Esone cackled madly, conjuring a storm of emotional weather above one of the last groups of Cerberus operatives. Lashing ribbons of prismatic light whipped from clear skies, dazzling unshielded eyes. Shimmering waves of oppressive heat distort through the air, charring the flesh of the storm's victims. Countless flecks of diamond ice flew, numbing and freezing the flesh of those who struggled against the blizzard. A roaring wind blew from the Esone's own breath, buffeting down all who stood against him. Sparkling lightning arched from his fingers, leaping across dozens upon dozens of shards and flesh. Hegra's mad typhoon coursed through his veins, erupting at his whim.<br/><br/>The Lieutenant stood at an odd angle, half-slouched and riddled with bullet holes. Rainbow-sheened silver sap bled from his wounds in place of blood, splatters of the caustic liquid sprayed up to six feet around him. Even as his flesh was rent the gashes sealed however, all but the worst repairing within seconds. Esone prayed that none would try a headshot, that was still a fatality. His crazed, sharp-toothed grin was calculated to deter such attempts however, the trickle of sap leaking from the corner of his mouth glimmering hypnotically.<br/><br/>As the last of the operatives collapsed, the group took stock of their surroundings. They stood at the top of a lift platform, a massive one designed to carry artifacts up to the surface. Liara approached the lip of the shaft slowly, pistol drawn, and gazed into the abyss.<br/><br/>"Well, it looks like we're going to have to descend into the belly of the beast. The signature we're looking for is down there." She frowned. "There should be lights marking the way down, but it looks like they've knocked those out. Recently too, if the smell of charred plastic is anything to go by."<br/><br/>Esone tsk-ed in annoyance. More underground fighting. Fan-freaking-tastic. The Lieutenant came up beside the Asari, drawing his sniper rifle and kneeling at the edge. The sun overhead was blinding to the point of distraction, but the darkness that filled his scope was as easy to see through as if it was fully illuminated. The Ebon Dragon had some major drawbacks to his powers, but there were times when being a witness to darkness could be advantageous.<br/><br/>Three quick shots felled the visible lookouts within the pit, all three Void-Teched Geth Hoppers. Esone shuddered as they fell, the hideous flesh-tech corruption writhing in the bowels of the pit. The few motes of power the shots returned to him came with a bitter taste, for life-blighting emptiness could do little to cleanse the tainted Essence flows.<br/><br/>The Infernal stood back up, nodding to the others.<br/><br/>"We'll be sitting ducks going down. Banners at full, you Solars especially. Being a blinding point of light will make you a beacon of a target, but at least they'll be blinded for a second or two. Might give you a chance to gun them down before they get you." The Lieutenant felt a deep hunger in his anima, so much of his power consumed by combat charms. He shouldered his rifle, bouncing on his toes as if preparing to jump.<br/><br/>"I'll go ahead, start clearing things out. I can move with more stealth on my own anyway."<br/><br/>With that, the Lieutenant performed a perfect swan-dive off the edge of the chasm. As he fell his feet and legs dissolved into a bloody crimson wind, shifting from heavy flesh into a silent vortex. He quickly leveled out, righting himself so that he made for a smaller target. Though the shaft was wide, it was cramped enough that his rifle would be mostly useless. Time to test out Solas' bargain.<br/><br/>The shackles around Esone's wrists began to whir, the nano-fibers that had been fused into his nervous system responding to his mental commands. The bands expanded, greater mass expanding in sheets from Elsewhere until the bracelets had transformed fully into a pair of ornate gauntlets and arm-guards. Around where the original bands had been, the gauntlets were open to reveal ammunition belts of shotgun shells. A barrel was concealed in the front of the gauntlet, aligned between the knuckles of the index and middle finger. Shotgun punches. Time for some close combat.