Adric sighed as they passed the threshold of the back door. He didn't realize the tension he was carrying relaxed out of his muscles. He had held it together in the forest, but now that he was in the relative safety of his home, he could release his firm grip on his emotions...at least a little. He still wasn't sure if Hex or Seraph had told him the whole truth about anything, so he planned to keep guard around the Prism Vixen for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of Hex…
“Stop,” Adric hissed as she made for the stairs to the basement.
She turned to him, confused, "Why?"
“What if something spawned inside while we were out like the goblins did?" He asked, looking cautiously around his main level.
“Since this was your residence before integration, you should be able to claim it within twenty-four hours of integration. Do you have the deed for this property?” Hex asked.
“It’s in the safe…wait, are you saying the System recognizes ownership rights?” Adric was excited about that revelation.
“Yes and no, a deed helps but isn’t completely necessary. It is more like a possession thing. Just know nothing should spawn in your home once you claim it. Previous claims are usually recognized by the System. In fact, I have no idea why the goblins were able to spawn in here unless they spawned outside and let themselves in,” Hex said. She hefted the armload of meat she was carrying and asked, "Can we discuss this after we store all this stuff somewhere?"
“Oh, that was Seraph testing us with the goblins," Adric said, realizing Hex hadn't been awake for the conversation with the administrator. "Also, yes, let's get settled then, and we can discuss this over dinner."
She frowned when he said the goblins had been a test, yet at the mention of food, Hex's eyes lit up, and she hurried toward the stairs again, saying, "Show me where the meat goes, and I’ll help you secure this building for the night.”
Adric followed Hex into the basement and showed her his deep freeze. They kept two packages of the cat meat out for dinner and stored the rest.
Adric grabbed several tarps from a closet and, with the help of his folding extension ladder, covered the glass wall of his main level with them. He planned to light a fire and keep the lights dim to minimize detection at night but was taking no chances with monsters or other humans attracted by the light.
Hex helped him hang the tarps, and in no time, all the windows in the house were covered to prevent light from escaping.
Adric showed Hex how to use the shower in the basement and gave her some of his clothes to change into. They took turns standing guard as each cleaned the day's filth off. They both washed their body armor and clothes in the shower because Adric feared the scent and sounds from the washing machine and dryer might attract something. After moving some of his oversized furniture in front of the back door and windows, Adric felt secure enough to cook and stay on the main level that night.
After dark, they finished securing and cleaning the house, and the two found themselves in the kitchen feeling refreshed but exhausted.
Adric poured two glasses of a French wine he had opened and offered one to Hex. She sniffed the liquid, hesitantly wrinkling her nose at the aroma. After Hex watched Adric take a sip, she followed suit. As soon as the ruby liquid passed her lips, her eyes dilated, and she looked at Adric in shock. "Is this poison?"
He chuckled, having already received the same message.
You have been poisoned. Cognitive and motor functions have been impaired slightly.
"I guess I should have expected that," he said with a smile, "The drink contains ethanol, which is a mild toxin," He took another sip, enjoying the rich flavor of the wine, "It's good though, isn't it?"
Hex nodded vigorously and followed his example, taking another deep gulp from her glass, "It's delicious! Will it kill me?"
Adric laughed, "Only if you drink way too much, but you'll more likely pass out before you can drink enough to die from it. Just be careful; if you start to feel dizzy, it is probably time to cut yourself off," he warned.
Hex nodded solemnly and took another sip, this time with caution like she was afraid she would suddenly pass out from the drink.
Smiling, Adric started on their dinner. He had thoroughly cleaned everything the goblins had gotten into with their grubby little fingers, which thankfully wasn't much more than what he had left out on the counters.
Opening the brown butcher paper wrappings the System had provided, he admired the cuts of meat. Two thick steaks presented themselves to him, each a kilogram or, as he liked to think of it, thirty-five ounces. He seasoned the thick cat steaks, which looked like they were ribeyes, with salt and pepper and set them aside. At the same time, he searched for vegetables from his hydroponic garden, preheating the oven before he did so.
The oven was beeping when he returned to the kitchen with some potatoes, which he quickly cleaned, oiled, and wrapped in foil. After throwing the potatoes in the oven, he pulled out his large cast iron skillet. He started it preheating on the stovetop over low heat. He then cut some onion and carrots into thick chunks and peeled a few garlic cloves.
