Acanthus

“So there I was, at the end of my rope, desperate for a task that could be important, but not really matter either. And I heard about this game. A virtual game that wasn’t just played—it was lived! I drafted up a proposal for a paper about the philosophical implications of VRMMOs. My committee ate it up. Moved heaven and earth to get me an early access copy.” The grasshopper gave a soft buzz in her hand. Titania stared at it as she continued talking. “And so I played the early access, drafted an initial paper. But I knew that wasn’t enough. I’d only scraped the surface of VRMMOs. So I logged b

“I’m sorry, that was—” “Nothing to apologize about,” Titania said lightly. “It’s true. I act like this because nothing really matters.” She let the words hang in the air before she continued. “Acanthus, I know it’s bad form to talk about real life, but I’m gonna do it unless you tell me to stop.” Acanthus gave a slight nod before moving over to a collection of root-like vegetables to gather. As the materials vaporized yet again, Acanthus nearly yelled. She bit her tongue. “In the real world, I taught philosophy in Berlin. Youngest person to teach at my university. Do you know how I m

Another two hours in, and even Acanthus was despairing. They had crossed paths with some of the other parties that had started later. The larger parties had still found a kernel per person, leaving Acanthus and Titania in the dust. “Sorry, Acanthus. I guess we should have picked more people. I made a bad call.” Acanthus shook her head. “But you made a call, and it was better for you to make a quick, incorrect call than languish like I would have.” Titania settled onto a nearby rock. “That sounded like a compliment,” she said in a sing-song voice. Acanthus blushed. She bent over to look fo

Acanthus’ heart gave a quick flutter. “Congratulations! Maybe there’s—oh, look.” A few meters away, a quest marker appeared. Walking over to the dirt, she dug up a kernel of her own. She also noticed a few groups of yellow cornflowers. Everything in Demeter’s domain was bright, healthy and fruitful. She attempted to harvest the cornflowers. Despite their inviting foliage, the cornflowers yielded no materials whatsoever. Acanthus wondered if she was actually prohibited from foraging unless it was related to the quest. Titania clapped her on the back. “Look at us! We’ve got two now.” “

“This whole quest has to be a joke. Some kind of prank.” Titania gave an exasperated cry as she kicked over another stone. “It’s been two hours and we haven’t even found one kernel.” “Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place?” Titania shrugged. “I doubt it. I’ve seen a few parties wander by us, and they look as lost and confused as we do.” “Where do we even find a kernel? Kernels normally grow on tall stalks, but I haven’t seen any.” She had previously eyed some fruitful stalks, and while they had plenty of materials to forage, Acanthus failed to recover any of them. To add salt t

This was a mass competition of brute gathering. More numbers likely meant more kernels, and that would increase everyone’s chances in the group. Acanthus looked over to Titania; she held her hand out, gesturing toward the outside of the tent. “Acanthus, I know you’re thinking more is better. And I know you were upset about me whisking you away last time. But I think we need to act fast. Will you trust me on this one?” She reflected for a moment. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Titania was right. Speed was more important than bodies. They needed to act decisively, and Titania was j

As the players continued to murmur in discontent, Acanthus raised her hand and waited. Demeter looked over the crowd to her. “Yes, adventurer?” “You told us to make teams. But you said the ‘players’ that donate enough kernels win. Was that intentional?” Demeter’s grin widened. “Very astute! That’s right. You’ll be collecting as a team of two to four, but kernels will be counted by the player.” The players’ volume had increased to indignant whispers. Demeter was unfazed. “That’s all. I’ll leave you to it!” With a clap of her hands, she vanished in a light summer breeze. The room devol

“I’m not much for speeches, really. Why don’t I just give you the task and let you all go? We can save the speeches for when you all return, successful in your task.” Demeter pulled a small kernel from her overalls. “This is an Alethia Kernal.” It was barely visible from her fingers; it couldn’t have been any bigger than a piece of corn. “They are exceedingly hard to find. It’s said that they only sprout under the perfect conditions, and those conditions change from seed to seed. But,” she continued, “these kernels are vital to feeding the gods. They are one of the few sources that can be

