Link couldn't believe it after weeks of looking for Meagan and finding her only minutes before they were being separated again. He looked at her beautiful face. She glanced up a little desperately at him. The scars from begin in the other guild were plain on her arms and face. Link felt horrible as Meagan looked down as if in defeat. The rest of the group was herded toward the gate were all the other students went through. The blue vixen that Link had noticed earlier tripped and fell flat on her face. "Get up runt" one of the students kicked her as she struggled to push herself to her feet. Come Link's new master said and started walking. Link reluctantly began to follow glancing back he saw Meagan help the blue vixen get up. Meagan glanced up and looked at Link. He felt his heart flutter as he saw her beautiful green eyes. Then she turned as she was shoved from behind. Link almost ran back to her but barely contained himself. As he turned back around he narrowly avoided walking in to a wall.
Following his new master he took so many turns that he quickly became lost. Finally they entered a room that was circular and had beams and poles around the edges. "This is the sparring room" his master said without turning around. Pointing to an adjacent door on the left he said, "That is your room to do with as you like."
He pointed to one on the left, "That one is mine, stay away from it." He added in a threatening tone. He pointed to the one in the middle, "That is the armory; you can choose your weapon now. Training starts tomorrow. His master turned around and Link recognized his face.
"You're the one helped me and Meagan get away." Link felt himself go a little lightheaded just by mentioning Meagan's name.
His master nodded, "My name is Raxtus the weapons master." He gave a shallow bow. "I leave you for tonight." He walked into his room and closed the door. Link looked around at the wooden poles were for and guessed that he would find out soon enough. His gaze fell on the door in the middle. Sighing he walked up to it and shoved it open. Inside was a mass of weapons. He picked up a spear and tossed it from hand to hand over his head, he set it back down and picked up a broad sword. Hour after hour, weapon after weapon he tested, trying to find the right one; one that settled in his hands and felt as if it belonged there.
Raxtus flipped his wooden sword around smashed it into Link's side. Link fell to the ground for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning. He gingerly picked himself and his two wooden scimitars up off the ground. "I think that's enough for today" Raxtus said. He wasn't even panting Link thought bitterly as walked into his room. He put his scimitars in his room right next to his bed, I've got enough bruises to last me a lifetime thought Link as he bumped his elbow against his bed. Walking back out again he saw Raxtus just coming out of the armory with a real sword strapped to his side the same way as yesterday. "Let's go" was all he said as they walked out of the door that led to the hall. Link just followed Raxtus because he was still confused about which way to go. Finally coming to a door that looked a little bigger than the others Raxtus stopped pushed the door open. There were not very many people up yet. Raxtus moved off to sit towards the front of the main hall. Link spotted Ragnoth sitting in the same corner as yesterday. Making his way over to him Link patted the young dragon's head and simply said, "Morning." Ragnoth opened one jet black eye and grumbled, shifting his head on his paws more comfortably. Link moved over to the food table and took some bread and butter along with a little bit of milk and moved back over to Ragnoth. Sitting down next to Ragnoth he leaned back and closed his eyes. A door opened and he sat bolt upright searching for Meagan. Kraush the Berserker Minotaur was the only person that walked through. Sighing Link leaned back and closed his eyed again. This happened over and over again each time Link would hope to see Meagan's gorgeous face but someone else would walk through. Finally after about an hour Link saw Meagan walkthrough with the blue vixen from yesterday. He tried not to run as he made his way over to them. "Meagan" Link said as he caught up with them.
She turned around and smiled with relief at him, "Glad to see you again." His vision went a little blurry and his heart let out a whoop as he heard her sweet voice say that.
"This way", Link barely managed to get the words out as he turned around. As he was leading them back toward Ragnoth Link was constantly afraid that he would lose Meagan again. Finally reaching Ragnoth Link turned around to see Meagan and the vixen standing a good twenty feet away from him. "It's all right he won't hurt you. His name is-"
"Ragnoth" said Ragnoth as he raised his head smiling, turning a mock baleful eye on Link. "I can introduce myself thank you very much." Looking back at Meagan and the vixen he bowed his head, "Pleased to meet you."
Meagan walked up and nodded her head, "I'm Meagan."
