Acanthus

The words bolstered Hirru’s urging to press the attack, and Acanthus allowed herself to be swept up in the savage language. “Rip and tear!” she yelled. It was something she had heard her brother say once—probably a gamer battle cry of some sort. She leapt out of the muck, looking to score another critical hit. With Hirru’s bonus, she dealt another powerful blow to the boss, but she failed to find a weak point. What she did find, however, was an advantageous position on the far side of the bear, flanking it. With an uncharacteristic recklessness, she glossed over the fact that she was separated

Acanthus knelt for a long time, pondering the lightness of the candle. Her mind wandered back to her parents, as the prompt commanded. To say her parents guided was… a kind way to think about it. They had loved in their own ways, but they seemed to adopt opposite, equally ineffective approaches to her childhood. Thoughts of her father barking at her like a drill sergeant invaded her mind. Her mother's quiet acceptance. Regardless of how she felt, it would be rude to not offer them both a blessing. “To our parents who guide our journey, we grant of you this blessing.” She

“This invitation… It’s very beautiful. You really didn’t have to.” Acanthus turned the white envelope over in her hand. And the calligraphy appeared to be actually hand-drawn, rather than one of Cardinal’s fonts. (Sometimes Acanthus was too serious for her own good. This was one of those moments.) “A pet is one thing, but I would be terrified if someone brought home a child for me to care for without telling me first. You know your fiancé best, but perhaps a small conversation about it first would be a good start to your marriage.” “I believe I’ve seen a man in red around, but I d

Nearly a week passed before Acanthus gathered up the strength to return to the event. She walked stiffly down the main street, toward Dayanita. Everyone else here is wearing the same clothes as you. It’s just your stupid brain telling you stupid things. She passed by the pallankuli tables. She’d already put in enough work on those. It was time to let other people have fun and enjoy themselves. And she brushed past Hiten without so much as a second glance. Her Aarti probably hadn’t been good enough to merit any further submissions. Dayanita greeted her neutrally. “Traveler, would you

The navel-gazing philosophy evaporated from Acanthus’ mind as soon as she saw NIGHT getting whisked away in the monster’s jaws. “Hang on!” She shouted desperately. Wading through the muck as fast as she could, she lamented her disciplined safety. She should have brought Ajisai instead of botan; that way, she would have a chance to wrest NIGHT from Callisto. Instead, she was limited to her routine damage. Some of the murky water sank into her left boot, and a cold shiver traveled from her heel to the top of her spine. It’s not real, she whispered to herself. But NIGHT is. Acanthus lun

Acanthus paused, confused by the invitation to share more. Hadn’t she already overshared? About real life no less. She didn’t get the impression he was laughing at her expense, but she hadn’t ruled out the questions as social obligations. She resolved to be much more composed this time. “Yes, relatively new. I doubt I’ll be ready for the next floor boss, but I intend to support the frontliners however I can, even if it’s just having some performance crystals ready for them.” She dug her feet into the wet sand, doing her best to bury them before the next wave came in. A sharp pain exp

Press, delay, move forward. Press, delay… Acanthus brought her sword back up, wary of Callisto’s wrath. Team 1 had narrowly avoided his attacks last round, but not everyone could say the same. In the distance, Team 4 scattered as Callisto shattered their formation. She fought the urge to run to them, to ask if she could help. That sort of thoughtless thoughtfulness would end up getting both teams killed. Acanthus accepted that she would likely die here, but she had a harder time accepting that others had done the same. Firming up her stance, Acanthus was thrown off by the incorporeal

Purchasing. (1) Spyglass (x3) Payment. 800 col sent to banker.

Crafting for 10/31/2024 Extended Workshop. (+3 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) Roll: ID# CD: LD: Quality Count Experience Ambition Mod 1 237184 CD: 3 +1 LD: 17 Uncommon (Mast) - 6 (+3 Ambition) 2 237183 CD: 7 +1

This was a bad idea. Acanthus returned with another set of crafts. The beautiful saree she wore seemed much less beautiful with her in it. She felt clumsy as she stepped on the hem of the garment time and time again. And people kept staring. Everywhere she looked, people were staring at her, only to quickly glance away. I’m wearing it wrong. I must be wearing the stupid thing wrong. And everyone here is too nice to say something. She met with Hiten one last time. “As much as I’ve enjoyed making all of these songs, I don’t know that I have many more of these in me. I’m spending a lot of ma

Acanthus took a different path to Hiten today. She wasn’t sure what had sparked the deviation, but to Acanthus, it felt nearly criminal. She’d already measured out the shortest path; doing anything else cost her time in the game. By her count, it was about 47 seconds longer. And the time was about to stretch even further. One of the festival NPCs approached her from a purple marquee, drawing Acanthus to her with a gentle, enamoring voice. "Hello. How might I be of service today?" “Nothing, thank you.” Despite her rush, she felt compelled to stay and chat just a little longer. She did

Crafting for 10/30/2024 Extended Workshop. (+3 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) Roll: ID# CD: LD: Quality Count Experience Ambition Mod 1 237160 CD: 8 +1 LD: 10 Rare - 8 (+3 Ambition) 2 237159 CD: 2 +1 LD:

The Pallankuli tables called to Acanthus. She hopped over like a curious bird to see what had been done since the last time she’d been here. Crestfallen, she observed the stones in mostly the same places as before. Were other people not taking these games seriously? She reached for another large pile of stones. She’d prefer that every pocket have the exact same number of stones, but she knew that wasn’t the way the game was played. Some irrational part of her just liked the way everything looked so even on the board. The tables began to crowd around her, she began to feel a little crowded

Crafting for 10/29/2024 Extended Workshop. (+3 EXP total from Trinket | Tuning Fork + Hard Working) Roll: ID# CD: LD: Quality Count Experience Ambition Mod 1 237110 CD: 7 +1 LD: 16 Rare (Mast) - 8 (+3 Ambition) 2 237109 CD: 4 +1 LD:

The younger boy seemed content to dig on his own for now. “Let me know if you change your mind.” And so she continued her orderly line across the surf. There was a foot where her next hole was supposed to go. As if awakening from a dream, Acanthus exited her self-made subroutine and examined the person to whom the foot belonged. A melancholy man with a mop of ginger hair nursed a bottle, staring contemplatively out at the sea. He seemed like he was deep in thought—it would probably be best to work around him. With a slight circular arc, she continued her line of holes behind the brooding