Auntie toasts the VRMMORPG

2.37 Animator - Part 2

After a break, which Flora skipped, the class learned about animating mounts. While Animate Attacker and Defender tolerated a bit of metal in the enchanted objects, the material for the mount had to be metal-free.

"Never animate brooms!" The Woodling lecturer said sternly. "The witches won't forgive the appropriation of their culture."

Flora snorted and hoped that flying vacuum cleaners were excluded from persecution. Although she still hadn't built a motor without metal, she had a few ideas on how to accomplish it.

The students proceeded to learn the spell and animated their chairs. The legs of them started to move, and they carried the laughing mages through the classroom.

Meanwhile, Flora carved a board out of a tree trunk. Using Transformation, she elongated the four corners of the board and put wheels on them.

<Animate Mount>!

Instead of rolling, the board wavered. It tried to use the wheels as feet, but got no traction and wobbled in place.

"Try just to rotate the round things, dear," Flora said to it while conveying the idea of driving telepathically. The chassis took the advice and started rolling. Flora hopped on and guided it back and forth with her will. At first, the ride was rocky, but with a bit of practice, Flora smoothed the movement.

Flora was delighted, although a moving chair was arguably more awesome than a vehicle that six years olds would jeer at a soapbox derby.

Next, she tried to take off, but the board remained on the ground. When the lecturer explained that making the mount fly was only possible with the skill at level 100 and the object should have something that it could use as wings, Flora permitted Aidan to level it without a cap.

"I need objects to animate in the boxes, Milady."

Flora nodded but was too engrossed in the lecture to log out.

"I'm astonished that the board was able to rotate the wheels. Although I put a stopper at the end of the axle, the wheels are loose−otherwise, they wouldn't be able to turn. So what conditions must the object fulfill that it counts as ONE? Has the professor answered this question yet?"

"No, Milady."

"Ask her and skip the video to Cetvivos-time that I can listen in."

The video jumped, and the lecturer spoke in slow-motion because of the time dilation.

Flora heard Aidan's voice. "Pardon, Ma'am. What-"

"Stop!" Flora said. "You can't just interrupt a teacher. You have to raise your hand−err, tentacle− and wait until she signals you. And you have to speak slowly that she can understand you despite the time dilation."

Aidan followed Flora's advice.

After the Woodling finished her sentence, she smiled wrily in Flora's direction. "Let's hear what the octopus in the last row has to say."

The entire class turned around, and Flora hoped she wasn't drooling while meditating.

"Thank you, Ma'am. What conditions must the object fulfill that it counts as one mount? The question refers to loose parts on the target." Aidan said in one-third of his usual speed.

"Good question, long dissertations have been written about it by people smarter than me. I go with the rule of thumb: after you rotate the target and shake it, anything still attached counts toward the mount."

"I like this teacher. Aidan, look if she has more courses to offer." Flora said.

They skipped back in the video and soon reached Aidan's question.