Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

"Never! We'll die together!" Esau shouted and buckled under Jake.

A wave of cold energy threw Flora, Jake, and the robots back.

Esau sprang up and sprinted towards Flora.

<Magical Push>!

He flew directly in front of Jake's feet, who knocked him over the head with his multitool.

Before the question 'Why doesn't Jake use his plasma sword?' finished forming in Flora's head, Esau came up with it in his hand.

Jake had lost his sword!

Instead of aiming for Jake, Esau whirled around and sprang over Flora. At the last moment, Flora ducked, causing his foot to miss her head. Still, the icy aura affected her. 

Cold: 2 x Reduced speed. Time remaining: 10 sec.

Noticeably slowed down, Flora turned around to face him. 

Meanwhile, Esau landed two hits on her, not only impeding her further but also chipping off huge chunks of her health. She only had 2/3 of her pool left!

Without the effects of Energy-Storm, the superior agility of the goblinesque young man showed.

Despite struggling to comprehend the changes in the combat situation, Flora managed to lash out with both of her swords. 

Though she dodged Esau's next swing partly, it still left another icy gash in her uniform.

Light Chill: 1 x Reduced speed. Time remaining: 10 sec.

"Milady, cast Force-Field! You can't sustain the damage!"

<Force-Field>!

Of course, Flora felt her wounds, but it was less painful than her age-related ailments in real-life. The movement restriction caused by the Cold- and now Light Chill-debuff bothered her more. The experience resembled being underwater, fighting against the resistance of the liquid.  

Esau's slash arrived a second after the shield took form and bounced off it. 

Pressing her advantage, Flora aimed for his unprotected left arm. With astonishing speed, he flipped over one of her swords. Immediately, she corrected the path of the second, and it went through his torso, leaving a burn mark on his armor.

Trusting in her shield, she ignored his next move and lashed out.

Unfortunately, her confidence was misplaced. The shield burst, and Esau's blade found its way into her stomach while her swords crossed his neck.

Panicking, she cast Refresh.

You are currently in a scenario with restricted skills. You can't use Refresh.

'Right! Stupid! But I need health.' 

She tried to fetch a potion.

You are currently in a fight. You can't access your inventory in combat.

The system-messages and her inventory hindered her view. Thus she misjudged Esau's next strike and earned an icy laceration on her shoulder.

'Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! I need thinking time! And space!'

At last, Jake reached them, swinging his multitool and giving Flora a tiny respite. 

Her HUD showed Magical Push, Force-Field, and Kinetic Shield on cooldown.

'I didn't even know that Magical Push had a Cooldown! Why Kinetic Shield? I haven't used it! Don't get distracted! Move!'

<Power-Jump>!

Flora vaulted over the boys and subsequently cast Kinetic Stride in Clyde's direction.

<Energy-Jump>!

She did only an awkward hop. The spell had failed!

Sensing that Esau was hot on her heels, or maybe in his case, cold on her heels, she twisted around.

Handy had found a tool-box from some gawking technicians and started throwing again, while Jake sprinted after Esau.

<Kinetic Blast>!

The spell caused Esau to stagger, but he still reached melee distance and swung his sword at her again. Simultaneously, he activated his shield.

'I don't need spells! I have worked using magic for years without even knowing about them! '

"You are toast! Because I'm the queen of toasters!"

Electric energy crackled around Flora, making her hair stand up straight while flashes of lightning surrounded her.

You gained the skill: Supercharge.

You learned the skill without guidance: + 1 OV to the skill.

All her movement restrictions not only vanished, but she felt faster than ever before. Mana pounded through her veins and swords, and she started to dance with Esau. 

Gracefully, she dodged his swings and weaved her blades through his body, only slightly slowed down by his shield.

Jake pummeled him from the back. Handy continued to pelt him with hammers, screwdrivers, and spanners. Even Clyde joined again with his welder. Soon, Esau's shield vanished. 

"Push!" Esau screamed while turning around, and Jake flew several meters away.

Instantly, Flora sized the chance and got in a solid hit through his neck, leaving behind a red welt.

The Icemaster ducked under her second strike and curved his swing towards Clyde. With only one hit, he cleaved the robot in half.

"Clyde!"

Flora felt an emptiness in her mind where the connection to Clyde used to exist. All energy left her. 

Too slow, she sidestepped his next attack and caught his sword with her hips. 

Her foot came down on a spanner, and she slipped, crashing to the floor. 

With wide eyes, she stared at Esau looming over her. Her health bar only contained a tiny bit of points, and her mind drew only blanks. 

He raised his sword with both hands, and icy energy stormed along his arms into his blade.

Suddenly, a shot rang out, and a red flower blossomed in the middle of Esau's forehead.

Uncomprehending what had happened, Flora watched him fall next to her, dead.

"Not a too shabby fight for some technicians and repair-bots." An unfamiliar voice commented. 

Flora looked up and saw a squad of soldiers surrounding the smirking man who had spoken. He even wore a cape! 

Name: Julio Seguro

Title: Commander

Class: Officer

Level: 100

Rating: B

RCS: 3

Before Flora could thank him, he had already marched away.

Flora shook her head and fetched a health potion.

"Time, Aidan?"

"3:21, Milady."

The fight had taken less than 2 minutes! Flora thought it lasted a lifetime. She patted Clyde's casing and transferred his remains in her inventory.

"Are you alright, Auntie?" 

"Yes, dear. Do you need a potion?"

"I'm fine! Just a few scratches."

