Acanthus

“Little treat time” had narrowed itself down to one choice in SAO. No drinking was allowed, and the bookstores all held only public domain works, and Acanthus had read all the good ones already. But there were plenty of cafes. The problem was, she had never been to any of them here. Were all of them good? Did they have the same selection? There’s only one way to find out. Acanthus made a solemn resolution that she would meticulously chart each and every one of the cafes here on the first floor. It was a foraging quest of her own devisement. She started with Tolbana. The collection o

Acanthus wanted to learn more about whatever had confronted her in the grove. It seemed too intense for a beginner quest, and it knew her real-world name—something she had not confided in anyone. I suppose there’s the possibility that the game knows and can pull that data. I reserved the game with a credit card, and that wasn’t under the name Acanthus. Even still… there were a few things about the event that she couldn’t reconcile, or put into words just yet. She needed to know more. But Acanthus made an executive decision to hold off. The monster is past, the quest is complete. I de

Acanthus was barely in camp before the compass was back in Giovanna’s hands. She looked over Acanthus with an air of approval. “So you found the demonic shard! You continue to impress me.” Exhausted, Acanthus merely nodded her head. “Next time you hunt for a shard, you will have to earn it the hard way—with your own skill.” Acanthus laughed dryly. “If that’s the easiest way to get a shard, maybe I am better off fishing.” Giovanna’s eyebrow raised in curiosity. “What did you encounter?” Acanthus shrugged helplessly. “I don’t think I can explain it, and I don’t have the energ

[Content warning: this post contains descriptions and references to self-harm. I’ve kept it at what I feel is PG-13, but may still be triggering content. Please exercise care.] Acanthus believed she had found the heart of the woods. It terrified her beyond words. The leaves above were so thick that she could not see any sunlight. She felt as though she had been traveling for days. The trees were gnarled and twisted over themselves in bewildering shapes. In the faint light, they cast almost imperceptible shadows of men contorted in agony. And the air. The deeper she traveled, the

DENIAL, LITTLE GIRL. YOU STILL DENY. Breathe, Acanthus. Focus on collecting. She reached down and plucked a small flower from the riverbed. A poppy, the color of blood. NONE OF THIS IS REAL, REMEMBER? A mocking facsimile of her voice hurled her own words back at her. The compulsions stopped after the first week. But the denial did not. Her situation was comical. Trapped in a game that could kill you? It was a marketing stunt. Some kind of technical issue they were explaining with some in-game reason. She’d even heard rumors that the game didn’t actually kill anyone, it

Acanthus lost sense of time. The darkness of the woods left a feeling of perpetual dusk weighing on her. She grew tired from the monotony of the woods. Every time she reached down for plants, or up for branches, or even looked at materials, they vanished as she touched them. MAYBE YOU'RE JUST NOT USING YOUR WRISTS, HARU. IT'S ALL IN THE WRISTS, REMEMBER? An icy chill rooted Acanthus to the spot. The memories came back to her. The moonlight streams into a bare room, and Haru sits on the hard wooden floor. Her hand moves automatically: press, down, left, left, down, press. The but

Scared as she was, Acanthus did not run this time. She made her way down the river bank, deeper into the forest. A SECOND APPROACH DOES NOT SALVAGE THE FIRST, LITTLE GIRL. YOU HAVE ALREADY FAILED. Acanthus set her jaw. “There’s still a quest in my log. If you’re not going to help me or kill me, then shut up.” The voice laughed again. BOLD. ALL THE SWEETER WHEN YOU BREAK. Acanthus shivered. She wondered how anyone else had completed this quest. SIMPLE. THEY WERE BRAVER THAN YOU. “How… How do you know what I’m thinking?” The voice did not respond, but Acanthus

Acanthus stood up and tested herself. Despite the fall, her health bar remained full. Her left leg had been sprained a little, but she could still put weight on it. With some trepidation, Acanthus checked the dark compass. It was dormant. “Some help you are.” She mumbled, drying a few tears. “Might as well make the most of wherever I am.” The riverbed appeared to have dried out a long time ago. Acanthus checked for materials but found nothing. In one direction, the river wound deeper into the woods. The air seemed fresher in the other direction. Acanthus began to walk toward the

