Limitless Path

"We came here with a major from base-" the sergeant began before the soldier interrupted.

"Ma'am!-" he exclaimed, clearly ready to continue before the sergeant interrupted his interruption.

"Jones, why don't you go secure the perimeter of the parking lot?" she said acerbically, again making it clear in her tone it wasn't a question.

"The parking lot, ma'am? There's nothing there…" he answered before really picking up on her glare and turning around, muttering as he started to patrol a lap of the parking lot.

"No offense, but he doesn't seem particularly bright," Beth said to the sergeant.

"You're telling me…" she muttered back as she watched the private first class stomp away. She shook herself for a brief second before focusing her sharp gaze back on Beth. "Now, as I was saying, we're here with a major and a captain from the nearest post to make contact with these aliens. We're supposed to negotiate with them; get them to leave at best, get some kind of cease fire at worst."

"I wasn't aware we were even at war with them?" Beth replied, heavily tilting just her left eyebrow.

"This…event…is being considered an invasion, if you somehow haven't seen the news," the sergeant replied, waving her hand a moment as she struggled to define what the integration had been.

"Well, I haven't been watching the news, if my level didn't make that clear enough," Beth said, keeping the eyebrow quirked for a moment. "Also, I know you're not in charge but, like, I would really try my best to make friends with the people in this building. Pissing them off would definitely be a bad idea."

"Is that a threat?" Tiffany asked sharply before holding up a hand. "Sorry, I didn't mean to be so sharp, a lot of us are on edge right besides being overworked. Can you explain what you mean?"

This time it was less so, but Beth still felt the question at the end was more an implied order than a question. She was happy to explain regardless, saying, "Going through everything might take a while, but there are people in that building that could level New York City with a single punch. Like, fire out a quick jab and poof, no more city."

"That seems like a little bit of an exaggeration," the sergeant replied with a frown.

"I don't make the rules," Beth said with a shrug.

The sergeant just frowned at her for a moment before saying, "As great as that is, I'm sorry, but I can't let you in. I'm sure the major and captain will also likely have questions for you as well."

"I hate to do this but, at the same time, I've always wanted to say this: 'you and what army?'" Beth responded with a smirk.

The sergeant started laughing, clearly getting a kick out of it. She brought herself back under control after a few moments and answered, "This army right here."

Beth looked at the troops watching them before looking across the parking lot to where Jones was halfway through his patrol lap. She turned back to the sergeant and pointed across the parking lot, "The army including him?"

"Yes, well, sometimes they aren't the best," she replied with a sigh.

"Well, as funny as that is, I need to get in and take a shower, so…" Beth said with a shrug, indicating the front door.

Just as the sergeant opened her mouth to once again insist that this strange young woman hold for more questions, a man appeared besides the two of them. He was wearing a clearly military outfit with a perfectly straight beret emblazoned with a badge she didn't recognize. His uniform was crisp and perfect, looking like he had just walked out of the dry cleaners and donned it, and the man stood in it in an 'at-rest' position familiar to anyone with military service.

"What, exactly is happening here?" he asked. Just as Beth could detect that the sergeant asked questions in a tone that was really her giving an order to explain or provide more information, the sergeant could clearly tell that the question was an order from a superior officer.

"While our investigation and operations are ongoing, we cannot allow civilian access to this building," the sergeant replied promptly.

"That's not your call to make sergeant," the man replied coldly. "As your superior officers are being informed of, in no uncertain terms, this area is solely under the jurisdiction of the Combat Ranking Association. What you do with your own people is a matter for you, but any interference in CRA business, including attempts to alter, restrict, or prevent access to our premises, will not be tolerated."

"While that's nice and all, I need an order through the proper chain of command," the sergeant replied stiffly.

"You're just as good of a diplomat as a shopkeeper," Beth interjected sarcastically just as Jaq was about to reply.

"Quiet, you. The adults are speaking," Jaq snapped at her before turning back to the sergeant. Beth crossed her arms as he started to speak again, muttering under her breath, "Rude."

