To say that Andrex was embarrassed after Arnold produced flames by his fingers would be an understatement. As a result, he made his presence scarce during the rest of the meeting. It was a blessing in disguise as, without his continuous bickering, the rest of the meeting went smoothly.

Now it was time to select the one who'll lead the forces into the swamps. Arnold was sure Nathan would be the crowd favourite. To ensure that there wasn't any pressure on the council members and also that Arnold wouldn't try to 'influence' them, they all decided to vote for the leader while maintaining anonymity. Arnold and Nina weren't allowed to vote as each family could cast only one vote. 

However, Nathan, Nina, and Arnold were all shocked when the results were disclosed. Nathan wasn't the one who was selected by the council to lead the force... It was Arnold! All of them voted for him except Nathan and maybe Andrex who had voted in favour of Marrino as no one could vote for themselves.

Arnold wasn't even in the 'race'. He was there to ensure Nathan was selected by the council to do the right thing and yet they all voted for him! 

Arnold couldn't express how he was feeling at the time, so he just blurted out, "Can you guys even do this? I mean, I wasn't supposed to even be considered as a candidate so it should be wrong right?"

"Who do you think decided the rules here, kid?" Marrino smiled. 

Indeed the council could do as they pleased but this was... A bit extreme. Why would they even think about him making him the leader? Had they lost it? 

It felt as if Marrino had read his mind because as soon as the thought about getting selected crossed Arnold's head, as he told Arnold exactly why he was picked to lead the forces into the swamp. 

"Among the people present inside this room, you're the one who has the most knowledge about the swamps." Marrino explained, "You have experience of leading troops to battle and managing them efficiently as you've been doing so as a part of your role as Section Chief. The third reason, you're the strongest man alive as of now. And lastly, you leading the forces into battle would be a massive morale boost for the soldiers as well as the citizens. Something we desperately need right now."

The other members of the council nodded their heads in response. To them, Arnold was the most capable and qualified person for the role. Thus they ignored the minor detail that he wasn't a candidate.

While Nathan was more than capable of leading them too, he lacked the charm, appeal and individuality that Arnold had. All of them knew about Nathan because he was associated with the Blacks. Arnold on the other hand, despite being a member of the same family, was individualistic. He had achieved a lot of things on his own. 

One could've argued to appoint Nicole the leader instead of Arnold, after all, she too was a powerful individual. But she was still young nor did she had enough experience to lead the forces to battle. And as far as Johnny was concerned, it was clear that both Nicole and Arnold were stronger than America's first SS ranked warrior. So he didn't even pop up in most of their minds. 

They needed a leader whom the soldiers could look up to, feel safe, and have an urge to follow the man on their own. Considering these factors, it was clear that Arnold was more suited for the job than anyone else. Thus he got the position. 

Arnold could understand what they were trying to do, and he appreciated the gesture. He wanted to thank them for trusting him with such a huge responsibility but he couldn't. That thankfulness, that emotion that he was feeling, wasn't something that he could express in words. For there were not enough words invented to translate how he was feeling at that moment. 

The meeting quickly concluded afterwards. However, not all was well. Arnold couldn't help but notice that Nathan was feeling a bit down. It didn't require a nuclear scientist to see through Nathan's fake smile or the reason behind it. He didn't get to be the leader thus he was upset. 

Arnold thought it was childish. As long as one of the family members got to hold the position, it was a win for the family but it seemed like Nathan didn't think about it like that. Also, Nathan hadn't even congratulated him for getting selected! Either way, Arnold decided to be the bigger man and cast any misunderstanding aside before it got bigger. He wanted to 'nip the bud' while he could. 

"Hey..." Nina pulled Arnold aside, "Don't you think Nathan is behaving weirdly? I thought he'd be happy that you were selected, but that doesn't seem to be the case."

"Even you noticed that huh..." Arnold mumbled and kissed her forehead, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."

He slowly approached Nathan and waited till he got free before striking up a conversation. 

"Hey!" Arnold smiled at him, "I guess your planned worked!"

"What plan?" Nathan looked at him confused. 

"Oh come on. You planned all of this, didn't you? You wanted me to be the leader and that's why you called in favours from the rest of the council members right? I just wanted to thank you for doing something like that for me. And even if you didn't do it, none of it would've been possible without the family's standing in the society which all happened because of you, and I greatly appreciate it."

