Chapter 180: Book 3: Walk and Talk
There's a sort of unspoken agreement that as soon as we're done with this stage and with Tarin and Naru, we're going to have to sit down and figure out what this means. He-Who-Guards seems a little put out, probably because he's now the only one in our little party that doesn't have an Interface of his own; there's not much we can do about that, but I point out how he's apparently able to copy what we can do.
That cheers him up a bit. We'll have to focus some of our efforts on specifically figuring out how Guard can interface with regular skill constructs, since they're distinct from the circuits that these Dungeon monsters are using, but Ahkelios and I are both more than willing to help.
Novi seems eager to help, too, actually. We don't have the heart to tell her that she's probably not going to be with us for that conversation.
"We'll have to tell her eventually," Ahkelios admits to me quietly, when we have a moment to ourselves. I glance at him, surprised.
"What do you mean?"
"I kind of told her kids by accident," he says.
"...How did you do that by accident?" I ask, now more confused than before. He laughs awkwardly—it's strange walking with him like this, now that he's essentially eye level with me. I don't have to crane my neck down or up to look at him anymore. The only reason he's taller is because of his carapace.
"It's a long story," he mutters. "Uh, it's mostly because of Zhir?"
"He told them?" I raise an eyebrow. I don't see how that would help his case.