Critically, Flora looked him over while he picked up his plasma sword. He didn't lie: his uniform showed tears with melting ice, but the skin beneath was only slightly discolored.

Handy confirmed that she was ready to continue, too. Albeit, she sounded timid and confused.

"We still have to escape. Let's find a ride."

"Milady, pick up your loot, the glowing pile on the floor! A sarge opponent might have something good."

Flora swept up the breastplate and started running towards the next parked H-Wing.

Smoke billowed out of one of its wings.

"Next!" 

Flora looked around. The hall which had been packed with spacecraft on her last visit, now only contained a few fighters. Most of them were visibly not in flight-ready condition with bots and technicians working on them.

The only bigger vehicle, a space-shuttle shaped like a yacht, was in the process of starting its engines, but they spluttered and went out.

Some of the staff jogged over to repair it.

Flora, Handy, and Jake used the chance and sprinted to a half-finished abandoned jet. 

Immediately, they started to work. Twelve hands screwed, hammered, and coaxed the jet to life, more jury-rigging than repairing it.

"That has to suffice. Get in!" 

"Not so fast." The caped man had returned. This time, his blaster aimed at Flora. "Thank you for providing me with a plane. Now, get lost."

"Age before beauty, young man! Repair your own ride!"

The muzzle flashed, and Flora found herself in the training-coffin.

Due to death in the scenario, your loot got destroyed.

We hope you enjoyed playing the scenario 'Groom the Doom Moon'. Please rate it at the Cetviwos Shop!

Flora curled into a ball and hugged her knees.

Getting shot at the end had been just bad luck. She was only slightly bothered by it. But the fight with the Icemaster kept repeating in her mind on a loop. 

Flora never understood hatred. Why couldn't people just be happy and get along? Or at least have their priorities straight and value friendship above some genetics. Or at the least of the least value their own life above revenge!

Not only the cause of the fight bothered her, the process as well. She felt awkward, holding the two plasma swords in her hands. But she had no chance to get rid of one. 

She had frozen, not only from the cold but also from the unfamiliar energies and sensations of fighting for her life. And then she messed up and tried to access her inventory in a fight again! Shaking her head, she stood up. 

Some parts of Forky and Clyde surrounded her, and she even spotted pieces of the plasma swords on the floor, but it was a far cry from the mayhem after her first visit. She had enough room to fetch a container and stuff the debris cluttering her inventory and her flat into it.

Magical Push and Magical Pull now worked again without a cooldown. This aspect puzzled her the most. How could anyone keep track of that?

Besides the training coffin, only the standard stock remained: a couch standing edgeways in a corner, the Cetviwos poster, and the lamp.

Finally, she put the coffin away and checked the apartment for the last time.

"Thank you, old lair and goodbye. I didn't treat you well, but you did your job in keeping me safe."

Flora ported to the new construction. The building was a simple stone block. Its only prominent feature was two rows of huge gothic windows with household appliances depicted in stained glass.

After opening the door, she arrived in the production hall. 25x50m didn't sound like much, but standing in the room with the soft evening light shining through the colorful glass, she felt like entering a cathedral.

A church of toasters!

"May the Goddess Evailyn bless this house and all the toasters, blenders, mixers, and vacuum cleaners that get created in it," Flora spoke, her voice echoing in the empty hall.

Now in a better mood, she jogged to the other end and walked up the spiral staircase to her living quarters.

After plugging in the training coffin, she changed the auto-mode spell to Kinetic Blast. It had won the competition of the most useful skill in the previous fight.

Then, she entered her true home, the workshop. 

Flora glanced at the whirlpool, but then had a better idea. Dispatching her body to train plasma-sword-fighting with the dummy, she created an Iceland-inspired landscape in the simulation grounds: a snowy mountain with a cozy hot pond in it.

Now, she could do the Scandinavian routine of getting boiled, then rolling around naked in the snow and then getting cooked again. 

After plugging in the Pageturner and the Blade-Roller-Extreme, she was ready for some analyzing and administrative tasks.

Aidan guided her through the procedure for changing her lair officially to the new residence. There was an option to give it a name. Instantly, Flora knew what she wanted: "Cathedral of Home Appliances."

After she registered, a blue window appeared.

-------------------

"Do you want to dedicate this building as a holy place for the Goddess Evailyn?" (Y/N)

-------------------

"What, you want the whole building? That's too much. But we can share. You get the shop, I get the rest of the floor and the garden, and all your believers may use the production hall and the printer."

The window blinked again.

-------------------

"Do you want to dedicate MAJOR parts of this building as a holy place for the Goddess Evailyn? Not only the tiny bit you mentioned before!" (Y/N)

-------------------

"Alright, let's negotiate."

They agreed that the production hall and roof garden was open for all believers, but things Flora produced or grew belonged to her. Evailyn had the option of electing one of Flora's creations as a holy item or holy design. It would get better stats, but Flora had to offer it to the church. When she sold other products of the design, she had to pay the church of Evailyn royalties.

Additionally, Flora had to move to the shop. Her former living quarters would serve as a church for the Goddess Evailyn, but Flora could use the space to sell items as well, especially home appliances.

Basically, Flora was okay with the deal. Her new room was still 12x25 meters, which was bigger than her old flat, and it thrilled her to have an actual holy toaster place next to her. And under her. And above her! And technically even her living quarters would be part of the church because Evailyn said it was too bothersome to exclude them. Still, she accepted that Flora needed a private residence.