Limitless Path

"What should I spend those on then? What did you use your points on?" Kim asked.

"I'm not an athlete super star like you, so my END was only four. I put both my points in END to catch it up to my other stats. END is important for both stamina and resistance to damage, so I definitely wanted to catch up on that first."

"OK, my INT is only 5, should I increase that?" Kim asked doubtfully.

"Can you show me just your stats?"

"Sure," Kim replied with a weird little hand wave. Beth assumed she was associating gestures with actions like with modern touch screens.

Level

1

Strength

7

Dexterity

6

Endurance

8

Intelligence

5

Wisdom

7

Free Points

2

"OK, yeah, I'd do INT. You're gonna get everything but INT if you fight monsters and level up, so that's going to be your weak point for a while. Maybe there's another way to get stats or something, but you'll definitely need INT."

"OK," Kim nodded decisively and looked into the distance momentarily. "Done. Thanks for all the help, Beth."

"Sure. I know mom's angry, but the ants are pretty easy to kill. We could maybe kill a couple more this week to level up."

"This week, but what about school?" Kim exclaimed.

"Kim, you think we're going to have school the week after a world altering calamity changed the whole planet?" Beth flicked her forehead lightly.

"But it was the big Track and Field meet this Wednesday! You mean it's not going to happen?!" Kim cried out, much more upset over the potential cancellation of the school week than the ramifications of the entire world changing.

Beth gave Kim yet another side hug and reassured her. "I'm sure it's fine. I think we've got more to be worried about right now."

"You're in here, good. Where's your sister?" Their mother asked as both their parents entered the living room.

"I think she's in her room," Beth responded.

"Soph! Down here please," their mother called up the stairs after walking partway back down the hall.

"Fine!" Echoed back down from upstairs. There was a sound of stomping feet, and a few moments later Soph joined the rest of the family in the living room.

"OK, I know it's already been a long day even though it's just after noon. Your father and I wanted to go over a few things, and then I'm going to make some pasta and salads for lunch," their mother said once the family was fully assembled.

"Alright girls," their father continued where their mother left off, "we're either all undergoing the same mass delusion at once, or the whole world has radically changed. It seems like there are monsters everywhere, many stronger than the ants in our own backyard. I want you girls to stay in the house for now and not go outside. I'm looking at you in particular, Beth. I know you've always been a bit of a scrapper; don't sneak out to fight things. It's too dangerous."

"Fine. I got it," Beth sighed in response, a frown darkening her features.

"This isn't a game, sweetie. You could get far more seriously hurt or even killed out there now. We're going to be trying to stay in the house for the next week and figure out what's happening," he continued.

"You mean no school?!" Soph exclaimed.

"I doubt there will be school this week. Even if there were, I would not feel comfortable letting you girls go there until we had a better grasp of the situation and knew that your safety could be guaranteed."

"So, we're going to be stuck at home possibly for weeks? Without even being allowed to go outside?" Kim asked with a dawning look of horror. The most outgoing and athletic of the girls, being stuck inside without being able to go even into the backyard for a couple days might unhinge her.

"I'm sure it will only be a few days at the most before we can at least use the backyard. In fact, it might be a good idea to try to work with the neighbors and build or reinforce fencing around everyone's yard. We might have to do a lot of the heavy lifting with this. Our older neighbors like Mr. Jones won't be able to help quickly build something like a fence or wall."

"Well, it's outside at least," Kim immediately started to brighten up.

"Manual labor," muttered Soph under her breath with a frown on her face at the same time. It seemed like Beth was the only one who heard her, as the others didn't even glance at her grumbling.

"Now, no more fighting ants, at least until we say it's OK. I'm going to get the food going. You girls behave," their mother finished the conversation before getting up and heading to the kitchen. Soph immediately tore off toward the stairs, followed close behind by an admonishment from their father "Don't run inside!"

Kim also got up. "I'll go help mom," she stated and headed to the kitchen as well.

Once the others were out of the room, their father asked, "So how many ants did you kill?"

