Acanthus

"Nymoria, watch—" She'd noticed too late. Nymoria tumbled to the ground, slightly dazed from the impact. The man she had bumped into seemed unperturbed. Acanthus prepared to scold him, but before she could, he interjected with an apology. I'm being too hasty. He's already offering her a hand up. Wait, now he's offering her a drink? Are they flirting? Acanthus prepared to excuse herself when Nymoria responded. "Thank you. You are not my type." Acanthus exhaled. It seemed she had been blessed with not being relegated to third wheel. "Thank you for the offer," Acanthus responded. "I'm

Jomei leapt back into the fray effortlessly, blade humming with power as it resumed the task of probing her defenses. She would rather die than admit it, but she had desperately needed more of a break than he had offered. She felt the Sword Arts fizzle as she tried to summon them: first a stunning art, then another shatter—even the lowly single-target art refused to come when called. Energized, Jomei brought his rapier up, glowing and poised to strike. That glow—it’s a stunning art, I think. Unless the lights vary from weapon to weapon— Another voice inside her head. —!You don’t have

Acanthus bowed back. Nymoria's gentle politeness always managed to put her at ease. Everything was looking good so far. If she were part of the party, then they would likely finish everything in record time. Maybe they could even clear one or two more of the quest chain in a single sitting? From what Acanthus recalled, the early quests were fairly simple to clear. Wildfire seemed scattered as ever, winding through the requirements of the first quest. A map hit the table, and a plan began to form. Wildfire, yet again, offered up consumables to the others. Acanthus smiled faintly as she pul

The new adventurer seemed earnest. It made it easy to trust them. "I appreciate your honesty," Acanthus started warmly. "Let's address your concerns in order. First, don't worry too much about social niceties. As far as loot goes, most parties will traditionally split col and items evenly, although a few veterans will hand off their items to up and coming players. Second, your level and skills won't be a problem. I'm sure Nymoria and I can handle the bandits. I've done this quest once. I'm actually here to—" she paused, trying to find the diplomatic response. "—I'm… blowing off steam, I think

“A chance to have some fun with friends, comrades." Acanthus shook her head. "Friends, yes. But we’re not equals. We're not equals until I can prove it." She hefted botan into position, keenly aware of the weight her sore muscles added to the task. "For what it's worth, I appreciate your thoughts. I don't mean to disparage them, even if I think you are wrong. Highminded rhetoric is ideal for spurring people to action, but it doesn't save lives." "Now, on your feet, soldier. And no more delays—we fight until it's over." Behind a stony face, her thoughts raced. Why can't I just tell hi

"You know what? Fair. Cease fire." Confusion froze her sword arm. Her shield stayed in position, shaking faintly. Acanthus approached until she was just outside of striking range, skirting the resting man like a curious animal. He was planning something, surely. "I—don't want—your pity," she said between breaths. "If I'm out of steam, then—" "Kill me" were the words that caught in her throat. "—then you win. It's all part of the fight. Everything is." She gave a dry laugh. "I mean, I paid someone to find out what kind of build you were using! And now you're comfortable letting m

Undaunted, Jomei rushed in, ready to keep her moving backwards. But she’d had enough. “It’s nothing—hah,” she grunted, keeping him away with her shield. “Nothing about desire. It’s about keeping up with you. It’s about not being the weakest—link.” She punctuated her last two words with swings. Jomei parried, and she countered by bringing her shield in towards his gut. Bracing his arm, he caught the shield, moving back with it and creating distance. Not good, not good! close the distance. Too late—the rapier was honing in on her. She caught the first three jabs with her shield, but th

What just happened? The last thing she remembered, she had taken a step back. It must have been her fourth mistake. Jomei had followed her momentum, seizing the split-second to connect with his mystery weapon. It passed through her shield. Ah, phase. Unique enchantment. Upon critical hit, it— A flashbang went off in her mind, and Acanthus came to about five meters away from the duelist. She felt like someone had put her in a dryer loaded with fireworks and slammed the door shut. Slowly, the edges of her vision returned. Jomei was smirking. Smirking! Her reaction was immedia

“I’m not making a fool of myself this time.” His eyes flashed, and Acanthus stepped back involuntarily. The man she’d met on the beach wasn’t gone, but the person before her—this was the veteran of the frontlines she had expected on the beach. I’ve only cleared one floor and I feel like I’m losing my mind. He’s cleared a dozen floors, and he still acts… so clearly. So intently. He smiled like he was reading her mind. Acanthus hopped back again, wary like a wounded animal. He had yet to hit her, and still, she felt like the prey here. His sword began to glow with a familiar light. A stun!