"I'm afraid you have two choices, Sergeant Martinez," he started before she interrupted him.

"How do you know me?" she asked, clasping her hands behind her back and glaring at Jaq.

"Cuz, he has Identify and something like a supercomputer in his head," Beth said in reply. "He can see your name and he can look up military insignia with a thought."

"Oh, makes sense," the sergeant replied, her posture loosening a little.

"The two of you, inside," Jaq commanded, looking at Beth and Blood with a slight glare. "And ask Baelvyr about that new item immediately."

"Did you just look through my pouch at my items?" Beth asked, clutching her belt pouch with her right hand. "Do you always do that?"

"Yes," he replied coldly. "Go."

"Sorry, but they can't-" started the sergeant, but Beth and Blood both took a step forward while activating Swift at the maximum level. The two immediately turned into a blur, vanishing into the building before any of the soldiers could even twitch in response.

"I understand following orders, but you will need to be more adaptable to situations going forward. You might find yourself on the losing end of an easily avoidable conflict," Jaq told the sergeant before disappearing with a slight whooshing noise.

"Well, that's just fucking great," the sergeant muttered under her breath just as Jones completed his first lap.

"Didn't catch that, sarge," he said, both brows scrunched down.

"Wasn't meant for you, Jones. Unless you want further patrol assignment," she snapped.

"No, ma'am! No idea what was happening, ma'am!"

"Why am I not surprised," she muttered as she walked away, Jones wisely choosing to remain silent.

Beth, meanwhile, dashed through the lobby as a blur, stopping in the opening of the righthand hallway as Blood continued on towards the lounge. She scanned the lobby as she did so, seeing two soldiers standing inside the door, gripping their weapons tightly and looking around in some confusion. At the front counter were Tazeen and Lyrissa, with two senior military personnel in front of them. Judging by the metal pins on their lapels and the medals on their chests, these must be the captain and major the sergeant had mentioned. The two glanced around for only a brief moment before their eyes settled on Beth. Tazeen and Lyrissa had been unfazed by their entry, not evening turning their heads to look.

"Sir, Ma'am?" said one of the soldiers hesitantly, referring to the Major and captain, respectively.

"At ease," the major replied before tearing his gaze from Beth and returning it to Tazeen.

Beth shrugged and followed Blood down the hallway, heading to the lounge herself. She entered to see all of the enforcers there, including even Jaq, which made her do a quick double take and frown slightly. She hadn't even detected him move by her in the hallway, not that that should really be a surprise. She headed over to Baelvyr's table, giving Jaq a nod along the way before sitting beside Blood along the far wall.

"Mornin'," said Baelvyr.

"Hey," Beth replied. "Tin can over there said I should ask you about this."

She pulled the token out and tossed it to Baelvyr, who caught it between his thumb and forefinger. He looked it over for a second before flicking it back to her with a twitch of his finger, Beth catching it in her left palm with a hearty smack. She slid it back in her belt pouch as Baelvyr expounded.

"Ya really do got some kinda wild luck, girlie," he rumbled. "That's for people under level one hundred. Ya get sent to a place with a series of crazy challenges and crazy rewards. Ya can get way stronger there, but ya can also fail and get squat." He punctuated the 'squat' with a snap of his fingers that sounded like a gunshot.

"Let me guess, I'm not ready," she replied with a smirk.

"Nah, but ya shouldn't wait too long. We'll spend a couple months hammerin' ya into shape, then ya should get goin'. Not an opportunity ya want to waste, and who knows what'll happen. If ya find yerself trapped in some weird space and gotta level to a hundred or more to get out, then ya can't use the token. Ya could sell it for a solar system's worth, but even that isn't as valuable as the chance it gives ya."

"Two months? You think that'll be enough time? What are we trying to do anyway?" she asked.

"Get yer weaponskills as high as we possibly can. If we can get ya halfway through the Journeyman ranks, that'll be great, but we need to push ya to at least rank three before ya use that. Should try and get ya another elixir, as well. See what we can find that we can get here in that time without breakin' the bank."

