Blake watched as Chimera's avatar drifted over to his gear, laid out exactly as he had left it on a sun-warmed piece of hull plating that served as their makeshift table. His muscles still hummed from Eland's training session, but something in Chimera's tone had him intrigued.

"You've been busy," he said, noting the slight changes in his equipment's appearance. The modifications were subtle—most wouldn't notice them at first glance—but to his eye, the differences stood out like neon signs.

"Come here and look at this." Chimera gestured to his knife with an oddly specific pride in her voice. "I think you'll appreciate what I've done with it."

Blake picked up the blade, immediately noting the balance. It had been just slightly weighted towards the hilt before, but it was perfect now. Beyond that, something else was different. The metal seemed to sing against his palm, resonating with an energy he couldn't quite place.

"I integrated a crystalline matrix into the molecular structure," Chimera explained, her avatar moving closer to point out details invisible to the naked eye. "Based on some principles I... acquired from our friend with the energy weapon. The blade will now act as a focus for your mana, particularly when you're channeling it for Kinetic Detonation."

Blake turned the knife over in his hands, watching how the light played across its surface. If he looked closely, he could almost see patterns in the metal—geometric shapes that seemed to shift and flow like oil on water.

"Try pushing some mana into it," Chimera suggested. "Gently at first. You'll notice the difference immediately."

Blake closed his eyes, reaching for that familiar well of energy within him. He let a trickle of mana flow down his arm and into the blade, expecting the usual resistance.

Instead, the energy moved like water, finding its level and flowing through channels he hadn't known existed. The knife became an extension of his mana network, as natural as breathing. His eyes snapped open in surprise.

"What the hell?" he whispered, watching as the energy stabilized within the blade. The metal itself seemed to pulse with a subtle rhythm, matching his own heartbeat.

"The crystalline structure acts as a series of resonance chambers," Chimera explained, clear satisfaction in her voice. "It guides and amplifies your mana flow, reducing strain while increasing precision. No more fighting against the metal's natural resistance."

Blake rotated his wrist, feeling how the energy moved with the blade. On a whim, he pushed a bit more mana into it, focusing on the edge. To his amazement, a ghostly outline began to form—a second blade of pure energy extending just beyond the physical metal.

The sight triggered something in his mind, a cascade of understanding that felt both foreign and intimately familiar. Suddenly he knew exactly how to maintain that energy blade, how to shape it, how to aspect it with different types of mana.

[Skill Unlocked: Mana Reinforcement]

[Description: Channel mana through weapons and tools to enhance their effectiveness. Scaling based on control and energy investment.]

[Ability Unlocked: Phantom Edge]

[Description: Create a secondary cutting edge of pure mana. Can be aspected with different types of energy for varied effects.]

"Well done," Chimera said softly. "I was a little surprised you didn't earn anything like that after the fight with the alpha. I guess Demiurge was just waiting for you to have some finer control before it stepped in to help lighten the load."

"Alright then, if you saw this coming, why don't you walk me through it?"

"The first will let you strengthen any weapon or tool with your energy. The second..." She paused, her avatar shimmering with barely contained excitement. "Well, why don't you try pushing some spatial mana into that second edge?"

Blake complied, carefully shifting the type of energy he was channeling. The phantom blade rippled, its outline becoming sharper, more defined. He could feel the way it distorted the space around it, creating microscopic tears in reality itself.

"Holy shit," he breathed, watching the air bend around the ethereal edge. Every movement left faint afterimages, like heat waves rising from hot asphalt.

"The blade won't degrade nearly as quickly now when you use your spatial techniques," Chimera added. "And the energy consumption for Kinetic Detonation should be much more manageable. The crystals help distribute the load more evenly through the entire structure."

Blake dispelled the phantom edge, letting the mana flow back into his channels. The process felt natural, almost instinctive now. No wasted energy, no awkward resistance. Just smooth, controlled power.

"You've outdone yourself," he said, genuine appreciation in his voice. The knife had already been a reliable tool—now it felt like something more. A proper focus for the abilities he was developing.

"That's just the beginning," Chimera replied, her avatar's expression turning predatory. "Wait until you see what else I've been working on."

Blake watched as Chimera's avatar circled his sidearm like a proud artist unveiling their masterpiece. The weapon lay on the makeshift table, its familiar lines subtly altered. Geometric patterns traced along the barrel and frame, looking almost like circuit paths but with an organic fluidity that reminded him of vine growth or river deltas.

"So," Chimera said, practically vibrating with excitement, "remember how I said the knife was just the beginning?" Her avatar gestured at the handgun. "This is my magnum opus. Go ahead, pick it up."

