The Poisoned Chase: A Race Against Time to Save a Life

Vee raced through the dense forest while carrying Siltri on his back, his sharp senses alert for any danger lurking nearby. The towering trees loomed overhead, casting long shadows on the forest floor.

He could hear the rustling of leaves and twigs under his paws as he darted past the thick roots that twisted and curled all around him.

They moved quickly trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and from the grove.

Siltri's condition continued to worsen as they ran, his hallucinations becoming more intense and frightening. His breathing grew ragged, and his heart pounded in his chest. Vee could feel his friend's weight growing heavier on his back.

Vee tried to communicate with Siltri, but he had lost his translator during his transformation, and he could no longer speak. Siltri's mental state continued to deteriorate, and Vee had to find a way to keep him grounded and focused as they continued their escape.

As they ran, Siltri began to have vivid and terrifying hallucinations. He was seeing things that weren't there, and his mind was playing tricks on him. Vee could hear him whimpering and moaning in pain.

Meanwhile, in the lab, Dr. Lewis's heart raced as she heard the urgent beeping of Siltri's pulse monitor. She quickly analyzes what's happening and can see that Siltri was in serious trouble.

As she scanned her chart, Dr. Lewis's worst fears were confirmed. Siltri's pulse is strikingly high and his temperature is increasing, moreover she is detecting an anomaly in Siltri's system.

Dr. Lewis anxiously dialed Siltri's communicator, hoping to get an update on Siltri's condition. As she waited for a response, her heart raced with worry.

Dr. Lewis breathed a sigh of relief as Siltri answered his communicator, but his voice was weak and strained.

"Siltri, how are you doing out there? What's happening?" Dr. Lewis asked, her concern evident in her voice.

"I-I don't feel so good," Siltri replied, his breathing labored. "Everything is spinning, and I can't see straight."

Siltri groaned in response, his eyes rolling back in his head as he struggled to maintain consciousness. Vee knew that they needed to act fast if they were going to save his friend's life.

Dr. Lewis quickly reviewed Siltri's chart and made a grim diagnosis. "My god! Silt! it looks like you've been exposed to a powerful neurotoxin, tell me what happened to you?!"

She then hurriedly connected to Siltri's scouter and reviewed the footage about what happened during the battle within the grove.

She gasped as she saw the monstrous trees in the video. She also saw how Siltri had retrieved the fruit and how he was caught up by the tree.

"What have you done? Silt, you really are an idiot." She worriedly scolded with a trembling voice. "Didn't I tell you to be more careful?"

"I'll send you some antidotes and some medical supplies, hang in there. Please hang in there." She said worriedly.

Siltri can clearly see the situation, and he clung tightly to Vee's back. "What do I do?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"You need to stay calm and keep breathing," Dr. Lewis worriedly advised. "I've dispatched some nearby hunters to meet you at a rendezvous point, but they're estimated five kilometers away. Vee, you need to run as fast as you can to get Siltri there."

Vee nodded in understanding, and Siltri clung even tighter to his back. Vee runs as fast as he can following the scent of their tracks from the last days staying in the dimension.

"Vee, I need you to listen to every direction that I would tell you to go in order to meet up with the others." Dr. Lewis ordered. "And as for you Silt, take the stim pack gun that I sent to your item bag and give me a blood sample. Also if you still have the fruit with you, pass it to me and maybe we can use that."

Vee could feel the exhaustion in his body as he ran faster along the way but he kept his speed constant pushing himself to his limits. He knows that his master is in deep trouble and every second is needed to save his master's life.

Vee's vision started to blur as he went past the trees and the bushes. He keeps listening to Dr. Lewis's commands but his body is also taking a toll. It's been a few kilometers already and they are almost there to the meeting point.

All of a sudden, Vee slipped while jumping on a rock, causing Siltri to fall down. Vee directly caught his shoulder and then gently put him down on the ground.

Vee was gasping for air, thirsty, and exhausted. But he knew he had to keep up to save his master.

Vee barked and licked Siltri to try to wake him up. Dr. Lewis sees what's happening and her worries are also getting her.

Vee continued barking, licking, and nudging but his master was still on the ground with labored breathing and rising temperature.

He was worried and started whining a lot, he was afraid to lose his loving master.

Due to his panic and worried state, Vee did not notice the rustling sound surrounding them, all he was focused on was ways to wake Siltri up.

"Vee! Lookout!" Dr. Lewis shouted from the screen as an unknown creature was about to pounce on Vee.

Vee was scratched a little deep by its claws. Vee let out a growl, standing in front of his master.

Vee's barking a moment ago has attracted some forest creatures. Dr. Lewis identified the creatures in front of her screen and then she looked pale.

Dr. Lewis sends out a strong distress signal to the other hunters nearby to immediately hurry to Vee's location.

The creature in front of them is no other than the rumored lizard-like creature that stands on their two feet.

-Display-

Name: Kobolds

Category: Forest Beast

Description: Humanoid creatures that stand between 2 and 4 feet tall. They have scaly skin that ranges in color from greenish-brown to black, and large pointy ears. Their faces are characterized by sharp teeth and large, bulbous noses, while their eyes are typically yellow or red and glow in the dark.

These creatures always come in hordes and armed themselves with swords or spears made from other creatures' bones.

Named kobolds due to their similar characteristics to the legends but these ones are more deadly and have high hostility toward any creatures who step into their territory.

"Vee, hold out your ground, I know you're tired and exhausted but we need your strength here more than ever." Dr. Lewis's voice was heard from Siltri's communicator.

Vee understood the situation and was willing to fight to the death for the safety of his master.

While Dr. Lewis is doing her best to wake Siltri up from the ground, her monitor started beeping and she can see that Siltri's temperature started to rise slowly followed by a rise in heart rate. She tried her best to remain as calm as possible and not to panic.

