"Here, we need to head into this cave. This is our first safe spot."
Sara dragged Emily into a small cave while the monsters following them passed them safely. Sara stood at the cave entrance with her weapon held, ready to attack.
As soon as there was movement at the cave entrance, Sara attacked. She fired a few shots but missed her target. Lea was swift and agile, attacking Sara's weak spots and breaking her barrier.
It took Lea a few seconds before she held Sara beneath her body.
The poor cat-girl was red-faced and embarrassed to be pinned down by Lea. She could not enjoy this excessive contact because Emily looked at her and Lea.
"Alright, this is enough. You can let me up now, Lea."
Sara asked, but Lea was not listening to her. One look was enough for Sara to realize what was happening.
Lea was too excited, and the extra energy of the rift surrounding her caused her to lose control. At this rate, Lea might end up harming the pair. They needed to calm Lea down or knock her out.
"Hey, what is going on here? Lea, don't you need to let Sara go? Hey, your eyes-"
Emily realized that something was wrong too late. By then, Lead had already changed her targets and jumped Emily.
Luckily, Emily was ready for an attack and avoided that tackle. She raised her fist and slammed it into the ground, causing it to break. Ingesting Lea's blood and stabilizing her sentinel powers had boosted Emily.
She had never felt this powerful, and her blood sang for more. It wanted to consume the guide before her and gain more power.
The energy of the rift was beginning to affect her as well.
"Hey, get a hold of yourself. Do you see the tranquilizer in your back pocket? We need to inject Lea with it. Don't be afraid of Lea, and do what I ask. It will be over soon enough."
Sara assured and held out a small syringe to Emily. The liquid inside it was medicine used to block out the effect of the rift.
Being influenced by the rift was a common phenomenon outside the safe zones. That's what made these apocalypse-ridden zones so dangerous. These could easily cause a human to go mad with power.
Since it was such a common symptom, humanity quickly manufactured this medicine to combat it. And someone like Lean, a walking magnet for the rift, was easily affected.
"I understand. But how do we inject this into Lea? Do we just jab it in anywhere? Or does it have to be a specific area? It won't hurt her, right?"
Emily asked while panicking. She had superior strength, but he feared using it and hiring another human.
Sara knew that it was dangerous to underestimate Lea, but Emily had a different experience than Sara had with Lea. So, her hesitation pissed Sara off.
"Just jab Lea anywhere. It's not like Lea would die anyway! And even if you kill her, you would be doing her a favor. Now concentrate on the fight."
Sara looked up, only to get fisted in the stomach.
Luckily, Lea had been holding back, and the punch did not kill her. Unluckily, it still hurt her enough to knock her out for the count.
It was up to Emily to hold Lea back. Lea was playing around and not out for the kill. That assured Emily, and she tried to hold herself back from using lethal force.
Emily held Lea's arm and twisted it behind Lea's back. But she underestimated how much strength Lea could use.
'Oh shit! We both bonded, and I drank Lea's blood. I forgot that bonding causes partners to share each other's powers for a little while.'
Emily's lack of awareness caused her to get into trouble. It was no wonder that Lea quickly broke her defenses apart and held her captive instead.
"This is boring. It would be best if you showed me more. Now, entertain me more, or I will feel bored. Hey, I felt your power when we bonded. You can let out more, right?"
Lea goateed Emily while standing over her. And Lea was right when she said these words. Emily could use more of her power and fight against Lea.
But she was deadly afraid of using her immense power. She was scared that she would hurt Lea and cause irreparable damage to the younger. She did not want to risk it and decided not even to try.
"I…I cannot. I don't know what you felt in me, but this is the extent of my power. So please, calm down now."
Emily tried to bargain, but Lea was not listening to her.
"Tsk, I see. So, you will not let your powers out to play? Then, I guess I have no choice but to force your powers out. This is your fault for letting this happen."
Lea complained before she increased the pressure on Emily's throat. The rift controlled her moments, and her eyes shone with power. She would have snapped Emily's throat if she applied any more force.
Emily felt her breath being cut short. At this rate, her body would ready on its own and counter whatever Lea was doing to her. This scared Emily, and she tried her best to fight against it.
'Oh no! Not my powers. I do not want to use them, but I can feel them bubbling underneath the surface. They want to come out and defend me against being killed.'
It was human instinct to try to survive when you were being attacked. Emily knew that, and she also knew herself. She would strike back if it became too much. And she would end up hurting Lea as a result.
'I need to control myself. I cannot go 'boom' here. I need to maintain myself so that my powers remain calm. Lea will have to let up soon.'
That was what Emily believed when she held her breath. But it did not seem to be working.
Her eyes drifted across the cave and toward the cliff. She saw a colorful shape holding up a gun.
At first, Emily was confident it was a monster, and their time was over. This trip outside the rift would kill her before she had a chance to live her life.
But then the gunfire was heard, and Lea's body sagged against her own. Lea's weight felt solid on top of Emily's chest, and she coughed to empty her windpipe.
"Looks like I managed to arrive in time yet again. You are lucky that I still had my supply of medicine. But I use a mild shot that would not last long. You better give Lea some strong dose you carry around."
The unknown female walked toward the pair and kneeled in front of Lea. She checked up on the unconscious female and hissed as soon as she finished her check-up.
"Sara, the tranquilizer. Lea needs another doze soon before she wakes up."
Sara did not hesitate this time. She took out the syringe and quickly gave Lea a shot. It all happened too fast for Emily to register what was happening. She just knew that things were over when she got her wits back.
"I…this was overwhelming."
Emily complained as she was finally freed. The unknown person picked Lea up, and Sara did not fuss. Since Sara trusted this female, Emily decided to trust her as well.
"Emily, this is Patricia Buzzwood, the chief of our resource team outside the rift. And despite her looks, she's in her late 40s."
"She's in her 40s? How? She looks nothing like a 40-year-old should. 40 is…ancient. She should be retired."
The rift had changed the demographic chart of the world. It was rare for people to live to old age due to various side-effects of the rift. And people past their late 30s usually retire and let the young ones take charge.
To see such an experienced person out in the rift was unheard of by the younger generation.
Besides, Patricia had youthful looks, and her exposed mid-section showed her abs and other muscles. Her hair was tied above her head, and her goggles completed her unique look.
"I don't know if I should feel offended or flattered that you think I do not look like I am in my late 40s. But anyway, I want to retire as well. But the world needs me to be out here. Now, let's head back to the base. My kids are waiting for us."
Patricia picked up Lea as if she weighed nothing. Emily could only watch this while gawking. She had never seen someone this fit before.
And then Patricia's words registered inside Emily's head.
"You have kids out here? Oh my god! How do you all even survive?"
Sara had a pained expression, and she explained things before Patricia could open her mouth.
"Patricia doesn't have 'real' kids here. She raises wild monsters and tames them. That's her power, and she calls those monsters 'kids.' The less you question it, the better. And don't get her started on her speech…"
Sara complained, but it was too late. Patricia already had a grin, and she opened her mouth to speak up about her 'kids.'