The Rise Of A Porter

Following the nightmare, Arnold woke up with a start. There was no sun to greet him inside his void, but the electricity generated from the beast crystals was enough to light up the room. He tried to remember the dream, and unlike the last time, his head was clear as day. Still, a plethora of thoughts rushing in his brain didn't make it easy for him to recall everything. However, he could vividly remember the scene of the battlefield. The blood and corpses had left their mark in his head but weirdly enough he couldn't feel anything. 

He had slain innumerable monsters and humans too so it wasn't that weird for him to not feel anything. Killing was like second nature to him.

'Was it same for Nicole as well?' Arnold thought about it for a while then furiously shook his head, 'Second nature or not... She tried to kill me. Paladins, Gods and what the fck not... Everything is screwing me up.'

He slid out of the bed. Took his shirt off and started working out right then and there. Previously, he thought sleeping would help him clear his mind which it did, momentarily. But now he was back at square one.

With the destroyed forge, working out was the only thing he could do. But he wouldn't get to have that either as his head was filled with the words of the one he thought to be the immortal one. After all, who else would generously offer to give him more powers?

'I have to get stronger that's certain.' He mumbled as he rigorously performed pushups, 'I also need to talk with Nicole on this matter but not now. Anything I'd do now would end up adding more fuel in the fire.'

Arnold considered himself to be lucky. If it wasn't for his [Devil's Advocate] passive, he would be gone for good. Despite that, he was still worried. Even though he was immune to true damage-causing abilities, it wasn't the same for his summons.

With her powers, Nicole could easily destroy his summons and weapons on a whim. Which would then deplete her of her mana. Thus one could say they were at a stalemate right now. Arnold wouldn't be able to cause her any harm, nor would Nicole be able to do anything to him. They were each other's perfect counters.

Thinking about his sibling, broke a smile on his face. It was a joyous smile but a sad one. 

'Who would've thought in a hundred years that my sister would end up becoming my adversary. But here we are.'

He wanted to make up with her after all no matter what, she was still his sister. The one he had loved more than himself. This was what he wanted to believe, that they would put everything behind and start over once again but deep down he knew, it was all jackshit.

The trust he had for her was completely shattered today. No matter what happened next, he was doubtful he'd ever been able to trust her like before. Even in case he miraculously managed to trust her, he would always be on edge around her. He'd feel like walking over eggshells. No matter how many scenarios he played in his head, he couldn't think of a positive outcome for it. 

"I wonder what would mom do in this situation." Arnold mumbled as he got up and swiped the sweat using his shirt, "Maybe she'll lock us up in a room and force us to make up, haha. But I doubt it'll work now. I'm pretty sure only one of us might walk out of that room alive."

He had rested for well over eight hours, however, since the time flew faster in his domain, not even three hours had been passed in the real world. If Arnold when outside now the darkness would be as prominent as ever. So he decided to go for his run inside the void instead.

He was about to step out when he heard a loud cheer followed by sounds of clashing steel. 

"Looks like someone is training in the backyard. Might as well join them." He said and hurried off to the backyard of the building. Following the sounds. 

"Should've known it would be them." Arnold let a smile escape from his mouth as he leaned on the wall next to him. 

In some distance, Asterios and Dread were practising their moves on each other. Sparks flew out in all directions when the unadulterated strength of Asterios' Warhammer and the Dread's sleek and calculated katana met each other. It was truly a sight to behold. Even his other summons had gathered around them to enjoy the show. Asterios and Dread practised a lot with each other, as they were the only ones who could take each other's attacks, still, they rarely went all out on each other. Both Arnold and his summons knew this very well and hence were watching the duel with immense interest. 

Arnold didn't know, but watching the duel somehow managed to put his mind at ease. All of his worries about Nicole, Nina and his nightmares had vanished. He had finally found something else to occupy his head, for now at least. He soon started analysing their battle techniques. He was used to doing this after all the battles he had fought ever since gaining the system. 

"Dread has better technique, as well as his attacks, are calculated and efficient. Whereas Asterios... He just has a lot of strength but then his-"

Arnold interrupted but Asterios' roar. The Minotaur charged at the Dreadnought like a bull addicted to Redbull. It looked like Dread already knew his opponent's next move and had already planned a counter move. Right before the collision, Asterios leapt in the air, his hammer over his head. One could say it was his signature move. Dread immediately threw a punch at the flying Minotaur while preparing his katana to attack Asterios at the same time.

At that moment Arnold knew who was going to be the winner of the duel, 'Well done, Asterios.'

The Highflying Minotaur suddenly threw his hammer at Dread as if it was a javelin. Dread was surprised by this weird manoeuvre and couldn't respond in time. The hammer took out the katana in his other arm, while Asterios dropkicked dread in the face. It was Dread's turn to fly now, and boy did he fly. Few of Arnold's unlucky summons got in Dread's way and were crushed like rotten tomatoes. All of a sudden, the cheering stopped. The summons were dumbstruck. 

Everyone present during this battle would've bet that Dread was going to win the duel no matter what. After all, it was the most obvious conclusion. Dread was better than Asterios in almost every way. But Arnold knew of a factor which everyone overlooked: Unpredictability.

Asterios didn't have a particular fighting style, and this was the secret of his victory. Asterios in a way was much similar to Arnold. Defying the odds wasn't something that everyone could pull off and Arnold respected anyone capable of doing it. 

Arnold's claps broke the silent atmosphere. Everyone's eyes were now transfixed on him. 

He spoke up once he had their attention, "Alright, this fight got me fired up. Anyone up for a sparring session with me?"

Silence once again swallowed the atmosphere, until a hand shot up in the air. 

"How about a rematch, boss?" Bad-breath exclaimed, smiling like an idiot. 

"Just be sure to close your mouth." Arnold smiled, "I don't want to stink."