The blue vixen walked up and bowed low and said shyly, "My name is Krystal." Ragnoth nodded to each of them before resting his head on his front paws again.
"Link!" Link looked up to see Tarquin come walking towards him. Tarquin sat down next to Link and asked, "So did you get picked?"
"Yes."
Tarquin's furry brows shot up, "You serious?" Without waiting for an answer he plowed on. "You only ever get picked if your master thinks that you could be his successor. Who did you get picked by?"
Link shrugged his shoulders, "Raxtus." Tarquin's mouth fell open. "What?"Link asked. Tarquin didn't move. "What?" Link asked again.
"Raxtus is the weapons master the best fighter in the guild." Tarquin finally said after a pause.
Ragnoth opened one eye and looked at Tarquin. "That's what you think, just watch me best him in combat."
"Well with swords he's the best."
"No even if he had swords I could still beat him."
"Well against people with swords he's the best."
"I think I qualify as a person and as I stated before I could best him in combat."
Tarquin sighed exasperatedly, "You know what I mean Ragnoth!" Ragnoth chuckled and closed his eye.
"How do you know Ragnoth?" Link asked him.
"Everyone here knows who he is. I'm just the only one who isn't scared to death of him." Tarquin sat back and let out a low whistle. "Still can't get over how you were picked by Raxtus."
They passed the rest of their time by talking about different kinds of weapon's advantages and disadvantages. Everybody started filing out and Tarquin stood up and stretched, "Well time to get back to class." Link noticed that Raxtus was standing next to the door looking impatient. "See all you later."
The next few months passed by without much happening. Every morning and evening Link would meet up with his little group and they talk about random things. During the day Link would train with Raxtus; over time Link would hit him more and more until they were almost matched in skill. Over time Link had come to know the backgrounds of his friends.
Krystal was born singly instead of in a litter, with blue fur. Her mother had cared for her while her father thought that she was something to be hidden from public, a disgrace to the family. Her town had been ransacked by bandits and her parents killed. She had managed to slip away and sneak past the guard and make it into the city were the guild had found her.
Tarquin had not known any family and had been here as long as he could remember. The only clue he had was an odd item that been sent to him. The thing that set him apart from other foxes was that the tip of his tail was white.
Ragnoth had only had a dad who protected him at the cost of his own life from a group of dragon hunters and he had escaped into the sewers where the guild had found him so covered with dirt they couldn't tell that he was a black dragon. Meagan had picked the same weapons as Link, two scimitars. Krystal and Tarquin were both proficient at the quarter staff and crossbow. Ragnoth still was too young to use his breath but with a dragon trainer was learning aerial combat.
Link picked himself up off the straw bundle rubbing his back. Craning his neck he looked up to the pole that he had fallen off of. "That's your best so far." Raxtus commented as Link walked back toward the first pole. "But you are still doing it wrong."
Link turned on him exasperatedly to him, "What am I doing wrong?" They had been over this a thousand times.
"Don't think just do." Link just shook his head, as usual Raxtus never answered. Each pole only had enough space for one foot to be on it on a time, the poles got higher and higher so it tested you balancing and well as playing on your mind. "That is enough for today." Link sighed in relief and slumped down against the wall. "Let's go." Link stood up quickly and followed Raxtus back to the Great Hall.
Link made his way over to the usual corner and sat down; as always Ragnoth was there first. Soon enough Link spotted Meagan's beautiful face as she came over and sat next to him. Still after all this time just being next to her made his skin stilled tingle. Krystal came over and sat down next to Meagan. Link found himself just staring at Meagan; she was so painfully beautiful. Tarquin eventually came over still chewing on a piece of bread. Swallowing he said excitedly, "Have you checked out the list of patrol members yet?"
"No, why is our name on them?"
"Yours is on number three and mine is on seven." Replied Tarquin while brushing bread crumbs off of himself.
"Finally we get to go on a patrol but too bad were not on the same one." said Link.
"Well you can't have everything."
Every day about five students were chosen to go on the patrols around the guild's territory watching out for The Brotherhood guild raids. They also had to patrol the sewers; this was not a favored place to be on a patrol. Nothing usually happened on the patrols, just the occasional skirmish as to patrols encountered each other.