Limitless Path

She moved back to and through the gate, cancelling the skill once she was back in her room. She watched as the portal sunk back into the floor and disappeared without a trace, not even a speck of dust left to mark where it had been. She flopped down on her floor, sitting with her legs stretched out for a few minutes to try to restore just a bit of her stamina.

After sitting and resting for a little, Beth dragged her tired body and soul up and into the bathroom. She turned the shower on and then stripped out of what remained of her clothes and hopped in, being careful to try to keep her bandages from that morning from getting soaked. After she was done and got out, she dried off before going out into her bedroom and throwing on some underwear and a loose shirt as pajamas.

She checked her cell phone and saw the time was 8:01 PM. She must have been in the gate for a little under two hours, which would be an hour in "real" time, proving that the modifier really was an indicator of some kind of time compression. She was totally exhausted, climbing into bed and setting her cell phone on her nightstand. She passed out as soon as her head hit the pillow.

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"Beth!"

She woke up the next morning to a knock on her door and her mother calling her name.

"Ungh," Beth groaned out coherently.

"I'm up!" she continued with a shout.

The first thing she did was stagger into her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. After that was finished up, she stepped out into her room to dress. Finished with throwing on some clothes and grabbing her phone, she headed out and downstairs to the kitchen. Food was definitely the next objective, and Beth entered the kitchen right after her mother finished laying out a huge breakfast spread on the island, having had Kim's help in cooking that morning.

Beth took a big plate and piled it high with pancakes and fruit, while at the same time filling a big bowl with oatmeal and more fruit pieces. She grabbed a huge glass of orange juice and dug into the food, absolutely tearing through it. Her vehement attack on the big pile of food left even her parents a little shocked.

"It's not going to run away, Beth. Don't choke," her mother admonished her.

"Hmph umph," Beth responded with a full mouth as she continued her spree of destruction.

"Better get some before there is none left," her father added, his plate already full as he much more slowly worked through his food.

For a few minutes there was nothing but the sounds of cutlery and eating. After the first few minutes had passed, Beth had finished her oatmeal and was working through the last of her pancakes. As she chewed through a huge mouthful of pancakes, she worked on refilling her oatmeal bowl to the brim.

"Good lord, Beth. I know you like food but where is this appetite coming from?" her mother questioned.

Beth finished what she was chewing on and responded, "I fought a lot yesterday and had a bunch of stat and skill increases. Even with magic in the air, my body needs fuel to make up for all of that. I always liked to eat and my new level of exercise every day needs more food. Plus, I'm a teenager. Aren't we supposed to eat everything in the house?"

"Looks like we'll have to see about making a trip to the grocery store today. Who knows what is happening with that. They might be out of everything," her mother replied with a sigh.

"We'll figure something out. There may be chaos for a little while, but I'm sure things will be working again after people adapt. Worst comes to worst we could try hunting; if there are aggressive ants, maybe there are aggressive deer or some such we could kill," her father answered.

The family continued with their breakfast, working through all the food that Rachel and Kim had prepared, thanks in no small part to Beth. When they were all done, Beth helped clear the dishes and rinse them while Kim put them in the dishwasher. After everything was cleared away, Beth turned to their father and asked, "Do we have any knives or, like, anything that would work as a weapon?"

"Hm, I don't really think so," he replied. "We do have kitchen knives, but if you are talking about fighting ants or other 'beasts,' as they are being called, then they wouldn't work for that. They could do in a pinch, but they would dull very quickly and likely break too easily."

"We really need to get some weapons. I can fight with just my body just fine, at least for now, but many other people will need a weapon. Kim's class sounds like it would do well with a sword or some other kind of weapon, for example," Beth continued, the chin tapping in full effect.

"I, uh, I don't really know…about this whole fighting thing," Kim responded hesitantly.

"Well, I can't force you, but it's a good idea. If you level up you get stronger, which means you can stay safer easier, just for a start," Beth explained.

"If you think it's alright, uh, maybe I can," Kim still didn't really seem sold on the idea.

"I could try asking Mr. Jones, he knows all kinds of things and all kinds of people," Beth continued. "Maybe he could get some weapons quickly."

