Acanthus

Slowly, Acanthus eased back into a rhythm with Nymoria. She’s so much more graceful than I am. Maybe it’s my armor. Still, Acanthus tried not to be too hard on herself. Other than that one mistake earlier, you’ve been holding your own. Try to focus on that. You take what I miss. Acanthus understood. She waited for any remaining drakes to finish off, only to watch in admiration as she finished off the last drake herself. “That was excellent. You really know how to handle your sabre.” Acanthus looked around, ready to engage another pack. I’ve still got the energy for another fight. She

Acanthus watched the new ghasts floating towards them. Pinball flung his knives and she watched as the knives sunk slowly into their incorporeal forms. Acanthus readied her blade, eager for another round of combat. I can do this. Breathing deeply, she channeled all her strength into another sword art and charged into the fight, ready to end the ghasts quickly. She sliced through the first ghast recklessly, eager for more. She whirled around, and all of the sudden, the sword felt like lead in her hands. Everything felt too fast, too loud, too much. Struggling, she tried lifting her sword again.

Race you. Acanthus smiled softly. She didn’t often have strong feelings, but when she did, she wore them openly. She had no doubt the abrupt change signaled her sadness. Rather than press her, Nymoria chose to go along with the change. Teasing her again. In some ways, Nymoria reminded her of her best friend from high school. They had grown apart over the years, but the memories were still there. Acanthus followed, hot on Nymoria’s heels. Following up on her combat, she moved quickly into position. Finesse, she reminded herself. She repeated it like a mantra as she powered up her swor

THREAD SUMMARY Acanthus Experience: ((5,136/10) * .7 * 3) + 700 (Quest) * 2 = 3,557 EXP Col: 250 (quest) + 400 (completed pages) + 750 (gathering) = 1,350 col (3) materials (gathering) +32 foraging EXP Blessing of Barkskin: A small piece of wood engraved with the blessing of the forest. Upon use makes the wearer's skin appear to be more like bark. Increases Mitigation by 25 for 1 thread. This item has 3 charges and is destroyed on the third use. This effect stacks with other existing Mitigation effects. Unlocked: <<Treant Treatise>>

Acanthus’ face brightened. “Exactly. And not just flowers either—trees, mosses, anything green. Or I guess, anything green on land. Trying to include algae would just be another lifetime. And no fungi. Don’t even get me started on fungi.” She frowned in contemplation. Acanthus laughed in agreement. “I think the thirteenth floor would probably take me a year alone.” Nymoria mentioned guides, and Acanthus gave a firm nod. “I’ve looked a bit for a guide, but I haven’t found anything that really matches what I’m envisioning.” Acanthus busied herself by gathering as she talked. She rol

Acanthus followed hot on her heels. “I think I’m ready for the second quest now. If you are, that is. I can also wait a little bit. I should be back down to floor eight in a few days.” She looked back at the elvish queen before saying, “thanks for taking the mercy route. I know it didn’t make a difference in the end, but it made me feel a little better, if nothing else.” Acanthus gave Cordelia a casual bow. “And thank you for bringing me along as a last-minute decision. I’m sure you could have handled the entire thing yourself, but it was nice to see you fight. The more I watch other play

“Miso butter cookies? I don’t think I’ve ever had those. They sound… savory?” Acanthus struggled to think of a positive. To her, miso seemed like an odd choice of flavoring. Then again, she had always been a picky eater. When asked about the things she enjoyed eating in game, Acanthus became a little evasive. I should have known better than to bring up food. “I miss all of it, really. The mochi cake sounds wonderful though. I think what I miss most are strawberries. I’d even take something strawberry-flavored. I found a nice cafe on the first floor that offers something similar…” she trai

Acanthus walked into Silent Moments and looked around. The eclectic nature reminded her of Honeydew and Hushwind, although she wondered if the comparison was mostly imagined. The ambience here also felt more cheerful—she had the vague feeling that it was winter, and the inside was all the more cozy for the weather waiting for her outside. After taking her time to walk through the shop, she stopped at a small shelf that contained a locating charm. The small compass appealed to Acanthus. She brought the trinket to the front of the store. “Hi, Nymoria, it’s good to see you again. This is a lovely

