Acanthus

Eiji appeared next to Haru’s desk again, his usual cheer noticeably absent. Haru spoke without looking up. “Another dinner, then.” Eiji groaned in confirmation. “That stuffy old man ruins the mood without even trying. I swear, he—” “—he is responsible for funding our branch of the hospital.” Mr. Nakatani cut in. “And he’s taken a special interest in the work we’ve been doing. Work that’s ended up spearheaded by our used-to-be intern, Haru.” Mr. Nakatani glanced sympathetically over to Haru. “I know it’s not how you’d prefer to spend your evenings, but networking is unfortunately very impo

Meter by meter, the carriage overtook the mysterious player’s steps. Despite the rattling wheels, the figure did not so much as glance behind. Had she been on any other floor, Acanthus might have written the oddness off as a person lost in thought. But Floor 29 lived to play nasty tricks on its victims. Close enough to make out the figure’s light copper hair, Acanthus prepared for anything. In the single, sharp sound of bone splintering, the mimic’s head snapped around like an owl, staring Acanthus in the eyes. It wasn’t just a mimic. It was one of the Gemini. How else did the thing know

Acanthus piled the last box onto the carriage. The work had moved slowly, but that was fine with her. Blood was still finding its way back to her fingers after her brief encounter with… the quest? Whatever had happened did not conform to any question she had been on. Even her experience with the glitched monsters on level three hadn’t quite compared. Those were still things that she could see and process. Her experience on the boat seemed like a burst of data she could not possibly process—like an ant trying to comprehend the lines of a book as it crawled over something it had previously regar

The atmosphere was anything but celebratory. Eiji had barely touched his food. Akihiko had a sober frown that she had only seen on the worst of work days. The entire team seemed devoid of their usual personalities, and it made Haru sad to see them so muted. “I understand your team has refined the workflow in a profound new manner. The reports seem to confirm that: more productivity than the rest of the hospital combined, and with half the manpower. Truly an impressive achievement.” “An achievement impossible without our newest member.” Mr. Nakatani signaled to Haru, who stood up clumsily

“Haru Masuda.” She seized, noticing the Director’s gaze. “Noboru Masuda’s daughter, yes?” Haru nodded meekly. Center of attention was worst of all. And today, she did not have her fermented weapons to protect her. The Director returned her nod. “An able doctor. Though less efficient since he took a sabbatical six or seven years back.” The rest of the table paled; Mr. Nakatani quickly jumped in. “Haru has been—” “I was talking to Masuda. Which you should also refer to her as, unless there is some closeness that I am unaware of?” The color from Mr. Nakatani’s face drained. He managed a

The world began to tremble. She could already tell that no handhold or foothold would keep her in place. It was like being at the peak of a mountain, and hearing the echoing boom of a landslide, knowing that there was no avoiding it. She worked her sword deeper into the thing’s weak spot, and the colossus thundered with rage and pain. It was her only chance. Its mammoth foot hit the ground, so far away that the sound reached her seconds after she saw the shockwaves of earth tear through the land below. When the sound connected, it connected with a wall of force so intense that it knocked

Your help terrifies me Recovery. +4 EN. +7 HP Main Action. Rest +10 EN 243489 | CD 8 | No Madness gained. (0 total) [5] Acanthus | HP: 168/200 | EN: 26/38 | DMG: 10 | MIT:56 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 4 | THORNS:18 | BH:7 | HB: 9 | LD:3 | Hype 1/3 | Sanity 2 [0] Hirru | HP: 138/200 | EN: 27/38 | DMG: 1 | MIT: 42 | ACC: 1 | BH: 7 | HLY BLS: 9 | MENDING: 2 | REC: 2 | THRNS: 18 | PARA | ENV-0 8 | LD: 3 | Hype 2/3 CD 3/3

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Initiative. 243416 | LD 6 “Hello, Oscar.” Acanthus had been curious to try out a few different personas in the previous rounds. The dramatic dance duo with Kiyabu, her quiet, angry monologue with Hirru, and… Morningstar. She didn’t have the energy to be anyone but herself this week. And this seemed as good a week as any to remain quiet and focused. Oscar had more than enough personality for both of them. He probably wouldn’t mind the extra limelight. “I’m looking forward to our fight. I don’t anticipate winning, but don’t expect to get off easy either.” She paused before drawing

