Chapter 17: Warehouse
*snore* *snore* *snore* "AH! Hah! Hah! Hah... Jesus... Fourth time already... I'll definitely check with a psychiatrist after the shift..." Soren commented tiredly, as the last night's events of the weird city were playing once more in his mind like a endlessly repeating nightmare, which was the reason it barely allowed him to sleep for less than two hours. Because of this, he tried to catch some shut-eye between his break time or during the time the shop was empty, but to no avail, since the nightmares would wake him up within minutes..
*ring* *ring* "Hello new world. Logan is here to-"
"Make a memorial of himself, as his cause of death is a dose of stupidium, combined with a helping of fearionite III." Soren stated hatefully, as gave a glare towards Logan.
"Whoa there Soren... Ain't that a little aggressive to say? He didn't even make a joke yet." Roland asked worriedly, as he appeared from behind Logan and stared at Soren's sleep-deprived expression.
"Sorry... Just some nightmares have decided to f*ck with my sleeping schedule and now my mood's like that of a cranky baby, all the while forcing myself to run on double shot espressos... *groan* I might need a third one right already..."
"Same nightmares as before?" Pan asked curiously, as she entered the shop and took a seat towards the nearest table.
"Nah... Those nightmares are a thing of the past. I've moved on from that incident for years and it hasn't affected me ever since. Anyways, my nightmares are nothing to worry about, so how about you guys? How are you doing?" Soren explained casually, as he swiftly changed the topic towards the others.
"I could use an espresso similarly, as well as more workforce on my sector of the company. I swear, it's like my boss wants to destroy the company from a workforce." Roland requested tiredly, as he voiced out his frustrations and sat next to pan.
"Add another espresso to the counter for me as well." Pan followed as well.
"Make it four, but make it a double just like yours. I haven't drunk any coffees all day and I've been running all day like a drug junkie with heavy withdrawal symptoms..." Logan added in a similar manner, before taking out his phone.
"Alright... While Soren's making the espressos, how's everyone's progress in the game? Did anyone get any good quests for themselves?" Roland asked excitedly, as he turned his attention towards his two friends next to him.
"Good quests my ass... You try getting more than five kills for your quests, when a bunch of randos are hunting in the same area as you." Logan responded with an annoyed expression, while keeping his attention on his phone and adding in a depressed manner. "Why did my starting village have to be a big one? I'd rather have a small one so I don't have to share my kill with a bunch of random guys..."
"I'm not faring much better either. Everyone's getting desperate for kills and progress. It also doesn't help that when you die, you're completely barred from entering the game for an entire hour. I learned that the hard way, by the by." Pan followed next with an exasperated expression.
"Oof... My condolences... I guess everyone's having it rough then... And here I though someone would have hit level 5 on something, just like me..."
"You're not the only member of the level 5 club Roland." Soren casually stated, as he was pouring the coffee in the cups, before starting to serve them himself.
"Already? I guess I'm not the fast one for once." Roland stated jokingly, before asking. "So, what'd you hit level 5 on? Swords?"
"Yup and that gave me a much needed Vitality point."
"Seriously? I already reached 4 Vitality points, but I still have not earned any Agility points. Granted, enemies aren't exactly fast, so it's easy to keep up with them, but I don't know how long that'll last."
"Don't complain about having no agility. Seriously, you have no idea how stressful it is to grind with a two-shot threshold hanging over your head. Let me tell you, it's mentally draining, exhausting and a hit that sends you from ten to three HP hurts like a b*tch."
"Alright, alright... I got it man, no need so pissed about it. Anyways, how about you Logan? You seem pretty absorbed on your phone. What's the matter? Did you find a pre-war warehouse in the middle of the wild or something?" Roland asked jokingly, as he turned his attention towards Logan.
"As a matter of a fact, I actually did manage to find a pre-war warehouse today and-"
"Wait, you're actually serious!?" Pan asked with a shocked and excited expression, before grabbing him and asking him once more. "Tell me! What did you find!? Did you find any pre-war movies!? Books!? GAMES!?"
"Calm down Pandora! I'm-"
*smack* "What did you call me Logan?" Pan asked in a furious manner, as she bashed Logan's head and started lifting him from his jacket.
"Sorry Pan. S-Slip of the tongue. Hehehe..." Logan apologized nervously, as he had forgotten that she did not like being called by using her whole name, before being let down by her and continuing his explanation. "Anyways... Currently, my boys are going through the boxes there and up until now, we've only found preserved MREs, so it will probably take a couple of days until they've managed to comb every nook and cranny, before finding anything valuable."
"Speaking of which, where did you find it?" Soren asked curiously, as he drank his coffee.
"I found it near the Old Western Coast, around 70 miles west from the Farming Ground 17."
"Isn't Farming Ground 17 one of Glaxion City's two fruit tree orchards? As far as I know and remember, no unregistered personnel is allowed anywhere near them, so how'd you managed to get past it, let alone find it?" Roland asked cautiously, as he had a far more serious expression.
"Actually, the warehouse is located at the bottom of a cliff and it's hidden behind some natural rock formations. Honestly, one of my guys got really lucky, since they had forgotten their seasickness medicine and wanted to rest on stable ground for a little while, before finding it after landing near it." Logan explained nonchalantly, as he put away his phone.
"You sure it's not a fake or empty one or something? Seems like a pretty convenient find there." Soren asked cautiously as well.
"I thought so too at first and wasn't intending to put much workforce behind it to go through it, but one of my guys found an old and dusty copy of a movie DVD called "Shrek The Third". I don't know what that movie's all about, but since it was in an old and dusty plastic box with its name on the cover, I can only assume it was a pre-war movie, because I certainly don't know this movie."
"Well, since you've managed to find a pre-war movie, I can only wish you the best with whatever loot you can find in there. Come on guys, let's wish him luck with his warehouse hunt. That way, when he strikes it big, he'll be the one treating us on a good meal." Roland stated joyfully, as he lifted his coffee cup in a cheerful manner.
"Go f*ck yourself, you bastard. If you want me to treat everyone, how about you treating everyone as well? I'm sure with your current position and pay, you can treat all four of us to a meal, far more easily than me." Logan cursed back in a joyful manner, as he gave a verbal jab back to Roland, before they two of them entered into a heated argument.