Cyberserk

Chapter 26 - The Minotaur

The new dungeon was different from the Lair. Dan immediately noticed that the stone walls of the tunnel ahead had light. The man regained his breath and mana.

"I'm ready to start exploring this place. Tom, you come forward. Hobbits! You follow Tom in silence. Keep your slings at the ready. Attack any enemy you see," Dan gave orders.

The phantom began to walk cautiously forward with weapons in his hands. He was curious to get out of the darkened part of the tunnel. There was no excitement or fear in the clone. He stopped when he saw new details of the place.

There were torches on the walls of the tunnel! The clone thought this was a pleasant surprise. Now Dan wouldn't waste his experience buying torches. 

Tom walked over to the torch and saw that it was an unusual torch. It was not a piece of wooden material that had been impregnated with a special composition for better burning. It was not a torch but a lamp. The torch-shaped lamp was fixed firmly to the stone wall. The flame burned at the top of the lamp and illuminated the tunnel well a few steps ahead. A small darkened area of the stone labyrinth was visible further on.

"We won't be able to get that lamp. Buy one torch just in case. Fire can come in handy in a fight with any enemy," Tom whispered the advice to the player who approached him.

"We could roast bread on the fire!" suggested the hobbit in a loud and cheerful voice.

"I am the best! I can roast a piece of meat on the torch fire," the second hobbit immediately began to exalt his virtues.

"I ordered you to be quiet," Dan shook his head.

"Master, I obeyed orders I walked and kept quiet. Now I stand my ground. No enemies in sight. Master buy me a jug of beer," offered the hobbit.

"Silence! There will be a beer after the fight. There are enemies all around. Hobbits you can only talk very quietly," whispered Dan. He wanted to emphasize the importance of his words.

But at that moment the dungeon-dweller loudly emphasized the importance of caution and care in his domain.

Moo!

A loud and menacing mooing sounded ahead.

"A bull with huge horns and a huge club," whispered Tom. "I was ready for it. It's Byre."

"Hobbits, prepare for the enemy's attack," Dan ordered.

The enemy appeared from the twilight of the tunnel and did not stop to take a good look at the uninvited guests.

Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.

The loud pounding of hooves on the stone floor gave a new warning of the dungeon guard's approach.

A tall bull with big horns was armed with a huge ax! The bull held the ax with both hands. This ax was the size of a hobbit! The bull had dark-colored armor on his body. Dan immediately saw the definition of his new enemy.

[Minotaur (Mutant.) 

Level: 9.

The Minotaur is an aggressive creature of Evil. This mutant attacks its prey immediately and never retreats. The Minotaur's strength and daring often cause the mutant to warn its prey with a frightening mooing sound. Be afraid of the minotaur's ax strike. He can leave an opponent dazed and unable to strike back or flee!]

Tom stopped and prepared for the minotaur's attack. He saw that his opponent's armor did not protect his arms and legs below the knees. Large hooves, too, he saw. The mutant could do damage with hooves and horns! Dangerous creature.

The hobbits showed their readiness for battle. The Minotaur took two stones to the head.

-11. -16.

The Minotaur roared indignantly and rushed to attack. His eyes filled with blood. The mutant raised his battle-ax over his head to strike his enemies with a powerful blow.

Tom didn't have time to bounce back. He was only able to get the blade of his katana under the ax's impact.

Bam. Boom.

A moment later, the clone was already down on his knees. The powerful ax blow blew the blade of the sword away as well and landed on the phantom's shoulder.

The hobbits expressed no fear or doubt. They quickly unwound their slings and hurled stones at the minotaur. These brave men were very accurate and experienced shooters. The hobbits were clever and shrewd warriors. They always aimed at the vulnerable points of dangerous opponents. The disadvantage of these guys was a limited amount of ammunition. Each hobbit had only 17 stones! The shaggy braves could handle daggers deftly, but the damage from the dagger was not as impressive as the mastery of the sling.

"Naaaah!" Tom stabbed the dagger precisely at the leg of the minotaur. The clone delivered a magic-enhanced blow below the knee to do maximum damage. His right hand struck the mutant's left leg from the side.

The minotaur roared and swayed. The nasty intruder had hurt him. He must punish the nasty creature! The Minotaur skillfully intercepted the handle of the huge ax and now the blade of the terrible weapon was pointing downwards! The mutant struck a hard blow at the enemy that was in front of his feet.

