The Rise Of A Porter

A few minutes ago...

Arnold was laying on the bed while Nina's communicator kept buzzing non-stop. Usually, she would pick them as soon as it rang. But now, whenever her phone rang, she took it and ran outside. Not to say, the sudden change in her behaviour was alarming. It was as if she was trying to hide something from him.

She walked in the room after attending one such call. Her facial expression told Arnold that she was worried about something. And the fact, she was now carrying her sword, the one he had made for her, more or less confirmed the fact.

"What's wrong?" Arnold asked, worried about her.

"It's nothing. Don't worry." She somehow managed to reply, all the while cautiously looking through the window.

Arnold rightly didn't believe her. He pushed her further as she drew the curtains over the windows, "You're carrying a sword in the middle of the estate, ain't nothing? Just... Please will you tell me what the heck is going on?"

"It's nothing... Much..." She wanted to tell him more but she knew the rash decisions he had made previously, and how those decisions have affected him. She wasn't going to let him put himself in danger anymore. Not while he was still in his weak state. 

"Fine. I'll check it out myself." Arnold had a fit and threw the blanket off him, but before he could get out of the bed Nina came rushing and pushed him back on it.

"You won't go anywhere! Do you understand?" Her voice had strictness of a dictator, yet the loving persona of a nun.

Arnold gently pushed her off himself, grabbing her shoulders. He knew she was concerned about him but why? Although he was weaker than before, he could still take care of himself. Just why was Nina acting so overprotective of him now?

He pulled her face up. There were no tears in her eyes, but Arnold knew she was tensed about something.

"Fine. If you want me to stay here. I will, but at least tell me what's going on?"

"We... First, promise me you wouldn't do something rash."

"I promise." Although he promised her, if he thought there was a need for him to act, then he would. He no longer wanted others to risk their lives to protect his a*s anymore. If there was ever a need for that, his summons were more than enough. 

After Arnold's assurance, Nina took a deep breath and continued, "We're under attack by an unknown group of assailants. The only thing we know is that... They are after you. Even with our countermeasures in place, they have blocked our communication channels. Between most of our forces being out and us not being able to contact the Syndicate, we are trapped. But it seems only the calls going outside are being blocked. The calls within the estate operate on a separate channel thus they are still functioning. At least that's what I think." She proceeded to tell him whatever she knew.

As much as Nina hated to admit it, the family had been so full of themselves they never really cared to prepare for the current scenario. If the family had been under Nathaniel's authority, they would be prepared for the smallest of threats. But Nathan had been too absorbed looking after the country, he had forgotten about the family. She didn't blame him for that because she was at fault herself. They had been dealing with monsters for so long, they had forgotten about their enemies who lurked around as humans. 

She also knew, as the head of security, she was equally responsible for their failure if not more. Even now the members of the family who were inside the estate were fighting tooth and nail with the enemies and there she was, hiding. She should've been out there, fighting with her comrades but her heart couldn't obey the brain. Not after knowing that the attackers were after Arnold.

After Nina told him whatever she knew about the situation, Arnold was lost in his thoughts. He didn't have many enemies as whenever he made one, he also made it sure to end them. The longer he thought, a name kept popping up in his mind.

'Is it Devon?' He thought.

Devon had already messed up with him on several occasions. So even if this attack was one of his twisted plans, it wouldn't surprise him in the least. However, one thing did bother him.

Whenever Devon had attacked him previously, he had always been cautious. Arnold doubted if someone as calculative as him would go as far as to attack the family head-on just to get to him...

'It ain't him.' The longer he thought about it, the unlikelier it seemed, 'if he wanted to attack me, he would've done so while he was at the base or somewhere in the wasteland. Not in the middle of a city. But if it's not him then who is it...'

He went through his mind once again. No one else came in his mind. The more he thought about it, the more his head throbbed in pain. It was clear he wasn't in his best shape yet. In the end, he gave up on thinking and asked Nina something...

"Do you have any footage or pic of the attackers? It might help me to identify them."

"Wait let me check. There must be something..." Nina mumbled as she dove headfirst into her communicator.

After going through her communicator, she played a short recording that Kolt had sent to her. In that video, Kolt and a few others were surrounded by a crowd of people who were wearing white armours. Arnold thought he had seen this kind of armours before.

"Could you zoom in on them?" He asked.

"Sure." Nina gave a quick reply and zoomed in on the nearest man she could.

"These basta*ds! I should've known it was them!" Arnold yelled as soon as the image got a bit clearer. There was no mistake. He was certain these people belonged to that basta*dised guild, "The White Wolves!"

"You know them?" Nina mumbled, but Arnold wasn't listening to her anymore.

The next second, he was on his feet. All thoughts of weakness and fatigue disappeared from his mind. Those fckers dared to mess up his life again? Wasn't taking five years of his life from him enough? Although he was angry, in his heart he felt relieved. At last, he'd be able to take his revenge on those as*holes.

'Time to teach you another lesson.' He thought. 

No matter how many of them there were. They wouldn't be able to stop him. Not after all the powers, he had gained. Arnold was consumed with bloodlust. He wanted his revenge, but there was a problem.

Nina knew exactly what he was going to do next. But she couldn't allow it. She couldn't give the attackers what they wanted. Hence, before Arnold could take a step, she threw herself in front of him. Her sword drawn. She would stop him, whatever the means.

"Arnold, you promised me you'll let us handle this." She pleaded with the man she loved more than herself.

"Nina, you guys are outnumbered. You won't be able to take them down in time! I won't allow others to die because of me. Not again." Arnold tried to reason with her misplaced love, but she didn't budge. When it came to him, she was just as stubborn as he was.

But Arnold had another plan. He held his hands up. His palms facing her.

"Fine. You don't want me to leave, then I won't. But you guys need help, and I will provide it to you." He sighed and opened a portal leading to his void right outside the room. Out of the portal walked out his elite summons. They were more than enough to flatten an entire state, with them in the fight, the White Wolves were done for.

Judging by the info Nina gave him, there were around a hundred of the White Wolves, while there were only 60 of the family members to defend him. But now with his summons being added in the equation, it was safe to say, 'The hunters have become the hunted.'

He looked at them. No words were exchanged but they had been given their instruction. No mercy. 

Talos quickly scanned the area to know where the enemies were. Soon the summons parted their ways to capture or kill the enemies.