"Uh, three now, why?" Beth asked, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Beth, you are now level 2. Did those two other ants get you that level."

"Ah, you got Identify, right?" Beth's brow smoothed and her eyes widened just slightly.

"Yes, Copper[0] still, but it shows you as a level 2 human."

"Not even my class huh?"

"Nope. So, did it only take you those two extra ants?" their father persisted, already with his laptop open and typing. It seemed he was taking notes on everything, including whatever he and their mother had learned from the ant bodies.

"No, actually. I, uh, I killed five or, uh, six others? I actually was level two before those last two, and I can tell they didn't give me very much towards level 3. I can't see exactly, but if I think about it, I get a sort of slight feeling, I think I need a ton more experience compared to level two to get level three."

"Hm. Hm. So," their father muttered while typing rapidly. "And you are confident in being able to fight these ants?" He continued.

"Well, uh, yeah. Especially with my slightly increased stats, they're too slow and weak to really pose much of a danger. They only really can hurt me with their mandibles, and as long as I'm not right in front of the head I can avoid them. I could even help everyone else get to one like I did with Kim," Beth responded, the words tumbling out while her eyes lit up.

"Alright, sweetie, let's just calm down a little. I understand you are excited, but we must be cautious here. I noticed that you taking Kimberly over to fight that ant got her to level one. We could use your help to get the rest of us there. Maybe we will try that tomorrow. Coincidentally, what is Kimberly now?"

"You mean like class?" Beth asked, deflating, but only some. "She got the same two options I did, Young Warrior and Young Mage, but she also got something a little nicer called Tempered Fighter. It seems like a little smarter, tougher starting warrior-type. She gets one point in everything except INT per level and +2 free points, so it gives six per level like my Brawler does."

"Hm. Hm," was their father's response, typing away. "So, anything else interesting before I ask you to go help Rach and Kimberly?" He continued, glancing at her.

"Uh, well," Beth groped around for anything to prolong her stay in the living room. "Oh, my class skill."

"Class skill? Tell me more," their father looked over at her with a smile and a nod.

"OK, actually, let me show you," Beth responded, willing just the Crush skill to be shown.

"Crush Copper[1]. I see. Adds energy to physical attacks. Hm," their father tapped away at the keys. "Is this how you are able to, well, crush the ants so easily."

Beth chuckled lightly. "Well, yeah. I think about activating the skill and it adds energy to a hand or foot. When I hit something with the extra energy it, like, gets shot out of my body and crushes whatever I'm hitting. It makes splatting the ant heads easy."

Just as Beth continued, there was a knock at the door. "I've got it," their father called out, setting his laptop down and walking to the door. Beth followed along.

Opening the door, three neighbors stood there. "Ya folks alright?" asked the man who had knocked, Mr. Smith from the house right next door to the Bells’. He was a little older than Beth's parents and a little "folksy," as their father would say, but a very nice man. His hair was going mostly to grey with a thick grey mustache. He had light, watery brown eyes which even now, with a catastrophe in the making, still held a kind light. He had been an athlete in his youth, but now had something of a paunch that he would occasionally pat when discussing something.

The other two neighbors were Mr. Scott and Mr. White. They were both around Beth's father's age and had children a little older than Beth and her sisters. Mr. Scott was shorter and heavyset, with dark black hair, brown eyes so dark they often looked black, and thick limbs. He was a construction foreman and supervisor but had spent plenty of time doing difficult manual labor before rising up in the construction company. His scarred, heavily calloused hands attested to that.

Mr. White was a taller, thinner gentleman with blond hair and blue eyes. He sometimes had a distant look in his eyes, like he was thinking of something rather complicated. He worked in some kind of research field and would occasionally discuss some of what he was up to with Beth's parents, who both fell into the science/engineering fields themselves.

"Oh, we're alright Jack," Beth's father responded to Mr. Smith. "Everyone's home and unhurt."

"Oh good. We're going around this part of the neighborhood with a couple other groups trying to get a head count and make sure nobody got hurt. Also had to fight off a giant ant just earlier," Mr. Smith replied, shaking his head.

