Endure Part 1

Thuk...Thuk...Thuk. Her footsteps stopped as she smelled and checked the ground. Fresh tracks so far; someone seemed to have wandered here and left. Other than that, nothing else.

"Guys, the place is clear. Can you guys fucking move now?"

"Language Aziza! Language!"

"Shut it, princess, I don't want to be braindead just because you're taking your time." She sighed after that transmission and looked at the time. If she's right, she has 40 minutes before another storm, Psystorm.

A light rumbling can be heard as she saw her Team leader Reno, their childish mage Ding, and the co-leader so to speak Sarah with her arsenal of blades and semiauto submachinegun modified with an auto sear to fire automatically; a hidden crime the group holds.

Reno looked left and right, unnerved as his sixth sense was telling him something he can't explain yet, but his gut was telling him to point it elsewhere. Then his whole body swiveled to the left pointing his silenced collapsable rifle that he normally hides in a suitcase and took a shot.

The action seemed to calm him. Aziza used her ability to sense life; Ding a spell to sense presences, something simple that saved them countless times; and Reno a collapsing thermal scope that he mounts on his rifle.

"Anything?" Sarah asked.

"Nothing here, you Ding?"

"Nothing as well."

Then they looked at Reno, most creatures have heat signatures. Even cold bloodied dragons.

"Two weeks of food is on me!" He looked at them with a genuine smile. They've struck gold a few minutes after arriving.

"You serious!" Ding came running and almost grappled Reno with a bear hug before Aziza got in his way.

"You goddamned motherf@#$%@! Grow up! We have less than 35 minutes left!"

"No fair!" He protested, but she continued in the direction and looked. It was small, like if a mole rat and a sloth had a baby. But it really was the jackpot. There are only a few methods to survive in the biosphere of this world, and one of those is a resilient brain. Those that can survive on the surface are very hard to hunt, and can even chant magic despite being mere animals and monsters. The other kind is a sort of burrower, some even live deep within the bedrock. This one had the skin of a molerat, which means it lived only six to 20 feet under. The closer it is to the surface, the more resilient it is to the environment. Which means more money!

"Reno! Jar!" The three looked at each other, Aziza is as usual as ever. But everyone is used to it. Reno took a small jar and gave it to Ding, who in turn gave it to Aziza who was in the process of putting her surgical gloves on. They only needed the head, nothing else is good.

Twenty minutes, they only had twenty minutes to get out of this forest and enter that fortified bunker city a few kilometers away.

Just before she could head forward, she felt someone's hand on her shoulder. Reno looked her in the eye and looked at the gate they made.

"Make that six, we're going home." She was surprised by this.

"Don't worry, I have someone in an institute waiting just for this moment."

She looked at the others and found them minding their own business, apparently waiting to run headfirst to the gate like a kid.

'Too young aren't they!'

"Okay, let's go." She resigned and followed.

*****

Slurp, Slurrppp!!! Noodles rarely tasted that good! That single lucky hunt managed to get them exactly six weeks' worth of food. Although, most of that food was coffee and instant noodles. Meat is not cheap unless you want farmed insects which are treated more like a snack than a meal. This world is known only as Missara from an ancient lost language which means Rock and is currently overpopulated. Such a thing can be seen in the city of Kralyak. Barely prosperous, yet with a population of more than one million. Most of them are below the poverty line.

However, if a city like Kralyak holds that many people despite the circumstances, then how about other prosperous cities? You can only begin to imagine the kind of struggle people would have in this world. There might be magic, indeed but supply and demand still apply no matter what. At first, meat was found to be cheap after sufficient agricultural methods were used a few centuries ago, and surplus food can accommodate an increase in population. But there is a maximum ceiling to how much food can be produced with the space available.

A bigger population required more meat, but if there is no more meat produced it might cause discontent. Hence, new sources of meat were needed. It first started with fish to meat substitutes, to insects and human corpses. The latter caused an old regime to collapse. Insects are the most numerous and easily grown option but just because it works doesn't mean everyone wants them. Some are still against them for centuries and would rather eat plant substitutes than insects, despite them being delicious. Especially locusts, which are now a premium.

She took another slurp and looked at the two best friends, playing a drinking game. Both were sixteen years old, yet already drinking when the legal age was 18. The stakes were a bundle of cash and a box of bullets, Ding must have finished adding runes to Reno's bullets but they always seemed to do this every time they get something done. Sarah on the other hand was practicing adding runes on a plastic sword. Must be her goal of adding a combination of six basic runes on a single object... and it caught fire. Fail. Hahaha!

