Acanthus

<<Storyteller System in effect, Acting as Storyteller>> Discovering Uso-Tsuki’s plan has done little to lift the spirits of Marsonia. The Chief’s honor guard now works double and triple shifts to ensure the Chief’s safety. The new lieutenant holds constant meetings with the war council to prepare for every uncertainty. The Chief sits in these meetings to pay attention and offers curt advice, but he spends the better part of these meetings deep in thought. You, being the sole reason the information was obtained in the first place, are offered a right-hand seat at the table for

Not… Not a frontliner? Acanthus looked over the swordswoman’s gear again. She carried a particularly deadly-looking katana, and carried herself with what seemed like a practiced ease, at least to Acanthus. The woman reminded her of Pinball in some way she was unable to put her finger on. If she wasn’t a fighter on the frontlines, then the gulf Acanthus had to cross seemed wider than it ever had been. “You can get to pick if you want. Just let me know when you're ready to head out." Acanthus opened her menu to access more of the quest information. She quickly scanned through all the detail

Nymoria’s attack hit all four of the dragons, but only three went down. The last snapdragon shrugged off its wounds and rumbled a deep, menacing growl. Last one was all hers. If she missed... Well, thinking about missing was the fastest way to miss. She switched back to her single sword art and braced herself. The snapdragon howled, and then dove. With a yelp, Acanthus released to sword art right as the Snapdragon’s momentum built to an unstoppable speed. The dive took the two of them to the ground and knocked the wind right out of Acanthus, but the Snapdragon appeared dazed as well. Wrig

Acanthus smiled and gave a quick bow. “My name is Acanthus. It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you will permit me to tag along. It’s been a rough few days, and I think a change of pace might be what I need.” Acanthus idly watched the people of Baobob as the woman opened her menu to check a few things. Acanthus adjusted her armor absentmindedly. Still wasn’t quite the good fit of her previous armor, but she was learning to move with it. “It’s called <<Treant Rivalries>>– or something like that. Shouldn’t be too hard…” Acanthus fidgeted with the pommel of her sword while Cordelia hu

Crafting for 8/30/2024

You slip expertly out of camp and back to the shore. You don’t need to wait long—Ben-Goshi arrives almost immediately after you do. He offers a hand to help you on the boat. “Your bird there makes for a mighty fine signal. I might’ve gotten lost if you didn’t have a portable signal flare for a friend.” Once in the boat, he begins to work the sails and ropes with unnatural haste. “Hope you don’t mind the rush,” he explains as he ties down the sail, “but I’d really rather not stay here for long. The thought of crossing the old lieutenant is pretty low on the list of things I’d like to do today

“A—Aliens?! Nymoria, what do you—wait up!” But Nymoria was already racing off to the next pack of snapdragons. She grabbed for her sword, but remembered that she apparently had food on her fingers still. This game is going to kill me—if not the monsters, then at least embarrassment. By the time she caught up to Nymoria, she had already whittled most of the dragons down to half health. Finesse. Finesse. She chanted the word to herself as she felt the wave of energy rising. She did her best to channel it, but the art overpowered her thoughts. She dove into the fight, hacking and slashing wh

Crafting for 8/29/2024 EXP: 425/639

“Thank you for the cookie. I’ll be sure to eat my own food first. I’d hate to be your charity case.” She took the braciole out of her inventory, and it plopped down in front of her unceremoniously. She hadn’t bothered to look up what braciole was before this point, and she realized with some embarrassment that it was not exactly portable. A slice of beef cutlet rested on a plate brimming with sauce. “I, um—excuse me.” She bent over and picked the plate up. “Give me just a moment.” Taking the plate over to a rock, and angling herself away from Nymoria, she scarfed down the food as quickly as po

Acanthus looked out the window of the Vineyard’s Face. She had been staying here for a few days to recover from the fight with Kumatetsu. Part of her still wasn’t really feeling herself. She was also waiting on a message from Pinball so that they could start the next quest in Scent of the Wild. She’d been to Little Eden and back, and still no sign of Pinball. In the meantime, she thought a little bit of movement would do her good. She hadn’t done much exploring on this floor, and it seemed like a safe (and enjoyable) place to explore. She headed out on the eastern road and admired the scenery.

Initially, she bristled at the constructive criticism. You move sluggishly. No finesse. Practice required. But after watching Nymoria, she saw what she meant. She danced effortlessly around the battlefield, dodging and slashing woven into a single thread of combat. Acanthus thought about her own movements. Wasn’t she just following the sword art? Whatever path it picked out was the one she would follow. But maybe there was more autonomy to the system than she realized. Down to the last snapdragon, Acanthus decided she would experiment. Switching back to a single-target art, she brought Me

Acanthus knew going into this quest that most players avoided this floor; but it wasn’t until she arrived that she knew why. She had heard the floor described as silent, with calming blue lights and very few monsters. But none of those descriptions really touched on the unsettling atmosphere. The wilds were painfully silent, like the moments before a parent’s harsh reproach. The lights were indeed a deep, calming blue; but it was the kind of calm that made her prone to stop caring, lay down, and wait for a monster to end her. And the monsters… The monsters were the worst of all. Emaciated huma

