Acanthus

Acanthus was drenched in water, her heart racing. “It was the strangest thing,” he said cheerfully. “One of the worst storms I’ve sailed, and you slept like a baby. I couldn’t bear to wake you up until we arrived, and here we are.” Dragging herself up, Acanthus looked out onto the small spit of land the quest had lead her to. “It’s called Liar’s Cove. We captured a raiding crew that tipped us off to their location.” “Go in, kill the leader, take the documents.” Ben-Goshi was taken aback. “N-no, the Chief wants this done quietly! Didn’t he tell you?” She quickly consulted the quest jo

The storm clouds gathered. Acanthus rushed to the sails, but she didn’t know how anything worked. The skies turned a sickening green, and the pain in her chest intensified. She thought about yelling for the fisherman, but either he was over the side, or this was all part of the quest. There was no point in trying to find him—she was on her own. Acanthus helplessly tried to bring the main sail in, but the rope slipped in her hands, burning her palms. She sucked air in through her teeth and released the rope, and it flew away from her, dropping the sail down to full. Catching the tumultuous

“I think ‘rebels’ is probably the most appropriate term,” said Ben-Goshi. They had been sailing for nearly thirty minutes. “I’m glad I didn’t wait for that response,” she muttered. “I swear, this game enjoys taking too long for even the simplest quests.” Ben-Goshi continued sailing as Acanthus dipped her hand over the side of the boat lazily. She could probably forage a little, but what was the point? Materials just went into items, which were used up, which meant she needed more materials. It was all an endless cycle. “Wake me up when we arrive.” She wasn’t sure if Ben-Goshi heard her; s

Her quest journal chimed. “Thank goodness.” Pulling herself up and out of her chair, she prepared to leave as the Chief’s hand caught hers. She turned in shock; his eyes welled with tears, but his face remained stoic. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.” “Of course.” She pulled away. The quest was really laying it on a little too thick. At the end of the day, I’m just here to kill people. Why does Cardinal try to make me care? Acanthus hustled down the steps of the palace like she was late to an unimportant business meeting. Just enough to show she needed to be somewh

The Chief drolled on. And on. And on. It might have been a moving story. But to Acanthus, it was just another quest. “Long ago, I took Uso-Tsuki under my wing after a tragic…” Acanthus breezed through her menu, organizing her crafted crystals. Ever since she had moved her workspace to the villa, her productivity had gone up. Now that she didn’t have as many custom orders, she was starting to craft for her own personal use. “... with blood on my hands, I swore never again to…” The raid meeting had gone well. But it impressed upon her the need to be prepared. She would be wor

Acanthus kicked her feet on a bench in the Town of Beginnings. It was the same bench she had waited on for NIGHT so that they could find her familiar. Kumaki laid on her lap, snoring steadily. The bear cub was a little too big to actually fit on Acanthus’ lap, so Kumaki’s head draped off the side of the bench. My legs are starting to go to sleep as well, she frowned. But one look at the sleeping cub and she decided she could handle it. Now that she had her familiar, the next step was to train her. Acanthus saw that she would need to complete yet another quest to train Kumaki. But the open

Crafting for 9/28/2024 Ambition food consumed (170470). Extended Workshop. (+4 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) EXP: 2269/2559

Rather than stumbling into Demian, Acanthus had sought him out. Something about the kitchen was becoming comfortable. Demian seemed to find curiously calm places in the nooks of Aincrad, and it was all she could do to waste more time listening to the gentle ambience of the wandering kitchen. Finding the camp next to a small creek on the edges of floor three, she relaxed for a moment before speaking. “I would like some more of the gelato today. I need to gather a few shards.” The gelato was something of a treat for her in its tastelessness; food was fast becoming unbearable again. The basi

@RiardonItem is grabby grabbed. Thank you!

Crafting for 9/27/2024 Ambition food consumed (170466). Extended Workshop. (+4 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) EXP: 2200/2559

In a flash, Pinball dove in after the boss. “Dammit, Pinball.” She wasn’t sure if she was saying that for his recklessness or the fact that he evaded her question yet again. Either way, she needed to shelve the thoughts. It was time for combat. She watched the murky water intently. The benefit of the imposter fish was that it seemed to act almost identically to the real one. She recognized a few of the swimming patterns it was engaging in. She felt the boat bump as something from behind her brushed up against the side. That means— She readied her sword like a baseball bat, and sure e

The villagers were strangely lazy in preparing their own town. Were they simply programmed not to care that they were about to die? Their shirtless leader seemed to be that way. For Pinball and Morningstar's helpful suggestions, all they received from the villagers was scorn. And it all seemed in part because of the shirtless man. He exuded some kind of devil-may-care aura that inspired the workers to slack off. It reminded her of one of the foreign exchange interns they had. Tyler Chadwassel. Just the thought of his obnoxious laugh made her blood boil. He was a good-for-nothing idiot that ha

“Finesse and stun,” she repeated. She didn’t want to disappoint Nymoria. She was going to give it her all. It wasn’t enough to just survive the fight—she wanted to win it herself. Nemo screamed at them as they approached. He was furious that they had been stealing and killing in his sanctuary. But Acanthus was only confused. “He… let us in here, didn’t he? So why is he mad? I genuinely thought that he invited us in to partake of the bounty. Were we only supposed to look? That seems like a very strange perspective.” She stopped as Nemo’s form bulged and roiled, glowing silver as he shifted

