While Flora prepared the spell diagrams of the Light Healing class for Zapple, the blue-haired Radiant Priest, a message from Mia appeared on her HUD.
Mia MyMio to Flowing Flowers: "Would you craft me two coins? Those spoons are sucking for dex training."
Flora glanced over to Mia. The girl twirled a spoon between her fingers. To Flora, it looked very artistic and not sucky at all, but everybody has different standards. Stooping down, she picked up a handful of sand.
"The standard attack spell is called Focused Radiance. It's a Tag type of prayer. The marked target receives a part of the skill effects of other targets in its vicinity. The good stuff for friendlies and damage for enemies." Zapple explained and cast it on Flora. Then he put Fortification of Faith on himself. For just a moment, Flora saw temporary hitpoints appearing on her HUD, but the damage from the Boxing Box immediately depleted them. Flora got the picture, though.
"Nice!" Flora exclaimed while condensing the sand into a marble via Transform Inorganics. "Would you show me the skill diagram, please? I have a knack for them."
"I can cast from diagrams, too. Great, that will speed up the process." That speed was important to him was apparent. Not only did he talk quickly, but he also fidgeted a lot.
Zapple sent the diagram to her HUD. In turn, Flora transmitted Light Healing Bolt.
Focused Radiance had the general form Flora associated with prayers, with rounded horizontal and straight vertical lines, but she saw the parts reminiscent of light spells, too. The area which governed the targeting bled into the effect part and was much fancier than any she encountered before. Only thanks to Zapple's information, she knew what it did. Nonetheless, to cast it, she just had to memorize it and redraw the lines with mana.
***************
You gained a new skill: Focused Radiance
Description: Target has a chance to receive the effects of single target skills aimed at other targets in its vicinity; Friendly targets benevolent effects, opponents harmful effects.
Duration: 10 sec
Cooldown: 1 min
***************
Flora could see from Zapple's eye-movements that he was still busy analyzing the Healing Bolt. Hence she spent time flattening the glass marble into a coin. An idea crossed her mind, and she got excited.
Flowing Flowers to Mia MyMio: "Do you want a mana or stamina regenerating rune-scheme on it?"
Mia MyMio to Flowing Flowers: "One for each. You are too groovy, Auntie."
Flora engraved a generator scheme that transformed kinetic energy from rubbing or twirling the coin to mana-reg. Then she used the mana-reg to power a Magical Regeneration enhancing rune-scheme. On a whim, she tossed the rune for playing and Dexterity in the mix.
Engraving a scheme that big without the help of the miniaturizing features of her workshop taxed Flora. However, the result caused her to beam at the transparent coin in delight.
Name: Mana Spring Rolling Coin
Type: Artifact/Toy
Description:
Regular Mode: 1 OV Mana-Regeneration
Effect: Gain 1 mana for every round of rolling the coin across your knuckles
Effect: Gain 5 mana for every ten rounds you complete without pause or error.
Tier: 1
Rating: S
As Flora expected, the conversation of power meant little to the game: The mana gains exceeded the generated mana from the scheme. She tossed it to Mia.
"Do you need more time, Auntie?" Zapple asked. His head followed the shimmering coin through the air.
"No, I've learned it. We can exchange the next spell." Flora sent him Light Healing Rain.
The next diagram was similar to the single target skill, so Flora had no problems adapting it.
A circle of light spread from Flora as center outward. It covered the table but not much more.
Healing Fire had as a secondary effect a small chance to increase Physical Regeneration, which was the reason Flora chose the element. She made sure to hit all the players with it.
***************
You gained a new skill: Exploding Radiance
Description: The targets have a chance to receive the effects of AoE skills in their vicinity; Friendly targets benevolent effects, opponents harmful effects.
Duration: 10 sec
Cooldown: 1 min
***************
Flora was intrigued by the spells. Although they had a long cooldown, they had the potential to unleash mayhem.