Slurp! The soup is running out and the noodles are getting salty. I better finish adding runes on my shotgun bullets as well. I've slacked a bit too much and my fucking supply is almost out.

Bang!!! The bottle of cheap rum and some glasses clanked on the floor, the contents spilled straight down, and the table broke. Ding lost and was knocked out on the floor.  

"Yes!!!"

"Motherf#$%@!"

*****

"Look at this bunch! Reno dear, get a new haircut, you look like a hobo!" Rachel or should I say Rain Michaels the flamboyant shopkeeper on the Fortified bunker city exclaimed as the group got inside.

"Is your contact still looking for Green marbles Rachel?" Reno took the lead.

"My, my, Reno! Don't tell you're bringing childish toys today..." He stares straight at Reno before looking at the other customers. Then went forward and whispered: "That green marble? How many do you have?"

"Four, how much for those?" Reno hushed as he waited for a reply.

"If you're willing, I can give you 30k, give or take."

"Too suspicious even if you split the money four ways, who do you think earns seven and a half K overnight nowadays. "

"Would you rather get something instead?" This time he got closer, and his whisper was almost silent.

"Yeah, we're tired of staying in here in this area. Too few opportunities. We want to go deeper, buy some greens if possible."

"My, my, Reno!!! You'll be the youngest hunter to reach the inner areas of Saami's world. Are you sure you can handle the heat?" His voice was more than flamboyant now. It's effeminate.

"What in the heck are you thinking?" Reno found his response a bit off. I mean a muscular flamboyant man saying something that could be interpreted as sexual to the table.

"Young, young, young, still single! Tsk, I'll get the... something." He started pointing at them while getting a stink eye from Aziza, but what can you do when you're approaching 30 but still single?

The group waited for a couple of minutes before Rachel came back with two boxes. Both looked like normal lunch boxes. A customer came looking for some cheap revolver just as he was about to give it to the cadre, so he took care of that before resuming.

"This is the portable bunker, it's a new model and can immediately be transformed into a bunker with a height of 8 feet and an area of 9 square meters. You four could use it as a mobile home if you want, and anything nonliving you place inside won't be damaged. But this thing is fragile. You'll find problems if it gets even a single scratch."

"Wait a minute! Why did you give something this fragile? Most cadres had theirs blasted by a .50 cal but are still functional." Ding asked.

"Did you really consider the cost? Ding!" Aziza replied a bit aggressively. However, she wasn't the only one who looked at Ding weirdly.

"What! Is there something I'm supposed to know?"

"Do you have 200k in your pocket Ding?" Rachel asked.

"How much does this cost?"

"Both these would leave you with only 10k on your cadre’s balance, Ding, Thank you for the patronage!"

Stolen novel; please report.

"What!"

"Hush!" This time both Aziza and Reno spoke up.

"Alright! Alright! I have a bad feeling about this. I'll just look at the books." Ding swiftly scurried away, embarrassment can be a hassle when you’re trying to act knowledgeable.

"Now that he's gone. This thing is basically a repulsor dropship."

"How do you suppose that?" Aziza asked confused. They asked Rachel to reserve them a repulsor transport that can carry the entire team with their finances but a dropship? Most repulsor transports are naturally expensive, even costing millions. The fact that Rachel had something this cheap is already surprising but a dropship?

"How big is it?" Aziza now asked, interested.

"Rather than ask that, ask how old it is." Reno decided to rein their interest.

"300 years old but still working."

"What do you mean you c@#$sucking fag! You're giving us a piece of junk!" Aziza blew up her temper.

"Ewww! Rude! Calm down!" He took offense but decided to let it go. He's used to this, even the insults.

"Aziza!" Reno shut her before she can continue.

"You guys deal with this crap!" Aziza threw the towel and went where she wanted to go. Who knows, she just does whatever she does.

"Ok, with that out on the way..."

"Are you sure it's already 300 years old?" This time Sarah finally opened her mouth.

"You are correct!" Reining his inner kid, Rachel made a silly, exaggerated clap facing them sideways with one of his legs raised towards his thigh.

"Why didn't you sell it to a collector?" Now Sarah is taking the lead in the negotiations. Reno decided to let this slide, she's the G.O.A.T. in the cadre here, when it's about machinery.

"Controversy, Sarah, controversy. It was fenced to me you see by the owner. She was so desperate to sell it that it was the best deal of my life so far!" Rachel explained like a dreamy girl who saw prince charming. But that didn't solicit a good reaction from the two. For what reason do you think would a hunter would want to hear about somebody else's good catch. Hunters are merchants too, though simpler; they're jealous. You can't be a good hunter without a good mathematical and entrepreneurial sense!