"Our young fighter here managed to kill two of them earlier," Beth's father replied with a slight grin, patting Beth's head.

"Two of them you say?!" Exclaimed Mr. Scott.

"That's right Bill. You all want to come in and have a seat and discuss it, or do you have more houses to get to," replied Beth's father.

"We should really finish our patrol, but to kill two…" replied Mr. White, fidgeting a little.

"Why don't I go with them?" Beth asked as a new, troublesome glint entered her eyes.

"What?!" The entire group exclaimed, but before any of them could interject further, she continued. "Look, I can kill the ants, easy-peasy. I can go with these guys and help them make sure everybody's safe."

"It's dangerous out here now, young miss. I wouldn't want you getting hurt on our watch. We're recommending everyone to stay inside, other than the patrol groups, for now," Mr. Smith replied.

After frowning at Beth for a moment her father answered, "You can go help Jack and his group, IF you promise to stay with them in the area and not run off trying to fight all the monsters. I know you, young lady. No going it alone. Not today."

"I promise!" Beth shouted at the same time as she leaped around Mr. Smith into the midst of the patrol group. "Let's go!" she declared confidently and started walking down the front walk to the street.

"Good to know ya'll are fine. Give us a holler if ya need something," Mr. Smith finished speaking to her father before the group turned and followed Beth out to the street.

"We're just walking around the rest of the cul-de-sac and the side street. We're going to go back afterwards and check a couple houses to see if people have made it home that were out when all this craziness started," Mr. White explained, and the group started heading to the next house in the opposite direction of Mr. Smith's.

The group walked up to the door and Mr. Smith again knocked. They waited for a few moments but didn't hear anything in the house. It was the Nguyens’ house, and it seemed no one was home. After a second knock and some more waiting, Mr. Scott made a note in a small notebook he pulled out of a pocket, and the group moved on.

The next two neighbors were home and fine, and the group continued after exchanging a few pleasantries with each of them. The fourth house was Mr. White's, which they skipped, as they knew his family was home and doing fine. The next house was the only one that faced the somewhat short street that led to the cul-de-sac on the western part. Opposite were two houses on the eastern side of the feeder street, but the group had started from them and gone around counterclockwise.

This house, slightly older and larger than the others, was Mr. Jones'. The group again went to the front door and knocked. They could immediately hear movement, and after a few moments, Mr. Jones opened the front door.

"Gentlemen. And the young miss Beth!" Mr. Jones exclaimed. He was a tall, rather older gentleman, though no one seemed to know just how old, with dusky skin and a thin frame. His hair was still full but was making the transition from silver to pure white, and he had a bushy white mustache that matched with his bushy white eyebrows, framing a strong nose and light blue eyes. He walked while using a cane in his right hand, but Beth wasn't sure that he really needed it, as she never saw him limping or making any stiff movements of any kind, cane or no.

"William, good to see ya home and doin' OK," Mr. Smith replied. "We're just helping the neighborhood watch patrol around and make sure people are home and safe."

"Well, you seem to be doing a fine job. And is young miss Beth part of the watch or are you escorting her home?" Mr. Jones replied.

"Ah, she's actually helpin' us out today. She apparently killed some of these new beasts all on 'er lonesome, so we brought her along," Mr. Smith replied with a nod.

"Ah, a young warrior of some repute," Mr. Jones said with a slight smile. "If you have some time in the next few days, I would be interested in discussing some things with you, young miss Beth."

"Oh, uh, OK Mr. Jones. I'll see if I can stop by tomorrow, if that's OK?" Beth responded, a little confused. Mr. Jones was always discussed by the families in the neighborhood as both quite smart and savvy, her parents even telling her she could learn a lot from his wisdom. But she was unsure why he would want to talk to her specifically, even if she did beat a couple ants up.

"Well gentlemen, and young miss, keep up the good work. Do let me know if you require anything, particularly out of the usual. I will do my best to work with you in keeping the neighborhood safe," Mr. Jones said to the group.