Acanthus

She listened eagerly as night talked about her experience. About how she had been thrust into the quest after seeking shelter on a rainy day, and subsequently found nyanko. "it took some level of persuasion to get him to stay." Acanthus cocked her head. That sounded like a story in and of itself. "but nyanko did, in the end." As night continued her story, the two crested a hill overlooking a beautiful pond. Flocks of birds came and went, and the entire area was full of the sounds of animal life. On the far end, there was a conspicuously human addition: a wooden covered wagon, with a

Name: Exquisite Entrance Profession: Performer Rank: 2 Roll ID: 227587 Roll Result: CD: 8 + 1 LD: 17 Item Type: Support Song Tier: 1 Quality: Uncommon Masterpiece Enhancements: Mass HP Recovery 1 Post Link: Here Description: A grand, powerful theme of high brassy goodness.

Crafting for 8/20/24 Ambition Active (+1 EXP per craft); Apollo's Metronome (+1 CD) Roll ID CD LD Quality Experience 1 (Support) 227587 8 + 1 8 Uncommon +4 2 (Support) 227588 8 + 1 17 Uncommon Masterpiece +4 Rank up! 163/159 Roll

“Point? Yes, I can take point.” No response. She looked over her shoulder. He had disappeared completely. And she panicked. This was it. This was the moment he had been waiting for. Here she was, out in the wilds, no one would be able to come and save her. His last words echoed in her mind. "I'll be close." SO TRUSTING. TOO TRUSTING, SHE IS. She broke into a cold sweat. No. Go away. SHE REALIZES WHY HE TOOK SO LONG TO TURN. IT WAS NEVER ABOUT WAITING FOR THE OPPORTUNE MOMENT. “Stop,” she whispered to herself. NO, HE JUST WANTED TO PLAY WITH HIS FOOD. She choked back he

Acanthus echoed Freyd’s frustration. She knew he would have to do the brunt of the work, but even still. Why am I so useless?! Half-forming a sword art, she discharged it too early to even release properly. And despite the early swing, the shark lept out of the way as it pounced for Freyd yet again. Her frustrated yell was lost in the chaotic sounds and movements of the fight. The fight needed to finish, and it needed to finish soon. The longer it went on, the more danger they were all in. Freyd had not landed a hit since his initial strike. Not that she blamed him—he was busy narrowly av

She was getting used to the silence they shared as they hiked deeper into the woods. The obligation of small talk waned in her mind; after all, you can only kill so many things with a stranger before you stop being total strangers. And it had become apparent to her that both of them preferred quiet. So the journey settled into comfortable quiet. Unburdened by small talk, Acanthus was left to wonder at the myriad of trees and flowers all around. Every bend in the path brought something new. Small blue-budded flowers draped over distant fir trees. Under her feet were some brilliant red Came

Pinball vanished into a side street, and Acanthus nearly tripped over herself to stand up and follow. She thought it was odd the way he hurried through the alleys. To her, the path felt erratic, almost like he was trying to shake some unknown source. They might have only taken a turn or two in reality, but his speed kept her preoccupied. She was busy just trying to match pace. After winding through Ellesmera’s alleys, the two arrived at the edge of the city. It was odd not to exit through the main gate. Pinball must hate crowds more than me. The next time I pick a spot to meet, I’ll make

Name: Wealth in G minor Profession: Performer Rank: 2 Roll ID: 227045 Roll Result: CD: 9 + 1 LD: 6 Item Type: Support Song Tier: 1 Quality: Uncommon Enhancements: Monster's Favor 1 Post Link: Here Description:

Crafting for 8/19/24 Ambition Active (+1 EXP per craft); Apollo's Metronome (+1 CD) Roll ID CD LD Quality Experience 1 (Support) 227405 9 + 1 6 Uncommon +4 2 (Support) 227406 2 + 1 16 Fail +2 3 (Support) 227407 5 + 1 11 Salvage (Success) +3 4 (Support) 2

