Acanthus

Acanthus danced past how little she, Ty, and Forgotten-Embers had actually done, but the boy’s eyes were wide with wonder anyways. As she finished telling the story, she was aware that the boy was literally hanging on to her. His little hands creased her tunic in excitement, and she was worried he was excited enough to faint. She quickly changed topics. “So are your mom and dad here? Any family?” “Nope! Mom and Dad are back on earth. And my big brother.” If Braveheart was sad, he didn’t show. “Mom and dad said they’d be right behind me. They like games—more than me! But it was my bir

Once Braveheart had finished his mighty battle, he came back and sat next to Acanthus. “You must a frontliner. That magic was so cool!” “Aw, thank you! But I’ve actually never been to the frontlines.” “Wow.” The boy looked astounded. “If you’re that strong, then the frontliners are probably way powerful.” “They are. I was able to fight alongside one recently.” Braveheart’s jaw dropped. “Wow! What were they like?” “So there we were, traveling the suffocating heat of floor 5. We were after the dread Land Shark, Terra Firma…” Acanthus shared the whole tale with the boy. She to

“Please, allow me to help,” Acanthus asked him softly. He relented, and held his foot out. From her bag, Acanthus pulled one of her failed recording crystals. The song itself recorded perfectly onto the crystal, but she had failed to impart any healing properties onto it. It wouldn’t heal him at all, but she suspected all the boy needed was to believe. As she cracked the crystal, its melodies poured forth in a dazzling array of instruments and harmonies. The boy looked around in wonder as the light embraced him. It was just a show, but it had its intended effect. “Wow! That was amazi

Acanthus shook her head. The boy was now sitting on the ground, clutching his foot. Despite the lack of damage, the boy did not see it that way—he was on the verge of tears. It’s time to intervene then. Quickly, she approached the boy. “A brave warrior, wounded in a fearsome skirmish! What’s your name?” He sniffled, and looked up at Acanthus. “I’m Gre– I mean, I’m Braveheart the Bold!” He wiped a tear as it was forming. She offered a theatrical bow. “Greetings, Braveheart the Bold! My name is Acanthus. It appears you are in need of some assistance.” Slowly, Braveheart stood up. “N– N

It was a blessing that many of the children did not see it that way. In the bright lights and fantasy theme, this was just an extended vacation in a strange world. Acanthus saw one child practicing his swordplay against a tree in Boufa Park and smiled. “HiiiiiYA!” The child brandished his sword in a vain attempt to menace the tree. Acanthus chuckled at the sight. He lunged in wildly, swinging the sword in chaotic motions. Every time, they bounced off the tree with the familiar pop up [Immortal Object]. It’s a good thing we’re in a safe zone. His sword is bigger than him—it’s only a m

Acanthus was surprised at how much she had acclimated to living in the game after two weeks. Food still had a peculiar taste, but it was no longer so strong that it drove her to avoid it. Rather than viewing the NPCs as fixtures, she began to treat them like people. She would chat with shopkeepers after she’d made her purchases, and when she saw a familiar NPC, she loved to ask how they had been. She had met a few players while out running errands, and started to recognize them as well. She hadn’t worked up the courage to approach them. She never felt like she’d learned how to strike up conver

“That’s very generous of you.” She knew it would be more polite to decline, even if she would eventually relent. But the truth was that crafting was a gaping chasm that was consuming her materials at an alarming rate. And she had plans for a house, so the col would be needed as well. She looked over the dropped weapons and items. They were all well above her level, but she would grow into them. She would grow into them. For the first time since she entered the game, she was thinking about the future. Not just going home, not just seeing her friends and family again, but her future he

The thought of ever being that fast seemed unbelievable. Deep down, some part of her still believed that the people that had made it up to the higher floors were just born with something that set them apart. It made her last two years of cowardice easier to process. She couldn’t feel bad if she never had a chance to begin with. But the last few weeks had proven her wrong. Before, Acanthus was terrified to even step outside a safe zone. Now here she was, with plenty of quests under her belt and asking strangers to lead her into trouble. Pinball was doing all the work, sure, but the girl th

She swore the next pack was even bigger than the ones Pinball had just put down. But she was considerably less worried. Four wolves and he hadn’t even broke into a sweat. She hoped that the bosses would be just as easy. With Wormwood in her hands, she fell back into a defensive posture. The wolves slowly fanned out and began to encircle the two of them. Whoever had programmed the things had taken great care to emulate actual wolves. It was unnerving. “That last pack was gone before I saw anything. This is just another day in the wilds for you, isn’t it?” She talked as she pivoted to

She remembered reading about wolves in some of her classes. And of course she’d seen them on TV; who hadn’t? Whenever the actors on TV saw a big, scary wolf, they would always marvel at how much bigger they were in real life. It was the cheesiest trope on TV, and she rolled her eyes every time some hapless hero feigned shock over the big, scary wolves. But as the monsters emerged from the undergrowth, Acanthus realized where the trope had come from. These creatures were massive: longer than she was tall, and jaws so big she could likely fit her whole head inside. They looked so much like

Acanthus pondered a moment. She knew herself well, and any break at all would give her time to think. And time to think almost always turned into cold feet. “How about something in-between? Let’s start moving toward the first boss. But I would also like a little time to prepare myself. Mentally, at least.” She picked herself up off the ground and opened her map. “I think there’s a zone nearby that has monsters far above my capabilities. They are probably way underneath yours, since I’m pretty sure you’re at maximum level. If we went there, could I possibly watch you fight? Observation is an ex

At the edge of the clearing, Acanthus paced the treeline. It should already be figured out. If hundreds of other players had cracked the code, why was it taking her so long? From the darkness of the woods, fears and doubts began pulling at her. What are you doing here? It’s just like when Freyd had to carry you through that floor 5 quest—nobody really needs you. Pinball especially doesn’t need you here. A morbid thought crossed her mind. Well, if he doesn’t need you, and this isn’t charity, then… he has other plans. For the second time that day, Acanthus became aware that she was adventur

Name: Auric Rain Profession: Performer Rank: 2 Roll ID: 226692 Roll Result: CD: 9 + 1 LD: 11 Item Type: Support Song Tier: 1 Quality: Uncommon Enhancements: Monster's Fortune 1 Post Link: Here Description: A light and quick song accentuated by golden effects.