"The potatoes will take a little while," he told Hex while she stared from her empty wine glass to the open bottle with hope in her large, expressive eyes. With another chuckle, Adric poured her another glass warning, "Pace yourself, or you'll be asleep before I'm finished with dinner."
Hex gratefully pulled her refilled glass to her chest with a heartfelt, “Thank you! I'm trying, but it tastes so good!"
“Come on,” Adric motioned to her as he walked around his island and went to the fireplace. Since they had pushed the couch and furniture against the glass wall, Adric had thrown the couch cushions and a few quilts in the center of the room near the fireplace for them to lounge on. Leading Hex over, he beckoned for her to sit before quickly getting a fire going. When she tried to start talking shop, he stopped her, saying, "Let me finish dinner first, then we can talk. For now, I want you to try and relax." He pointed at her chest, saying, “Your body went through a lot of trauma today, and even though you may feel fine now, that doesn't mean you are."
Hex appreciated Adric’s concern but didn’t want him to feel like she was taking advantage of his hospitality, so she said, “You were hurt too. Why shouldn’t you get to relax as well?” She whined as she settled on one of the soft cushions near the fire. Then, let out a contented moan at the fire's warmth and the cushion's softness. The delicious drink he had given her relaxed her mind and muscles. "This liquid is very potent," she commented while staring at the red liquid in her glass. It was harder to focus on the glass in her hand now, and Adric's face was a little blurry around the edges.
"Well, to start with your first question, I’m more experienced with physical trauma. Plus, I don't think you know how to cook." Adric said, his laugh coming easy. Despite everything that had happened, he found he was enjoying himself. The soft crackling of the fire and the smell of his seasoned skillet heating on the stovetop gave the house a cozy feel. That and watching an alien get drunk in his living room was very entertaining.
Thinking of Hex, Adric returned to the kitchen, grabbed a glass from his cupboard, filled it with ice water, and brought it to the fox girl. Her head was already drooping a little; the wine glass in her hand threatened to tip over and spill its contents on her cushion. "Here," He said, slipping the wine from her hand and replacing it with the water glass, "drink some water." She let out an adorable whine and weakly reached for the wine glass, so he told her, “We’ll have some more wine when we eat, don’t worry.”
Returning to the kitchen, Adric turned up the heat on the skillet until just before it started smoking. He seared both steaks with butter, garlic, and sprigs of thyme and rosemary. After a good sear, he put the onion, garlic, and carrots around the meat in the skillet and slid it into the oven with the potatoes. Setting a timer, he returned to the living room to find Hex had almost finished her water and was staring absently into the fire, a pleasant smile on her face.
“Thank you,” she said as he sat next to her.
"For what?" he asked absently as he also stared into the crackling hearth.
"For everything," She whispered softly, not looking at him, "for not killing me, for saving my life, for letting me share this," she gestured around her and to the fire, "with you." Turning to Adric, Hex said, "I remember what I wanted to talk about in the forest after you helped me calm down." When Adric said nothing, she continued, "I want to know how a professional killer can be so kind?"
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That question caught Adric off guard. Still, he gave it some serious thought before answering, "I don't see myself as kind or cruel," He said slowly, searching to find the right words, "I guess I see no reason to be hard or mean if I don't have to. Honestly, I prefer being kind to others than doing harm. Which is why I was so good at what I did. If I was going to kill someone, it was always going to be quick and painless. I never accepted the torture jobs or anything involving children…" He looked down at his hands and said with a hint of regret, "I kept telling myself that if it wasn't me, then they would just find someone else that may wind up botching the job or, worse yet, causing collateral damage." He shook his head, "It was a lie, of course. I was in it for the money, for my selfish desires; I wanted to retire with what I have now and spend the remainder of my life relaxing and puttering around my house." He chuckled, "Now look at me, right back in my old way as if I never left."
Hex was starting to better understand who Adric really was under his calm exterior. She was beginning to piece together why she had chosen him out of the billions of people on the planet. He was a killer; there was no mistaking that, but he didn't let it define who he really was as a person. His occupation usually made people hard and cruel just from the nature of their work. Yet, somehow, he had come out of it almost softer and more kind, like he was trying to compensate for the things he had done. Understanding this now, she asked herself if she was worthy of his trust.