Rachel came back from his private world and found his two costumer's heads tilted slightly to the side.

"Cher! Sarah darling, you seem to be a bit famished with your beauty. Did you go light on the makeup?" The two looked at each other while leaning on the table, and looked back at Rachel with a pained smirk before giving him a stink eye.

" Okay...Okay, but are you sure? Reno dear, don't you want to make your darling Sarah look way beautiful? Think about the bedroom action?" Rachel tried a sales pitch at the two.

The two meanwhile relaxed their faces, gave a synchronized slow blink, another pained smile, and a stink eye... Annoyed.

"Oh come on you two! Give my products a chance. I even use them! I mean look at my flawless skin!" Rachel started caressing his face and his obvious muscles.

The two meanwhile made another slow blink and looked dead inside.

"Ahh, you two are damn mean!" Admittedly, Rachel never felt more frustrated selling his beauty care products than when he was trying to pitch to these two.

"Enough with the sales pitch and more on the repulsor dropship." Sarah tried to assert her dominance over the shopkeeper.

"Fine!!! God!!! Can't you two just give it a chance?"

"No more on those wastrels, we want to know that ship!" Reno stopped leaning and made a stand.

"Good, you really want to know eh?"

"I don't want to ride some old junk."

"Funny, it's actually still five years old."

There was a moment of silence, and the duo had a "Don't bullshit me!" look on their faces.

"I swear!"

"Enough with that! Just tell us what it is."

"Fine! I said that it was five years old because chronologically, it is five years old. But by our standards, it's already three hundred years old."

"Bullshit!"

They turned and saw Aziza nearby, fortunately, nobody else was near the counter except Ding who was engrossed with the books about magic.

"Just let me explain alright!"

Rachel took a deep breath before his eyes turned serious.

"Ever heard of personal spaces?"

"Why would you ask about the distance between your breath and my teeth?" This time, Rachel turned toward Aziza with a stink eye.

"Aziza, excuse yourself for a moment please." Reno looked worriedly at the two belligerents. Though Rachel truly had bad breath.

When Aziza left the store, Rachel calmed down and continued.

"Personal subspaces," Rachel stressed the last word heavily while looking at Reno. Reno, however, didn't get it! A subspace is a subworld to him, like this place, Saami's world.

"You mean a dimensional storage right?" This time Ding came as the three went silent in a staring contest.

"I'll give you a hint. This box is only a subspace..."

"Dimensional storage." Ding once more corrected.

"Look! A hot bowl of soup would get cold in a dimensional storage medium but here! It doesn't."

The three were currently lost in those words, but Ding, however, managed to recover.

"Impossible! Those kinds of items are lost in time! Only a few are made nowadays and even those are poached before they were made!" Ding, in his shock nearly screamed!

"Ding! Volume. Please continue Rachel."

"The repulsor drop ship is one of the legendary Model 67 repulsor dropship. And it is the personal Dropship of a certain General Ares Hall..."

"The one with more leg space!"  Sarah beamed!

"The flying box with more leg space, can reach a speed of 600km per hour, and had a service ceiling of four kilometers. You got that!" Both shopkeeper and melee specialist were now locked on their world, however, for Reno.

"Sarah, what's a model 67?" Reno's words brought her back to Missara.

" It's an open-topped military transport used a millennia ago! Used by the..."

TLDR: An old legendary repulsor type dropship known for its speed and compact size of only a length of 4 meters, a width of 1.4 meters, and a height of 1.5 meters. Can go past subsonic speeds, can fly past four kilometers above ground. A single bubble-type canopy for the pilot is in front, passengers ride in the back of the aircraft with rudimentary seats, sometimes just square outlines for seating with only rails for support. Also, it is a fragile but fast machine suited for both troop transport and cargo.

"Ok, but is there a catch?" Reno said as he looked at Rachel with suspicion.

"The box can only last another six months."

"That's it?"

"Yeah, want something else way worse?"

"No thank you, I'll take it."

"Good. Anything else."

"You said the box can preserve food right?"

"Yeah, and there's enough room to spare."

Reno thought for a moment. 'Water, Food, Comforts, Ammo, and what else?'

"How much space?"

"About three stories worth of a standard apartment in Kralyak." Rachel's eyes were a bit dangerous now, Sarah felt a bit concerned while Reno was fired up!

"10k left, right?"

"Correct, Reno Gabal."

"Stop snooping on our personal info for F@#$'s sake!" This time Aziza felt a tiny bit spooked. Nobody told Rachel what Reno’s last name was. Only they had the intimacy to learn their surnames, not others. Who knows what that flamboyant man knows.