The island of Demeter was even more gorgeous than the rest of floor 17. Every last plant was carefully tended and bloomed with a full vitality. Everywhere Acanthus looked, it was an earthly kaleidoscope. But Acanthus was slowly numbing to the beauty all around her. Nymphs buzzed around the two of them, guiding them to the great hall of Demeter. Argo stuck close-by as well. “She’ll give you the task inside. You’re the last ones to arrive, so they’ll be good to go once you sit down. Acanthus and Titania snuck into the great hall and found seats in the back. A few of the players turned to lo

“You looked like how I felt when I started the game. Like you weren’t really there. And when I felt like that, I always needed a change of scenery. So I assumed you did too.” With one last attempt, Acanthus tried pulling some seaweed and coral into the moving boat. It seemed she'd depleted the ocean. It made sense, given all her precious luck. “You’re not wrong. But neither am I a child. Please ask my permission for anything like that in the future.” Acanthus waited a moment, then gave a quick bow. “I appreciate you talking to me. You were right, you do make a good second impression.”

Refreshingly direct. Acanthus thought maybe she could afford to give Titania another chance. Without breaking her concentration on the net, she began to talk out loud. “It wasn’t just that. It was… I don’t know. We were having a big feast to celebrate all the people that cleared the quest, and you didn’t even care. You pulled me out of that banquet hall and didn’t even ask if I wanted to go.” “Acanthus, I know I shouldn’t be making excuses but… I did it because you just looked, I don’t know, like you were in another galaxy or something.” Pulling her net alongside the boat, it once again y

“Wow! So you finally made a friend.” Acanthus glared, and Titania immediately put a hand over her mouth. “Acanthus, I’m sorry. I didn’t—I… Ugh.” She slumped back into the boat. Acanthus walked to the back of the trireme to busy herself picking more barnacles. Seeing none, she fished a long dragnet out of her inventory. She knew the boat ride would be long, so she came prepared with equipment to help her gather along the way. “Man, you really are prepared! I’m a little jealous.” Acanthus continued to focus on trawling for various materials. The ocean was rich with life, and she was able to

The captain seems to accept your answer, and returns to his duties, mumbling sullenly about “changes of plans.” As he disappears outside of camp, the air of the camp shifts from “on alert” to merely “tense.” This time, you opt to stick closer to the tents, and the approach seems to work. You blend in with the mercenaries, receiving no more attention than a brief glance or two. You see Hogo-Sha emerge from the hut he entered; he is talking with the man he was talking to earlier. The conversation is largely a brief exchange of looks, followed by the man dropping a heavy coin purse into Hogo

Crafting for 8/25/24 XP: 303/639

Hogo-Sha walked briskly to the largest hut on the far side of the camp. Looking behind him one last time, he quickly ducked into the doorframe. As the shadows surrounding camp let up, you are forced to adopt a different strategy: walk in openly, acting like you belong. An excellent approach in many ways; and thankfully, your armor allows you to blend in with the mercenaries to some degree. Unfortunately, much like the Marsonian palace guards, everyone here seems a little on edge. You make it about halfway through the camp before you are flagged down. “Hey, you there!” One of the

“Mobs sounds good. Maybe I can take my mind off that last fight. And maybe,” a hint of confidence surfaced in her voice, “I'll be able to earn my share this time.” "We'll take on the next quest tomorrow. My home's on this floor. I'll walk you back to Ellesmera." “Oh? Housing is hard to come by on these first few floors, isn’t it? I bet it’s beautiful. I assume it’s outside Ellesmera? You seemed a little on edge in town, so…” She fumbled her words. “I’m sorry, sometimes I speak without thinking. Please ignore me.” Thankful, she noticed a pack of monsters nearby; she quickly changed t