Blake reached for the weapon, then hesitated. Something about it felt different—not just physically, but on some deeper level he was still learning to perceive. "What exactly am I about to experience here?"

"Oh, just a complete reimagining of what a firearm can be." Chimera's avatar flickered with barely contained glee. "I've been working on this since you first bonded the weapon. Today I spent primarily on assembly. The crystalline matrix in the knife was a proof of concept—this is the full implementation."

Blake wrapped his hand around the grip. Instantly, he felt a resonance—like touching a tuning fork that matched his exact frequency. The geometric patterns along the gun's surface pulsed with a soft golden light, responding to his touch.

"Holy shit," he breathed, feeling energy flow between him and the weapon. It wasn't just responding to him—it felt like an extension of himself, as natural as moving a finger or flexing a muscle.

Blake lifted the weapon, marveling at how it seemed to anticipate his movements. The balance was perfect—better than perfect, actually. It felt like the gun was actively adjusting its weight distribution to match his intentions.

Eland took a step forward, his eyes glowing with a soft inner light as he studied the weapon in Blake's hand. The geometric patterns along the gun's surface seemed to pulse in response to the cultivator's attention.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

"Blake, please ask Chimera how she managed to give that weapon a mana core."

Blake blinked, turning the weapon over in his hands. "A what now?"

"It's quite simple, actually," Chimera said aloud, her voice crackling from a small speaker she had woven into the neck of Blake's jacket without his notice. Being a stoic warrior type, Blake did not startle and nearly drop his new weapon.

"Body cultivators create secondary nodes throughout their physical form to better distribute and utilize mana. I've applied the same principle to the gear I've bonded with."

"Because you're effectively cultivating the gear itself," Eland said, nodding slowly. "Since bound items become part of your physical form."

"Precisely." Chimera's avatar gestured to the patterns on the gun. "These aren't just decorative. They're mana channels, connected to a secondary core I've developed within the weapon. Since Blake and I share a primary core, he can access and utilize this secondary one as naturally as I can."

Blake focused on the weapon again, this time paying attention to the energy flow. He could feel it now—a distinct nexus of power within the gun itself, connected to his own core through invisible threads of resonance.

"That's why it feels so responsive," he said. "It's not just responding to my mana—it's actively generating and cycling its own."

"And distributing it far more efficiently than trying to channel raw power through dead metal," Chimera added. "The secondary core acts as both a reservoir and a focusing lens for your abilities."

Eland was nodding appreciatively. In that moment he looked quite a bit like he wanted a Chimera of his own.

"The whole thing is basically alive now," Chimera continued, pride evident in her voice. "I had to sacrifice some of my own biomass to make it work, but it was worth it. Try cycling some mana through it—gently at first."

Blake complied, letting energy flow down his arm and into the weapon. The response was immediate and startling. The geometric patterns flared brighter, and he felt the gun's internal mechanisms shift and realign, optimizing themselves for his energy signature.

"That's the Dynamic Barrel Array adapting to your input," Chimera explained. "It can reconfigure itself for different firing modes based on how you channel your energy. Standard kinetic rounds, Warp-enhanced shots, even a charged singularity mode if you're feeling particularly dramatic."

Blake raised an eyebrow. "Singularity mode?"

"Oh yes." Chimera's avatar grinned wickedly. "Channel enough Warp energy into a single shot and it'll create a localized gravitational distortion on impact. Not enough to create an actual black hole, of course, but definitely enough to ruin someone's day."

Blake turned the weapon over in his hands, noting how the sight optics seemed to shimmer with an iridescent light. "And these patterns—they're not just for show either, are they?"

"Nope. That's me—or rather, part of me. Living tissue integrated into the weapon's structure." Chimera's voice carried a note of satisfaction. "It lets me maintain constant contact, repair damage in the field, even generate specialized ammunition by converting raw materials."

She gestured at the barrel. "Watch this."

The geometric patterns pulsed, and Blake felt a subtle vibration run through the frame. When he checked the chamber, his eyes widened. The standard round had been transformed, taking on an otherworldly sheen that seemed to bend light around its edges.

"Warp-round," Chimera explained. "It'll phase partially out of normal space-time during flight, letting it bypass most physical barriers. Extremely effective against armor or energy shields, but..." She paused meaningfully. "Each one costs me a bit of myself to create. Use them wisely."

Blake ejected the round, studying its strange properties. "This is some serious work you're doing here. I feel bad spending my time just running around doing cardio while working on leveling my skills."

