Pelotita channels her deity's protection towards Nagagorjo as Vaetta launches her sling bullet into the melee below, striking the minotaur once more. Too-tuk launches a second hex at the creature, this time slowing the minotaur's movements to give Vaetta and Nagagorjo a chance to let their attacks strike home.
Nagagorjo finally adjusts to his new, larger form, delivering a powerful blow to the minotaur, which bellows with pain at the blow. The monstrous creature rallies and attacks back, wounded but still prepared to fight. Its first swing with its broken battleaxe manages to clip Nagagorjo, and his blood spatters across the soil.
"It's faltering! Keep steady Nagagorjo, and we'll drive it off," says Janira, moving over to Pelotita's side. "Oh good, you've got my pack. Here, hold still a moment!"
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Too-tuk continues to emit the disturbing chittering as he steps in front of Pelotita. A new series of clacks and chirps accompanies a simple hand gesture as the tengu invokes bad fortune upon the minotaur.
Move: Cackle (all Evil Eye penalties gain +1 round to duration)
Standard: Cast Evil Eye (roll twice on next d20 and take worst, no save)
Janira lets out a cheer as Pelotita's sizzling dart hits the minotaur, distracting it long enough for Nagagorjo to strike it a second solid blow! The minotaur's eyes roll back, and the broken battleaxe tumbles from the beast's senseless fingers.
"Amazing work, Pathfinders! I was sure Desna was laughing at me today, but turns out she smiled on me at the end," says Janira, pausing to wipe the sweat from her brow and then giving a small shriek as the tanglefoot bag in her hand leaks slightly, plastering her hair in a wild spike. "Darn it, why's it always get stuck in my hair? Um, well anyway, I gotta say I really cannot thank you enough for pulling my bacon out of the fire. I promise an extra recommendation for heroism and if there's anything you ever need for future missions, I'll be happy to help. Also, drinks are on me when we get back to the lodge! Cayden knows I could use one," she sighs, sinking to the ground and rubbing her feet tenderly.
"But wait, before we head back, have you finished your confirmation?" says Janira, pausing in thought as she suddenly remembers the reason for their journey. "Is there anything more you wanted to do before we start back? To be perfectly honest, I'd be quite happy to just take a break and catch my breath if that's not too much trouble. I'd love to hear what you found down there!"
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"Golly gee, Janira, it was about as dangerous down in them tunnels as it was topside with this heifer!"
Pelotita winces as Nagagorjo finishes off the Minotaur.
"Take yourself a breather! Speakin' as someone who's encountered a lot of mud in my life, the silt from this here stream will feel like heaven on those feet!"
She touches on the dangerous encounters they had below ground first before delving into the conversation with Uori, happy to fill in the details as the rest of the party gives their own accounts.
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Too-tuk carefully balances across the log bridge and hops onto the opposite bank.
"Oh, yes. The cave appears to have once been a shrine to Aroden," Too-tuk pulls out his sketches of the miniature city. "Credit where credit is due, Pelotita is really the one who discovered that detail. There are several murals inside the cave, but I could not make sense of the bits that remained.
"The gillmen seem to have taken over more recently. There are newer markings on the wall that seem to represent sea creatures and water themes. The gillman we met inside was bathing in the cave's pool."
He looks over at the minotaur while the nagaji searches it. "We should kill it?"
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Vaetta puts her sling away, and jogs down to join the conversation.
"We also found Undead, that nearly killed me by the way. Created by some creepy novice necromancer who thought he could build an undead army or something. I recovered his journal. Didn't we also recover quite a few magical items as well? There was also that spiked pit trap..." Vaetta rambles on.
"Undead and gillmen and traps? Oh my!" says Janira, following Pelotita's advice and sighing as she edges her feet into the cool water of the stream. Nagagorjo searches the minotaur, finding it carries a broken battleaxe sized for a large creature as well as three large javelins.
Janira listens carefully whilst the others recount their stories. When Too-tuk asks about killing the minotaur, she nods rapidly in response. "If this thing's gonna go about attacking peaceful travellers, the world's a better place with it gone, don't you think?"
The group finish their expedition in high spirits, untroubled on their return journey. Janira, true to her word, treats the group to drinks at the lodge upon their return. Her report for all includes a glowing recommendation for heroism, and all four of her wards pass their confirmation.
Despite their success, Nagagorjo's illness still hangs over the group. Yet together as a team, they provide the best care they can arrange for his recovery. Janira convinces the masters to allow Nagagorjo to retain the cloak he wears for a few extra days to assist his healing, and though the dark archive would relish the opportunity to study gillmen enchantments, they allow him to wear it during his convalescence. Nagagorjo's malaria clears quickly from his system, though the fungal rot results in some necrotic tissue that Pelotita is forced to debride. Despite the pain, Nagagorjo recovers and the rot recedes, leaving him healthy and with an impressive scar.