Die. Respawn. Repeat.

To say that Ahkelios was a little disappointed in his selection would be an understatement, but to his credit, he gets over it pretty quickly. I sit back as he goes through a rapid series of choices and selections, mostly outlining the start of something that'll make him combat-capable even if he's not in my immediate presence.

"It's harder to share skills if we're further apart," Ahkelios says. "So I need to make sure I can still fight even if I don't have any of your skills."

"You did pretty good even without any skills against Phylus," I point out. Ahkelios grins sheepishly.

"I did, didn't I?" he says. "I mean... whatever else was wrong with Zhir, he pretty much figured out and refined our Concept while he was stuck in the Empty City. I don't think I was nearly that effective even when I was a Trialgoer, but now..."

He looks down at his hands, and for a moment, a shadow crosses over his face. "I feel like I kind of owe him," he says. "It feels weird. Is that weird?"

"I don't think it is." I sit up a bit on the log and pat the space next to me—Ahkelios joins me after a moment, sitting with his elbows braced on his thighs. I'm still not used to how large he is now. If he were any smaller, I would've put him on my shoulder, but that's not really an option anymore. "He was..."

"He wasn't good," Ahkelios interrupts, looking up at me.

I shake my head slowly. "No, he wasn't," I agree. "But it's not that simple, is it? He was lonely. He fought to stay alive in the Empty City, and if what you're telling me is right, he did that alone for centuries. By the time he met us, all he wanted was a way to go home. He chose a stupid way to go about it, but I can't fault him for that."

"That's what he saw me as," Ahkelios mutters. "Or what he saw you as, I guess. A way home."