Acanthus

“Another break? But we just—” Acanthus bit her tongue. Don’t disrespect your elders. It’s unbecoming. Through gritted teeth, she sloughed off her backpack and let it hit the ground with a heavy thud. “I’m going to go look for materials,” she said to no one in particular. A narrow offshoot of the passages led to a dead end, one that appeared rich with crystals and ore. She attempted to harvest a few for herself. She did well with her harvest, but she knew she could have gotten more if she hadn't been so distracted by the old man. I can’t be mad at him. He made it clear that it would be a s

“If I may ask, what’s in the box that you need so badly?” Zamek coughed for what seemed like minutes. “Sorry, it’s hard for me to breathe in this sand. It’s a treasure most precious to me.” Acanthus rolled her eyes at the vague response. “So I assume it’s something sentimental to you then.” Zamek gave no response, instead coughing again. He stopped to catch his breath. Acanthus did not mind this particular stop—the sand had only gotten worse over the last few hours. It buffeted her to and fro, the narrow canyons of the pass enhancing the gusts. Even through the sandy gusts, she notic

Zamek caught up to her position, winded from the brief time on the road already. “Zamek,” Acanthus asked, “does anyone live in the pass?” Zamek shook his head. “No, the sandstorms here are far too rough for most people to live here.” Acanthus cocked her head. “You said ‘most’ people.” Zamek shook his head again. “The sandborn are a group of men and women that make their living outside of settlements. Most of them are outcasts from Saharda and Fortaleza, and resort to pillaging to make ends meet.” Acanthus looked back at where the noise came from. “Do you think they keep close tabs on peop

Two hours into the trip, and Acanthus worried that even the three days’ rations would not be enough. The old man had a pace that tested her patience. He walked so slow that she nearly went back to check for some means of transportation for the man: horses, a carriage, even a wheelbarrow. But she didn’t want to be rude to the man by suggesting that he pick up the pace on a journey she volunteered for. Acanthus kicked over a few rocks, looking for some valuable ore. She found an entire vein. Grateful at last for the old man's pace, she had plenty of time to mine it all. She admired the scen

"Are you an adventurer?" Even under his heavy wool cloak, Acanthus saw his body shaking. "I am terribly sorry to bother you, but I need help. I—" he hacked violently again. "I have a treasure chest of sorts, buried in the desert, at the base of some uniquely shaped rocks. The contents are incredibly important to me, but I am too ill to make the journey alone. Would you escort me there? Though I cannot offer you much col. But, should you offer your assistance, I would be eternally grateful." Acanthis softened at the poor man’s plight. All he needed was an escort out to the chest and back.

[[You are over encumbered.]] Acanthus trekked doggedly through the rocky pass. Over encumbered is under-prepared. Besides, with a name like “El Paso del Diablo,” she knew she needed to be ready for anything. Behind her followed a frail old man. He was the source of today’s quest. He had been sitting idly at the bazaar in Fortaleza, a quest marker drifting lazily over his head. Acanthus had returned for ink quills and noticed him. Briefly skimming the quest information, she thought it was a good fit: the trip out to Saharda might be long, but the risk of death was almost zero. Besides

THREAD SUMMARY Acanthus Receives: EXP: 1,000 (quest) + ((4,021/10) * .7 * 3) * 2 = 3,688 EXP +19 foraging EXP Col: 27,330 (looting) + 400 (page) + 2,500 (quest) = 30,230 col (23) Materials T4 Perfect Weapon | 231057b T4 Perfect Trinket | 231057b, 229812a, 231057a T4 Rare Trinket | 229811a, 229810a T4 Perfect Consumable | 231140a, 231140b, 231141a, 231141b T4 Rare Consumable | 231139a Pinball Receives: EXP: 1,000 (quest) + ((4,021/10) * .7 * 8) * 2 = 6503 EXP Col: 2,500 (quest) = 2,500 col T4 Perfect Armor/Shield | 231057a, 231140c, 231140d, 231141c T4

“Until next time.” Acanthus gave a simple goodbye to Pinball as he disappeared into the wilderness of floor ten. Why on earth would he willingly go back there? It was terrible. The monsters, the sounds, the dull and crushing atmosphere… Surely he had somewhere more pleasant to be. But it wasn’t her job to question Pinball. She was there to start the fights, and he was there to finish them. Come to think of it, why had he asked her to come along in the first place? The question nagged at her again, but this time the thought was unplagued by worries or concerns. It was more of an idle curio

Crafting for 9/12/2024 Langue de chat consumed (Ambition). +1 EXP per craft (+2 total from Trinket | Tuning Fork) EXP 1011/2559

A sliver of her energy returned. Acanthus steadied herself, ready for more, only to find that Pinball had finished them off. “Thanks. I really thought I had more energy than that. I’ll be more careful next time.” When Pinball suggested they call it for the day, she agreed. “I was hoping for a few more mobs, but I think I was prepared to take on more than I can handle at this level. Don’t worry—I promise I’ll keep up with you. We’ll finish this quest together, and by the time we do, I’ll be fighting just as hard as you.” They meandered back through the caves. After the Leech Lich’s de

“Wait… We fight him?” Acanthus looked over to Nemo. “He invited us here, didn’t he? I’m not sure why he’d let us into the garden and then be upset that we… Well, I suppose we did come in and ransack all of his snapdragons.” Acanthus ripped a few plants from the ground to add to her inventory. The bounty of the garden made it hard to resist, and harder to come up with empty hands. “And we’re taking his stuff. Maybe he does have a point.” “Still, he looks rather harmless. And you said it’s not a dangerous fight. Does he just, I don’t know, try to shoo us out like an old gardener? I can’t im

Item Fusion Name Binding Melody Profession Performer Rank 3 Roll ID 229765 Result Fusion: 229763 and 229761 Type Debuff Song Quality Perfect Masterpiece Enhancements Instant Incarcerate Post Link September 4 Crafts (previous post) Description A heavy and thunderous melody that weighs the lis

Crafting for 9/11/2024 Langue de chat consumed (Ambition). +1 EXP per craft (+2 total from Trinket | Tuning Fork) EXP 972/2559

“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>>