Crafting for 8/28/2024 EXP: 386/639

Led by the hand, Acanthus and Nymoria tumbled into Little Eden. It was a small wonder where the name had come from; the land stretched on for miles and miles, all picture-perfect hills and trees and tall, luscious grain. It was a forager’s paradise. Nymoria’s cheeks appeared flush—no doubt from the journey here. The garden. It is beautiful. You fit in here. It was odd that Nymoria had correctly observed her real-world green thumb. Or maybe, she chided herself, she has the common sense to guess that a forager would want to visit an endless garden. Where would you like to start? We can figh

The camp continues to exhibit a small level of activity as you maneuver outside the tent. Hogo-Sha’s footsteps stop just on the other side as another mercenary approaches him. They exchange hushed words, and Hogo-Sha utters a dissatisfied expletive before moving away. Outside the tent, you have time to review the document. The paper contains an uncoded missive that upon closer inspection, appears to be a contract. “Upon receipt of funds, we will dispatch our finest soldiers to assist your endeavor. Difendā and Purotekutā will arrive in Marsonia two days at the latest. We believe that you

You said you’re new to video games? I hope this isn’t the first one you have tried. Acanthus’ ears burned. “Actually, it is. I was supposed to be playing this game with my little—” She stopped abruptly. “I’m sorry, I’ve been told it’s bad form to talk about our lives outside the game.” Nymoria and Acanthus now entered another forest. It reminded her of the one she’d been in only yesterday to hunt Kumatetsu. This journey would involve much less danger. Nymoria’s eyes glittered as she talked about all the different wonders that this “grinding quest” offered. The term confused Acanthus—

If Acanthus hadn’t known where to look, she would have missed Pinball. I need to know how he’s so good at hiding. I’m sure some of it is Cardinal, but still… She approached quietly, thinking back to their last fight together. She had made a fool of herself, getting worked up like that. She wasn’t ready to blubber out some kind of apology. The best thing I can do is just make sure this fight goes smoothly. Do your fair share, don’t get worked up. It’s all just a game. Stepping around a large cluster of bright red mushrooms, she gave a curt bow and nod to Pinball. “Good… morning? After

“I’m grateful for the company. I don’t know that it’s really a matter of allowing you or not.” Acanthus looked down at Nymoria’s saber. “You seem more than capable of handling this quest. If anything, I may be thanking you by the end of it.” The flow of conversation started off awkwardly as Acanthus adjusted to the pace of Cardinal’s translation. Nymoria peppered her with signed questions. Have you completed this quest before? “No, actually. This is my first time. I didn’t realize the quest was repeatable. Have you been here before then?” Are you a frontliner? Have you been doing a l

Crafting for 8/27/2024 EXP: 367/639

This was the first night Acanthus had spent on a floor other than the first or twenty-fourth. The cool, damp air was unfamiliar to her, and she had tossed and turned all night trying to go to sleep. The sleep she did have was fraught with strange dreams. She was back on the first floor, in the grove where she’d found the demonic shard, only Kumatetsu was there instead. She fought the bear with only her knife for what seemed like hours. Then, the knife disappeared. She felt the pain indicator go off, and realized her knife was now protruding from her chest, driven by a familiar hand. Acant

On the outskirts of Ellesmera, Acanthus stumbled into a strange sight. A traveling cook with a cart stocked to the brim with food. She had a hard time believing the selection that was available, although the descriptions left her a little underwhelmed. Tasteless, tasteless, mild. Each of the descriptions seemed like a scathing indictment of the meal itself. But Acanthis didn’t care. Food here still had a strange taste to it—so no taste at all would be fine with her. She approached the cart tentatively, col in hand and prepared to buy a few things for her journey to Little Eden. Purchasing

You slip between the tent flaps. The furnishings speak to an austere and functional taste. There is a single cot in the corner and a table in the center, crudely fashioned from island lumber. On the table rests a rolled scrap of paper, sealed by a drip of green wax. The only other item of interest in the tent is a closed chest that appears unlocked. Unfortunately, your attempt to sneak into the tent did not go unnoticed. As you survey the inside of the tent, you hear whispered conversations begin to pick up. A few of the mercenaries are talking amongst themselves, and you hear the

The Stranger stared down the bear cub. The blade tensed up in her hand; the blade began to glow a deep red as she channeled the sword art. From the look in her eyes, Acanthus could tell the girl was about to enjoy this. A single knife flashed, and the bear exploded into crystalline fragments. "Are you alright?" I feel great. “I’m… I’m fine. I’m fine.” The Stranger had left; Acanthus had returned. Her whole body ached. Slowly, she wiped her blade on her cloak. “Thanks. For asking.” She knew it was apparent that the experience had rattled her, but it wasn't a conversation sh

Crafting for 8/26/24 EXP 347/639

She heard the whoosh of the knives and the bears’ agonized roaring. But the roaring didn’t stop. And if it didn’t stop, then that meant the bears weren’t dead. Not bears—cubs. Despite their size, the game had decided that they would be fighting cubs. And it got the details right: the uncertain gait, the way they fought awkwardly and without experience. And the eyes. They weren’t pleading like their mother. The cubs were confused. Aggressive, but confused. Diving between two of the limping bears, she lashed out with all her misplaced anger. Her sword caught one cub monster, shattering