Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO

The morning of my seventh day in Carcosa greeted us with a grim scene.

The time of Nihil had ended, leaving behind a landscape scarred by chaos and entropy. The world was unnervingly quiet, as if holding its breath after the storm.

The remains of our bastion lay strewn across the desolate plains—shattered walls, torn banners, collapsed buildings, fragmented holy objects, and broken towers reduced to rubble. It was as though some great unseen force had swept through during the unstable events of Nihil, annihilating what little remained of our refuge when we were not here.

Though, there was a hypothesis that it wasn't exactly the Nihil itself that destroyed our bastion, but nothing could be confirmed since the fragments of history and essences of the land were quite corrupted if we use them to find out about what was happening in the time of Nihil when we were gone.

"Ah, I found a claw mark," I exclaimed.

"Huh, maybe a beast did all of this," Verina voiced her thoughts.

Viviane snickered. "If the time of Nihil is so unstable and fractured to the point that Kuzunoha and I were caught in it, do you think that a simple beast would be able to stay long enough to wreck your bastion?

"Also, what is even their reason to do that? The color of the wall?"

"As such, it shall remain a mystery until the end of time~" Kuzunoha chimed.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

As I stood amidst the ruins, my eyes traced the jagged outlines of what had once been our bastion, the one I tried to remember after having my thoughts far away from Carcosa for longer than the days I stayed here.

Memories of its creation, its struggles, and its eventual downfall surfaced unbidden.

But as expected, those memories did not linger long. There was no sorrow in my heart—only a simple confirmation, and determination. The bastion had served its purpose, but we had outgrown it. The new strength we had cultivated over the past fifteen days inside Kuzunoha's mansion rendered this place irrelevant.

The world had shifted, and so had we.

"We're moving north," I announced, my voice steady as I turned to face my crew. The bastioneers, Verina, Lupina, Charis, Kuzunoha, and Viviane all stood ready, awaiting my decision. "There's nothing left for us here. Our destination is Quruize Citadel."

Before we arrived in Carcosa, my confidantes and I had a meeting about the current landscape of the continent we were in.

Also yeah, Viviane had become a part of my confidantes too.

My reliable allies had only been growing bigger.

Going back to my explanation, Viviane and Kuzunoha deduced from the surrounding signatures of life and geographic pattern that exist within kilometers away from our bastion, there was a certain civilization that the two of them remembered and recognized from their earlier days.

"Ah, Quruize Citadel," Kuzunoha mused back then. "Known for its beautiful architecture… a hundred years ago, at least. Whether it's still a sight to behold or a decrepit ruin is anyone's guess."

"It's intact," Viviane interjected, her voice calm but resolute. "I casted forecasting spells before our meeting to confirm the result of the recalibration of the world. The citadel is still standing, and its presence is… vibrant. Likely still thriving."

That was all I needed to hear back then.

There was no reason to remain in this barren place. As such, we had prepared for this journey long before today.

Every material, every resource needed for our next step had been carefully stored inside Kuzunoha's arcane storage, ready to be utilized.

The plan was simple: we would build a Landship—a mobile bastion capable of carrying us northward to the citadel while providing a haven of comfort and security.

"Move all of the materials, ladies!" Lupina broadcasted through the MSUs of the bastioneers using a special headset-like device that allowed her to relay information to the Organic Calculators connected to it, and in return, the Organic Calculator relayed it again to their respective owners. "Everyone has already been given the schematics. To access it, just utilize your respective Cognitive Engine!"

The construction of the Landship began almost immediately.

The materials were brought out from Kuzunoha's arcane storage, each piece meticulously prepared in advance, and now all of the bastioneers had retrieved their assigned roles and materials into their MSUs.

Theotech-upgraded engine that was forged from the remnants of Calamity Objects earlier before all of this happened, structural frameworks of Neuro Alloy, and countless other components—all planned with precision.

The bastioneers moved with practiced efficiency that showed their focus and enhanced motoric function that performed not a single inefficient action,, guided by the Organic Calculator stored within their MSUs.

These Cognitive Engines acted as personal assistants in this project, as intended, feeding them instructions and ensuring their roles in the construction process were executed flawlessly.

As for my confidantes. Well. they were more on the comfortable side.

Kuzunoha and Viviane partaken in a lavish tea time, complete with their tea sets and round table and comfy chair. Even though neither of their cups were filled with any tea-like substances.

Verina was supervising Charis and Lupina who was playing around in the background. I occasionally saw Charis throwing Lupina so high in the sky, only to capture our torso-less world lady with her shadowed floating hands right before Lupina crashed to the ground.

