Acanthus

She tried to backpedal. “I already regret what I said. We’re all facing Aincrad together, so we shouldn’t fault them for playing the game their own way.” Her mouth twisted up briefly, acknowledging her appreciation of the lowest form of humor. It is, was her first thought. One look at the boy raised concerns. What level was he? Did he have any equipment? Would he run at the first sign of danger? No, no, he probably wouldn’t run. If anything, she’d probably have to hold him back. And he seemed to want nothing more than to help out. Freyd probably saw the same thing when he drag

It was time to change things up. The Mossy Elemental had proved a difficult combatant, and resistant to her freezing attack as well. Perhaps she would be better put to use somewhere else in the fight. The players flocked towards the Summer Wave, a boy with white hair, flanked by a blue-haired boy and a purple-haired girl, surrounded the Enemy with an assortment of spears, hammers, and axes. Morningstar had also stirred himself up from whatever poignant moment had been happening on the sidelines. He appeared both distracted and flustered. Probably just a little heat exhaustion. The cr

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Acanthus struggled as the tone of her visions broke stride from each other. She had no memory of either part of her dream. She had spent time at NIGHT’s estate, but had she ever gone foraging while living there? Not that she could recall. The dungeon was even more confusing. It appeared to be the Black Iron Dungeon from the first floor. But Acanthus had only heard descriptions. She had never set foot inside. Why are you so worried? It’s all just a dream, one of those rare lucid dreams that give you the freedom to act. She slashed through another round of goblins while she packed her

Acanthus was greeted by a dark, pitiful dungeon. The dim light kept her from seeing, but not smelling the damp, molding stones that disappeared into the darkness. A chorus of cackles grew in the distance. Goblins waddled into view, bearing wicked blades and grinning madly. With a single thought, Acanthus summoned her equipment and began to fight. Acanthus woke refreshed from the night spent at NIGHT’s estate. She woke early, hoping to get a head start on the day. No time to waste if I want to get home soon. Today’s tasks would be a quiet sort of busy work. Nothing exciting or hair-raising

The girl landed softly in a field of poppies. It was not a place she recognized. It was not Aincrad. Certainly, it was a land Aincrad would have created. The vermillion petals of the flowers formed an ocean so great the girl became momentarily afraid. In her awe, she wondered if escape was an option from the field, a beautiful prison without a single wall. When her fear and wonder subsided, she plotted how to leave. Unable to determine a plan, she decided to simply walk. As she walked, her path diverged from itself in a peculiar manner. The girl’s vision split in two: when she looked

Right. Just like last time. The shark thundered towards her, and she stood ready to meet it with Wormwood. Like last time, she would let the shark run close enough that she could puncture its tough hide with the blade. Then, momentum would do the rest. She held the blade aloft and waited. And waited. The land shark had a little bit of air in him as well. With a casual leap, it cleared Acanthus entirely, not even bothering to acknowledge the fighter. Acanthus groaned. So I guess we’re back to chasing it around this stupid little dust bowl, aren’t we? She gave Scarlet and Yuki an apolo

“I’m sorry to bother you. Do you know of a man that lives out this way? His name is Baldur.” Acanthus had, against all odds, become hopelessly lost. The system map was excellent for finding quests, or towns, or dungeons, or a number of other things. But player housing remained elusive. Perhaps there was some filter that would assist her, but she had not found it. Rather than tinkering with the map, she decided to stop and ask a nearby player. Acanthus’ rare desire to converse with a stranger was borne in part from the girl’s picturesque backdrop. She reclined against a beautiful tree

With the Knight stuck in a bear trap, the players rallied for one last push. The fatigue of back-to-back battles crept into her extremities. The buzz of adrenaline wore off by the second, replaced by the buzz of Cardinal’s warnings: watch out for this, you can’t do that, and most importantly, don’t die! But they weren’t dying today. A concerted effort from the players was turning the tide. Not just the players here, but those scattered across the floor, even those below who were shoring up defenses for the Knights that might break through. Every ounce of effort was a weight taken of

“Yuki. It’s good to see you again. I hope everything has been good since we met.” Things surely couldn’t be worse. The floor boss had been an unpleasant fight, and Acanthus figured that wading through that bog in armor that would stop an actual bullet might be cumbersome. “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m bringing a friend… Or maybe coworker is a better term. His name is 3ulogy, and I’m coaxing him out of his remote shop to get him more involved with the other players. Maybe an easy quest will do the trick.” How long had it been since Acanthus had been down here as a fresh-faced r

She had miscalculated. The boy had turned around and then caught up with her before she had a chance to realize she had miscalculated. He was fast. Very fast—was it an in-game skill? "I um. It's good to see you back. Running that is. You were gone for a while and it's nice to know that nothing... Happened." The boy hesitated as he spoke, seeming to search for the right words. Even Acanthus could infer the word he was avoiding. The kindness of the gesture touched her. She slowed down more so she could keep the conversation going. “I wasn’t dead. Just lazy. And a little tired. It’

She had partially hoped that they had lost Morningstar. The red lightning bolt that struck the Knight told her otherwise. As reluctant as she was to face him, her pride could manage the wounds so long as they weren’t fatal. Sulking is unbecoming, she reminded herself. Acanthus recognized two others as they stepped in to hold the line: Katoka, whom she’d briefly met in the raid from last floor, and Lessa, another frontliner she’d met after the raid. A third Player—an elf?—joined them from the shadows, spear flashing against the light of the mirrored Knights. She and Freyd spoke words Acant

