"Good job, that was pretty impressive," Beth commented.
"Hah, thanks," Sabs replied, starting to recover. "I didn't think I would be able to kill both of them like that without help."
"You're tougher than you think," Beth replied, still with her hand on Sabs' back.
"Thanks. You're pretty great, yourself," Sabs responded before brushing her shoulder against Beth's.
"Let's head over to the nest for a little. We should see if anot...
2023-04-23 19:01:53 +0000 UTC
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She was very happy with this result. The ant didn't give much experience toward level five, but the extra level of Crush would be immensely helpful. Realizing she still had a hand submerged in ant brains, she quickly jerked her fist out of the ant's head. Muttering a quick curse under her breath, she pulled out a cloth and used it to wipe down her glove.
The rest of the group joined her and looked at the even bigger ant. "Level four?" Zack asked. ...
2023-04-23 19:01:09 +0000 UTC
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The group gave Chris a moment to go over his level up and class selection, then set out again following Beth. She dipped back towards the neighborhood somewhat, traveling into the wooded area closer to the houses. After a minute or so, she spotted an ant and confirmed it with Identify.
Common Ant Level 1
"Level one. We have two people left," she said.
"I'll go," Jessica stepped forward, medical kit secured...
2023-04-23 19:00:12 +0000 UTC
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Soph glared at everyone in the room but didn't speak further, sitting down and seeing about her own breakfast. The rest of the meal proceeded smoothly, apart from more glares from Soph, almost exclusively directed at Beth's gorging. When everyone was done, they all pitched in, the girls with various degrees of reluctance, to clean up the kitchen.
Everyone left the kitchen and made ready to go to the meeting hall. Beth grabbed her armor and sword from her room, equipping herself fo...
2023-04-23 18:59:11 +0000 UTC
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She looked at her blade, trying to determine if she should re-sheath it with a little of ant guts still on it. After pondering a moment, she gave up with a shrug and returned it to the sheath. Standing up, she looked around before walking the length of the room, hoping to find some hidden stash or treasure in the last room of the floor. Again, she came up short, finding nothing but dirt and moss. With a weary sigh she returned to the first tunnel and made her way back.
When ...
2023-04-23 18:58:22 +0000 UTC
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They kept going for a couple dozen minutes, Kim killing another three ants, including a level two, before they stopped. Kim had gotten a level out of all that, dumping her two free points into Intelligence, which Beth didn’t really have any comment on. Afterwards, she looked to Beth for where to go from there.
"What now?" Kim asked with a sigh.
"Lunch, I think," Beth responded, motioning back toward the house.
"Nice," Kim nodded, a relieved lo...
2023-04-23 18:55:33 +0000 UTC
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Beth nodded to Mr. Jones and turned and left ahead of him 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...
2023-04-23 18:54:48 +0000 UTC
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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 show...
2023-04-23 18:53:54 +0000 UTC
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Kim turned and headed back to her room, and Beth headed down the stairs as well. A minute later her father joined her and Zack in the living room.
"Rachel's still talking with her. Luckily, we have a spare window from when we had them replaced two years ago. Anyway, do you need anything else after all that excitement, Zack?" her father said.
"No. I'm going to try to get as many people as I can to level one by end-of-day. Also, that idea for rein...
2023-04-23 18:52:35 +0000 UTC
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Her mother was busy with doing some kind of prep work when Beth walked in. Neither of her sisters were around, likely still in their rooms.
"I see you're back," her mother said, glancing over at her. "You should have let me know you were going out there. Be more careful."
"Well, dad knew. Isn't that okay?" Beth replied.
"Don't conflate your father and me. I would appreciate being informed when you run off to fight monster...
2023-04-23 18:51:35 +0000 UTC
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Beth had glanced to her left when they hit the main road to look toward the end before it looped southward. She saw a group at a door speaking to a neighbor on the southern side of the road and assumed they were checking around the loop the end of the eastern part of the road made. Her group walked to the next house west of Mr. Jones' and made their way up to the door.
Before Mr. Smith could knock, they heard a noise coming from behind the house and an exclamation of "...
2023-04-23 18:49:27 +0000 UTC
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“Leveling up. Why, what does it look like?” Beth replied.
"What?" Both Kim and their mother said at the same time.
"What level are you?" Beth asked, turning to Kim.
"One! Wait, it says class change menu available, is this what you mentioned inside earlier?" Kim exclaimed, looking over at Beth excitedly.
"While I'm very happy for you dear, you girls shouldn't be running around like this fighting. It's not safe," ...
2023-04-23 18:48:20 +0000 UTC
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“Beth, are you with us?” Rachel asked, pulling Beth out of her reverie.
“Uh, yeah, sorry. I got, uh, messages when I killed the damn ant,” Beth said.
“As in, messages in your vision like the one from earlier?” Thomas asked.
“Yeah, sorry, I was just reviewing them,” Beth said, waving a hand.
“Well? What do they say?” Kim asked, adjusting her seat on the couch.
“Uh, I got Pain Tolerance when I got...
2023-04-23 18:45:52 +0000 UTC
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There was a feeling like everything was frozen, and then the pain disappeared. Panting, Beth opened her eyes, only to see the same familiar scenery of the little woodlot behind her house.
Inheritance of the Silver Flame Empress Acquired
Title Silver Flame Empress Inheritor Acquired
Pain Tolerance Copper[0] Acquired
Pain Tolerance Copper[1] ...
2023-04-23 18:44:13 +0000 UTC
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Cold. And damp. That really cut at the heart of a New England Fall.
It was what Elizabeth Bell, often called Beth, was experiencing right now. She enjoyed taking walks in the small woodlot that was behind her family’s home in up-state New York, getting a little sun and exercise. Even if the weather wasn’t warm and wonderful.
Beth was looking around, ready to turn for home and jog back, when there was a snap. It was a strange sound, echoing out all around her,...
2023-04-23 18:39:50 +0000 UTC
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