Today, she was defenseless. She said at a long table with her coworkers; to her relief, they appeared just as uncomfortable as her. The Director had picked a restaurant far more upscale than the dives they usually frequented. “Mr. Nakatani, please try some of the quail eggs. I’ve had them all over Japan; nowhere else compares to Chef’s.” Haru hadn’t pictured Mr. Nakatani as a very elegant person, but he handled the conversation with an envious ease. Mr. Nakatani nodded politely, turning to the waiter an ordering. “Quail eggs, six oolongs, and a few other seasonal dishes that the chef migh

Unloading the Cargo 243249 | LD 16 | You hear a voice that only you can hear. It speaks in tongues but you understand. Terrible things whispered into your ear, Once you depart from the vessel, the voice is no longer with you. (Literally I was hoping for any of the outcomes other than this one. LET ME WRITE SOMETHING THAT ISN'T VOICES) ----- The moment her boots touched the boat, she knew something was wrong. Acanthus didn’t expect the boat to clip through the dock again. The fear was something more subtle, less describable. It was like the feeling in the back of her stomach the mom

I don’t know much about boats, but at this rate, the ship is never going to— docked right in front of her, clipping through the wooden piers. The massive galleon vibrated angrily, stuck between the textures. It promptly vanished, reappeared, zipped up into the air, came back down, did a flip, vibrated a little more. And then it settled calmly next to the dock, awaiting a player’s touch. Acanthus eyed the object incredulously. Maybe vocalizing her anxieties would reduce them “How fucked up would it be it you did that again and catapulted me three miles out to sea to be eaten by some f

A horseless carriage awaited her outside the bar. Acanthus slung herself up into the driver’s seat with an anxious impatience. One last bottle from the shop dangled in her fingertips. It had been the most disgusting of the beverages by far, something that had put even Oz’s most experimental elixirs to shame. “C’mon, hurry up. Go. ‘Yip yip,’ you stupid—” The cart lurched forward with an unsteady gait. Acanthus gripped the reins with her free hand, swigging rotten battery acid with the other. If it tasted bad enough, she could pretend it was working. ----- Waiting at the docks 24

Three bottles later, her nerves were still shot. It hadn’t been very long ago the frontlines had taken to this floor, looking for the labyrinth as quickly as they could manage. It was going well until some stupid, low-level players decided to let their curiosity overpower their common sense. The new floor had turned into a graveyard for some of that unlucky one-hundred. Not unlucky, she reminded herself. Stupid. The young, defenseless boy flashed through her mind. She recalled his final whimper vividly. Or what should have been, except for Jomei. Acanthus took a tired swig from the bottle

Waiting at the docks 243228 | LD 10 | You see the ship far away, on the horizon. You blink and suddenly the ship is right upon you, and much bigger than you were expecting. “We’re heading out. Same place tonight?” Haru looked up at Eiji. He seemed excited at the prospect. Haru was unused to people being excited to socialize with her. “Sure thing, Eiji. Just want to wrap a few things up and I’ll see you all there soon.” Eiji beamed, shot her a thumbs up, and disappeared. Haru looked back at her desk. She had finished her work hours ago; now, she leafed through her notes on alga

Acanthus drank in the tense silence. Maybe if she waited a little longer, he’d show. But two and a half bottles later, she began to doubt it. With a perfectly sober hand, she reached for another bottle behind the counter and cursed the game. Old enough to die, but not old enough to get drunk doing it. Fuck Cardinal, and fuck Kayaba. Fishing around in the dark for another bottle, her hand instead closed around something crinkly and dry, like the carcass of a large beetle. Her hand snapped back to her side as her anxiety spiked. A drink—a real one—would be perfect right about now. Slowly, s

“KANPAI!” Haru stood as she raised her glass, nearly knocking over the collection in front of her. Akihiko laughed. “Damn, Haru, you’re probably about half beer at this point!” “Bbiolo gica lly imp ossible,” Haru slurred her retort as she sat back down. “P oint ffiv e blooo d alcolol content kills people. Iiam probably sitting around—” She jostled up in down in her seat, like she was weighing herself. “Point oon e four.” Mr. Nakatani laughed. “I knew you were smart, Haru. I didn’t realize you were your own breathalyzer.” Haru shook her head, arms splayed out. “Ssmathmatics. I’ve have

