Now that they all had to stay living with the giant sea monster, Tenma had time and tranquility to try new things in that cave.
Sometimes, when Beth left, he tried to find a way to escape, but so far he hadn't found any.
They had already been locked in there for a week.
On the other hand, Dave at first found it hard to get used to his new "home," however, Beth started bringing several nuts along with the fish she brought to Tenma.
Tenma didn't have the courage to tell her that he didn't really like fish that much, but although he had learned from his previous life, one must not judge and just eat; since it was the only thing there was.
By that time, the sky, or at least the piece of it that passed through the top of the well above the lake, seemed to be already midday. A moment at which Beth returned to the cave with some strange object she found while swimming and gave it to them.
Tenma would use his "Detection" ability to understand what it was about, but it only gave him very basic descriptions. So far, the 7 items the monster had brought them were as follows:
[Object: Old metal box]
[Object: Soft stone]
[Object: Turtle shell]
[Amulet: Hamsa | Lv: 01]
[Object: Large bottle]
[Object: Red ball]
[Object: ???]
For the moment, they had stored all those things in the corner of the cave; although sometimes they used the ball to play with each other by throwing it back and forth.
Just at that moment, pulling Tenma out of his thoughts while lying on the floor, the water trembled again and the giant sea monster resurfaced from it once more.
She would leave a new object on the cave floor, smiling at them as she saw them happily resting.
"It seems like you've already gotten used to this comfortable life, I told you. With someone like me, it's just a matter of telling me what you want and I'll take it into account to give you the life every pet would want."
Something that neither Dave nor Tenma had gotten used to yet was that their new "owner" used to scratch them with her claw. Although she did it carefully and without intending to hurt them, having a giant claw tickling or petting them was still creepy.
Tenma would get up to see the new object that had arrived, while Dave started to eat a couple of nuts.
"A question..." Tenma would hold the new object in his mouth and bring it in front of Beth to the edge of the cave. "Where does the top of that well lead?"
The giant monster looked curiously at the canine when she heard his question, smiling as she looked up.
"Well... I don't know. I've always lived here. I go from this cave to the giant one behind the waterfall, that's where I found and rescued you."
Tenma would look at the object he held in his hands, thinking about how to use it. It was another strange metal, similar to the explosive he knew, but a different color. Still, he kept it away from the rest of the things as a precaution.
Meanwhile, Tenma planned to use those strange objects Beth had brought to find a way to escape. He had in mind to get out through the top of that well somehow.
So the three spent their time. Dave and Beth mostly took care of and paid attention to Tenma, who was still a puppy. It seemed that the two of them were getting along better and better, which he took advantage of to go unnoticed while analyzing the objects trying to understand how they would be useful.
The angel, meanwhile, spent his time exploring the area underwater, also trying to find something useful. Although it was very complicated, since if he touched any fish or living being underwater he would end up possessing it by mistake and would be in trouble. So he only went in for a while and stayed away from the schools.
Tenma sat down for a moment, sighing.
Life, while safe there, was too boring. It felt good to be able to eat, rest, and play as much as he wanted, but he felt that at the cost of it he had lost his freedom.
Tenma would lower his ears, now knowing how his dog would possibly feel, who always had him at home for fear of losing him.
Dave approached the edge of the cave and submerged under the water, catching Beth's attention to prevent him from drowning by holding him in her paw. But Dave shook his head, indicating something shiny that was reflecting in the water.
Beth left the squirrel in the cave and submerged, coming back to the surface with something heavier than other things, leaving it on the cave floor.
Tenma got up with the glow of the object on his face, approaching with curiosity.
And among the three, they were amazed and confused at the same time.
It was a golden box, with a living eye in the middle.