After a short discussion, Adric and Hex decided to practice team tactics before venturing into the forest.

They went to his makeshift archery and gun range, where Adric showed Hex his method of approaching a hostile target.

“If you aren’t behind cover, then you better be shooting,” He explained to the eager Prism Vixen before pulling his pistol and walking through his routine of firing until he was out of ammunition, then using cover to reload before repeating the process.

Hex was soaking it up, but one thing made her curious. After Adric walked back over and the ringing in her ears had stopped, she asked, “Why did you crawl the length of the log before you exited your cover to start shooting again?”

“Because most people without training will stay focused on the last place, they saw a combatant instead of anticipating deception,” he was happy she had noticed.

“I’m not sure animals and monsters will think like that,” Hex mused aloud.

“That is true,” Adric said, “which is where terrain advantage comes into play.” He pointed at the tree and the log he had used as cover when shooting and asked, “What would that panther have done while I was reloading behind the tree? Or even the goblin warriors?”

Hex took a minute to think about it. The panther was easy for her to answer; her fox genes gave her the instincts of a predacious but cautious animal to some extent, so she had a good idea of how the panther would have reacted, especially since the System ramped up aggression in all non-sapient life forms and monster spawns. She had to think more about how the goblins would react, and apart from what she had seen already, she had to admit she didn’t know. She answered honestly, “The panther would have done one of two things. If it had been injured severely but was still fit enough to flee, then that is what it would have done. But had it fled, it wouldn’t have gone far and instead would have circled around to sneak up on you. However, if it could not have fled, it would certainly have pressed its attack until it was either victorious or dead.”

She bit her lower lip, trying to think of what the goblins would have done. When nothing came to mind, she admitted, “I don’t know how the goblins would react though…maybe they would run up to you and attack without regard for their own safety... or maybe not, I really don’t know.”

“And that is what we have to prepare for,” Adric told her, “If we know what to expect from something like with the panther, it’s one thing, but if there are variables, we aren’t able to anticipate, such as skills or enemy tactics then we need to think about how we can mitigate the impact of those unknowns.” He stopped to make sure Hex was still following his reasoning. She gestured for him to keep going so he continued, “by using the terrain around you it is possible to create scenarios in which you start with an advantage.”

“Like when you said I should have climbed a tree to avoid the beavers,” Hex said, starting to understand Adric’s reasoning.

“Yes, exactly,” he said, then asked, “How many shots do you have with your pistol?”

Hex was unsure what that had to do with the current subject, but she answered anyway, “Twenty. Why?”

“Because had you only fired a shot or two at the beavers and climbed the tree, you would have conserved almost a full crystal's worth of ammunition.” Adric answered and explained further, “You only hit one enemy in twenty shots before you were out, so you didn’t have time to reload before they were too close. Plus, we have a limited number of those crystals, so, at least for now, we need to make every shot count.”

Hex was beginning to feel like a scolded child as Adric spoke. She could feel her face flushing but was determined to be a team player, so she asked, "Is there an easy way to remember all of this?"

Adric chuckled, memories of himself asking a similar question to one of his many instructors' years before flashed through his mind. Reminiscing about the answer he received, Adric told Hex, "There is an acronym OAKOC, but I'm not sure it will apply to us in the new magical landscape we're in…" He thought through a few scenarios and decided the five aspects of military terrain advantage should work for them in most situations, so he continued, “it stands for Observation and fields of fire, Avenues of approach, Key and decisive terrain, Obstacles, and Cover and concealment.”

Hex listened intently, trying to commit everything Adric said to memory. Having a brain instead of a CPU was annoying, to say the least, but she was doing her best with what she had.

