Miranda: … can you please explain to me this… forest?

Kain: Do you think we have the time for that?

Understanding what he meant, she looked over to her daughter, whose expression was slowly worsening as time went by.

Miranda: No.

Kain: “Neither I trust you enough to tell you.” As you can see time is running out, so I am going to be quick and tell you that I don’t know what to do to save your daughter’ life, much less her leg.

Miranda: …...

Miranda was trembling all over the place while trying to keep her anger in check, looking over to Kain, she found him still gazing at her daughter with a serious expression, or rather an indifferent one.

Miranda: .... fff…. what can you do?

Breathing to calm herself down and not to ruin all her efforts, she asked what she felt was the most appropriate question at the moment.

Kain: … I am going to do my best, but for it to succeed you must listen to me and not question any of it.

Miranda: … okay.

Kain: Good. I gave you the phone to keep track of time.

Miranda: Time?

Kain: …

For the first time, of their talk, Kain glanced at her sideways. The gorgeous woman immediately gulped down and seemed to shrink under his gaze.

Miranda: … i am sorry.

Kain: I am going into the forest to explore and see if I can get something that can help her. Although I should tell you that I am not certain that I can find anything of use. With that in mind we should place a time limit for me to return. 15 minutes should be enough.

Miranda: …

Kain: It’s one of those moments where you have to trust me.

Saying so he began to dust himself off while beckoning over his pokémon, that rushed to his side. Nev climbed up to his shoulder while Escan stood beside him bumping his head against his owner’ leg affectionately.

Miranda: Would you?

Kain: What?

As she whispered in such a soft and low voice, he didn’t manage to catch all of it. Glancing through the corner of her eye, he patted the head of Escan and ruffled it’s warm and adorable fur, causing the dog to enjoy his touch and Nev to grow jealous and bump his head against Kain’ neck.

Miranda: Would you trust me if the roles were reversed?

Kain: … no. But wh---

Miranda: But what choice do I have? Right?

He couldn’t finish speaking when she intervened him timely, with what he was going to say.

Kain: Exactly.

Miranda: I understand.

Looking up from the ground at him, he was able to see that her eyes were moist and tears forming the corners of her eyes. At the same time, he stopped ruffling Escan’ fur and started scratching Nev’ chin, who began to tap it's left foot on his shoulder.

Miranda: I don’t care what you did or if you treat me like some toy… just help my little angel.

Grasping his hand and bringing it to her forehead, she teared up. The death of a son/daughter was too much for a parent to handle, even more if said parent loved their child like Miranda did. It was supposed the children bury their parents, not the other way around.

Kain: … I will do my best. While I am gone, I need you to take care of her and keep her calm and relaxed, as high blood pressure will only cause the poison circulate faster through the body. Although you shouldn’t let her fall asleep completely, just try to keep her like she is right now.

Miranda: Isn’t the tourniquet preventing the poison from circulating through the rest of her body?

Kain: I am not some expert, but I can assure you that it isn’t the case. Remove the t-shirt and you will see what I mean. Let’s go.

Turning around he began to walk away, with Nev on his shoulder and Escan following him obediently, not giving her enough time to verify what he was talking about. Later she should find his words to be correct, as the poison had spread past the tourniquet. It wasn't something he had noticed earlier, but after careful observation he found out. Putting aside the fact that the supposed tourniquet wasn't made using good materials, as it was just a piece of cloth, he had serial issues in beileving in such method, otherwise he would just have suck the poison out with his mouth.

Miranda: Wait! Could you leave one of them to protect us?

He wasn’t able to get very far, as Miranda spoke out towards him. Her concern was justified, since she felt that only a creature like the rat or dog could face up against those in the forest, after all, what prevented those creatures to attack her and her daughter while he was gone?

Kain: Unfortunately, this isn’t a fairy tale. I need the two of them to have any chance of success, otherwise the time I need should double up. I don't mind it, if you want to risk it. Do you?

Miranda: … no?

Even Miranda knew that 15 minutes was a timeline that was already pushing it, she knew that Kain hadn’t come up with that specific time on a whim. Although the poison wouldn’t kill Beth in less than one hour, it’s passage of time and worsening condition would simple be a torture for Beth as time went by.

Kain: Don’t worry too much and if it will make you feel more relaxed do this.

paahh

Removing one of the smallest perfumes from his jeans' pocket, it was simply one of the many they had brought with them into the dungeon, he smashed it on the ground before walking away into the surrounding forest.

Miranda didn’t know what to think of his actions just now. Was this the reason why he had made them bring the perfumes and detergents? Could it even keep those creatures away?

Pulling the bag, where the perfumes and detergents were in, closer to the two of them, she put her right arm inside.

Miranda: “Please be quick.”

[5 Minutes Later]

???: still nothing….