"They are having fun," I said, ignoring Lupina's face of horror.

"They are having fun," Verina said, ignoring Lupina's face of horror as she was flung again to the sky for a second time.

Apparently, Lupina boasted about being resilient in her olden days, despite not being so old herself—and Charis, who has an irk when people lie in front of her face, decided to tease Lupina to a very effective extent.

And before we knew it, the Landship progressed much faster than I expected.

Within hours, the skeletal frame of the Landship began to take shape. The vessel was enormous, an armored behemoth designed to traverse the unpredictable terrain of Carcosa.

Its exterior was reinforced with plates of different types of Neuro Alloy, polished to a matte sheen that refracted the ambient light in strange, mesmerizing patterns.

The Landship's primary method of movement was its four screw-propellers, each powered by a fusion of Theotech enhancements and modified engines—engines I had originally crafted alongside Verina from the remains of Calamity Objects, now elevated to new heights of power and efficiency thanks to Kuzunoha's endless collection of Theotech artifacts.

Sometimes, I felt a little bit overwhelmed by the thought that everything within that specific mansion we temporarily inhabited was only a small part of Kuzunoha's actual collection—

The construction process of the Landship was seamless. With the bastioneers' enhanced dexterity, strength, and intelligence, it took only twelve hours to complete what should have been a monumental undertaking.

The finished Landship was a masterpiece of engineering and artistry, its design blending practicality with an almost surreal presence within its surrounding landscape.

The exterior was imposing, its armored hull giving the impression of an indomitable fortress. Yet the interior was a world unto itself, defying the Landship's external dimensions.

Through a combination of spatial manipulation and arcane engineering—a collaboration between myself, Kuzunoha, and Viviane—the space within the Landship was ten times larger than it appeared from the outside.

The interior was nothing but made with comfort and luxury in mind.

Each bastioneer was given their own private quarters, lavishly furnished and tailored to their preferences. The rooms were spacious, with plush beds, ornate desks, and even personal libraries stocked with books from Kuzunoha's collection. Common areas included a grand lounge with intricately carved furniture, a dining room with a table large enough to seat the entire crew, and a storage room equipped with shelves upon shelves of supplies.

There was even a gaming room—filled with an assortment of board games, card games, and other diversions to keep morale high during long journeys. The public bathroom was another highlight, a space of tranquility and relaxation featuring hot baths, steam rooms, and mosaic tiles that glimmered faintly in the ambient light.

As the bastioneers explored their new home, their reactions were a mixture of pride, excitement, and satisfaction, since they did half of the construction before I forced my confidantes to help the building process halfway.

But none were more animated than Charis and Lupina.

Charis, with her childlike wonder, darted from room to room, her white eyes alight with joy. "Father, look at this! It's so beautiful! There's even a library in my room!" She turned, carrying Lupina in her arms like a cherished doll. "Lupina, isn't the lounge amazing? We can play so many games here!"

Lupina, ever the source of chaos, smirked as she leaned into Charis' hold. "This place is… ridiculous," she remarked, though her tone was laced with genuine admiration. "A moving fortress with a gaming room? What's next? A public bathroom with a hot tub and sauna?"

Obviously, her realization afterward was hilarious.

Charis giggled, twirling around as she continued to explore. Her joy was infectious, and even I couldn't help but smile as I watched her delight in the fruits of the bastioneer's labor.

The final component to be installed was the engine

The engine's core was forged from materials salvaged from defeated Calamity Objects, further enhanced with Theotech modifications. It pulsed with a faint, otherworldly glow, its power unmistakable.

As the engine roared to life, the entire Landship vibrated with energy, its screw-propellers spinning with a low, resonant hum. Yora, ever the reliable bastioneer, stepped forward to take her place at the helm. Her hands rested on the intricate controls, her expression one of calm determination.

"All systems are green," Yora reported, her voice steady. "Ready to move on your command, Lady Narcissus."

I nodded, my gaze sweeping over the crew—my family. They were ready. We were ready.

"Let's go," I said, my voice firm.

The Landship lurched forward, its massive frame gliding smoothly across the terrain. The screw-propellers churned the earth like waves, propelling us onward with an almost surreal grace. It felt less like a vehicle and more like a ship cruising on an endless sea.

As we left the ruins of our bastion behind, I couldn't help but feel a sense of closure. The past was behind us, and the future lay ahead.

Our destination was Quruize Citadel, the nearest beacon of civilization in a world of chaos. And with the Landship as our new bastion, we were ready to face whatever challenges awaited us.