390 The Girls Beast Companion Abilities (1/2)
Daliea was taken aback, feeling both nervous and touched to receive such a companion. She stepped toward Mooldrat and asked, ”Can I call you Mool for short?”
”Of course you may.” Mooldrat's big eye blinked, startling the spooked Eliza but not Daliea.
”Can I feel your tentacles?” asked Daliea, reaching out her hand.
”Sure, but be careful of the barbs. I don't want you hurting yourself by accident,” replied Mooldrat. ”I hate to be the cause of your pain, Daughter of Eedaj.”
”You can call me Daliea, Mool. I'd prefer that since we'll be partners from now on.”
”Thank you, it's an honor, Daliea.”
One of Mooldrat's ten tentacles lowered into Daliea's hands, feeling both heavy and light at the same time due to the beholder's levitation. She examined the matte skin, noticing a cluster of black barbs begin to emerge from the end of the tentacle. Each barb measured as long as Daliea's hand, proving that the dozen or so barbs of each cluster could easily latch onto prey or shred something to pieces.
When Daliea finished examining the tentacle, the barbs retracted and Mooldrat nodded to her. ”Don't worry, I'll make sure to never bring you harm, Daliea. As your companion, I'll support you in every way I'm able.”
”Now, onto the main event,” Jack interrupted the conversation, grabbing everyone's attention and sitting Eliza down on Bowzer's soft fur. ”I want you all to try to activate the bloodlines of your companions. Before you could activate a portion of their skills or abilities, but now you should be able to do more, like how I can make a flame body.”
”Really? Why's that?” asked Maura, intrigued at the possibility of using the hydra's bloodline.
Jack smiled, continuing his explanation, ”Since I've leveled up the skill so much, you should all be able to use it like I always could. Now, I can activate up to two bloodlines at once so you should be able to activate one too. Let's get the seal out of the way now…”
He wasted no time, performing the mutual seal between Mooldrat and Daliea. Relieved to have such a strong beast keep his wives safe, Jack resumed his explanation. ”Okay, now each of you should be able to use the skill. Clear your mind and imagine your companion, then you'll be able to feel some sort of resonance. Once you feel that, try to envelop yourself in it that resonance and let it loose.”
As Jack explained the process, Daliea followed along step-by-step. With her mind cleared, she easily noticed a new strength surging out of her core. Letting that power envelop her, Daliea took a deep breath as her body started to shift and alter itself.
”That's it!” Jack shouted, reminded how talented Daliea has always been. ”With those tentacles, you should be able to control the barbs and use the many eye abilities that Dark Beholders wield.”
”What kind of abilities?” Daliea looked to Mooldrat and asked.
Proud to see her transformation, Mooldrat replied, ”Naturally you have True Sight, letting you see through illusions, invisibility, darkness, and all manners of haze. There are five different rays that you now possess. You should be able to use a telekinetic ray, a fear ray, a paralyzing ray, a disintegration ray, and a petrification ray.”
”Petrification?!” Startled, Maura stepped a bit closer to Jack and Bowzer.
”That's right, but the petrification is very slow and is only permanent should you manage to petrify the entire target of the ray,” explained Mooldrat. ”It's fearsome but very difficult to use as a finishing blow in a battle. It's better for imprisoning an already defeated foe or to store food for later.”
”For food? You can eat stone?” Daliea asked, not afraid but excited to learn more.
”Sure, but it tastes better fresh,” continued Mooldrat. ”As for the paralyzing ray, it's very self-explanatory, as well as the telekinetic ray. Personally, I prefer to use the fear ray on anything that needs to use concentration for spells or abilities. The fear ray, in those cases, is a battle-winning ability. The disintegration ray is faster than the petrification ray but will only affect wherever it touches. Blasting a creature with the disintegration ray is best for dealing damage, scarring them, or removing limbs should you be able to concentrate the ray long enough.”