"I was going to talk to him about our idea of building some simple walls or reinforced fencing," their father responded. "Why don't we go see if he's up and about this early on a Sunday?"

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"Okay, let's go." Beth answered eagerly.

The two of them headed to the front of the house, where Beth put on a pair of sneakers she had sitting off to the side. They headed outside, Beth being careful to look around. Seeing no ants or other beasts about, they crossed the cul-de-sac and headed up to Mr. Jones' house. Arriving, they rang the doorbell and gave the door a firm knock. They immediately heard movement from within and, a moment later, Mr. Jones opened the door.

"Well, Thomas and young miss Beth. What can I do for you on this fine Sunday morning?" Mr. Jones greeted the pair warmly.

"Good morning, Mr. Jones. We have a couple of things we would like to discuss with you, if you have a few minutes?" Beth's father inquired politely.

"Of course, Thomas, of course. Please, come in," Mr. Jones replied, ushering them into a large sitting room off to the right of the front door. Once the three were all seated, he continued, "What can I do for you?"

"Well, Beth and I each have something to discuss with you. I think Beth's issue will only take a moment," answered her father, turning to her.

"Well, uh, it's like this Mr. Jones. I know you, uh, collect some things that are pretty varied. I was wondering if you happened to have anything, here or in your storage, that could be used to fight. Maybe even several somethings?" Beth asked as the older turned his attention to her.

Mr. Jones nodded for a few moments after Beth was finished. He tapped his cane on the floor a few times as he stared through Beth, his gaze seemingly far away. At last, he replied to her, "Well young miss Beth, I may in fact be able to assist you. I believe I have the means, depending on how disrupted everything currently is, to acquire what you are requisitioning. More than that, I have some of what you seek right here, right now. Follow me a moment."

After he finished, Mr. Jones stood up and walked out of the room. The other two both followed along after him. He stopped at a door partway down the main hallway of the first floor of the house and opened it, flipping a light switch inside right after he did. Entering, it was revealed to be stairs to a basement level. The trio walked down and into a large room with plenty of seating and what looked like a projector screen at one end. Mr. Jones motioned to the other two, and they followed him to a door off to the side.

Upon entering this room, they found that it was full of all sorts of odds-and-ends. Two of the walls had shelves filled with books and scrolls and parchments. One of the walls had racks with old style weapons and fighting implements hung up and, turning around, Beth saw the wall separating the room from the theater area had glass cases containing a variety of curious objects. The floor of the room was constructed of a heavy tile, and in the middle area of the room were cases, crates, and boxes, likely containing all sorts of unusual items. There were also three stands displaying some kind of medieval armor.

"I'm something of a collector of curios," Mr. Jones explained, "and these are just a part of my collection. Much of what is in here had only a moderate value, at least to most, even before the world changed. Young miss Beth, if you would like, you may take a few weapons from the racks."

Beth immediately headed over to the far wall, looking over the weapons present. She saw that there was almost everything you could imagine. All kinds of swords from different eras and places were in the racks, as well as bows, knives, daggers, several maces, what looked like an old police truncheon, and even something like a scythe. Beth was drawn to the swords, feeling some kind of slight connection to the weapons, and started looking them over. She didn't really know much about swords, but she knew it could be a good idea to have a second weapon to work with, especially since her primary weapon was her body.

She stopped in front of something that she thought was a claymore. It had a long, double-edged blade, a little over a meter in length, as well as a hilt that seemed to be over a foot long, if one included the carved pommel. The sword was hung naked, with a sheath that seemed to match it on the rack behind. Also with the sheath was a leather belt that looked to have been intended for someone with a rather larger waist to equip, and Beth stepped up to the blade, examining it more closely.

"A fine blade there," Mr. Jones commented. "It is, in fact, a replica of an older sword. But the one you are admiring is forged using an old technique that produces something very similar to what they would have made a millennia ago. In terms of strength and metalworking, that is as fine as any sword you could have found in the Medieval period. Better, in fact, as it uses contemporary metal stock, which has far fewer impurities than what they would have used eight or nine hundred years ago. Pick it up."

