Still standing on one hand, Flora went shopping for the church.

For Konstantin, she found a suit of armor with nice stats. While it was shiny, the design was a bit ugly: a crying bullhead was pierced into the breastplate. The Paladin would wear Evailyn's tabard above it, so she didn't think it was an issue. He had to live with the downturned horns on the helmet.

Name: Plate of the depressed Bull

Type: Armor Set

Description: The bull is sad. Don't make the bull angry!

Effect: + 12 (183) OV Magical Micro-Control

Effect: + 2 (32) OV to all Charging movement skills.

Set-Bonus: + 2 (29) OV Physical Strength

Level: 1 (78)

Rating: S

Aidan displayed the max level and the max stats in brackets. While it would be enough to buy level 5 items, Flora found many cheap tier 2-3 offers. She double-checked with Aidan that they were just as great for level 5 players as any level 5 armor.

The council didn't want low-leveled equipment because they would lose too many stats when they used the special skill that raised them to level 250. No S-rated armor of this level was available, not even tier-5 sets.

Name: Platin Priest pulls Pilikia

Type: Armor Set

Description: Pull people, pull! And Aloha!

Effect: + 12 (150) OV Magical Micro-Control

Effect: + 2 (27) OV to all actions initiating a fight.

Set-Bonus: + 2 (22) OV Physical Defense

Level: 1 (52)

Rating: S

Flora bought one for Deriga, Vatten, and herself. Its silvery fabric glittered splendidly, but she colored it yellow to conform to Evailyn's dress code. The stats would be great for the Fire Monk as well, but she had insisted on trousers. Fortunately, Flora found just the thing for Barbra.

Name: Fiery Divine Workout Clothes

Type: Armor Set

Description: Exercise your Dragon Breath Yoga in fashion.

Effect: + 12 (106) OV Magical Micro-Control

Effect: + 2 (15) OV to all Fire skills.

Set-Bonus: + 2 (17) OV to Mantras and Meditation skills and abilities

Level: 1 (43)

Rating: S

Next on Flora's shopping list stood weapons. Deriga and Vatten could use the Multitool Scepter. She packed a second one for her dual-wielding Ex-Novice and everyone else in the entourage. Scepters might not be the preferred weapons of Konstantin and Babra, but one could never have enough multitools equipped.

Name: Sharp Sword

Type: Sword

Description: What do you want me to write? I'm a smith and not an author. It's a bleeping sword, and it's sharp. That has to be enough!

Effect: Ignores 2 (12) OV Physical Defense of the opponent.

Effect: High chance to cause a bleeding debuff.

Level: 1 (24)

Rating: S

Flora created Konstantin's and Vatten's shields with the Metal imbued wood.

Name: Divine Shield's Best Friend

Type: Shield/Intent Focus

Description: Usage optimized for the class Divine Shields.

Regular Mode: 1 OV Mana-Regeneration

Built-In Skill: Shoot healing cantrip; Cost: 1 mana; CD: 2sec;

Built-In Skill: Shoot damaging cantrip; Cost: 1 mana; CD: 2sec;

Effect: + 2 (6) OV Defenses when Divine Shield is active.

Level: 1 (7)

Rating: S

Name: Healer's Protector

Type: Shield/Intent Focus

Description: Usage optimized for Healers.

Regular Mode: 1 OV Mana-Regeneration

Built-In Skill: Shoot healing cantrip; Cost: 1 mana; CD: 2sec;

Built-In Skill: Shoot damaging cantrip; Cost: 1 mana; CD: 2sec;

Effect: + 2 (6) OV Defenses for 5 seconds after you healed yourself.

Level: 1 (7)

Rating: S

For Babra's staff, Flora used the Fire imbued wood.

Name: Fire Monk's Best Friend

Type: Staff/Intent Focus

Description: Usage optimized for the class Fire Monk.

Regular Mode: 1 OV Mana-Regeneration

Built-In Skill: Shoot healing cantrip; Cost: 1 mana; CD: 2sec;

Built-In Skill: Shoot damaging cantrip; Cost: 1 mana; CD: 2sec;

Effect: + 3 (7) OV to all Fire Prayers.

