Acanthus

“I’m not hurt. Thank you for checking.” She shook her head to forget the surprise, and then focused on the fight. Nymoria was busy driving the snapdragon backwards. Acanthus approached on her flank, looking for an opening. Hopefully, this is it. She looked up at her energy bar with a hint of nervousness. Otherwise we’ll be hacking it to death slowly. She wasn’t worried about their safety at this point; it was just one creature and the two of them could probably avoid it and any additional mobs for as long as they needed to recover. But it was more about practicing for when it *did* matter

Acanthus returned from Vengal’s bar after a short while after receiving a message that her crafts were available. She looked over the product approvingly. “Thank you for your persistent efforts. I would not have made it this far without you, and many of the other players here.” She drew Ajisai from its sheathe and drew her hand along the blade. [[You cannot damage a player in a safe zone]]. She smiled sadly. Looking back to Ren, she said, “please let me know if you ever need anything to keep your trade going. The more people we prepare for the game, the sooner we can all go home.” It

Acanthus nodded, resolute. Sure enough, the snapdragons were starting to recover. She did her best to attack while they were still groggy. With three well-placed hits, she managed to down the weaker ones. But the last one fully prepared, and Nymoria was right: it was angry. Closing in carefully, Acanthus eyed a few weak spots. I think I can force a bleed critical if I just focus around the wings. The snapdragon seemed to be eyeing her as well. It was unnerving. I’m learning with every fight… Is Cardinal learning too? She had let herself get distracted again. The snapdragon lashed out

Acanthus decided a break was in order after her ordeal on the tenth floor. So a trip down to the wintery town of Snowfrost was in order. Acanthus loved the snow—winter was her favorite season. Everything was so calm and quiet, and the weather made for a good excuse to stay inside. But nobody in Snowfrost was inside. As she teleported in, it looked like the entire town had turned out for what looked like a large festival. Booths set up, full of crafts and food and all sorts of fun, colorful things. A pair of teenagers appeared to be working on a large red dragon. The air of the town was on

He was taller than her. That’s not typical. Craning her neck, she watched as the giant of a man unfurled his hand. In it rested a potion and… a tofu burger? "You must be the ones sent for me. I'm sorry for the inconvenience." Acanthus’ mind reeled with thoughts about the stranger. “Thank you.” Taking them gingerly from the palm of his hand, she decided that this was not a trap, and that she would definitely—probably—not die from taking food from a stranger. A very tall, stoic stranger. She quaffed the potion in a single draw, and began to munch on the tofu burger. She had loved tofu in th

Clonk. A buzz sounded in her head as the saya bounced off of it. “Do I look like your damn mother?!” Acanthus studied Shay for a moment, thinking hard. “No. You’re about the same height, but there’s a few dissimilarities.” Shay stormed up to the Monkey King, adeptly swapping to a new sword. Another impressive blade. I wonder where she’ll put it— A horrifying noise filled the forest. Acanthus winced. Maybe it would be best to put the beast out of its misery now. Dodging the thrashing arms, and giving Shay a wide—very wide—berth, Acanthus moved around to the side of the fallen monkey,

Acanthus strode back into Rencesvals’ shop. It seemed like a lifetime ago that she’d been in here, begging for whatever the veterans would provide for her. She recalled stumbling through the process, and being gently corrected when she’d requested unique enhancements on her crafted gear. That’s not me anymore. She cleared her throat, talking firmly with whoever was available. “It’s been some time, but I am back. I’ve made it to the fourth tier, and would like a new sword and armor to keep me moving forward. I’ve drawn up a plan and some descriptions for you—everything should be in order.

Glyndbourne was a beautiful sight. Acanthus had only recently found her way up here after reaching tier four. Throughout her adventures, she had accrued a growing pile of unidentified items. It’s time that I finally do something with all this junk. She had picked up wind of a new appraiser while sampling some brews at the sour pub. And now here she was, taking in the autumnal atmosphere of floor 28 with a cart full of unidentified items. Acanthus entered the shop and approached the front desk. Unceremoniously, she opened her menu, swiped two buttons, and watched as an avalanche of items t

Slowly, Acanthus eased back into a rhythm with Nymoria. She’s so much more graceful than I am. Maybe it’s my armor. Still, Acanthus tried not to be too hard on herself. Other than that one mistake earlier, you’ve been holding your own. Try to focus on that. You take what I miss. Acanthus understood. She waited for any remaining drakes to finish off, only to watch in admiration as she finished off the last drake herself. “That was excellent. You really know how to handle your sabre.” Acanthus looked around, ready to engage another pack. I’ve still got the energy for another fight. She

