You, again, manage to fight off the bloodlust the gauntlet inspires.

Your hand twitches, fingers tightening a small bit around the diminutive figure of the earth fairy and the crushing steel causes her to let out another pained squeak and it is that one that seems to pierce more deeply into your consciousness. It is that squeak of pain that causes you to fully realize what it is you are doing and to **** your hand to loosen upon the fairy's body. You feel it then, the bloodlust that seems to radiate in waves from the gauntlet, and you have to fight with all your willpower to keep that feeling from overwhelming you.

But, as you had with the naiad, you managed again to exert your will over the gauntlet and you keep your hand from crushing the tiny female, much to the anger of whatever sentient spark resides in the gauntlet as you feel its anger like a fire that seeks to burn through your mind. You push back against it with anger of your own as you growl at the gauntlet, "You do not control me, cursed thing! I am in control here! Do you hear me? I AM IN CONTROL!"

You roar this at the gauntlet and, as you do, you feel a tingle of energy moving down your arm and the gauntlet glows with that blood red light again. You recognize this feeling as the light expands to engulf the fairy's small form, the diminutive creature gasping out in pleasure and going taut in your grip. This is the same as what you'd felt with the naiad and, sure enough, you feel energy flowing from her and into you like a warm stream rejuvenating and empowering you. Again, you feel the strange sense of duality, as though you are in two places at once with one of you holding the fairy and the other being the one held. A dizzying feeling, but a brief one that fades quickly along with the nimbus of crimson energy from around the fairy and your gauntleted hand.

Just as with the naiad, you see, when the light fades, a band branded around the fairy's small throat, looking like a choker upon her neck. Remembering what had happened when that had occurred with the naiad, you look to your left hand and, as you expected, another mark was being etched into your skin. A simple line, like that which had been magically marked into the back of your hand with the naiad, but this one was the same earthen brown as the fairy's skin and trailing down from the knuckle of your index finger to meet the end of the naiad's line upon your wrist. A simple mark...but one that you know represents great power as you remember quite well the power the naiad's mark had given you.

As such, you focus your mind upon the mark and see it glow, a corresponding glow coming to the brand around the fairy's throat. It glows as does your hand with an aura of energy the same shade of brown as the fairy herself. That aura engulfs your hand, sliding upon it like a second skin until, after stretching out to your elbow, it shines brightly and then solidifies. The aura of pure energy takes material form as your hand is now covered with a glove of hard stone, the material acting like a second skin upon your body. It reminds you of the gauntlet, but you can feel that its power is far less and temporary. Still, as you flex your left hand and see the stone skin flex and move as naturally as though it were your own, you decide you can see some use for this. Especially if the stone is as durable and thick as that which had made up the golem you fought. You have to assume it would, considering they both come from the same source.

Speaking of that source, it seems that the fairy, at that moment, starts to reawaken. You feel her stir in your grip, her small body moving and wriggling in your grasp as her eyes slowly open. Large, wide eyes that shine like diamonds sparkle in the unearthly light of the cavern and they seem unfocused for a moment as she blinks to try and regain her focus on her surroundings. Eventually, those crystal-like pupils find you and realize the predicament she is now in as she looks to your face and then to the arm and the black steel gauntlet that holds her. She takes in this information, her eyes widening slightly, and then she reacts.