[F03 | SP] No Greater Love | <<The Search for Hoya>>

[Acanthus 0]

One thing Haru hated about middle school were all the new emotions everyone seemed to be processing. Everyone except for her.

Girls and boys alike became difficult. Girls giggling and laughing about new crushes in the hallway. Boys teasing and pulling hair. Friends she had through middle school became distant without warning. And the letter writing. She was told in no uncertain terms that the written letter was the pinnacle of love. Confessions, wall slams—it was all an elaborate parade of affections. So when Takumi sent her a letter, she had no idea what to do. “Write him back!” was the response. And so she replied to Takumi’s heartfelt confession of love.

“Hello Takumi, how are you. I’ve been told you like me. That’s nice. I hope you are having a good day. I have recently started learning how to grow beans. Did you know that beans are legumes, which means…”

Takumi stopped being interested soon after that.

So when she saw the quest rewards for <<The Search for Hoya>>, she nearly balked. The amulet was going to be a waste of inventory. But experience is experience. She begrudgingly traveled to the third floor.

Spoiler

 

Acanthus | Lvl 51 (33/18) | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 21 | MIT:78 | ACC:5 | REC: 4 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:5

Equipped Gear:
Weapon/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Ajisai
Armor/Trinket: 
  - Resilient Thistle
Shield/Armor/Trinket: 
  - Vow of Return

Combat Mastery:
  - Combat Mastery: Damage R3

Combat Shift:
  - TECH Shift

Skills:
  - Light Armor R5
  - Searching R4
  - Straight Sword R5

Extra Skills:
  - Assault Mode
  - Disguise
  - Hiding R5
  - Parry
  - Photosynthesize
  - Survival

Addons:
  - Focus
  - Precision
  - Resolve

Mods:
  - Meticulous
  - Night Vision
  - Surpise Attack: Trickster
  - Vengeful Riposte

Housing Buffs:
  - Basic Kitchen: Increase the effectiveness of a single food item consumed in a thread by +1 T1 slot. This can exceed normal Cook enhancement caps. Ex: A perfect T2 MIT food gives 35 MIT instead of 30.
  - Living Room: Increases out of combatHP regen by (5 * Tier HP) and decreases full energy regen to 2 Out of Combat Posts.
  - Attic (Bedroom): +1 Expertise to declared utility skill. Cannot boost a skill without ranks, or increase a skill past its maximum rank. Cannot boost a skill the user has not learned yet. Ranks obtained using this buff will make the mods of that rank available for purchase. Mods obtained this way are unusable if this buff is removed until the skill is returned to the appropriate rank by way of SP purchase.
  - Basement: Gain +1 to LD, Stealth Rating, Stealth Detection, or Prosperity to one post in a thread. Can be applied after a roll
  - Guest Room: Players can have one «Amenity» in a «Guest Room» and the «Amenity» cannot be recovered. Players are allowed to change which «Amenity» is in the «Guest Room». Multiple instances of the same «Amenity» do not stack. This buff affects the player and their choice of up to two party members.
  - Greenhouse: +2 Gathering EXP per Attempt and additional +1 LD & CD to gathering attempts.
  - Mega Slime Farm: +10% EXP to a thread. Limit one use per month. Must be used on a player's first post in a thread. Cooldown begins counting down when used in a post.

Crafting Profession:
 - Performer[2561exp] R5
Gathering Profession:
 - Forager[779exp] R5"  

 

                                                                                                                         

Edited October 3 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

She wandered around Aruyt, searching for Larbrook. Finding quests in this game was half the battle. Cardinal gave the NPCs a life of their own, and with quests being tied to those NPCs, it became important to learn what they did and where they went to even find the quest in the first place. 

“Acanthus? What a surprise! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

Shocked, Acanthus formulated an appropriate response on the fly. “You are back, Edict.” Edict chuckled. “Seems that way. Although this time I’m not surprising you in a back alley cafe. It’s…” he looked around. “A back alley butcher shop. Much more scenic.”

Acanthus ignored the dry humor. “I’m looking for Larbrook. I thought he was supposed to come by here, but I haven’t seen him at all.”

