After a minute, Skaar pokes around the room for anything the minotaur may have been guarding.
"We've got the horns of a minotaur but this doesn't solve the village's problem. There's at least one more of the beasts in here..."
Again, Skaar finds no treasure. As he looks, the brief sound of metal colliding with fills the air.
"Back to the area with the gates", Skaar warns as he touches Hanely's mace again.
You head back to the large room with the gates, one gate now lying battered against the other. From the west, another minotaur emerges, its horns crooked and cracked with age, its long, coarse fur matted with blood and other fluids. It looks to you and roars, displaying its yellowed and broken teeth. It too wields a greataxe like the beast you had just defeated, this one pitted and caked with gore. It gleams in the rising moonlight with malice and sins unmentionable.
Initiative:
AC: 16, Energy Resistance 10, DR 5/epic, all attacks have bleed 1, feral savagery
The minotaur steps forward, snorting. It brings down its axe against the orc three times and attempts to impale him with its horns.
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Round 1: Savage Minotaur, Skaar, Corda
Corda turned to the Elemental, "Fivo."
Skaar’s eyes go wide at the sight of the monstrous beast, a sight that distracts him long enough for the bull to slam into the hulking greenskin with his weapon. Receiving another solid wound, Skaar grunts in pain. Despite the injury, Skaar steps forward and lunges to lock up the deadly weapon.
Seeing her summoned ally begin to ripple, Corda knew it's time was almost spent. "Ettefb tro Vajiteul."
It moves forward and strikes at the Minotaur.
The Witch, still not wanting to get in the Orc's way, touched him again with the wand.
Skaar grabs onto the minotaur. The water elemental strikes at the minotaur, unable to do anything against the bull-headed creatures toughened flesh. The elemental then shimmers and disappears. The minotaur attempts to become the aggressor in the grapple.
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Round 2: Savage Minotaur, Skaar, Corda
Skaar’s hulking frame swells as he surges with mythic power and lifts the minotaur overhead before suplexing him onto the earthen labyrinth floor.
The big orc triggers his magic boots as he climbs to his feet and mounts the fallen bull.
Corda attempts to keep Skaar in fighting shape.
The minotaur comes down with a thunderous crash, quickly swinging its axe at the orc's legs as Skaar clambers to his feet.
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Skaar quickly grabs onto the minotaur's hair and positions himself on its back. The minotaur gets on its feet, provoking an attack from the orc.
It then tries to shake the orc off of its back.
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With some violent twisting, it sends the orc back to the ground.
Round 3: Savage Minotaur, Skaar, Corda
When the big minotaur climbs to his feet, Skaar meets his chin with a knee.
Skaar's knee collides with the minotaur's chin, but the beast's toughened flesh softens the blow some.
From his superior position, Skaar shifts his grip until he's got one massive arm wrapped around his opponent's thick bull neck.
With a roar he flexes and squeezes.
Miscellaneous Modifiers
A creature can also add any circumstance, deflection, dodge, insight, luck, morale, profane, and sacred bonuses to AC to its CMD. Any penalties to a creature's AC also apply to its CMD. A flat-footed creature does not add its Dexterity bonus to its CMD.
While Corda enjoyed watching her true love pound such a beast into the ground, she had to administer more healing.
The minotaur decides to apply a fist to the orc rather than continue to struggle against him
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To no avail.
Round 4: Savage Minotaur, Skaar, Corda
Skaar tightens his hold, squeezing the bull’s neck and choking him out.
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Skaar applies more pressure to the beast, slowly wearing it down.
Round 4: Savage Minotaur, Skaar, Corda
Seeing Skaar's wounds all healed, Corda slipped the wand in her belt, and pulled her spear, waiting for an opportunity to strike. If one came that is.
The minotaur attempts to batter the orc with its fists.
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The beast grazes Skaar with a calloused fist, the hardened knuckles cutting deeply into the orc.
Round 5: Savage Minotaur, Skaar, Corda
Skaar grunts in surprise as the big animal’s fists tear open his hide.
Despite the injury, the hulking orc tightens his hold further crushing the bull’s neck.
