snooze fest fast forward pls
I think this is what happens when characters are suddenly introduced to be clear villains, with nothing else to their character. It's fine to make the world more complicated and have the hero deal with something more complex than random monsters and thugs, but I feel like we need to see the villains actually operating as part of society first, and interacting with the MC in some capacity. That way, when it turns out they're the bad guy, it's an "oh no!" moment. As it is, they just feel like paper thin plot devices.
Fran has a personal goal and a well-defined background and personality. She deserves obstacles with comparable development. Not villains who we're just supposed to fear because some rando tells us they're powerful and dangerous.