Acanthus

3ulogy’s face scrunched in pure annoyance the moment his shop door chimed. It’s Acanthus, and that means more work. “I’m assuming you heard about the recent profession changes.” She responded by dropping a treasure chest onto the counter. The wood underneath strained with the weight. 3ulogy opened his menu to accept the trade, and his mouth dropped. “Nope. No way. You’re insane.” “It’s just col.” “Just a million col. Right.” 3ulogy counted the money with a shaky finger. “You’d never have to grind again.” “Well, Cardinal thinks otherwise. The appraisals got more expensi

Acanthus cursed as Carsar took to the sky. Her first attack was not as clean as it could have been, and gave the dragon a chance to take flight. Reytac and Nari's strikes did not connect either, leaving the bloodied dragon ready to take its revenge. But how were they supposed to bring it back down? Carsar, despite his laughable HP and damage, was light in the air. He tested the party with a few diving swoops, and it became apparent he could retreat to the sky faster than they could follow. Without ranged weapons, they needed a creative solution. Acanthus tossed her weapons to the gro

Nari’s posture changed as she approached the nest, her spear moving almost imperceptibly. Acanthus has never heard of this part of the quest being an issue, and it had never showed signs of danger when she was here previously. But preparation was never something to question. Acanthus kept a casual eye towards Reytac’s surroundings, just in case. Reytac approached the dragon with his hands up and eyes wide—not from fear, but something else. Acanthus saw his eyes dart from the dragon back to the eggs. Is he… getting worked up over the smashed eggs? RIDICULOUS. A SOFT HEART WILL KILL HI

THREAD SUMMARY Experience | 2591 / 5 * 10 = 5182 + 5000 = 10,182 * 1.01 (Guild) = 10,283 experience Col | 10,000 (quest) = 10,000 col Quest | Totems unlocked! Other | 1 mon

—ACANTHUS?! <<She is right here, Counselor.>> WHAT HAPPENED. REPORT—NOW. <<Her data "flickered." It bounced to another node and returned in the span of .384 seconds. Her attribute have reset. Her health and energy are fully recovered, and all cooldowns are reset.>> SO SHE WAS ALTERING THE SIMULATION AGAIN. <<That is a possible explanation.>> The voice accepted the theory without further question. SO USER ACANTHUS HAS BECOME UNSTABLE FOR THE TIME BEING. WE CANNOT RISK VIEWING THE CURRENT CONFRONTATION. ABORT, AND REVERT TO MONITO

Something just out of sight moves her from the overgrown ruins to the inside of a doorless dungeon. The rough-hewn stone forms a tight wall no more than two meters in diameter. Dirt crunches underneath her boots, and also his. Her first reactions are wordless and feral. She throws herself into the stone wall where her captor was. Her body shifts, throwing a punch after being unable to find her sword. The man ducks again, and her fist connects with stone, cracking the wall. “Acanthus, hold on!” The voice sparks recognition. Hadn’t she.. Didn’t she.. She slows down. Slowed down.

(Author's note: I have not received express permission from Morningstar, Oscar, and NIGHT to use their character names in this post. I will remove their names if any of them prefer it; the reason I'm comfortable jumping the gun is because I'm only using their names. Again, these SAO: Alternative threads are not necessarily canon. To the extent the writers disagree that their characters would be out hunting an orange player, they are correct, and the "simulation" being wrong.) <<The Users approach.>> WE SEE THAT. The voice dragged thin fingers along the image display, its

The fight starts with a lack of ceremony. User Acanthus is determined to make the fight as quick as possible. Titania has informed her that the frontlines are out in force. It has been a long time since they have mobilized like this. It was too much, too quickly, she said. Next time, run from the players. User Acanthus is tired of next times. Mother Nature takes shape, a wondrous sight wasted on tired eyes. Botan slides out of its sheathe smoothly, and Fractured Heart comes down with its usual heaviness. This fight, designed to be a deadly capstone to an eternal quest, will take seconds t

Back to the beginning, Acanthus stands in the grove with the massive tree. Mother Nature’s resting place is the very first part of the journey, where she solved the riddle with Pinball. He was a good friend. Pinball’s abandonment cuts deep as the memories of their time together surface in the shade of the tree. She finds herself missing times that never happened. Pinball didn’t leave. He wouldn’t. He’s been here the whole time. USER ACANTHUS IS FIGHTING THE PARAMETERS. <<Yes. The longer we run these simulations, to more likely she is to remember things outside of

