying dozens of huge fish with it. One of them was a meter or more in length, and their weight was more than thirty to forty kilograms. The spray spread forcefully, and on top of that, the smell of the explosion—similar to sulfur and burning coal—spread. Then the fish fell; some were torn to pieces from the force of the explosion, and others were falling with slight injuries depending on their location from the explosion.
Then the Captain shouted: "Here they come!". John raised his head and saw three huge masses of fish flying toward them. Then the three fell into the boat and caused a huge shake from the heaviness of their weight. John looked at them; their beautiful light blue color with their sky-blue glass fins that were sharp like blades. His thoughts were interrupted by the fish's reaction; it began to move its tail and body forcefully. It continued moving because of its exit from the water. Its movements were violent, but the dangerous part was its blades on its body, like sharp daggers. Any mistake from them would lead to their injury and, in the worst case, certain death.
Then the Captain shouted: "Cover it!". John did not panic like the first time; he grabbed his side of the net that looked like a blanket and covered his side, careful not to touch the body of the fish. But his small body was no match for its size; it was an impossible matter for him to be able to stop it. But then the Captain shouted while holding his side of the fish and trying with strength as well because of his old age, and said shouting: "We must kill it or else we will be killed by its blades!". The net was thick, but the blades of the fish were very sharp and could cut it at any moment. Then John remembered his house knife, took it out of his pocket, held it firmly, and directed it toward its body, but the knife broke!
John's face was cold, but in his mind, he was screaming one word: "No... No!". But then he woke up to the sound of the Captain's shouting, saying: "You idiot, catch it!" and threw him a blue-colored dagger mixed with black and said: "Use this, stab it in its gills!". The Captain's voice was loud and hoarse but clear. John grabbed the dagger and didn't waste a second; he cut the fish in its gills. The fish released a strong gasp and stopped moving. The Captain laughed, saying: "Yes, well done, boy!".
But their joy was not complete, as the movement of the other fish was very strong, and the most dangerous thing was the swinging of their blades. One of their tails came out of the net and swung toward the Captain and almost hit him on his head, but he moved away quickly. Its tail hit the mast and caused a clear scratch, but he resisted and wrapped it again with the thick net and said: "What are you waiting for? Stab them!". So John attacked the second fish and stabbed it too, and it stopped moving, and he headed toward the third.
John was happy that he succeeded, but his happiness did not last, as the fish came out of the net and became free, moving its body right and left. John and the Captain backed away because the scene was like a group of sharp blades striking right and left. Then the real problem began; the fish started moving to get out of the boat, but John knew that if he lost it, he would lose his only chance.
He ran toward the fish without hesitation. The Captain shouted for him to retreat, but he didn't care. John jumped and threw himself onto its body, and it continued to tilt right and left. John tried to hit it, but his bad luck made one of its blades hit his arm and caused him pain mixed with cold. But the Captain moved forward, brought the net, wrapped the fish tightly, and shouted to John to kill it. In the end, John gritted his teeth hard, and the veins came out of his small hands forcefully. He raised his dagger high and stabbed the fish with force, and then the fish stopped permanently.
John and the Captain retreated, breathing with difficulty because they had survived this ordeal. But John sat and put his hand on his arm in pain. The Captain said: "Show me your arm," so he rolled up his sleeve and showed him his arm; the wound was not deep, but his skin had turned white at the site of the wound, even the blood did not come out. This was the effect of the ice blade fish; the place froze. The Captain sighed and said: "Wait, I will treat you." He went and brought a red stone, struck it lightly, and it showed high heat. He took the dagger from John, put the red stone on it, and the dagger began to glow from the heat, and its temperature was high. He headed toward John and said: "Bear it, this will be painful."
John knew what this was—it was cauterization—so he offered him his arm, and he put the dagger on the site of the wound. The sounds of ice touching fire began to rise, and John bit his lip until it bled. After a while, he moved his dagger away, and his arm returned to normal with a large scar on his arm. John took a heavy breath, and his eyes turned red from the intensity of the pain, but he looked at his arm and knew it was better, so he put his head on the ground, relaxing from the extreme fatigue.
Then the Captain said: "Not bad, boy, not bad. Rest, I will lead the way home." But John interrupted him, saying: "No, I will help you." The Captain advised him to rest, but John refused completely and wanted to help him. The Captain sighed and said: "If you are insistent, you know what you have to do with the stones, right?". John said in a tired but clear voice: "Yes, Captain." So he threw the red stones into the back of the boat, and the boat launched forcefully.
Their journey continued until they reached the house. Then the Captain got down with John with three large fish. John said to the Captain: "So, what do you think?". The Captain said, surprised: "My opinion on what?". After that, he remembered his agreement with John and said: "Ah yes, the work and the opportunity. Yes, I remembered. But let me ask you a question: What do you think of your performance?". John said: "I didn't understand." But after that, he turned his gaze to the boat and his mind began to realize that he had made his boat full of breaks and scratches because of the fish, and he said to him: "Because of the fish."
The Captain said nothing. John lowered his head and knew in his heart that he had been rejected from working with him and that it was impossible for him to accept him. But then, in a sharp voice that didn't show his sadness, he said: "Thank you for the chance, Captain," and started to walk away.
But the Captain said: "Where are you going?". John turned around, surprised, thinking that he had rejected him. The Captain said: "When did I say I wouldn't hire you?". John felt the light of hope and said: "So, will I work with you?" in a voice with happiness he couldn't hide. Then the Captain moved forward, grabbed a fish—the smallest of the three—and threw it to John. He couldn't carry it, so it fell from him. The Captain said: "This is your wage." John felt happy even though he dropped the fish, but he said: "What about the elixir? Won't you give it to me?". The Captain said, surprised: "What are you talking about? It is right between your hands!" and pointed to the fish. But John didn't understand. Then a light appeared in the Captain's eye, and he said: "Ah right, you don't know. Come," and signaled him inside his house and said: "I will teach you how to make the elixir yourself."
What's next for John? Would you like to start outlining the scene inside the house, or should we describe the extraction process of the elixir from the fish?