“Ah, you’re looking for the ‘Search for Hoya’ quest? Got a special someone?” He winked. Acanthus nearly punched him. “I’m clearing my backlog for experience. I don’t appreciate the comments.”

[Acanthus 0]

Edict held his hands up. “Sorry; sounds like I crossed a line there.” Acanthus glowered at him, but said nothing else. Edict put his hands down. “You were on the right trail, but the wrong day. He stops by the butcher’s shop on thursdays.”

“Today is Thursday.” Edict looked at her quizzically. “It’s Saturday, Acanthus.”

“Wait, how did you know that?” Edict opened his menu and selected a few buttons, then rotated the screen to Acanthus. [[Game Data: 23 Celsius, 11:37:23, Saturday, Troctobler 14, 679.]]

A moment of silence descended on the two. Finally, Acanthus looked at him and said, “please tell me this was part of an update.” Edict grinned. “Been this way since the start. Don’t tell me you never found this screen.” Acanthus turned beet red. “I did not. I haven’t really familiarized myself with the interface.”

“So how on earth did you know—think—it was Thursday?”

[Acanthus 0]

“I… I’ve been keeping track. Myself.” Edict stared in disbelief. “We’ve been in the game for two years. You’re telling me you’ve been keeping meticulous track of every day since we’ve arrived?”

“Apparently not meticulous enough. I missed two days.” Edict laughed. “I’d say that’s a good track record for two years. And it’s not like the days of the week matter much. Most NPCs follow a weekday and weekend schedule.” The days of the week don’t matter much. Unless it’s one of the things you’ve decided to reference to anchor yourself to the real world.

“You’re right, it’s not that important. And now I’ve got the menu to refer to when I lose track.” Edict nodded, satisfied with her answer.

“Speaking of, I know where to find Larbrook on the weekends. He usually hangs around the north gate. I think you’ll really get a kick out of the guy. Want to go meet him?”

[Acanthus 0]

“I’m still not sure why you’re accompanying me. I intended to solo this quest.” 

“Call it an apology for being rude earlier. Plus, we keep saying we’ll meet up and we never do. I think running into each other was a sign that it needed to happen.”

“As long as you don’t get in the way.”

“Whoa-ho, we’ve got a big shot over here now,” Edict joked lightly. Seeing Acanthus’ firm stare, he straightened up. “No funny business. I know you’ll handle the quest perfectly. All I’m here to do is provide some moral support and conversation.”

“Don’t you have some field bosses to kill on higher floors?”

“Acanthus…” Edict started. Acanthus interrupted him softly. “No, I should be apologizing. You’re trying to be a good friend, and I’m pushing you away. I’ve just… It’s been a rough week. And this quest already has me on edge. So please. Stay.”

Edict nodded, and continued leading them towards the north gate.

[Acanthus 0]

“Aren’t you going to listen to your guide?” Acanthus observed the strangely tall anglo beefcake. He muttered incomprehensible words, taking every opportunity to stop and flex.

“He is rather odd. Besides, I have you here. You’ve done this quest before, right?” The awkward pause told her she was wrong. “I’ve avoided this one, actually.” He kicked a few rocks as they walked down the gravel path. “Truth be told, it’s not very time-efficient. Navigating an entire labyrinth and slaying two monsters for 500 experience? You could get that in about 30 minutes on the upper floors.”

He noticed Acanthus was about to defend herself. “I know a lot of completionists! There’s nothing wrong with clearing out the quest log. It shows a lot of initiative. I’m just a no frills kind of guy.”

But that still ruffled Acanthus. “I don’t necessarily like the implication that I am frilly. I am the opposite of frilly. I am sensible.” Edict held up his hands in apology. “You’re right, frills was the wrong word. More like… You’re not just here for the experience. I can be a little dull. Go out, grind, go home. Pardon the idiom, but it seems like you’re stopping to smell the flowers.”

[Acanthus 0]

The idiom must not have carried through Cardinal’s translator. There were very few flowers on this path to smell.

“I’m just doing this quest for the experience. If it’s inefficient, it’s because I’m a poor judge of earning experience in this game. I’ve never played video games before.” She ended the conversation abruptly and walked ahead. Edict appeared frustrated, but said nothing else.

