Acanthus

“This is a hostage situation! Unfair! Let me go!” But Elpis showed no signs of tiring. She easily held Acanthus high above her head. “Listen, girl. I’m giving you a fair chance. Say the words, and I’ll walk you back over to the rim. We can both move on, and only one of us gets wet from the quarry.” “This is cruel, and I will not give in!” “You’re not telling me no.” “I shouldn’t have to! You are my bodyguard, so guard me!” Elpis eyed the distance down. “It’s completely safe. I jump in here every week. Plenty of satyrs do.” “Well I’m not a satyr! So let me go!”

Acanthus realized that the hole was not as deep as she initially thought. It about ten meters to the water—about an Olympic high-dive. With the water there was certainly no chance of fall damage. Not that the notion helped. Her stomach flipped as she had the sensation of being lifted high into the air. Elpis had picked her up like a sack of rice and was holding her aloft. Acanthus shrieked. “Elpis, not funny! Put me down! ELPIS!” Her mischievous grin had morphed into full-on chicanery. “You said you might leap! I’m just giving you a preview!” Acanthus wriggled, trying to free h

“Aren’t you supposed to be guarding me?!? Don’t get yourself killed!!” Acanthus yelled from the comfort of the ridge above. She didn’t even want to approach the rim. “Smooth your feathers, worry bird! I’ll be right up!!” After a few minutes, Acanthus heard the distant sound of groaning wood. It grew louder as Elpis climbed the platforms out of the hole. “That never gets old.” “That’s interesting, because I think it would take years off my life.” Elpis wrung the water out of her hair and looked at Acanthus mischievously. “You wouldn’t know until you tried. Go on. I bet you w

Acanthus sifted through the rocks to try and find the lapis. She had trouble distinguishing them even still; she hadn't developed a knack for picking them out yet. A horrible groan filled her ears, and her eyes darted around for the source. The quarry structures. She had gotten close enough that the faint creaks had turned into terrifying noises. Acanthus rolled over to her backside and began scooting away. She was convinced that even being close would cause the thin wooden platforms to disintegrate. Elpis was determined to prove her wrong. Whooping, she sprinted down to the quarry,

When they cleared the ridge and laid eyes on the quarry, Acanthus’ knees nearly gave out. She grabbed onto Elpis. “Oh c’mon! It’s really not that bad!” But it was. When Acanthus heard “the quarry,” she expected a small, active surface mine, just a few meters deep. Instead, she gazed into a deep pit; so deep, she swore there was no bottom. “This isn’t a quarry.” Elpis shrugged. “It used to be. But they ran out of marble, and flooded the bottom with water. Look, you can see the structures all around the pit.” Sure enough, rickety wooden structures spiraled from the bottom of the q

This stuff is good. Weirdly good. She worked at another patch of the lemgrass. Something about the lemgrass made it easy to gather, and she found herself with two more large handfuls. Elpis had gathered all she needed, and was devouring a patch by the roots. Acanthus walked over and sat on a nearby rock, waiting for Elpis to finish. Smacking her lips, Elpis laid down on a warm rock, hands behind her head. She looked up to Acanthus. “I gotta say, lemgrass isn’t always the answer. But when I’m in the mood, nothing else hits the spot.” Laughing, Acanthus said, “I wonder if we

“... and anyways, that’s why they don’t let Poseidon near the horses anymore. Oh, we’re here!” Elpis ran gleefully into the rocky crags. Boulders ten times her size jutted out of the sloped hills, and pockets of starchy, yellow grass formed in the spaces between the rocks. “Lemgrass!” Elpis yelled. She ripped a handful out of the ground and put it directly into her mouth. As she chewed contentedly, all of her goat-like features came to the fore. Acanthus smiled at the visualization. “Ith’ ‘thomthin phthunny?” Elpis asked, mouthful of grass. Acanthus shook her head. “No. I’m just

“How about this. I got a few more things to gather out in the mountains around Olympus. Come out and do a little gathering with me to collect your thoughts. We’ll come up with something together!” Acanthus looked down off the mountain. Again, her knees turned watery. “I… I guess that’s the best thing to do.” She dragged herself down off the mountain, eyes glued to the stairs. Elpis talked her ears off the whole time, spilling gossip about the gods. Apparently, Zeus’ wandering eye had become wandering hands, and he was facing an Olympic time-out unless he could woo Hera back. Demeter

