Prologue: Blue Skies and a Battle
Third-year students at Solrise Academy are the cream of the crop. Having survived three years of rigorous education at the the Academy, honing both their minds and their bodies, the third year students are often prepared for actual combat with Fiends or deployment into Calamity zones after two years of drilling and preparing for it. The final test marking the readiness of a class is traditionally held on the shore of Lake Aubray, with a mock village set up to test the adaptability and combat skills of students before facing facsimilies of real Fiends that are no less dangerous than those which they mimic. Passing this test is essential to advance in Solrise Academy; failure is punished by having to repeat the test until the class passes. Only one class has ever failed to pass the test today, by virtue of having found to have sabotaged the Automata used to run the test.
This year is fairly small, owing to a cheating scandal last year taking out most of who would have been Class 3-G, and so there will only be three tests today. Class 3-A are busy finishing their test, and Class 3-C are due to be tested later in the afternoon. Class 3-F has now come to prepare for their test, waiting just outside of the mock village, hoping that the last two or three years have prepared them for their first real brush with action.
It's about ten thirty in the morning.
The sun shines, its light glinting brightly off the surface of Lake Aubray. Behind you, the deep bell in Forester's Tower tolls, signalling that half an hour has passed, the distant sounds of students milling about during their free periods being drowned out. A rope fence keeps you cordoned off about five minutes' walk from the test village, where you can hear the distant shouts of Class 3-A doing their test, the occasional gust of snowy wind or blast of lightning being visible, or the blast of a mighty, deep horn being heard. None of the teachers are nearby, not that they need to be; you are adults, trustworthy enough to not need to be babysat, and in any case you're fully aware that Professor Ramsay is nearby. The man is strict and suffers fools poorly, though you remember he has somewhat of a soft spot for those who perform well in his Blacksmithing class.
Kaya stretches her arms, yawning. Her eyes are fixed on the village, hoping to catch a glimpse of her friend.
"So, how do you all think they're doing over there?"//Everyone may post!
"Hi! I'm Anna, of Anna's Emporiums! Our prices are to die for! Would you like to buy some of our wares?"