In the green and calm environment, a hand suddenly appeared out of nowhere as it pushed a branch aside. A skeleton-like figure appeared with a purple rat on his shoulder. It was no other than Kain and Nev going through the forest in search for something that could help with Beth’ situation, they had already faced a couple of pokémon of the dungeon, from a green caterpillar to some kind of plant.

awoooo

Kain: Over there.

Carefully rushing through the forest to the howl just now, he reached a place where his faithful doggo was waiting for him, with it’s mouth open and huffing while standing next to some kind of tree. This tree was different from the others around them, as it had fruits on it’s branches.

Kain: What a strange color… and shape…. they look like peaches?

Patting Escan’ head as a reward for finding the tree, he observed the tree while scratching his chin.

Kain: Nev. Fetch

The purple rodent jumped up to the tree and ran to the closest fruit and brought it towards Kain.

Kain: It could be useful, although I don’t know what for.

Observing the fruit in his hand, he was trying to understand what was it’s purpose. This was because after diving on his first dungeon, The Beginning, he had come up to a couple of weird items with abnormal abilities, like the poke ball and potion.

The lack of knowledge was apparent in this situation, as the fruit Kain held was what he needed to solve the situation back in camp. After all, the peach-like fruit in his hand was a something better known as the Pecha Berry, and it had the ability to cure poisoned pokémon, but nothing said that it couldn’t apply to humans.

Kain: Nev. It’s enough. Escan. Search for more.

Since he didn’t know, or had the slightest idea even, he planned to continue going through the forest. Searching for these kinds of fruits/berries and defeat any pokémon that appeared in their path, before returning back to the women.

[10 Minutes Later]

Miranda: “Where is he?”

Back in the open space, Miranda was nervously constantly looking over their surroundings, seeing if everything was alright with Beth, checking the time, worrying over the state of her daughter’ state and left leg, where the thigh was almost completely purplish and was growing dangerously close to her private parts and knee.

The timer on the phone had already rang marking the passing of the 15 minutes, with the timer not stopping and her stressing over each second that went by. Numerous thoughts circled through her mind. Could he have simply abandoned her and her daughter? Could he be waiting for her daughter to die before returning?

Kain: huff…. that was exhausting….

Suddenly a voice sounded from the side, turning around she saw the wall of dirt crumbling under the foot of Kain’ figure that looked the same like he left, except for a certain detail that shocked Miranda. Nev was still on his shoulder and Escan was following him right behind, the change was on the fact of him carrying his shirt on his hand like a bag, which in result exposed his naked torso to the world.

Miranda: “What the hell is that?

Miranda’ eyes shot open in shock to the sight of seeing Kain’ bare naked torso. Like her daughter, it wasn’t because of his handsome appearance or sick abs, but rather due to the number of scars on it.

Kain: What? Are you going to be the same as your daughter and say that you didn't know?

Seeing the reaction of the mature woman, he couldn’t help but scoff for a little and related the two women. After all, Miranda had almost the same reaction as her daughter.

Miranda: What happened to you? Could it be…. no…

Kain: Oh, it seems that you know something about it.

Miranda: I heard a couple of things, but I always discredited it. I never thought of it to be true…. I am sorry. I couldn’t wrap my head around the idea of a parent doing such a thing to their own child.

Kain: Well… like the saying goes. There is a first time for everything.

Crouching opposite to her, with Beth in between the two of them, he laid down the shirt exposing it’s contents to Miranda.

Miranda: What are those? Fruits?

One couldn’t imagine the feelings the gorgeous woman was experiencing. After all that stress and work, this was the result? She had completely forgotten about the fact that a young man, of the same age as her daughter, was in front of her with his torso naked with a scarred figure. On top of the shirt laid a couple of fruits. There was 3 in total, starting from the left, it was a pink fruit that looked like a peach, then it was a blue fruit that looked like an orange, in the third was a chestnut looking like fruit with it’s top being dark-blue and a brownish bottom, and, finally, a citrus.

Kain: It’s all that I could find.

Miranda: …. fruits? You are joking with me, right?

Kain: No. You will just have to pray and try.

Sitting on the ground, he brought out his knife and picked up one of the fruits.

Miranda: … is there no other solution?

Kain: Eternal sleep.

Miranda: No!

The mother quickly reacted in answering while blocking her daughter’s ears, so that she wouldn’t listen to any of this conversation.

Kain: With that settled… this is going to be the first one.

Saying that he started preparing the fruit on his hands, which was the blue orange, to feed it to Beth.

Miranda: They are all very strange… do you know at least the effects they have?

Kain: No.

Miranda: No? Are you crazy? They could be poisonous!?

She could barely suppress the anger she was feeling right now. Only god knew how much she wanted to beat him up.

Kain: Listen up.

Stopping for a moment in his actions, he looked up at the mature woman, right in her eyes, before continuing speaking.

Kain: I don’t need your approval or do I like you enough to care. I am going to do this one way or the other.