“Friend! How did it go?” Elpis regarded her cheerfully. Acanthus, on the other hand, was morose. “It was terrible. I don’t know how I’m going to complete Apollo’s request.” Elpis shrugged. “If you ask me, you got the short straw. Apollo can be capricious in his tasks. I think he’s a different person for every adventurer he meets.” Acanthus pondered that. Elpis continued, “I’d say you got the worst of the gods to perform a task for, but I think everyone says that about their patron god. What exactly did he want from you?” “Nothing big. Just the perfect song.” Elpis clicked h

“The… the perfect song?” Almost forgetting the compliment, she added, “oh radiant Apollo?” “Yes. I have really been feeling a bit down lately. What I need is the perfect song. Play it for me, and your quest is over.” The perfect song? I’m not sure what that means, but I might as well try. Acanthus grabbed her lute from her inventory and began to play the first song she recorded. The moment the somber ostinato began, Apollo began to weep loudly. Startled, Acanthus stopped playing. “No!” Apollo cried. “I said the PERFECT song! That was awful! Horrendous! Never again should that me

“Another adventurer, here for a morsel of my blessing.” He remained enthralled by his goblet. “What is your name?” “Acanthus, sir.” “Sir? Just *Sir*?” “I–I’m sorry?” “You should be. Poor girl doesn’t even know how to address divinity.” Her attitude was slowly shifting from scared to angry. Apollo spoke again. “Acanthus. Compliment me.” “What?” Apollo rolled his eyes. “A performer without ears. Droll. I said, ‘compliment me.’” Deep breaths, Acanthus. It’s all part of the quest. “O consummate wonder of the arts, Lord Apollo.” “Stale. Thalia already used th

When she entered the grand chamber of Apollo, she was nearly blinded by the brilliance. Gold and purple shone in patterned arrays that rivaled the beauty of the sun. Apollo, on the other hand, appeared dark and depressed. He lounged over his reclining couch in a way that invited hedonism. He busied himself staring at a silver goblet he stirred in one hand. His other hand draped over the edge of the couching, holding a bent flute in limp fingers. “Who did you bring this time, Thalia?” “We’ve got another performer, o consummate wonder of the arts.” She bowed as she backed away.

Whatever fears she had did not subside once she arrived. Apollo’s palace was fit to impose; she was barely inside and felt insignificant. “Who is this that travels far, And strives each day to reach the stars?” Acanthus was thrown by the formal stance of the woman before here. Back stiff, striking the pose of an operatic diva, this woman seemed to only have ever looked at the world from down her nose. “Erato am I, you guided by fate, Here to host Apollo’s eternal fete.” Another figure danced into sight. “Rhyming fate and fete? Maybe you need to take a break. Pardon my s

Elpis shook her sack. “I’ve got to drop these off with Dionysus and Hera. I’ll be back here to pick you up. Don’t worry, the gods are all friendly!” She bounced down the marble lane before stopping again. “Well, I wouldn’t say friendly. But they definitely won’t hurt you. I mean, physically. They won’t kill you.” Elpis said the last part with a sense of finality. She left Acanthus in the middle of the road while she whistled a merry tune. She shouted back, “Don’t worry if you have any physical reactions! You can’t control those anyways, so what does it matter?” I should have known better

That was not worth the climb. Olympus was grand, but only in the sense that it was large. It seemed like everything here was built for people that were two meters tall. Other than that, the works of art that dotted the landscape seemed so… generic. A fountain of a cherub spitting water, some marble busts of each of the greek gods. One of the developers really phoned this place in. Still, the place had a sense of beauty and wonder. It was pure-white marble from roof to pavement. And the palace stretched as far as the eye could see. Elpis, on the other hand, was ecstatic. “I love getti

“I’ve kept you in the field long enough. Let’s head to Olympus.” “Hold on.” Acanthus found one last crop of flowers. These sparkling yellow flowers smelled strongly of honey. “Oh, those are ambrosia flowers. I’d watch out. They can have a powerful effect when distilled.” Acanthus could see why; even in its raw form, she was tempted to lay down in the field and drift off to sleep. The scent was heady with sweetness, and made her drowsy. Her drowsiness made it difficult to gather, and she failed to collect any materials. The two went back to the mountain path leading to Olympus. The pa

“I don’t know that I have answers for you right now, Elpis. I just don’t like labeling my physical reaction to heights as “fear.” That should be a word for things that are worth fearing. Knees getting weak looking at a mountain kilometers away? That’s just ridiculous.” Elpis jumped up, her sack full of flowers. “Maybe, but you’re dodging the question again. It’s ok to not have answers. It just means there’s more thinking to do. I get a lot of that done while I’m wandering the plains.” Acanthus bent over for one last attempt to gather flowers. She just saw a few bright blue weeds hidd