"Aziza! Please!" Sarah pleaded as Aziza seemed to appear again.

"Ok! I'll be in the bar." With that, Aziza disappeared into the masses. But witnessing the event, Ding wondered which bar? Before sending that thought behind his head.

"Give me five hundred rounds of 7.62x51mm, a hundred 12 gauge shells, eight hundred 9x18mm, ten gallons of water, five boxes of pea sausage, what else?

Right! Two boxes of hardtack please."

"That's a total of 6829 Creds, are you sure about this?"

"Yes! Very su..."

"Reno! Are you sure about this?" Sarah interrupted Reno with concern written in her eyes.

"It's okay! We need to stock up on supplies. Besides! That box had only six more months. We need to make good use of it or we'll have to buy something worth millions!"

After Reno explained that, Sarah still had a very concerned look. However, Ding also had a very concerned face, almost panicking.

"Shouldn't we see if it's true first?"

"Good idea Ding! Can we Rachel?"

"By all means! Come!"

*****

"Hey!"

"Yes, Rachel!" The flamboyant man reached underneath his drawer before drawing close to Reno and depositing something brown in his shirt pocket.

"What's this?" Sarah asked as she reached the pocket and pulled out a carton box.

"Congratulations, you are finally a veteran."

"Seriously! A pack of Cigarillo!" By now Sarah was almost out of her mind. After everything though I mean, seeing a relic and even touching it.

 "It's a celebration! Or would you rather be carrying a bottle of champagne?"

"He's already had a alcohol and tobacco problem. Now you're giving him more!" Sarah complained as Reno was still trying to take the box of miniature cigars from her hands.

"Oh come on darling! It's not like he's going to smoke and kiss you. Yuck!"

"Yes!" Reno threw his vacant hand in the air as he successfully took the box from her.

"Okay cadre, We're going!"

"Hey! That box!" Sarah exclaimed as she tried to take it back.

"Come again! Phew." Rachel sighed as the group left.

'Why are those kids always hard!' Rachel looked at the shop and it was quite empty. Business is not that booming nowadays, but at least he had earned more than 80k for now. But reminding himself of what happens to people in the field, he smiled bitterly.

'Oh well! I better start with the make-up.'

Meanwhile... Reno who lost his box of cigarillos to Sarah:

"Well, you better make good of your promise."

"Alright, just one night... I've been thinking about it too." She said the first line clearly, but mumbled the rest.

"What was that?"

"Nothing." Sarah made a curt reply as Ding was bombarded by the business area's loud mass-produced music.

"Alright! We're set!" Reno exclaimed to himself as he went straight into the food court where Aziza normally stays, only to not find her there.

"Where is she?"

"Do you think that she's smoking in the smoking area?"

"What!?"

"Oh! Ding, I thought you were still knocked out."

"R.E.N.O. what!"

"You're still out...snort*" Sarah almost laughed as Ding cleaned his ears.

"WHERE DO YOU THINK IS AZIZA!" Reno screamed right in Ding's ear.

"Ahhh!!! Gods!!!" Ding screamed as Reno's action only caused him more pain.

The two, however, only snorted, short of laughed, at his expense.

"When is he going to learn?" Sarah softly elbowed Reno as they snickered.

"Hey! Always wear your muffler."

Reaching inside his bag, Reno took a muffler from its packaging and gave it to the cowering Ding. Ding gave a thumbs up to Reno, only to regret it later when Reno blasted his voice into his ear. It wasn't a muffler, it was a headphone.

"Reno! What in the sweet lorde!"

"CHANGE THE VOLUME!"

"Ahhh! Cut it out!" Ding screamed as he fiddled with the headphone.

"You good?" The next voice was Sarah's, however, it was softer than Reno's. But despite her usually soft personality, she was a bit mischievous now that there are only three of them.

"Reno! Stop messing around. I really should avoid going out with the two of you. You'll throw me to the crocodiles and have a laugh at my expense!"

"Sorry, we're good now ok?"

"Sure." As Ding was about to feel comfortable, the two had a mischievous grin and counted.

"1-2-3, HEYYYY DINNNGGG!"

*****

"You sure she only said the bar?"

"Yes! That's what she said. She didn't say which or what."

"Are we supposed to find her here? There are like seven bars in here."

"Do we really have to go in?" Ding felt a little shiver on his back.

"No!" Both Sarah and Reno exclaimed.

"The last time you saw someone in kinky boots you froze!"

"Huh!"

"Take a look at his nethers, Sarah, I wonder how long it's been like that." Sarah, however, looked at Reno’s  nethers instead and held his crotch hostage.

