I do like Gr’Zl’s style of narration here: young or adult, he’s a guy with a little too much energy to burn, himself.

Phil needed some convincing on that point, but I stuck to my guns: we needed something to pull us firmly into wood elf modes of thinking. Though Gr’Zl will not get to narrate any of the rest of this chapter, what with being unconscious and all, I feel like he establishes a rhythm that makes it easier for us to get in the heads of other wood elves later.

Not sure where E-Merl’s impulse to bubble both himself and Rachel for protection falls on the spectrum between his white-knighting from last chapter and “hey, E-Merl’s pretty good at this combat tactics thing despite his insecurities.” Rachel is shouting to Scipio and she’d rather be at his side, defending him. But her abilities aren’t the best against ranged attacks, and she doesn’t have a shield like Frigg or Scipio, nor is she as quick-footed as Bandit or even Byron. After she got to hog the mic last chapter, it’s kinda fair for her to be out of her element for a little while here.