Acanthus had nearly exhausted herself running, but had nothing to show for it. If anything, the woods had grown thicker. The air was even hotter and almost too heavy to breathe. Acanthus thought her lungs might burst, but she knew—she knew deep down, that the moment she stopped running, she would die. She hit a gnarled root and tumbled down a steep embankment. Pain indicators sounded alarms as she hit branches, rocks, and nettles on her way down. Patches of gatherable items vanished in digital puffs as she crashed through them and into a dry river bed. She landed on her back and cried out

Acanthus considered herself calm and collected. And that had always been the case before today. But today, something evil laughed at her through the trees. It was powerful beyond her comprehension, and it wanted to kill her. But first, it wanted to play. She sprinted through the trees, uncertain of her direction. She ran wherever the trees seemed sparse in a vain hope that she was leaving the forest. LOOK AT YOU. ONE BRUSH WITH DEATH AND YOU'VE LOST ALL YOUR COMPOSURE. The voice seemed to be coming from inside of her. It continued taunting Acanthus. YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED I

The compass pulsed again; this time, twice. She bent down and began rooting through the nearest mushroom patch. Many familiar fungi dotted the forest floor. Despite her search for the shard, she found only a few green mushrooms. Better something than nothing. A wind blew from the heart of the forest. It made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She jolted up, scanning the woods for any sign of danger. She saw nothing. WHAT IS THIS SWEET YOUNG THING, COME TO PLAY WITH ME? In a swift motion, Acanthus drew her knife and held it close to her chest. She found it hard to b

No luck, but she wasn’t surprised. The compass’ pale affirmation hadn’t given her much confidence that she would find one so close to Tolbana. She pressed on, deeper into the forest. The further Acanthus ventured, the more gnarled the trees grew. They began to thicken and blot out the morning sun. A chill ran down her spine. It’s just the cool breeze from the forest. But there was no such thing. Despite the absence of the sun, the forest seemed to grow hotter with each step inside. Each gust felt like the exhalation of a giant monster. The thick smell of moss and fungus began to smother h

As tempting as the river was, Acanthus resisted. There would be plenty of time to relax once she gathered her demonic shard. At the edge of the forest, she held the compass aloft. It thrummed with a familiar dark energy, and the needle spun wildly before settling on a direction. Deeper into the woods. Of course it’s deeper into the woods. As Acanthus moved to put the compass away, it emitted a single bass note. Does that mean there’s a shard nearby? I should have asked Giovanna how her evil compass worked. It might as well be speaking a different language to me. Acanthus decided to t

The compass radiated evil energy. How on earth does dark magic help you find anything? And why give an *evil compass* to a beginner? What does evil energy even mean? The fishing quest is probably more relaxed. No evil magic or dark compasses. Probably just some old man with a beard, like all the other quests so far. Then again, the fishing quest might have featured Pete. “Dark magic it is, then.” Acanthus trekked out to the familiar fields surrounding Tolbana. She barely gave it a second thought when she stepped over the threshold and into the wilds. Finding a familiar path, Aca

A woman dressed in green emerged from the wagon. She had a voice as thin as paper, but firm like stone. "So, it appears you've found me," she comments, though not unkindly. "I tend to move around quite a lot, but someone always finds me.” Acanthus couldn't help herself. “I believe that would be the quest marker, miss.” Giovanna glowered at her. “I suppose you are looking for some herbs?" “In a way. I was hoping you could teach me how to look for herbs?” Giovanna's emerald eyes widened. "Most simply expect me to forage their materials for them, but few truly care about the

After her last few attempts at gathering, Acanthus had to acknowledge that she couldn’t forage any further without some guidance. It’s time for beginner quest two. Let’s see… I’d prefer foraging to fishing. And it seems like alchemy would be a natural companion to that. Acanthus decided to start with foraging. As eager as she was to brew potions, she noticed that the quest log for crafting required her to gather materials. If I failed gathering those three for Zackariah—even with that awful fondue—then I’ll need all the help I can get. Acanthus set off to the outskirts of town, where

Acathus had gotten wrapped up in the conversation again. She wasn’t sure how long it was going to take her, but this time she didn’t mind. The voice behind her provided pleasant company. She wondered how much the other girl had gathered at this point. Well, there’s no reason to worry about it. Focus on your own haul and that’s all you can do. If she finishes before you and wants to stay and chat, then it’s all the better. Acanthus doubled down on the nearest weeds and began pulling them up from the roots. Unfortunately, her change in pace did not accomplish the job. She had been so close