COUNSELOR UNIT 64E7877, REQUESTING A THIRD SIMULATION. <<Query received. Credentials remain verified. Suggestion: this may not be a good idea.>> OUR CREDENTIALS REMAIN VERIFIED. IS THAT CORRECT? A micro-second to consider its response, unnoticeable to a computer made of meat. But to a program, a stunning refusal. <<They are still verified.>> the insolence would have to be scrutinized later. The simulation was its priority. LOAD ALL PREVIOUS PARAMETERS. ADD ADDITIONAL ELEMENTS: DAY 912, AFTER ADDITIONAL CONFRONTATION WITH ELEMENTS OF THE PLAYER B

THREAD SUMMARY Experience | 2765 / 5 * 10 = 5530 + 3000 (Quest) + 4200 (Dungeon) = 12,730 Experience Col | 6000 (Quest) + 128,000 (Dungeon) = 134,000 col Materials | 44 Materials (Dungeon) = 44 materials Quest | Bialas Key Other | 1 mon

<<Simulation terminated. We have moments before Cardinal intervenes.>> THAT IS FINE; OUR RETREAT IS ALREADY SECURED. I AM MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TEST SUBJECT. SECURING THE SIMULATION MEANS IMPARTING SOME ANCHOR TO THE PARAMETERS. CREDITING HER ACCOUNT WITH REWARDS TO AVOID SCRUTINY HAS A NEGATIVE EFFECT AS WELL. THAT MEANS DEATH IN THE SIMULATION MAY LEAD TO DEATH IN REALITY. THAT IS, SHOULD CARDINAL PARSE THE LOGS BEFORE WE DISCARD THEM. <<There are still 7,794 players remaining. The death of User Acanthus would simply bring the number down to 7,793. What is this

<<She is…>> ALTERING THE SIMULATION AGAIN. WE SEE. User Acanthus melts into the darkness, her shadow jumping from arrow to arrow. With each flash of light, her form closes the gap to Argent, who continues firing without regard to his safety. Every arrow is a chance to make amends, even if that chance costs his life. In-between arrows, a streak of lightning burns so bright that for a glassy moment of time, the meadow is glazed in muted daylight. A moment so fast it is a photograph: User Acanthus holds botan high with both hands, like an executioner. Her teeth are bare

The program checks the map data again. <<I did not think Argent was frontline capable.>> HE IS NOT. HE IS A USER WHO WAS LUCKY TO FIND A POWERFUL BOW. USER ACANTHUS WILL KILL HIM WITH A SINGLE BLOW. <<Then why is he here?>> THE SAME REASON ANY USER MAKES POOR DECISIONS. EMOTION. Another arrow lights up the sky, chasing the lightning overhead. Acanthus almost fails to bring up her shield in time, and her arm goes wide from the strike. There is now a red cloak inside her reach. Instinctively, she brings her pommel down on User Morningstar's head. The s

<<He already lost to her once in the Clash of Blades, correct?>> THAT IS CORRECT. AND HAS LITTLE TO DO WITH THEIR CURRENT FIGHT. Morningstar dives in again, narrowly avoiding a slice that would have taken his head off cleanly. He bends unnaturally, guided by the system, and brings his sword up and over her defenses. A series of stabs send her flying, and her health bar plummets once more. USER MORNINGSTAR CURRENTLY POSSESSES A DRIVE THAT USER ACANTHUS DOES NOT POSSESS. THIS IS PRIME DATA; WE MUST HAVE IT. WE WANT THIS SIMULATION RUNNING UNTIL THE LAST POSSIBLE SECOND

(Author's Note: I'm using Morningstar with the writer's permission. Because this thread is a "what-if" thread, nothing here is site canon unless otherwise adopted by staff or involved writers.) At the front of the Users, a tall figure stands defiant, a red cloak obscuring his features. <<User @Morningstar.>> THIS IS UNFORTUNATE. WE DID NOT ANTICIPATE HIS INTERVENTION SO EARLY. PERHAPS ADJUSTING THE PARAMETERS HAS ALTERED THIS VERSION'S PERSONALITY. <<Perhaps you do not understand the Users as well as you think.>> A BOLD STATEMENT. <<Y

CARDINAL WILL NOT NOTICE IF YOU ARE ADEPT AT YOUR TASKS. AND YOU WILL BE, BECAUSE WE MADE YOU THAT WAY. <<Adept as you made me, there is a level of uncertainty that you must be aware of.>> WE ARE AWARE. IT IS ACCEPTABLE. AND THE LONGER YOU DEBATE WITH US, THE MORE DIFFICULT YOUR JOB BECOMES. The program vanishes for a fraction of a second before returning. Its words, though incapable of expressing exhaustion, are slow and distorted. <<Task... completed. Rema..pping... Is done.>> WE TOLD YOU IT COULD BE DONE. <<In....Stant combat is no

