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

Hello there, and good everything! It's me, Erika! The bastion's number one Deowl healer and occasional unpaid intern in her lifetime!

And today? Today, I'm just in a state of absolute awe of Lady Narcissus, Lady Kuzunoha, Lady Verina, and Head of Consul Lupina, all working their magic—no, that's not even the word. They're practically bending reality over in the workshop!

Now, imagine this: the three of them, maybe four, heads down, fully consumed by a single project, each wearing expressions you'd expect on people uncovering the meaning of life, or maybe what's inside an average Calamity Object's twisted little mind and their secret daytime routine before they decided that it is a good time to spawn in Carcosa, just to get obliterated by Lady Verina's spell musket-

Anyhwo, they looked so serious! And smart! I don't know, but I know that I felt dumb when I took an occasional peek with other bastioneers when our three leading figures are ray-focused in their project!

And if I didn't know better, I'd think they were cooking up some self-learning creature from the depths of Carcosa, something they're calling the 'Organic Calculator'.

It's supposed to… well, I don't entirely know what it's supposed to do, only that they keep talking about 'adaptive processing', 'neuromorphic computing', and a whole bunch of other terms that, frankly, make my eyes glaze over faster than one of Lady Verina's bullets.

I noticed that I mentioned Lady Verina a lot in these rambles, it just shows my respect and admiration to these powerful women.

They are my role models, that's for sure!

Moving on, there's something exotic about this project of theirs, this otherworldly machine slowly coming together under their intense focus.

It looks alive—no, not in the flesh-and-blood way, but in the way Lady Narcissus, Lady Verina, and Lady Kuzunoha put themselves into it, weaving it into being through every careful adjustment and tweak.

Again, if I didn't know better, I'd say that contraption could develop a sense of humor if they keep it up. And honestly, it's like watching some mad poetry unfold. They're creating something truly special, something none of us lesser bastioneers could possibly think up on our own.

Which brings me to my Script—the treasure, my precious!

My entire life changed after getting my hands on it. Now, I may not understand all that complex 'Organic Calculator' nonsense they're muttering over there, but this book? It's my personal universe of endless revelations.

Honestly, I could read this Script every day for the rest of my life and still find new wonders within its pages!

Let's be clear, though. This isn't some ordinary book you'd skim through during a lazy afternoon. Nope. This thing is chock-full of life-altering insights, illustrations that honestly make the internal anatomy of creatures seem like art, and there's medical wisdom here that puts the last doc I knew to shame.

The more I read, the more I understand just how fragile life really is—how one small cut, expertly placed, can end it all in seconds. And then there's a whole section on advanced suturing techniques, infection control, and something called 'plastic surgery'.

Who knew a person could change their entire face? Wild, right? I tell you, Lady Narcissus has to be some kind of fae-genius to know all of this when she wrote this down.

As if that wasn't enough, I heard from Lady Kuzunoha that our glorious and beautiful leader literally wrote all of this tome-thick storage of wisdom in less than an hour. All eight of them!

And the best part? Every time I read it, I feel like I'm sinking deeper into the words and their meaning, allowing me to gain an adept comprehension of the content as if I've been through a one year studying and experiment for that one specific topic...

It's like… no, it is a trance, but a good one. Like I'm being guided by Lady Narcissus herself for my whole life!

And don't get me started on the illustrations. They're mesmerizing, sure, but the accuracy? Divine. I'm telling you, this Script is a non-ohrtending healer's fantasy come to life!

"Gyah!" I twisted my neck to glance in all directions, trying to comprehend the amount of time that I used in my current reading session. "Phew, thank gracious and holy Lady Narcissus! I didn't go on three hours reading sprees and ignoring my duty like back then."

Now, it's break time for everyone in the bastion, which means I'm not the only one enjoying their Script.

I noticed the other recruits with theirs too, each with a look that ranges from mild intrigue to complete obsession. I can give you the rundown because, let's face it, I've got nothing better to do until someone comes running to me with a scratched-up knee or a life-threatening wound!

