[h1][u]The Sky and the Earth II - Act 1[/u][/h1] Luna Crescente had been abuzz with speculation and activity all morning; merchants running everywhere, commoners gossiping over drinks in the many quiet alleyways and cafes of the thriving town. Most of all, however, it was the mages of Harpy's Wing and Golem's Hand wo were providing the most energy to the proceedings, flooding the town to buy things, pick up gossip, and plan for whatever lay ahead of them. On an otherwise unassuming day, and with no official events in the town calendar, an onlooker might be surprised to find themselves in the midst of such a riot of excitement and energy, but members of the town all knew what was coming. The date was June 1st, and that meant one thing: the S-Class trials were coming to Luna Crescente. [hr] [center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjY2LjVjYWRhNy5TR0Z5Y0hrbmN5QlhhVzVuLjAAAAAA/vtks-felicidade-2016.regular.png[/img][/center] In the Nest, one of the two great hubs of activity, Arianna looked out on the proceedings below from the high balcony of the S-Class landing. Set atop a spiral staircase in the center of the main hall, it gave a 360 degree view of the room, and served as a vantage point where she could watch all her darling guild members prepare for the unknown. She had said nothing to anyone about what her plans for the trial would be this year, not even the few S-Class mages lounging behind her, but her guild all knew the drill: the announcement would be made at 5pm this evening in the town square, and after that the challenge would be on. Seeing one of her younger and quieter members pushing her way through the crowd, Arianna pulled herself over the balcony and floated down to the ground, arriving just in time to stop her from being bowled over by a rogue team who were off on their way into town. Pulling the young girl aside, Arianna brushed her off before giving her a task. [color=8882be]"Are you alright? Yes? Good. I have a little job for you if you're not busy. I need you to go find Dreadlin and Pan, and tell them I'd like to speak with them please! Let them know they can meet me in an hour at 4:30, just before the announcement."[/color] The young girl nodded vigorously before scurrying off through the crowd on her errand. Arianna smiled as she watched her weave her way across the floor of the Nest, some months ago she didn't have the courage to enter the hall, let alone cut all the way across the middle of it. They grow up so fast... Breaking her train of thought, Arianna decided that enough time and planning had gone on without an official announcement. Jumping high into the air, she floated above the heads of her guild mates, before whistling a high note which reverberated throughout the room. Well used to this signal, the hall quickly quieted down as all heads turned upwards to look at her. [color=8882be]"I shall interupt all your planning for a brief moment! While the announcement for what the S-Class test will be shall wait until 5pm this evening as is tradition, there is one special piece of information that you must all be aware of. For the first time since their inception, Golem's Hand and Harpy's Wing will be combining their rank ups into one event! As such, a very special rule applies. Any scraps between guild members of different guilds that do not have a very clear instigator will see both parties disqualified from the test! I'm sure that as my precious children you're aware how unhappy I'd be if this happened to any of you, so please stay out of trouble. See you all at 5!"[/color] And with that bombshell, Arianna floated straight back up over the edge of the S-Class landing, giggling to herself at the stunned faces of her S-Class mages and the riot of noise that erupted below her... [hr] [center][img]http://txt-dynamic.static.1001fonts.net/txt/dHRmLjY2LmE4YThhOC5SMjlzWlcwbmN5QklZVzVrLjAA/more-news-from.again.png[/img][/center] At the same time, in the center of town, a very similar situation was taking place in the halls and corridors of Golem's Hand. Delsin rubbed his temples and groaned as he contemplated just how much he had to do to set this all up. A month ago, he had been surprised when Ari waltzed through the doors of his office, dragging behind her his frustrated secretary, Angela, and his even more frustrated personal guard, Sam, both of whom were trying and failing to get her to wait outside and follow the due process of setting up a formal meeting. Never one for formalities, Ari completely ignored them both and simply wandered in unannounced. Thoroughly unprepared for her arrival on an otherwise normal day, Delsin immediately turned into something of a stammering wreck, nodding along to what Ari said and just generally agreeing with her. It was only after she'd thanked him and walzted straight back out the door that he noticed the concerned looks of his aides and he