"Teach me," Altaïr says, approaching without fear. He'd listened to the man's talk on how to gather the snakes and had gotten quite a few on the expedition. He'd seen the damage this illness could do firsthand, with Tony, with 7, with the others. And while he'd used his time as best he could, first aiding with the ill, then trying to clean their houses so the stale sweat of sickness wasn't lingering when they returned, there was always more that could be done.

This was a way to actively help.