Limitless Path

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, but 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. There are going to be a lot of people who either want or need to fight, right? And those people will, like, need weapons, right? So, I was, uh, wondering…if you had any way to get hold of weapons. I was really thinking about things like swords. I know most people use guns and stuff today, but I'm sure there are swords out there," Beth somewhat rambled as both men focused their attention on 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. 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 various items," 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 billy club, and even something like a scythe. Beth was drawn to the swords, feeling some kind of slight connection to the weapons, and started looking over them. 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.

Beth was drawn to what looked similar to 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 nearly 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 half 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 just how heavy a little over three-and-a-half feet of quality steel could be. She could lift and carry the sword for a while, and even swing it for a time, without tiring, 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 for your age young miss, well over five foot, 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. Beth's 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 a side and contained a number of 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 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 blushed a little and scratched her head 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," 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 walked over to the far box and opened it. As Mr. Jones had said, there were several pairs of heavy leather gloves inside. Beth looked through it for a moment and quickly found the two pairs that had armor. One was a heavily armored set that looked like it belonged to a full plate set of some ancient knight. The other was a medium leather with armoring on the back of the hand, knuckles, and small strips between the first and second knuckle of each finger. They were a little bulky for her tastes, but they would both let her punch enemies and hold the hilt of her new claymore. She placed the old knight gauntlets back in the box and closed it.

Mr. Jones was standing at the wall of weapons and motioned her over. She walked up next to him, and he took down the sheath and harness that went with the claymore. He showed her how the buckles worked and how it should be worn, then assisted her as she put it on. Lastly, she picked up the claymore again and slid it home into the sheath.

"Perfect," she said, smiling.

"A true young warrior. The gloves, boots, and sword look does certainly suit you," Mr. Jones said, nodding as he inspected her new get-up.

"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.

Beth blushed again but grabbed the hand-and-a-half blade she had picked out for Kim and nodded to Mr. Jones. She turned and left ahead of Mr. Jones and her father, heading back upstairs. As the other two left the basement, turning the light off and shutting the door, she headed to the front door. As she stepped out, she heard her father and Mr. Jones discussing the plan to build a wall around the neighborhood.

Beth headed back up the street to her house and walked in. She dropped her sneakers inside the front door, as she was still wearing the boots she had found earlier, and carried the sword into the kitchen.

"What is with that get-up?" asked her mother, casting a scandalous eye over her.

"Part of the new world now," Beth responded with a slight blush at her mother's gaze. She then turned to Kim, who was still in the kitchen sitting on a stool by the island, and said, "Here Kim, this is for you." She proceeded to hand the sword she was holding to Kim.

"What the heck is this?!" Kim exclaimed.

"It's a hand-and-a-half sword, also called a bastard sword," Beth explained. "Your class is like a warrior, right? You should probably start using a sword, unless you want a different weapon?"

"I don't know. I don't have any idea what to do with this," Kim replied dazedly, staring at the sword in her hands.

"Well, the first thing should probably be putting on the sword belt," Beth commented slightly acerbically. "Then, you should follow me."

"And where exactly are you going?" their mother asked.

"The woodlot," Beth responded calmly. "We need levels and practice. It'll be a lot safer with the two of us."

"If you must do this, then be careful. And DON'T go too far from the house!" their mother responded with a glare.

"We'll be careful," Beth answered by rote, pulling on Kim's arm.

The two of them went into the mudroom, where Kim tossed on a pair of sneakers, and then they exited the back of the house. When they were in the backyard, Beth helped Kim buckle on the sword belt. She then motioned Kim to follow her and headed across the backyard into the wood lot.

Beth noticed that the ant corpses were mysteriously missing as they walked through the yard and into the wood. This mystery was soon solved, as it seemed somebody had carried and dragged several of the bodies a distance into the woodlot. The two of them passed the body dumping pile and went deeper into the wood.