Acanthus felt out of place in the ethereal beauty of Ellesmera. The buildings blended with the verdant forest that she swore some of them had been grown rather than built. Even the sounds of the city seemed orchestrated. The gentle hum of the crowd flowed through the streets, peppered by warbling songbirds and bubbling streams. She wasn’t in a video game, she was in some kind of perfectly-curated picture. It’s a shame that there isn’t much housing down here. Although floor 24 is still beautiful. And it will be nice to stay close to my shop. She adjusted her armor uncomfortably. It was a n

Name: Drowsy Waltz Profession: Performer Rank: 2 Roll ID: 226910 Roll Result: CD: 10 + 1 LD: 6 Item Type: Debuff Song Tier: 1 Quality: Rare Enhancements: Hypnosis 2 Post Link: Here Description: An ever so slightly off-rhythm tune that gently sets a person's mind at rest

Crafting for 8/18/2024 Ambition Active (+1 EXP per craft); Apollo's Metronome (+1 CD) Roll ID CD LD Quality Experience 1 (Support) 226907 6 + 1 10 Salvage (Failure) +3 2 (Support) 226908 3 + 1 3 Fail +2 3 (Support) 226909 5 + 1 7 Salvage (Failure) +3 4 (Debuff)

Acanthus stopped just inside the doors to Honeydew & Hushwind. She seemed more interested in the variety of plants along the shelves than the items for sale. She recognized some of the plants; others were a mystery. Fascinated, she wound her way from shelf to shelf, leaning over various ferns and flowers, smelling and looking, but always careful not to touch. Eventually, she found herself at the front counter, and remembered she was not just there to peruse the plant life. Rifling through her inventory, she brought some items out. “Hello, my name is Acanthus. I read your notice t

THREAD SUMMARY Experience: 500 (Quest) + 778 ((3,890 / 10) * 2 * 1) = 1,278 * 2 (New player event) = 2,556 EXP Col: 400 (Bonus) + 1,140 (mob loot 226893) + 175 (LD 7 (Roll ID 226902) * 25) = 1,715 col (2) materials (226893) Other Items Glowstone (1) Rare Trinket (226893)

Choshi stood with Koko in her arms. Choshi now cried tears of joy. Braveheart handled the entire exchange himself; despite his brush with death, he was calm and collected as he finished the quest. Still, once they were away from Choshi and Koko, Braveheart gripped Acanthus’ hand. She gave a gentle squeeze in response. When they teleported to the Town of Beginnings, she looked down at Braveheart. He had been crying silently. He finally looked up at her. “I had to be really brave for you. Is it ok to not be brave anymore?” “Oh, Gregory.” She scooped him up into her arms. He began

The bear closed in on Braveheart. He stirred and made it slowly to his feet. His face looked grim, but determined. “I’ll… save you Koko. I promise.” Shakily, he brought his sword back up. Everything began happening in slow motion. The bear reared up again, raising one claw to finish off Braveheart. Braveheart the Bold stood, ready to weather the blow. And Acanthus tore across the meadow. Everything seemed silent: her footsteps, the bear’s hungry roars, and Koko’s crying all were hundreds of miles away. No. No no no no. The bear’s claw was crashing down, right to where Braveheart would be.

All three of them backed away slowly. We’re going to make it. We’re almost outside its vision. With an inquisitive sniff, the bear surveyed the trees. It locked eyes with Acanthus, and roared. “GO!” Acanthus yelled. Braveheart and Koko dashed off, and the bear’s head began to track its fleeting prey. “I’m over here, you stupid bear! Come and deal with me first!” But the kids proved too tantalizing of targets. The bear broke into a run, chasing after Braveheart and Koko. “No! Stop!!” Feeling her sword start to burn hot as she ran, she let a sword art fly, targeting the bear. A so

A creeping sense of dread overcame Acanthus as the brush began to rustle. The quest only mentioned bats. We’ve killed the bats. What’s going on? Braveheart, to his credit, stood tall by Acanthus’s side. His oversized sword was drawn, pointed at the bush. Acanthus could hear him shaking in his armor. A massive black bear trundled out from the bushes. It hadn’t noticed them yet. “Miss Acanthus, is this part of the quest?” She shook her head. “Braveheart, you know how sometimes you read stories and unexpected things happen to the hero? This is one of those times.” Out of the corner of h

