Princess & Cyberserk

Staying Alive

Princess Elina enjoyed breathing the fresh air of the new world. She looked forward without fear. She had her trusty sword in her hand and was ready to face any enemy. Beside her were good and reliable warriors who were ready to protect her from danger.

Elina remembered her way through the Tower of Destiny and smiled. With allies like that, she would become a true warrior. The brave swordsman Dan would teach her his mastery. His counselor Tom is an unpleasant magical type, but his abilities as a warlord overwhelmed her. Two gracious teachers will continue to train her in magic. Life in the new world is sure to be filled with great adventures.

Dan Raven carefully read the lines of the unpleasant message. Against the gray sky, the letters looked like frozen raindrops.

[Attention! You have received the Mandatory Quest! Staying Alive.

Quest Details: Stay alive for 24 hours. Find revival point.

Reward: Possibility to be reborn.

Have a nice game!]

The young man recalled a similar adventure in the world of the dead. That time he had been able to achieve victory and managed to leave the gray confines of the world.

"Tom, we're in trouble. I need to find a revival point. Twenty-four hours to find it," the young man whispered.

"Elina, can you see the signs in front of your eyes?" Tom immediately clarified the princess's abilities.

"What signs? I see the gray sky and the river. I like the forest. I see gray shadows in it," replied the princess.

"Useless and strange NPC," muttered the clone. "I hope people's problems don't concern you."

"I hear you, you naughty arrogant sass," the princess threatened her fist at the insolent creature. "Who's the NPC?"

"Naive Princess Character. Special and not like the others," laughed the phantom.

"Don't insult my kin, I'll spend some of my powers to kill you. It's a waste of strength, though. We are in great danger. I have noticed the signs of destiny. We must go to the nearest place where there are ancestral temples. Or we will die forever at the beginning of the journey," Algrin winked at the clone with a cruel smile. "Don't you care about your master's death?"

"I do care, assassin. But I care even more that you're finally acting normal," Tom turned away from the blonde and breathed in the fresh air with a sincere smile. This place was beautiful in its cleanliness after the walls of the corridors and rooms of the Tower of Destiny. "Now you kids are going to start life as real warriors."

"Dhroll is a true warrior," muttered the orc. His keen eyes had already spotted the swift shadows of enemies lurking in the forest. The young son of the Red Axes tribe bared his fangs in anticipation of battle.

"My fierce and brave friend, you are a good fighter. But you are no warrior. You are only good for one fight, one battle. You don't understand what war is. A warrior is a child of war and made for war. War is a complicated thing. It's not even a set of individual fights. First, you learn to value the life of your ally. You've got a big problem with that, you stupid bully."

"Stop talking and bragging about your view of the world," Koreima pointed her dagger toward the forest. "We have unpleasant neighbors. Shall we begin the fight?"

"Tom will do some scouting first. I hope this place gives us time to be safe," Dan grinned.

"I can summon a double, too," reminded Algrin. "I have two stealth skills."

"Save your energy for saving the group members' lives," Dan asked.

"Or die as a traitor to the interests of the Black Flame group," the clone added and vanished into thin air.

"That's no way to get fame," grumbled the orc. "We are not assassins but warriors."

Elina poked the baron in the shoulder and whispered.

"Why so many words of death? Why can't I see your signs?"

"Because you are special. Perhaps death will not touch you. I don't know what you are. But you are definitely Non-standard Personage of Crown blood," the swordsman smiled back.

"I am that kind of person. You're cute when you're not trying to be serious. Call your short, shaggy-legged defenders. They're fun and I like them," Elina asked.

Dan summoned the hobbits. The two braves instantly assessed the situation as dangerous and tense.  Stones and slings appeared in their hands.

"Waiting for a signal from Tom. Be ready for battle," the young man quietly warned his helpers.

The two hobbits did not even turn their heads toward the man. They kept their eyes on the edge of the forest. They did not like those who moved among the tree trunks. The cheeky monsters weren't hiding, but they weren't letting them aim themselves. The swift creatures moved and hid with skill in the thick of the forest.

***

Tom looked at the monster and tried to understand its strengths and weaknesses. The creature looked like a lean goblin. The unusually tall body was skinny and had long arms. The monster's head was small. The creature looked unpleasant because its small head had an unnaturally large mouth full of unpleasant teeth. The teeth stuck out like a row of thick yellow needles. The nasty creatures wore no armor. Pieces of hiding covered the monster's body. The beasts were swift and agile. They practically blended into the bark of the trees and hid with mastery in the low grass.

Tom assumed these monsters were no more than level 20. If he started a fight he wouldn't be able to kill the enemy quietly. The good news was that the goblins had no weapons to attack from a distance. The clone didn't notice the bows and slings. The spears in their clawed hands looked like the crude handiworks of primitive creatures unfamiliar with the craftsmanship of weaponry. There were many goblins. The clone hurried back to the group with his report.

He was greeted by the lovely familiar setting of two cats and a cute kitten fighting. The vampiress snorted toward the elf girl. The assassin girl wrinkled her nose toward the vampiress. The princess stood with the proud look of an invincible warrior who was above all silly quarrels. The girl was clutching her sword and it was obvious that she enjoyed showing off her weapon and her ability to act like a warrior.

