FISHING FOR FEATHERS

Job 2: Fish Or Swim

Murray leaves the safe-house and makes his way through the village, dodging guards with the ease of instinctive practice... but that doesn't explain his outfit. When he gets near the beach, he opens the binoc-u-com. "Okay, Bentley. What do you need me to do?"

"You need to go down to the beach and make friends with the locals," says Bentley. "Are you wearing what I told you to?"

Murray looks down at his tattered white sailor's shirt with blue trim and no pants before flattening the white-and-blue hat on his head for what may be the fiftieth time. He's still got his old belt and wrestler's mask on, though, and the overall picture is rather... well, you won't forget it anytime soon, that's for sure. "Is this really what sailors wear?"

"It is in this time period," says Bentley. "Now go down there and find some people to talk to. A village like this must see people all the time, friendly as well as mean. Tell them you're willing to work for a few meals and look as pitiful as you can. That oughta do it."

"If you say so," says Murray, and puts his binoc-u-com away. This time, as he makes his way down the beach, he doesn't try to stay hidden. His targets are a group of elderly tortoises, standing in a circle and shaking their heads as they talk. It's easy to tell what they're talking about, too: the boat they're standing by has a busted sail.

"Ahoy, fellow sailor friends!" greets Murray when he's close enough. "I am an excellent rower, and I'm short on food. For a few fish, I'll take you anywhere you want to go."

"That sounds like a bargain to me, sure 'nuff'," says one tortoise. "But we've got ta feed the mil'tree. We won't get much fish to share."

"Well, let's see how much fish we get!" Murray says, pounding one hand into his other fist—oh look, he's still wearing his wrestler's gloves. "I don't need much. But I can't fish from the shore."

"Tell ya what," says the other. "You row us to our traps, and while we pull 'em up, you can fish to your hearts delight. Keep what you get that way."

"Sounds good to me!" says Murray, striking a pose. "We're gonna be awesome."

So, the fishermen get in the boat and Murray pushes it into the sea before jumping in the back and taking up the oars.

Rowing controls are pretty much identical to the last time Murray rowed a boat, back in Blood Bath Bay of game 3. Joystick to aim, tap X to row forward and Square to row backwards, but this time he's not in a sewer or on a river, he's on the sea. Which, granted, is rather calm now, but still. He has to navigate around the reefs near the shore, greenish-colored walls that don't quite stick out of the water but can be seen through it, to get to the first location the fishermen left their traps, about a quarter of the way around the island.

We get a brief cutscene while Murray fishes and the tortoises haul up their traps, dump out the fish, and bait the trap. "First stop's always the hardest, in'it, Joe," says one.

"Shucks, I wish we could save this place for last," says another, stretching. "My back is killin me."

"You wanna do another lap of the island?" asks the first. "Cause that's what it'll take, the way these currents go. You're close to shore, you've always gotta head around the island clockwise."

Murray pulls in a fish just as they lower their traps. He puts his fishing pole in the boat beside him, the fish in a bucket, and picks up his oars.

"Nice work, Murray," says Bentley over the binoc-u-com as Murray starts navigating the boat through even tighter coral twists and turns and mazes and even some moving parts how does coral move I don't even know. "I bet Henriette will be glad to know about those currents."

The next spot, halfway around the island—General Tsao's tower and pirate fleet visible, but a fair distance away—features the same scene: tortoises dealing with traps, Murray fishing. "I do wish we could get in closer," says the tortoise that didn't speak last time. "This here area just hasn't got as much goods as closer to the beach."

"You want that rooster to sink this boat?" demands another. "Guy's got feathers on his head that came from—"

"What is he, a peacock?" says the last. Murray reels in a fish.

"You're half right." The tortoise speaking kicks the last trap over the side of the boat, where it splashes into the sea. "Shooting any boat that isn't his if they get too close—guy's got the manners of a skunk."

Then it's time to go again. Murray has to focus here: it seems as though, in addition to the coral and rocks and reefs surrounding the island, General Tsao and his minions have been dumping trash (and bombs) in the water. "Great work, Murray. We'll have to make sure Henriette knows all this before she goes sailing again."

They stop again almost all the way around the island, after a particularly tough row involving swordfish (with actual swords) trying to slice the boat whenever it held still, leaving Murray no time to wait for good opportunities to dodge the other obstacles or maneuver with great care. This time, as he fishes (and adds one of those swordfish to his bucket), one of the tortoises sigh. "One thing you have to hand it to them, they make a fine cup a tea."

"Aye, they do at that," says another. "But it seems a bit silly, don't it? The way they carry those cups around with 'em all the time."

"The things they use their teacups for," says the third, shaking his head. "It'd break a proper Englishman's heart. I swear, I saw one hiding his keys in a teapot yesterday."

Bentley humms over the binoc-u-com as Murray starts rowing again, letting him know that the last bit of information was overheard—and unwelcome. But he doesn't comment on it, instead letting Murray row through a series of obstacles that combine all the misery he already went through.

Murray reaches the last stop without issue, and fishes quietly. He's pulling in a large fish when one of the tortoises puts a flipper on his shoulder. "See that, sonnyboy?" he asks, pointing out into the distance: there's a distinct ripple on the water. "Piece of advice: keep yourself outta those waters, you and whatever ship you're on. There's a monster out there, a real ship-killer. No one can stop it."

"Okay," says Murray.

But Bentley's voice in his head, as Murray rows back to shore, says something different. "A monster, huh? We've dealt with one of those before. That could prove useful."

Murray pulls the boat back to shore. "Good work, sonny," says one of the fishermen. "If you want to do it again, be here this time tomorrow."

JOB COMPLETE

Murray does a victory pose, bucket full of fish in his hand, then stops, looks inside it, and runs out of the 'Job Complete' screen, saying "I need to get these fish fried and delicious!"