Finding their way out of the cave was much easier. The trio followed the tunnels as the light bloomed in front of them. Before long, they had made their way to the cave entrance. Braveheart and Koko ran outside and laughed joyfully. “Look at us!” Braveheart said. “I’m gonna run all the way back to town! I want to complete this quest fast!” “You will do no such thing,” Acanthus said sternly. “A warrior knows that patience is a virtue, and we can’t go running off when poor Koko her is likely tired and hungry.” What she wanted to say was that she was tired and hungry, but she thought better

With a final thrust of her blade, the bat stopped moving. Koko and Braveheart both ran up to her breathlessly. “Miss Haru—I mean, Miss Acanthus! You’re so cool! You took both of those bats out with a single swoosh! Are you sure you’re not a frontliner?” Acanthus laughed a little. “I mean, I have a ways to go. But I didn’t realize how many levels I had gained in all this time.” “We have to go on quests every week! We’ll be fighting real dragons in no time!” Acanthus nodded. “But for now, Braveheart, let’s focus on getting Miss Koko back to her mom. Can you make sure she stays saf

The cave proved more difficult to navigate than she anticipated. Keeping track of Braveheart complicated matters as well. The two stuck close together. It would be a terrible twist to rescue the NPC, only to leave the boy behind on accident. It felt darkly humorous. “Miss Acanthus! I think I found something!” He ran over to a small pool of water surrounded by stalagmites. “Braveheart, be careful!” He reached down and picked something up. It was a shoe. Small and pink, it looked like it belonged to a little girl. “Koko’s gotta be nearby.” Sure enough, the item had a quest icon. They w

The bat tumbled to the ground and vanished in a puff of blue shards. Braveheart yelled, “Miss Acanthus! That was amazing! They way you like, swooshed your sword, and then the bat went *scree* and then I hopped in–” Braveheart continued the tale of their battle as Acanthus surveyed the cave. She could see a little better now. Her eyes had adjusted, and there were some biolumiescent plants around the cave. She saw a path forward in the cave. Once Braveheart had worn him out telling the story, Acanthus urged him onward. Still excited, the glimpse of the continuing cave dampened his enthusias

She had little time to ponder. With an awful screech, a dark shape flew at them from the depths of the cave. Braveheart yelled and began swinging his sword wildly. “Braveheart! Be careful! I’ll deal with the bat. Just stay close!” The boy stood in place. Even in the darkness, she could see him trembling. Truthfully, Acanthus felt the same. Be brave for me, and I’ll be brave for you. She waited for the sound of the bat to get closer. As the screech filled her ears, she took a desperate swing at the sound. Her first strike whooshed in the darkness, and she nearly yelped. Relax, Acanthus. Yo

Braveheart, once again, stood behind Acanthus. The entrance to the cave opened like a jagged maw, ready to swallow both of them in darkness. “Miss Acanthus, I don’t think the girl needs saving anymore. Maybe she’ll come out here.” Acanthus knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder. “Braveheart, you’ll have to be brave just a little bit longer. I can’t leave you at the mouth of the cave in case something comes by. I promise that if you’ll be brave for me, then I’ll be brave for you.” Braveheart nodded. “Yea. I can be– I can be brave.” She ruffled his hair, stood up, and drew her

She worked as quickly as she could. Finding another vein, she worked at some of the looser bits with her pickaxe. Unfortunately, she failed to extract them effectively. The ore shattered and vanished before her eyes. As she trudged up to the top of the hill, she saw Braveheart with his sword drawn, standing rigidly. He was looking out over the landscape. “Braveh—” He yelled and turned around. Acanthus stepped back lightly. “How fare you against our foes? Any monsters to report?” She felt silly using all the goofy language. But it always worked on Koji. Whenever Koji pretended like he