Seeing her intense concentration, Adric laughed, “Take it easy, Hex, you’re going to blow an O-ring.” At her confused stare, he tried to simplify what he had said so far, “Think of it like this: if you are higher than your enemy, you have the advantage of sight, allowing better target location. On the same note, you will also see the most accessible paths to your enemy and the route they will likely take to approach your position. If you anticipate your enemy's route, you can plan for their approach with obstacles and suppressing fire. If you find yourself in disadvantageous terrain, like if you are surprised, that is where obstacles and cover come into play. Attacking from cover reduces your body's exposure to potential damage, presenting a smaller target for your enemies. Retreating by putting obstacles for your enemy to navigate between you and them is also advantageous because it will not only slow them down but will sometimes expose them to a potential counterattack if they insist on pursuing you.

“I…I think I understand,” Hex said after taking a few minutes to process everything Adric had said. “To sum it all up, you’re saying that in every situation, we need to keep something between us and our enemy while at the same time trying to maintain an elevated position so we can better locate and attack them.”

"Precisely," Adric answered. She was simplifying it to the extreme. Still, simple was usually better, and she was just starting this journey, so he didn't push it too much.

Adric handed Hex his pistol, saying, “Now let’s see how good you are with ballistic weapons.

***

A little before noon, the two decided to have an early lunch and go hunting. Adric was pleased with Hex’s progress; the speed at which she picked up on tactics put his younger self to shame, and he had been considered one of the fastest learners in every one of his classes.

Although Hex had only used two magazines with the pistol since they needed to conserve ammunition, it was still apparent to Adric that ballistic weapons would not be a problem for the lithe fox girl. She went through his shooting range with such fluid and graceful movements it made Adric seem like an intoxicated oaf stumbling through a china cabinet in the dark. Watching Hex navigate through his shooting course gave Adric an excellent idea of how much her race gave her an advantage over humans. He figured that if she stayed at her current rate of progression, she would outdo him in almost every aspect within a week or two. When he mentioned it to her, though, she disagreed.

“Do not underestimate yourself and the System,” Hex responded to Adric’s observation, “Attribute point allocation is paramount to your progression. I may have started with a body that has a slight advantage over humans, but that is all it is: a slight advantage. Had I chosen the body of a lesser dragonling, it would be different as they are blessed with some truly amazing abilities from birth.”

Adric was still musing over her words as they went through their gear check before going out for what they planned to be a short three or four-hour hunt. He was checking that her short bow was secure on her back when curiosity got the better of him, and he had to ask, “Just how much stronger is a dragonling? I mean, compared to you and me? And why didn’t you choose that body? Seraph told me you had the option.” He felt her stiffen at his words. Her pointy fox ears twitched and then drooped along with her usually raised tail. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to answer that,” Adric stammered when he realized his question had, for some reason, bothered Hex. They were standing on his front porch, so he quickly hopped down the single step to his lawn, saying, “Forget I asked. Let’s head out.”

Hex didn’t follow and only stared at Adric with a flushed expression when he turned to check on her. "I did have that as an option," She said, hesitating a bit as she spoke, "But I decided against becoming a dragonling for several reasons. They are inherently aggressive toward other creatures, and dragonlings can rarely control their aggression enough to interact with others civilly. And since I wanted to interact with people, I didn’t wish to take the chance of being unable to control my rage. Another reason was their physical makeup didn’t allow for certain…um…social interactions I wanted to experience.”

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

“Like what?” Adric asked when Hex didn’t elaborate.

“Um…things people do when they um…” Hex blushed a dark blue and looked away as she continued, “When two or more people like each other, they do…things…together. And I wanted to be able to experience that for myself.”

Adric wasn’t sure exactly what she was talking about but was starting to get an idea. Her following words cleared it up for him, though.

Hex’s flush traveled down her neck, and she exclaimed, “Dragonlings reproduce asexually, and I didn’t want that.” Then she hurried past him, saying, “We should get going.”

Adric watched her walk away toward the tree line with a goofy smile; it was everything he could do to keep from laughing at Hex’s obvious discomfort. He had already forgotten that she had been an AI only a few days before. He hadn't considered that she must have been extremely curious about what being a flesh and blood life form felt like. Running to catch up with her, Adric quickly met her stride as they approached the trees. Hex stared straight ahead as they walked, refusing to glance his way. Knowing he needed to clear the air so she could focus during their hunt, he caught Hex by the elbow to stop her before they entered the forest.

