Anika had a feeling that accepting the Hunter Basics quest was mandatory. Even if it wasn't, it was most likely the best thing to do. Although she was anxious to leave the cabin and go looking for her son, she knew she had a lot to learn about the game itself. This kind of quest was designed to teach her the basics. She supposed that it made sense, you couldn't just talk to these AI characters as if they were real humans. They were there to help make the game enjoyable, you were supposed to immerse yourself in the experience and she assumed that the game had been designed to teach her everything she needed to know, if she played along.

She accepted the quest and decided to be more patient.

"Great. Now, first let's see you get off that bed and walk around. It might feel strange at first, but you'll soon get the hang of it. Once you've got your balance, just let me know."

She stood up, and it felt strange. Her sense of balance wasn't there yet, but after walking around the cabin for a minute and stretching herself, she nodded at the Hunter and told him she was ready to proceed.

"Now let's see you run a couple of yards. Come with me outside."

They left the cabin and the first impression that hit her was the warm sun prickling her skin and the smell of the fresh air. Outside the cabin was a small yard with two dogs lying on the ground in the shade, lazy and happy. A perimeter was marked out by a wooden fence and beyond that there was a gentle slope leading to a small brook. It was incredibly realistic. She could hear the water running in the brook, the insects buzzing in the air and the wind in the trees. Everything was beautiful, and the colours were vivid.

"Now, run down to that brook and splash water in your face, it'll do you good."

She did as he asked and made her way to the brook. She was barefoot, but the feeling of the ground underneath her feet wasn't as painful as it might have been in real life. At the brook she cupped her hands and splashed some of the cold water onto her face and down her neck. It was refreshing and just what she needed. As she was running back, she noticed the sensation of the cold water that had trickled down her back and thought how incredible it was to be feeling that. It must be the haptic suit working overtime to stimulate the exact places on her skin in the real world. What an incredible feeling, it was so real.

Feeling out of breath she stood in front of the Hunter with hands on her hips and nodded, hoping that he would approve and that they could get on with it.

"Not too shabby, I can see you've got your legs back." He walked to the side of the cabin and pulled a long hunting bow off the wall. Pointing at her shoulder he proceeded with what would be her second challenge. "Now let's see how you handle that bow."

Although she couldn't see the bow that was supposed to be hanging over her shoulder, just by focusing on its existence, it appeared in her hand. The hunter was looking at her, expecting her to do something, so she pulled the string back to look like she knew what she was doing. She had never held a bow before and was getting worried that this could take some time.

"You'll be needing an arrow with that." He gestured to her other shoulder where she assumed the quiver for her arrows was located.

Once again, focusing on the imaginary arrows had resulted in one of them materialising in her hand. She had seen a couple of films in the past where these things were used, so it didn't take long for her to guess where the arrow should be placed, but she looked to the hunter for confirmation she was getting it right. Wasn't there just some kind of programme they could upload to give her the skills? Like in the Matrix? Or was she really supposed to learn this stuff from scratch? That could take hours.

The hunter was shaking his head.

"I can see we'll be starting with the basics, whatever happened to you out there must have wiped everything you have learnt in the past out of your brain. Now listen, before I teach you to hold the bow and to shoot I want you to get your mindset right. Try to feel your shoulders they are tense right?"

She was feeling tense and holding the bow didn't feel natural at all. She nodded and tried to loosen her shoulders.

"Listen up. Your target is not your enemy. Tension is your enemy. You must learn to relax because your biggest opponent will always be yourself. First you have to learn to breathe and then to relax. Once we have mastered the basics of breathing and relaxing, you will learn to shoot like a true marksman. Anyone can pick up a bow or a firearm and shoot it in the direction they want. The trick to being a skilled hunter is learning to aim and to shoot in many different conditions. You will learn how to lock onto the target, then take a deep breath and to let it out. Breathing relaxes the body and when your breath has almost gone from your lungs. That is the time to shoot. You still with me?"

She nodded.

"I will tell you about a five-point sequence you need to remember. This has been taught to me by an expert marksman and I never forget those five points when I am out in the wild. To help you remember, this acronym will aid you. Just remember the word BRASS, you know, like the metal."

He watched her mumble the word before continuing.

"First thing. B is for breathing. Breathing is essential to controlling your body. If you forget about breathing, you can bet your bottom that your body will resist and take over control. You don't want that. If I teach you anything today, it will be to breathe. Never forget that, especially in the heat of the moment."

"B is for breathing. Got it."

"Good. Next up is R for relax. Your body needs to be steady as a rock, if you don't relax your muscles before shooting that bow, you will be guaranteed to miss. This can take years to master, and while hunting for sport can be a relaxing pastime, I don't see your type as being someone here to collect hunting trophies. When you are in the heat of a battle, like I was many years ago in the time of the Crimson Wars, the ability to relax served me well. Ignore everything around you, the fighting, the distractions and the people dying everywhere. You have to focus on the breath leaving your body and look at your target."

