Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

After sending the letter to Eddie, Flora opened the Legacy for the Tank Class.

"Very nice," Flora commented as she scanned the skills. "Unfortunately, nothing that helps us with the next challenge. Healer or Support. Do you have any suggestions, dears?"

"The simplest approach for you as an executive healer would be to leave the setup like it is and carefully use your scepters to heal the tank. Skills would generate too much aggro. Also possible is the other way around, link up healing turrets, and you act as a damage dealer."

"The second suggestion sounds less boring. With the DD skillset, I could generate a lot of aggro for the tank." Flora grinned, in her head solidified a plan.

The two boards showed Priest and Combat Medic, a technology-based healing class. Flora wasn't interested. She just grabbed an armor set with + 8 OV to Magical Power + 1 OV to healing spells, configured her nocks, and entered the next room.

16 Aito Octopussy

8 Aidan Octopussy

1 Repairing Turret

4 Healing Turrets

3 Weapons

As soon as the tank charged, Flora started casting.

<Access Leyline>

<Transfer AoE>

<Lightning Storm>

Flora cackled as Aito's arrows grew bigger and bigger.

Even with the four healing turrets, the tank received quite a bit of damage. The health bar over his head was only a bit over half full and shrinking.

<Fortification of Faith>

Flora never stopped channeling the storm with the right hand as she strolled to the Mender. When she reached the healing insectoid, she smashed her wrenches into it−though, she needed a few hits to learn to keep the storm steady while her hand moved. The learning environment was much better than when she had been under attack as a tank.

Flora alternated between Righteous Strike and Power Strike with her left hand. Although she couldn't chain them perfectly because she was clumsier with her off-hand, she regenerated enough mana to keep the storm up.

"Maybe I should have worn the Wavering Wave-Ring on the left hand… but I'm so used to cast intent spells with the left hand and elemental with the right. I might have mixed them up."

"Yes, Milady. You used the wrong focus at 14% of the cases in all the tests. Tendency growing. That is a topic worth your attention."

"Oh, wow. I noticed it now and then, but 14% is nothing to joke about."

When they reached the hive queen Flora used the same tactic but transferred the aggro of a single target spell, Lightning Beam.

Flora shielded the tank when the puss volcanoes sprayed their nasty load and another Waterball to clean him from the fluids.

"Ha! Animator is on top of the list!" Flora said as she opened the Legacy scroll.

"That's cheap! The skills are nearly identical to the Damage Dealer class. Aidan, remind me to merge the STS and AoE with the DD version, and with each other if possible. I won't stand having four skills with basically the same effect! However, Bolster alone is worth getting the class. Just imagine the impact with a channeled healing skill like Mantra or Healing Beam! "

"Yes, Milady."

"Dear test, are there any + OV achievements to obtain?"

"Any other goodies I'll get when I do the Support test?"

"Nice! I won't prod. Let it be a surprise gift." Flora exclaimed and jogged through the last portal.

Just when Flora wanted to ask Aidan about support skills, her gaze fell on one of the boards.

>>> 

Temporary class: Combat Tuner

Branch: Technology/Crafting

Passive: + 1 Training efficiency modifier for Mechanics and Electronics

Active: Can cast Commands on friendly technological devices

STS: Overcharge Build-In Skill/Feature (Maintenance Connection)

Description: Boosts one Build-In Skill or Feature of one of your maintenance connections.

AOE: Overcharge Regular Modes (Maintenance Connections)

Description: Boosts the Regular Mode of your maintenance connections

CD: 25 sec

DEF: EMP

Description: Dissolves energy attacks and hinders technological opponents.

CD: 1 min

MOV: Manual Tuning

Description: Teleports you to one of the devices you maintain.

CD: 25 sec

SIG: Maintenance Connection

Description: Forms a connection between you and a friendly technological device.

CD: none

Taught by the Garage, Sunri and Branch Talpica

Touch the board to receive the class temporarily for undertaking the test. Activate the skills by saying the name or mentally pressing the corresponding button in your HUD.

<<< 

Excited, Flora fidgeted and made random cooing noises while reading the class. "Love it. Aidan, do we know someone we can get it from?"

"I'm sorry, Milady. We have no certain match. Mia MyMio may know someone because, as a beneficiary of the class, she might seek them out. There is a tiny chance that Dave Lupe might have it."

"I believe we can do without it. I'll just establish the maintenance connections before the fight and then use my normal commands during it. Except for the EMP, I want to try it out badly! It probably won't affect the insectoids… oh well."

