Samira slept peacefully, leaning against Strax's shoulder. In fact, it was the only thing he could do now, just support her.
"A woman like her was injured. What hurt her?" Strax pondered. After all, it was difficult to understand what could have happened without a clear explanation from her herself, but Strax couldn't ask at the moment.
The cold weather continued to worsen. It was probably already ten degrees, and Strax had nothing to cover himself with. The woman's cloak was already being used as a blanket to warm them both, but it wouldn't help him for long.
And the worst of all? He couldn't do anything in this situation except wait for Samira to wake up and regain some of her strength. After all, he saw her use flames as an enchantment on her weapon; if she could conjure her flames to warm them, that would be the best-case scenario.
"Come on, wake up..." He thought as he slowly closed his eyes. Fatigue and cold were already consuming him as the blizzard grew stronger.
Time passed, and Strax had already fallen asleep to preserve and recover energy. The cold didn't stop, but he and Samira were huddled together, sharing a certain amount of body heat, something that was necessary for survival.
[The hidden mission is taking place]
Every minute, the system alerted about the mission. Strax noticed this, but he couldn't do anything at the moment. However, the System seemed agitated, as if something very important was about to happen.
At the same time, as the night began to fall...
"Strax!!" "Young Master!" Far away from the cave's location, Jason tirelessly searched with the remaining members of the guild...
"Enough already, Mr. Jason, we have to wait out the blizzard," one of the guild adventurers, the same one who tossed a wolf between Strax, said, while staring at Jason. "We have to find them." Jason commented, and the adventurer named Hog agreed: "I know, Knight, believe me, but my boss is strong. After that attack, she must be looking for the Boy.
Let's wait until dawn, the weather will drop significantly." He commented.
"Damn... if I don't find that bastard, I'm going to die." Jason cursed, accepting what Hog said, and turned around. "Just three..." he murmured, seeing that of the entire Guild, only three survived. With him, there were four survivors. "What caused all of this?" He wondered, looking at the mountaintop.
"We don't have time to think about that. Let's find shelter and make a fire," Hog said, and Jason nodded. Although he wanted to simply search the entire mountain for Strax, he couldn't do anything right now. At least, he would try when he had the chance. He needs Strax alive, no matter what it takes.
As the hours passed and the weather grew colder, the mountains began to calm down, while the snow fell outside. Strax and Samira sheltered themselves in a hidden cave, the thick cloak they shared their only protection against the biting cold of the storm outside.
Samira suddenly woke up with a muffled grunt, her breath still heavy. She felt the pain in her arm burning, blinked her eyes slowly trying to find some light, but everything was dark, only feeling the warmth beside her.
"Ugh..." The groan escaped her lips, a sleepy and indistinct sound. She shifted a bit and realized what was beside her, feeling the stiffness of the night's cold, before remembering the situation they were in the cave.
She looked around, finding only the crevice dimly lit by the small gap, with a light coming from the moon itself. Fortunately, with a snap of her fingers, the cave was illuminated by her magic.
She looked beside her, finding Strax with closed eyes, but they slightly opened feeling the warmth of the flame she held in her hand. "Good morning," Strax said with a wry smile, after all, there was nothing good about it.
"Where are we?" Samira asked, but Strax shook his head. "I don't know, I just found this cave during the blizzard, but... well, I couldn't make a fire," he commented and she looked around.
"Your arm..." Strax asked and Samira replied: "A Bear, an intermediate beast, or rather, a ruler of the mountain." She commented, and Strax's eyes widened. "Strong enough to hurt you?"
"A mist... it's a magic, just like the blizzard," Samira commented. "I thought there was something strange indeed, so that was it..." murmured Strax.
Seeing the open wound with the mark of a claw, Strax couldn't help but feel worried and acted.
A sharp "riiippp" cut through the air as Strax cut the sleeve of his blouse, removing it to do something. "What are you doing?" she questioned, hearing another sharp "riiippp." Strax opened the fabric, laying it completely flat.
"A temporary bandage," explained Strax, standing up and changing sides, while Samira's good hand illuminated the area. Samira simply remained silent.
Strax approached and gently lifted her arm, carefully wrapping Samira's injured arm with the cut sleeve, gently securing it in place with a soft touch. His eyes focused on the task, his skilled hands moving delicately as he worked to tie it carefully without hurting the woman. It wasn't the best of bandages, but it was enough to prevent infection while Samira's regeneration began to work slowly.
"They never took care of me like this..." Samira murmured to herself, many complicated feelings already running through her head at this moment.
As Strax finished making the bandage, he looked up and met Samira's eyes, conveying a mixture of... complicated feelings. "There," he said softly, his voice echoing in the cave. "This should help protect the wound while it heals."
"Thank you," she said, her voice still hoarse and sleepy with pain.
Strax smiled back. "Let's wait until dawn," he suggested, and she agreed.
However, the System went crazy after this interaction between them. It was as if... Well, Strax didn't understand anything that happened there.
[You have completed another part of the mission]
[You have completed another part of the mission]
[You have completed another part of the mission]
[You have completed another part of the mission]
[You have completed another part of the mission]
[You have completed another part of the mission]
[You have exceeded expectations completely. You have received a bonus after skipping several stages of the mission!]