A Ting of Guilds , Part 1

About twenty minutes after our harrowing encounter against the undead hordes of the Night Circus, I was strolling into a spacious hall—one of the Borgo Way's big rec rooms—and sliding my way past a crowd as tightly packed as a can of sausages to get to where Liara and Zen were standing by the front row of onlookers and supporters. 

"Excuse me," I said as I slipped past two wildlings who were sniffing at my bag, "Academy guy coming through."

'Academy guy' meant I got a free pass as I slipped by people because no one in this hall wanted to offend the person moderating this all-important 'Ting' to determine how things would go down tonight. 

"Our guild was first to arrive!" yelled someone from beyond the crowd in front of me. "The 'Rite of First Passage' is ours!"