Their direction has moved to the northwest. Acanthus wasn’t sure if they were moving towards Horunka on purpose, but it was a good idea. The clouds were starting to look worse. The clouds were starting to look worse. Haru stood under the bus stop awning, clutching Kumaki. Mom was going to be furious, but she couldn’t miss her appointment. Acanthus blinked a drop of rain out of her eyes. The two were still moving with purpose; NIGHT mentioned maybe finding her familiar along the way. “I hope we find the familiar soon. This rain is looking worse and worse.” NIGHT and Acanthus move

You manage to stay undetected all the way to the outskirts of the defector’s camp. They have put in plenty of effort to make the place a small, ramshackle village. There are about a dozen hastily-built huts in a circle surrounding a large, carefully tended fire. Most of the defectors are currently unarmed, but one stands out well above the rest. Rather than the simple woolen garb, the short man is dressed in heavy black clothes and jacket. On his back is a massive two-handed sword. As he talks to the other people in camp, you notice his hands reach back occasionally to feel for the sword, the

She hadn’t been prepared for how real Kumatetsu’s death was. When she watched Koji play games, everything was so… clean. The way people fell over quietly when shot, and they disappeared. When he hit people with a sword in his JRPGs, they just flashed red and disappeared. But SAO seemed to pride itself on realism, particularly the worst parts; and whatever pain indicators the players had did not extend to the bosses. Kumatestu labored to breathe. It struggled to stand, crashed back into the earth again, and let out a mournful roar. With the last of its strength, it dragged its head to look

“I’ll come back for you in the same place. I’ll circle the island every few hours and see if I can’t spot you. I’ve got pretty good eyes.” Given the foliage of the island, Ben-Goshi almost certainly has some help from Cardinal. The island appears relatively small—only a few kilometers in diameter—but the foliage is so dense that the sun barely penetrates. The atmosphere is thick and humid, and the game has done a frustratingly excellent job of recreating swarms of bugs eager to fly inside whatever space is offered. “One last thing,” Ben-Goshi offered. “Stay on the lookout. If this is

“No, you’ve got the right person. Name’s Ben-Goshi.” He sticks his hand out in welcome. “And this here,” he points behind him, “Is the Pearl Diver.” The ship seems less "a ship" and more “some scraps of wood with a dream.” Anticipating any comments or thoughts, he quickly adds, “She doesn’t look like much, but she’s served me, and my dad, and his dad. I trust her with my life every day and she’s never let me down once.” Hopping onto the boat, he begins to untether from the dock. “We can head out whenever you’re ready. Chief tells me that we’re heading to Liar’s Cove. It’s a small atoll fu

As you step into the chamber, the argument becomes more heated. There are two men in the room; the Chief, along with another man—likely the lieutenant the guard captain mentioned. The lieutenant leans over an ornate table. “We simply do not have the resources to gamble away. With Hogo-Sha in the way, nothing is—” His voice cuts off as Chief Mare-Suke raises his hand. “Greetings, adventurer. Your presence is welcome.” The lieutenant glares at you from over the Chief’s shoulder. “Please, take a seat.” The Chief eases himself into one of the simple wooden chairs surrounding the table. U

<<Storyteller System in effect, Acting as Storyteller>> From the boat approaching Marsonia, it would be nearly impossible to tell anything was wrong. The docks buzz with activity, merchants all over the city boisterously hawk their wares, treating the art of the bargain like a match in the colosseum. Only a keen eye can see that the palace, built at the highest point of the island, stands still like a mausoleum. From the dock to the palace gates, something has the Marsonian guards on edge. The higher up the island you travel, the more nosy they become. Foot traffic

Name: Binding Melody Profession: Performer Rank: 3 Roll ID: 228198 Roll Result: CD: 11 + 1 LD: 18 Item Type: Debuff Song Tier: 1 Quality: Perfect (Masterpiece) Enhancements: Instant Incarcerate Post Link: Here Description: A heavy and thunderous melody that weighs the listene

Crafting for 8/24/24 XP: 264/639