He tried changing the topic. “You’ve never played a videogame? Like, never ever?” Acanthus shook her head. Edict whistled. “You picked a hell of a game to start with. Most of them aren’t this intense.” He chuckled at his own joke. “So what made you choose a VRMMO? Even if you didn’t know it was going to be a death game, it’s certainly an intense genre for someone new to games.”

“It was my brother. I wanted to surprise him with something we could play together. He seemed very intent on this game, so I decided I would try it out.”

[Acanthus 0]

“I didn’t realize you had a brother. Me too; older brother. You?”

“Younger. Strange, I really thought you—”

“Were the older sibling? I get that a lot, surprisingly. What made you think that?” He looked at her, curious for her answer.

“Well, you’re annoying.”

“That’s a younger sibling thing—”

“But in a caring way. For example, you insisted on tagging along—”

“—for moral support and conversation—”

“—to annoy me while you made sure I was safe.”

Edict beamed. “I’ll take it.” Acanthus gave him a pointed look. “I see the younger sibling in you now.”

“So tell me about yours.”

Acanthus slowed down along the path. She didn’t need to think about what to say, but she knew that speaking her heart would be oversharing. Edict, friendly as he was, was still a stranger. She decided that the best thing to do was to keep her cards close to her chest. No sense in dumping family problems on a stranger, however kind he may be.

[Acanthus 0]

“As close-shelled as I am, Koji was even quieter. He didn’t like talking to people much. Mom and Dad were always so hard on him.” She wanted to say "for no reason," but she knew that wasn’t true. “Koji was incredible at videogames. He liked doing ‘speedy runs,’ I think they’re called. His favorite thing was to find things in the game that the game-makers missed, and use them to beat games. Glitches, bugs, exploits. I bet if he were here, he would have already found a way to cheat himself up to the 100th floor and solo the boss.”

“My older brother loved games too. But he was less of a ‘hacker,’ and more of a ‘role-player.’ He got really deep into the lore of whatever game he played. He was more of a “journey before destination” kind of guy. *is*,” Edict caught himself. “Is more of one.” A sad silence passed between the two of them before Edict started talking again. “It’s funny for us to talk about them in the past tense. We’re the ones facing extinction, and here we are talking about the real world like it’s in the past.” Acanthus started to correct him and tell him she didn’t talk about Koji like that, but she realized she had. Koji “was” good at video games. “I wonder how the real world talks about us.”

[Acanthus 0]

Larbrook babbled to Acanthus in some incomprehensible accent. Judging by the wild gesticulations, he was alerting her to the misty path into the forest ahead of them. Edict mimicked some of his gestures. “Swedish chef over here is telling you that we have to make it through the forest to get to the labyrinth.”

“How can you even understand him?” Edict tapped his temple and grinned, but said nothing more. Acanthus rolled her eyes and walked past him into the forest.

The temperature dropped the moment they entered the woods. Acanthus could now see her breath. Something in the atmosphere shifted imperceptibly. Edict rested a hand on his hammer. “You felt that too, right?” Acanthus nodded, looking from side to side as they walked. “It’s the third floor. There shouldn’t be anything here that’s dangerous to us.”

“This game is full of surprises.” Edict grimaced. “I think that we’re safe while we’re on the quest. Cardinal generally respects its own questlines.” The game was determined to prove him wrong. A beat later, Edict froze in place, shuddered, and then collapsed onto the ground.

[Acanthus 0]

“Edict!” She reached down to pull him onto his feet. Coming to, he accepted the help. “What just happened?” The usual trace of mirth in his face was gone. “Nothing happened. Let’s pick up the pace.”

Managing about as fast a walk as they could, Acanthus’ mind raced. She wanted—needed—to know what just happened. And she would have been a fool to believe Edict’s denial. But it was clear he did not want to press the matter. And in this moment, he was right. The ominous feeling in the first grew, pressing in on the pair. An ominous feeling strangely reminiscent of

HELLO, LITTLE ONE. TELL US HOW WE WERE MISSED.