"No time for negativity, only praise! Now, the best part is the ammunition generation," Chimera continued, clearly enjoying his reaction. "I can create standard rounds pretty easily, but the specialized ones take more resources. The Warp-rounds you've seen, plus there are Pulse rounds that generate localized energy disruptions—great for stunning targets or frying electronics."

Blake cycled through the firing modes, feeling how each one changed the weapon's energy signature. "And the barrel array automatically adjusts for each type?"

"Better than that—it actively optimizes based on your intention and current energy flow. The whole weapon is basically one big resonance chamber now, designed to amplify and direct your abilities." Chimera's avatar gestured at the new Von Stavenhagen sights atop the weapon. "Those will help you visualize spatial distortions too, making it easier to land trick shots or curve bullets around obstacles."

Blake raised the weapon to eye level, ready to familiarize himself with the new crystal and metal construct that had replaced his tritium night sights. When he drew a bead on a chunk of broken concrete, the world beyond the sights suddenly transformed. Focusing, he realized he could see the faint traces of spatial currents and energy eddies in the air. It was as if just using the sights on the pistol was activing a limited version of his [Warden's Insight].

"This ties into my Deadeye title somehow, doesn't it? Something to make the ability easier to use?"

"Naturally. The whole system is built to complement your existing abilities. The more you develop them, the more effective these enhancements become." Chimera's sombered somewhat, gaining a hint of warning. "But remember—the specialized rounds cost me resources. I can't generate them infinitely. Don't go nuts practicing with them if you can help it."

Blake nodded, lowering the weapon. "How long does it take you to recover after creating them?"

"Depends on the type and how much biomass I can spare. Standard Warp-rounds take about an hour each. Pulse rounds are faster since they're simpler, maybe twenty minutes. But the really exotic stuff..." She trailed off meaningfully. "Let's just say you'll want to save those for special occasions."

Blake nodded. What went unspoken was that he'd need to continue to bind material for her to work with. He examined the weapon again, noting how the golden patterns seemed to pulse in time with his heartbeat. "And the self-repair capability?"

"Constant but gradual. Minor wear and tear, carbon buildup, that sort of thing gets handled automatically. Actual damage takes longer, depending on severity. A cracked frame might need a few hours. A catastrophic failure..." She paused. "Well, let's try to avoid those."

Blake ran his fingers along the barrel, feeling the subtle warmth of the living metal. "This is incredible work, Chimera. But I have to ask—how much of yourself did you have to give up to make this happen?"

"Enough to matter, not enough to cripple me." Her avatar's expression turned serious. "I won't lie—it was a significant investment. But I calculated the trade-offs carefully. The advantages this gives us are worth the cost."

She gestured at the weapon. "Besides, it's not just about combat effectiveness. This is a proof of concept for what we can achieve together. As I evolve and our bond strengthens, we'll be able to do even more impressive things."

Blake nodded slowly, understanding the implications. This wasn't just an upgraded weapon—it was a glimpse of their future potential. A demonstration of how their abilities could synergize and grow together.

"Try the Kinetic Overcharge mode," Chimera suggested, her enthusiasm returning. "Channel some spatial mana through it, but keep it gentle. We don't want to alert half the scrapyard."

Blake adjusted his grip, letting energy flow into the weapon. The geometric patterns brightened, and he felt the barrel array reconfigure itself. The air around the muzzle seemed to ripple slightly, like heat waves rising from hot asphalt.

"That's it," Chimera encouraged. "Now, see that piece of debris about fifty meters out? The one with the rust patterns that look like a face? Try putting a round through the 'eye' on the left."

Blake raised the weapon, looking through the iridescent sights. The world took on that strange quality again, spatial currents becoming visible. On instinct, he opened up [Warden's Insight]. He fed the ability just a trickle of power, but as Chimera said—the weapon was clearly intended to work with his skillset. Sighting down the barrel with his skills active, he could see the trajectory of his shot painted in gold.

He squeezed the trigger.

The report was surprisingly quiet—more of a sharp crack than a boom. A streak of golden light connected the muzzle to the target for a fraction of a second. When it cleared, there was a perfect hole through the exact spot Chimera had indicated.

Blake lowered the pistol, unable to suppress a grin. He had to admit - this was a game changer. "Alright, I'm impressed," he said. "This opens up a whole new world of possibilities."

"You think that's something?" Chimera's holographic form practically vibrated with enthusiasm. Her avatar flickered like an excited child about to reveal their best magic trick.

"Wait until you see the Singularity Shot."