I finished drafting chapter six today, and I felt it was safe enough to post the prelude with some touchups. Part one will wait, of course, as I edit it on Wednesday and post it Thursday night.
Commentary below (note: some comments have been added since first posting).
My comments on this passage shall be brief, for it is itself brief of course. I knew I needed to start with this scene to establish how Ranma would return to Mount Phoenix after being sent back. While convenient in some ways, it also establishes the growing power of the rope-maker's movement. This prelude is as important to explaining what people under Sindoor's rule who resist the idea of the Sieve might want, and I think it essential to show what that mindset is. The rope-maker's forces, I expect, will play a pivotal role in chapter seven, and hence I wanted to extend due diligence to their leader's agenda. You'll note, critically, that it's not the same as Ranma's own, and that distinction shouldn't be forgotten.
Edit: on balance, I realize there's more to say, though largely about the chapter as a whole. The chapter is in eight acts, which is longer than any other, but the lengths of acts are a good deal more uniform than previously, and vary in a range around 4500-7000 words or so. By avoiding an extremely long act like "Scars" or "To Slay the Monsters...," I feel like the amount of material I'm asking a reader to digest is more manageable.
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