[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Bella nodded, and though the others couldn't see it she wore a feral grin behind her mask.

She turned her head slightly, and paused only for a moment, before opening her mouth.

"Scout."

The word was a command, and Melline strode forward, disappearing into the short tunnel they had come through. Bella wasn't worried - she had snuck through much tighter spaces filled with all number of creatures - but she listened closely anyway for any indication they had been discovered.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Merpsichore tasted the air with her forked tongue, but stayed close to Bella, understanding her part to play in this plan. Her vision - like Melline's - allowed her to see even in the inky darkness of the cave, and Bella relied on her now as they crept silently through the tunnel, stopping just short of where an outstretched claw could reach them. Though Bella could not hear her, she trusted that Melline would make her own way over to them.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Melline's voice hummed quietly into Bella's ear, though she hadn't felt her presence until she chose to speak.

"It's just inside the mouth of the cave, cleaning its claws" she murmured. "What's our strategy?"

Bella thought for a moment, weighing up the disadvantage she would have on the creature and how best to use the darkness against it.

"Its a battleheart - we use the sol grenade to blind and startle it, then we drop the E.H.N. on it."

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Melline nodded; though Bella couldn't see her, she was hanging upside-down from the tunnel roof, and her breath rustled Bella's mask ever so slightly.

"I will climb above it, then - much better to fight it in human form." She swished her tails, and flexed the musles in her arms in anticipation.

"How many steps for you to be in position?" Bella mumured, calculating how long she would need to wait before throwing the grenade into the chamber.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Fifteen, though I may need to take another route if it looks up. Best assume twenty - it will give me time to shield my eyes."

She turned back towards stalked into the darkness, and Bella carefully tugged her mask down over her eyes, before holding her spare over Merpsichore's. She removed the grenade from her bandolier, and began counting, before removing the pin with her mouth and throwing it blindly at the mouth of the tunnel.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Bella heard the grenade bounce twice before a bright flash lit the cavern, and jumped as the startled reptile roared as it was blinded and dazed by the flash.

Melline was ready for it, having covered her eyes with her tails, and dropped the E.H.N. on it from above; she watched as it hit the creature on the snout and caused it to shrink, as the enchantment did its job and forced the battleheart to change into its humanoid form.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Bella removed the cover from Merpsichore's eyes and listened as she darted forward to scout out the chamber, making sure no further surprises were lying in wait. As Bella pulled her own mask back into its proper position, lights danced into her vision - remnants from the flash that her mask had not completely blocked - and she stepped through the mouth of the tunnel to see Melline already building a new fire, their old one having been put out when they retreated into the tunnel before.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Bella then turned to look at the mouth of the cave, where she could make our the silhouette of their captive squirming and releasing a very colourful stream of language as it tried to escape the net. She wasn't worried about it fighting its way free; the E.H.N. would not have worked at all if it was able to counteract the enchantment, and if it squirmed too far it would be out in the snow.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

She snorted to herself; it wouldn't have been the first time they had to track a captive to retrieve their equipment from its body after it fled, though she hoped they wouldn't have to in this case.

She casually made her way over to look at it, stopping short of being within its reach to study it in the dimness; in front of her lay a woman with long red hair, and a furious expression on her face.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"I demand to be released, foul creatures! What kind of entrapment is this?" the woman snarled, though her teeth were tightly clenched together as she spoke; in this form, she was largely uncovered, and the thick shaggy hair she normally bore and depended upon to keep her warm had all but disappeared, leaving her shivering on the cold ground, the only sign of her normal form being the colour of her hair and the patches of scales on her forearms and shoulders.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"So let's clear up a couple of things" said Bella lazily, folding her arms. "What happened to the boar?"

She shivered as she felt the first warm air from the fire creeping out from behind her. Melline had clearly come to the same conclusion she had - they would need a larger fire if they expected this reptilian woman to survive the night - and the enticement of warmth may be just what they would need to make this woman co-operate.

"What boar?" challenged the woman, a scornful look on her face.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

Bella glared at her pointedly, and the woman raised her chin, glowering at her in contempt as she waited for an answer to her question.

An icy gust blew through the cave entrance and swirled around them, causing the shadows to dance on the wall as the flames flickered. The woman shivered and attempted to sit up, but was prevented by the net that wrapped itself more tightly around her, and she let loose another string of profanities as she struggled against her bonds.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

The woman snarled, but gave in at last, realising she would not survive the cold night in her current state of undress and whilst pinned to the floor by the net.

"I was hungry, and it was in the way." She scowled, looking at Bella like there was a bad smell. "Why? Was it yours?" she asked, pointedly.

Merpsichore growled from where she was inspecting a suspicious rock, and the woman's eyes widened slightly, though she tried to control her expression.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"Not ours, no. Pity you didn't leave some for the rest of us though, it would have made a decent meal."

Bella paused to consider the situation. Truthfully, she had already dismissed this woman as a threat, and so she wanted to put an end to the exchange as quickly as possible so they could get some rest. The woman's lips were turning blue, and she had no interest in dealing with frostbite when they were supposed to be hunting something.

[ToxxicRenegadeAngel]

"So here's what is going to happen" she stated, watching out of the corner of her eye as Melline made her way over to their backpacks and began digging for something, finally pulling out a waxed pouch before walking over to them as she removed the pouch's contents.

"These cuffs here -" she gestured to the gleaming metal bracelets in Melline's hands "- cannot be removed without help from a very specific craftsman, who is in our employ, and they will force you to keep your current form."