Infernal plans (Private, monster hunt) (Rated M)

As they went deeper into the cave, signs of the monster became more pronounced; at least the ones that didn't have to be seen. The smells that might be associated with the abode of a large creature, as well as some sounds coming from deeper within. Clearly, the two of them were nearing their objective.

Are you ready? She asked her, carefully double checking her gear as she moved, hoping that this fight wouldn't require her magic. With an actual weapon present, such was usually not a problem, but one can never quite predict what the future might hold.

Of course. Candy replied, though it wasn't really her that had to be the most ready. She hoped that the creature wasn't any harder to defeat than the wendigo or the goblins. That would be convenient.

Aurora squeezed the ball gently, just enough to summon the primary blade that was part of her partner's natural weapon form. The spikes, she knew, could be summoned at will, and she would wait until such a time as Candy saw fit for them. Hearing the echoes throughout the cave was daunting and a bit unsettling, but it meant that they were getting closer. The sooner they found it, the sooner that they could kill it and get out of this mess. As such, she picked up the pace.

Soon enough the two of them turned up at a section of the cave that became wider than the rest and quite obviously was the place the creature mainly resided. The smell was more intense and either way, there was something of a nest off to the side of it. For a short time there was only one thing missing, which was the creature which could be heard further down the tunnel on the other side of the space; it was coming closer. Perhaps it smelled them, or heard them, perhaps it was simply coming back to it's nesting area.

Regardless of the reason or intention, Aurora saw it more fit to prepare for its arrival, rather than to pursue it further. This way, at least, she'd have a wider open area to work with, rather than risking getting caught in close quarters with the beast. She set about, then, making herself as invisible as possible, dousing her light and minimizing anything on her that might appear shiny or reflective. When this was done, she began working her rope into a net, in case she might have use for it. Honestly, portable traps would really come in handy in these situations, but she simply never thought of that, up until now.

Perhaps Candy should have thought about actually using some sort of physical means of restraint on some of the creatures that the two girls had hunted before, rather than magic or nothing at all. The fact that they haven't tried it beforehand was probably testament to their unpreparedness.

The creature could be heard more clearly from the tunnels as time wore on, clearly moving closer and closer.

Aurora gave her partner's weapon form a squeeze, summoning both her spikes as well as the blade that was natural to the form. Narrowing her eyes, she tried to find somewhere that she might not easily be seen, though she doubted that she'd have the luxury.

Of course, most of this part of the cave was covered in mostly smooth stone, worn by water over time; there was on the other hand the other water based structures that could provide a little cover, like the stalagmites and stalactites that were common in such places. The creature was almost there.

After a few minutes of searching, she finally found somewhere that seemed satisfactory. It wasn't foolproof, of course --- none of their plans ever were --- but it was something. Soon enough, she'd be able to attack, and her hidey hole was tight enough that, while it left her trapped, it was too big for the beast to actually wedge itself into.

As the beast came into it's lair, it seemed to be sniffing around more than anything. Clearly it didn't use it's own eyes much. This, however, left it slowly moving towards Aurora's hiding spot.

Of course it would have an easy indication of where they were hidden; that was an obvious oversight on Aurora's behalf. Nonetheless, she kept still and quiet, waiting until the creature was close before sending the weapon flying.

The creature, of course, didn't see the weapon coming. It seemed to hear something, this moved somewhat, but Candy still hit it as she bounced before returning to Aurora. The creature screamed and reared up; it looked as if it was about to flash.

Aurora ducked her head instantly, instinctively shielding the weapon in her hands as she did so. After the flash subsided, she'd throw again; she could probably use her wind magic to guide Candace, as well.

The creature probably didn't expect anything not to be blinded by it's flash, almost right away trying to attack the spot which Aurora was in; both the size of the creature and the spiked ball which hit it once again kept it from being able to do so.

Aurora made a habit out of flinging Candy every time that she came back to her. It was an effective system, if a cowardice one. Still, there was no sense in straying from it unless such became absolutely necessary.

The creature learned not to keep attacking after it got a spiking to the snout one time too many, however that didn't matter much as the barrage really didn't relent. It screamed at the pair, trying it's best to dodge simply by hearing Candy flying through the air towards it. The way Candy bounced made even that almost impossible for the creature which was slowly being looking more and more like a pincushion, considering that Candy shot some of her spikes rather than simply impacting with them.

Aurora watched the creature as best she could from her spot, eventually cycling a stretch of wind around the creature's head, aiming to disorient it into losing track of where Candy was. It would make everything far faster.

The sudden rush of wind around it made it turn it's head almost entirely, exposing the area that a predator might attack to bring down their prey. It would be a fitting target.

Despite her hatred for violence in general, the hunts they went on made it necessary, as with the killing that followed such things. Aiming for the soft spot, she threw Candy once more, trusting her to hit her mark.

Indeed, after Candy bounced back towards Aurora once again, the creature fell forward. Candy had either hit the spine or brain, or both. Candy was confident enough to transform out of her weapon form once the creature's soul appeared.

Aurora straightened slowly when she saw the creature begin to ribbon. Climbing out of her hiding spot, she stretched and loosened her tightened muscles, looking around the cave and leaving the soul for Candy to retrieve, though she probably wouldn't eat it until they made it home.

As soon as the process of the creature's death finished, Candy walked over and plucked the soul from the air, putting it away safely. "I guess we go back, now."

Aurora nodded, not finding anything of use for them beyond the soul itself. Relaxing, she looked over at the girl and began gearing back up to be ready to leave. "If you're ready to head out."

"Of course," Candy said, with a nod, as she made sure that her own equipment was on securely, before moving to follow Aurora.