"What the *bleep*? Who gave me all the stamina, and why haven't you done it before?" Hoffi exclaimed.
"Please consider displaying friendly effects. If you set the transparency really low, they won't trouble you." Ponda sighed.
"Or at least don't ask questions. You can check your combat log for answers." Too Biased drawled, not bothering to look up from Mia's hand and the rolling coin.
The topic seemed to be attrited. Nobody volunteered an answer, so Flora kept quiet too.
"Wow! You already learned it," Zapple said quickly."Give me just a moment more."
"Would you make me a coin as well, Auntie?" Too Bias asked.
"Sure." Flora started on Mia's second coin, while the others asked about them. Soon, everybody wanted one.
"You do realize that you can't take them out? I believe they'll even vanish tonight when the Island will reset." Flora tossed the next coin to Mia. The stats on it were the same, just for Physical Regeneration. "I'll make some for the clan shop and some to be imported into the Island. However, I'll work during learning spells, so if you want coins, you better feed me."
Flora smiled to take the sting out of the words, but she very much meant what she said.
"I can make the coins permanent, Flora. It's cheaper than importing." Eddie said. Flora nodded, good to know.
Zapple and she continued to trade spells. The paladins weren't stingy, either, and she got the whole class. Robby even sent her three classes, Martial Artist, Monk, and Martial Monk, because he was a sweetie. Before he could even think of gifting one of his coins to Ressa, Flora traded with her the Fire Shot class.
"Of course, I'll teach you the class, Flora!" Ressa said immediately. "I would love to have four of these coins in the normal game as well. Would that be possible?"
Flora agreed. She wanted Fire Shot badly, to connect Marksperson with the rest of her tree.
From the Fire Shield, Emba, she received the Warrior class in exchange for four coins.
Ponda taught her Access Leyline, Olivia Mingle, Normad Tag, and Too Biased Blur. They explained to her that those were the base skills of the branch. They were openly available for everybody, and you didn't even have to pay a teacher for it. Most major branch factions had mannequin-routines. Vaguely, Flora remembered that she saw one at the Homemaker's Heaven for Repair.
Aidan provided Flora with a list of all base skills.
Branch | Name | Description
Divine | Pray | Gives back points for one pool.
Warrior | Bloody Mana | The user gets a fraction of their caused or received damage as mana and stamina.
Magic | Access Leyline | Reduces spell costs when having both feet on the ground
Techno | Overclock | Forces more mana-reg through a nock into a gadget to raise rating temporarily
Survival | Tag | Gives back mana and stamina if you do something with the target you tagged
Trick | Blur | Regenerates pool points when you aren't targeted in the duration
Crafting | Repair | Repairs things
Social | Mingle | Regenerates pool points if you do social abilities
Only Overclock was missing. Mia offered to teach it, but Flora refused. She would pick it up when she visited the Garage tonight or tomorrow.
Flora was concerned about the fact that it was the first time she heard of Base Skills even though she knew three of them. Her reliance on the AIs to research gave her only the answers she was looking for. It didn't expose her to the random bits of information you absorbed while browsing. Admittingly, this was the reason she deligated forum reading to the AIs in the first place. She had suffered an information overload at the beginning of her stay in VR. Maybe now that she was more familiar, she should research herself.
Of course, Flora didn't stop exchanging spells with Zapple.
***************
You gained a new skill: Radiant Destination
Description: Sets a glowing X on the floor. All friendlies in the range may port to the location.
Duration: 10 sec
Cooldown: 1 min
***************
You gained a new skill: Radiant Circle
Description: Lays a glowing circle on the floor. Every defensive skill cast inside has a chance to spread its effects to the other friendlies inside the circle.
Duration: 10 sec
Cooldown: 1 min
***************
You gained a new skill: Divine Radiance
Description: Aura. All effects you induce on yourself have a chance to spread to nearby friendlies.
Cooldown: none.