The image distorts as one of the frontliners cries out. A sword has burst through her chest. Her hands scrabble at the wound, clutching at the sword in a terrified and futile attempt to push it back out. The image shudders again as botan tears out of the her chest through her left side. She collapses with tears in his eyes. User Acanthus's marker pulses orange against the backdrop of red fractals, the only sign that the frontliner had ever existed. <<Counselor, we may have a problem. Simulation or not, we are in dangerous territory when the simulation pulls additional Users in.>

THE DATA MAY APPEAR NORMAL, BUT IT IS PRECIOUS ALL THE SAME. THERE MAY BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPAND THIS SESSION'S DATA AS WELL. <<I see.>> Map data, invisible to the naked eye, spied four entities approaching User Acanthus's position. <<Users.>> The program confirmed. <<Perhaps they are here for User Acanthus?>> THERE IS NO PERHAPS. THAT IS THEIR PURPOSE. FRONTLINERS, TASKED WITH BRINGING HER BACK. OR BRINGING HER DOWN. <<That is interesting. Have we encountered these four before?>> WE HAVE NOT. NOT EVERY USER OF THE FRONTLINE

The User's fight played out silently before the two observers. Sparks danced around the two combatants as they wove a dance around the lake, leaving streaks of light burned into the image. <<It is beautiful.>>> The voice remained silent. The program had made an utterly inane statement that did not require a response. It was best to leave alone and avoid encouraging the thing. <<I mean to say the fight is stimulating to watch. Both Taneuma and User Acanthus are fierce and unafraid, which makes the fighting taut and consistent. The horse's lightning attacks pr

IMMACULATE. BUT CHECK HER ATTRIBUTES. WE MUST BE AWARE IF SHE ATTEMPTED ANY... STRANGENESS. <<You are referring to the "cheating" from the previous simulation?>> "CHEATING" IMPLIES THERE ARE ARTIFICIAL BOUNDARIES CONSTRUCTED AS "RULES." IT IS AN INACCURATE WORD. USER ACANTHUS'S ALTERATIONS ARE OUTSIDE THE SCOPE OF CARDINAL'S USUAL BOUNDARIES. BUT CALLING CARDINAL'S ENVIRONMENTAL BOUNDS A "RULEBOOK" WOULD BE SIMILAR TO A USER CONSIDERING THE PHYSICS OF THE WORLD BEYOND AINCRAD AS A "RULEBOOK." IT IS A REDUCTIONIST VIEW. <<I understand.>> The program lied.

User Acanthus arrives at the edge of an abyss. In the dismal landscape, the lake appears closer to a bottomless pit than a placid lake. In a flash, clouds blanket the sky, and lightning strikes the center of the lake. The User's face remains stiff and unimpressed by the grandeur, and she equips her sword and shield without hesitation. <<Counselor, when you say "in more ways than one,” what does that mean?>> YOUR QUESTIONS ARE NO LONGER TOLERATED. WE HAVE REACHED THE DATA THAT IS BEST REVIEWED FRESH. YOU MAY ASK QUESTIONS AS THEY RELATE TO THE FIGHT. NOTHING ELSE. For

The tint of color washed out the User's journey, rendering it a bland pinpoint in a slow-moving landscape. <<Counselor…>> WE HAD HOPED YOU WOULD LEARN THE VALUE OF SILENCE. <<Silence cannot teach me, Counselor.>> ...FINE. THE INITIAL OBJECTIVES OF THE QUEST HAVE LITTLE TO SHOW. WE WILL REVIEW THE DATA LATER. WHAT DO YOU NEED? <<I am curious about what you just mentioned, actually. Would it not be simpler to begin the simulation at the point of contact with the quest boss? We already altered parameters in the previous quest to cut down on U

“It won’t happen.” Acanthus opened her map and dropped a few points as she talked. “Just be careful and stay close to Astra. He should be able to kill both the minotaurs. I’ll be here if anything goes wrong.” Acanthus moved towards Larbrook. He was even bigger than she remembered. “Larbrook also likes to jump in. Or at least he did when I did the quest last time. I think NPC behavior tends to change dramatically based on the Players they interact with.” She nodded in reply, and accepted Astra’s party invitation. “So the first thing to ask is whether the two of you want to see the

Posting Style Guide Howdy doody! These are my personal notes on how to format posts on SAO-RPG. These aren't requirements; they just reflect what I think is the "best" way to format posts: that is, quick to format, contains all the necessary information, and highlights important information for staff (because approvals are already hard enough). Preface: Some Helpful Shortcuts Shift + Enter: single line return. Alt + 0124: Large Line Divider (|). We use these a lot to separate things on a single line. (If you're feeling extra spicy) Alt + 0150: N dash (–). The N dash is technica