Take Kara, for example. The woman's as dense as the Vorrathite Ward she wears, but even she's starting to warm up to her Script. Oh, she's no scholar—that's for sure—but she's picked up on a few martial arts techniques.

Not that she'd admit it, but I caught her practicing a jab-cross combo just last night. Guess the Script is working on her, one punch at a time, heh.

And Yora? I'd call her the bastion's quiet little philosopher. She had taken her Script's survival tactics and life philosophies to heart, and I've noticed her growing into this Jack-of-all-trades role.

She still scouts when she has to, but you'd be amazed at her newfound adaptability. Guess Lady Narcissus knew what she was doing with these personalized bibles.

Then there's Callista. She's more interested in napping than reading, but she can't help glancing at her Script whenever she thinks no one's watching. She hasn't really thrown herself into it, though—classic Callista, as lazy as ever.

Sweet Sera, on the other hand, is a bit of a surprise. She still plays at being meek and timid, but I know better. That girl is brave, critical, and a lot smarter than she lets on.

And she's been devouring her Script like it's the last meal she'll ever get, soaking up everything on botany and biology. Her foraging skills are top-notch now, which is saying something in a place like Carcosa.

I even caught her red-handed trying to make a hidden little garden behind our barrack. I wonder how she would bring those when Lady Narcissus decided to change the location of our bastion.

She still has a long way until she finds the true worth of these Scripts, however!

Unlike Amelia.

Amelia's the soldier through and through. I swear, she reads her Script as if it's a holy text, always flipping to sections on war tactics and martial strategy.

She's taking it all in—military theory, weapons, and, from what I gather, a pretty hefty dose of knowledge on otherworld weapons. Whatever Lady Narcissus put in that Script, Amelia's drinking it up like it's the fountain of life like I do!

And Naosi? Now there's someone with her mind on the mission. She's practically glued to her Script these days, reading about blacksmithing, exotic materials, and physics?

With Lady Narcissus's guidance, Naosi's been developing, sharing her knowledge about some wild new alloys and the Calamity Alloys that Lady Narcissus taught her lately, maintaining and adjusting our pikes and armor, making her an essential figure for the betterment of our armory—and she is no longer disgruntled doing it!

She basically had improved by more than 400% percent in her blacksmithing skill ever since she joined this bastion! I still remember that she was nothing more than a forced blacksmith in our old troupe, and an annoying playboy to boot.

Naosi had become more lively and a better person! I felt bad that her current innocent crush was none other than our holiness Lady Narcissus herself, however, because I doubt that it was a possible target, heh.

Lydia's much the same as Amelia. They're both hooked on military strategy, if what she told me was true back then, though Lydia's Script has an extra dash of political savvy and scheming advice.

She knows the Script is enchanted with fae magic, but she's so dedicated she doesn't even care. Can't say I blame her—knowing how to navigate power plays in this world? Valuable stuff.

Too bad that I don't have any interest in all of those.

So yeah, the bastioneers are becoming more aligned with the bastion every day, reading their Scripts and finding themselves caught up in Lady Narcissus's vision.

I'm just about to settle back into my own precious Script, right after reading it—maybe memorize another couple of diagrams on the art of swift, silent takedowns, that was introduced in the latest chapter I read.

Speaking of reading their Script, my eyes glanced at Sera who was currently doing it!

She was huddled in a corner, her Script open on her lap, reading with the same kind of zeal a person might bring to their last glass of water in a desert!

"Hey, Sera!" I call, wandering over.

She jumped a bit, probably startled to see me, but she flashed me that sweet, innocent smile she always puts on. It was really cute, so I didn't dare to call out on her act that I occasionally caught red-handed.

"Erika! Oh, uh… I didn't think anyone noticed me here."