Beth did so, lifting the sword from the rack and stepping to an open space in the room. She hefted the sword experimentally and gave it a few short swings. It shouldn't really be a surprise, but it was amazing the sword could weigh so little but take so much effort to swing. Carrying the sword on her hip or her back wouldn't be an issue, and swinging it for a time would be alright, but she knew she would have to practice with the weapon and improve her stats to truly be able to use it as hers. She rested the tip of the sword on the heavy tile and held the hilt in her hand, turning to Mr. Jones.

"I really like this sword for myself, Mr. Jones. Would it be something you'd be willing to sell?" she asked.

"Sell? Young miss Beth, I enjoy collecting things, but this is a time of need. Besides, I will have opportunities in the future to collect many more interesting things, now that the world has changed. You can have it. See if you can get the harness for the sheath to fit. You are rather tall, young miss Beth; six feet, if I'm right, and you might be able to fit the harness without need for a leatherworker to see to it," Mr. Jones responded kindly.

"Well, I can't take things for nothing. How about I give you one of these to trade?" She replied, walking over the Mr. Jones and handing him a copper coin.

"A coin, young miss?" he asked, eyeing it. "It seems somewhat unusual. I do not recognize the symbol on it."

"Hold it like this," Beth said, taking out a second coin from her stat screen. She held it between her thumb and forefinger like she had done early the day before after getting her first one. With a little quiver of her wrist, she pinched the coin. The little symbol made of copper colored light floated above the coin. Mr. Jones mimicked the action, and a light appeared above the coin as well.

"Truly fascinating!" Mr. Jones exclaimed. "Where exactly did you acquire such coins, young miss?"

"They're from the system of the Path. When you kill monsters or beasts, there's a small chance, like, a really small chance for some of their mana to transform into a coin. I got two from killing ants so far," Beth explained, covering up the fact that she actually had three coppers before she gave Mr. Jones one.

"Well, well. More than fair. What else catches your eye, young miss?" Mr. Jones replied.

"For now, I want this other sword, if you wouldn't mind?" Beth said, pointing to what would most commonly today be referred to as a hand-and-a-half sword.

"Certainly. I imagine this is for another? That claymore will be quite a lot already, and I was under the impression you fought with your fists and feet?" Mr. Jones responded.

"Yeah, I'd like to get Kim a sword. She has a fighting class that's kinda like a warrior-type, I figured she should use a sword with it. The other things I'm interested in are boots and gloves. Do you have anything like armored boots or gauntlets in your collection?" she asked.

"I have a few pieces in the house that might work. Open the crate just behind you, there are several pairs of boots in there," Mr. Jones said, indicating the crate just behind Beth. Her father, who had simply been watching the proceedings while glancing around, moved over to help. The two of them popped the lid off the crate and peered inside. The crate was about three feet to a side and contained several pairs of boots as well as several older pairs of shoes.

Beth rummaged in the crate for a few moments before pulling out first one boot, then another. It was a pair of knee-length boots made of some type of hardened leather. There were also metal plates imbedded in the shins of both boots, as well as metal studs at the top of the foot. They wouldn't be perfect, but they would be a good deal better than sneakers. She took off her shoes and pulled on the boots, stomping into them for a second before walking around the room. The fit was actually very close, the boots being only very slightly loose at the toes.

Beth picked up the crate lid alone and set it back down on top of the crate, sealing it home with a thump of her hand. She looked over to see her father looking at her with a raised eyebrow. "What?" she asked.

"That lid was reinforced, I'm guessing. It's quite heavy. Seems like you have become quite a bit stronger," he commented.

Beth just shrugged before she turned to Mr. Jones. "I think these boots will work quite well for me. You said you might also have some gloves?"

"Indeed, those boots look quite fine on you, young miss Beth," he replied, before pointing to a moderate-sized box in the far corner. "That box over there has several pairs of gloves. Most of them are working gloves, like a forge-hand or mill worker might use. I do believe, however, that there are two pairs, or perhaps three, with some armoring on them."

Beth rooted through that box for a moment as well before finding what she wanted, a set of thick leather gloves with some armoring on the back of the hands, closing the box once she had fished those out. She made sure the boots were tight, strapped on the sword belt, sheathed the sword, and then donned the gloves.

"Perfect," she said, smiling.

"If you're done pillaging Mr. Jones' cellar for a pittance, why don't you take the other sword back to Kimberly?" her father asked with a small chuckle.