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"Do you hear that? It must be Janira! Now we can take the chance to surprise that blundering bully she has engaged for us."
Obaekwon clutches at a wooden amulet hanging from his neck, crudely embossed with the image of a thundercloud. He mutters in the tengu tongue and for a brief moment his eyes appear to flash and a hint of ozone wafts from his feathers.
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"Agree, we end this now. I'll try to flank it from the right."
Locken said as he armed himself with the short bow, though it's not his favorite choice, but still to have advantage at range and not take the opportunity would mean the death of any who underestimate their foes, as proven by many battle he witnesses. He began moving to the right using stealth and guile as his allies, and using the woods surrounding as cover.
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Symphony extinguishes her lantern when she sees the light ahead, and she puts it in her pack. She accept the potion from Frostwind and thanks her before she drinks it.
As the divine power flows through Symphony, she seems to radiate confidence. She draws her shield and continues to lead toward the light at the end of the secret passage, longsword in hand.
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I'll harry it from the cave mouth, keep the way open if we need to get back in! Having hastily dug the potion from Janira's bag, Mathilde re-orients it on her back and rushes toward the tunnel entrance as fast as her stout legs will take her. Whatever was out there threatening Janira, she was ready.
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The pathfinders quickly hustle their way through to meet Janira, who sounds to be in dire danger! Within seconds they find themselves at the exit of the secret passage, and Janira just beyond the ridge!
The light of the surface world above provides a welcome reprieve from the blue and green fungus of the caverns below, and light illuminates a stream whose water is hastened by runoff from a recent storm further up the mountains. A ledge to the west rises up to the nearby forest canopy.
Janira finds herself head to head with the large minotaur! There's not a moment to lose for the pathfinders.
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Symphony drops her backpack and runs through the darkness, carrying her lantern in front of her.
She is taken aback by the familiarity of the smell. The creature's wet fur, lathered from exertion in combat, stinks like the cows back home on one of those sweaty days when the sun beats down like a rain of heated fists. As Symphony watches the creature move in close quarters battle with Janira, her eyes alight.
Erastil, I will glorify you with this monster's blood. Grant me strength and honor!
Symphony points her new enchanted longsword at the monster and inhales deeply. As she exhales, the full power of her devotion to Erastil washes over the blade.
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Locken dash forward using the most direct route to jump across toward the Minotaur, using the momentum of the speed he build up, somersault upward and with a twist, landed on the other side of the river.
Underneath his mask he grimace at the thought of violence.
Drawing his dagger, and brace it with both hands.
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Symphony intended this to go so much differently. As she zealously attempts to stride across the log and attack the minotaur, she instead slips on the wet wood and tumbles headlong into the water and is being swept away!
As she swims frantically in the cold night, suddenly robbed of her sure footing and her vision, she silently curses the armor that was supposed to protect her. She was never a strong swimmer.
No, my god, not like this. Please, let me serve you still!
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The pathfinders heed the call of battle and courageously makes haste to lend a hand to Janira! The half elf looks to be exhausted and is on the brink of defeat! Can the pathfinders save her?
Frostwind and Mathilde run towards the bank stopping just short of it. Locken goes a step further and makes a hefty jump across! He lands firmly.
Symphony attempts a balance crossing but misses a footing and falls into the gushing river!
Obaekwon plays it safe from the distance, fires a shot, but the darkness obscures his shot.
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Janira notices the pathfinders heeding her cries and attempts to even the odds with the big bully. She pulls her whip and tries to disarm him. However her weakened state fails her.
The minotaur retaliates and attempts to finish her. He swings twice and miraculously Janira is able to dodge the first swing. The second swing smacks right into her though.
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Symphony goes under the water moementarily, giving quite a scare to the group. But she manages to swim from under the water towards the bank.
Obaekwon attempts to fire another arrow, but once again the darkness gets the better of his vision. Meanwhile
Locken draws his weapon of choice and readies himself mentally before he charges at the scary looking minotaur.
Frostwind launches a bomb that lands directly on the minotaur, causing it to shriek in pain and angering it at the same time! Fumes rises from his head.
Mathilde uses her earth songs to fling mud the minotaur's way. Unfortunately mother earth has not been kind to her on this adventure, giving her soft dirt most of the time.
In a last ditch attempt to save herself, Janira steps back slightly, retrieves a tanglefoot bag, and throws it towards the minotaur. Entangling it, causing it to be stuck to the floor!
This enrages the beast even further, and within a single angry swing, it knocks Janira unconscious, leaving her to possibly bleed to death.
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Symphony scrambles along the bank, shaking her head and coughing. Just a short distance away, she sees the melee between her companions and the minotaur. In the dim night, he seems a massive fiendish, horned figure of pure darekness against toy figures.
Then, a garbled cry in the night as the creature's weapon connects with a familiar silhouette. That was where Janira was standing!