Acanthus watched the new ghasts floating towards them. Pinball flung his knives and she watched as the knives sunk slowly into their incorporeal forms. Acanthus readied her blade, eager for another round of combat. I can do this. Breathing deeply, she channeled all her strength into another sword art and charged into the fight, ready to end the ghasts quickly. She sliced through the first ghast recklessly, eager for more. She whirled around, and all of the sudden, the sword felt like lead in her hands. Everything felt too fast, too loud, too much. Struggling, she tried lifting her sword again.

Race you. Acanthus smiled softly. She didn’t often have strong feelings, but when she did, she wore them openly. She had no doubt the abrupt change signaled her sadness. Rather than press her, Nymoria chose to go along with the change. Teasing her again. In some ways, Nymoria reminded her of her best friend from high school. They had grown apart over the years, but the memories were still there. Acanthus followed, hot on Nymoria’s heels. Following up on her combat, she moved quickly into position. Finesse, she reminded herself. She repeated it like a mantra as she powered up her swor

THREAD SUMMARY Acanthus Experience: ((5,136/10) * .7 * 3) + 700 (Quest) * 2 = 3,557 EXP Col: 250 (quest) + 400 (completed pages) + 750 (gathering) = 1,350 col (3) materials (gathering) +32 foraging EXP Blessing of Barkskin: A small piece of wood engraved with the blessing of the forest. Upon use makes the wearer's skin appear to be more like bark. Increases Mitigation by 25 for 1 thread. This item has 3 charges and is destroyed on the third use. This effect stacks with other existing Mitigation effects. Unlocked: <<Treant Treatise>>

Acanthus’ face brightened. “Exactly. And not just flowers either—trees, mosses, anything green. Or I guess, anything green on land. Trying to include algae would just be another lifetime. And no fungi. Don’t even get me started on fungi.” She frowned in contemplation. Acanthus laughed in agreement. “I think the thirteenth floor would probably take me a year alone.” Nymoria mentioned guides, and Acanthus gave a firm nod. “I’ve looked a bit for a guide, but I haven’t found anything that really matches what I’m envisioning.” Acanthus busied herself by gathering as she talked. She rol

Acanthus followed hot on her heels. “I think I’m ready for the second quest now. If you are, that is. I can also wait a little bit. I should be back down to floor eight in a few days.” She looked back at the elvish queen before saying, “thanks for taking the mercy route. I know it didn’t make a difference in the end, but it made me feel a little better, if nothing else.” Acanthus gave Cordelia a casual bow. “And thank you for bringing me along as a last-minute decision. I’m sure you could have handled the entire thing yourself, but it was nice to see you fight. The more I watch other play

“Miso butter cookies? I don’t think I’ve ever had those. They sound… savory?” Acanthus struggled to think of a positive. To her, miso seemed like an odd choice of flavoring. Then again, she had always been a picky eater. When asked about the things she enjoyed eating in game, Acanthus became a little evasive. I should have known better than to bring up food. “I miss all of it, really. The mochi cake sounds wonderful though. I think what I miss most are strawberries. I’d even take something strawberry-flavored. I found a nice cafe on the first floor that offers something similar…” she trai

Acanthus walked into Silent Moments and looked around. The eclectic nature reminded her of Honeydew and Hushwind, although she wondered if the comparison was mostly imagined. The ambience here also felt more cheerful—she had the vague feeling that it was winter, and the inside was all the more cozy for the weather waiting for her outside. After taking her time to walk through the shop, she stopped at a small shelf that contained a locating charm. The small compass appealed to Acanthus. She brought the trinket to the front of the store. “Hi, Nymoria, it’s good to see you again. This is a lovely

Oz seemed to perk up. "You guys hear that?" He looked into the jungle beyond, trying to catch a glance at something in the distance. “I don’t see anything.” Sewallas stepped in front of Acanthus and Oz, yelling something about Shay being a “she-devil.” Acanthus tried to quiet him politely. “I’m afraid you’re going to attract some unwanted attention, Sewallas.” He turned and glared at her. “That’s *Captain* Sewallis to you, you ignorant—” “—Look out!” Acanthus tackled the captain as a massive simian hand appeared out of nowhere, crushing where they had stood just moments before. Despi

