Arnos groaned, his back aching. He opened his eyes to see an unfamiliar surrounding around him. Then it hit him, what happened yesterday wasn't a dream. It was real and had really happened.
"You're finally awake, unfortunately you don't have to run laps. So I let you sleep in. Now doo 250 push ups and you can have breakfast."
"Ehhh what-" He snapped back into reality.
Arnos got changed into some clothing. He stretched and started.
It took him under 2 minutes to finish which wasn't too shabby. He then finally was allowed to eat. While he ate Master Romeus told him a bit more about the joining of guilds. Also that they would have to depart again and may never see each other again.
Arnos's face turned cold and his eyes went sharp. He stopped moving. Master Romeus raised an eyebrow,
"What's wrong-"
"What's wrong. Really?! You leave for 3 days. And now you come back and say we might never see each other again?! What do you mean what's wrong?!!!?!" He shouted at Master Romeus, he wasn't thinking. Master Romeus didn't blame him.
"I'm sorry Arnos. I really am, I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." He comforted him but inside he was weighed heavily down from guilt.
"You're-you're like my fa-mily. A figure that I've never had and now you're leaving just like the rest of them..." He couldn't stop the tears, Master Romeus made him feel not alone. He was embarrassed that the tears streamed down his eyes. Master Romeus was quiet, he stood up and opened his arms.
Arnos didn't expect this but threw himself into his arms. They stayed like that for awhile before calming down and sitting back down.
After chatting about a few more things. They got ready to go their separate ways. Arnos got changed into the proper gear and the hood he had given him the night before.
Then they said their goodbyes. It was tough, imagine never having a father figure or family. Basically being an orphan and then the one person you looked up to most, leaves you. Even though they weren't together for long. Arnos had memories and bonded well with Master Romeus.
The pavements were all smooth. Arnos walked along the streets with the sun out, shining brightly down on everyone. Although he stuck out like a needle in a haystack. He used the layout that Master Romeus has shown him. He stopped at a humongous building. It was ginormous, it was like bigger than the mage and knight register halls combined.
He walked in, there were many different people around, chatting, playing and sleeping. They were all of different heights, genders and of course masteries.
Arnos wasn't quite sure exactly where to register for a guild so he asked someone nearby. He looked around all the counters and went to the one that wasn't busy.
"Excuse me."
The old man looked up from his paper.
"You're new around here, I haven't seen you before. Aren't you? What do you need?" He asked in a friendly tone.
"Um, do you know where to sign up for a guild?" Arnos asked.
"Ohhh I see, you're in luck. Over there. You see those 5 people in the different stands. They're all recruiting, right now. You should go check them out and choose your most preferred guild." The old man pointed at them.
"Also, whats your name? I'm Phillip but everyone calls me old man or Mister Phil."
"Oh I'm... I'm Silent User."
"I'm guessing it's the name you go by?. Well anyways good luck kid."
"Thanks, Phil."
Arnos made his way over to the people. As soon as he was in sight of them, their eyes lit up.
"Hey kid! You want to join a guild?! Join The Polar Guild!"
"Hey! You should join us! The Maraunete Guild!"
"Nah! Don't listen to them! Join The GrayWolf Guild!!"
He started at the left first. The guild leader stared at him while Arnos stared back.
"Hello. Here are the forms, please fill it in." That's all he said and then went back to reading his book or whatever it was.
One by one he went to each store to check them out. He looked at all of them and went to see which one he preferred the most.
The GrayWolf Guild -Small Guild
The Maruanete Guild -Medium Guild
The Polar Guild -Large Guild
The Nightmare Guild -Large Guild
The SoundlessSolemn Guild -Medium Guild
He didn't want to seem biased but he definitely knew which one he was going to choose. He decided to choose The SoundlessSolemn Guild.
He filled all the applications and ticked the, 'Show your skills instead of telling' Box. The guild leader was male, of course not all guilds are sexist. Two of the guilds earlier had female leaders, The Polar and Maraunete Guild.
A handsome man looked up and smiled.
"I'm glad you chose this guild. You won't regret it. Please stay here as I check the form quickly."
He skimmed the sheet and then frowned.
"So you're one of those who hide their identities? That's fine, then we'll leave at 10:00am. Please wait a moment as I see if any more people decide to join."
Arnos just slightly nodded his head and went to sit on his couch. He daydreamed away.
He awoke from his daze and thoughts when he felt a slight tap on the shoulder. He stood up.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you but we're leaving now. Let's go. Sadly no other people decided to join so we're leaving early."
"Oh alright."
Arnos followed the man out.
"My name as you may already know, Silent User is Hunter. I am a knight."
They arrived at a carriage, pulled by horses. Arnos thought these things weren't ridden anymore but clearly they were. The journey wasn't too long nor was it short. Along the way no one talked, it was pretty awkward.
Arnos woke up and saw that they were about to run into a tree. He was going to bail and jump out when he realized it was a secret passage to where their guild must've been.
The place was huge, the interior was of wood, stone, marble and many other materials. The guild mates all greeted the Guild Leader. Some thought Arnos was suspicious, others were curious to know who he was. Some even tried approach Arnos which Hunter just shrugged them off.
He was led into a giant room.
"Show me your skills."
Arnos didn't pause, he started with Triple Slash and cut the dummy in threes. Then he dashed up the wall. Followed by a Leap and Shadow Vanish. He couldn't really show Presence Seeker so he explained about it near the end. Then he used Force Blast which did a huge hole in one of the dummies. Finally he used his newly learnt skill, Brief Cut.
Where as, he could see some shock in Hunter's eyes. He could also make out some excitement but no envy. Clearly the guy was probably a humble dude and many people liked him. Well that's what Arnos's first impression of him was.
"Well, Silent User, you're in. Here's a table and a map of the place. This also tells you about when's dinner, training, missions, etc. Harold here, will show you to your room."
Harold was a skinny looking fellow. He led Arnos to his room. The place was quite nice. It was comfortable.
He lied down and wondered how Master Romeus was doing right, that exact instance.
He ran through the forest. They were close behind, he could hear their footsteps catching up. With a sharp turn and leap. He disappeared out of view and stayed perched there on the branches of the tree.
He heard them run pass and sighed in relief. Which he would've done so if he hadn't had heard the slow footsteps that were still coming. He kept his mouth shut and tried to blend within the surroundings.