“I don’t see how they’re the same. Fear is something you think or feel inside. Physical reactions are something you really can’t control.” “Friend, you’re saying two different things. Who says you can control what you’re afraid of?” “Sure you can. If I face my fears enough, they aren’t really fears anymore.” Elpis thought for a moment. “But you’re still scared. At least, that’s what I think. One of the elder satyrs told me that bravery isn’t the absence of fear; it’s just not letting the fear control you.” “Elder satyr.” As if that’s not some trite saying from the real worl

“Oh, don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights, brave adventurer!” She teased Acanthus when she noticed how shaky she looked. “It’s not a fear, really. I mean, I have a physical reaction, but I know the reaction is irrational.” “Uh-huh, uh-huh. And tell me—does that make the feeling go away?” Acanthus remained silent. Elpis gave her a good-natured smile, and started off down the road. They traveled in silence for a time, before Elpis stopped them yet again. “One more stop. Hera needs some more flowers and herbs for her perfumes. She says Zeus’ eye has been wandering again.” Elpis r

One last bunch of grapes. I've got to get at least one batch. I bet these would fetch a fair price to a cook or alchemist. Frustratingly, the grapes disappeared yet again. She made a frustrated noise. “I think I’ve had enough of these grapes. I’m ready to move on, Elpis.” “You got it, chief!” Elpis saluted before bounding off the rock and back to the road ahead. “Elpis, wait up! You’re going too fast!” Acanthus sprinted back onto the road, where Elpis waited patiently. “Sorry, friend. Sometimes I forget you don’t have these handy little things.” She flexed her goat legs pro

Acanthus decided she would try for a few more grapes. There were plenty left on the vine. But something about the grapes eluded her. The second batch dissolved in her hands. She turned her attention to Elpis. “So what do you satyrs do when you’re not escorting around helpless adventurers?” Elpis gave her a scrutinizing look. “You look far from helpless, friend. But I see what you’re driving at.” She settled onto a rock while Acanthus harvested grapes. “Most of the time, there isn’t much for us to do. Satyrs aren’t exactly organized, so it’s not like we the senate of Satyropolis layin

Elpis popped out from the rocks, her satchel noticeably heavier. “What a haul! You sure you don’t need any grapes?” Acanthus shrugged. “I’m not really sure how they’ll help me with music, Elpis.” The satyr laughed. “That’s easy. Dionysus always sings his best when he’s drunk.” That would be nice… If I could get drunk. Acanthus didn’t often have the urge to drink, but there were times she appreciated its function as social lubrication. She had been to plenty of after-work get-togethers made pleasant by the presence of alcohol. It helped her navigate large crowds. She actually found he

A distance from town, Elpis gestured off the path. “Here’s our first stop. There’s a grove just beyond these rocks.” Acanthus checked the giant, mossy stones. “Aren’t you concerned about any monsters out there?” Elpis brandished her walking stick. “This had always been more than enough to ward off monsters. Besides, you’ve got the Blessing of Zeus right now. Won’t be any monsters to fight in the first place.” Ah, so that’s what that new icon meant. Elpis grinned sheepishly. “I have to admit, I save up a lot of my gathering errands for when I escort you craftsmen up the hill. There’s nothi

I want to be her. Acanthus had expected a tall, brutish goatman to be her guide. She was shocked at how wrong she was. Her guide was a lithe satyr, about 190cm tall. She had the lean muscles of someone that had achieved their physique through a lifetime of practical hard work. Her face was young, but spoke of a well-traveled guide that had seen and withstood decades of strife. The calm confidence she exuded left Acanthus feeling that no harm would come to her, so long as they traveled together. The satyr leaned against a nearby olive tree, perking up once she noticed Acanthus. S

Stepping out into floor 17, Acanthus noted the similarities to floor 24. It had the same classical, Mediterranean feel to it. But where Scalabis was modeled after Rome, floor 17 was modeled after Greece. Togas greeted her as far as the eye could see; even some of the players seemed to enjoy the fashion here. Acanthus had almost made the decision to settle here. But the cinders of a feud still burned on this floor. And everyone here is so serious. I tend to be serious myself; I don’t need any encouragement. Scalabis was the right amount of refined and cheerful for her. It kept her exposed