He instantly rose to his feet in response and fished out a few pills from his old-world medicine box, swallowing them, hoping they would alleviate some of his exhaustion.
The bitter taste lingered on his tongue as he looked around, scanning the area for any signs of danger.
While doing that, he also scanned the area for any weapons.
The ground beneath him was a haunting mosaic of blood and carnage, coloring it many shades of red, with the bodies of monsters and hunters mingling in a macabre display of violence.
Finally, his gaze landed on a weapon lying beside a fallen hunter.
He rushed over to it and quickly checked the magazine, ensuring that it was loaded, and then grabbed a few extra rounds from the fallen hunter's body, reloading his newfound weapon.
Just as he secured his grip on the weapon, his attention was drawn to a group of hunters approaching in a truck, and they looked ready for battle.
'Rogues?' He wondered silently, a flicker of killing intent in his eyes.
"We are the reinforcements!" They shouted, rebuking Emir's thoughts and causing relief to flood through him.
The new hunters quickly joined them, distributing ammo and weapons to those who needed them, and he grabbed many for himself, not denying free ammo, taking all that he could carry.
'Nothing is better than free stuff,' he thought with a wry smile, clutching another crate of ammo.
The association official then approached the hunters, causing Emir to shift his attention to him.
"For all those who wish to continue the patrol, raise your hand. Don't worry, all the necessary paperwork, the legal stuff basically, will be taken care of."
Emir raised his hand without thinking twice.
A few other hunters did the same, but most of them opted to go back to the sector.
The association official nodded approvingly, noting their choices, and added the remaining hunters to the reinforcement team.
Emir and the other hunters went about retrieving their weapons and collecting dropped magazines.
They loaded them up with fresh ammo and then climbed into the truck, ready for their next patrol.
Meanwhile, the hunters that remained picked up the dead bodies onto their truck, heading back to the sector.
…
As they drove through the desolate landscape, Emir couldn't help but feel a sense of unease, wondering if the next encounter with monsters would be as numerous as the last, but one thought remained clear in his mind.
'The Order was behind this.... Or at least someone related to them.'
But that didn't matter to him, he knew the money he would get after this would be worth all the trouble.
Looking to his left, he didn't fail to notice that it was the same female hunter who gave him her extra magazines.
Emir nudged her playfully with his elbow, breaking the silence between them.
"Thanks for the help back then, I will be sure to repay you for it and return the magazines once this is all over."
The female hunter looked at him skeptically, her eyebrow raised.
"Sure, but pay me back how?" Her tone indicated that she wasn't sure she trusted Emir.
He grinned, trying to put her at ease.
"I'll take you out to a high-class restaurant on me. Consider it my way of saying thank you."
"Are you hitting on me?"
He chuckled.
"Maybe."
"But I'm also serious. I owe you for those magazines. And besides, we could use a break after all this fighting, right?"
Her laughter rang out, a welcome respite from the grimness of their surroundings.
"Well, I'm not going to say no to a free meal at a fancy restaurant," she replied, her voice tinged with amusement and intrigue.
With that, they ended their conversation and focused back on the wasteland, his rucksack rustling with extra magazines that he couldn't fit on his person, as he aimed his weapon.
Now, with his eyes peering through the scope at the landscape, he spotted a few monsters away in the distance, their monstrous forms slowly approaching.
Emir braced himself, his finger tightening on the trigger, and fired with deadly precision.
His shots found their marks, hitting the creatures in their weak spots.
After the volley of bullets, he heard a feminine voice beside him sounding quite impressed:
"I noticed this back then, but you are quite good, especially when considering the equipment you got isn't up to snuff."
"You like what you see?" He teased.
She smirked and said:
"I'm not easily impressed, but I have to admit you have some skill. It's a shame you don't have better equipment."
Emir shrugged nonchalantly.
"I make do with what I have. Besides, it's not always about the equipment. It's about the hunter behind the weapon."
She nodded in agreement.
"True, but having better equipment wouldn't hurt either."
Emir showed a calm smile.
"Not going to deny that."
Ending their conversation once again, they continued the patrol, encountering more monsters, but with the reinforcement team, they were able to take them down quickly and efficiently.
Emir felt a constant sense of satisfaction with each monster he killed, knowing that he was one step closer to the reward money.
And as the sun began to set, painting the sky with vibrant hues, their patrol came to an end as they reached the sector.
He turned to the female hunter while showing her his terminal.
"So, about that restaurant. Any preferences?"
She smiled, hovering her terminal over his.
"Surprise me. Just make sure it's a high-class one, as promised."
Emir grinned while putting the terminal back in his pocket.
"You got it. Do expect a nice evening."
Getting off the truck with a lighter rucksack, he noticed that the gathering place was busier than when he had left.
The trucks that were used during the patrol were lined up, and the hunters were off-boarding from their trucks and queuing up to report.
The Hunter Association official announced through his megaphone at the front of the queue.
"All hunters who wish to complete their patrol request, please present your Hunter ID and report in. Your rewards will be distributed at the counters in the association office starting at 20:00 today. Please collect your payment within 48 hours of the start of distribution to avoid losing your rewards."