“What does he get out of this from me?” Hex thought as they both turned their attention back to the fire, “I get protection, a roof over my head, combat training, a meal cooked for me, a safe place to bathe and sleep, and that delicious red drink…what did he call it…wine? And he gets some information that he probably would have figured out anyway? And an extra mouth to feed? Someone who almost shoots him accidentally?" Hex sighed. Adric was getting the short end of the bargain with her; there was no way around it.
As if reading her thoughts, Adric patted her knee before standing up to put another log on the fire. Then, he reached for her hand, saying, "Come on, partner, the food is nearly done."
Hex noted he emphasized the word 'partner' as she let him help her to her feet. Still, she had to ask, "Do you really mean it? Are we partners? Because it seems like I'm more work than I may be worth."
Adric scoffed and gave her a strange look, "So long as you are willing to help and learn and refrain from repeating the same mistakes repeatedly, I will welcome an extra set of eyes and hands. Don’t sell yourself short, either. Remember, your better hearing allowed us to take out that panther without getting a scratch on us. Had I just walked up on that beast alone, I’m sure I would have died in seconds.”
"I didn't think of it like that," Hex admitted, "but on that same line of reasoning, I have to tell you that the System levels local animals according to the amount and average level of users in the area, so had you been alone that panther would have only been level three or four."
“Which means it would have still been just as difficult considering I wouldn’t have had you to stun it,” Adric countered.
The oven beeping stopped any further argument from Hex, and she took the offered seat at the bar top as Adric donned oven mitts and pulled the delicious-smelling, sizzling steaks from the oven. He placed them onto a plate to rest and put tented foil over the top. He checked the potatoes and left them in for a few more minutes while the steaks rested. Taking the other vegetables from the skillet, he plated them on two separate plates and left them on the range to stay warm.
Returning to the bar, he poured another glass of wine, topped Hex's, and filled her water glass. Adric loaded the counter up with condiments from the fridge for the potatoes. His weapons of choice were butter, sour cream, chives, bacon bits, and shredded cheese. After rechecking the potatoes, Adric pulled them out and dressed them in separate bowls. Plating the steaks and pouring the residual butter mixture from the skillet over them, Adric came around the island to sit by Hex, saying, "Dig in."
Taking his own advice, Adric cut into his steak; it was a perfect medium rare, just how he liked it. He eagerly took his first bite, and the meat melted in his mouth, eliciting a satisfied moan of pleasure from him.
Hex watched how Adric used the knife and fork and tried her best to emulate his actions, dropping her first piece of steak on the floor as she learned how to eat with utensils. When she jumped off her stool to get the meat she had dropped, Adric quickly told her not to eat it because he hadn't mopped up all the goblin blood yet.
On her second attempt, the cut of meat made it into her mouth. If she had thought the wine was good, the perfectly seasoned buttery steak was like pure ambrosia! "Oh, by the gods!" She exclaimed, moaning her pleasure as she chewed the delicious morsel, savoring every second it was in her mouth.
"I know, right!" Adric said, shoving another bite in his mouth and chewing it before chasing it with a sip of wine. "Take a sip of your wine after you swallow and see how the taste has changed." He told her.
Hex wasted no time, greedily sipped her wine, and exclaimed, "It's even better than before!" She held the glass out, staring at it in disbelief. "This has got to be the best thing that has ever happened to me!" She whipped around to face him, "Please tell me we can do this again!"
Adric had to chuckle, "We can do it until the gas for the oven runs out. But I can probably do something similar using the fireplace.” He opened the second bottle of wine he brought up for dinner, thankful the goblin mage in his wine cave hadn't had time to destroy anything before they found him.
They enjoyed the rest of the meal in silence, interspersed with the occasional sighs of pleasure and the clinking of forks and knives.
***
After eating, Hex helped Adric clean and put away the dishes. She wanted to be as helpful as possible, and Adric wasn't complaining. He welcomed the help.
When they finished, Adric and Hex returned to the living room, where he added some more wood to the fire before settling in on the cushions next to her.
He topped her glass off with the last of the wine and, staring into the fire, said, "We should sleep in shifts to be safe—”
"Wait," Hex interrupted, slurring slightly, "where's your deed?"
Adric leaned over to his pack and pulled out the stack of papers he had retrieved from his safe after his shower. He started flipping through them, looking for the deed to his property.