Level: 1 (7)

Rating: S

Next, Flora built a container with the Gargoyle rune scheme to spare her golems from insanity. Then she upgraded one accordion golem with nocks and the glyph for consciousness as well.

At last, Flora finished her new mech-suit. She had worked hard on it before the patch and then let it rest for a few days. Fermentation time improved most designs. When she looked at it with fresh eyes, she immediately found a few areas begging for refinement.

Name: Animator's Dream Suit

Type: Mech-Suit

Description: Mech-Suit that works in magic restricted areas. The outer layer can be shed for material for Animator skills. Glyphs are pre-configured for companion animation.

Regular Mode: 5 OV Mana-Regeneration.

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

Built-In Skill: Explode Outer Layer: Cost: 10 mana.

Built-In Skill: Jump. Cost: 10 mana.

Effect: Immune to attacks against electronics.

Effect:+3 (11) OV Animator skills when used as a target for them.

Level: 19

Rating: SS

The suit was Flora's magnum opus. While the Steampunk mech-suit inspired it, it resembled it only as much as a Tesla a Lotus. Its sharp edges broke up the shiny Birossium surfaces. Above the collarbone area set a glittering focus crystal and two retractable mantis-inspired scythes protruded from the back.

After the hard work of crafting and spending money and time on her entourage, Flora decided she deserved an upgrade of her equipment, too.

Name: Mana-Reg Set of Mana-Reg

Type: Armor Set

Description: Mana-Reg! Especially for Summoners.

Effect: + 12 (59) OV Magical Regenaration

Effect: + 2 (11) OV Magical Regeneration if you have summoned a companion.

Set-Bonus: + 2 (9) OV Magical Regeneration

Level: 1 (24)

Rating: S

The item-set gave mana for one free elemental at level 24! While the set excited her, Flora wanted to concentrate on golems in the future. Therefore, she took it to the workshop and inspected it. She found no rune-schemes for Mana-Regeneration and hypothesized that the effect came either from the fabric or the cut. However, runes for elementals and spirits adorned the center. Flora replaced them with runes for golems and added a few… okay, more than a few.

Initially, the set had been blue. Flora tried to color it yellow but couldn't reach more than a rusty orange. The trousers were an exercise in wasting fabric. Even after Flora slimmed them down, she feared getting tangled up. When she streamlined them more, she lost stats, so she decided to live with it.

Name: Mana-Reg Set of Mana-Reg

Modification: Animator Edition

Type: Armor Set

Description: Mana-Reg! Especially for Summoners.

Effect: + 12 (59) OV Magical Regenaration

Effect: + 3 (13) OV Magical Regeneration if you have animated a companion.

Set-Bonus: + 2 (9) OV Magical Regeneration

Level: 1 (24)

Rating: S

"Now, we're speaking!" Flora exclaimed. "54 Mana-Reg if I have a companion. Still too little if I want to have Divine Radiance, Divine Elemental Enhancement, and a mighty golem, but we are getting there."

"Milady, Aito found a class that uses Physical Regeneration to power magical attributes."

"Excellent news! Tell me everything about it."

Class: Skin Carver

Branch: Magic

Passive: + 1 Training efficiency modifier for Knives

Active: Bonus for runes that are drawn with blood.

STA: Open Blood Rune-Opens up one of your skin carvings for a significant bonus effect. CD: 25 sec.

AoE: Open Blood Runes-Opens up all your skin carvings for a bonus effect. CD: 25 sec.

DEF: Close Wounds-Closes every wound, self-inflicted or not. CD: 1 min.

MOV: Trail of blood-The blood you shed hurts enemies. CD: 1 min

SIG: Blood Rune Enhancement-(Boost) Empowers your skin carvings. CD: 1 min.

Class:

Skin Carver

Branch:

Magic

Passive:

+ 1 Training efficiency modifier for Knives

Active:

Bonus for runes that are drawn with blood.