Acanthus broke the silence. “Try working from the base of the plant outwards. I think it helps.” “R-right. Thank you.” More silence. Then, the rustling continued. “... is this your first time outside Tolbana?” “Yes ma’am. I’m a little nervous.” Acanthus laughed. “Please, just call me Acanthus.” “O… Okay. Acanthus.” “It’s okay to be nervous. I didn’t venture out into the wilds until last week.” “Yea. I feel like I’ve been in that town for my whole life.” “So you’re ready to move up to the second floor then?” Another pause. “No, I don’t think so. My b

Finally, Acanthus doubled back to the clearing where she attempted to harvest the crimson stalkweed. Sure enough, plenty of the bushes had respawned the clearing. Acanthus knelt down to the nearest bush, using the techniques she previously gleaned. Acanthus moved from bush to bush, working to harvest what she could from each. About halfway through her work, she heard a quiet voice from behind her. “Um, is this your field? I mean, can I have some of these… red things?” Acanthus continued to work without looking up. “Of course. I won’t stop you.” Acanthus heard the soft sounds of boots

Unbelievable. She had scrounged up three more moles, two rusty bits of metal, and a boot that looked strangely like Pete’s mom’s lucky boot from the previous quest. She slumped down against a tree with her head in her hands. “At least this time I don’t have to worry about running out of these… terrors.” She almost wish she would. She could then wash her hands of the whole thing; offer the universe a hearty “don’t blame me, I tried,” before going back to live a life of quiet solitude in Tolbana. But the gourfs persisted. What’s more, they seemed to propagate right before her very eyes

It turns out that’s it’s hard to harvest something you can’t quite describe. Acanthus tried pulling them out by the root, but she couldn’t tell where the roots were. She hacked the tops off to try and pull the seeds out of the inside, but they shattered into blue shards the moment she looked inside. Not when she cut them, mind you—the moment she tried to peer inside. I think whoever put these into the game had gone through the looking glass one too many times. This vegetable(?)... can’t be real. She fished around in the dirt for a gourf. Wiggling her fingers, she felt something like

Nearby, the bumpy gourfs awaited. Hold on. Gourfs? Acanthus had first thought Landon simply mispelled “gourds.” That, or he had selectively bad handwriting. But when she arrived at the node, there was not a gourd in sight. What she did see was an entire field of gourfs, no two alike in color or size. There were large gourfs, small gourfs; black gourfs, white gourfs, and every color inbetween. They were impossible to describe other than the fact that they were indeed bumpy. She tried to draw one so that she could try to better explain them, but no drawing did them justice. All sh

Her bag whistled merrily as she walked along with the cedars. The boar hair would be next. She worried that she would have to fight again, but the nodes on the map revealed otherwise. Sharp, wiry bushes covered the area. Every few feet, Acanthus saw tufts of black hair stuck on these bushes. So the boars come by, and the hair rubs off. All I have to do is pick a few off. But it was easier said than done. Acanthus reached for the nearest tuft of hair, and barely touched the bush before jerked her hand back. She sucked air through her teeth. “That is sharp!” She yelled in surprise. She

“Oh thank the gods,” she grunted. The tree fell in a beautiful arc before separating into clean lengths of whistle cedar. She looked behind her, to what was now an empty field. I really hope no one else needed any of this for the time being. Having to explain that I chopped down an entire grove for a single tree was not on my list of things that I wanted to do for the day. Plopping down to the grass, Acanthus took stock of the fields of floor one. The harvest had left her out of breath, and she needed some time to allow her thoughts to recover as well. Even with the extra two ranks i

I spoke too soon when I said I had the hang of this. Acanthus had mutilated nearly half the grove at this point. The choir of whistling cedars had decayed to a few mournful participants. What happens if I run out of cedars to chop down? What is the respawn rate on these trees? Days? Weeks? She felt like it was never going to end. And I’ll be stuck out here forever, chopping down trees while the rest of the world moves on. They’ll come by to gawk at the girl that couldn’t chop down a single tree for a beginner quest. Her next swing went wide, and splinters showered her face. She