Oz seemed to perk up. "You guys hear that?" He looked into the jungle beyond, trying to catch a glance at something in the distance. “I don’t see anything.” Sewallas stepped in front of Acanthus and Oz, yelling something about Shay being a “she-devil.” Acanthus tried to quiet him politely. “I’m afraid you’re going to attract some unwanted attention, Sewallas.” He turned and glared at her. “That’s *Captain* Sewallis to you, you ignorant—” “—Look out!” Acanthus tackled the captain as a massive simian hand appeared out of nowhere, crushing where they had stood just moments before. Despi

THREAD SUMMARY EXP: 500 (Quest) + 1,388 ((4628 words/10) * 1 * 3) * 2 (New Adventurer) = 3,776 EXP Loot Totals +41 foraging EXP (20) materials 35,900 col (Loot + 500 from quest) T3 Perfect Weapon | 230668b T3 Perfect Armor/Shield | 230650a, 230651a, 230666a, 230667a, 230668a, 230678a T3 Perfect Trinket | 230666b, 230667b T3 Perfect Consumable | 230650b, 230650c, 230651b, 230651c T3 Rare Armor/Shield | 230649a T3 Rare Consumable | 230678b 230678c

Acanthus tuned out the mother’s tearful reunion with her son. She barely even remembered the mother’s name from a few hours ago. No sense getting emotionally involved in such a small quest. She hastily clicked through the quest rewards, and left in the middle of the NPC’s closing speech. If I can handle combat that well on the third floor, it’s time to take on some harder challenges. I’ll need to make a list of the available quests in the info broker’s guide, cross reference that with a list of skills offered by the quests. The sooner I start leaning into my DoT build, the sooner I can ge

Acanthus looked over the treasure chest. It appeared intact. She rejoiced. Kagamine appeared over the hill, curious at what was taking her so long. “That looks like quite a haul!” He said. Acanthus nodded. “This is a lucky find. Let’s see what’s inside.” She dug out a set of lockpicks from her inventory. They weren’t any better than the basic ones the game offered—all they accomplished was giving her the chance to get the chest open. She had debated adding some additional skill points into lockpicking and dismantling, but the combat skills kept coming first. On one had, she regretted not havin

Acanthus and Kagamine walked back along the main road to Flora. Around this time, Acanthus remembered treasure chests. They usually spawned around the end of quests, although she hadn’t been lucky enough to find one yet. She decided to take a quick detour and try her luck again. “Miss Acanthus? Why are we going off the road?” “We’ll get right back on. I have to look for a treasure chest.” Kagamine looked like he was about to say something before biting his tongue. “As long as I can make it back home soon, I guess we can stop for a moment.” It’s not like your programming will let

Without Acanthus’ conversation, the Captain resorted to its scripted lines. “I’ll get you!” it screamed as the figure lept in the air. Acanthus met the axe with Meteor, maneuvering the blow to redirect the force into the wall. The strike rattled the captain, causing the boss to drop its axe. As the Bandit Captain reached down for the weapon, it left the perfect opportunity open to strike. If I were a hero, this is where I would same something fun or interesting as I dealt the final blow. Silently, she brought her sword down on the captain’s back. The boss landed on the floor with a sick thud,

The Bandit Captain grinned. “I like a little attitude in my ransoms. It makes the conversation much more enjoyable.” “I’m not here to banter with ones and zeros,” Acanthus said flatly. The Bandit Captain frowned, but gave no response. “I don’t want to sit here exchanging pithy comments like we’re heroes in some novel. We’re not. I’m trapped in a game, and you’re just another pathetic quest boss in between me and the frontlines. So do me a favor and die quickly. The sooner you do, the sooner you can respawn for the next hapless hero." The Captain didn’t quite know what to make of Acan

Recovering quickly, the Bandit Captain grabbed Acanthus’ wrist and flung her over her shoulder. She crashed into a bookshelf, spilling scrolls and books all over the floor. “How’s this for a little payback!” The captain guffawed. “Seeing as what all you’ve done to my men.” She lept in the air, and her axe connected squarely with the still dazed Acanthus. The axe went deep into her shoulder, sending waves of buzzing all up her spine. Acanthus grinned. “I’d say you’re starting to pay back their deaths. But you’ll have to try harder than this.” The captain roared as she ripped the axe out of Acan

