Looking back, I get the distinct feeling that this volume tries too many things. It tries to tell a rather complicated crime thriller, full of twists and hidden motives. It tries to flesh out a character in Kitty, exploring her doubts and her history. It tries to finally, after a whole prior volume, kickstart the main character's primary arc by challenging Red internally. It takes what amounts to a multi-chapter break in the middle of all this to feature a training arc, complete with significant exposition about this setting's magic system.
I could probably keep going, but you get the point. There's a lot going on here, far more than I've tried all at once, and I think the result is somewhat all over the place. I'm happy with a lot, but I'm also uncertain about a lot. I don't know that everything with Hound works, don't know that I should have introduced the floating island Soratan so soon before it takes center stage, don't know that Scarlet's death had the impact I wanted it to have. I'm not sure it all makes sense, and I've considered going back to rewrite certain parts to try and fix it. I still might, here and there, though the changes probably won't be big enough to be worth mentioning.
But, well, I can't say I'm not proud of what I wrote. In some ways it felt like my own training arc, a straining of the creative muscles to push past my limits. I think a fair critique of this story—not only this volume but the whole of it—might be that there's too much bloat, too many ideas and characters and plot threads for them to not get in each other's way. I don't consider that a bug, but a feature I hope to hone through my process so that one day all these discordant parts come together in a resonant whole.
The thing I most admire about my favorite stories—those that have directly inspired this one—is that they never compromise on their scope, their vision, even if it comes at the expense of polish or broad appeal. So I sort of want Mark II to feel overly gratuitous, for the cup to runneth over even if it means having its contents spill all over the floor. I want it to be loud, bombastic, overwhelming. Maybe that means that sometimes things get lost in all the noise.
All this is to say, I'm doubling down. Yes, parts of this volume left me unsatisfied and made me think more deeply about whether or not I could tell a story with so many moving pieces. But the next volume will be even longer, will feature more characters, and tackle more concurrent threads. I've decided not to be self-conscious about it. Like Red, this story is what it is whether anyone else likes it or not.
That doesn't mean I'm going to stupidly run into the same walls I've already faceplanted into. There's a lot of planning going on in the backend. To call my outlines expensive from here on out would be putting it mildly. I learned a lot from this last volume, and I'm putting those lessons to use. I'm looking forward to how it turns out.
If you've read this far, please follow, favorite, and rate the story. It emboldens me when I know others are reading and enjoying my work. If you have anything to say, please comment; already I've received a lot of great feedback that I've put to good use. I'm constantly going back and editing chapters, tweaking things here and there, much of it in response to good ideas readers have.
Thanks to everyone who has read this far. I appreciate the support, even if it's often silent. I hope you'll stick with the story and see what else I have in store.
- - - — MKII — - - -
Now, without further ado, here are RC profiles for all major characters in Volume 2. Like before, I'll hold some information back to not spoil certain things, and again I'll stress that what you see here is not an objective measurement of ability but instead a measurement based on reported evidence in-world.
FROM THE RANGER CORPS ARCHIVES
RANK & EXTERNALITIES
Star/Danger Rank: Number of stars given to Rangers by the RC to determine rank in the organization and/or number of stars given to unlicensed Mystic entities to determine their threat level.
1: Has been approved by the RC to engage in Mystic activities. Civilian forces could theoretically arrest or execute with little risk of failure.
2: Has been successful in several missions and/or can be trusted to dependably engage in low-level Mystic activities. Civilian forces could theoretically arrest or execute with the assistance of a licensed Ranger.
3: Has been successful in many missions and/or can be trusted to dependably engage in high-level Mystic activities. Must be confronted by a team of licensed Rangers or a specialized Enforcer.
4: All previous accolades and responsibilities apply. Has the authority to lead an outpost as captain. Must be confronted by multiple teams of licensed Rangers or a team of specialized Enforcers.
5: All previous accolades and responsibilities apply. The RC would have to amass a vast array of resources to arrest or execute, at great risk of failure.
Mystic Art: Categorized technical application of Spirit energy. Also called a "trick" in magician slang.
Mastered: Status given when proficiency in the attached Mystic Art allows for unpremeditated casting.
Talisman: Mystic tool reportedly under possession of the subject.
[REDACTED]: [REDACTED]
PROFICIENCY
The following categories reflect competence across various dimensions and are enumerated 1-5 depending on individual performance, with 1 as the lowest level of performance and 5 as the highest. Taken together, these points add up to one Proficiency Total (PT).