Boom!

The samurai's helmet shattered into pieces and the pieces flew apart. The phantom froze and did not move.

Shu. Bam. Shu. Bang.

The whistle of spinning slings and the banging of stones did not distract Dan from his task. He was not going to remain an observer of this fight. 

Slowing! Healing. Healing. Healing. Piece of Ice! Ice Arrow. Healing. Healing.

Dan Raven didn't like the way of the mage. But he was a smart guy and understood that if necessary, you should kill the enemy most conveniently. Water magic did less damage than Fire magic and Air magic. But Water Magic froze the enemy for a moment! Dan understood the value of control spells. It was necessary to stop and immobilize the monster so the phantom could inflict major damage. This was the method the friends had discussed in advance. 

The phantom came to life and began quickly stabbing the mutant's left leg with his dagger and slashing with his katana blade. The cold-blooded defender quickly had the right idea in his head. Gotta hit one leg! Gotta cripple this monster. The beast must not get any closer to Dan!

The minotaur couldn't move! Whips of grass crawled up his legs and chained the mutant to the spot. The vile intruder stung with its cold strokes of magic. And the minotaur could not move his hands, which were covered with a thin crust of ice.

- 13. -18. -19. -11.

Skraboom.

The bull's body rolled onto its back and fell to the stone floor of the tunnel with a rumble. A huge ax fell from its muscular arms and struck the phantom on the head.

"Ouch! What a bastard! Even in death, he was able to do me damage," hissed the clone. Tom rose from his knees and winked at his partner.

"Den Raven, you're the best mage in the game! Hobbits you are the best. Now the good master will buy you a jug of beer each!"  

"I'll get you a new helmet out of the inventory first," Dan smiled. After a few seconds, he handed the helmet to the clone. "And a beer for the brave ones."

The hobbits began to dance. 

Tom walked over to his friend and took the new helmet. Then the clone turned around to look at the corpse of the first minotaur that was killed.

"Stunning is cool. I felt pitiful and unnecessary for a moment. It's disgusting to feel useless. I wonder how many bulls we have to kill to get accurate information about these mutants?"

"There is a longer and more complicated way. We have to look in the chat and carefully analyze the information about the duel. I hope that monsters are not reborn in this dungeon. Hobbits don't have to grumble and pant. You are the best. You are good. But the master loves silent braves," the player gave the hobbits each a jug of beer and began to study the information about the battle.

The results of studying the new opponent were interesting. The hobbit could not do 20 points of damage. The average damage the minotaur received from one attack was 15 points. The players and hobbits did a total of 205 points of damage to kill the minotaur.

One hobbit noticed that the enemy's corpse was gone. But there was something left on the rocks. Hobbits were great lovers of interest in trophies. Soon Dan got his hands on the loot and immediately appreciated it.

[Minotaur Leather.

Ingredient.

Level: ????

Cost:????]

"Strange dungeons in this game," whispered the clone. "Zombies are useless filth. Skeleton bones are very unpleasant crafting material. It's probably good for making all sorts of artifacts for Necromancy magic. Ravens are a source of feathers and meat for cooking. Wolves are great pelts and meat for cooking. But no ingredients for crafting have ever fallen from the animals in the location!"

"So people will only buy items from the store. I've been looking closely at your book. You know it has durability. Only 1 point of durability," Dan whispered. He had noticed this detail long ago but didn't want to upset his friend.

"Of course I know that. I noticed right away that the book required quick and careful study," smiled the phantom. "While you were sleeping I learned the advice on learning kendo skills by heart!"

"What's the new plan?" Raven wanted an opinion from the chief helper.

"The hobbits have enough for three fights. Then they will run out of ammunition. The daggers in their hands won't do much damage. The Hobbits will have to be sent home. I thank you for your concern but never heal me again. The minotaur did 40 points of damage. Eight mutant blows I can survive. It's easier to summon a new phantom that's full of health. I have to hit with daggers. You should attack immediately with curses Slowing and Ice magic," Tom finished giving advice and asked quietly about the important thing. "How much mana do you have left?"

"24 mana points," Dan shook his head. "A Piece of Ice is worth as much as two Ice Arrows."

"Then we'll wait until your mana supply is restored. Let's test the theory about the possible rebirth of those horny freaks," the phantom laughed softly.