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

Chapter 153: Ink-Born Chase, Inspirational Hunt

With a hiss, the Lichen Queen retreated into the forest on a different moving land, her robes trailing behind her like a shroud, the dense fog fading along with her. In her wake, we gathered samples of moss and a length of lichen from the ground, carefully preserving them for later use.

After that, the Ordeal proceeded to hibernate for a couple hours. We used this time to eat our ration and rest for those who felt drowsiness drowning their eyes.

—

[The Petrified Tempest]

[Description: A swirling, violent storm that moves slowly across the land, but instead of water or lightning, it is filled with shards of ancient stone and jagged fragments of statues from different civilizations. The storm twists through the air, catching anything in its path and gradually turning it to stone.

Creatures caught within find their flesh hardening, their minds filled with memories and regrets of long-lost eras they never experienced. The Petrified Tempest has no center; it's a mass of fragmented history swirling together, drawn to locations of significant past events. Once it passes, the landscape is littered with statues of those who could not escape]

[Hint: The Tempest can be redirected, but the method is not known by many souls]

—

Near midnight, a sudden gust of frigid air announced the approach of The Petrified Tempest. This wasn't a storm of wind or water; it was a swirling mass of stone shards, fragments of statues from long-forgotten civilizations caught in a violent whirlwind.

As the Tempest drew near, an unnatural weight filled the air, and fragments of memories not our own began creeping into our minds—images of ancient cities, battles, faces both familiar and strange.

"Shall I?" Verina nonchalantly asked.

"You shall have the honor~"

Frick the hint, we shall use brute force.

Pointing her musket to the Tempest, Verina unleashed a concentrated torrent of wind that spread in formation, pushing away the incoming calamity while also attempting to destroy the wind-path for once and for all.

The rest of bastioneers aside from Kuzunoha could only wear a 'Yep, that happen' expression from the sheer-powerhouse Verina proved to be.

Even Lupina herself began to question if her pipe-horned friend was truthfully her all along.

In the end, we managed to drive away, and eventually suppress the Tempest for good, all thanks to Verina, and a couple of countermeasure preparations on Kuzunoha's side, in case that the scenario went south, which it did for a second.

Not even ten minutes later, we were introduced by another new Calamity Object.

—

[The Ink-Born Muse]

[Description: A shadowy figure formed of flowing black ink, with countless quills and brushes poking out of its amorphous body. The Muse appears to artists, writers, and creators, whispering inspiration with a voice like scratching parchment. Its touch fills minds with visions and ideas, compelling people to create works of obsessive detail.

However, the more they create, the more they lose control of themselves, until they are no more than puppets, endlessly working on a single, impossible masterpiece. The ink it leaves behind is indelible, staining not just hands but memories, drawing the artist deeper into a trance of unending creativity]

[Hint: The Muse can be dispelled by destroying one's most treasured creation, a task few creators can bring themselves to do]

—

Finally, with midnight fast approaching, a shadowy figure slipped into the edge of our camp, flickering like black ink pooling over parchment. The Ink-Born Muse hovered silently, its form shifting, countless quills and brushes sprouting from its dark, fluid body.

It whispered in a voice like scratching parchment, weaving ideas into the minds of those nearby, visions of intricate works of art, stories and music, filling each person with a burning need to create.

Its presence imbued me with many ideas and assortment of inspirations. And I could assume that it was the same with others.

Well, these free embers of creativity were fine and all, but if we kept this spirit in this bastion any longer, and someone ended up creating something with those inspirations while they were still in its range of influence—they would definitely be doomed.

As such, we immediately held a Ghost Hunt, using brute force once again in the hope that we could chase it out of our small bastion.

"Alright, everyone!" I called, shaking my head to dispel the sudden rush of foreign thoughts crowding my mind. "Do not pick up a quill, a brush, or even a stone to scratch an outline in the dirt! This thing feeds off creative work and will have you trapped in endless creation if you so much as doodle."

""Understood, ma'am!"" came everyone and Callista's voices, though her fingers already drummed against her crossbow like she was itching to sketch.