"Breathe and relax. Got it, what's next?"

"Now we are getting to the heart of it. A is for Aim. You may think as long as you can see your target, aiming is a simple matter, but most of the time your target is not sitting still. I can guarantee you it will not have a red circle on its back to aim for. Aiming is not a technical skill. It is intuitive, and it can only be mastered through practice and being present in the moment. Don't calculate the trajectory your arrow will take. Instead, focus on your target and focus on the speed and direction it is moving in. Then aim where you know it will be when the arrow hits. See the arrow hitting its target. Feel it. And remember, practice makes perfect. Don't beat yourself up when you miss. Everything you want to learn in this world will take practice. So celebrate each mistake you make because those mistakes take you one step closer to the perfect shot."

"Breathe, Relax, Aim. I'm with you. S is for shoot?"

"Not so quick. Brass has two S's in it. Before you shoot, you must squeeze. S is for squeeze. I know it makes little sense because you are holding a bow, but stay with me for a moment. The common term used when shooting a firearm is to pull the trigger, just like you might pull that bow back. But I want you to think about it in terms of a gentle squeeze. No force should be used and no sudden movements ok? Try it now, squeeze that bow without an arrow knocked, just squeeze the string back towards your shoulder."

Anika did as he asked and pulled the bow back until her fingers were almost touching her shoulder. It was tense, and she could not hold it there for more than a few seconds before the muscles in her right arm gave way. She released the string so it snapped back in place and looked at the Hunter for validation.

"You'll get there. Once you've squeezed the bow all the way back to your shoulder, you'll be ready to shoot. Many people think all you have to do is aim and shoot. But the guidance I have provided you with will take you some way in landing that perfect shot. Now, there will be times when you might hesitate. The more preparation you do and the more ready you feel, the more fear and doubt will creep into your mind and tell you you will miss the shot. Perhaps the wind changes, perhaps your target changes direction. All of these things are telling you not to shoot and to wait for a better moment. You need to trust yourself and take the shot. The more you practice, the more honed your skills and intuition become, the more doubt and fear will present itself to you. Take my advice and always go with your gut. If you feel that analytical part of your brain talking to you, just tell it you will get right back and have a debate once you have taken the shot. You can always analyse what might have gone wrong after the fact. The simple truth of it is that if you don't shoot, you will never know what the outcome would be."

He stared at her for a few moments, perhaps trying to make sure that those last words had sunk in. "Now, let's get to practice. I would ask you to spend a couple of days practising your aim on a stationary target, like one of those pumpkins on a stick here in the yard. But, something tells me you are in a hurry to leave this place, so let's throw you straight into the deep end."

Quest complete: Hunter Basics

You receive experience points: 100 XP

You have learned a new ability: Shoot

You have learned a new ability: Camouflage

You have learned a new ability: Tracking

Anika was relieved that the lecture was over. Although she was eager to get moving, she didn't mind the idea of taking a few practice shots at a pumpkin, just to make sure that everything she was told had sunk in. She noticed that the icons for her new abilities had been placed at the bottom of her view, just above the menu bar she was looking through earlier.

"Those damn grizzly bears who almost killed you before I found you, they are a nuisance around here, and they are breeding like crazy. I need you to show me what you can do with that bow and arrow and go take care of them. If you can take down one of the matriarch's, I'll have a nice little bonus for you when you come back."

New quest: A couple of Grizzly Bears

In the woods surrounding the Hunter's cabin, grizzly bears are causing a nuisance. Kill 10 grizzly bears and return to the Hunter trainer for a reward.

Bonus objective: Kill a matriarch

Reward: Experience points

Accept Yes/No

Anika accepted the quest. A tally showing 0/10 grizzly bears appeared under the quests title in the top right corner of her view. Underneath it, the bonus objective displayed 0/1 for the matriarch.

"I'm glad you accepted my request for help. If you are worried about the balance of nature, just remember that these animals are breeding like crazy and they have been killing off the beautiful deer and even a couple of my hunting dogs in recent times. Taking down one of their matriarch's will cut to the root of the problem. Before you go, remember to check your map in case you get lost. You will find the areas marked where the biggest concentration of grizzly bears can be found. And using the map, you should be able to find your way back here no problem."

She searched for the map icon in the long bar running across the bottom of her view, found it and opened it up. The map was centred on a small image of what appeared to be the hunter's cabin. The majority of the map was greyed out, it had no details on it, but the forest area surrounding the cabin was coloured in and it showed a couple of red circles which must be the areas the hunter had told her about. With some trepidation, she set out in the direction shown on the map, whilst trying to remind herself of the advice she had just received.