"I try to stick with what I know: classical music.” Which isn’t much. “When I was younger, I took viola and composition lessons for about four or five years. I ended up quitting after… After a disagreement with my parents.” Acanthus moved to where Tiye had found the weeds. She had a good eye for foraging—all she was missing was the experience. “Four or five years of lessons won’t make you a professional, but I remember enough to write and perform. Cardinal’s instrument assist also makes it easier to play instruments you don’t have any practical experience with. Which is good, because some of t

When she saw Pinball wrangling the villagers to help, she nearly slapped herself. Of course she should have been using them. She flagged down a group of workers as they raised lumber and logs into place. She didn’t have much experience directing people—mostly just interns from work. And interns were a lot more pliable than rough villagers. “This lumber isn’t going to work for walls,” Acanthus told them. “See the warp in the grain? It’ll split quickly if too much pressure gets applied. One push from the Night King’s army and there’s a breach in our defenses.” She tried to sound confident,

Tiye stuck her hand out. Acanthus grasped it firmly, like she was closing a deal. “I can spare some time. It would be nice to have some other performers as well. I believe the quest just has you gather some materials for your first craft, right? There are some good foraging sports just outside the Town of Beginnings. Why don’t we head that way now?” She didn’t want to tell Tiye that she was rushing them because she wanted to make sure she had time to go back to the shop and craft. It would be rude to foist that hurry off to the girl. Besides, she owed a lot to the veterans that had helped

Acanthus felt nearly numb as the frontliners talked shop. They pored over the description, referring to previous boss fights, labyrinths. Acanthus wasn’t even sure what the labyrinths were. She knew each floor had one, but… I’m not supposed to be here. The conversation flowed as each person chimed in, offering suggestions and competent theories. She knew she was a part of the meeting, and she should contribute. A kind player had already waved at her, inviting her over. She was ashamed that she hadn’t responded, opting to melt into her chair instead. She would have to apologize after the m

Familiar Eval: Name: Kumaki Species: Black Bear Cub Description: A small bear cub covered in healed over scars and matted fur. Despite the physical wear, she exhibits a cheerful (if not vacant) personality. As her name implies, she is particularly fond of rolling over.

THREAD SUMMARY Acanthus EXP. [Word Count: 10789/10 = 1078.9] * [True Tier: 2] * [Group Factor: 0.7] + 300 (Quest) = 1809 * 2 = 3618 EXP Col. 400 (no take base money i got so many) = 400 col Familiar unlocked. <<Training your Friend>> Unlocked. | eval NIGHT EXP. [Word Count: 10789/10 = 1078.9] * [True Tier: 15] * [Group Factor: 0.7] = 11319 EXP * 2 = 22638 EXP Col. Laurel Wreath: = 3395 col

"um, are you sure you're going to be alright?" “I am.” Acanthus became strangely intense. “But there is a rush. Every minute I spend here—we spend here—is part of our prison sentence. I’m ready to leave, and I’ll do anything to make that happen.” Acanthus fidgeted with the cloak NIGHT had given her. It felt soft and comfortable as it flowed through her fingers. “If you don’t mind, could I possibly keep this? I’d like to have something that reminds me of you, even when we’re not adventuring together. I promise to take good care of it.” * * * * * They returned to the gyps

She leaned precariously over the side, intently holding the net with both hands. It was a big fish; she’d likely need a firm grip. “Pinball, I…” The words caught in her throat. How was she supposed to ask, Pinball, why did you kill four people? Did they do something to you? Did they deserve it?... Who’s next? “I… have enjoyed doing this quest with you. I’m sorry that I lost confidence back before our fight with Kumatetsu.” She hadn’t spoken about it before, even though she knew he had seen her brief panic. She wasn’t sure why this was bubbling to the surface. She was here to grill Pi

“It is interesting, yes.” Acanthus still didn’t know much about gathering or crafting. It was fascinating that players always seemed to find materials relevant to their profession. Crafting seemed very simplistic: get material, use material for craft. Acanthus used some of the resources in her shop: recording devices, instruments, even staff paper and pens. But those were more about the inspiration to craft than the craft itself. To Acanthus, her desire to practice—and not just craft—stemmed from her desire to compile the plants of Aincrad into a book. It made everything feel more real. Withou

“I’m fine,” said Acanthus stiffly. “I don’t need anything.” She had a kerchief previously. She’d even used it the exact way Rencesvals described, although it was to block out sand, not smells. But she’d lost it—it came loose during the slaughter her fight with the bandits on floor five. Part of her was annoyed that Ren was trying to help out. She was supposed to be the high-level player with everything figured out. Anytime she’d partied up with veterans, they never had any issues with smells, or sand, or enemies. So Acanthus wouldn’t have those problems either. Ren seemed chatty. Most peo

It was frustrating: why was it that recording crystal refreshers could only be found on the first floor? She had enough on her schedule already; having to travel back down to Landon’s shop was just a pain in the— Acanthus came to on the cobblestone, senses pulling back into focus. Rubbing her head gently, she looked over at the other woman. She fought down a sharp retort after gauging the poor girl’s clothes. She appeared new. Even after all this time, fresh, first-level players were appearing from the woodwork. “Pardon me,” she said with an unconvincing air. Acanthus stood and dusted her

Two months of solid blood and slaughter. Two months of harrowing, exhausting mental anguish at every turn. Two months of dark, visceral thoughts that left Acanthus a husk of a human being. Through all of that time, she had never made the face she was making now. Watching Oz root around, invading his own skull for a scrap of mucus, she debated whether she should have ever left Tolbana in the first place. Or accepted a cigarette from him. She stared in morbid fascination as he tilted his head back, watching as knuckle after knuckle vanished. She swore she heard a meaty *schlllup* as his pin