Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

35. Doom Moon 2 - Energymaster Flora

Devon Saneth enjoyed playing pool and drinking beer. He liked his job as a flight coordinator on the Doom Moon well enough, and the pool tables in the common room for the hangar crew weren't half bad.

His day started terribly and got worse when his mother called him and told him to be safe because her astrologist warned her against great peril.

Of course, he didn't give a half a bucket used motor oil for the opinions of a quack, but the warning lingered in that part of his mind that mothers filled with useful advice from an early age, like don't touch hot ovens and don't put your fingers in a meat grinder.

He felt her approaching before he saw her. His head turned instinctively to the figure covering the distance with steady steps. Her stride was confident and graceful. She looked liked she owned that place. From head to foot, she was covered in a green mech suit that had seen better days, but she wore it like it was a diamond garb. Through the green-tinged visor, he spotted the gently smiling face of an older lady.

But his eyes focussed on her belt where the hilt of a plasma sword hung. Then, they immediately flitted to her badge.

Name: Flora Fluss

Title: Magical Prodigy

Class: Energymaster

Level: 1

Rating: F

'Level 1, my ass! Unrated, my ass!'

Devon heard of multiple ways to fake one's badge, but his mind went to the old myth that when you reached level 1000, you ascended and started a new.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

'Keep your cool. There are hundreds of people in this hangar. What are the odds that she will visit you? Please, dear guardians of the energy, don't let her have any business with me.'

His prayers went unanswered. The lady approached his booth.

Devon sprang off his chair.

"Magical Prodigy Fluss, Flight-Master Saneth at your service." He was proud that he managed to say it without stuttering.

She nodded at him, still smiling.

"Hello, Flight-Master Saneth. Please, provide me with a small spacecraft. An H-Wing would be lovely."

"Of, course Magical Prodigy Fluss. I'll send the location of the craft to your datapad."

"I've thrown my datapad away."

Sweat formed on Devon's brow. In his mind, the old lady threw the datapad on a fighter jet, taking it down with an explosion. Or maybe she threw it at a subordinate who didn't fulfill her wishes fast enough? She seemed nice and friendly now, but energy-masters were known for their violent mood changes.

"Not a problem at all, Magical Prodigy Fluss. Please follow this robot."

"Thank you for your help!" The lady nodded again and left behind the small astro-bot.

Frantically, Devon rushed to his workstation. He searched for an H-Wing, triple checked its status and transmitted its location to the robot.

Then, he cleared all the traffic for the next minutes.

He congratulated his foresight when he watched the swaying spacecraft feeling its way out of the hangar door.

Never had he seen an H-Wing move more slowly! It was a wonder that it stayed in the air!

Exhausted, he slumped in his chair when the craft finally left the hangar, his domain.

Sirens started blaring.