"Huh!" Ding looked down as Reno found his testicles in a lot of pressure.

"Sarah! Sarah! It hurts, it hurts!"

"Let's change a few things about our agreement instead."

Ding stopped looking at his bulging crotch and looked to see the two sweet-talking, or maybe it's something else. Luckily he didn’t see her hand.

"Deal!" That was the only thing Ding heard before Sarah passed the Box of cigarillos to Reno.

"Ooookay..." Ding turned towards the seven establishments in front of him.

"Now what?"

"I'll check this one first."

"You sure Sarah?"

"I'll be fine." Without sparing a word, Sarah went inside.

"You sure she'll be fine?"

"I'm more afraid of the..."

"Hey!!! Dayuumn girl! How about we talk fo..."

The only thing they heard after that was a massive Smack!!! Before they saw Sarah get out of the bar.

"Something back there?"

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Okay." Reno for some reason just looked at her with dreamy eyes.

"Hey! Stop looking at me like a twat. We have to find Aziza."

"Oh right! Wait... why don't we try calling her instead?"

"Too bad Reno, look at my phone." Ding held out his boxy calculator-like phone.

"She missed four calls? What is she thinking!"

"That leaves us with this..."

"There's still six more to go Sarah." Ding said with such catharsis and confidence as if he bested her.

"...."

"Sarah?" she only looked at him.

"...." Still no response.

"Sarah please don't give him the silent treatment."

"....."

"Not me too!" Reno could only plead as Sarah crossed her arms.

"...."

"You know what? I'm going in. It's a gay bar after all."

Sarah nodded with a satisfied smile.

"Damn you." Reno could only hiss as he entered a place with bulging muscles, ladyboys, and fat dudes watching those oiled slugs everywhere.

"You don't have to give him that, you know."

"...." She didn't say a thing. Only a genuine smile.

"I hate you sometimes."

"....." Her smile soured.

Five minutes later...

"I found nothing at all. Not even a hair." If you've ever seen a depressed and disillusioned war veteran you'll know it from Reno's face.

"Anything I need to know?"

"Rachel was there."

"And?"

"Don't ever ask."

"Ok." Sarah started smiling. And it was as a nice summer day.

"I hate you," Reno spoke growling.

However, for some strange reason, Sarah just smiled back and said:

"Then keep hating me."

"I really want to tear you apart!" Reno was damn serious, he was hissing steam.

Sarah wrapped her arms on his shoulders and pulled him close where their nose bumped on each other.

"Then let's hope your Jonny can do it tonight. I'll be h..."

"Guys I'm still here! Stop flirting!"

"Tsk."

"Are we going to find a love hotel or fin..."

"I'm so going to hook you up with Aziza," Sarah remembered something interesting. An accidental confession.

"What!"

"I'm also going to tell her that you squealed like a rat after hearing her name."

"What's that going to do?"

"Screw it! Let's find her. I'll be the one checking it out."

Sarah moved quickly and rushed straight to the nearest bar which was another gay bar!!! Three of them! The next bars we're quite interesting. Her face looked quite awry.

Especially that part where a douche kept on 'inviting' Sarah for a drink. You do not invite somebody's girl, especially to his face. Literally as in the scumbag trash-talked Reno and started pulling her hand, forcefully. In response, Reno calmed himself before bribing the bouncers and tazing him in front of them. The others are uneventful, thankfully.

Where they do find her, however, was in the last Bar. A burlesque bar, complete with a cabaret performance. And Aziza, was giving quite the stink eye towards the female performers. This woman admittedly has too much problems in her lovelife.

Two burlesque performances and ten minutes of Ding scaring the dancers after he looked at them like a possessed cultist later...

"Finally!!! Let's go out I want to give that model 67 a spin!"

Despite Reno being so fired-up and Sarah eyeing him disdainfully as if he owes her a fortune, Aziza clicked her tongue in pity.

"We can't get out now, might as well get a room."

"Why? It's still early." However, Reno started feeling something bad within his guts. As if telling him that it’s not a good idea. As if to spoil Reno's mood, the Psystorm alarms rang out and all blinds and doors were starting to close.

"That's why. Let's get some rooms from pops. Four as usu.."

"Just three for now Aziza, we're sharing a room," Sarah spoke joyfully as she coiled her arms around Reno's abdomen. Reno sometimes can’t understand his instincts or his body for that matter. Despite that gut-wrenching feeling a moment ago, Sarah’s ‘hug’ seemed to take it all away; like an eraser. And when he tried to budge… It kind of felt dangerous.

"Well! It's your fucking life. By all means, you can suffocate in your...hey! wait for me!"