“What?” Hex asked a little sharply as she turned to face him.

“Hey, hey,” Adric let go of her arm and held up his hands, “I just want you to know that I think being curious and wanting to experience new things is nothing to be ashamed of. In fact, I think it is an admirable trait.”

Hex finally looked him in the eyes, and with a sigh of frustration, she asked, “How do you turn off your emotions? I didn’t want to be embarrassed just now, but no matter what I did, this stupid body wouldn’t respond to my request to stop the feeling!”

Adric understood her frustration and answered honestly, “Time, practice, and experience are the primary ways to learn to temper your emotional responses. But you shouldn’t view your emotional reactions as a bad thing, though. Part of being a person is being able to feel and express emotions; it makes life worth living. Imagine how boring life would be if you couldn't be filled with wonder when witnessing an amazing event or being happy like last night when you tasted my cooking and wine for the first time.”

Hex smiled at the memory of the delicious drink and food from the previous evening. Her earlier embarrassment was already slipping away. Adric had a way about him that put her at ease, and he always seemed to know what to say when she was bothered by something. She had barged into his life out of nowhere like a whirlwind; not only was she a different species, but she was also an alien to his planet. Yet, not once had he judged her for looking or acting different; he was even kind when he spoke to her after she had made a mistake that could have severely injured or even killed him the previous day. Feeling more relaxed, Hex tried to commit his words to heart. If he took the time to teach her, she would do her best to learn from his instruction. “Sorry about snapping at you,” she said, “I have to admit transitioning from code to flesh is proving to be more…difficult than I anticipated.”

“I cannot even begin to imagine what it must feel like,” Adric responded honestly. He gestured to the forest, “Are you still up for a hunt?”

“Yes!” Hex said quickly, “I really want to try my new arrows! And the things you taught me earlier.”

“Okay then, let’s get moving,” Adric said. Looking at the sun, he added, "We should have at least seven hours of daylight left, so we can go out for about two hours. If we haven’t found anything by then, we can turn back.

Shifting the large black backpack Adric had given her, Hex nodded and set off at a much slower pace than before.

They had only gone a short distance when they received a notification.

Warning! You have exited a safe zone.

You have entered Cay Forest. The area you have entered has a recommended level of 3 to 7. The current known fauna and monster spawn types are Cave Panthers, Giant Beavers, and Goblin Raiders. Continue to explore this area to learn more about it. Additional information will be provided for every 10% of the area designated as Cay Forest that you explore.

Hex looked at Adric and shrugged, "My name is Adric Cay, so I guess the System named the forest after me when I claimed the land.

Pulling up his interface out of curiosity, Adric looked at his property tab and, after a bit of scrolling, found menus for monster spawns, flora, fauna, and even an option to upgrade the level of his home and the surrounding forest. All the selections were grayed out, but Adric was already fantasizing about creating a fortress of a workshop surrounded by a dangerous forest of high-level creatures to deter unwelcome visitors.

Hex brought him out of his daydream with a light cough. Dismissing his interface, he asked, “The recommended level is three to seven; does that mean our race or class?”

“It’s an average of the two,” Hex said. She had taken her bow off her back and nocked an arrow. She was toying with the string, looking around anxiously, “That means we are just below the low end of the level range, and any monsters we encounter can be a few levels below and above the recommended level.”

Adric had suspected that and decided they would need to change their approach to tackling this forest. “Okay, that changes things a little,” he told Hex. Pointing to a large oak tree about fifty yards away, he said, “Let’s move to that tree slowly and cautiously. If we make it to the tree without incident, we can climb and hunt until just before nightfall. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think it’s a good idea to walk through this forest at our current level.”

Hex really wanted to go exploring but saw the logic in Adric's reasoning. Still, she knew far better than he did that staying safe was not how to progress in this System controlled world, and those who played it safe and never took risks almost always fell behind. So, she told him what she thought, “The way I see it, we took down eleven higher-level goblins that surprised us when we were both only level one. If we play it safe and only hunt the creatures that pass by us. There is a very good chance we will be hunted and killed as soon as the trial year is over and this world is opened to the greater multiverse.”