Moments later, Siltri started convulsing as his temperature was already at a very high level.

The panacea fruit was supposedly for the improvement of their research to develop a far better medicine that will help humanity but she cannot deny it in front of a dying person who give his life for such an honorable mission.

While Vee was fighting on the other side, Dr. Lewis hurriedly but carefully created an antidote serum out of the panacea fruit. Praying that the legends were true and saved Siltri's life.

"Vee, the hunters are almost there. Please hold out longer, I am also almost finished with an antidote." Dr. Lewis told Vee with a little sign of hope.

After hearing Dr. Lewis's news, Vee felt a surge of hope. He could finally see a glimmer of a chance that his master would live.

With his heart filled with hope, he continued to fight the horde of kobolds in front of him, not allowing anyone to get near his master.

Despite his wounds and exhaustion, Vee fought on against the kobolds. His muscles ached and his vision blurred, but he would not let anyone get near his beloved master.

With a fierce snarl, he unsheathed his razor-sharp claws and lunged at the oncoming horde.

As he fought, Vee's body began to emit sparks of electricity. The air crackled around him as he moved, his strikes becoming faster and more precise.

Each time a kobold tried to approach, Vee would lash out with his fangs and claws, knocking them down with a powerful blow.

The kobolds were relentless, but Vee was determined. He pushed himself to his limit, drawing on every ounce of strength he had left.

With a final burst of energy, he let out a deafening bark that echoed through the forest.

The ground shook as the remaining kobolds fled, their tails tucked between their legs. Vee's body glowed with fierce energy as he stood victorious, his eyes fixed on his master.

He stumbled forward, collapsing at his master's feet, his chest heaving with exhaustion.

With a weak whimper, he looked up at his master, his eyes filled with a mix of relief and pain. Despite his wounds, Vee was filled with hope that his master would live.

He had fought with every fiber of his being, and he knew that he had done everything in his power to protect the one he loved.

Tears streamed down his face as he lay there, his body trembling with exhaustion. But even in his weakened state, Vee's loyalty and determination shone through.

He would never give up, no matter how great the odds were against him. For as long as he had breath in his body, he would fight to protect his master, and nothing could stop him from doing so.

Dr. Lewis watched in awe through the communicator screen as Vee pushed himself to the limit to protect his master. She had never seen such determination and loyalty in an animal before. A moment later a beeping sound was heard from her mixing device, indicating that the antidote serum was ready.

Without wasting another moment, Dr. Lewis instructed Vee to wake Siltri up and retrieve the antidote serum from his item bag. Vee nodded weakly, his breathing labored, but his eyes filled with determination.

He dragged himself to Siltri's side and barked urgently, nuzzling his master's hand. Siltri stirred, groaning in pain, and slowly opened his eyes.

Vee barked again, this time louder and more insistent, until Siltri finally understood. With shaking hands, he reached for his item bag and pulled out the vial of antidote serum but after taking it out, he lost consciousness.

With a blurry vision, Vee can see that his master was not moving while the serum was still in his hand.

He can see Dr. Lewis on the communicator screen shouting Siltri's name, trying to wake his master up, he can see her crying through the communicator in front of his beloved master.

Vee can still feel the warmth of his master's body, but it was slowly fading. He knew he had to act fast. With a heavy heart, he looked at the vial of serum and then back at his master's still form.

Taking a deep breath, Vee used his sharp teeth to carefully grab the vial and held it between his jaws. He then nudged his master's hand, trying to make him grip the vial.

But to no avail, Siltri's hand remained still and limp. Vee let out a whimper of despair, feeling the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

Dr. Lewis can see what Vee was trying to do, and she exclaimed in surprise and admiration. She knew that Vee was an intelligent and loyal companion, but she had never seen him display such resourcefulness before.

She quickly thought of a plan "Vee, listen, we can still save him, get the vial. There are emergency needles attached at the bottom in case a patient cannot be able to drink it. Open it, Vee."

Vee's ears perked up at Dr. Lewis's words, and he immediately understood what he had to do. With careful precision, he used his sharp claws to slowly open the bottom of the vial, exposing the emergency needles.

"Now I want you to slowly, inject the vial using the needle into the left side of your master's chest." She carefully instructed Vee.

Vee nodded and moved the vial into position, his paws trembling with anxiety. He took a deep breath and then carefully inserted the needle into his master's chest, making sure to inject the serum slowly.

Siltri's body twitched slightly, and Vee held his breath, waiting for any sign of life. For a moment, there was nothing, and Vee felt his heart sink in despair.

But then, to his immense relief, Siltri's chest rose and fell with a deep breath, and color returned to his face. Vee let out a joyous bark and licked his master's face, his tail wagging wildly.

Dr. Lewis let out a sigh of relief and a tear of joy streamed down her face as she watched the scene unfold. "Good job, Vee. You saved your master's life," she said with a smile.

Siltri was still unconscious but Dr. Lewis can already see that his vitals are slowly improving. Dr. Lewis assured Vee that his master will be okay and the other hunters are already at the area.

Vee let out a contented sigh, his eyes closing in happiness. He knew that his master was safe, and that was all that mattered to him.

As Dr. Lewis watched the two of them, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe and wonder at the bond between man and animal. For in that moment, she knew that nothing could break the unbreakable bond of loyalty and love that existed between Siltri and Vee.

As the other hunters arrived at the scene, Dr. Lewis informed everyone that a rescue plane was already coming their way. With their combined efforts, they managed to stabilize Siltri's condition and transport him back to their base.

As they flew back, Vee sat quietly resting by Siltri's side. He finally can rest from all the exhaustion and fighting that they have been through.