Acanthus’ legs turned to jelly. She caught herself on Edict’s unsteady shoulder.

SHE HAS A BOYFRIEND NOW. SOMEONE TO PROP HER USELESS FIGURE UP. SHE FALLS WITHOUT HELP. WORTHLESS.

She felt something grip her arm firmly; she screamed and tore away. It was Edict. For a moment, he appeared terrified. “Acanthus. Listen to me. Can you hear me?”

Gripping her own shoulder tightly, she looked at Edict. “I’m guessing that was a similar ‘nothing’ to yours.” Edict’s face was stony. “Probably. Come on, we’re almost out of here.”

[Acanthus 0]

On the other side of the forest, the mood improved considerably. What was it with Aincrad forests and traumatic situations? Acanthus resolved to take any route home that didn’t involve that stupid path. At this rate, she was going to develop a complex.

At last, they made it to the labyrinth. It loomed over them, disappearing off into the distance. Her system map went dark the moment they stepped inside. Despite the gloomy exterior, the maze was full of life. The hard stone walls were pockmarked with moss and fungus. Trees and plants burst from cracks in the hard floor. Some stretches of the maze were so overgrown, Acanthus might have thought she was back in the forest. “There’s some good foraging opportunities in here,” Edict noted. “Or so I’ve been told.”

Acanthus picked through some crystallized mushrooms. “So you’re a fisher, then?”

“Neither, actually. I’ve found that fighting is a pretty efficient way to get most everything I need.” Acanthus found that hard to believe. “So what do you do when you need demonic shards, or gleaming scales?”

“I’ll just trade a bucket of materials. I have more than I know what to do with.”

“Tell me you at least craft.” Edict looked a little embarrassed. “I dabble in blacksmithing. I tried being a tailor for a little bit, and an artisan. None of it really appealed to me. I’m thinking about swapping over to cook for the raid enhancements.”

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234449 | LD 20 + 1 | CD 2 + 4. Success. (1) material gained. +10 foraging EXP

Loot Totals
+10 foraging EXP
(1) material

Edited October 4 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Edict tried to explain himself as he wandered through the maze. All the while, Acanthus was busy picking out the best samples of what the maze had to offer. A few pieces of iron-hard bark would make for good blacksmith materials. She wondered if Ren would be willing to trade for them. Edict continued talking. “I guess I’m a crafter with commitment issues. I know I should just stick to one, but I really hate having to set aside that time every day just to grind out more items. It gets dull after a while.” We couldn’t be any different on that, she thought. I need that routine at the end of the day. It’s what grounds me in this hellhole of a game. But she didn’t say as much. “I guess everybody is different. I enjoy it, myself.”

“You seem to be doing well. I’ve stopped by your shop a few times, and there’s always quite a few people there.” Acanthus blushed. “You’ve visited? Why did you never say anything?”

“I’ve only been a handful of times. And every time I went, you were always busy with another customer. I didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Swapping Vow of Return for Locating Charm | ACC 2 | LD 8

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234450 | LD 14 + 1 | CD 10 + 2. Critical Success! (4) materials and 3,000 col gained. +18 foraging EXP

Loot Totals
+28 foraging EXP
3000 col
(5) materials

Edited October 4 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Acanthus stamped her foot. “You kept saying you would visit, and then when you did visit, you just said ‘nevermind’? What, did you just turn around and leave each time?” Edict suddenly became interested in some nearby vegetation. Acanthus stomped into his field of vision, ripping the flowers he stared at from the ground. Stuffing them into her pocket, she stared down Edict, doing her best to tie down his wandering eyes. “Did you even show up to the shop? Is this some pitiful attempt to pretend you came down to say hi so that I’ll be embarrassed that I didn’t recognize you?”

He held out his hand as a crystal materialized. One of her songs. Gentle Streams, Calling Home.

“I was able to listen to it in the shop. It’s beautiful.” Acanthus felt the heat rise in her neck. Her anger vanished, replaced by guilt. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “Just say hello the next time you’re there. You can interrupt me.”