20,000 col slid across the table in a small sack. “I'm interested in the weapon. It has a unique design—I'm guessing another player helped create it. Go through your list of appraisers and blacksmiths, ask them what they know. I've interacted with a few of the master blacksmiths, so if they hear me asking about Jomei's weapon right before the match, they might tip him off. And I'll pay more for anything else you come up with, so don't be afraid to investigate anything else. Aliases, titles, quests completed—even his bank account. Anything can be useful.” A few days later, she got her doss

Acanthus exited the Fortaleza bazaar. The place teemed with life: proud merchants hawking their wares, players milling through the shops, enjoying the arid, sunny skies. Wulfrin had just taken a new flock of players out into the desert, soon to return much wiser, and entirely unharmed. The whole process exhausted her. The merchants hawked the same wares with the same lines every day. Players shopping here were fools, spending their scraps of col on mediocre items. The real gear comes from high floors and random monsters, but these people didn’t know that. They’d probably never been a

THREAD SUMMARY Experience: Acanthus | [Word Count: 11479/10 = 1147.9] * [True Tier: 7] * [Group Factor: 0.7] = 5625 + 300 (quest) = 5925 EXP Morrigan | [Word Count: 11479/10 = 1147.9] * [True Tier: 1] * [Group Factor: 0.7] = 804 + 300 (quest) = 1104 EXP Col: Acanthus: 843 (laurel wreath) Morrigan: 400 (bonus) Other: Acanthus and Morrigan receive 1 familiar skill of their choosing.

Acanthus blinked. It was her first mistake. Her eyes fluttered open to find Jomei within striking distance, rapier sailing towards her. Her shield barely caught the point of his blade, turning it aside almost by chance. The Duelist recovered instantly, working his way around her defenses, determined to find an opening. In her mind, “evasion tank” had just meant he was hard to hit. Acanthus realized too late that “too fast to hit” meant “too fast to block.” The tip of his blade flashed in yet again, parried at the last possible moment. I can’t keep this up, she realized with some fear. Soo

The player request board always seemed like a hit or miss situation for Acanthus. She’d had great luck finding a steady clientele for her songs, and even picking up odd jobs for other players. As for questing, it tended to work well: she had great success with the last event by putting up a last-minute call for adventurers. But when it didn’t work well, it was a miserable experience. Dozens of times she had to wave off under-leveled players, oblivious to their own abilities. Half of them hoped vainly for someone to carry them through difficult content—one man promised her 10 million yen in the

The third time Acanthus had ordered ice on floor nine was the one that finally made her give up. It wasn’t even the fact that her third cup had been lukewarm, sulfur water. It was the laughs that she swore the bartender shared with the other patrons of the bar. But she was distracted today. Her hand wandered around the edge of the cheap iron mug, tracing the dents as her mind focused on other things. Her face was set like an iron mask that reminded her of the glass. I wonder if I’m earning any dents during my time here. I’m probably just not noticing them. That was just the way worked her

THREAD SUMMARY Experience: [Word Count: 5820/10 = 582] * [True Tier: 7] * [Group Factor: 1] = 4074 EXP + 1500 (quest) = 5574 experience Col: 2000 (quest) + 12180 (Please the Crowd x3) + 611 (laurel wreath) + 400 (bonus) + 143671 (looting) = 158,862 col Other: Requirements satisfied: TECH-F unlocked (again) <<To Defend the Title>> Unlocked. Loot Totals 143671 col 28 Materials 4 Demonic Shard [240691a][240717a][240716a][240740a] 4 Dungeon Map [240691b][240717b][240716b][240740b] T4 Perfect Weapon: [240705a][240705b][240705c][240704b] T4 Perfect Trinket:

So KILL. The words filled her mind, vibrating in her skull until there were no other thoughts. Shedding the last of the armor clinging to her body, she tackled Auron to the ground. Kicking and punching, the pair rolled through the sand, each one desperately trying to finish off the other's health bar. Auron drove his fist into her cheek, causing her neck to snap to the side. He chose to double down, attempting to connect one more time. But the second time, she caught his hand by the wrist and twisted. He twitched in pain, leaving his neck wide open. Acanthus dove into the opening and

Her brain hummed with delight, intuiting the bloodiest path through her enemies. She settled on a quick jaunt through the three nameless foes. She would save Auron for last. Turning to weather a clubbing strike to the back, she heard her armor crack with a satisfying sound. Bits of metal loosened from her chest, and she shook them off like a dog drying itself. Auron laughed at the sight. “I didn’t mean for you to take the name-calling literally. Although it does make for an amusing spectacle." She was not listening. The first gladiator was already down in a whirl of blood and screams; the

The fight turned into a slog. Even with her second wind, this much fighting in one sitting took its toll. Acanthus rolled under the first bestiarii's stab, bringing her sword up to connect with his throat. Such a clean cut would have been lethal in real life, but here, the man turned around and countered with a pointed jab. It wasn't fair. The men surrounded her, herding her around the coliseum like a raging bull. Every time they struck, she lashed out, draining their health. Auron stayed back, content to let his rabble do the work. He made sure to continue taunting her as she fended them

The two clashed in the middle of the area, drowning in the cries of the audience. It seemed equally split between rooting for the unhinged underdog and the collected champion. Auron narrowly avoided an overhead slice as he took a swig from his gourd. "I like fighting closer. I don't have to yell my insults." He juked a sword art just as Acanthus unleashed it, bringing his sword down on her side. "All the savagery and predictability of a dog." "Better an animal than a program," Acanthus retorted. His sword cracked into her breast plate ineffectually, sundering it while sparing her health. S

Acanthus paced the arena fruitlessly, hoping her tormentor would appear at last. It had been so long since it had whispered to her. There had been some part of her that hoped it had moved on. Even then, she knew it was a vain dream. But that didn't make its reintroduction any easier. She still had no idea what the thing was. Maybe it was part of some hidden quest, or a strange monster she'd stumbled into early. But if anyone else had encountered the thing, they hadn't spoken up about the experience. Part of Acanthus wondered if she was going crazy. She laughed breathlessly at the thought

This was her chance. Acanthus scrambled to her feet as the brute worked the sword out of the wall. If she could keep him off balance, it would be enough. It would have to be enough. She visualized the stunning art again, and let the flow of the fight command her. The light of the sword art welled up in her sword, releasing as Acanthus drove her blade through the man's leg. He yelled, thrashing around with his free hand to create distance. Acanthus hopped back, barely dodging a thick fist aimed at her head. Sword free and immeasurably furious, the man limped at her, shouting what she assu

She coughed, her body reflexively clearing the nonexistent blood from her lungs. If this were real life, that hit would have killed her. Worse, she was losing the crowd. Pulling a crystal from her belt, she unleashed Edict's Threnody to unbalance the monstrosity, but even the wailing cries of her crystal were lost in the wall of sound. Her opponent lumbered towards her, hefting the human-sized sword for another attack. Blocking again was out of the question, but she had dug her own grave when she dropped her evasion for other stats. Stats?! She screamed at herself. Fuck your stats, just r

Cardinal loved nothing more than a good story, and it adopted the rule of threes as well as any human. Acanthus prepared herself for the last fight to be the worst of all, and Cardinal was happy to oblige. Her next opponent appeared to be more wall than human: massive, draped in finery and coated in armor, with a massive shield and sword to match. The game had forsaken historicity for fantasy with a sword that easily dwarfed Acanthus. She prepared herself mentally. There would be no time to please the crowd. She would fight as she could, and it was up to them to enjoy it or not. One swipe

As she backed up once again, something heavy caught her left foot. Her head bounced as she fell flat in the coliseum. The crowd was eager for her to die. They cheered the boxer's name loudly. "Ramos! Ramos!" He appeared to have no interest in the whims of the crowd; instead, he approached to finish off Acanthus. She cursed her clumsiness—of all the times to trip. And on what? The ring was nothing but sand… The pieces clicked together in her mind. Eyes locked on the boxer's impending haymaker, she seized the object under her feet and lashed out, puncturing the sky. The boxer's fist halted