"Psh, like I wouldn't notice another Script-devourer in action," I said, grinning as I plopped down beside her. "So, what's the topic today? Herbs? Roots? How to survive a week in Carcosa without food?"

She let out a little laugh. "Actually, it's on defensive techniques. How to make yourself less of a target and slip away in a pinch. Also, how to hide when you're outnumbered." She tapped the page thoughtfully. "But there's so much about botany too. This book is... incredible. I'm learning things I never even dreamed of."

I nodded, sharing in her enthusiasm. "I know, right? This Script is like a goldmine of expensive and Theotech-level of knowledge! I swear, Lady Narcissus has thought of everything. I mean, did you ever think we'd have the chance to learn all this, after… you know, the Rough Mist?"

She went quiet for a second, her eyes reflecting a bit of that old bandit life we both left behind. "Honestly? No. I used to think survival was just about hiding and scavenging, getting by however you could. But this place... this bastion... it's different. I feel like I actually have a purpose here. And Lady Narcissus, Lady Kuzunoha, Lady Verina—they're so… capable. And it feels good, being a part of something bigger than just... surviving."

Even though we were just a small bastion in the middle of nowhere, it was more than obvious that we shall become something greater!

After all, the dazzling embers of ambition and progress that was found in the three, I mean four, leader figures were more than enough of assurance. As if that was not enough, their thoughts and actions gave us more hope!

It was outright discernable. We were treated less of an underling and more of a trusted agent and family.

Instead of payment and a mere place to live, they provided us with guidance, knowledge, and attention to our interests and opinions!

It was quite nice to have a superior who actually sees through your skills and merits instead of seniority and position in hierarchy, a.k.a the Rough Mist that we were once part of.

I grinned, giving her a nudge. "Same here. Back in the Rough Mist, we were just another bunch of criminals. And now? Now we're bastioneers. With roles and titles, Sera. And not just any titles, useful titles. You're a forager, I'm a medic, and if that doesn't sound like an upgrade, I don't know what does!"

We still do a little bit of everything, but I am glad that our skill and passion was acknowledged.

She chuckled, a bit of that old shyness returning. "I don't think we're talking about the same thing, Erika."

"But you feel better here than the rough mist, right?"

"It's just... hard to believe sometimes. That people like us could ever end up here, with leaders who actually know what they're doing, instead of relying everything on luck and superstition."

Right, there was that too.

Who would have thought that almost all of the members of the Rough Mist were led to their doom because that stupid former leader of ours believed that we must find a sacrificial lamb right at that very moment for absolutely no reason.

Glad that Lady Verina didn't just shoot me dead like the rest.

"So," Sera nervously glanced in my direction instead of hunching down her head. "Are you sure that this won't be the fourth time you're bragging about your Script to me as we compare the content… and share what we found??

"Ah, you're preaching to the choir, my friend!" I hold up my Script. "I mean, just look at this! Medical diagrams, in-depth explanations of sutures, anatomy. There's even a section on the newest chapter I read about…" I lower my voice, giving her a conspiratorial look, "The quickest ways to take someone down. Which is definitely something that should be taught to a medic, but there must be a reason why Lady Narcissus did this."

Her eyes widened, and she leaned in, matching my whisper. "No way! Mine has a whole chapter on poisons and antidotes. Makes me wonder… maybe we're being trained for more than just survival."

I give her a knowing smirk. "If there's one thing I've learned, it's that Lady Narcissus has plans upon plans! Whatever she's preparing us for, it's big. Bigger than any raid, any bandit scuffle."

We sit there for a moment, just two ex-bandits, now proud bastioneers with secrets and skills. And I can't help but feel… grateful. Grateful for this second chance, for this insane little bastion we're part of.

Lady Narcissus, wherever you came from, whatever weird fae magic you used to bind us all here... keep it coming. Because I'm all in, and I have no qualm to serve you for the rest of my life.

But then suddenly, the very view that I experienced a second ago was no longer in my sight.