 

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234451 | LD 20 + 1 | CD 6 + 2 Critical Success! (2) materials and 1500 col gained. +18 EXP

Loot Totals
+46 foraging EXP
4500 col
(7) materials

Edited October 4 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Things were quiet after that. Acanthus spent her time trying to navigate the labyrinth while stopping for foraging nodes. If Edict was frustrated at the slow pace, he didn’t show it. He seemed lost in thought as they wandered.

Acanthus finally broke the silence. “I’m sorry that I’m not any fun to talk to.” Edict raised a single eyebrow. “What gave you that idea?”

“You’re a talker. I don’t really know how to talk to people very well.” She busied herself gauging a fork in the maze. The air seemed fresher to the left. So she chose right. Edict caught up to her. “I think you’re doing great. I’m not sure who put that thought in your mind.”

Empirical evidence from every stilted conversation I’ve endured since I was twelve, she thought. Maybe that was a little too bitter to respond with. Edict continued talking. “I’ve got an idea.”

 

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234452 | LD 13 + 1 | CD 9 + 2 Critical Success! (4) materials and 3,000 col gained. +18 foraging EXP

Loot Totals
+64 foraging EXP
7500 col
(11) materials

Edited October 4 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

“No talking until we find the Minotaur. You’re not allowed; I’m not allowed.” Acanthus was bemused at the suggestion. “So you’re confirming that I’m not fun to talk to, then.” Edict gently popped her forehead with a knuckle. “No, you idiot. I’m relieving you of the obligation to talk. Because if I promise you it’s ok to be quiet, you’ll get anxious anyways. If I promise not to talk, then you’ll worry you’ve upset me. So instead, we make a pact to just enjoy the quiet until the next part of the quest.”

The idea strangely appealed to Acanthus. “So we can talk again once we meet the first minotaur. That sounds fine to me.” Without any fuss, she turned back to finding her way through the labyrinth.

* * *

The air around her felt lighter. She let herself get lost in the moment and spent a good deal of time foraging. Edict was always in eyesight, but never felt like he was hurrying or hovering. He really did just seem happy to be included.

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234453 | LD 17 + 1 | CD 9 + 2 Critical Success! (4) materials and 3,000 col gained. +18 foraging EXP

Loot Totals
+82 foraging EXP
10500 col
(15) materials

Edited October 4 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

Unfortunately, Acanthus had allowed herself to get lost in more than the moment. She despaired at the three paths she could take; part of her swore she had been here before. The sharp, crystal outcroppings seemed familiar, but they had not been depleted. But it’s possible they had refreshed since I was last here. She turned to Edict with a pleading look. He smiled and shrugged his shoulders. She opened her mouth before remembering the pact, so instead shot him an obscene gesture. Edict snorted, and Acanthus gave him a dirty look. He simply mouthed “doesn’t count,” and then pointed to the left path. She pursed her lips and chose the opposite path. Laughing, Edict followed her.

She certainly hadn’t been here before. The maze opened up into a small clearing about twenty meters in diameter. Exits jutted out of the circular area in dozens of different directions. Despite the lack of defining features, the place had a sense of importance.

“Acanthus…”

“Edict. What happened to the pact? No talking until—”

“On your right!”

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234454 | LD 18 + 1 | CD 12 + 2 Critical Success! (4) materials and 3,000 col gained. +18 foraging EXP (1) demonic shard gained.

Loot Totals
+100 foraging EXP
13500 col
(19) materials
(1) demonic shard

Edited October 4 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

In a single, powerful leap, the minotaur cleared the distance to Acanthus, sword crashing down on her. She barely raised her own sword in time; the weight of Kantaras forced her to the ground, grunting with exertion.

Edict stood a few meters away, laughing. Acanthus yelled at him, “If you’re just going to stand there, the least you could do is get his attention.” Edict bowed theatrically. “I promised to provide moral support and conversation. So I’m here to say: you can do it!”

Acanthus swore loudly as she redirected the minotaur’s blade to the side. Edict was nearly doubling over with laughter. Thankfully, Larbrook was there, and swept the boss off Acanthus with his greataxe. Crashing into the labyrinth wall, Kantaras growled at the two of them. Edict, on the other hand, seemed completely invisible to the creature.

