Acanthus

Edict tried to explain himself as he wandered through the maze. All the while, Acanthus was busy picking out the best samples of what the maze had to offer. A few pieces of iron-hard bark would make for good blacksmith materials. She wondered if Ren would be willing to trade for them. Edict continued talking. “I guess I’m a crafter with commitment issues. I know I should just stick to one, but I really hate having to set aside that time every day just to grind out more items. It gets dull after a while.” We couldn’t be any different on that, she thought. I need that routine at the end of the d

On the other side of the forest, the mood improved considerably. What was it with Aincrad forests and traumatic situations? Acanthus resolved to take any route home that didn’t involve that stupid path. At this rate, she was going to develop a complex. At last, they made it to the labyrinth. It loomed over them, disappearing off into the distance. Her system map went dark the moment they stepped inside. Despite the gloomy exterior, the maze was full of life. The hard stone walls were pockmarked with moss and fungus. Trees and plants burst from cracks in the hard floor. Some stretches of t

“Edict!” She reached down to pull him onto his feet. Coming to, he accepted the help. “What just happened?” The usual trace of mirth in his face was gone. “Nothing happened. Let’s pick up the pace.” Managing about as fast a walk as they could, Acanthus’ mind raced. She wanted—needed—to know what just happened. And she would have been a fool to believe Edict’s denial. But it was clear he did not want to press the matter. And in this moment, he was right. The ominous feeling in the first grew, pressing in on the pair. An ominous feeling strangely reminiscent of HELLO, LITTLE ONE. TELL

Larbrook babbled to Acanthus in some incomprehensible accent. Judging by the wild gesticulations, he was alerting her to the misty path into the forest ahead of them. Edict mimicked some of his gestures. “Swedish chef over here is telling you that we have to make it through the forest to get to the labyrinth.” “How can you even understand him?” Edict tapped his temple and grinned, but said nothing more. Acanthus rolled her eyes and walked past him into the forest. The temperature dropped the moment they entered the woods. Acanthus could now see her breath. Something in the atmosphere

“As close-shelled as I am, Koji was even quieter. He didn’t like talking to people much. Mom and Dad were always so hard on him.” She wanted to say "for no reason," but she knew that wasn’t true. “Koji was incredible at videogames. He liked doing ‘speedy runs,’ I think they’re called. His favorite thing was to find things in the game that the game-makers missed, and use them to beat games. Glitches, bugs, exploits. I bet if he were here, he would have already found a way to cheat himself up to the 100th floor and solo the boss.” “My older brother loved games too. But he was less of a ‘hac

“I didn’t realize you had a brother. Me too; older brother. You?” “Younger. Strange, I really thought you—” “Were the older sibling? I get that a lot, surprisingly. What made you think that?” He looked at her, curious for her answer. “Well, you’re annoying.” “That’s a younger sibling thing—” “But in a caring way. For example, you insisted on tagging along—” “—for moral support and conversation—” “—to annoy me while you made sure I was safe.” Edict beamed. “I’ll take it.” Acanthus gave him a pointed look. “I see the younger sibling in you now.” “So t

The idiom must not have carried through Cardinal’s translator. There were very few flowers on this path to smell. “I’m just doing this quest for the experience. If it’s inefficient, it’s because I’m a poor judge of earning experience in this game. I’ve never played video games before.” She ended the conversation abruptly and walked ahead. Edict appeared frustrated, but said nothing else. He tried changing the topic. “You’ve never played a videogame? Like, never ever?” Acanthus shook her head. Edict whistled. “You picked a hell of a game to start with. Most of them aren’t this intense

“Aren’t you going to listen to your guide?” Acanthus observed the strangely tall anglo beefcake. He muttered incomprehensible words, taking every opportunity to stop and flex. “He is rather odd. Besides, I have you here. You’ve done this quest before, right?” The awkward pause told her she was wrong. “I’ve avoided this one, actually.” He kicked a few rocks as they walked down the gravel path. “Truth be told, it’s not very time-efficient. Navigating an entire labyrinth and slaying two monsters for 500 experience? You could get that in about 30 minutes on the upper floors.” He noticed

“I’m still not sure why you’re accompanying me. I intended to solo this quest.” “Call it an apology for being rude earlier. Plus, we keep saying we’ll meet up and we never do. I think running into each other was a sign that it needed to happen.” “As long as you don’t get in the way.” “Whoa-ho, we’ve got a big shot over here now,” Edict joked lightly. Seeing Acanthus’ firm stare, he straightened up. “No funny business. I know you’ll handle the quest perfectly. All I’m here to do is provide some moral support and conversation.” “Don’t you have some field bosses to kill on hi

“I… I’ve been keeping track. Myself.” Edict stared in disbelief. “We’ve been in the game for two years. You’re telling me you’ve been keeping meticulous track of every day since we’ve arrived?” “Apparently not meticulous enough. I missed two days.” Edict laughed. “I’d say that’s a good track record for two years. And it’s not like the days of the week matter much. Most NPCs follow a weekday and weekend schedule.” The days of the week don’t matter much. Unless it’s one of the things you’ve decided to reference to anchor yourself to the real world. “You’re right, it’s not that importan

Edict held his hands up. “Sorry; sounds like I crossed a line there.” Acanthus glowered at him, but said nothing else. Edict put his hands down. “You were on the right trail, but the wrong day. He stops by the butcher’s shop on thursdays.” “Today is Thursday.” Edict looked at her quizzically. “It’s Saturday, Acanthus.” “Wait, how did you know that?” Edict opened his menu and selected a few buttons, then rotated the screen to Acanthus. [[Game Data: 23 Celsius, 11:37:23, Saturday, Troctobler 14, 679.]] A moment of silence descended on the two. Finally, Acanthus looked at him and s

She wandered around Aruyt, searching for Larbrook. Finding quests in this game was half the battle. Cardinal gave the NPCs a life of their own, and with quests being tied to those NPCs, it became important to learn what they did and where they went to even find the quest in the first place. “Acanthus? What a surprise! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Shocked, Acanthus formulated an appropriate response on the fly. “You are back, Edict.” Edict chuckled. “Seems that way. Although this time I’m not surprising you in a back alley cafe. It’s…” he looked around. “A back alley butcher shop.