In an instant, all of Symphony's anger and passion funnel into her enchanted weapon. She dashes toward Janira's fallen body, unsure whether to help the group's mentor or whether to take out her frustration and anger on a monster that warrants her fury.
"Can anyone help Janira?" Symphony calls out. She eyes dart quickly across each person in the group. They look to her like dancing shadows. "Someone help her!"
I can't let her die. But I can't let this thing live. I can't let her die. It's huge. That's a monster. An actual monster. I don't know what to do. Stop the bleeding. Start the breathing. Treat for shock. That bag helped. There's no way that thing can defend itself while it's covered up like that. It has no foot work, but it won't stay trapped long. I smell her blood. Dammit. I don't know what I'm DOING.
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With a quick assessment of the situation, Locken notice that it's more advantage to lure the monster away from Janira. Quickly he changed tactic from a charge to a gorilla tactic of hit and run.
He dropped his knife, and draw his short bow and begin fire at the beast.
He took aim, although it's not in ideal condition all he need is a chance to distract it and move it toward him. Then he let go of the bow string and hope for the best.
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The pathfinders exercise caution by attempting to befall the creature with range projectiles and explosives. This uncanny strategy works in their favour as Locken and Obaekwon both shoot a foot each, pinning the creature further. And a final explosive from Frostwind knocks him, causing him to be unbalanced, and falls to the ground unconscious.
Janira still lies unconscious. And looks to have sustained very heavy injuries from the chase.
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Locken seeing the conclusion of the encounter, he kneel down to pick up his dagger, then cautiously approaching the fallen beast. Not letting his guard down, while hand gesture others to see Janira.
Then with his foot he kick the broken axe away from the beast. Kneel down and slide the dagger into it's jugular vain.
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Here, Mathilde chimes in, offering Janira's bag to Frostwind. See if there's anything that can help her. Once the bag changes hands, she retires a few feet backward, standing awkwardly away from the rescue attempt; she'd never thought much of the lessons in healing her mother had tried to give her, but now she begins to recognize her short-sightedness. If only I'd listened, then I wouldn't be standing here useless right now...I'd be able to do something to help her...
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Symphony rummages through Janira's bag, her eyes periodically looking up frantically to looking for something the party can use to heal Janira. Drops of water drip, drip, drip onto Janira's gear. As Symphony looks each party member in the eyes, or where she thinks their eyes are, her jaw is chiseled into a contemptuous rictus of anger. She returns to rummaging through Janira's things.
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As all the items in Janira's bag is labled, it takes no difficulty for the team to find a potion to heal her up.
Obaekwon scurries as well, healing her at first chance with his divine powers.
The halfling takes moments to recover, her eyes stuttering as she regains consciousness. She looks to the group, then the bloodied minotaur, back to the group, then the minotaur again for a double take, and then finally back to the group. She questions in a puzzled manner, "What? How? What? Thank you.. But how?"
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We explored, reported, and cooperated, of course, Mathilde responds to Janira's question with a half-smile. The cavern had a back entrance hidden behind a stone - we found it inside and came out just over there. She points to the crevice where they'd emerged. Fate was on your side today; we emerged just in time to come across you showing the minotaur who was boss. All we were doing was cleaning up, really. The half-smile erupts into a good-natured grin.
Speaking of cleaning up, there's one more thing I need to do while we're here. Mind if I go back inside the tunnel real quick?
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Janira's eyes light up at the mention of your discovery in the caves. "Oh please! By all means, if you still need to continue your explorations, don't let me hold you back." She pauses, takes a dagger and stabs the ever so dead minotaur. She turns back to Mathilde and the rest of the group. "I'm good."
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Disappearing back down the tunnel, Mathilde pulls ahead of everyone else. When the rest of the group approaches, she already has a small hammer and a long iron spike drawn from her bag; carefully, she lays the tip of the piton against the inside surface of the stone that had covered the exit and taps at it with a hammer. The spike's tip chips away at the stone, carving the crude image of two pickaxes set into the ground in the shape of the Glyph of the Open Road.
My chance to leave my mark, as it were, she chimes in with a smile. And this will make it easier for anyone else to find the exit in future, should they need to make a heroic rescue like we did. Now come on - let's make sure we've discovered all this cave has to offer.
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Led by Mathilde, the group returns to explore every inch of the ill lit cave under the mount of Kortos. They follow the path already travelled, as they (I hope!) have documented it very meticulously. It helps that they Symphony brought a lantern as well. They walk pass the now empty chamber (likehood is the gillman has left homebound) into the undiscovered twisting and turning cold passage way.
The persistent glow of the bluish fungi dimly lights the way deeper below the Kortos Mounts. The tunnels broaden to reveal a shallow river that bisects an immense tunnel stretching to the north and south. To the east a small passage exits the chamber at a steep incline.
Across the river, you startled a few odd looking humanoid beings. This short, reptilian humanoid has scaled skin, a snout filled with tiny teeth, and a long tail. They look to be armed with a spear and a sling each. They shout over in draconic, they don't seem to be friendly from their intonation.