***************
You gained a new class: Radiant Practitioner
Name: Radiant Practitioner
Branch: Divine
Passive: + 1 Training efficiency modifier when Divine Radiance is active
Active: Bonus for skills used on yourself when Divine Radiance is active
***************
Flora was very impressed by the class. She was glad to have received it, doubly so because she hadn't expected it considering the others had mentioned it required a quest. However, she didn't dare to voice a question out of fear to summon the Administrator.
Currently, Zapple labored to grasp Relight, sweat streaming from his face. Flora thought the poor boy suffered from stamina loss because of running in the treadmill, but she learned it was a different mechanic from the jibes of his colleagues.
"Hey, Zapple. Met your match? Concentration running low?" Too Bias quipped, rolling his coin over his knuckles with proficiency.
"Haha, the auntie is outlearning you." Hoffi laughed. "Who is the stupid one now?"
"Guys, with friends like you, I don't need enemies. This is complicated stuff, shut up." Zapple flashed them the bird. He seemed to be stressed out but enjoying himself.
"Zapple knows more skills than all of you combined," Robby said. "Learning a whole class from diagrams takes more concentration than y'all have."
Flora was confused. She looked at her concentration bar, and it was pretty low, but still on the first bar. It worked similar to stamina, in fact, it was the magical version of it.
"Refresh covers most of your concentration expenditure, Milady. Nonetheless, I had to use Pray for Concentration a few times."
Flora arranged with Aidan that she would cast Relight on Zapple when it came off cooldown. Because she had the spell in the 4th tier, he would profit from the milestone Third Wind and regenerate more.
"Your mama is a monster, Boss. That Relight was over level 100."
"We know, mate." Commiserating, Hub patted him on the back. "We know."
"Hey!" Flora protested. "You better tell me that 'monster' is a gaming term for a classy lady."
"Of course!" Hub said hastily.
"Sure!" Zapple added, nodding rapidly.
The players laughed while Robby kissed her cheek. Flora was mollified. For a kiss from her son, they were allowed to call her anything they wanted.
"But Auntie, can you tell us how you leveled the spell so fast? You are barely a week in VR." Hub asked.
"I sleep in a subspace while my body is in a box. I'll add sleeping boats for Riverstones Island as soon as I have a free minute so that you can do it too."
"That's brilliant!" Honey exclaimed, and the others agreed.
"Please add anti-mustache features," Olivia said, which caused Hub to pretend to be insulted again.
The topic of sleeping reminded Flora that she felt gassed out. Her gaze focused on the Paladin. "I'm going to take a nap, and I don't want any distractions during or after it."
Hub saluted her.
"We all should get back to work." Robby proclaimed and stood up.
While the Riverstones logged out, Flora ran towards the Pool Pike. First, she changed the time dilation to 1:3 then she entered a cozy pool in a grotto. She stripped off all her clothing. If Hub still decided to hunt her down to draw on her face, he would be punished with an eyeful of old granny in her full glory.
"Wake me up in three hours, dear." She mumbled to her AIs before falling asleep.
Flora dreamed of connecting mana generator pillars. The toxic waste cores hopped out of their mounting and rolled over the floor while Flora chased them. Then dream-Flora cast a net of toasters, pinning them down.
"A net!" Dream Flora and real Flora exclaimed.
Jolting awake, Flora sketched a net in the water of the pool, while explaining her idea.
"Let's make the loops one meter big and place the generators on the intersections. The net will be the wiring for the generators. We have only one layer, but the bothersome stacking is no longer necessary. The workers can just place the stretched net on the floor, ceiling, or walls, and the generators are already perfectly spaced. Additionally, we can transport huge nets in a single container. Aidan, build the net in the workshop and print enough for the pool area. Plan for 9x7x9 meters. There will be nine 3x3x3 big tanks and a bit of headspace to put some additional boxes."
"Yes, Milady!"
Flora settled back in the water. As soon as she closed her eyes, she fell asleep again.