Bolt was a big dog, but not too large. He was barely able to cope with two people on his back. The fact that it was something unexpected was even worse.
"Hold tight!" Dorian told Dylan upon seeing that the other young man had tagged along. Bolt growled deeply over the sound of explosions of Gifts and the howls and growls of other monsters.
Dylan hesitantly tightened his hold on Bolt's thick brown fur coat. He could feel the buzz of electricity that lingered between the fur and he felt a buzz run though him, igniting something deep within him that he did not know was there before.
Excitement. The need for adventure. Adrenaline.
Dylan could only hold his breath as Bolt breezed by, crossing the space between the camp and the monster horde in a few short seconds.
"Ruff!!!" Bolt's deep bark made Dylan's hands shake and he felt the buzz from Bolt's fur spike. He cracked open an eye to see a flash of yellow follow the fall on a monster.
'How did Dorian even get his hands on this beast?!' Dylan thought to himself as Bolt picked up the body of the monster after a few words from Dorian. The they turned and made their way to the edge of the battlefield before stopping.
Thud!
Dylan fell from Bolt's back, his body stiff and frozen from the shock. It took a few seconds for him to recuperate and clear his head.
"Great work, boy!" Dorian, on the other hand, was unshaken. It seemed as if they lightning that ran through Bolt's body did nothing to him. Thinking about it, it was actually likely that the lightning did not affect Dorian, as he also used Lightning powers.
'But how did he subdue this Lightning Hound? Is he a Lightning Gifted or does he have a Beast Taming Gift?' Dylan thought, confused. He had heard rumors about people with two Gifts, but he had never gotten any proof, so he took it with a grain of salt.
But now, seeing Dorian, he felt as if this rumor might have some basis of truth to it.
'I need to know more.' He thought to himself. Coincidentally, earlier, Dominic had approached him and urged him to try subtly finding out more about Dorian. He did not need to pry too deep, but any information was helpful.
Before Dylan could prepare himself, he saw Dorian and Bolt preparing to face off against a few monsters that had taken notice of them and had diverted from the main horde to deal with them.
"Hey! Wait, don't fight them! We need to fall back!" Dylan's voice was persistent, but it was like a stream of water sliding off the surface of a leaf. His words all fell on deaf ears.
Dylan hurriedly prepared himself to fight when he saw that neither Dorian nor Bolt were intending to retreat. In fact, they had an eager look in their eyes as the lightning crackled over the surface of their bodies.
Bolt's fur and Dorian's hair turned spiky as the buzz from the lightning ran through their veins. A loud bark tore through the air before a thick bolt of lightning as large as Dylan's thigh shot through the air and struck a Stone Snake. The bolt of lightning immediately sent high currents coursing through the body of the snake. It coiled and rolled on the floor before turning stiff, smoke rising off its prone form.
"What? I thought these things had a high resistance to lightning?!" Dorian exclaimed out loud in shock.
[Bolt is significantly stronger than you. His constant use of his Ability has made it stronger. He is a short distance away from evolving into a rank 2 creature. He can handle rank 1 Stone Snakes without issue as long as they are not too many now.] Psyker provided some explanation for Dorian.
'Wait, so using my Gift will make it stronger, yes? That's great! I thought it would remain at this strength forever!' Dorian cheered.
[...Are you dumb?] Psyker's response made Dorian frown but he did not answer the Golden Oracle. Instead, he turned his attention to an approaching creature that he now knew was the Ground Hog. It was nothing special, and was just a slightly stronger hog than a wild hog from Earth pre-apocalypse.
He clasped his hands together and concentrated, forming a ball of lightning between his clasped palms. Tendrils of lightning kissed his palm and sent buzzes up his spine, but his eyes were bright and eager. Finding out that frequent usage of his Gift would make it stronger had just provided him with great amounts of motivation.
"Eat this!" He tossed the ball of lightning forward. It was not as fast as his lightning bolt, but it was still relatively fast!
It crashed into the side of a Ground Hog, exploding into a dome of yellow lightning that also engulfed multiple other creatures that were around it.
Squeals, hisses and screeches all rang out as electrifying currents ran through the bodies of the various creatures that had been caught within the radius of that attack.
Before the attack ended, a jet of water blasted into the attack, spraying the bodies of the creatures caught within it and intensifying the attack!
Dorian looked to the side to find Dylan manipulating a body of water a short distance away, creating a constant stream of water that sprayed the monsters. Their wet bodies did not go well with the water, and their screams intensified, while some others were cut short.
"Nice combo!" Dorian grinned at his friend and gave him a thumbs up. Dylan gave back a small smile before turning back and concentrating on what he was doing. His Gift was still rank 1 and manipulating a body of water in a constant, continuous stream was no easy feat. Already, beads of sweat had begun to form on his forehead, a sign of the strain he was under. But to make sure Dorian was safe, he persevered. This was the duty that had been thrust upon him.