Ackster remembered telling the others about the name. They had laughed and chuckled at the name and the reasoning.
But the confused expression on The Hero's face when he looked up from Karandiel under his sword and at Ackster, whose roar caused ripples to spread in all directions, made it worth it. He had made the right choice.
A moment later, a light blue streak that only Ackster and The Hero saw flashed by. No, The Hero didn't see it. He could have seen it since he was strong enough. But he was too busy looking at Ackster's murderous eyes.
Without knowing what happened, Puppy, Ackster's eight-winged bird, had already turned The Hero into specks of white dust that spread out in a mile-long cone where Puppy had blazed through him.
