[center][h3][color=cyan]γ€Žπ•Šπ•’π•Ÿπ••π•–π•£γ€[/color] [color=f7976a]γ€Žπ•Šπ•™π•’π•Ÿπ•–γ€[/color][/h3][/center] [center][img]http://i65.tinypic.com/28hztyw.png[/img][img]http://i.imgur.com/VBEkrXj.png[/img][/center] [center][img]http://i.imgur.com/3R5vYYi.png?2[/img][/center] [hr][center][color=silver]ℂ𝕠𝕝𝕝𝕒𝕓𝕠𝕣𝕒π•₯π•šπ• π•Ÿ ℙ𝕠𝕀π•₯ / / [@RedDusk][@January][/color][/center][hr][hr][center][color=silver]π•Šπ•–π•‘π•₯. πŸ›, 𝟚𝟘𝟚𝟘 / / β„‚π•£π•šπ•žπ•–π•Ÿ ℂ𝕦𝕝𝕑𝕒𝕖 πŸ™ / / ℕ𝕠𝕣π•₯π•™π•–π•£π•Ÿ 𝕆𝕦π•₯π•€π•œπ•šπ•£π•₯𝕀 / / πŸšπŸ™πŸœπŸ˜[/color][/center][hr] And with the last step, Sander was in the eye of the storm. He heard nothing but roaring fire, felt nothing save for the hammering thuds of his heart and saw only the red that stained his hands. If the heat had been unbearable earlier, it was now absolutely scorching. He could hardly breathe, and yet, he had never been more alive. The flame held him and it lifted him. In its embrace, he could fly. It was the closest he, or anybody really, would ever get to true freedom. He could do anything. Yet, nothing at all. He found himself staring down at his fingers, pale white and shaky. The maimed body was casually flicked aside as he climbed to his feet, predatory eyes scanning the battlefield for preys. However, their little skirmish was over. He saw the towering rock monster moved first, its body dissolved into a deathly wind whirl. No flesh, no blood, but it was hostile. That was good enough for him. Then white spears materialized and cut through the rock storm effortlessly. Sander narrowed at the light blue hue across the battlefield, but what was left of his mind held him back. That was human blood in that direction. Soon enough, crystals bloomed across the field. Once it touched him, trapping him in a sphere-like construct. His instincts screamed out, and he pressed a hand against the smooth surface, putting pressure to see if it gave. Cracks formed, but they faded soon afterward. Below, the display of power unfolded. The remaining monsters were soon reduced to nothing; the same creatures that he and his teammates had thrown themselves against just moments earlier were so easily dispatched. Then before he knew, he was grounded again, the spheres faded from existence. Sander willed himself to remain still as long as he was able, his limbs shaking with strain. He had to stop. There was nothing else to fight anymore. Yet, the fire refused to die. The craving remained, stronger than ever. His enhanced senses picked up scents and movements nearby, and he looked. There was red everywhere. β€œ[color=cyan]Oh, god.[/color]”- Sander almost choked on the words, eyes glued to group of people huddling around Christmas’ unconscious body. Before anyone could turn their heads, he dashed through toward the blond boy. The particular aroma of magical blood drew him like a moth to flame. His thirst had preferences, and it was a vain and selfish thing. He coered and he distracted and he begged, but he never really had any control. Now that there was nothing else he could direct its fury at, he lost whatever influence he had left on the craving. And it would take what it wanted. Always. [color=f7976a]"Shane--behind!"[/color] Myla had noticed just in time. Without turning, Shane dragged the crystal mass he had instinctively summoned at Myla's cry of pain earlier into a wall several meters behind him, the fortification almost 10 meters tall and 20 meters across. The span of it cleanly blocked off the students behind him, and Myla could catch warn him if anyone tried banking around. That done, he turned to see the source of the attack. A lanky boy with eyes burning bright crimson and torso sheathed in the mist that was Christmas's magic was charging headlong at the group. He barreled mindlessly into the clear crystal surface, hellbent on moving in only one direction. The collision spread several massive cracks through the wall and Shane's brow furrowed in a mixture of surprise and unease. Under the effects of Hephaestus's gear, his crystal was theoretically even stronger, and it usually took something with the strength of a category three or four to damage it meaningfully. Sander let out a frustrated grunt as he slammed his fists against the crystal wall again and again in an attempt to breakthrough. Dangerous. Exceedingly so. Before the crazed mage could get past the wall, Shane collapsed the material around the Aberration like a blanket, encasing the student's entire body in a rectangular chunk of the crystalline material, restricting movement as well as air supply while he checked the clarifications on both the student's name and power. Once the walls began to cave in, Sander still struggled to the best of his ability, though it was getting exceedingly difficult. He glowered at the mage before him, eyes clouded and wild. β€œ[color=cyan]Let me out![/color]”- He screamed, desperation and rage bled into his tone. His cries went unheard in the crystal cage. Meanwhile, Shane took his phone back from Myla, confirming the marker name on the tracking map before pulling up the correct set of information. The student was 'Sander Lorraine' with detailed notes forwarded from previous research facilities. A mage who drank blood to become ridiculously powerful. Practically a vampire. Upper thresholds of strength exhibited ranked solidly within the destructive capabilities of a category four, and further footnotes and addendums explained in excruciating detail the gradation of power. Shane skipped the lengthy information for now, noting only the power's effect and its requirement. After several more seconds of rapid scrolling, he found what he was looking for: the limit. [quote][i]Noted 'optimal' state fades within 15 minutes if no sources of blood are supplied. The recently designated 'frenzy' state lasts up to 30 minutes under testing, but does not exhibit the invulnerability observed in the 'optimal' state.[/i][/quote] More notes followed, but Shane closed that particular file for the moment. So he had to sit here for potentially 30 minutes. Checking the state, the crystal touching Sander's skin speared slowly inward as spikes, but drew no blood. The spikes only served to enrage Sander further. He lunged toward the sharp ends as much as his restrains allowed him to. Almost as if he were daring them to hurt him. Damage resistance? Or invulnerability? They jutted in harder, applying pressure from all sides. Sander's skin didn't even give way. When a final crushing force still had no effect, Shane blew out a long breath, releasing the pressure on the student and letting the spikes retreat into smooth walls again. Perfect invulnerability. Now that was a nice perk. He thickened the walls of the prison with more crystal, readying leeway to repair any damage Sander caused. So just 15 minutes at a maximum. Shane grimaced at how much longer he'd have to keep the armaments in effect. The rarity of customized Hephaestus gear made its consequences unclear for most, but overexertion came far too easily under its effects. Where the body would otherwise tire on its own and powers would weaken accordingly, the armament made it possible to surpass that limit--while in use. He wasn't looking forward to the aftereffects once he finally shut it off. If he was lucky, he'd be out like a light for most of it. But it wasn't like he could reverse the spent energy, and 15 minutes of holding a small prison was nothing compared to several minutes of the devastation he had wreaked. Drops of water in the bucket, and he hoped one of those drops wouldn't be the final straw that did him in. Shane opened air holes in the crystal prison. Invulnerability didn't negate the need to breathe.