"Commander Arnold, where is Lea? Don't tell me that you caused some trouble; she is now clearing up after you. That is not why we gave you Lea."
Chief scolded Commander Arnold, and he went red-faced. He hated being belittled, but Chief did that to him.
'I am the older and the one with more experience. So, what if you are more powerful than me and have more achievements? I should still be your senior based on the experience I have.'
That was what Commander Arnold thought and believed. But he refused to open his mouth and speak these words. He did not want to get into trouble with the chief.
"I…of course not. Lea is just out on the usual scouting and sampling mission. We are a little low on military might, so I thought sending Lea on this mission would be right. Don't worry, she has Sara with me and a recruit."
Commander Arnold assured the chief with a grin. It showed his confidence and hid how awkward he felt at that moment.
"I hope that things are alright for your sake. I don't know why you lack military might, but Lea is not there for your entertainment and errands. Send her to me as soon as you are done with her. I need Lea's help. Recently, the Forger family has been a pain in the ass."
Chief cut the call off once she realised that Lea was not there. Commander Arnold held his suffering sigh inside until the call got cut off.
But once the call was off, his awkward smile fell off, and he raged while stomping his feet down on the ground.
"That prissy Chief. Who does she think she is to command what I can and cannot do with my underlings? I have that doll's possession, so I should be the one to decide what she does in her free time."
"And you all. Stop looking at me like I have lost my mind. I need you to return to your work and finish it immediately. Ugh, and that Forger name. I swear that I have heard it before. I am just not remembering where I had seen it before."
Commander Arnold continued to put pressure on his mind. But he could not remember where he had heard that name before.
Ultimately, Commander Arnold gave up remembering Emily's family name and decided to focus on the mission at hand.
......
"Emily, calm down. You are shaking, and your body functions start giving off abnormal readings. At this rate, you will be stopped at the gate before you can make it out."
Sara complained while looking at Emily's shaking body.
"I am sorry, but this is scary for me. I have never been outside the dome before, and I don't know what to expect either. All I have heard are some nightmarish stories about that place. How am I supposed to relax in such a situation?"
Emily asked while trying to take in deep breaths. But no matter what she did, she could not stop shaking.
"Ugh, listen, I know it's tough to control yourself. But think of this as a field trip of sorts. We are trying for a quick back-and-forth. We will be back inside the city before you know it. See, Lea is not worried at all."
Sara tried to comfort Emily, but giving Lea as an example was the worst comparison she could have made.
Lea, who had looked lifeless just minutes ago, suddenly looked rejuvenated and ready to head out. She pointed outside and shivered in her place in excitement.
"Sara, I can see the gate outside. I will be heading out and making our records now. You can take your time catching up with me."
Lea ran ahead, and the bounce in her step resembled a kid out on her first field trip. She was even skipping like an excited kid as well.
"What the hell is Lea? A young kid on her first field trip? Does she think that this is a game? We are heading out to our deaths. How can she be so calm in this situation?"
Emily asked with a hiss. She had a feeling that she knew the answer. But Emily wanted to be wrong.
She did not want to be the only one without experience outside the rift. It would cause her image as the 'reliable' type to be a massive hit.
"Don't worry. Despite Lea's eccentricity, she is reliable once you leave the safety regions. I am sure Lea will not become a problem for you outside this rift."
Sara assured Emily before she picked up speed to catch up with Lea. Emily had to increase her pace to keep up as well. Soon, they ended up standing in front of the enormous gate. This was the first line of defense against the outside rift.
The transparent shield that covered the city glitched as monsters attacked it. But the thick defenses held tight, and the security did not break.
The guards on duty did not even look bothered to see monsters trying to break the shield. This was a regular occurrence, and the guards were only worried when a new species of monsters decided to show up.
"Sara, I finished checking us out. We can head out when the guard lowers the door for us."
Lea had finished all the formalities and seemed friendly with these guards. But that was a given since Lea had to go in and out so much during hectic times. The guards knew her by name and by face.
"Yo Sara, nice to meet you again. Are you accompanying Lea out this time? And who's that? A new face in your party?"
Emily froze once she was addressed. She did not know how to address the city guards, so she remained quiet.
The guard did not look bothered by a lack of response. He had seen Emily's awkward appearance and guessed this was her first time.
"Ah yes, she's new. Emily will get used to the outside world soon. By the way, do you have supplies for the first couple of meters? We might need more than I have brought this time."
Sara complained as she looked at her bag. She had judged the situation based on previous outings and brought a few flash bombs to get past the first wave of monsters. But she had not expected the monster density to be thick.
The flash bombs she had brought would not hold all these monsters back.
"Hmm, this is troubling. I just returned my usual supply because we expect new ones tomorrow. I don't have anything to help you with. You must bank on your experience and get past these monsters alone."
The guard sounded sorry, but ultimately, it was not his problem to help Sara. It was understandable, so Sara was not too salty.
She did feel sorry for Emily since the older one would have to face a difficult situation during her first outing.
"Hey Emily, how good is your stamina? Can you run fast?"
Lea asked while grinning. She was excited to feel her blood pumping. She knew her body and energy would increase as soon as she stepped outside into the rift. And she needed something to burn it all away.
"I am a decently fast runner. Why? What are we going to do?"
Emily questioned with a suspicious look on her face. She did not feel safe looking at Lea's face. And even Sara's face shot her apologetic looks, which dwindled her confidence.
"Sara, grab hold of her. Emily, get ready to run. We must pass these monsters in one go, or the situation will get tricky."
Lea warned, and that was all the warning Emily got before Sara pulled her ahead. Sara had short legs, but she could run fast. Emily had to try to keep up.
Behind the pair, a white light blinded the monsters, and they scattered. Lea did not kill these monsters because there were too many of them, and it would require too much effort.
But her blood was beginning to sing, and she asked Lea to destroy these insignificant beings.
[Welcome back home. We were waiting for you.]
[These monsters are a part of the feast to welcome you home. Enjoy them to your heart's content. Come, join in on the killing spree.]
[What's wrong? Are you not going to kill these monsters? Are they too weak? Shall we prepare something more substantial?]
The rift was strong, and continued whispering inside Lea's mind. She knew that she could not reply to the rift.
If she did, the rift would feel encouraged and send monsters after her that were much more powerful than these small fries. And Lead did not have time to deal with more monsters.
The best way for her to survive intact was to run. So, she ran once Sara and Emily had gained enough distance. She quickly caught up with the two and set up a safe boundary.
They had crossed the first hurdle of the rift successfully.