She takes a moment to test the blade. "It's heavier than I remember." Acanthus remembers her manners halfway out the door. "...Thank you for your help, Wulfrin." Wormwood, the Fallen Star | T4 Demonic Straight Sword (Longsword) | [244633] | Blight 2 | Env. (O) 2 “...and a great star, blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water…”

Today's Crafts Extended Workshop. (+3 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) Roll: ID# CD: LD: Quality Count Experience Ambition Mod 1 244645 CD: 9 +1 LD: 1 Rare - 8 (+3 Ambition) 2 244644 CD: 7 +1 LD: 12

Acanthus’ energy bar recovered faster than her psyche. One Knight alone was inconsequential. But mob after mob broke into shining slivers of glass before being remade in the image of another Knight. A full energy bar told her she shouldn’t be trembling. And yet her entire body shook. Acanthus watched her damage buff vanish. Fingers aching with phantom pains, she reached for her last potion, finding relief in its cool metal contour and downing the entire container without a thought. The taste was off. Or rather, the taste was off in a different way. Oz’s liquor-themed potions had a unique

Acanthus drops a pile of rare items onto @Wulfrin's counter, and then the remains of a shattered sword. "I'd like you to use these to repair the broken sword. I know I'm making your work difficult for sentimental reasons, so I'll pay extra." STEP 1 Fusion-> Result Corrupted Branch of the Sacred Oak | [236411a] | T4 Rare Straight Sword | BLD | Blight A switch collected from the largest tree in Demon's End. The edge leaks a noxious ichor that corrupts whatever it touches. Kingslayer | T4 Perfect Straight Swo

"Hithanksforthestuffseeya." Picking up: Cedar Pauldrons | Light Armor | 236451d | Life Mending | Mitigation | Recovery Shoulder Guards made from the tall trees of Glyndbourne. It possesses unique healing properties. Corrupted Branch of the Sacred Oak | [236411a] | T4 Rare Straight Sword | BLD | Blight A switch collected from the largest tree in Demon's End. The edge leaks a noxious ichor that corrupts whatever it touches. Kingslayer | T4 Perfect Straight Sword - Short Sword | [235690a] | Blight | Env. (O) | ACC A blade honed for the honor of slaying Ladonia's Royal Fa

“A great teacher? I’m not sure that I’m doing anything other than encouraging her. I don’t know the first thing about training an animal. Although that’s where Cardinal steps in, isn’t it?” Acanthus watched Kumaki approach Perlita’s drum solo on the large planter, enthralled by the rhythmic taps. Her master enjoyed the happy noises for a spell before picking her conversation back up. “It’s just like sword arts, isn’t it? I’m sure that if we all had weapons in real life, half of us would have already tripped and hurt ourselves on the sharp end of whatever we were holding. But the game make

His own vulnerability, paradoxically, left her defenseless. Acanthus let the silence linger a moment too long—a sign of defeat. He was the one that had just admitted to being broken. So why do I feel like I’m the one who lost this exchange? Acanthus returned her broken utensil to her inventory. A small notification appeared in her HUD. <<Stored - Chopsticks (Durability 0/50)>>. Strange they did not yet vanish. “One, perhaps two. I stumbled into one player my first few weeks in the game. His name is Pinball. I know very little about him because we talk very little on ou

Habits returned slowly, both in the real world and Aincrad. In her struggle to reclaim the “new old,” Acanthus had learned it was easier to start routines than it was to restart them. Before her hiatus, Acanthus exercised dutifully. Mostly running and bodyweight exercises, as Aincrad’s fantasy setting did not include any kinds of gyms. (She had no doubt some player had created some facsimile of a gym here, but did not care enough to confirm her suspicions.) For running, she started with jogs around the estate. She progressed to running the streets of Scalabis, but found the cobblestone ro

“I had a dream the other night.” “You still dream in here? I thought the Nerve Gear didn’t let it happen.” “No, I—wait, you aren’t dreaming in here?” “Nah, I sleep like a baby.” “...Must be nice.” “Yea. One nice thing, I guess. What’s your dream, anyhow?” “I dreamed that I woke up. Same as every day. Rolled over in bed, listened to the birds for a little bit, and checked my inventory. It felt real. Like, I really thought I was awake.” “Doesn’t sound all that interesting.” “You didn’t let me finish, dangit.” “Fine, whatever. Keep rambling, then.”

"Here's all my perfect weapons. Find something good for me, will you?" T4 Perfect Weapon (Acquired from this thread) | [235651b] [235660a][235658a][235658b][235658c][235665a][235665b][235665c][235675a][235675b][235675c][235684a]235684b][235684c][235690a][235688a] 235688b][235688c]236155a[236155b[236155c][236167a][236165a][236165b][236165c][236175a][236175b][236175c][236199b][236199c][236207b][236207c][236215a][236215b][236215c][236220b][236220c][236403a] [236403b][236403c][236402a][236402b][236402c][236419a][236419b][236419c][236435a][236435b][236435c][236445a][236442a][236442b][236442c