While Cypher's weapons do no damage to the tentacle themselves, the same cannot be said of his attempts to unbind them. Indeed after a tense few seconds the tentacles seem to fade to mist, with the rocky surface beneath them returning to normal and dropping you and the other captives once again. This succesful strike is followed up by one that seems to be rebuffed by the air in front of the construct, and another that pierces through and puts a long scratch on the construct.