Arnold gave a quick pat on Nathan's shoulder. In Arnold's eyes, Nathan just wanted some... Credit. Which Arnold just gave to him. But Nathan soon realised what a brat he was being by not congratulating the one he referred to as his brother. Arnold was a better choice for the task and he knew it as well. Despite that, he was behaving like a child. 

All of a sudden Nathan burst out laughing. Arnold soon joined in and in no time all the eyes were fixed on the two of them laughing hysterically. 

"Thanks for knocking some sense into your bratty brother! And congratulations on achieving the leader's position." Nathan said and he wiped a tear from the corner of his eyes before shaking Arnold's hands. 

"No need to thank anyone. As your brother, it's my job to be on your side forever. As your champion regardless of if you fucked up or not. To be there to guard you and fend off the scavengers, set you back on your feet and facing the right direction with a nap sack and good footwear. And maybe sometimes smack some sense into you using those footwears." Arnold smiled, "That's what we are for one another, and also, you are appreciated more than words can express. Everything clear between us now?"

"More than clear."

"That's good to hear. Now if you don't mind, I'll be heading back. I think I should start making plans about the assault." Arnold mumbled, "Could you tell everyone to assemble the force according to what I've said earlier and be ready in three days? I'll be back by then to share my plans."

"Leave that to me. You go and get yourself prepared. We'll handle the rest." Nathan responded while Nina and Arnold headed back to Nina's apartment. 

Arnold called Nicole and told her to be there. He was planning to travel back to the Alpha base and continue planning his next moves along with Talos, Nina and Nicole. They were going to play major roles in the upcoming battle. 

***

Meanwhile in naga territory of the swamps...

"My queen," A naga messenger bowed before Alleiah, the queen of nagas, "Grock has sent his approval to your peace treaty."

"Haha, I knew that spineless lizard will agree to her highness' terms." Kira, Alleiah's right-hand naga exclaimed with excitement. 

The nagas and lizardmen had been at war ever since the swamps came into existence. Back when Alleiah's mother was the queen, the nagas were the overlords of the swamps. Even the mighty mermen were reluctant to fight with the nagas. Their victory against the lizardmen was assured. But then the tides of the battle changed for the worst. The lizardmen, who were used to fighting barehanded, now had weapons which the nagas had never seen before. 

With these new weapons and armours, they overwhelmed the nagas, despite their small numbers. The nagas had no counter for their weapons. Nagas only used magic and weapons that the swamps could provide them with. Weapons like spears, stone sword, stone axes and knives. But the weapons lizardmen had, were way too modern. Unlike anything, the nagas had seen. Even today the only proper weapons the nagas had were stolen away from the few lizardmen elite that they managed to kill now and then. 

Needless to say, nagas brutally lost the battle. Alleiah's mother was blamed for their incompetence and burned to death by heretics. They tried to do the same with Alleiah but couldn't bring themselves to kill a child. Strike one. 

The heretic thought they could tame an orphaned Alleiah and taught her everything. From combat to politics. Strike two. 

Once she was 'trained', she was crowned as the new queen. Giving her the power to do as she pleased. Strike three. 

The first order she gave after ascending the throne was to burn the heretics alive. Just like they burned her mother. Ever since that day, whoever stood against her was eliminated without mercy. Only Kira was allowed to criticise her as they were like sisters. Later it was discovered that a few humans were working with the lizardmen and providing them with weapons in exchange for protection. 

Alleiah raised her hand, signalling everyone to calm down. The messenger wasn't done yet. 

"What else did he say?" Alleiah asked as the messenger went back on his knees. She knew Grock wouldn't agree to the treaty so easily. 

"He... He..." The messenger's voice started cracking up, "He said he'll agree to the terms as long as the queen agrees to be his... I can't... I can't say what he next..."

"What. Did. He. Say?"

The messenger was shaken to his core. The Queen's anger was legendary. But he was stuck between rock and a hard place. No matter what he says, he'll die. In the end, he decided to tell Alleiah the truth. That way maybe just maybe his queen wouldn't kill him. 

"He said he'll abide by the terms if the queen agrees to be his... Personal prostitute."

The next second a loud whip-like sound was heard in the courtroom, as the messenger's head fell off his shoulders. 

"Prepare for battle!" Alleiah roared and left the room.