MIND
Skill: Reported proficiency in specialized non-Mystic faculties.
Knowledge: Reported comprehension across multiple conceptual dimensions.
Resilience: Reported capacity to sustain psychological stress and adjust to new or unpredictable conditions.
BODY
Constitution: Reported capacity for physical strain.
Power: Reported capacity for physical force output.
Agility: Reported ability to move quickly and easily.
SOUL
Spirit: Assumed Spirit energy volume.
Artistry: Reported proficiency in the use of Spirit energy.
1: Capacity to use the three Root Arts.
2: Capacity to manifest a specialized Mystic Art.
3: Capacity to proficiently manifest multiple Mystic Arts, or great proficiency in a single Mystic Art.
4: Capacity for extreme force output or extreme versatility through total mastery of a Mystic Art.
5: [REDACTED]
+ : Can theoretically exceed reported capacity due to either great internal ability or through assumed external yet contingent means. Adds 1 point to Proficiency Total (PT).
PROFILES
ROXBURY OUTPOST
Red Two
Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.
Age: 16 (?)
Star Rank: 2
Mystic Art: Remote Control
Talisman: N/A
Skill: 2
Knowledge: 2
Resilience: 5
Constitution: 4
Power: 4
Agility: 3
Spirit: 5+
Artistry: 2
PT= 28
Kitty Thorn
Age: 15
Star Rank: 3
Mystic Art: Sound Dial (Mastered)
Talisman: Ring of Gyges
Skill: 4
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 4
Constitution: 2
Power: 2
Agility: 3
Spirit: 3
Artistry: 4+
PT= 27
Lawrence Andrews
Age: 24
Star Rank: 2
Mystic Art: Stretch (Mastered)
Talisman: N/A
Skill: 2
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 3
Constitution: 2
Power: 2
Agility: 3
Spirit: 2
Artistry: 3
PT= 20
Hepzibah Thorn
Age: 58
Star Rank: 1
Mystic Art: N/A
Talisman: N/A
Skill: 4
Knowledge: 4+
Resilience: 5
Constitution: 1
Power: 1
Agility: 2
Spirit: 2
Artistry: 1
PT= 21
Jason Column
Age: 24
Star Rank: 4 (Captain)
Mystic Art: Overextension (Mastered)
Talisman: [REDACTED]
Skill: 5
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 5
Constitution: 3
Power: 3+++
Agility: 3
Spirit: 4
Artistry: 4+
PT= 34
VOLANTE SYNDICATE
Roman Jackson
Age: 29
Danger Rank: 1
Mystic Art: N/A
Talisman: N/A
Skill: 4
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 5
Constitution: 1
Power: 1
Agility: 1
Spirit: 1
Artistry: N/A
PT= 16
Scarlet Valentine
Age: 22 (Deceased)
Danger Rank: 3
Mystic Art: Makeover (Mastered)
Talisman: N/A
Skill: 4
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 4
Constitution: 2
Power: 2
Agility: 3
Spirit: 2
Artistry: 3
PT= 23
Donald Delaney
Age: 33
Danger Rank: 2
Mystic Art: N/A
Talisman: Scarlet Band
Skill: 2
Knowledge: 2
Resilience: 2
Constitution: 2
Power: 1
Agility: 1
Spirit: 1
Artistry: 1+
PT= 13
HOUSE OF ENDLESS SLUMBER
"Owl"
Age: 15 (?)
Danger Rank: 3
Mystic Art: Silhouette (Mastered)
Talisman: N/A
Skill: 4
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 4
Constitution: 2
Power: 2
Agility: 3+
Spirit: 3
Artistry: 4
PT= 26
"Hound"
Age: 20 (?) (Deceased)
Danger Rank: 3
Mystic Art: N/A
Talisman: N/A
Skill: 5
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 5+
Constitution: 2+
Power: 2++
Agility: 2
Spirit: 1
Artistry: 1
PT= 25
BUREAU OF ENFORCEMENT
Vincent Alden
Age: 37
Danger Rank: 3 (Enforcer)
Mystic Art: Bullseye (Mastered)
Talisman: Moonshooter
Skill: 3
Knowledge: 3
Resilience: 4
Constitution: 3
Power: 3
Agility: 2
Spirit: 2
Artistry: 2+
PT= 23