I turned to Kuzunoha, who observed the Muse with narrowed eyes, a sardonic smile creeping over her face. "Looks like I need to join this bout. I'm one of the most vulnerable out of all of us, after all," she said, already conjuring a brilliant array of arcane flames around her fingers.

"Why not?" I replied, hefting my Vorrathite Pike. I caught Verina's eye, and she adjusted her musket, clearly itching to send the Muse fleeing with a show of raw power.

The Muse drifted forward, its dark form shifting and swirling, as if beckoning us closer.

Its ink-black gaze fixed on Verina, and a voice whispered through the air, like scratching parchment, words layered with something both tempting and unsettling. "Create... bring forth beauty... surrender to the inspiration..."

Verina flinched, caught off guard, her fingers twitching toward her musket as her usually cool demeanor slipped into intense focus. "Narcissus…" she murmured, almost as if the voice were guiding her hand. "I… I can make a masterpiece out of you!"

"Verina! You can do it when the sun is here!" Lupina shouted to keep her friend's mind in check. "Think about it. Narcissus' beauty can only be fully captured when her glimmering sheen of golden locks are met with the gentle sunshine!"

"I… I guess you're right…"

Well, that was fast. I didn't even need to do anything.

Verina took a sharp breath and pulled herself together, her eyes sparking with renewed clarity. With a tight nod, she leveled her musket at the Muse, firing a blinding shot of crackling energy in its direction.

The blast seared through the air, temporarily dispersing the Muse's inky form, which recoiled, twisting away from her.

The Muse tried to regroup, its tendrils weaving into complex shapes in an effort to mesmerize us again. But this time, the bastioneers were ready. Yora, Kara, and Erika, followed by the rest—loosed volleys of bolts at the creature, their crossbow strings humming with the force of each release.

The bolts sliced through its form, scattering bits of black ink like oil splatters. As if it was not enough, Amelia, Naosi, Lydia, and Sera had the spearhead of their pike lit aflame with the help of rendered animal fat. They then bravely rushed forward with their pike aimed at their enemies.

In the meantime, I reached out the spearhead of my pike to Kuzunoha, who enchanted a vitriol spell onto the metal with flames that could disturb the formation of semi-physical living matter.

While being aggressively cornered through, the Muse let out a hiss, an eerie, scraping sound that seemed to vibrate through the very air around us. "I'll add your dreams... your visions... to the masterpiece…"

"Oh, no, you won't," I countered, hurling my Vorrathite Pike for a slash with all my thunder.

The pike struck true, slicing through one of its ink-laden limbs, forcing it to recoil with another shriek.

In the flickering light of our makeshift torches, the Muse's body seemed to weaken, losing some of its dark luster as we continued to bombard it with bolts and blasts of magic. But the Muse was persistent; with a last effort, it reached out, extending a tendril toward everyone in the vicinity.

"Not a chance!"

I stomped forward and hurled my Vorrathite Pike with an almighty throw toward the ink-stained demon, igniting them in a blaze of bright orange fire.

As the flames leapt up, the Muse shrieked, recoiling in fear as it sensed the loss of any foothold here.

Kuzunoha grinned with grim satisfaction, conjuring another wave of purple flames that formed a burning barrier between the Muse and the rest of us. "I hope you're as skilled at running as you are attempting, little muse~" she said, as the fire flared and trapped it in.

With nowhere left to turn, the Ink-Born Muse let out a final, furious wail before dissipating, its ink-like body vanishing into smoke and shadows that faded into the night sky. It left behind only a single vial of its dark, indelible ink—a potent reminder of its eerie influence, and something I would save for another time when its properties might be of use.

"Alright, everyone," I said, stowing the vial in a secure pouch. "The Muse is gone, but the night isn't over. Keep up your guard; we're only halfway through."

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The bastioneers each nodded, their eyes still wide but filled with newfound determination.

"Eheheh."

As for me, I'm busy extracting what was left of the Ink-Born Muse, with the hope of making some interesting Calamity Alloys when I have the time in the future.