It was a chained dagger.
"Finally..."
The word escaped Arlo’s lips in an almost inaudible sigh of relief.
Without hesitation, he reached out and seized the chain, swinging the weapon through the air in one smooth motion.
The weighted dagger swung around his body before he caught it between his fingers with ease, glancing at the blade with the familiarity of someone who had trained with it for years.
If there was one weapon in the world he trusted more than any other, it was the chained dagger.
Although the sword was the traditional weapon of the Eclipsion royal family, and every prince and princess was expected to master it, Arlo had always preferred something different.
That was thanks to Orion.
Among all the weapons in the royal arsenal, his elder brother possessed the greatest mastery over the chained dagger, and it was under his guidance that Arlo had learned to wield it.
"Hey, found Something?"
Fat Con’s impatient voice snapped him back to reality.
Arlo wound the chain around his forearms before sliding the dagger itself into a metallic sheath secured beside his knee. Only then did he turn and jog back.
Fat Con watched him with obvious curiosity, clearly expecting him to emerge carrying one of the enormous rifles.
Instead, his smile froze as his eyes slowly drifted toward the chain wrapped around Arlo’s arms.
"...You..."
His mouth hung open.
"I..."
Then he finally lost control.
"What the hell is that?!"
Arlo blinked.
He glanced down at the weapon before answering as though the answer were obvious.
"My weapon."
"Your weapon?" Fat Con nearly choked. "That’s a chain with a kitchen knife tied to the end of it! I doubt that thing could..."
"ATTENTION! ALL SOLDIERS ARE TO REPORT TO THE MISSION BRIEFING HALL WITHIN ONE MINUTE. FAILURE TO COMPLY WILL RESULT IN IMMEDIATE DISCIPLINARY ACTION."
"...Shit!"
Fat Con spun toward the weapon racks, grabbed two compact pistols, and threw them to Arlo.
"Take these!"
Arlo caught them instinctively.
"At least you’ll have something that’ll buy you a few extra seconds before whatever’s out there tears your head off."
Without waiting for a reply, Fat Con bolted toward the exit.
Arlo glanced briefly at the unfamiliar weapons before slipping them into the compartments built into his armor.
He had absolutely no idea how to use them, but that didn’t matter now.
He sprinted after Fatcon, and forty-five seconds later, the massive crimson doors leading into the briefing hall finally came into view.
Only, they were already beginning to close.
"There is no way..."
Fat Con’s face paled as he looked at the nearly thirty meters separating them from the entrance. No matter how fast he ran, he would not make it.
"Shit... shit... shit..."
His breathing grew increasingly frantic as the gap between the doors narrowed with every passing second.
"So this is what I get for trying to help a newbie, huh.."
Before he could say anything else, a powerful impact struck him and lifted him completely off the ground.
"What?!"
Wind roared past his ears as he shot forward, his eyes widening when he saw Arlo beside him.
The doorway ahead was rapidly closing, but Arlo’s expression remained calm.
Without hesitation, he pushed himself faster.
With a single explosive step, the metallic ground seemed to sink beneath his weight as Arlo burst forward, crossing the remaining distance almost instantly and passing through the threshold just as the enormous doors sealed shut behind them.
Fat Con stared around the vast briefing hall in complete disbelief.
"...We actually made it."
He turned toward Arlo.
"I... thank..."
"YOU’RE LATE!"
The furious roar cut him off.
Both instinctively looked toward the elevated platform overlooking the hall.
Standing there was Captain Ennessa, still clad in the same armored suit and looking every bit as terrifying as before.
Fat Con immediately dropped onto one knee.
"We sincerely apologize, Captain."
Only then did he notice Arlo, who was still standing perfectly upright.
A cold sweat instantly rolled down Fat Con’s forehead.
"Arlo..."
He reached over and desperately tugged at Arlo’s leg, trying to force him to kneel.
Instead, Arlo brushed his hand aside with a sharp motion.
"Arlo," Fat Con whispered urgently, "please don’t make this worse."
His whisper carried so clearly through the silent hall that it may as well have been a shout.
Ennessa smirked.
"And what exactly do you have to say for yourself, kid?"
She slowly rose from her seat, folding her arms as she looked down at him.
Arlo met her gaze without hesitation.
"Actually..."
His voice remained calm.
"We are not late."
Several eyebrows rose throughout the hall.
"The announcement stated that the doors would close after one minute, and we arrived on the fifty-fourth second."
His eyes returned to hers.
"So how exactly are we late?"
The entire hall fell silent.
Soft gasps came from the soldiers as Ennessa’s smile faded. The ground beneath her feet sank slightly, and in the next moment, she vanished.
VROOOOM!
Arlo’s hair whipped violently across his face as a terrifying pressure descended upon him.
Before anyone could react, Ennessa was already standing directly before him, barely inches away, her sapphire eyes burning a blazing crimson.
"...Oh no."