The phantom approached Dan and tapped his friend on the shoulder. This playful attack ended the effect of the disguise. He rubbed his chin and stated with a nonchalant look.

"I've got some bad news. Dan, you need to shave. You look indecent and a disgrace to the title. Either grow a beard and mustache or keep an eye on yourself," Tom reported.

"Moustache! You need a mustache and a beard like Kornelius," the vampiress nodded her head.

"Ugh! Decent persons of ancient lineage shave their faces thoroughly. You're not a gnome! Why do you need a beard?" Algrin expressed her point.

"Dhroll has no facial hair. Dhroll is a decent personage of an ancient orc tribe," the orc agreed.

"Baron Raven is human. I'm against beards but I like mustaches," remarked the princess. "Thin and tidy mustache. Like Papa's."

Dan got tired of listening to this nonsense and nodded appreciatively to his friend.

"Well done. Nice job relieving the tension in our beauties. What's out there in the woods?"

"Goblins. Skinny as hungry rats with long skinny legs. Fast and weak. We move along the river. Narrow the attack front for these freaks. Weapons are weak. I didn't see any bows or slings. These savages have never heard of crossbows. Three boys covering three girls. The girls are healing the boys and not wasting their strength on nonsense," the clone made a serious report.

"Dhroll, you will stand at my right shoulder. Don't hit me with your ax! I'm in the habit of dodging the spikes on your armor," Dan asked.

"Don't look for easy ways, weakling. With an ally like an orc, you'll never lose your training for speed and dexterity," Tom laughed. He stepped back to the swordsman's left shoulder and nodded his head to Algrin. "Be careful with me. I'm a virgin."

"You're not a funny joker," snorted the assassin.

"Rude and vulgar," blushed the princess. "Not at all like the nice baron. I will take care of you, my faithful knight."

Elina gently patted the young man on the back. The vampiress looked at the girl suspiciously. She wanted to stand behind Dan's back and treat his wounds. But she got Dhroll. And she also noticed the serious look in the double's eyes. It seemed to her that Mother Death herself was paying attention to her. Suddenly Koreima realized that this terrible monster would kill her if she didn't behave properly during her first fight in this world.

Tom nodded his head at the vampiress. He liked this girl's instincts. A great companion for Dan. But an overconfident and unreliable ally. They need to find a point of revival. Then they can go back to playing cute games of foolish simpletons in love.

"Speaking for the first and last time, animals. The first rule of war. Hold the line. The second rule of war: Always hold the line. Anyone who leaves the ranks of the group will be considered a traitor and expelled from the members of the Black Flame," Tom said in a tone he called Counselor Speaks. "No hurry. Take it easy, Dhroll. Walk sideways toward the river."

"Dhroll is not an animal. Dhroll is an orc," the warrior hid the rest of the large ham in his belt bag. It was a little amusing to notice how the big ham in his hand changed to a huge ax. The orc took a step toward the river.

The girls didn't have time to express their outrage at the insolent orders. From the forest came the squeaky cries of goblins.

"Tasty blind meat! Go into the woods!"

"Hairy meat goes the wrong way. Go into the woods!"

"The water is cold and wet. The fire is hot and makes the meat tasty! Come to us cowardly meat!"

"The goblin is as skinny as a hungry rat! I'm the best! Show your skinny face and eat my stone," shouted the hobbit.

"Your blood is not worthy to be spat upon. You dirty creature," shouted Koreima.

"I'll be sure to come to visit you. I will s*******r you all and cleanse the forest of such insolent scum," squealed the assassin.

"Dhroll is not blind or cowardly. Dhroll is a warrior and walks in the lines of warriors! Go to the orc and get an ax to the head," offered the orc.

The princess laughed and did not humiliate herself by shouting all sorts of insults back. She loved the beginning of the adventure. Rather, she had read in books about great battles. It was unclear to her why warriors were always shouting nasty things in the direction of their opponents at the beginning of a battle. Now she realized that shouting nasty things was quite amusing. Too bad she couldn't think of a particularly sophisticated and subtle nasty word to shout at the disgusting monsters. Elina saw several of the unpleasant creatures daring to come out to meet the group.

Several goblins left the shelter of the forest and began to approach the strangers cautiously. The glint of weapons in the hands of the tall warriors inspired apprehension. They were excellent weapons. If the weak and unsuccessful warriors of the tribe perished this weapon would go to the strong brave ones.

About ten goblins dared to attack the group before the strangers reached the river. At that time stones flew toward the goblins. The hobbits launched an attack to disrupt the monsters' belligerence.

"Brave gluttons! Hit the outermost enemy in twos," shouted Tom.

The hobbits looked at each other and nodded. They liked the suggestion. Now the stones began to hit only one goblin. The unlucky one tried to dodge the swift shots, but it was a measly effort. Soon the first opponent fell to the grass and his body disappeared after death.

"Dan!" the clone wanted to know the details. Only a human could see the exact details of all the damage his helpers had inflicted.

The swordsman counted the damage the hobbits had done and made a humorous but accurate report based on his knowledge of the monsters of the former world.