"I think even Journeyman[3] in two months sounds a little ambitious, but I'm willing to try."

"What are ya at right now; still zero?" he asked.

"Yeah, I feel like I might be getting a little close to improving one step, but it hasn't been that long since I hit Journeyman, even if I have been training and fighting the whole time since."

"The first few ranks of Journeyman are harder for some. Somthin' about adaptin' to be more precise with yer movements gives people a lotta trouble early on."

"That's what a lot of Journeyman is about?" Beth asked.

"I wouldn't boil it down to just that. Ain't quite so simple, but ya really need to focus on using less motion to accomplish the same thing. Same thing with power, ya use less energy to get the same kinda cuttin' strength. Second one'll be a good foundation for when ya step into Expert, if'n ya don't bite the bullet first."

"No reason to be such a downer about it."

"Just bein' a realist here, girlie," he replied. "Outta a hundred thousand people that try to become real Wayfarers, maybe close a quarter die before they get to the first rebirth. About half of 'em don't die but quit, so already we're talkin' about three quarters of all people who enter this kinda life wash out before makin' to a hundred the first time 'round. When you got a one-in-four chance of dyin' and a one-in-two chance of quittin' for one reason or another just past the startin' line, don't blame me for bein' straight with ya about the odds."

"Well, I can't say as I'm super confident in becoming some unstoppable badass, but I have a few advantages. And besides, I'm a teenager, I think I'm invincible," she said.

"I know ya don't, considering what ya've been through already," he grunted out in reply.

"So…can we get started tomorrow? I kinda slept, like, three hours in the last twenty-four and I want to rest today," she said.

Baelvyr just gave a heavy grunt in reply, seemingly done with the conversation already. Beth just gave him a nod as she stood and led Blood out of the lounge, heading down to their room. She entered to find Sabs inside, just finishing eating breakfast at the table, still in just a t-shirt.

"Beth!" she exclaimed as her girlfriend walked in. "How'd it go?"

Beth shucked her gear before heading over and hugging Sabs, giving her a kiss on the cheek to a mild squawk of protest. She moved into the kitchen afterwards, saying over shoulder, "Is that my shirt?"

"Yeah, sorry, but I like wearing your stuff," Sabs replied, shrugging even through Beth couldn't see her at that moment. "But tell me, how'd it go?"

"Pretty good," Beth answered, walking back into the room while some food heated up. "Took us twenty-four hours, including a short rest, to get through everything. Got two levels, a few silvers, and not much else. Well, other than this."

Beth pulled the token out of her belt pouch and showed it to Sabs. She looked it over for a moment before handing it back. Beth sat down on the couch beside her after slipping the token back in the pouch.

"What is it?" Sabs asked.

"Oh, right. You can’t see items’ information yet. It's a token that will teleport one person to an extremely challenging, extremely rewarding trial. Even the instructors seemed a little surprised that I got it."

"So you'll be off on another crazy adventure soon, then?"

"Nah," Beth replied, shaking her head before leaning over and giving Sabs another quick kiss on the cheek. "Baelvyr said I shouldn't wait too long, but that I definitely need more training and practice before trying this. He said I should take two or so months of solid training before trying."

"Do you have any idea how long it will take?" Sabs asked, fiddling with her hands in her lap.

"Hopefully not too long," Beth answered, grabbing Sabs's left hand in her right and giving it a squeeze. "Besides, we're going to live for, like, millennia or something, a couple weeks apart won't be that long."

"It won't, but I miss you every time you disappear."

"I miss you, too. I think about you sometimes, when I'm resting in the dungeons or wherever. It's nice."

Just as Sabs was about to respond, there was a *ding* from the kitchen, which caused them both to chuckle. Beth got up and retrieved the food, putting more in to cook before walking out to the living room. She gave Blood a plate with roasted meat on while keeping a plate of roasted meat and vegetables for herself.