R U [ I ] N E D

Double Dog Dare Ya

"You don't need to change. We've got this," Cal told his brother lowly, kicking the wolf on his side square in the chest. He didn't want the kid to have to bear yet another burden like this. He believed in his comrades, and he hoped that they felt the same too. They could share the responsibility and the pressure of this, together.

On the other side of the triangle, Phoena had pulled her sword, her demeanor unnervingly calm and steady. This was right in her wheelhouse; this was the exact sort of situation she'd spent day in and day out of a too-adult childhood preparing for.

She was not scared of the big bad wolves.

Then, there was Erzia. Seething and hateful as she glared down her attacker. But he wouldn't make much headway in his threat. While Callan— who Brady had lent the golden saber he'd won from Raita— and Phoena fended off the betas and kept them away from Sachi and Soleil (Brady served as the last line of defense for them), Erzia would give the third a taste of the suffering he wanted to inflict on others.

Of her abilities as a telepath, Erzia had only mentioned two to her companions: her limited general telepathy and her binding. While that could be useful still, on a predatory shifter, it would only slow his movements at best, not render him incapacitated. She'd have to take it a step further. One of her favorite powers allowed her to cast illusions— if you could truly call it that— by causing mental hallucinations.

That would be the second step in pacifying the wolf, the first being to use her binding to buy herself more time to strategize. He fought against those invisible ties that stiffened his muscles and made his body tense, and Erzia could feel his strength whittling that hold away bit by bit, like a thread rapidly unraveling. The situation didn't give her much time to deliberate how she wanted to deceive him. She'd just have to act on instinct and hope she was clever enough to come up with something fitting in the spur of the moment. There was no time to hesitate, given he was closing in, so Erzia decided to shake up his world, literally. Or at least, it would seem literal fo him... and only him. She imagined his surroundings warping, swaying in a seasick sort of way as the trees spun and their bodies became wavy. His confusion was immensely satisfying as he slowed and stumbled. To think he'd been so assured that he could hurt her; he couldn't even get close enough to sink his fangs in.

Which meant that it was time for part three of her plan, the step that utilized one of the most unique talents that Erzia had. She'd never even met another telepath with that same power. Even her mentor had only been able to walk Erzia through how the ability worked but could not demonstrate. However, given its sadistic nature, it didn't come as a surprise to Erzia that few practiced it. Those who had a penchant for it likely didn't consider themselves cruel enough to use it.

Psychic torture wasn't for the faint of heart.

It was like all the electrical circuits in the brain bursting all at once, at least the way Erzia used it. Other had their own methods throughout the years— she'd read thoroughly on the subject and those different variations— but the power was most effective when a telepath put their own spin on it.

Erzia's was like an unnatural ringing, with the frequency cranked up to the point that it was so loud and omnipresent that it could drive a person man... burst eardrums, send blood raining out of the deranged fool's eyes. And as she turned up the volume— motionless, expressionless, uncaring— she watched the wolfman fling himself to the ground with a piercing howl. It was too much for him to bear; he couldn't maintain his shifted form any longer, reverting to a man once more. He shrieked and wailed, sobbing as he clasped his ears and crimson dribbled to his chin.

Maybe, if she pushed it a little farther, his eyes would pop...

The scene he was making distracted his companions, who Callan and Phoena were able to subdue. Soleil looked on in horror, keeping Sachi from watching the gruesome ordeal. Erzia stalked toward him, making him shake more violently. Fear was a potent thing, and the man was terrified of the telepath.