“Hunted?” Adric asked worriedly. Nothing in the original message said anything about being hunted after the first year.

“Yes,” Hex said, “once this year is over, our planet will be given a grade and level based on the average level of the top five percent of the most powerful individuals in the surviving population. When the planet is opened for travel, powerful factions descend on it like vultures. The factions will vie for resources and claim as much land as possible. If it means killing some of the natives, then so be it. So, yes, you will be hunted now that you are a landowner. I will be hunted for my…well, let's just say there are some species in the multiverse that prize my kind for…recreational purposes."

As Adric listened to her, he frowned. This knowledge changed things; he would have to rethink his entire plan for moving forward with his progression. Then he thought about the last thing Hex had said and asked, “What do you mean recreational purposes?” Her eyes widened at his question, causing him to quickly hold up his hands and say, “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”

Hex bit her lower lip; she really didn’t want to tell him about one of the less apparent advantages that being a Prism Vixen gave her. Her reluctance wasn't because she wanted to withhold the knowledge; she didn't want that and knew he needed to know. It was just another embarrassing fact that made her feel weird when she thought about explaining it to him. Steeling her resolve, Hex explained, “When I exert myself, my body secretes…um, pheromones.” At Adric’s raised eyebrows and sudden stern expression, she hurriedly continued, “Don't worry! I made sure to wash them off last night, and so long as you stay a few feet away from me and upwind from me if I have been sweating a lot…"

Adric's expression went through an entire spectrum of emotions as she spoke, finally settling on embarrassment. It was his turn to flush when he realized what the 'pheromones' were for. Holding up his hands again, he said, "You don't have to tell me anymore. I get it."

To his surprise, Hex shook her head, “No, you need to know this if we are going to be living in close quarters,” Her face was solemn as she continued, “The pheromones I produce can be manipulated into intoxicants and poisons eventually as I learn more about how to control the excretions so there is a measure of safety we have to practice if we stay together. I promise I was going to tell you. It’s just that it is so embarrassing because the only pheromones I can produce right now are…um…well, they're the kind that…attract people to me." Flushing deep blue, Hex assured him, “I swear I washed the excretions off my body and clothes last night. I have to because they work on me, too, until I develop a tolerance to my scent."

“So, are you safe right now, and does it work on animals or monsters? For instance, are you actively attracting beasts to our location as we speak?” Adric asked, noticing the thin sheen of sweat on her forehead with a bit of worry.

Hex’s eyes went wide, and she paled a little. She had no idea if her pheromones worked on beasts. But why wouldn’t they? “We should climb that tree or let me shower right now,” she said, suddenly feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Hex started to move when Adric nodded, then stopped when a thought struck her. She took several deep breaths and realized she couldn’t smell her pheromones. Turning back to Adric, she told him as much.

“How do you know what they smell like?” Adric asked in a low voice as he scanned their surroundings with his bow at the ready.

“I’ve smelled them before, and come to think of it, the effect isn’t that strong. I’m sure it will grow more potent with time—hang on,” Hex said. She opened her interface and searched for anything relating to her pheromone excretions. When she found nothing, she nodded to herself. She told Adric, "It isn't a System-recognized skill, so I doubt it will have any potent effect on people or creatures of my same level or above. The more I think about it, the more confident I am that the ability will benefit us. Especially if it attracts lower-level monsters but doesn’t affect you or high-level beasts, it might be a good way for us to harvest spawns for items and credits safely.” Dismissing her interface, she held up her arms, exposing the damp spots on her shirt from her sweaty pits, “Here, let’s experiment really quick. Come sniff me and tell me if it makes you feel funny.”

“I’ll take a rain check on that,” Adric answered immediately. “We should probably wait until we are in a safe environment before we experiment with your mind-altering bodily excretions…” Then he thought, “Or we could just forget we ever had this conversation, which I am sure I wouldn't mind."