actually processed what she'd said. Combining the S-Class trials and disqualifying members who got into fights with members of the other guild? It was going to be a logistical nightmare. But he'd said yes, and he did at least see the potential benefits that she was claiming would be found in such a system, so he was now invested in going along with it. Just earlier, at around 3, he had made the announcement that Golem's Hand would be joining Harpy's Guild to perform their S-Class trials. The response was swift and definitive. Most people were either confused or concerned with the decision, and there were a few who actively booed the announcement, calling out the Harpies as being too soft to keep up with them. Delsin warned them all not to underestimate the Harpies, but his warning seems to have gone unheeded, with many members walking around laughing about how easy it's going to be if they're just going up against Harpies. Delsin smiled grimly to himself; there would be plenty of Golems who would be learning a swift and cruel lesson about how unwise it is to underestimate a group of people so dedicated on working together. Not least of all, his biggest problem... He spoke quietly as he turned to Angela, who was keeping pace behind him. [color=a36209]"Send a runner for me if you would please Angela. More than one if you have to. I need to speak with Vega before the announcement at 5. Tell him if he doesn't turn up I'll have him doing C-Class jobs exclusively for the rest of the year."[/color] Shaking his head, Delsin carried on to his other tasks. It was going to be a loooong month. [hr] [center][color=fff79a][h1]Illedrith Adrasia[/h1][/color][/center] [color=fff79a]"No no little love, your left foot. Left foot forward and then cut."[/color] On a sunny day with nary a cloud in the sky, not even an impending S-Class announcement could keep Illedrith from her scheduled activities. With the sun just starting to dip below the crest of the trees, she found herself on the banks of Luna Lake, teaching her bi-weekly combat class to the 5-10 year olds of Harpy's Wing as well as some of the young townsfolk. Today, as with every first week of the month, they were focusing on footwork and basic single sword proficiency, the basics of which formed the core for most fighting styles. Typically, there would be a crowd of onlookers, parents and curious individuals alike, but with the upcoming announcement, there were far more interesting things afoot in town for people to be interested in watching young kids be throughly mediocre at following instructions. Illedrith loved jobs like these, simple tasks where she felt she was making a significant difference to her guild. She'd been taking on responsibilities like this from Ari pretty much since she was capable of doing them, and she still never tired of watching the look on a young Harpy's face when they finally figured out a technique or learned something new. These were, in her eyes, the future that her guild was working to protect, and there were few things more cherished than that. With her students all lined up in front of one of her mirrors, and generally doing okay at the current exercise, she let her mind wander to the upcoming announcement. She'd chatted to her team over breakfast ever so briefly, and had invited them to come meet her here at 4:30 when this training ended so they could head over together, but she really hadn't put much thought into what the task would be. The last time she'd been in it, two years ago, it had been an item hunt as the qualifier, and then a 4 person round robin to determine the two people who would be invested as S-Class members of the guild. While she did find one of the six items, whe was just minutes behind the fourth person to come in with their item, so she missed out on the tournament. It was a little sad, but looking at the quality of fights that the four qualifiers put up in the round robin, she does have to admit that she probably wouldnt have won. This only redoubled her efforts in training though, and her style has come a long way since then. Maybe even enough to make it in... Hearing the town bell ring, Illedrith snapped out of her revery and addressed her trainees. [color=fff79a]"Alright, only fifteen minutes left! Let's do some sparring. Choose a partner, one that you didn't fight last week, and have a blunted weapon fight with them. Remember, no magic of any kind! If I catch you cheating you have to fight me instead, and you know I won't go easy on you! Alright, hop to it my darlings!"[/color] As the kids scrambled to grab their wooden swords, Illedrith stretched her shoulders and looked around for the first time in a while, looking to see if any of her team had made their way down early or not. It'd be nice to have the time for a quick catch up before the announcement, but they were sure to be busy today, so she didn't have her hopes up.