Hey everyone, so this is my first story. I hope you all like it. Inspired by bloodtip's story.

Chapter 1

Lloyd swung his wooden blades at the desian soldier. They landed with a painful crunch. Right after, the second soldier attacked and cracked his whip. The heavy end of the tool slammed painfully into Lloyd's side. The desian raised his arm to swing again.

Fwoosh

An arrow sailed through the air and pierced the desian's neck. The half-elf gasped for breath and choked on his-own blood. A man dressed in a worn, dark hooded cloak charged towards Lloyd. "Get down kid!" He yelled. Lloyd ducked and the still standing desian cracked his whip. The man blocked attack with his own body. Lloyd pushed forward, and slammed his body into the desian's chest knocking him back. The man drew a sword with his left hand from a holster on his hip and struck the soldier dead.

"Thanks guy!" Lloyd said gratefully.

"Run kid!" The man turned and started running as more desians ran out of the ranch. Lloyd and the strange man leapt off the cliff.

"Thank you." Lloyd said panting heavily. "Really, thanks."

The man pulled the hood off his head. "No sweat. I have no love for desains; they're a mockery of half-elves." The man had dirty brown hair that fell boyishly over his face. "The name's Link." He extended his left hand.

"Lloyd." Lloyd responded, taking the hand awkwardly.

Link laughed. "Yeah I'm a southpaw."

"Lloyd, are you ok?!" Genis ran down the trail as fast as his legs could carry him. "The desians saw your face and it's all my fault!"

"It's fine," Lloyd said nonchalantly "I killed the ones that saw my face. And I had back up."

"Link." Link extended his right hand this time.

The boy took the hand and winced slightly at the force of the hand shake. "Genis, thanks for helping us out."

"A good desian is a dead desian." Link commented. "We should get out of here."

"He's right we need to leave." Lloyd agreed. The trio ran.

Link waved goodbye to Genis as he made his way to the store. He entered the small wooden shack. "I need apple gels, three skins of water, and three pounds of preserved meat."

The shopkeeper smiled and started to gather the supplies. "Doing some traveling stranger?"

"Yeah, the return trip through the Triet desert."

The intense desert heat made Link's trip hard. He trudged along slowly. Grabbing a skin of water, Link drank conservatively from it. "God that old man better be right!" He pulled out an old, ragged, and faded map. "Reduced to chasing fairy tales, some treasure hunter I am."

His ears twitched at a strange sound, he looked around for the source of the noise. A small silver haired boy was running through the desert. "Whoa whoa kid!" He waved to the boy.

Genis recognized him and changed course. "Please help!"

"You're that Genis kid right? You ok?"

"Lloyd he... Desians... Captured... Wanted poster." Genis struggled to speak.

"Slow down, what's going on?" Link tried to calm him.

"Lloyd was taken by desians!" Genis shouted. "Please help me find my friends they should be nearby!"

"What about Lloyd?" Link asked worried.

"We won't stand a chance if we don't have more people." Genis explained.

Link nodded. "Where are we going kid?"

"Triet ruins!" Genis resumed running.

"The ruins are this way!" Link yelled after him. "Damn it kid." He ran after the young boy.

"An Ex-sphere! You're... Lloyd?" The blue haired man asked.

"And if I am?" Lloyd responded.

An alarm sounded and Botta, flanked by two soldiers, ran inside. "Sir! We've received reports that the chosen's group has entered the base!"

Lloyd recognized Botta. "You... You're the desians that attacked Iselia!"

Botta turned towards Lloyd. "So you're Lloyd, how amusing."

The unknown man turned to Botta. "Botta. I'm leaving for now. Our plans will be ruined if he sees me."

"What of the chosen?" Botta asked.

"I'll leave that to you." The man responded.

"Understood."

"Lloyd!" The man turned to face Lloyd. "The next we meet, you're mine. Just you wait." He flees.

Just after the man exits, Colette's group enters followed by Link and Genis.

"Lloyd!" Genis yelled.

"Good to see you're alive kid." Link said with a large grin.

Botta turned towards them. "Perfect timing! I'll take care of every one at once!"

"Get ready!" Kratos' yelled.

Botta readies a large blade as his men ready their own weapons.

"Kratos, you and me focus on Botta!" Link yelled. "The rest of you focus on the lackeys, Raine keep us alive!" Kratos and Link charged Botta and worked to wear him down. The two of them attempted to kept Botta on the defensive. Botta swung his large blade with both hands at Link, who dropped to the ground quickly.

Botta swung his sword down on Link. Lloyd swung his now metal blades at Botta, they cut him deep. Lloyd's attack caused Botta to miss. Kratos drew Botta's attention. "Thanks Lloyd!" Link laughed.

"Get up." Lloyd grabbed the half-elf's hand. "We're even." Link nodded.

"Link get over here!" Kratos shouted as he blocked a attack from Botta.

Lloyd, Colette, and Genis quickly dispatched the two soldiers and joined the fight against Botta.

"Don't let him cast any spells!" Genis yelled as he began to cast his own.

Kratos, Lloyd, Link, and Colette focussed their attacks on Botta not letting him get his own in. Link made a powerful strike and broke Botta's sword. Defeated, Botta dropped his sword and fled.

Link approached the fallen blade with a wounded look on his face. "Oh no..." He picked it up almost reverently. "This would've been worth a fortune."

Raine took notice. "Isn't that a... "

"Professor!" Lloyd called.

"Lloyd, Genis told me what happened, I'm sorry for the trouble he caused you." Raine said.

"No, I'm the one who dragged Genis into this." Lloyd apologized.

"Save the chit chat for later, we shouldn't stay here." Kratos warned.

Raine pressed some buttons on a nearby console. "You're right. I opened the escape route, let's go."

The group escaped the desian base and fled to Triet.