Hybrid Lamborghini .Vol1 ENGLISH

18: Rangers

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"All Rangers are Hunters, but not all Hunters are Rangers"

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After scolding us for being late, Adara has spent the rest of the morning doing her best to teach Iker and me the art of being a Ranger... or at least, to pretend to be Rangers. In her opinion, it would take a duet like us several years to learn the true secrets behind the technique required for such a prestigious training.

"Ranger" is not an actual rank, does not have a special tattoo, or official recognition by the Council. It is a special category within the Hunter rank. Rangers are any duet of Hunters, composed by a hybrid and a human, who have completed arduous special training and have become elite elements. Human Rangers are allowed to ride on the backs of their hybrid partners instead of staying inside their cabin, all of this with the purpose of providing extra protection for their hybrid partner.

Adara and Saemus, Ciro and Marione, and most likely General Kassia, are all Rangers, the elite of the Hunters. At first it was easy for me to think that, here on Cilt, seeing a human riding on the back of a hybrid was all too common. I almost forgot that the only squad I've had any real contact with has been squad 15, which is made up entirely of Rangers. It was no surprise why the Leaders consider them the best squad in Cilt.

If I wanted to become a Ranger, even just for this mission, I needed to know the equipment and weapons perfectly, but due to our limited preparation time, Adara decided to explain to me superficially the function of each of the gadgets I had right now in front of me; Harnesses, weapons, individual pieces of armor, survival gear, and a massive saddle. I did my best to memorize the utility and operation of each thing even though Adara didn't expect me to memorize it the first time.

She seemed calm, even after having to deal with Iker by Kassia's decree. Iker and Saemus were talking calmly a few meters behind Adara, just in front of my line of vision, their conversation seemed serene and friendly, and I've even been able to catch my friend smiling from time to time with Saemus's comments. It was evident that the previous tensions between the two of them had subsided since the day Saemus had come to apologize. Seeing that Iker was enjoying the company of Saemus makes me feel calmer towards our imminent mission.

- Tyler, Hey! Are you paying attention?- Adara snaps her fingers right in front of my nose, effectively bringing me back to her lessons-

- Yes, yes, sorry, uhm... You were telling me to be careful when placing the harnesses, because the order in which I secure them to the saddle does matter... -I look down back at the thick harnesses that I hold with my hands, fidgeting nervously with the clips at their extremes-

Adara sighs, relaxing her shoulders for a moment, and smiles sympathetically at me. It was as if she had just realized that there was no point in treating me like one of her students, so she decided to adopt a friendlier profile, being herself again. She glances surreptitiously over her shoulder, realizing that both Saemus and Iker were too distracted to listen to our conversation.

- Hey... I feel like something is bothering you. If you feel this way because you have to learn all this in one day, don't worry, you don't need to memorize it perfectly. -Adara turns back once more, seeing both hybrids talking- Or maybe it's because of what happened in the Dome yesterday... If it's because of that, I can assure you that I won't look for problems with Iker, nor will I let that interfere with the training.