STA:

Open Blood Rune

Opens up one of your skin carvings for a significant bonus effect. CD: 25 sec.

AoE:

Open Blood Runes

Opens up all your skin carvings for a bonus effect. CD: 25 sec.

DEF:

Close Wounds

Closes every wound, self-inflicted or not. CD: 1 min.

MOV:

Trail of blood

The blood you shed hurts enemies. CD: 1 min

SIG:

Blood Rune Enhancement

(Boost) Empowers your skin carvings. CD: 1 min.

"Do I understand this right, that I have to carve runes into my skin, and they will bleed if I empower them?" Flora stared at the class with her mouth gaping open.

"Yes, Milady."

"That's even more disgusting than Necromancer!" Flora stared at it a while longer. "It's a magic class, though. Do you think it would work on golems?"

"I don't know, Milady. They have no blood, but they do have Stamina."

"Tell me a bit more about it. How to get it and what amount of Mana-Reg I can expect."

"The two Open Rune spells and Blood Rune Enhancement are paid with stamina. You have to decide what runes you carve into your body. These runes will stay on your skin, and only a shaman of the Skincarver Tribe can erase them. Possible runes include attribute buffs but also healing or shields.

The Skincarver Tribe on Flowerland teaches the class. The course is four hours long and includes a ritual in which you carve your body. Flowerland is an island west of Vody. You can only access the teleportation portal if you have a friendly reputation with the Flowerland Alliance. It's 2100 km away from the closest public teleporter. Therefore raising your reputation might be faster than flying.

If you carve three Magical Regeneration Runes, you can boost them with Blood Rune Enhancement, costing 30 Phy-Reg/min. You will get around 20 MR/min out of it by the time of the competition. I calculated conservatively, Milady. Your awesomeness often exceeds my expectations."

"You're such a charmer, Aidan. Please walk me through all the steps in detail. 20 MR/min are worth a bit of self-mutilation."

A while later, Flora had packed everything they needed for their trip to the orcs. For the first time in a long time, she felt fully equipped. Her mech-suit was new, shiny, and worked. The Accordeon Golem powered the Mover, and Tolly powered an Octopussy for Aito. She bound only one Multitool Scepter that she could afford to summon Bliz. Her full team was assembled, and nobody felt potato-sacky!

In high spirits, Flora ported to Vody.

Aidan had described the city as the least impressive of the Cradle's thirteen capitals, and he was very right. White cylindrical domes stood next to each other, and Flora had no clue how she could orientate herself inside a forest of bowling pins. The cold wind whipped her face, and she wished she had included a full helmet into her mech-suit instead of a tophat with gears.

*beeeep* (Cooold)

The few seconds that Flora used to look around were sufficient for the Octopus to freeze over. Its video-screen skin had cracked from the icy temperatures.

"Lead the way, Aidan," Flora said, picking up the Octopussy and entering the Mover. Bliz seemed to be reluctant to leave the weather only an ice elemental could enjoy. So Flora permitted her to ride on top of the Mover. The winds made it impossible to fly, and she trusted the elemental to hold onto the vehicle when they just drove around.

"First station, Earthling Information," Aidan announced when they reached a bowling pin-shaped building with the yellow earth symbol.

"I adore your hat!" A blue-skinned orc exclaimed after Flora entered. He wore a tophat as well with a matching white three-piece suit.

"Thank you, sir," Flora said and greeted the orcish gentlemen. Although she wasn't savvy about fantasy tropes, she was pretty sure that orcs had a rogue reputation. However, she wasn't familiar enough to be astonished and took it in a stride. "I'm here to raise my reputation with Flowerland. I've heard that you offer quests here?"

"Of course, a lady with your name has to visit my home! I'll give you the most efficient quest I have." The orc smiled at her, showing off his mouth full of fangs.

The Earthling Information orc was true to his word. After two hours of driving around, fetching things, carrying things, and killing things for orcs dressed up to the highest fashion of the Victorian era, Flora had a "friendly" standing with the faction Flowerland and received the clearing for the teleporter to Flowerland.