Mythos Of Narcissus: Reborn As An NPC In A Horror VRMMO
Chapter 47: Fusing Calamity Traits

Loki, the duality of chaos made manifest—unpredictable and disruptive, yet also a catalyst for change.

He is a complex figure in Norse mythology, known as a trickster god associated with mischief, deception, and chaos. Though not one of the Aesir by birth, he becomes Odin's blood-brother and often interacts with the gods, sometimes helping them but more often causing trouble.

This mythological figure is highly intelligent, cunning, and shape-shifts frequently, taking on forms like a woman, a salmon, and even a mare.

And apparently, Loki was a woman when they met Verina and Lupina. Though, there was also a chance that there was no direct correlation between Carcosa's Loki and Norse Myth's Loki.

"Is there a discernible trait of her character?"

There should be a noticeable characteristic that I can use as a hint.

"She is tall and has endowed stature," Verina replied. "Her body was draped in a domineering coat with blackened feathers as her azure blue eyes struck upon us like a hammer of judgment."

"Now you're just thirsting over her."

"Why would I thirst over her when I have you?"

As a game, Fallen Carcosa Online seemed to have a tendency to use mythos as part of their world.

Even the Qliphoth Object had a direct section of what mythology it was referencing from.

Not to mention, Narcissus was a character from Greek Mythology. Even my starting point in this world was a direct reference to the whole character's identity now that I thought about it.

Though I still didn't understand why Narcissus in this game was a female.

After we went back to our camp, I rested my consciousness for a solid 1 hour before continuing my pending activities.

From processing the materials from the Calamity Objects until they were in a usable state, to hustle and bustling my way to expand the necessary parameters, in case that the Hollow Star decided to come back for a second round in this lonely bastion of ours.

I made sure that there was a lot of breakthrough progress achieved in this two-person bastion.

"Looks like the Fortcracker is back in business," Verina playfully announced.

[Fortcracker Mk II (Masterpiece 100%) - 72.0 kg: The Fortcracker Mk II is an advanced modification of the original Fortcracker weapon, transformed into a carriable ballista to be equipped by a single powerful user.

By integrating lightweight yet durable organic alloys made from numerous Calamity Objects and replacing the iron bands with the aforementioned monster material—the weapon's weight has been drastically reduced without sacrificing its strength.

The six torsion-powered throwing arms have been redesigned with new advanced materials such as the processed Sorrow Weaver's webs, adding extra tension for enhanced projectile speed.

Further modifications include a collapsible frame, making it easier to carry, and a specialized gear system allowing a single person to manually draw and reload the throwing arms with reduced effort.

The Fortcracker Mk II retains its ability to launch a variety of projectiles, including siege bolts and explosive payloads, still capable of shattering stone walls and piercing through organic armor, now wielded with the might of an individual instead of a crew]

"Let's see its current output," I loaded a normal wooden bolt onto the weapon before aiming this gargantuan arbalest onto the dummy target.

Just as I pulled the side-lever that unlocked the latch, the bolt was released with a destructive momentum.

It could be said that the dummy target was devastated into several flying pieces that were separated meters away from each other.

"Imbuing the Sorrow Weaver's silks on the ropes did wonders on the firepower," Verina commented. "How's the recoil though?"

"Still not something that a normal person could handle."

"Gladly, you're not a normal person."

There were a lot of things that were done to this magnificent weapon, but detail would be too exhausting to tell or read if I were to explain it in person.

But to put it simply, I found that the metallic matter, bones, organic skin and hides of a Calamity Object had a special property to fuse their characteristic when mixed deliberately depending on the original property of the material.

I stumbled upon this interaction after I held my Gloamkeeper's Beacon over the molten metal of a Sandstalker's claws, which prompted a guided highlight on other nearby materials.

We then began to mix and match several things in our storage while also experimenting with other methods of fusing such as boiling, stitching, and even grafting.

Some of the methods may work and not depending on the material. For example, the carapace of the Cinderclaw needed to be crushed into powdered bits before being combined with whatever metal alloy we have to imbue or enhance its property.

Its molten claw, for example, could be infused this way into a knife made from a Sandstalker's metallic claw to give it the semi-molten property that the Calamity Object has.

[Emberfang (Masterpiece 100%) - 0.8 kg: The Emberfang is a finely crafted knife, forged from the molten claws of the Cinderclaw and the razor-sharp talons of the Sandstalker. The blade itself is constructed from Cinderclaw Moltensteel, a material that retains heat, allowing the edge to remain hot enough to sear through metal and flesh with ease.

The blade glows faintly with embers along its surface, radiating heat yet never losing its integrity under high temperatures. It needed a durable sheath that could withstood the heat]

We couldn't really make a sword-version of this since it began needing an extreme amount of temperature to even turn it molten again.

And more temperature means more lifelines. Even though we had built a specialized furnace to increase the effectiveness of Verina's ohrtending, it would still need an absurd amount of lifeline compared to what we currently have to reach that ideal temperature.

At least we now had access to easy carving and improved overall utilities.

I could even use it to give my steak a fine crust. or cauterize my own wound.

Like, there was a lot of conceptual functionality for a knife that was hot without needing to be re-heated or plugged to an electric socket.

Overall, this breakthrough of ours was nothing but a great accomplishment.