“Why is that?” Came the innocent question from Eiji. Haru’s world slowed to a halt as she scrambled for an answer. Thankfully, Mr. Nakatani stepped in. “She’s a busy girl, Eiji. Getting into the University was one thing. Now she’s dealing with classes and exams on top of a full work schedule at the hospital. You said you had an exam next week for History of Japanese Government, right? How is that going?” Any attention was bad attention, but center of attention was the worst of all. Haru nearly fell over at the table. Maybe it wasn’t too late to leave. Or fake a heart attack. A beer a

The decrepit bar greeted Acanthus with a mournful whistle as she forced the crooked door shut. Her mind was still racing. There had to be someone here. This was the exact location—she had triple checked. Her heart pounded. —Haru’s heart pounded. Mr. Nakatani had dropped her right into the middle of the table. It was barely 20:30 and the drinks were flowing freely. “Slow down, Eiji!” A short man in glasses playfully slapped the back of the wiry boy sitting next to him, who appeared to be halfway through his first plate already. “Gods know where you put that. I miss having your kind of

On the House Acanthus slammed the tavern door open. Breathless and nearly doubled over, she managed her question through half a dozen wheezing coughs. “Where… where—are—you?” “Where are ya goin’, Masuda?” Haru craned her neck to look at the clock. 20:00 on the dot. She remained frozen, foot halfway out the door as the rest of her coworkers observed her like an animal in a zoo. Gingerly, her foot returned inside. “I usually leave work around this time.” Her confidence faltered for just a moment. “I—I have all my projects finished and I’ve made sure the lab equipment is

“I understand the need for a good routine. I myself enjoy some light calisthenics to wake up along with the sunrise. The sea breeze doesn’t quite match real life, but… it has to do, doesn’t it?” Acanthus moved to the front of the group to try and get a better glimpse of the path. There were a few options ahead of them, and she waited to see what Wildfire would do. They stopped to adjust their lenses and survey the area. Both Nymoria and Wildfire had asked similar questions: why this quest? Acanthus began to talk as she checked the area for tracks or clues, using her search skill to p

Acanthus nodded solemnly, the humor entirely lost on her. “Children are hard workers. I’m sure he would see them helping in your shop and realize how much the arrangement benefits both you and the children. Although I don’t know if learning a trade here would really translate into the real world if they get back...When they get back.” Her voice softened at the mistake. “Does, um, does Wulfrin have a shop? Oh, you said he was a blacksmith already. Forgive me.” A warm, black lump of fur distracted her from her conversational tailspin. Kumaki's mouth contained a trace amount of cookie—just e

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I'll give you your next break >:( Recovery. +1 EN. +0 HP Main Action: ST-1 -> Morningstar (-8 EN) ROLLID | BD 7 + 4 - 4 | Hit! 8 * 10 = 80 + 20 = 100 damage. Swift Action. Vampire Noble's Knife (-2 EN) | Additional 20 damage (included above). +20 HP. Acanthus | HP: 236/440 | EN: 5/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 56 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 4 | THORNS:18 | BH:14 | HB: 18 | LD:3 | BURN: 14 (2/2) | FTK (7/7) Morningstar | HP: 9/450 | EN: 12/43 | DMG: 9 | ACC: 4 | AA | EVA: 4 | REC: 2 | LD: 4 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | SUSHI

I can just paste the exact last block Recovery. +1 EN. +18 HP Swift Action. Nothing Main Action: Paralyzed Morningstar, you scallywag. You absolute blaggard Acanthus | HP: 248/440 | EN: 14/43 | DMG: 10 | MIT: 56 | ACC:3 | AA | FL.AURA: 4 | THORNS:18 | BH:14 | HB: 18 | LD:3 | BURN: 14 (2/2) | FTK (7/7) Morningstar | HP: 109/450 | EN: 8/43 | DMG: 9 | ACC: 4 | AA | EVA: 4 | REC: 2 | LD: 4 | FLN: 4 | PARA-V | SUSHI