Chapter 48 - Searching For Clues
Chapter 48 – Searching For Clues
The next day, Cole and Wolfie were waiting on the camping site while Del and Cassandra headed for Suedor Valley. To get to the valley from their location, they had to traverse across a snowfield that was as cold as it could get.
"The higher we go, the colder it gets, doesn't it?" Del commented as one of his feet dug through a thick layer of snow.
"Well, this is a snowy mountain for you. Anyway, the valley shouldn't even be that far. Watch out for ice slimes or any snow creatures, though. If you see a dragon, just duck," Cassandra said.
Del kept his M240 in his hands. Although he had to admit that both of them were quite standing out in that snowy field. Cassandra wasn't exactly wearing something white and Del was wearing something green. The only camouflage was the snow that covered their body from the snowfall.
Anyway, it looked like that they would arrive at the valley soon since the road started heading descending towards the valley. Suedor valley was rather beautiful if Del ignored how cold the weather was. Many spikes of ice were shaped like a tree in that valley. There were also multiple caves in that valley.
If Del observed the valley more, gelatinous creatures were roaming in that valley. The gelatinous creatures were none other than those ice slimes. Those ice slimes were none other than those ice slimes that spit projectiles.
Not stopping there, a pack of wolves was roaming in the area as well, perhaps looking for foods to eat. Wolves could still rip off his clothing and injure him. Dealing with them from a distance was more beneficial.
Del laid down on the ground and aimed his M240 in the general direction of the wolfes. Del disengaged the safety switch of his machine gun and he pulled the trigger of his machine gun.
7.62 rounds started flying in the valley's direction. Cassandra only reacted by closing her ears with both of her hands. Del kept spraying his machine gun until the wolves stopped moving.
Del stopped firing his machine gun. The end of the barrel was giving off a white smoke from the melting snow that previously stuck at the barrel of his machine gun.
Del stood up from the ground with his machine gun in his hands, "Well, that was some nice shootings." He smiled when looked at Cassandra that couldn't believe at what she had just seen.
Cassandra put her hands down from her ears, "What the hell was that? Don't tell me that thing is firing the same thing that almost killed me."
"Well, this is like the weaker version of what I was firing at you," Del referred to the less strong 7.62 NATO to the 7.92 Mauser that Del shot Cassandra with.
"Weaker? Del, those wolves are minced meat," Cassandra pointed her finger at the wolves whose blood was scattered in the thin layer of snow across the valley.
Del just shrugged, "Let's just say, that thing is collateral damage. I only want to kill them before they kill us."
"Smart thinking."
They continued heading down towards the valley. Del wished he could bring Wolfie to that valley to make the search effort faster, but he doubted Cole could keep the camp safe by himself. After all, four eyes were better than one.
In that Valley, Cassandra asked him to look for traces of human presence. They would look for blood, torn clothing, or, at worse, dead bodies. The last item was not the item that he desired, but it would definitely be helpful.
After finding that item, they would search the cave located the closest to that item. If they still didn't find the missing adventurers, they would go back to the camp and let Wolfie help the search. With his ability to scent something from miles away, finding the missing adventurers shouldn't be that hard if Wolfie were around.
Del continued walking while opening his eyes widely. He wanted to finish the quest as quickly as possible and returned to his home. It only has been three days, but Del had missed sleeping on the warm couch of his.
Anyway, there was no sign of life but those slimes. Del didn't notice that there was a sign of someone staying in that valley, either.
Cassandra walked toward an ice slime, "Hmm, ice slime, [Precise Strike Mode: Icicle Dart]." An icicle appeared in front of her and it flew like a dart, piercing the core of the slime and killing it.
Del didn't comment, but he knew that the ice dart that Cassandra just fired was as big as a ruler. With the speed at which the icicle dart was launched, the dart could easily kill him if he didn't wear any armor.
Eventually, after hours of searching the valley, Del finally found something. It was a bandage, covered in snow and drenched in blood. One adventurer must have been injured, and the bandage was the firm evidence of it.
Del examined the bandage with his eyes, "It looks like this is just a bandage wrapped around an injury instead of being stuffed into an injury. This is probably the result of a scratch wound or a laceration."
Cassandra also had the same opinion, "So it is not from the ice slimes, huh? Well, this is bad news. Judging from the pack of wolves that you just killed, there might be more of them coming to us. Still, this is a wonderful find."
"We should head back for the camp then, I doubt they take shelter in this valley," Del commented.
"Yeah, I agree with you. Even though there is a cave in this region. I really doubt that they take shelter here. This is literally the only sign of human activities that we can find in this location."
Del nodded, and they walked back to the camp.