She barged into the Sour rumor, strangely intent. She looked like she had run all the way from floor 24 down here. Slumping into a seat, she raised her hand. “One whiskey, please,” knocking it back the moment it reached her, shelling out col with her free hand. She panted as she recovered from the burn. “Thanks… Almost… Rank 5… Wish me luck.” Her stare momentarily went blank, and then she blinked, as if remembering something. She stood with renewed vigor, pausing to look around the shop. “I’m not really sure why I ended up down here. I think I needed a Crafter’s Respite?” Noticing her ope

One thing Haru hated about middle school were all the new emotions everyone seemed to be processing. Everyone except for her. Girls and boys alike became difficult. Girls giggling and laughing about new crushes in the hallway. Boys teasing and pulling hair. Friends she had through middle school became distant without warning. And the letter writing. She was told in no uncertain terms that the written letter was the pinnacle of love. Confessions, wall slams—it was all an elaborate parade of affections. So when Takumi sent her a letter, she had no idea what to do. “Write him back!” was the

Acanthus stroked Perlita’s fur gently. “I would have a hard time sending something this cute into battle. And Kumaki…” The bear rolled around on the bench, playing with the tin of treats. “I think she’s not really suited for combat. But as food-oriented as she is, I think I could maybe train her to hunt.” Scooping Kumaki off the ground and separating her from the treats, she gave Ciela another smile. “The orphanage sounds nice. I’ve never actually been there. I’m sure they would love to see some new faces.” Acanthus entered the monastery, and was nearly bowled over by a familiar little bo

Crafting for 10/1/2024 Ambition food consumed (170477). Extended Workshop. (+4 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) EXP 2493/2559. Crafter's Respite used! (229503). Daily attempts reset. EXP: 2561. Rank 5 achieved!

Crafting for 9/30/2024 Ambition food consumed (170473). Extended Workshop. (+4 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) EXP: 2426/2559

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Searching R5, First Aid R1 Mod(s)/Addon(s)/Shift(s) Being Dropped: None SP Incurred Towards Limit: 34/50 SP Refunded: 34 Cost: 34,000 col

PARAGON EVALUATION POST Updated as of 2/22/25 Current Paragon Level: 33 Level Reward Date Claimed Paragon Level 5 Laurel Wreath (Earn Col equivalent to 15% of player’s EXP earned in thread) 10/1 Paragon Level 10 (1) Gleaming Scale, (1) Demonic Shard, +1 LD to Looting* 10/1 Paragon Level 25 (1) Gleaming Scale, (1) Demonic Shard, Free Skill Respec 2/22 Paragon Level 50 (1) Gleaming Scale, (1) De

Crafting for 9/29/2024 Ambition food consumed (170471). Extended Workshop. (+4 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) EXP: 2346/2559

Acanthus ducking into The Sleeping Moon one more time. She had already been inside once before, so she wasted little time in looking around the place. “Thank you for the armor,” she began. “I have a few more items that have been gathering dust in my collection. Now that I have a little more col to my name, I can pay to have them identified." With a few practiced swipes, her inventory explodes out onto the table in the shop. “...That was more than I remember. Let me add a little col to my tally.” She gave a few quick instructions. "As before, please message me with any unique enhancements you f

THREAD SUMMARY Experience: [Word Count: 3901/10 = 390.1] * [True Tier: 5] * [Group Factor: 1] = 1951 EXP + 2000 (quest) = 3,951 EXP Col: 5000 (quest) + 400 (page bonus) + 24,200 (looting) + 592 (Laurel wreath) = 30,192 col +162 foraging EXP Items (35) materials (2) demonic shards Rare Weapon | 234028a Rare Consumable | 234028b 234028c

“I cannot thank you enough,” the Chief stressed again. Acanthus had decided to pay attention this time around. The Chief went on a long-winded monologue about the importance of family, and how he used to regard Uso-Tsuki as a son. All very trite dialogue in Acanthus’ mind. But at least she wasn’t sorting through her inventory instead of listening. “...judging by the plans you have secured, it appears that he wishes to make an attack on the Palace as soon as possible, using his two enforcers to spearhead the assault.” The Chief pleaded with Acanthus, “would you please aid us one more time?

True to form, Acanthus arrived at the beach an hour early. She’d packed a basket full of supplies, including but not limited to: extra towels, sunscreen, two pairs of sunglasses, three bottles of wine (non-alcoholic, as Cardinal demanded), and a shovel. Not just a shovel for digging sandcastles—a full-sized, metal shovel with a sturdy oak handle. She wasn’t exactly sure why she would need it. People dug holes at the beach, right? She had seen Zandra’s post on the player request board the other day. The thought of games intrigued her, and she was doing her best to leave her comfort zone an

Nemo’s draconic form crumbled away, leaving the man sitting on the ground, rubbing his neck sheepishly. “You’re strong, aren’t you?...” He mumbled. He seemed lost in thought. “You can come back, if you want. It gets lonely here… that’s why I bring people here.” Acanthus looked over to Nymoria with an air of confusion. “So he gets lonely, but then he gets angry that we’re foraging, but then when we beat him up, he becomes forlorn again?” She shook her head. “Nemo seems… scattered. Good-intentioned, but he's a mystery to me.” Although she did feel for him somewhat. All he wanted was some co