The door to the easternmost tower of the castle loomed over the hallway. It had the distinct feeling of the entrance to a boss fight. Kagamine whimpered. Acanthus gave him a stoic look. “Same as last time. You wait outside.” Without waiting for his response, she threw the door open and strode through. The bandit captain leaned thoughtfully over a wooden table, studying maps and documents. She was shorter, dressed in furs and worn leather armor. A greataxe taller than the captain was strapped to her back. “So you’re the intruder that’s releasing all my ransoms?” She straightened up be

Acanthus and Kagamine wandered through more of Faultwarren. Part of the wandering was due to the size of the place; Acanthus was pretty sure she backtracked more than once. But on the other hand, she enjoyed the feeling of strolling through hostile territory. I bet scaredy-cat Haru would never have imagined me doing this, she thought with a touch of glee. She’s all about low risk and low reward. Meanwhile, I’m sitting on a pile of col that’s going to triple my bank account when I get back home. And enough materials for a few days of crafts which isn’t too shabby. If her energy didn’t need time

“Alright, let’s go.” “Ok.” The two began walking east again. Kagamine stopped as they exited the dining hall. Acanthus continued to scour the shelves for more materials. [roll] “Um.. *where* are we going, exactly?” Oh right, Kagamine doesn’t have a map to refer to. She explained patiently, “We’re going to the easternmost tower. The quest m—I have a feeling that we’ll find the bandit captain there.” Kagamine panicked. “W-w-why are we going after the captain?! We need to get out of here!” We’re going after the captain because the quest says to go after the captain. I’m sure there was some r

“Miss Acanthus, it sounded like it got pretty heated in there. Are you sure you’re alright?” She stopped to look over her wounds. A few deep gouges, but her health bar was rising as they spoke. “I’m alright, Kagamine. Just a few wounds, but my out of combat healing should have me back to normal before the next fight.” The boy remained silent. Right, Cardinal seems to have a hard time reacting to meta-commentary. If I want responses, it’s better to talk to the NPCs using in-game terms and concepts, rather than mechanics. “Let’s stop for a moment, I can catch my breath.” They paused fo

Following through with her momentum, she brought the glowing blade back up and collided with a bandit shield. She struggled for a moment before pivoting her weight, throwing the bandit off. One quick thrust to the shoulder, and she wrenched the blade free, leaving the arm hanging by a thin, computerized line of red before the bandit shattered. One bandit. The last bandit pressed against the wall. His eyes were wide with fear. He didn’t plead or surrender, but his defense was so poor it almost seemed for show. Acanthus offered a quiet apology as she drove Meteor through his chest, pinning

Acanthus cornered the last four bandits. They were battered within an inch of her life. “She ain’t ‘uman,” she heard one mutter. Acanthus basked in the comment. She had spent so long fearing the game—she had finally found parts of the game that feared her. And it feels good. A sense of calmness washed over her, and everything seemed to slow down. She recalled watching Pinball move faster than her eye could follow. Acanthus suspected she would look much the same right now. Turning her attention back towards the bandits, she caught the one trying to surprise her with a sudden attack. The fr

She sized up the three most dangerous looking bandits left. The on in the middle was barely a threat. He was bleeding out, and was almost dead, judging by how quickly his health bar was dipping. He wouldn’t even be worth the energy expense. The bandit on the right was also beaten up badly. His health bar was in the red. The one on the right had fought defensively the whole fight with his sword and shield. He still had green health. I know I can fix that little mistake. Yelling, she charged into the fight. Briefly parrying the middle bandit’s feeble strike, she immediately turned her atten

It turns out, it wasn’t looking good—for the bandits. She tore through three of them with surprising ease. Once their shock subsided, the bandits surrounded her and began to attack in earnest. But Cardinal was there to assist her. Whenever she was attacked outside her periphery, she had a vague sense of something approaching her. She dipped out the way as a greataxe soared over her head. “Stand still, you little!—” Acanthus brought an elbow to his jaw and the bandit crumpled. She whirled around, catching another in the throat with Meteor as he raised his dagger. The bandit vaporized immed

They made their way over to the barracks. She thought that if anyone knew where the boss was, this would be a good start. She anticipated some combat, but nothing she couldn’t handle. “Wait outside,” she told Kagamine, and confidently opened the door to the barracks. Perhaps I have overestimated my capabilities. Nearly a dozen bandits stared at her as she entered. One by one, the health bars appeared. Three of which appeared similar to the bandits she dispatched in the dungeon. “Yew seem a bit lohst, miss.” The first bandit jeered. “I suppose use the ‘unz that escaped the prison.” Ac