Crafting for 8/17/2024 Ambition Active (+1 EXP per craft); Apollo's Metronome (+1 CD) Roll ID CD LD Quality Experience 1 (Support) 226692 9 + 1 11 Uncommon +4 2 (Support) 226693 5 + 1 16 Salvage (Success) +3 3 (Support) 226694 9 + 1 1 Uncommon +4 4 (Support)

Skill(s) Being Dropped: Rank 1 (Unskilled) Combat Mastery: Accuracy Mod(s) Being Dropped: None SP Refunded: 0 Cost: 0 col

Name: Oasis Motif, Part 1 Profession: Performer Rank: 2 Roll ID: 226486 Roll Result: CD: 7 + 1 LD: 20 Item Type: Support Song Tier: 1 Quality: Uncommon (Masterpiece) Enhancements: Instant HP Recovery 1 Post Link: Here Description: A brief ode to Fortaleza played on a ch

Crafting for 8/16/2024 Ambition Active (+1 EXP per craft); Apollo's Metronome (+1 CD) Roll ID CD LD Quality Experience 1 (Support) 226486 7 + 1 20 Uncommon Masterpiece +4 2 (Support) 226487 9 + 1 19 Uncommon Masterpiece +4 3 (Support) 226488 6 + 1 20 Salvage (Success) +3

The answer was right in front of her. She just needed a little more time. She turned the bark over in her hands, slowly revisiting every inch of the clue. Nothing on the back of the cipher. The only thing there were the two circles of letters in alphabetical order, except one was reversed. Absent mindedly, she scratched her head with the tree bark. The language on the tablet—well, it didn’t seem like a language. It seemed more like a code. So the rings of letters had to tie into it somehow. She was beginning to wish she had paid more attention to her dad when he’d gone on one of

She barely had time to process Pinball's response before he offered Acanthus the tablet. His hands vanished as she took it, and Pinball quickly disappeared into the trees. Acanthus looked around the grove. It felt deathly quiet. The sound of birds and wildlife had faded into the distance, and even the wind had died to a low murmur. Taking the tablet in both hands, she approached the tall oak tree carefully. At its base was a small podium, holding a stone tablet. One one side of the tablet, six indentations adorned the stone, each with a motif that vaguely resembles an animal. On the other

The beast had lumbered onto its feet, and was now eyeing Freyd with a look equal parts furious and starved. She knew he could handle himself, but couldn’t help to worry a little bit regardless. She heard Freyd’s voice in the distance, and she snapped to attention. If there was an opening, she couldn’t find it. She scanned the thick, trunk-like legs. Still the same tough hide that had deflected her first blow. Maybe he’d seen something near the head? But the beast was turning away from her, and she’d been instructed not to get its attention. No doubt going for the face was the fastest w

Hundreds. Who were you before all of this? Where exactly does the quest take us? Why my shop instead of someone else’s? How am I even supposed to help out here? …Am I getting myself into something I’ll regret? “No. I think I’m ready.” She put a hand on her sword and felt the familiar groove of the wood as they walked. Wormwood had become something of a fixture on her person over the last week. It hadn’t seen much combat, but the comfort from its weight around her hip was undeniable. The two were back on floor 1, traveling across the plains. Massive islands floated lazily above them,

Name: Interesting Intermezzo Profession: Performer Rank: 2 Roll ID: 226368 Roll Result: CD: 10 + 1 LD: 10 Item Type: Support Song Tier: 1 Quality: Rare Enhancements: HP Recovery 2 Post Link: Here Description: A soaring ensemble of strings and low woodwinds that gives th

Crafting for 8/15/2024 Ambition Active (+1 EXP per craft); Apollo's Metronome (+1 CD) Roll ID CD LD Quality Experience 1 (Support) 226366 3 + 1 12 Fail +2 2 (Support) 226367 4 + 1 11 Salvage (Success) +3 3 (Support) 226368 10 + 1 10 Rare +6 4 (Support) 2

Acanthus had been taking more risks than usual. She was concerned—was she finally plucking up courage, or was it a disregard for her own life? She'd only met Pinball a few days ago. When he walked into her shop with a few requests, she had been shocked. She didn't get much traffic in her shop yet. They began to chat about a potential custom order—she couldn't remember the full conversation, but the next thing she knew, she'd agreed to help out on a quest involving flowers. Flower don't seem so bad. She'd looked at the first quest in the guide, and it was all about searching. Now that

Name: Thrumming Tones Profession: Performer Rank: 2 Roll ID: 225988 Roll Result: CD: 8 LD: 3 Item Type: Debuff Song Tier: 1 Quality: Uncommon Enhancements: Hypnosis Post Link: Here Description: A dull, repetitious noise that clouds out all other sounds.