Acanthus stood and dusted herself off. “That’s fine. I don’t need your help. It’s just a floor three quest. And I’ve got Larbrook here.”

“You do know Larbrook doesn’t actually do anything, right? He just floats around the periphery and steps in sometimes. His attacks don’t even do damage.” Sure enough, the minotaur’s health hadn’t moved after Larbrook’s attack. “That’s just great.” Acanthus muttered to herself. Steadily approaching the monster, she readied herself for another bout. Kantaras bellowed, and ran at her. This time, she was prepared. Holding her blade up, she roughly parried the brutal strike. In the opening that followed, Acanthus brought her sword down, aimed for the minotaur’s chest, and thrust with her whole body. With an anguished yowl, it fell to the ground, dead.

Acanthus jogged over to Edict. “One down, one to go.”

Edict was nonplussed. “Acanthus, that was impressive.” Acanthus smiled. “Thank you. I’ve been hard at work since the last time we met. The hardest part of this quest is going to be…” lost in thought, she looked left, and then right. “The hardest part will be finding the next minotaur.”

Spoiler

 

Post Action: TECH-A -> Kantaras
234455 | BD 5 + 2 = 7. Hit! 21 * 16 = 336 damage.

Acanthus | HP: 760/760 | EN: 90/90 | DMG: 21 | MIT:78 | ACC:2 | REC: 4 | BLD: 48  | PARA | LD:8
<<Kantaras, the Eastern Hoya Minotaur>> HP: 0/150 | DMG: 45 | ACC: 1

 

 

Edited October 3 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

“It’s refreshingly honest for you to just admit we’re lost, rather than try to hide it.” Acanthus tugged at her own hair in exasperation. She didn’t have the best map direction, and her in-game map grayed out the portion of the floor with the labyrinth. At least there were plenty of crystals for her to gather. “Being dishonest is only going to get us lost even more. I’m surprised. This place didn’t seem so big from the outside.”

“Things are often different from a first-person perspective.” Edict paused to look at his menu. “Good thing I didn’t have anywhere to be after this. We may be stuck in here overnight.”

“Overnight?” Acanthus sputtered. “I didn’t bring any traveling gear, and the ground is stone. We can’t stay the night.” Edict materialized some items from his inventory. “I have two tents and bedrolls ready to go, as well as a few rations. Plus, there’s a few solid tufts of grass to avoid the stony ground. We could also teleport out. Do you have a crystal?”

“...I do not.”

“And I’ve only got the one. So unless we pick up the pace, it’ll be an overnighter.”

Acanthus looked at Edict suspiciously. “You’re very prepared. And how did you have space for that in your readied inventory?”

“I have more of a strength build. Aside from the frontline usefulness, it helps me carry extra stuff for emergencies.”

“Well, that’s some weight off my back. But still, I don’t want to spend any longer here than necessary.”

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234456 | LD 8 + 1 | CD 12 + 2 Failure.

Loot Totals
+118 foraging EXP
13500 col
(19) materials
(1) demonic shard

Edited October 4 by Acanthus

[Acanthus 0]

“What if we just followed the left wall? That’s a solution, isn’t it?”

“Sometimes.” Edict pondered. “But not all labyrinths work that way. They can be built in a way that defeats that strategy.” He pointed her over to some vines hanging off the wall, and she spooled them up for later use. If nothing else, they could mark their path.

After wandering a little bit further, Acanthus threw up her hands in defeat. “Then why is that even a thing in the first place. You’d think that the rules would be a little more consistent. ‘Always go left’ except when it doesn’t work. ‘Always retrace your steps’ except when it fails. Rules, rules, rules, and none of them make sense.”

“Are we still talking about the maze?” Edict asked with a glint in his eye. Acanthus responded, “What do you mean, ‘still’? What else could we be talking about?”

Post Action: Gathering Materials
234457 | LD 18 + 1 | CD 10 + 2 Critical Success! (4) materials and 3,000 col gained. +18 foraging EXP (1) demonic shard gained.

Loot Totals
+100 foraging EXP
16500 col
(23) materials
(2) demonic shard

Edited October 4 by Acanthus