"A goblin of the savage breed.

Level: 20.

Life: 260.

Damage: 30-50.

Skill: Stupid Rude Insults."

"Don't relax, girls. There are a lot of these freaks. When they gobble up our armor we'll need the power of healing skills," Tom warned.

Several dozen goblins came out of the woods. Dan realized that the words about destroying the durability of his armor were no joke at all. If he took off the valuable armor he would lose a huge amount of attributes. After passing the Tower of Destiny, he had a lot of armor in his inventory with an excellent level of protection. But any equipment will be destroyed by the constant hitting of nimble enemies.

"Fry the villains," grinned Dan. Now was the perfect place to showcase his powerful mage abilities. "Fireball, dumbasses. Warm-up and eat yourselves."

Behind the rude words, two fireballs flew toward the goblins. Each orb was the size of a basketball. But these orbs crackled with heat and glowed with a rich fiery light. As the spells slammed into the monsters, they exploded, striking several goblins. The monsters squealed in fear and pain. To the purity of the air was added the unpleasant smell of burned skin and wool. Each fireball struck enemies within a one-meter radius. The power of the epic ring added 50% to the spell's power.

[Fire Ball. School of Fire Magic.

Level 21.

Required level: 15.

Requirement: None.

Damage: 147-177.

Cost: 10 mana points.

Cooldown: 0 seconds.

The mage collects around himself a large amount of fire energy. He concentrates it into a fireball and directs it at enemies. When encountering a monster or obstacle, the fireball explodes, inflicting fire damage in a small area]

"Twenty mana minus. Damage of a couple of hundred points. Try the wall of fire. Waste twenty-five mana but guarantee to burn some freaks," the clone quickly calculated the options for magical attacks.

"It's the right thing to do," whispered the young mage, and cast the Wall of Fire spell.

A wall of flame grew among the group of goblins. It stretched only eight meters, but the flames dealt 260 to 330 points of damage every second for three and a half seconds.

The eerie screeching ceased instantly. The unfortunate goblins died instantly if their bodies were touched by the flames of the magic fire. The large group of monsters quickly turned around and fled into the forest. With such a vicious and ruthless opponent, the goblins didn't want to fight. The weak mutants had no defense against fire magic and were afraid of that magic. All that was left for the goblins was to cautiously follow the group of strangers and sneak in the shadows of the trees following their enemies.

"My hero," praised the young man to the princess.

"Dhroll, quicken your step. A little step up. Don't strain the girls. The mages can cast one strong spell toward the goblins. One at a time girls. Watch your magical energy regeneration. Dan, have a Wall ready. Good job scaring those savages. Get ready to face a more dangerous opponent," Tom ordered and happily launched a fireball in the direction of a pair of insolent goblins.

Dan quickly bought some tasty meat and two pitchers of beer. The savvy hobbits were entitled to a tasty reward.

The hobbits grabbed the treats and began to drink and eat with satisfied faces. They loved the way they beat those skinny roughnecks.

The princess was happy to show off her skills in magic. She remembered that she was good at elf spells. Elina made a quick gesture with her wand and whispered an ancient spell. A stealthy black dot flew toward the goblins. It was the insidious Seed of the Pine spell. The goblin did not even feel the magic touch his skin. But after a moment, the unfortunate one howled in intense pain. Thin needles ripped through the skin of his shoulder and blood flowed down his body. The goblin grabbed for the wound and tried to cover it with his paw. But the relentless needles of ancient elf magic were already piercing its insides and the monster fell to the ground in agony.

Elina saw no effect of her spell. The flames of the wall of fire went out, but the smoke continued to rise above the grass at the edge of the forest.

Suddenly the girl felt hungry. Algrin pulled two apples from her bag and handed one to her apprentice. Koreima sighed and didn't bother her yummy human. Dhroll took a piece of meat out of the bag again and began to finish his breakfast. The good hobbits gave the orc a couple of sips of beer from their jugs.

Tom heard the sounds of quiet chugging and the crunching of apples. He was trailing the movement of the group and could see everyone on the march. The beginning of the adventure suited him. Unfortunately, they had an assignment with finding a revival point. There was a large black area on the clone map that was bounded by a strip of the river.

"Maybe we rushed it," Tom admitted. "I might have scouted farther away."

"Those are good words," agreed Dan. "Algrin, Koreima don't need to waste your strength on goblins. Call out your doubles. Have them run along the river and explore what's next."

"A bloodsucker can waste no strength," snorted the assassin. "My double has stealth magic. Koreima is useless. She will only attract enemies ahead of us in our path."

"Crude but fair," the princess agreed.

"I will kill goblins," the vampiress nodded and remembered another insult from the elfess.

"We need to move and find the point of rebirth," the phantom reminded her. "We all understand that this important place must be guarded. Hopefully, we will encounter civilized creatures but not monsters."

The princess finished her apple and tossed the apple core into the river. She happily launched a new fireball toward the nimble, skinny savages. She enjoyed the adventure they encountered in this place. It was a real battle against a crowd of cowardly but dangerous monsters. And the great mages proved their power to the brute savages.