Flora glanced at the armor suits, but then did a double-take. Next to the board stood a mech-suit. It was even shoddier than the Counterflow−rusty and with gears and cogs peeking out behind brass ornaments. The headpiece was an actual top hat.

Name: The Steampunk Tinkerer's Experimental Suit

Description: Discarded prototype of an attempt to build a mech-suit that works in magic restricted areas. Very fragile.

Type: Mech-suit

Regular Mode: 5 OV Mana-Regeneration.

Built-In Skill: Energy Field: Messes up Kinetics and Electronics. Cost: 10 mana.

Effect: Immune to attacks against electronics.

Tier: 1

Rating: C

Flora banged with her wrench against the breastplate, and it broke in two.

"Oops. They weren't kidding with the description, but a mech-suit for every environment is exactly what I'm looking for."

<Repair>

"In the forums, people reported that they found equipment in the test that harmonized well with their builds. Usually, the name gave them a hint of where to look for it in the Cradle."

"Write it on the To-Do list. Maybe the Steampunk Tinkerer is a famous crafter. In case we don't find him, we'll steal the blueprint right now."

Flora scanned the suit and recorded every detail of it. She couldn't identify the metal, though. Smelling it confirmed that it wasn't iron, even if its rusty color hinted at it.

Aito solved the question when she posted an excerpt from the book '1000 Gems, Rocks and Metals', which Flora bought what felt a lifetime ago, but was probably only a bit over a week.

Name: Birossium

Color: Yellow, orange. Oxidizes red.

Type: Metal

Description: High melting point. Low Metal Handicap. Easily oxidizes and gets brittle.

After Flora checked the price with Aidan, she ordered him to get 1000 kilos.

To test the suit, Flora picked up Aito's Octopussy and whirled it around. The suit reacted as fast as if it would read her mind. It didn't have the same power behind it as the Messenger but exceeded even the Ivy League in smooth execution.

"Aidan, hack and copy the software!"

"There is no software, Milady. The functionality is controlled by runes."

Flora could only shrug and carry on. She selected a durable under armor with + 8 OV to Mana-Reg and + 1 OV to commands and configured her nocks. First, a "Maintenance Rig" went in. The maintenance connections would run over it. Because of Flora's Brownski nocks, she could connect up to eight devices for 1 MR/min each.

5 MR/min Mech-Suit (The Steampunk Tinkerer's Experimental Suit)

8 MR/min Aito Octopussy

8 MR/min Aidan Octopussy

2 MR/min for 1 Repairing Turret

6 MR/min for 3 Damaging Turrets

3 MR/min Weapons

8 MR/min Maintenance Rig

When Flora walked into the next room, her jaw dropped.

The Fireling tank sat in a batticle. The dagger Woodling wore a mech-suit. The Fireling mage and Woodling archer were absent. Instead, combat drones surrounded a Metaling woman standing next to the Waterling healer who had one UFO-shaped drone with him.

But the main reason for Flora's astonishment and growing excitement were the opponents: Mantis Robots! Flora thought they looked adorable with their sharp scythes, LED eyes, and spark-emitting feelers.

Flora established a maintenance connection to the batticle, the suit, the UFO, and the three combat drones. They had four legs, a stick-like torso, and two cannons instead of arms. The two remaining slots went to the octopussies.

When the Tank charged into the group, Flora did the usual spiel of channeling Lightning Storm combined with Transfer AoE to generate aggro for the tank.

As she strolled to the group, she activated Overcharge Regular Modes via her HUD. The lightning fizzled out as the command hit her nocks.

"Burned Toast! The shitty temporary skill killed my storm!" Flora complained, but couldn't stay sour right next to all the pretty machines.

<EMP>

The enemy robots froze for a second and then shuddered before they reengaged in the combat. One of the shooters turned to Flora.

"Oh no. Great skill, but I don't want the hate."

<Fade>

Flora concentrated on the Mender because Aito's arrow stood strong above it. After she got shot twice, the Fireling regained the attention of the shooter.

<Human Machine Connection: Maintenance Rig: Batticle>

While channeling the next command, Flora hit the Mantis Robot with her wrenches. More accurately would be to say she systematically tested its joints.

Flora activated some skills on Aito's prompts, but her primary attention was on the opponents, inspecting their construction.

The hive queen, a van-sized robot of moving teeth and scythes, captured Flora's admiration like no monster before.

"Thank you. I'm ready to finish this part of the test. It has been an absolute pleasure working with you. I have learned much."

"Not bad. I still want to connect every class I have−at least every useful."

"The last class sounds cute. What is that?"

"An umbrella class, which combines the Shaman classes with magic classes, Milady."

"Fascinating!"