"This one," Hex said, snagging one of the papers from the pile between two sharp claws and pulling it from the stack.
“How—” he stared at her in surprise.
"I have the examine skill. It lets me see the information on certain things. That's how I knew the panther was level five." Hex explained, adding, "I can show you how to get it if you like." She handed the deed to him, saying, "But first, you need to hold this in both hands and bring up your interface. Then…something…should happen…"
“I take it you don’t know exactly how to do this,” he asked, and Hex shrugged, letting out a soft hiccup. She covered her mouth in surprise and then giggled.
Realizing she was quite drunk, Adric sighed and did as instructed. As soon as his interface opened, a message was waiting for him.
You have found a property deed. As the current owner of the property, please choose from the following options:
Option 1 Claim Property:
Claim property under System rule. Once the property is claimed, no monsters or spawns will come within 328 feet (100 meters) of the residential area. Note: Discovered Level 50 and Level 85 dungeons on property can only be claimed once cleared at least once.
Option 2 Sell Property:
Sell the property and assets to the nearest System user, Hex? Approximate value: 2,000,000 SC (including unclaimed dungeons).
Option 3 Donate Property:
Donate property to System for a credit of 200,000 SC? Note: The user will be required to abandon the property within one hour or face forced eviction and will not be allowed to return for 10 local solar cycles.
A quick two hundred thousand credits sounded good to Adric, except for a few things. It was only one-tenth of the property's estimated value. He would be forced off the land for ten years. He still needed to learn what system credits were worth in terms of value. So, donating the property was out of the question; selling it was, too, because he knew how much Hex was worth; she had exactly three credits to her name, just like him.
Adric, of course, chose option one. The screen disappeared, taking the deed in his hands with it. As he watched in fascination, the deed shrank and turned into light, then zipped into his interface, leaving a flashing tab where it stopped. Looking to Hex for help, she only smiled and said, "Come on, open the tab!"
He did. An entirely new screen popped up with a list of options. Unfortunately, all the available options were greyed out, but the list excited Adric nonetheless. There were tinkering options like crafting workbenches, food cellars, fences, and outbuildings. He was about to ask Hex how to buy items for his homestead when she answered his unspoken question.
"We will have to find the nearest town with a System shop set up and buy a remote kiosk if you want to upgrade this place," She said, eyeing his screen, "and before you ask, I don't know how much they cost…but I have a vague sense they aren't much because they add revenue for the System, so I think they sell for whatever it costs to make them."
Adric looked closer at the list of options and realized that even if the kiosk was cheap, the cost of a table and chairs was two hundred credits. "Will we be able to sell things to the kiosk directly?"
"I think so…" Hex wasn't confident and knew there was a catch about selling to a remote kiosk, but try as she might, she couldn't make the knowledge appear in her mind.
"I'll take that as a maybe," Adric said, closing his interface and relaxing back into the cushions, enjoying the fire. He absently wondered if the dungeon monsters in his basement were affected by the suppression from his ownership of the place. Then he dismissed the idea; there was no way the System would make it that easy.
The warmth of the crackling fire, the wine, and his stomach digesting the massive steak made Adric's eyelids feel like they had lead weights attached to them.
Finishing off his wine with a final swig, he grabbed Hex's empty glass and carried it to the sink with his. After rinsing them, he returned to the little camping area by the fire.
Out of curiosity, he unfolded the giant panther hide he had left lying by the door and found the System had synthesized a fully cured replica. The fur was soft and the leather supple, so he dragged the enormous covering over to where Hex was already snoring by the firelight.
Gazing down at the fox girl’s innocent, peaceful face, Adric marveled at how trusting she was. "I guess I did save her life, and it isn't like I have given her any reason to distrust me…but still, she is naïve. I guess I am, too, for what I'm about to do."
Adric spread out the soft hide, covering Hex with it, then after adding another log to the fire, he laid down next to her on a separate cushion. With the house and land claimed, he wasn't worried about monsters sniffing around, and if he and Hex could get on similar sleep schedules, it would make what he had planned for them much more efficient.
Feeling good about what they accomplished so far together, Adric drifted off to sleep lying next to an alien woman from another solar system. One of two aliens he had met that day. “Just your average Tuesday,” he thought groggily, letting Hex's rhythmic snoring and the soft crackling of the fire lull him into unconsciousness.