THREAD SUMMARY EXP: 500 (Quest) + 1,388 ((4628 words/10) * 1 * 3) * 2 (New Adventurer) = 3,776 EXP Loot Totals +41 foraging EXP (20) materials 35,900 col (Loot + 500 from quest) T3 Perfect Weapon | 230668b T3 Perfect Armor/Shield | 230650a, 230651a, 230666a, 230667a, 230668a, 230678a T3 Perfect Trinket | 230666b, 230667b T3 Perfect Consumable | 230650b, 230650c, 230651b, 230651c T3 Rare Armor/Shield | 230649a T3 Rare Consumable | 230678b 230678c

Acanthus tuned out the mother’s tearful reunion with her son. She barely even remembered the mother’s name from a few hours ago. No sense getting emotionally involved in such a small quest. She hastily clicked through the quest rewards, and left in the middle of the NPC’s closing speech. If I can handle combat that well on the third floor, it’s time to take on some harder challenges. I’ll need to make a list of the available quests in the info broker’s guide, cross reference that with a list of skills offered by the quests. The sooner I start leaning into my DoT build, the sooner I can ge

Acanthus looked over the treasure chest. It appeared intact. She rejoiced. Kagamine appeared over the hill, curious at what was taking her so long. “That looks like quite a haul!” He said. Acanthus nodded. “This is a lucky find. Let’s see what’s inside.” She dug out a set of lockpicks from her inventory. They weren’t any better than the basic ones the game offered—all they accomplished was giving her the chance to get the chest open. She had debated adding some additional skill points into lockpicking and dismantling, but the combat skills kept coming first. On one had, she regretted not havin

Acanthus and Kagamine walked back along the main road to Flora. Around this time, Acanthus remembered treasure chests. They usually spawned around the end of quests, although she hadn’t been lucky enough to find one yet. She decided to take a quick detour and try her luck again. “Miss Acanthus? Why are we going off the road?” “We’ll get right back on. I have to look for a treasure chest.” Kagamine looked like he was about to say something before biting his tongue. “As long as I can make it back home soon, I guess we can stop for a moment.” It’s not like your programming will let

Without Acanthus’ conversation, the Captain resorted to its scripted lines. “I’ll get you!” it screamed as the figure lept in the air. Acanthus met the axe with Meteor, maneuvering the blow to redirect the force into the wall. The strike rattled the captain, causing the boss to drop its axe. As the Bandit Captain reached down for the weapon, it left the perfect opportunity open to strike. If I were a hero, this is where I would same something fun or interesting as I dealt the final blow. Silently, she brought her sword down on the captain’s back. The boss landed on the floor with a sick thud,

The Bandit Captain grinned. “I like a little attitude in my ransoms. It makes the conversation much more enjoyable.” “I’m not here to banter with ones and zeros,” Acanthus said flatly. The Bandit Captain frowned, but gave no response. “I don’t want to sit here exchanging pithy comments like we’re heroes in some novel. We’re not. I’m trapped in a game, and you’re just another pathetic quest boss in between me and the frontlines. So do me a favor and die quickly. The sooner you do, the sooner you can respawn for the next hapless hero." The Captain didn’t quite know what to make of Acan

Recovering quickly, the Bandit Captain grabbed Acanthus’ wrist and flung her over her shoulder. She crashed into a bookshelf, spilling scrolls and books all over the floor. “How’s this for a little payback!” The captain guffawed. “Seeing as what all you’ve done to my men.” She lept in the air, and her axe connected squarely with the still dazed Acanthus. The axe went deep into her shoulder, sending waves of buzzing all up her spine. Acanthus grinned. “I’d say you’re starting to pay back their deaths. But you’ll have to try harder than this.” The captain roared as she ripped the axe out of Acan

The door to the easternmost tower of the castle loomed over the hallway. It had the distinct feeling of the entrance to a boss fight. Kagamine whimpered. Acanthus gave him a stoic look. “Same as last time. You wait outside.” Without waiting for his response, she threw the door open and strode through. The bandit captain leaned thoughtfully over a wooden table, studying maps and documents. She was shorter, dressed in furs and worn leather armor. A greataxe taller than the captain was strapped to her back. “So you’re the intruder that’s releasing all my ransoms?” She straightened up be