Corda's eyes widened a little at the sight of Skaar's gash. Dropping her spear, the Witch pulled the wand and healed once more.
The minotaur continues to pummel the orc with its fists in a desperate attempt to survive.
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It manages to catch Skaar with another stiff fist.
Round 6: Savage Minotaur, Skaar, Corda
Refusing to yield, even under the minotaur’s clubbing blows, Skaar wrenches on the bull’s neck with crushing force.
The minotaur seizes up and shudders as Skaar crushes its windpipe. The beast lets out one last gasp before falling limp, dead in the orc's grip.
Skaar keeps the hold a moment longer before he’s certain his opponent is down. Letting the defeated minotaur slip from his grasp, the big orc puts a foot on its back and bellows a victory roar.
Once the fires of battle start to fade, Skaar nods at Corda. ”You think that’s the last one?”
When no challenge follows Skaar’s victory roar, the big orc is satisfied.
”We’re in luck. It doesn’t look like we’re gunna need to camp out in here”, the hulking greenskin explains.
Taking as long as he needs, Skaar drags both minotaur corpses to the front gate and pounds on the doors.
”It’s over”, he grunts. ”The minotaur is dead.”
Creighton appears at the gates moments later, eyes wide at Skaar's trophies. "We owe you our gratitude, Skaar. In time, we will be able to rebuild and repopulate this area. As agreed, we will head back to the mines tomorrow and aid you in your fight. I suppose you have someone to handle the paperwork?"
The young woman didn't answer immediately, for she was standing in absolute awe of over the triumphant scene before her. Snapping out of the revery, she quickly administered one last healing blast before putting the wand away. Picking up her spear, Corda poked at the beast a couple of times before answering, "Given how old this one looks, I'd say probably. But then again, it's hard to say."
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"I could handle that. I handled most of the business of my Father's fishing sales." Corda answered.
Skaar raises an eyebrow – paperwork?!
”Girl, you mind helpin’ out with that? You’ve gotta have a better head for numbers than me”, he grunts.
The big orc gestures at the corpses.
”You never said there’d be two.”
***
Skaar grunts again and nods in thanks.
"Well, we don't have an inn," Creighton says. "But you can use my place for the night, if you like. I'll go get the papers and we'll head that way."
The townspeople begin to gather around you, letting loose a number of cheers before taking the corpses from Skaar, dragging them to a pyre a short way from the town proper. Soon, the corpses are ignited and the people seem more at ease around you. Creighton returns and leads you to a small building, a stack of papers under his arm.
The building is modest, a smaller bed occupying the living area. He sets the stack of papers on the table and goes into the kitchen. A set of stairs leads up and there is a door on the far side of the room.
"You can take the upstairs. The bed's larger," the tanned man says, pulling a bottle of Oldlaw Whiskey from the cupboards as well as three steins. "I can just take this one down here."
He pours you a drink and raises his glass in a silent toast before downing the drink. "We can go over the papers in the morning. I'm sure you've been through enough today. Also, thanks...for putting some old memories to rest."
Skaar pauses to reflect on the bestial power the minotaurs displayed. For a moment he imagines what such a creature’s lust would be capable of. In another life I coulda been that minotaur…
”Did you lose anyone to the beast?” the big orc asks as he grips one of the steins with a massive mitt and waits for it to be filled.
"Aye...my daughter and my wife," Creighton sighs.
Skaar drains his stein. How many daughters and wives had he taken?
”I’m sorry”, he grunts. ”But that thing’s gone now.”
Still a bit confused on where the second minotaur came from, Skaar mentions it after he’s finished his drink.
”Any idea where the second minotaur came from? The legend was pretty specific.”
"Minotaurs can breed with humans," he says, trying to shake the unpleasant thought. "It will always kill the mother, but those beasts manage to survive."
Skaar nods. That made sense. What was worse, the act or spawning the beast's kin?
”There’s a section of the maze we didn’t check out where the big one was hidin’. In the morning we’ll see what was back there”, Skaar explains.
Remembering the ring, Skaar lights up.
”Girl, give that ring here…”
”This name familiar to you?”