Afterword - Book 1 - Chapter 53 (Patreon)

Chapter 53: Problems to be Solved

(Original Chapter Title: Ranger II)

The journey's about to begin, but first there's a few logistics and character moments to work through!

The betrayal that Ranthia suffered (partially self-inflicted, see the Afterword for Chapter 50) may not be a raw wound anymore, but Ranthia still is adapting poorly to her latest source of pain. She's listless and doesn't want to be alone, but she also isn't great company. And she soon realizes that she doesn't want to be touched in any capacity. In short: girl gets deep into her own head.

I wonder if readers are noticing yet that Ranthia's eyes aren't quite as extremely unsettling to most people as she thinks they are. Civilians that almost never see advanced elements are kinda squicked—though seldom as badly as the half-awake innkeeper that first saw them late at night—but to Classers they're more of a curiosity than something wholly abhorrent. But good luck convincing Ranthia of that, it can be hard to get over her hatred for them when they remind her of the void she trapped herself in and got about the worst possible initial reaction to 'em.

Words have power, unfortunately.

Also: The mystery of Tertia's three names is revealed! The explanation is both boring and easily predictable, but she is still a rarity in Remus. Declaring equal rights doesn't magically fix a long history of sexism immediately. It merely establishes a path towards a better future. Things are improving in Remus—at least on that front—but it's not there yet.

I feel like a lot of people underestimate just how important the brief conversation between Green and Ranthia about the team really is. Green asked Ranthia what she thinks of the team and Ranthia, uncomfortably, assesses their combat potential—based largely off of assumptions and guesswork. But... that wasn't what Green asked. Just bear it in mind as this arc continues.

Ranthia meets her second (known) Oathbound [Healer]! Hylla shared the text of the Oath though—Ranthia had seen it in her reading and writing courses at the Academy, but she hadn't paid it much mind then—and Ranthia is unimpressed. She is right that, on its face, the Oath is largely contradictory to the duties of Rangers. Hylla isn't a Ranger, but she's assigned to a team. Elaine continually evolved her approach to the terms of the Oath to meet her needs, but Hylla won't have that benefit.

But Vert's bound for the Academy and Ranthia's journey begins. It's time for Remus to meet Ranger Team 6!