Miranda: …

Kain: Escan. Nev.

rrrrr

squeakkk

Growing tired of dealing with the woman, he continued preparing the blue orange, finishing peeling and cutting it into small chunks, while calling out to his pokémon, that approached Miranda aggressively, causing her to back away unwilling.

Miranda: W-what are you doing?

Kain: If you won’t listen to me, then I will have to force it.

Miranda: No. Stop! You can’t do this!!!

Beth: … what is going on?

The raising voice of Miranda woke up and startled her daughter, Beth, that flinched seeing the scene around her.

Beth: ugh….

She couldn’t even react to what was happening as Kain shoved the pieces of fruit in her mouth.

Kain: Eat it.

Miranda: Stop! Beth! Sweetie! Spit it out!

While Kain put his hand over the young woman’ mouth, Miranda tried to stop him but she couldn’t manage to go past the two scary and dangerous creatures. Beth, on the other hand, wasn’t able to understand what the hell was going on, before she listened to her mother and struggled under Kain’ grasp.

Kain: You either eat it or I will do you both a favor and end your misery. Which is it? Life? Or…. Death?

The two women stopped in their tracks at his words. It was safe to say that neither of them wanted death, but they also didn’t like the alternative.

Kain: 3

What the two women didn’t know or realized by now was that the patience of Kain was growing very thin, using an example as a reference, considering his patience to be a glass of water, well the water was beginning to overflow out.

Kain: 2

Miranda: What are you---

Kain: 1

Beth: MMMMM

Miranda: Beth! Stop!

Seeing what he was doing, they finally understood why he was counting down. He had his knife, blade faced down, placed right above Beth’ chest. Beth’ struggle increased even further, but she couldn’t do much as she felt her body heavy and tired. While Miranda forgot about the fact of Nev and Escan blocking her path and tried to go through them, only to end up with Nev tackling her stomach and Escan doing the same to her legs, bringing her down hard.

Kain: De--- good girl.

As he was bringing down his knife, Beth swallowed the fruit in fear, which he felt immediately through his hand on her mouth.

Kain: See. Was it so hard?

Miranda was breathing erratically from the attacks of the purple rat and red/orange dog while crawling towards her daughter and young man. Beth expecting the worst to happen after swallowing the fruit, she was then surprised by the sudden refreshing feeling coursing through her body. Her change of expressions didn’t go unnoticed by Kain as he also saw that the cuts and wounds Beth had through her entire body were beginning to close up.

Kain: “It doesn’t seem to affect the poison… but… it isn’t completely useless. Although the effects seem worse, they are similar to that of the potion. Interesting. If I harvest a great number of them I wouldn’t have to worry about injuries.” Next.

Letting go of her mouth, he picked up another fruit from the side, it was the pink peach this time.

Miranda: Sto---

Just as Miranda tried to call out to him, Escan pushed her head in to the ground with it’s paw, while Beth looked at him and started to struggle before stopping at the sight of a pair of big teeth.

Kain: Don’t let her get up. And you don’t let her move.

woof

squeak

Nodding at his pokémon answering him, he started to prepare the pink peach before feeding it to the reluctant Beth, that didn’t remove her gaze from the terrifying purple rat on top of her.

Kain: “Found it.”

This time around there wasn’t any drama, as the two pokémon did their job perfectly and kept the two women quiet and immobile in their place. It started with Miranda not being able to do anything against the strength of Escan, while Beth obediently ate and swallowed the fruit given to her. Kain’ eyes were rapidly observing each and every inch of Beth, it was to see the effect of the fruit.

He didn’t have to wait too long as he soon took notice of the poisoned area, of her left leg, was beginning to slowly recede away. It took an approach of trial and error, but he managed to do it in the end, and he was even left with two other fruits.

Kain: Escan. Come here boy.

Standing up from the ground, he dusted his pants while calling his doggo.

The growlithe no longer concerned itself with Miranda as it rushed to it’s trainer side.

Kain: Now… I assume that I wouldn’t have to remind you of your responsibilities, but you should know what is going to happen now.

Beth: what are you talking about?

Struggling to open her mouth, the young woman laying down on the ground spoke softly as her throat was hurt from the forceful feeding from Kain.

Kain: Your mother knows.

Beth: mom?

Turning her head to the opposite side, she saw her mother in ragged state and appearance, as her clothes and body were covered in dirt, grass and dust, and the numerous amount of cuts and wounds.

Miranda: …

She knew what he was talking about, but she felt reluctant to announce it now to her daughter. She no longer felt desperate, as her daughter situation was resolved, which prompted her to no longer want to keep her end of the deal.

Some might criticize her for not assuming her end of the deal, not acting honorably on her part after getting what she wanted. If such voices rose against her, Miranda would suggest that they would place themselves in her place. Who would want to work/serve under a psychopath like Kain? She dreaded the mere thought of her daughter being close to him, much less their current situation.

Kain: You are not planning on going back on your word, right?